Gerry Bricks' update

Anne (Johnson),

I do have a 'mug shot' somewhere, that I used for an op-ed piece in the Knoxville paper last year. Let me see if I can find it.

Wayne and I were actually good friends in Jr. Hi. We even double-dated a couple of times, because he was just enough older than I that he had his license a few months before I. Somewhere around the time of the 40th I did have some e-mail exchanges with him and sent him a copy of the composite class picture from our Brainerd graduation, but nothing recently.

I was able to get onto the blog!

Gerry (Bricks)

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Wed, 26 Mar 2008

Gerry (Bricks),

Thanks for your update! I will send it to the blog. Do you have a recent digital photo or a web page where we could get a picture?

What a wonderful career. Again, I'm proud of you and our school. Did you attend classes with Wayne Clough, now the head of the Smithsonian? So many of CHS grads were able to move into the sciences. Something was right about the school as well as the students.

If you have memories of either your teachers or fellow students, I would be happy to get them posted on the blog too.

Please send a picture ASAP, to Dru Fuller, our webmaster, If not she'll just post your message.

Also please confirm that you were able to get on the blog.It's so much fun!

Thanks,

Anne (Johnson)

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Anne (Johnson), Sharon (Tunnell),

Thank you both so much for such a warm and gracious 'welcome back.'

I actually went from one CHS 59 to another CHS 59 (Clawson High School, Clawson, MI). So I've got two such 'memory lanes', which is fascinating in and of itself.

After graduation, I came back to TN for undergraduate school at what was then Memphis State U, now U of M. I got my BS there with a double major in math and physics. I also met my wife there, and we got married right after I graduated.

I then went to graduate school at Johns Hopkins, where I got my Masters and PhD in physics.

Virtually all my work has been in military-related advanced technology development. First with GE, then a small company in northern VA. In 1995 I started my own company. We provide technical support (the private sector would call it consulting) exclusively to DoD Program Managers in the DoD Chem/Bio Defense Program. In our case that specifically means we work on sensor programs to provide systems that give advance warning of an attack by bio warfare materials.

We have two sons, one is an IT person for a large international company. The other is career military, and currently is in his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. This one has a daughter, and a son who was supposed to make his appearance last Thursday, but we are still awaiting!

That's why I am currently working out of my place in east TN.

In my 'spare' time I try to play golf occasionally, and am actively involved in efforts to raise awareness and mitigate global warming/climate change.

I will indeed try to stay in touch.

Thanks again,

Best to all,

Gerry

-----Original Message-----
Fri, 21 Mar 2008 1:34 pm

Hello Gerry!

I so delighted to be in touch with you. Our class has the most fun parties and I would be happy extend and invitation to you. We have several folks in the same category as you, persons who attended, but actually did not graduate from CHS. We will be happy to claim you! I hope by checking our blog and website you will not only take a walk "down memory lane" but will make new friends of acquaintances from the Chattanooga schools you attended.

With this message I am asking our webmaster Dru Smith Fuller to add you as a reader or you can use our universal ID: chs59ers@yahoo.com with a password of dynamo59. The blog is just like a party, what else would you expect? Our webpage requires no ID or password.Click: http://www.chs59ers.com and you'll see pictures of us from the 50's. These pictures were taken by Miss Pryor, our class sponsor.

Please tell us about yourself, your area of expertise,( got a doctorate in?) and what kind of business are you engaged?

I'm so glad you made contact and please do keep in touch.

Anne Johnson
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Anne (Johnson),

I've been receiving info on CHS 59 over time from Mickey Cobble. He has suggested that I establish contact with you directly, but to this point in time I've been slow in following up on his direction.

Background:

I was a member of CHS 59, but did not graduate with it. I was in Chattanooga area schools, grades 1-11: grade 1 in Rossville, then Missionary Ridge, Anna B. Lacey, Brainerd JHS, and CHS.
But in the late winter/early spring of '58 my father was transferred from Chattanooga to Detroit. The family stayed in CHA thru the end of that school year, but in the summer of '58 we moved to a suburb of DTW, where I graduated in '59.

I did return to CHA for the class graduation ceremony in '59.

However, with the exception of driving thru CHA on my way to graduate school in late summer of '63, that was my last time in CHA until the late '90s.

Sometime in the late '90s Mickey and I reestablished contact, and I got back to CHA to visit with him. He even talked me into attending the '99 reunion.

Now we actually do spend significant time in TN (I am driving there tomorrow), because I've got a retirement place in Townsend. And one of our sons is in the military, stationed at Ft. Campbell, and he and his family live in Clarksville.

Best,

Gerry

B. Gerard Bricks, Ph.D.
President
BSM, Inc.
Kennett Square, PA 19348
610-388-2411 (o)
610-517-4323 (c)