Buzz Book

How to create your Buzz Book entry:
Click on the Add Your Profile button to include your current contact information in our Buzz Book. You'll need to enter a User Name and Password; jot them down so you can return and add or change information later. Be sure to include your e-mail address if you want to receive e-mails from other classmates or the reunion committee. Expect a delay before your profile is displayed on the page, perhaps up to 24 hours.

Barbara Jensen (Leitheiser)

Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: retired
Comment:
Tell us about yourself: Married Robert Jensen 2-20-1965. Have three children and 8 grandchildren. Moved to Las Vegas, NV in 1988. Retried in November, 2011 after working as a bookkeeper 23 years in a CPA office.

Robert Jensen

Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: retired
Comment:
Tell us about yourself: Married Barbara Leitheiser 2-20-1965. Have 3 children and 8 grandchildren. Worked in the sign industry in Sioux Falls for 26 years. Moved to Las Vegas, NV in 1988 and worked in the sign industry for another 20 years. Retired in December 2008.

Joyce Johnson (Domke)

Marital status: Divorced
Children: 2
Occupation: retired
Comment: After graduating in '62, I spent 4 years at SDSU getting my degree in English, and taught English in Brooking's Middle School for 3 years (second pregnant teacher for the district). Then I stayed home a year (husband travelled), but eventually went back to work for USDA  as an editor for the main statewide Cooperative Extension service located on the SDSU campus.





After 4!/2 years at SDSU/USDA, we moved to Worthington, MN, where I stayed at home for a while.  I eventually spent almost two of the four years we lived there working as a Communication Specialist for the Countryside Council, a 19 county rural development group in SW MN.   I enjoyed the writing (lots of news stories and the two-year project final document) and traveled the entire area, winter and all!





Next we moved to Albert Lea, MN, where I lived until I moved to Colorado.  We owned part of a road contracting company, but I did freelance advertising, ghost writing and other various sort term writing jobs and teacher substitute jobs.  Eventually, I did a two year stint as a fill-in teacher for a teacher on sabatical before the major ed money cut-backs.  Then I managed a State Farm insurance office for an agent/owner (younger SFgraduate) for about two years.  I also volunteered as a mentor for women at the two-year college, and was eventually recruited to write a mentoring "how to" which eventually became an 800 plus page statewide college mentoring curriculum called Woman to Woman, Mentors Supporting Transitions, and I had oversight of the development of the MN tech colleges' mentoring programs.  Eventually, I divorced, became the Compliance Officer (in addition to the mentoring programs) and the Albert Lea campus head for our new three-campus college merge with Mankato and Fairbault.  I also finished my Masters (focusing on collaborative leadership and education), got my daughter through college at U of Denver and made it through her wedding by taking on all imaginable education/writing consulting jobs as I could handled throughout the state of MN with a fulltime job.   After another statewide restructuring, I became a Dean of Academic Affairs for a different three-college merge with Albert Lea and two other colleges based in Austin, MN, where I officed.  (Drove 1-90 35 miles home at 2 AM too many times in blinding blizzards!)





I finally moved to Denver late in the summer of '99 to be closer to my 2 children/spouses/4 grandkids and went to work for a private college as Director of Placement.  I created their North Central Accreditation process, subsequent documents for their review ( was part of NCAA review processes in MN) and developed their placement center.   In 2001, I was hired by the Department of Labor and Employment as the Director of Workforce Development Field Operations for the state of Colorado.  I had oversite of the CDLE statewide Veterans' Employment Program staff and all of the state employees housed in county-run workforce centers across the Greater Metro area..  I retired the fall of 2010.





Yes,  I have had 18 jobs (!!), some of them at the same time!!  





