The Sasebo Experience:  A Special Place, A Special Time, With Special Friends!

"A good friend is worth pursuing...but why would a good friend be running away?"
 ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

ANNOUNCEMENTS

If there is something you would like added to the ANNOUNCEMENTS page, please contact us.

Note:  If sending an email, please put Sasebo in the subject line.  Thank you!

Contact information: teens@saseboalumniassoc.org
  

September 17, 2024 - James "Jimmy" Duffy

James Duffy, husband of Gretchen Duffy (nee Auwen), passed away on September 15, 2024. If anyone wants to contact Gretchen, her address is 4110 S Waverly Place, Kennewick, WA 99337


September 9, 2024 - Robert "Kent" Curtis

Dear Friends,

This past Saturday I was told by David Curtis that his Dad, Kent Curtis, had left this life. Five or six weeks ago, I had been talking to Kent on the phone as we’d done on a regular basis. He told me that his body was giving out on him and there was no prognosis that offered any relief. He told me that he did not want to spend whatever time he had left going back and forth to the hospital that couldn’t change his condition.

I called his son David, and confirmed that he, along with Kent’s other children and siblings, were aware of Kent’s decision, and that arrangements with weekly visits by a hospice nurse had been secured. All I could think to do was to fly back to Virginia to be with my friend.  I wasn’t sure what I should do when I arrived…try my best to convince Kent to “fight”, or support his decision? Both choices seemed to be “what” a friend should do. After talking with Kent, I decided to support his decision. I pray that I did the best thing for my friend.

Our friendship was born in 1958 in Sasebo, Japan. We were just 14 and 15 years old. One night while talking about the things that teenagers want to do in their future life, we made a promise to each other. Whenever and wherever we found “the girl” we wanted to come home to for the rest of our lives, we would be each other's Best Man. We kept that promise!

As a military brat, I found myself moving every couple of years. This meant saying goodbye to friends, making new friends at the next landing spot, and in a year or two later, repeating the process. As uncomfortable as all these moves were, Sasebo would be my last. Looking back I came to realize how “blessed” I had been as this wanderer, as it gave me the opportunity to add so many friends to my life, like Kent and others.

Nothing is more rewarding than making friendships, and nothing is more difficult than losing them. Unfortunately, if you hang around long enough like me, the losing part seems to come more often. I’ve come to an understanding that offers me comfort when these losses come visiting. I rely on my belief that there’s another life after this, where all of those that have been important to me in this life will be reunited with me in the next, and most comforting, there will be no more goodbyes.

When I was with Kent just a few weeks ago, and the time came for me to leave and return home, we gave each other a “manly” hug as we had done many times before, and he said to me “We sure had a lot of fun, didn’t we?” Yes, my friend, we sure the hell did!.......................To be continued!

Expressions to Kent’s family can be addressed to Kent’s home: 8006 Karl Road, Alexandria, VA, 22308.  Also, if you go to Legacy.com and request information for Robert Kent Curtis, Alexandria, Virginia, you will be able to see information on Kent and will be able to leave a note remembering Kent, etc.

I apologize for the length of this message. No matter how hard I tried, I found it impossible to cover a friendship of nearly 70 years.

~ John Gordon/Jack/Friend


March 2024 - Richard Staples

Dear Friends and Classmates,

As "service brats", all of us spent much of our pre-adult years moving from one place to another, making friends only to leave them, and start the process again at the next stop.

Sasebo was just one of several stops along the way.  We arrived, made friends, but when we left, something was different!  Unlike all the stops before, the friendships and memories we made in Sasebo would stay with us forever. 

Sixty-five years ago (1958-60) in Sasebo, Japan, one of those lifelong friendships began for Bob Johnston, Gene Rose, Richard Staples and John Gordon.  By 1960, all of us had left Sasebo.  There was no internet or cell phones to help keep us in touch.  In 1999, after being apart for 40 years since Sasebo, the four of us found each other again!  Our friendship picked up as if we'd never been apart, but the best was yet to come. 

With a few weeks of being back together, the four of us "senior teenagers" drove from our homes in California nonstop to Dallas, TX, to attend an "Overseas Brats Reunion", and as a result we were reunited with a few more of our Sasebo friends. 

On the drive back home, we hatched the idea of putting together the first ever "Sasebo Reunion".  Now, with the help of the internet and cell phones, we were able to find enough of our Sasebo classmates to make the first ever Sasebo Reunion happen in 2000!  What followed were Sasebo Reunions for the next 20 years! 

