Tag: Class of 1970

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Sally Diane Smeltzer ~ Class of 1970

 

Sally Diane Smeltzer Class of 1970

12/20/1997 ~ Complications from a medical procedure

 

 

 

 

 

In a message dated 2/12/2009 1:23:40 P.M. Central Standard Time, trevhopkins@xxxxxxx.com writes:
I came across your website http://www.mekongbrothers.com/ while doing an online search of my mother’s name, Sally Smeltzer Hopkins. She should have been ISB class of ’70, I believe.

So that you may update you listing she did pass on December 20, 1997 in San Antonio, TX from complications from a medical procedure.

I am her son Trevor Hopkins.

Thanks.

Please send pictures (old and new), anecdotes, articles, stories and tributes to isbeings at gmail dot com

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Steve Cole ~ Class of 1970

Stephen  Merrill Cole ~ Class of 1970
Departed ~ April 27, 1992 ~ Murdered

 

 

 

 

Hear Steve speak to his sister Carol and her family in his final days.

Steve and his wife Randi.

Steve and Bonnie Airport Bangkok Thailand 1969.

Steve (center) and sister Carol (2nd from right) with friends.

Cole kids L-R John, David, Steve, Carol.

Steve Bangkok 1968.

Articles relating to Steve’s untimely death.

April 28th 1992

April 29th 1992

May 1st 1992

May 19th 1994

May 20th 1994

July 15th 1994

June 6th 1995

 

 

Please send pictures (old and new), anecdotes, articles, stories and tributes to isbeings at gmail dot com

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David Crompton ~ Class of 1970

David Robert Charles Crompton

Class of 1970
Departed ~ May, 23 1985 ~ Details unknown

 

 

From: k_raz at bigpond dot com
Date: Sun, Jun 11, 2017 at 6:59 PM
Subject: Dave Crompton
To: isbeings at gmail dot com

I came across your website today and would like to post a notification of my brothers passing. He & I both attended ISB Bangkok in 1969. Dave was part of the class of 1970. Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Katrina Rasmussen nee Crompton

Please send pictures (old and new), anecdotes, articles, stories and tributes to isbeings at gmail.com

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Larry Peter Moore ~ Class of 1970

Larry Peter Moore ~ Class of 1970

Departed ~ date unknown ~ cancer

 

 

 

 

 

Scott Smith reported Larry’s death from cancer to several members of the reunion band “The Still Remains” in the late 1990’s. Larry was living in Hawaii at the time of his death.

 

Please send pictures (old and new), anecdotes, articles, stories and tributes to isbeings at gmail dot com

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Tadeusz “Tad” A. Wasilewski ~ Class of 1970

Tadeusz “Tad” A. Wasilewski ~ Class of 1970

Departed ~ 05/11/1975 ~ Car accident in Syracuse, NY

 

 

 

Forty-two years have passed since my brother left this earth. Not only was he my brother, but he was my best friend. Sure, when we were younger we would fight, like most siblings, but he was always there for me.

I remember one weekend during my first few weeks in college, I was homesick. By now I don’t remember why, but I was and I called Tad. I cried and cried telling him how homesick I felt. But being a flighty seventeen year old, I got over it very quickly and by Monday it was far from my memory. That Monday I was walking from the cafeteria to my dorm with my roommate when I saw this guy walking toward me. I commented to my roommate how much the guy looked like my brother. As we drew closer, I realized, it was Tad! He jumped in his car Sunday night in Richmond and drove all night to “rescue” me. That was my brother. It happened to also be the week of my birthday and it happened that my roommate and I shared the same birthday.
So you know who had an awesome celebration that year – yes my roommate and I! Tad was going to make sure baby sister was OK. To really make sure – he drove me back to Arlington to spend my birthday with my family and then bought my ticket to fly back to school.

Although he moved to Syracuse to continue school and I remained in Florida, he was always there for me. Encouraging me when I needed it and cheering me on when good things happened. I only saw him a few more times after that unexpected visit. Two more Christmases and my wedding in 1974.

On Mother’s day, May 11, 1975, my phone rang in the early morning hours. It was my parents with the awful news of by brother being killed in Syracuse. He was a passenger in a car driven by a drunk driver. The young driver survived, but my brother did not. I have to believe Tad’s mission on earth was completed, albeit at the young age of 22. Anyone who knew him knows that he enjoyed life! Maybe sometimes a little too much. The Mekong flowed as did the Singha, not to mention the ganga going up in smoke! Although our time together was very short, I think of him daily. I wish his nephews could have known him. I wish I could discuss politics with him. I wish he was with me during the darkest time of my life. I wish I hadn’t seen my parents so devastated by the loss of their only son. I wish I could remember how tall he was. However, even with all this wishing, I know he walks beside me everyday and his love has kept me strong.

Please send pictures (old and new), anecdotes, articles, stories and tributes to isbeings at gmail dot com

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Gustav “Trey” Joseph Akerland III ~ Class of 1970

 

Trey Akerland Class of 1970

Arrived ~ August 5, 1952

Departed ~ January 21, 1969

Accounting of Trey’s death as written by his Mother

Ida Akerland wrote:

As we went through the gate, I turned and saw the smoke rising and thought of Kahil Gibran’s words: For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the Sun? As of today, we still don’t know why Trey wanted to leave us.

David,

It was a pleasure to see you at the ISB reunion this past weekend in Nashville. Attached you will find a PDF of the letter that my mother wrote regarding the circumstances surrounding my brother Trey’s death. This is the same letter that you used your phone to copy. I thought that the PDF would be useful to you. Please feel free to use as you wish to update the information about Trey on the ISB Network website. I spoke with Jon Cole at his book signing. He remembered Trey and thought that he had been killed on train tracks. I’m sure there are others who have incorrect information regarding the circumstances of Trey’s death. I’d like to correct the record about how Trey died. Hopefully my mother’s account can fix that. For the record, my parents’ names are Gus and Ida Akerland. Trey was named after his grandfather and father. He was the third, thus the nickname of “Trey”. I also know that I am now probably the only living person who was there when Trey died, and if I don’t get the record corrected then it will always be a mystery. I have always wanted to live my life openly and honestly and this is one aspect of my life that perhaps I can correct.

I could not have done this sixteen years ago when we first met at the Bangkok ISB 50th anniversary. That was the first time that I had been back since I attended ISB. I had the opportunity to go back to the building where we had lived and to stand on the spot where Trey had died. That certainly was a cathartic experience for me. Your presence in my life at that time has helped me to be where I am today to share this information with you. I am now 60 and it has been almost 50 years since Trey died. I know we each have our own life journeys to travel and this experience has been mine. Thank you for being apart of helping me have a greater experience of being whole.

I look forward to meeting again,
Chuck Akerland ’76

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