Since then, I have read (often more than one book at the same time), travelled to Alaska, read, travelled to Italy via air (Bev Kock Christiana '62 and hubbie Tony were part of our group both times) where we did a tour road trip (14-16 days?), read, and just finished a road trip with one of our travelling friends to Virginia, across I-70 from Denver all the way to Pittsubrg where we went south to VA where Bev and Tony live outside of Manassas.  After several days, we headed south down  I-81 and across the country on  I-40 before hitting a side road to Taos (1st time there) and catching I-35 back to Denver.  It took a little over 3 weeks and we fortunately missed, though passed by the Colo Spring's smolders, all of the  CO and other wikdfires.  





Today I just returned from a 3 day trip to Lake McConaughan, NE, where I rented a travel trailer right on the shore next to my both my kids, spouse, dogs, etc! Ain't retirement grand!!  





During my days at home, I read multiple books at once , walk when I am able (no more joggin, bad hips, bad knees--you get the picture), go to weekly yoga as a really bad partiicpant, attend monthly book club and neighborhood happy hours, visit my grand kids (10, 12, 13, and 16 and their dogs), and drink Starbucks!  





Enough already!  See you in a few weeks.


Joyce (Domke) Johnson
Tell us about yourself: My current pix is on facebook and my old one in in the annual....

Carol Johs (Ellis)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired Teacher
Comment:  
Tell us about yourself: I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1966 and went to Racine, WI with fellow classmate Janie Eleeson Russell. While there, I met and then married my husband, Perry Johs, in 1970. We have been married for 42 years. We moved to Blaine, MN (a northern suburb of Minneapolis) in 1974, and still live there.







We have two married daughters and four darling grandchildren--ages 8-3 years. We love our family times together and try to do it as often as possible.





We keep busy traveling, golfing, socializing with family and friends, and spending our winters in Florida. Time has slipped by so quickly these last 50 years. I remember when my mother had her 50th and I thought she was so old! You may remember her, Melba Ellis, when she was the only female guidance counselor at Washington High our senior year. She is now 97, healthy and still living on her own in Evergreen, CO.





I'm looking forward to the reunion. Thanks to the planning committee.

Don Kavanaugh

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: retired
Tell us about yourself: In Feb of '63 I married my highschool sweetheart and best friend (Susan Fendrich), had 2 daughters and 1 son, 1 gr son and 6 gr daughters. Spent 19 1/2 yrs in the steel fab/construction business, 26 1/2 yrs in custom pk'g machinery business (sales/mrkt'g), now I'm retired and working part time @ Hy Vee here in SF, SD. Dabble in antiques, art, music, enjoy family the most, reading, golf, biking and just stayin' alive. Hope to see you all at the 50th!

Don/Susan Kavanaugh (Fendrich)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: domestic engineer
Tell us about yourself: Married fellow-classmate, Don Kavanaugh in 1963. We have 2 daughters and 1 son, and 6 grdaughters and 1 grson. We have lived in several areas of the country, moving because of Don's work. Most of the years, I worked part time or was a stay-at-home mom. I enjoy reading, knitting, Bible study, and watching over the Nostalgia club on Facebook! Look forward to the reunion in Sept!

Update: in April of 2020, we moved to Spirit Lake Idaho, way up in the northern part of the state. We love the beautiful mountain scenery, milder winters than SD, milder summers with no humidity. We added a great grandson to our family tree in March of 2021. We will not make it to the 60th reunion so everyone behave!! Have a great time.