This week I learned that one of the above mentioned "Sasebo Reunion Dreamers", Richard Staples (Stapes), had passed on February 21, 2024.  Stapes was a part of every Sasebo Reunion from the first to the last.  But more important to Bob, Gene, and me (John), Stapes had been our friend for 65 years! 

For all of us who knew Richard in Sasebo, or came to know him at our Reunions, one of our "Special Friends" will be remembered and missed. 

Sasebo, Japan - A Special Place, A Special Time, With Special Friends

Memorial service for Richard Staples at: 

Shepherd Church, Porter Ranch
19700 Rinaldi St.
Porter Ranch, CA 91326
(818) 831-9333
March 9, 2024 (Saturday) at 11:00 a.m.

Richard's daughter:
Leila Staples
1106 Catlin St., Unit C
Simi Valley, CA 93065
LeilaStaples@yahoo.com

~ John Gordon


February 2023 - To our Sasebo Reunion Family

Background:  Being a "Military Brat", we found ourselves changing addresses, schools and friends on a regular basis.  Leaving behind old addresses and schools was disruptive, but nothing was more difficult than leaving your friends.

For those of us in Sasebo during the '50s, '60s and '70s, trips to the train station or "bus stop" to say "goodbye" to our friends, who "were headed back to the States", became a regular occurrence. 

Because there was no Internet, no cell phones to keep in touch, we knew these "goodbyes" were most likely "final goodbyes".

Jumping ahead 40, then 20 years:  In 1999, a handful of Sasebo friends from the late '50s found each other (ironically through the Internet).  It had been 40 years since they'd said their "goodbyes" at the train station...40 years since they'd heard or seen each other!

Quickly becoming geeks to this Internet stuff, they learned of an "Overseas Brats" web site that was having a reunion in Dallas.  Overcome with excitement, they immediately quit their jobs, divorced their wives, said a final farewell to their children, and drove like NASCAR to Dallas where they located 10 more of their friends from Sasebo.

On the way home, they decided that before all of their friends from Sasebo ended up in the afterlife, they needed to round up as many as they could and put together the Reunion none of them had ever had.  Using their cell phones, the Internet, and word of mouth, they managed to find about 30 of their Sasebo friends.

In 2000, they put together their 1st Sasebo Reunion.  Nearly everyone they'd found attended.  In addition, a contingent of friends. who had been in Sasebo some 15 years later in the mid '70s, joined in.  The '70s group responded by having their own Reunion the following year (2001).  The '50s group and the '70s group quickly discovered that the "15 year gap" between their times in Sasebo made little difference.  So many of their experiences were the same...they could have changed places with one another and hardly noticed a difference.

Using their heads, something they rarely ever did in Sasebo, they joined together, and the "impossible dream team" was born!  What had begun as 1-day reunions in 2000 and 2001, became a 3-day, first ever, Impossible Sasebo Reunion in 2002.  They established a web site so others from Sasebo could find them, and by 2004, the "impossible dream team" had found more of their missing friends from the '50s, '60s, and '70s.  The 2004 Reunion made it obvious that there was a need, and the support for, reunions every 2 years.  In 2006, we moved the Reunion from the Golden Nugget to The Orleans, where it became the home for all future Reunions.

Over the next 10 years attendance grew to as many as 200.  Not really a surprise.  Our reunions were unlike "typical reunions" (1-day/night every 10, 20 years), but instead were "gatherings" that brought old friends together and the opportunity make new ones every 2 years.

Reunion moments:  There is no way to capture all the "special" moments that have happened during our 20 years of reunions.  Each of our Reunions had lots of planned things to do.  Recalling and sharing memories of their time in Sasebo, dining, drinking, music, dancing, more drinking, and a heck of a lot of laughing and joyful crying.  It was like the Teen Club had found its way to Vegas!

Hundreds and hundreds of Sasebo friends/classmates have experienced magic moments with friends/classmates after 20, 30, 40 years of being apart.  Spouses, parents, children, and occasional strangers who recognized a good time when they saw it, often joined us, and became a part of our Sasebo Reunion Family.

With each Reunion came those "extra special" moments when friends who had not see or heard from each other in 20, 30, 40 years came face-to-face.  Some things had changed...wrinkles had appeared that weren't there at 16, and where had all that hair gone??...but then again, some things hadn't!  Whether it was the smile, the voice, or the laugh, there was no doubt.  We'd been transported back in time!

To experience this, or watch it happen to others, without getting a "smile" on your face, a "lump" in your throat, and "tears" in your eyes was virtually impossible!  These are the moments all of us had imagined, and now it was actually happening!

