Helen Mae (Henderson) Mersereau (Br 7) of Downey, CA who will be 103 years old on January 3, 2000. Helen was married to the late Dale Byron Mersereau. They had one child, Wallace Dale Mersereau. Helen has three grandchildren, David Mersereau, Anne Marie Kodama, and Susan Pacwa; and 8 great-grandchildren.

Ben and Darlyn VV Keller (Br U) of Stockton, CA, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a fiesta that included their children, grandchildren, and even their five great-grandchildren. Pictures of their engagement, wedding, 25th and 50th anniversaries were on display.

Ben who was born in Fargo, ND, and Darlyn VV of Kansas City were married in Olathe. KS, and have lived for 46 years in Stockton. Ben retired from Safeway; Darlyn is an interior decorator and a "Weigh Master." The Kellers enjoy golf, reading, and RV travel.

The 48th annual reunion for the Br 1 Van Valkenburgh-Robinson families was held Aug. 1 in Summit, NY with 69 members attending.

Awards were given to the youngest, Marcella Rivenburg, 11 months; oldest, Pearl Twiss; least hair and most children, Leo VV; man with most hair, Vern Kennedy; people traveled farthest, Donald VV and Beatrice Peck; most recently married, Gary and Sandy VV; longest married, Helen and George Haslun, 45 yrs.

Since the 47th reunion, there were two deaths: Gerald Mulford, Sept.24, 1988, and Jean VV, Apr.20, 1999. Two births also occurred: Marcella Rivenburg on July 5, 1999 and Desiree Kathryn Lynne Rivenburg on July 25.

A retirement ceremony was held on May 21, 1999, for Legalman First Class Karen A. Garvin, (Br 1) US Navy, at Corpus Christi, TX. Karen was born in Coopertown, NY to Theodore Aspinwall and Marian Pogue. She enlisted in the Navy in 1979. Her Navy service has taken her to a number of US ports and in 1990 she was deployed to the Arabian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Storm.

Karen's decorations include the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and multiple unit commendations and service awards.

Karen is blessed with a four-year-old daughter Karla Nykole. They now live in Broadalbin, NY.

Attending Karen's retirement ceremony were: (l-r) her brother Vincent Aspinwall, her stepmother and father, Audrey and Theodore Aspinwall, Karen, and her mother Marion Pogue

I'm sure most of us have had problems having to write "Van Valkenburg(h)" in a space only big enough for "Smith" or "Jones". Some time ago, I bought a few things at a local Radio Shack store. This was at a time when the salesclerk had to fill out the sales slip including name, address, etc. They almost always had a problem getting my name in the space allotted on the sales slip. When the clerk started to write out the sales slip, he asked for my name. Trying to keep him from having trouble getting my name in the space allotted, I said, "Write small." To my surprise and dismay, he started writing immediately. Only when he asked for my street address, could I see that on the line for my name, he had written, "Wright Small." I almost broke up but managed enough control to give him a fictitious address, pick up my articles and make it out of the store before becoming nearly hysterical.

Bob Van Valkenburgh (Br 7) e-mail: bobvan@ipass.net