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Kris Shoulberg (Brown)

I bet that's why Margy's email bounced. It's Mac instead of aol.

Bill Harrison (Harrison)

Hey All you Halsey Elementary kids...remember this? Tasted so good!

Mary Maxwell (Thomas)

Thanks Bill.  I DO remember making butter at Halsey School and it was delicious!  Thanks for the memory!                

Mary M.

Mary Maxwell (Thomas)

Oh- I'm sorry- I should have said "Billy"! LOL!

Judy Renz (Volpe)

Hey Class of 61.  This is Lou Volpe, Judy's hubby.  Thanks for posting the picture.  I also went to Halsey School and remember the teacher Mrs. Gieser.  She, her husband and two daughters, Mary Lou and Anne used to live next to South Park on Maywood Road.  Anne was the homecoming queen at LFHS.  Mary Lou was in my class of 1958.  Mrs. Gieser lived to be 98. 

Terry McKinnon

Judy, I recall that apartment building next to South Park. It was called "the Contagious Hospital", I suppose it had been used for Tuberculosis patients earliery in the 1900's.

Terry McKinnon

Bill, this is Kris McKinnon, connected to Terry! He didn't attend Halsey Schoo, but I did.

When I saw your messge, it brought back a flood of memories. Miss Lester the principal, Polly LeRoy the school nurse, and first grade (?) teacher Goldie RipleyAs well as Bernie Best, gym teacher.

I also saw your posting from last Feb. about Norm Erickson. So touching to read about him. Is he still living? I would like to send a note to him, since you were so thoughtful in providing his address. He was very even-handed with girls as well as boys, like Ray Burkhalter. Even though I tried to saw off the tip of my finger in shop!

Thanks for this trip down memory lane.

Fred Jackson

Good to hear from all the old South Parkers. South Park has had a few changes last year. The old Contagious Hospital is now a new playground. A jogging trail and Paddle Tennis courts have been added to the park. And just this year the City bought the old Joytime Nursery which be taken down and enable the park to expand. I think we had at least eight classmates who grew up in the Northmoor subdivision. Good memories. Norm Erickson is still alive. He would love to receive cards from any of you 

Terry McKinnon

Thanks Fred! Paddle tennis? Boce ball? A new era for sure...

Bill Harrison (Harrison)

Dear Fellow Classmates,

Our class web site has been active for 11 years now, and I have been paying the annual subscription fees myself, which has added up to over $1,800. Some of you have received subscription expiration notices, which means that I must extend the subscription for at least another year. If I don’t, the site management company will change to an advertising model, which means you will be subject to site ads. I do not want that to happen. So here are our options:

1. Continue paying myself for one more year ($165), or;
2. Continue with a free subscription with ads, or;
3. Continue paying and request classmate donations to help out.

My preference is 3. Pay for one more year and ask for donations. After the year is up, renew for 3-5 years using the donation funds (See below). That means $165 now and $495 more in one year, using the five year rate. This will give me a year to set up a donations page and manage donations. Without any donations, continue with ads.

Please let me know your thoughts by posting on the message forum so everyone can see them, and thank you! This will help me decide what to do. I have 30 days.

Kris Shoulberg (Brown)

Hi Cousin Bill and fellow classmates! I truly had no idea that you, Bill, were paying anything out of your pocket! It's one thing that you have been maintaining our website gratis!!! I think our class has a checking account. Bob White, am I correct? If so, could our classmates send donations to you (Bob, post your address), and Bob reimburse Bill for whatever amount he needs. I think I speak for most of us that the website has been a wonderful way for us to stay in touch. I would hate to see it go away! If our checking account is no longer active, how can we reimburse Bill?  Cheers! Kris

Bill Harrison (Harrison)

Cousin Kris,

Thank you for the note and the suggestion, which would certainly be easier for me and we would not have to go through PayPal using a donation page.

Tim Reichert

Hi, Bill,

Totally agree with Kris. I'm certainly ready to kck in my share and much appreciate your efforts over the years to keep us connected.

Stay well,

Tim 

Bill Harrison (Harrison)

Thanks Tim, Bob and Kris! I already got $100 to help pay for this year! I am shooting for another $500 to be raised over the year so that I can renew again in 2023 for FIVE more years!!

Mary Maxwell (Thomas)

I totally agree with what has already been said.  Many thanks to you, Bill, for all you have done to keep us together and informed.  You should not have to foot the bill in addition to doing all the work!  I'm more than willing to contribute.   I think we should continue to rely on your discretion for how we should proceed.  You have my proxy!

Kris Shoulberg (Brown)

Hmmmmmmm.......how about GoFundMe? 

Bob White

Hi Kris...and everybody else. I closed the checking account several years ago. After the last actual reunion in Lake Bluff, we had less than $100 in the account. Since it looked like another reunion was questionable and I knew Bill needed funds for the website, I closed the account and sent the balance to Bill to help keep it alive.

I see a several problems with GoFundMe.

•   it's really set up for one-time fund raising.

•   olks have to know we have aGoFundMe page in order to contribute.

•   GoFundMe takes a cut (3%) of the donations.

•   Unless Bill sets up LFHS Class of '61 as a non-profit corporation, he'll need to give GoFundMe his SS# and pay taxes on the income generated. 

My suggestion( which I shared with Bill over the phone yesterday), is to simply send out a direct email to all of us as replacement funds are needed. Bill would share how much the site costs and how much we need to keep it going. If/when donations fall off to the point of not supporting the website, well...maybe it's time to let it go. 

Eileen Janowitz (Ward)

I'd like to contribute to paying for the website which I really enjoy.  Bill, a check or PayPal?            

Sue Harrington (Francis)

Sandy McDermand (Grimmer)

Happy to support this way to keep in touch.  Thank you for keeping it going.  Sandy 

Bill Harrison (Harrison)

You can send checks directly to me.  Any amount helps. I will need $500 by Feb 2023. As I said, this will keep the site funded for this year plus five more! YAY!

I am in the process of opening a local checking account where I can deposit and monitor the gifts. I'm keeping it simple.

Thanks so much!!

12060 S 217th St

Gretna, NE 68028

(Just for your information, we have 86 registered classmates for the site. 32 of them have signed on during the last 30 days. I figure that about 43 are really active. If half of them gave $25, we'd be covered.)

Bill Harrison (Harrison)

PayPal also works...gretnadude@hotmail.com

Mary Maxwell (Thomas)

Just sent something with PayPal.  It worked fine. Quick & efficient.  Thanks for your hard work & dedication, Bill!

John Barr (Barr)

Will get a check in the mail to you this week. John Barr

Steven Spaner

Bill. 

I know that this form of leadership is both gratifying for you and makes you feel like a selfless person. But, you do so much accommodation to users and maintenance of the site that this is not just altruism, it is work.

I built, maintain, and fund six websites as my contribution to the SNAP organization that I joined as a volunteer in 2003. I get to write those expenses off as donations (or used to, new tax law cut me off). I don’t know if you have been taking your time and website expense off on your taxes, but that does not excuse we users and classmates from paying our way.

I respond to every notification I get by going to the LFHS site and checking out the person or post in the notice. I would really miss this connection to my one and only HS (I was in 9 different schools before I entered LFHS as a freshman). I hope you have a contingency plan should you tire of or not be able to continue as webmaster / site administrtor. The show must go on ... at least until the last alum is no more.

Finally, based on your analysis and suggestion, my $25 check will be sent via my bank’s Bill Pay tonight. If the support response falls short, please let me / us know the shortfall, and I’ll kick in more.

Cheers, Steve