For some attendees, our reunions satisfied their "curiosity", for some the chance to "check a box" they never thought was possible.  But for so many of us, the reunions gave us the chance to say "thank you" to our friends from so long ago, and to let them know that despite all the "lost years", they were never forgotten, along with the memories of the friendships we'd shared in Sasebo.

So where are we now?  Beginning around the time of our 2014 Reunion, our attendance began to decline, and by our 2021 Reunion, it had dropped 40.  To further aggravate our situation, we now find ourselves on the edge of a recession, an inflation that's hurting everyone except those that put us into it, and prices for everything including food, hotels and transportation have exploded.  These costs, paired with a declining attendance, have made it impossible to provide the kind of reunions we've grown accustomed to and deserve.

Sadly, this "impossible journey" of 23 years with 11 amazing stops (Reunions) along the way, has reached its final destination.  We've just run out of the fuel (attendance) to keep it going!

From all of us who "engineered" the ride:  With a lump in our throats the size of Kansas, we can't begin to describe the sadness we feel.  This truly was a labor of love, an impossible dream come true!  Just look at what we accomplished...giving so many of the Sasebo Reunion(s) we thought we'd never have!

To all of our Sasebo Reunion Family:  As this incredible 23-year journey comes to an end, our hope is that you'll stay in touch with your friends we found, and the new friends you made along the way.  Our site "SaseboAlumniAssoc.org" contains contact information for many of our Sasebo classmates, and will remain available for now.

We will never forget all of you, and the "impossible journey" we shared together!!

Domo Arigatogazaimashita!!

Sayonara!!


October 21, 2020 - To protect classmate contact information, it is now necessary to enter a username and password to access the information on the Assoc Member Info page of the website.

To get the username and password, please contact Kathey Haas or Robert "Rotor" Rohrbacher.

Kathey - email:  kathey_haas@hotmail.com
Rotor - email:  rrohr@cox.net

~ Nancy Hadaway, Volunteer Webmaster


December 26, 2018 - Sadly another member of the Sasebo family has passed on. Christie Brocato (nee Corman) wrote to advise that her sister Candice "Candy" Corman Baque passed away on December 3, 2018.

Obituary:  https://www.melanconfuneralhome.net/obituary/candice-l-baque

~ Nancy Hadaway, Volunteer Webmaster


January 8, 2018 

SASEBO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 2018 Update

As we gather for our tenth Reunion, the Sasebo Experience continues. E. J. King High School and Fleet Activities Sasebo, continue to operate. By continuing to support this Association, students and personnel that are in Sasebo today will have a viable network that will enable them to NEVER lose contact with their friends from Sasebo as was unfortunately the case for many of us. 

We need to continue growing as an Association.  We need to find more of our missing classmates/friends and to bring this Association to the attention of those that have followed us into Sasebo. We haven’t found all of them yet, and the effort to do so must continue. Therefore, in an effort to take this task on and give it the attention it deserves, we’ve convinced (bribed) one of our most avid supporters Marilyn “ACE” Langschwager-Pisoni to be our official contact for Locating Missing Classmates. She needs your help. All of us have a stake/interest in finding our friends that are still among the “missing.” If you know the whereabouts of someone not in our Directory, pass that information onto “ACE” so she can reach out and add that classmate to our Directory. With the advent of Facebook, along with our web site, our ability to locate our missing classmates is greater than ever.

Speaking of our Directory and our Web site, we all owe a lot of thanks to Nancy Hadaway (wife of Carlos, E.J. King 1957-1958). Nancy constructed our Web site back in 2002, and has been our Webmaster since. For the past 16 years she has volunteered her efforts so we could offer “a beacon to the missing” while growing a Directory of all the classmates we have found. In the beginning, I was able to bribe (pay off) Nancy using her weakness for chocolate. But, after a few years of being able to pay her off with large boxes of Snickers obtained at Costco, she went “healthy” on me, so “Edible Arrangements” become the new method of payment. Alert! Alert! Just into our newsroom – Nancy has come to her senses and has once again embraced her addiction to chocolate. Without the efforts of Nancy, our Directory and our ability to hold reunions would not have happened. 

During the past Reunions, using silent auctions, selling T-shirts, hats, Association Memberships, holding 50/50 raffles, etc., we’ve been able to accumulate the necessary funds to operate our website and to pay for future Reunion start up costs.

As a result, we have decided to “open” our website to everyone in our Directory and to suspend the need to require Association Memberships.

Finding a lost friend: Priceless!!