Bob Kiner

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Comment:
Tell us about yourself: My wife, Sue (Susan Stewart, WSHS Class of ’62), and I celebrated our 46th anniversary earlier this summer. We met in Dick Day’s homeroom after I moved to Washington High School just prior to my senior year of high school. Sue and I have two sons, Cory and Jason and five grandchildren ranging in age from two to eleven. Of course, our grandchildren are much like your grandchildren, handsome or beautiful, incredibly intelligent, delightful, precocious, and perfect in every way---well almost perfect in every way! After graduation from WSHS, I earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Sioux Falls and masters and doctorate degrees from USD. I had an incredible 33-year career in the Sioux Falls Public Schools that included teaching at Lincoln High School and numerous administrative positions including principal at Whittier, Memorial and Patrick Henry Middle Schools, principal at Roosevelt High School and Superintendent of the Sioux Falls Public Schools. After retiring early from the SFPS in 2001, I began a second career at Augustana College in Sioux Falls where I served for four years as the Chair of the Education Department and two years as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College. I retired from Augustana in 2007 and co-authored an educational leadership book titled, The Brain and Strengths Based School Leadership, which was published by Corwin Press in 2011. Sue and I have had a great time in retirement. We have traveled extensively in the USA and also enjoyed trips to the Wimbledon and French Open tennis tournaments and a trip to Italy. Our faith in Christ is the bedrock of all that we do. We have been blessed with great kids and grandkids, wonderful careers, terrific friends and more life experiences than we ever expected. Thanks to the committee members who have worked so diligently to make the reunion a great success.

Susan Kiner (Stewart)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired
Comment:
Tell us about yourself: After graduation from Washington High School, I attended the University of Sioux Falls graduating in 1966. I married WSHS Class of ’62 classmate, Bob Kiner, after our college graduation. Bob and I have two sons, Cory and Jason, and five grandchildren, three boys and two girls. We love spending time with our grandchildren who range from age two to eleven. I taught at O’Gorman High School for ten years where I was Chair of the Business Education Department and served as the Office Technology Division Chair at Kilian Community College for 22 years. I concluded my professional career as a teacher of at-risk kids in the Sioux Falls Public Schools at Roosevelt and Lincoln High Schools. It was very satisfying to work with young people who had some tough breaks in life and to help them graduate from high school. I had an amazing career and enjoyed working with students in Sioux Falls for 40 years. Bob and I have had a great time in retirement. We have traveled extensively in the USA and also enjoyed trips to London, Paris and Italy. During the winter, we enjoy spending time in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where we love the warm weather and sun. I enjoy the freedom of retirement, volunteering in our church and hanging out with friends. Our life has been rich and full. We have been blessed with great kids and grandkids, wonderful careers, terrific friends and more life experiences than we ever expected. Thanks to all of the committee members who have worked so diligently to organize the reunion activities.

Dick Knowles

Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: retired
Comment: As of 9/2017 the statsitics remain the same--just older.  My commitments to the health care industry have increased thus my inability to be at this years Reunion.  You all are missed--frequently but with great fondness--and I'm looking forward to the 60th.  Have a great time and remember--only half the "old" stories are true and the other half are too old to remember correctly;  distinguishing between the two is impossible!  With fondest memories and regards, Dick (and Midge).
Tell us about yourself: After graduation from WSHS, I followed up my post-graduate studies with an Administrator’s license that I put to use running two locked, psychiatric facilities in California; one in the San Francisco Bay area and the other in Santa Cruz. In 1970, I married Midge and became a member of a family with 3 children: Debbie, Dennis and Dave. After about 4 decades in the electronics field, Midge retired in 1997 and I followed suit (with about 3 decades in the mental health field). We moved from the San Jose, Ca. area and settled in Sweet Home, a rather bucolic piece of Oregon about 1 ½ hours south of Portland and next to the South Santiam river. I “un-retired” in 2000 and went to work for the State hospital for a decade but then “re-retired” (probably for the last time) in 2011--just as Midge and I were celebrating our 41st wedding anniversary.



Our family has grown over the years: Debbie also lives in Oregon and has two sons--one works in electronics in the area and the other is a student at Oregon State University, Dennis remains in California and has a step-son who works in retail and two daughters--one just graduated from high school and one just graduated from junior high, and Dave also remains in California seeking job possibilities in the current market--generally working for the State.



Numerous local and State (and a couple of Federal) volunteer positions have kept me busy over the last few decades. Since moving to Oregon, I continue serving on a local mental health advisory board as well as a county housing authority board and have recently become involved with the changing health care system both at the local and State level. These and the ever present “yard work” that goes with our five acres is keeping me busy--and smiling.

Jean Knowlton (Olson)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: retired
Comment: