WOODSTOCK SCHOOL REUNION, ESTES PARK YMCA
The four of us of the class of 1954–Marianna Presler McJimsey, Bruce Johnson with wife Carmen, Dick Parker with wife Maria, and Bill Mosher—met for breakfast at the YMCA Antic Cafe
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After breakfast the entire reunion group of about 150 people met for the morning in Wind River Lodge. First there was a Friends of Woodstock board meeting in which I was astonished to discover how much alumni of Woodstock (not me) had contributed to an endowment fund from which special projects at Woodstock were paid for, over 5 1/2 million dollars.
The big current project is to completely renovate the main auditorium on campus, Parker Hall, which so many of us remembered with fondness. Apparently it is both unsafe and needs a complete makeover to modernize it. We were given a complete slide show with explanations of what this renovation would bring.
Following the Board meeting staff members of Woodstock who had flown here for this meeting gave reports on various activities and new innovations at Woodstock.
Dr. Craig Cook, Principal, introduced his staff. Raveesh Dogra explained why Parker Hall needed renovation and how the renovation process would keep the heritage of Woodstock and preserve the appearance that we all remember.
Shailesh Garg explained Woodstock‘s current finances. And then we had two presentations about the so many learning innovations that Woodstock was currently engaged in.
Akshay Shah, Director of the Hanifl Science Centre and a native of the Himalaya region mentioned project after project in outdoor leadership training both for Woodstock students and through cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh.
His great enthusiasm reminded me of the enthusiasm of Dr. Robert Fleming, “Hulloo”, who conveyed to so many of us his fascination with all things natural— ferns, flowers, birds—in the Landour area. As a boy staying at the Flemings home Fern Oaks with his family for awhile I remember catching and skinning rats which we caught in traps and then sent to the Natural History Museum in Chicago. I, too, had a prized pressed fern collection. His wife, Bethel, a doctor, delivered me when she was seven months pregnant with, Bob, who was a boyhood friend and later became a well known naturalist and expert on birds around the world.
After him Dr. Jamie Williams, Director of the new Centre for Imagination, told us about project after project in different forms of creativity including writing and music workshops and student projects.
Both of them showed how far Woodstock School has gone from being the boarding school for missionary children in my day to being a cutting edge international school drawing students from all over Asia and beyond.
At 5:30 we all lined, many in Indian clothing, for a group picture by Max Marble ‘67, which even included a drone photo of everyone smiling and waving.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c5EQWrVRqMEyoyX6wb5XiuNA
https://share.icloud.com/photos/07dyeMRDgtG_g2gSWg7mSWK7Q
Then we ate a wonderful Indian meal hosted by a local Nepali restaurant and talked and talked into the evening.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 
Billybaba took photos of the WOSA group, so was not in it. https://photos.app.goo.gl/7gENa6RRPHeBpT4E8