“A Special Place, A Special Time, With Special Friends”


October 6, 2017 - I am sorry to report that Lana Case (Rose) lost her 10 month battle with cancer on October 4, 2017. I was in Sasebo, in 1959, when Lana Case and Gene Rose first fell in love. In 1960, Gene and his family returned to the States. After having been apart for nearly 42 years, Lana and Gene were reunited at the Sasebo Reunion in 2002. In 2004, Lana and Gene were married, thus completing the journey they’d begun some 45 years ago in Sasebo. From that point forward, Lana and Gene lived like it was 1959 all over again. I was with Gene and Lana in 1959; I was at their reunion in 2002; I was at their wedding in 2004; and I have shared many moments and memories with them since. Today my heart aches for Gene and misses Lana. Please remember Lana and Gene in your thoughts and prayers.

~ John Gordon


July 1, 2017 - Hi, this is Jack Curren. I just wanted to post a notice that my best friend in grade school, Mike Humphrey, passed away today. We were featured in the photo section that I posted back in 2004. He was 71. Lived in N. Las Vegas.


March 5, 2017 - One of our earliest Kahoks, Carlos Hadaway, aka the Arizona Kid, left us on February 14th, 2017. 

Attendees at some of our earliest Reunions remember Carlos, dressed to the nines in his Arizona Kid outfit, and his joy re-living memories of his time in Sasebo as a teenager in the mid 1950’s.  It was at these Reunions that Carlos contributed several of his art pieces to our “silent auction(s)” which will continue to be enjoyed by those fortunate to have secured them. 

Carlos, along with his adoring wife and partner of nearly 30 years by his side, battled the cruelest of diseases for the past year. Nancy kept me aware of his condition throughout that time, always reminding me of his unfailing courage and his never ending humor which he spread to those caring for him. 

I didn’t get to know Carlos in Sasebo as he returned to the states shortly after I arrived. However, finding him as part of our continuous search for friends and classmates, several of us spent time with him and Nancy. We learned of his art, his exploits as a “real cowboy”, and reminisced about each others lives in Sasebo and after. 

By any measure, Carlos made the most out of his life. Overcoming difficult and nearly impossible situations Carlos managed to succeed in whatever he set his mind and heart out to do. Like a true cowboy, he played the hand he was dealt and never complained. 

I, along with many of you, have gotten to know his wife Nancy. In 2001 she volunteered to design and maintain our Sasebo web site, and has continued to do so. The past year has been a very difficult time for Nancy, her Carlos, and for all of us that know them. For those of us who are, or have been fortunate enough to share our lives with a caring and loving mate, we know, and can appreciate, the journey that Nancy and Carlos have made together. 

I don’t know how much longer I will be able to “bribe” Nancy with various forms of chocolate to maintain our web site and to assist us with our Reunions, but one thing I do know is that she has earned her Sasebo/Kahok citizenship many times over! 

In times like this, I like to believe that there’s a huge Teen Club at the end of our ride here, where all of us, along with all the special people in our lives, will party forever! 

Obituary https://www.messingermortuary.com/notices/Carlos-Hadaway 

Memorial Service 
Thursday - March 23, 2017 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Messinger Mortuary
12065 N Saguaro Blvd
Fountain Hills AZ 85268
(480) 837-5588 

Interment
Thursday - March 23, 2017 - 1:00 p.m.
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona
23029 N Cave Creek Rd
Phoenix AZ 85024
(480) 513-3600

~ John Gordon


October 1, 2015 - To all my Sasebo Classmates and Friends: They tell us that getting older and nearing or having already entered our golden years, are the “rewarding” point in our lives, where work and career are finally moved to the back burner of importance, and the time for rest and relaxation begins. For all of us that have put in the years of taking responsibility for so many things, this new part of our lives should be golden, or at a minimum, greatly anticipated, but, the downside to getting older is that everything and everyone around us is also getting older. News concerning the passing of friends and family seems to come more frequently.

Terry Linnell, known far and wide as Spike, has left us. His daughter, Andrea Masley, called me with the sad news. She said that so many of her Dad’s friends, and the phone numbers of those who had shared Sasebo with him, were at the top of his notification list should the need ever arise. Like many of you, I came to know Spike through our Reunion(s). Spike was in Sasebo in the mid-1950’s, and he was one of the pioneers that set the bar for the rest of us dependents to follow.

Spike first appearance at our Reunion came in 2002, and he became a “regular” at all the Reunions that would follow. I don’t know of anyone that enjoyed our Reunions more than Spike. Anyone who spent any time with him would come away with that same conclusion. His friends in Sasebo, and all the “new” Sasebo friends he found at our Reunions, were so very important to him. In between Reunions, Spike would call me every month or so to “check in” to see if I had any news about our Sasebo family.

