Thanks for keeping LSMA alive. I initially ignored your request, because I have a small group of friends and they get my humor. I didn't want to bring in outsiders to my facebook crowd. You sent me another request and I reluctantly accepted. I am very glad you were persistent. I have reconnected with my classmates and the list keep growing.
Only another LSMA alumn can truly understand the side of ourselves we framed during those years. We are different. People underestimate us everyday. We look like everybody else, but inside, we have different tools and greater expectations. I had forgotten this.
March 16, 2009 A letter from the daughter of Luis Rafael Meza '64
Mr. Joe Battany,
Good evening. I am writing you after finding LaSalle's Alumni Association's website and noticed that you are presently in the Board of 2008-2009 LaSalle's Alumni Association. You graduated in Class of '64, two years after my Father graduated in '62. My Father is Mr. Luis Rafael Meza, an alumni of Class of 1962 you must have gone to school with him although in different grades back then. Although he lived in the States the majority of his youth, then was in Europe, and later settled back in his home country, in San Salvador, El Salvador, Central America. Today, while on the phone on a long distance call, my Father was reminiscing his great memories of those years. He still enjoys his military music, and Scottish pipes. He served in the Salvadorian military until retirement and has been one of the best gun marksmann in the region. As you know one of few countries that had their soldiers assisting the US in Irak was El Salvador. Until recently. My Father has asked me if I could help him find some of his classmates. Pehaps you can advise me. My questions are the following:
How could I get a Roster of his classmates where he can write them, or email them? Does he need to register to get involved in the Roster and what are the fees that would be due? Does the Alumni Association have any upcoming events for class of 62? How many classmates from 62" are registered or are they any?
Your help is greatly appreciated and thank you very much.
***Follow up from Angela: "I looked over the list and I know my Father was asking for the Cisneros brothers from Venezuela, Jose Barrera and Marcelino Garcia from Puerto Rico, and Federico Sanbrano of Mexico. Any information at all? He wanted to correspond with them"
I only attended LSMA for a couple years, way back in the late 40's. I had to go back to my native Italy after the War to see what happened to all my relatives. Nonetheless, LSMA was good for me in the sense that it fortified the military bearing I inherited from my father, a former officer in the Austrian Navy. Sounds strange but what is Italy today was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire back in the 18 hundreds. In 1918, following Austria's defeat by the Italians, it was taken over by Italy yet the people never really succumbed to the notion and remain to this day fiercely independent.
I was on the LSMA drill team only then we used the M-1 Garand as opposed to the lighter Springfield. Marching off demerits in front of the building rain or shine was a detail I didn't care for. I recall that on occasion I would see that some poor kid had
to shoulder the BAR, wow, that must have been bad. I see from the pix that the Piper Cub (Piper Yellow) plane is gone or at least out of camera sight. All the buildings seem the same through the years. I used to love to march to the mess hall and to this day I know all the marches: High School Cadets, King Cotton etc, etc.
My first year was painful for me since having to eat square meals was particularly difficult especially since the upper classman sitting across from me (name of Perez) used to delight in kicking my shins where to this day I still carry the scars (I'll be 75 in June).
I am currently living in Japan but plan to move into our new home in Lakeland FL soon. I still work, now as a teacher of english and Italian. I worked for the DoD in Italy, in Vicenza (Caserma Ederle home of the 173rd Airborne Brigade). Then I
did a year in Afghanistan at Bagram Airfield north-east of Kabul). I'm an electronics engineer. Got back just two yrs ago from Afghan. So, adding a year with the USAF in Korea-1954, I've been associated with the military all my life, pretty much. All my
La Salle pictures are in storage in the States, too bad since I could send them to you. I loved the marching in review the best, my Shako and brass buttons polished like gold mirrors and spit shined shoes and all. I also like the ROTC class a lot. Even to this day I remember that "one click of the windage knob moves the impact of the bullet one inch at a 100 yards". I was on the basketball team and we went to West Point to play the Plebes and as I remember we won (or maybe wished we did!) M-1 Springfied Armory, Garand, shoulder weapon, 9.1 lbs, 30.06 caliber, gas operated, muzzle velocity 27K ft/sec. I loved my rifle. In Korea we only had the carbine, M-2 switched auto capable. I thought then it was an M-1 that never made
the grade.
Oh well,......memories.
God bless Marty, and hey, you know your name is northern Italian. I know since the Slovenian border is just across the street from my house in Gorizia. Vodapovic I think in Sloven. I had a cousin with that name who lived in Mestre just outside of
Venice. My mom was a Brankovic. I hope this note finds you in good health sir.
Henry "Rico" Schutzbier
Yamaguchi City, JPN
Dear Marty, Your efforts and those of other board members in keeping the LaSalle tradition alive are greatly appreciated by me as well as all alumni.I had wanted to post on this site for some time but it seems that with our busy lives it inadvertently gets pushed aside.Unfortunately, I had some medical complications as of late. I had brain surgery necessitated by a tumor. I have not been feeling that great up to that point,medical testing reveled nothing conclusive and joked it was male menopause or needing serious amounts of Geritol. The growth of the tumor caused astroke and produced a disability on my right side. After being in two hospitals I am doing much better. Through therapy and perseverance broughtmyself back to a high level of capabilities. Now for the more important things, my wife Maria and I have three children. Our oldest is a thirteen year old girl, the other two are twins, boy and girl age eleven. As for hobbies I enjoy hiking, Jet Ski and anything outdoors with the kids. I coach most of their teams and active on various local boards in town. Besides this, my other passions are muscle cars and US History. My email address is npitch@lanltd.com for anyone wishing to correspond. Hope all is well with all LSMA alumni and the best for 2009. Regards, Nick Pitch.
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