Tom Hurd

Thanks so much for your heartwarming update. You put into words what many of us were also feeling before the reunion - the whole 'growing old' issue - HA! And what a beautiful family you have, Tom.

Cathy,

It was nice to chat with you for a few moments at the Sat night reunion event at the Sheraton. You look wonderful to be so old (just like me, but don't tell anyone)! OK, jokes over, we can get out of these old people costumes.

I've included a picture of the "Hurd" in 1992, "Hurd" in 1997, and Linda, Alex and me in 2006. I think we have a more recent picture of our entire immediate family, but I couldn't find it. We're living on opposite sides of the country from each other and the Florida kids may actually have it. I wasn't sure how long or short my narrative should be, but since I'm full of hot air, it's long! If you have to shorten it, so be it Cathy. Thanks for doing this for all of us BHS'ers.

I nearly didn't show up, as I actually became depressed about being so........old! My second daughter Stacia said, "Gee Dad, aren't you glad you skipped all those grades?" (as if to say very nicely that I'm not really old enough yet to be attending my 40 year high school reunion)! But after emailing back and forth with Deanna (Lloyd) Jennings and Andrea Moxness, I realized the folly of my thinking, ignored my depression, bought my ticket, and showed up. I'm ever so glad I did, as it was a great time for me to see many of our friends from BHS.

I haven't seen but just a very few classmates over the years, seeing most people only at these reunions. I've kept track of Alan Singer, living nearby in the SF Valley. Phil Anderegg has dropped off the radar, as well as Jim Thompson, who was a violinist with me, starting in the seventh grade at John Muir Jr. High orchestra with Mr. Manning, and then later on in the BHS orchestra during musical productions. Several other close friends have scattered as well.

Once, about nine years ago, my wife and I took our sons (two youngest of my "Hurd" of five kids) to England and stayed a few days with Sally (Edwards) Pawlik in her home near London. She was a great hostess, entertaining me with some great wine and company 'til 3:00a.m. the first night, reminiscing about many of you people from the BHS class of ’67, while showing the four of us Oxford, Cambridge, Blenheim Palace, etc. during the daytime!

At our reunion "confrontations," we are rather abruptly reminded of the passage of time, the ravages of the aging process. But, after only a few seconds of seeing each other again, we look past the wrinkles, scars, varicose veins, age spots, and chub, to see into the eyes of our great friends from our past! I really think it's a wonderful experience. Many of our classmates look great, you included, Cathy. It was nice seeing you and so many of our great friends that weekend in Sept.

Thanks for getting this going, Cathy. I thought "blog" was a four letter dirty word, only very recently learning what it meant! It still can be like a dirty word, if you don't post “nicely,” but at least now I know what it is!

My life in a nutshell: I've been a general dentist in my own practice in Lompoc, CA for 30 years. People do “life sentences” (that 30 year thing sounds like that to me) at the prison facilities ten miles away! I've been married twice, I have five children, with one still at home as a junior in high school. The two oldest (daughters) live in Florida near Daytona Beach, one son in Santa Barbara (on a boat in the harbor), another son at Cal Poly SLO, and last son at home as junior in high school. The kids are from age 32 down to 16 years, with the oldest and youngest having the same birthday. It was the least I could do to give them the same birthday as the age difference could otherwise tend to separate them! They have all been great kids, thanks to their mothers! My children are promising to turn out better than I did. My goodness, my mental challenges led to dentistry for heaven sakes. Nevertheless, dentistry has been good to me, it's still fun, but enough of a good thing already. I want to transition out of my practice over the next six or seven years and perhaps move our primary residence to Cambria, CA.

One of my dreams is to finish an airplane that I am building before I retire (after youngest, Alex, graduates from college in about six years). Though I've been displeased when I've unintentionally given free dentistry (when patients elect not to pay me), I'm looking forward, in my retirement, to giving away dental service to those who really need it! God willing, I plan to fly out of Paso Robles or SLO, CA, go all over North America, enjoying the great scenery along the way, and deliver my style of missionary dentistry (my choice who gets it free this time)!

I'm looking forward to the next time we BHS classmates can meet each other again. Life on earth is very short, so we better plan on tighter intervals between visits. Jeanne (Barron) Aikman’s mom recently told me that she and her classmates have taken wonderful trips and “cruises” together, which sounds great to me. I'm not an event planner, but I'm game to go if someone puts a good adventure together. Many people would need plenty of notice to plan for the time away and the money for the function, but it could be done. Got dreams?

I hope to see anyone attending the 100 year BHS celebration next fall.

Love to all you great BHS classmates.

Tom Hurd
drhurd@impulse.net
805-733-0143 hm
805-736-6579 wk

P.S. Questions are seldom answered over the phone anymore, but by email instead. I've included my numbers anyway for your convenience if needed for any reason. I don't care if anyone gets my numbers, or email address, but I prefer no commercial sales attempts, as I have extreme sales resistance!!!! But if someone wants to "keep me" (i.e. retire me and send me money), that's OK. I'm open to that!