Spike loved Sasebo and the classmates and friends he had come to know. We will miss Spike, his never-ending smile and enthusiasm for all that was a part of Sasebo and the Sasebo family that meant the world to him.

A Celebration of Life for Terry Linnell (Spike) will be held on Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Address:
Hiller Aviation Museum
601 Skyway Road
San Carlos, CA

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the above Museum in Spike’s name is recommended. Any questions concerning the arrangements should be directed to his daughter, Andrea Masley (510) 962-0152.

~ John Gordon

August 27, 2015 - To all my Sasebo Friends: As all of us approach, or have already crossed the line into that of a Senior citizen, many of the inevitable and unavoidable happenings begin to become a regular part of our lives. Such is the case with more and more instances of changes that are happening to not only each of us, but to our friends.

I just received word that one of our most loyal and ardent Kahoks Patricia (Pat) Wagner, known to her Sasebo classmates as Pat Thomas, has lost her husband, Gary Wagner. As many of you may know, Gary had been going through a difficult stretch with his health over the past couple of years. During this time Pat has kept us informed, and has often sought our thoughts and prayers for Gary, and they must have worked, but ultimately it became Gary’s time to leave Pat and her family and friends for the next destination, one that all of us will eventually make.

Our thoughts and prayers are now needed for Pat and her family as they face the future without Gary. This is one of the reasons why all of us need friends on the journey through life.

I also received a telephone call from a very dear friend, who is about to undergo an operation to replace two heart valves this coming Friday. Many of you know Kent Curtis having grown up with him in Sasebo as I did, or seeing him as a regular at all of our Reunions. Kent and I became friends in Sasebo when we were 15- 16 years old. Together we made a lot of memorable moments together in Sasebo and beyond. He and I made a vow to one another one night after Teen Club to be each other’s Best Man should we find somebody foolish enough to marry either of us. In July of 1966, I found Kent just in time to be my Best Man, and the following winter, Barbara and I drove to Pennsylvania so I could complete the promise we made to each other. Ironically, his wife would also be named Barbara.

As mentioned above, I’m asking all of his and my friends from Sasebo to keep Kent in their thoughts and prayers. If you know Kent as I know him, he will tell you that his time in Sasebo was the happiest couple of years in his life, and he means it. And he will also tell you that it wasn’t the aroma from the benjo that made him feel this way, but it was the friends, like many of you, that did it. I will let you know how things are going with “Potch”.

I’m sure that once Friday has passed and Kent is in recovery, he would be really happy to hear from each of you.

Address: INOVA Fairfax Hospital
3300 Gallows Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
Room 266
(703) 776-4001

Thanks as always.

~ John Gordon

August 30, 2014 - 2014 Reunion wrap-up

Hard to believe that it’s been over a week since we were all doing our best to behave as silly as possible, but here I am, waiting for the shirts that were ordered to make their way to me so that I can mail them off to the purchasers. Still trying to put all the “stuff” away that the Reunion requires, but once the shirts arrive and are mailed, I’ll be able to put the 2014 Reunion to bed until we begin preparation for 2016.

I’d like to thank all of you that came this year. For a couple of you, the effort made to attend bordered on the extraordinary (Bob Sabin and Marilyn). I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention someone who battled so hard to come to this Reunion but fell short, our Ginger. For those of you in the 70’s that knew Ginger as a classmate and friend I know how difficult her passing was for you. I first discovered Ginger in 2000 when she along with my future partner Rotor found their way to our very first Reunion. From that moment on, she became special to me and everyone else that would share Sasebo Reunions with her. If there’s a Teen Club in Heaven, I believe she’ll be waiting to dance with all of us once again.

I’ve said it so many times, yet no matter how many times said, or how many different ways I’ve said it, if you really want to do something, don’t put it off. Life is not homework! Given all of our ages, with every year that passes our options to take care of that “bucket list” narrows. If you really want to do something (like make it to our Reunion), do it! And if you know of friends and classmates from Sasebo who have yet to join us, give them a not-so-gentle nudge. They’re not getting any younger.

For those of you that brought memorabilia, silent auction goodies, and made purchases of our reunion stuff, thanks! Our costs keep going up, and the sales of our stuff and the proceeds from our silent auction have managed to off-set some of the rise in costs. However, the best way to meet those rising costs is to begin having a rise in attendance.

Sometime near the end of this year, we’ll be doing a long overdue update of our Directory. We will attempt to contact the nearly 500 names in our Directory by telephone in order to update addresses, e-mail addresses, and other important info. Additionally, we will be asking everyone if they would like to continue as part of our Directory, and also if they have intentions of attending any of our future Reunions. 
This update is necessary in order for us to lower our start-up costs for each Reunion, and to ultimately communicate better with all of our friends and classmates. 

In closing we think we’ve put together a pretty good formula and agenda for our Reunions, but any ideas, suggestions, and any hands-on help is always appreciated.

See you all in 2016!!

~ John Gordon

August 20, 2014 - We lost a true tomodachi-san/friend.  Thought everyone could use the enclosed information.

Mrs. Ginger R. Bond
Born:  Wed., Aug. 13, 1958
Died:  Fri., Aug. 15, 2014
Memorial Service:  Fri., Aug. 22, 2014

Enid Cremation Service
http://www.enidcremation.com/obits/obituary.php?id=615752

~ Nelson Dumphy

July 18, 2014 - For those of you have been "regulars" at our Reunions, I don't have to remind you who Ginger is.  For those of you who attended for the first time in 2012, you, and all the rest of us, missed her, as she was unable to join us for the first time since she found us way back in 2000.

Ginger is part of that notorious group from the 70's that happened to stumble upon me back when I was putting together the first Sasebo Reunion in 2000.

Ginger, along with several of her friends from Sasebo, joined us that first Reunion, and soon became a part of what we've grown into since.  It took me about 5 minutes to become friends with Ginger, and through all the Reunions that came after, she has been one of those folks that I most looked forward to seeing.

Since her last Reunion in 2010, Ginger has been undergoing a battle with cancer.  Ginger was so disappointed in missing the 2012 Reunion, and despite her on-going battle, she and her husband Mike were not going to let anything keep her away from our 2014 Reunion.  They had already purchased their airline tickets, and she was so excited and determined to hang with her friends from Sasebo again.

Today, I received word from her very good friend Rotor that Ginger is back in the hospital, and fighting for her life.  I've come to know Rotor over the past 14 years, and I know that he has had a love affair with Ginger all the way back to the time they came to know one another in 1972.  Both Ginger and Rotor are happily married to someone else, but the love they have for each other has and will always be there.

My thoughts and prayers are with Ginger and her family, and I know that all of her Sasebo friends, old and new, will keep her in their hearts.

Rotor has posted Ginger's phone number on Facebook, along with updates concerning Ginger.  (530) 977-4206.  He tells me that Ginger is under a lot of pain meds, so if you give her a call, she may not quite be her usual self.

~ John Gordon

June 24, 2014 - Since our last Reunion in 2012, one of our Kahoks, Marilyn Langschwager, Pisoni, Mar, Ace, and whatever she'll come up with next, has waged a long and difficult battle with her health.

During her battle, Marilyn has often said that the thoughts and prayers from her Sasebo "buds" have kept her hopes and spirit up , and have played a big part in getting her through it all.

Marilyn's fought long and hard to get to this year's Reunion. I can assure you, no one loves our Reunions more than Marilyn!! If we held a Reunion every month, she'd be one of the first to sign up.

I know that this year's Reunion is "extra special" for her, given what she's endured.

As a personal favor, I'm asking each of you to make a "special effort" to join Marilyn and the rest of us at this year's Reunion.

~ John Gordon

March 31, 2014 - To all our friends and classmates......We (John and Rotor) interrupt your life with the following breaking news. We have just come back from Las Vegas where we spent the last couple of days wrapping up stuff for our upcoming Reunion. As you all know, each Reunion we try to find something to add that will make the Reunion really "special" for everyone that attends. We know how difficult and expensive coming to our Reunion can be for all, and getting the biggest bang for our buck while also trying to make the event special, has always been our goal. Over the past Reunions we've developed Reunion merchandise (shirts, hats, etc.) that provided great souvenirs for all of us and at the same time allowed us to earn some $ to help offset the ever rising costs of the Reunions. We've introduced "silent auctions" and "50/50 drawings" all in an effort so that we could hold down our Registration fees for everyone. So far we've been successful.

The news this year, is that we've managed to get something for our Reunion that we've only dreamed about. ROTOR AND I HAVE SOLD OUR SOULS TO GET A "BLOW-YOUR-SOCKS-OFF-KICK-ASS-BAND" TO PLAY FOR OUR DANCE!!!!

For years it has been our dream to be able to have a band for our Reunion, and this year it's going to happen! Rotor and I will be required to serve some time performing some illegal trade for a year or so to hold up our part of the deal, but then again...when haven't we gone the "extra mile" for all of you, our Sasebo friends and classmates???

Seriously, we have never been this excited about our Reunion, and more than ever, we are counting on all of you to get the word out to everyone you know. This opportunity may never come again. Get on the phone or e-mail your friends and classmates, and encourage them to join us. Get your spouse, siblings, family members, and friends to join you and your Sasebo friends for this "special" party. This is going to be the GREATEST Reunion yet!!

No matter what Rotor and I do, no matter what events we set up, none of our efforts succeed without all of you and your support. This year, more than ever, we need you to reach out to everyone you'd love to share this Reunion with, and convince them to attend.

 They'll only be spending a couple of days out of their life and it will be time well spent. You just can't beat the arrangements. Sharing the time with you and your Sasebo friends will be something for all to remember. Now go and do what we need you to do!!! 

~ Your loyal subjects, John and Rotor

December 21, 2013 - Marilyn Langschwager (Pisoni) aka Ace has been having a rough time this year.  Her health problems are centered around her heart.  After having undergone a major operation just a few months ago, she is now back in the hospital.  If you were in Sasebo in the early 60's or have been to any of our Reunions since 2002, you know Marilyn.  No one looks forward to our gatherings more than her.  Marilyn will be the first to tell you that our Sasebo Alumni Association and the Reunions that have resulted have provided her with a "new" and wonderful part of her life.

Each and every one of you that spent time in Sasebo know first hand how we all took care of each other.  That's what made that time and the friends we shared there so meaningful.  Any time spent in the hospital sucks, and with Christmas just a few days away, it really sucks.

One of our Kahoks is hurting and needs our support!!  I'm asking each of you to grab your cell phones and spend a couple of your minutes to give Marilyn a call, and to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

She can be reached at (818) 843-5111 (Providence St. Joseph Medical Center-Burbank).  She's registered under Marilyn Pisoni.  Hospital address is 501 Buena Vista, Burbank, CA, 91505.

I know I can count on you.

~ John Gordon


May 29, 2013 - Our Ace Detective, Marilyn Langschwager (Pisoni) is in ICU at St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, CA after emergency surgery.  Hospital address is 501 Buena Vista, Burbank, CA, 91505.  Phone number is (818) 843-5111.  Please keep her in our prayers that she'll be able to return home soon.  Keep fighting, Ace!

Thanks,
~ Nancy Hadaway, Volunteer Webmaster

May 26, 2013 - Rotor has been in the hospital this past week and will be headed home hopefully tomorrow or the next day. Whatever is wrong with him I'm sure can be attributed to his behavior. Keep him in your thoughts as you do all Kahoks. His e-mail address is rrohr@cox.net, home phone (619) 722-7730. Give him a "hello" when he gets back home!!! 

Thanks,
~ John Gordon

March 21, 2013 - Hi Gang, I wanted to inform you all that Bob [Sabin] WAS in the hospital. He said he had a mild stroke on my Facebook page this morning. So as I spoke to him...being charged out and rolled to the door to go home...he expressed how lucky he was and would call later tonight. I hope you all will send him your best wishes and your dreams.  There's nothing more important than for him to FEEL happy right now...so let's make him reeeeeeeeeal happy. I'll post this on the alumni site for those whom I don't have an email address. There's nothin' better than a face to face, but a card or call is good too! 

Go do something that makes you happy everyday!

~ Ace (Marilyn Pisoni)


January 6, 2013 - Bill Rivers, a classmate and friend in Sasebo left us this past June. We searched and eventually found Bill in 2010. We talked, and a couple of us actually got to spend some time with Bill whom we hadn’t seen or talked to for over 50 years! Bill had some health issues, not unlike a lot of us, and these issues limited the possibility of Bill joining us at our 2010 Reunion. Bill wanted so much to come, and so many of his friends and classmates were anxious to see him again. As our 2012 Reunion neared, our conversations with Bill offered some hope that he would be able to join us, but just a month or so before the Reunion, we lost contact with Bill. A couple of us had decided that we would do whatever it took to assist Bill in getting to the 2012 Reunion, even if it meant driving to his home in Avery, Ca. and bringing him to the Reunion. Christmas cards sent to Bill were returned undelivered just a few days ago. A check on-line revealed that William “Bill” Rivers had passed on June 23rd, 2012 shortly after our last contact with him. Bill was one of us “teenagers”, a proud member of the “Kahoks” from 1959-61. Legend has it that Bill was one of the “stars” of the first Kahok basketball team to win the Far East Tournament in 1961. For those of you that have attended any of our Reunions since 2000, you’ve heard the Coach of that team (who has attended every Reunion) remind all of us about that special part of E. J. King history and the contribution made by Bill. Although we’ve just now learned of Bill’s passing in June, we can still pause and reflect upon our time spent with him. “Old Kahoks never die, they just change their address to that big Teen Club and wait for the rest of us to arrive.”

~ John Gordon


September 3, 2012 - Post script, 2012 Sasebo Reunion:

How the time flies when you’re with special friends. The Sasebo Reunion of 2012 has come and gone and for those of us that were there, our feet have yet to hit the ground. This was our 8th Reunion since 2000. It wasn’t our biggest, but for those of us that showed up, it was hard to get any better. We held our own Grand Prix, ate well and drank more than we should have, we laughed as we recalled memories, and we danced. But most of all, we re-visited the friendships that began so many years ago in Sasebo and the “new” friendships we’ve found at our Reunions. Basically, we spent the better part of a week behaving like kids! 

As with every Reunion, there is the bitter-sweet aspect of not being able to see or visit with all of our friends and classmates from our time in Sasebo. This Reunion saw several of our “regular” attendees unable to get past the sorry economics facing all of us, and for them it was a difficult decision to forgo the trip. But they will return … that I’m sure of! Sadly, we also experienced the passing of several of our friends and classmates since our last Reunion. Some of them managed to make it to one or more of our previous Reunions, while some chose to let the opportunity slip by. Still others continue to trust that the opportunity will always be there. We will continue to encourage the “missing” to finally join us, or in some cases, to make a “return” visit, until all of our friends and classmates have the opportunity to experience the Reunion that they never thought would happen. 

Like most Reunions, the Sasebo Reunion offers all of us a chance to re-visit a time in our lives when our responsibilities were limited to just being the best friends we could with one another. We didn’t know it then, but there would never be another time in our lives when friendships would be as intense and as important.

As midnight approached on the last night of our Reunion, all that remained gathered on the dance floor, wrapped our arms around each other, and swayed to the last song of our 2012 Reunion. Collectively we all vowed to return in 2014, and given the looks on everyone’s faces, we knew this promise was meant to be kept.

For all of us that work to put each Reunion together, we want to thank each and every one of you that made the effort to join us. For those that came for the first time, we’re counting on seeing you again in 2014. For those of you out there in cyberspace, those who were in Sasebo in the 80’s, 90’s and beyond, our Teen Club is open to all of you. Please take the opportunity to join us in celebrating our time in Sasebo. We may not know you, and you may not know us, but join us in 2014 and that will all change forever. 

For those of us that could do this Reunion stuff every other week, 2014 seems like a long way off. But trust me, the time will fly, and before you know it the plans for 2014 will be sitting in your mail box. So start making arrangements to farm out the kids, the grandkids, give your boss a heads-up, find someone to cut the grass, practice your dance moves, and get excited! Come and see your friends from your time in Sasebo and be prepared to make a whole bunch of new ones that were in Sasebo before and after you.

Thanks to all of you that help make everything come together at the Reunion. Jo, Rob, Candi, Ace, Bob, Carol, Rich, Kent, Gene, Lana, Pat, Ginger, Roy, the Corman girls, Nancy our web master, and my co-chairman Rotor…the list goes on and on! 

And on a personal note, a “special” thank you to my wife Barbara, who turns all of our Reunion plans and schemes into reality. From the very beginning she has done whatever it takes to bring Sasebo back to life for all of us. I often wish that she had been with me in Sasebo so that I could have fallen in love with her that much sooner. But, given all the “cool” friends I had back then, she just might have fallen in love with one of them instead….YIKES!! But, if she had, who would have been with me in the future to make the Sasebo Reunion happen??? What a dilemma! I sure would have loved to dance with her at the Teen Club, but instead, she has made it possible for me to dance with all of you again.

Let’s make 2014 the biggest and grandest Sasebo Reunion ever! If every person that attended our 8 previous Reunions all came back in 2014, we would have one helluva party. And if we all found more of our “missing” friends and classmates, and had them and the kids from the 80’s and 90’s join us in 2014, it wouldn’t be a Reunion; it would be a Sasebo Convention!

~ John Gordon


February 9, 2012 - The Corman girls are headed for Reunion 2012 along with Pat & Pam Stith. Also, last year Joe Rhoads found me and he & his wife visited with me & my sisters last Mardi Gras season here in Louisiana. They are going to be joining us this year also.

We would love to see a big group from the 60's attend again this year. We always have a blast from the past!

~ Candy Corman Baque