Duly Noted
Glacier Swim Club coach Patty Morgan was in town with her charges during last weekend’s Winter Games North swim meet. Morgan is now working full-time in the water, giving private and group lessons through her own swim school and also teaching water aerobics and i-Chi at Augustus Brown Pool. One of her success stories is Mary Rose Rowcroft, 91, who used water therapy to recover from a fall down stairs and was featured in a recent edition of AKWA magazine. Patty will be taking Mary Rose and others from her class on a “fun and fitness” cruise in March. She’ll be teaching water aerobics on board.
Patty’s youngest daughter, Ariana Duskin, also teaches water aerobics at Diamond Park swimming pool. Daughters Heather Jim and Bethany Morrison both work at the Department of Law in Juneau. Daughter Naomi McWhorter works at Costco. Daughter Marita Hartmann is a real estate agent in Austin, Texas.
Kelly Lowe and daughter Sam recently returned from a trip to El Dorado Springs, Mo., to visit Kelly’s mom, Leila Panky. They also made a trip to St. Louis to see other relatives. The family reports El Dorado Springs was colder than Haines at New Year’s, but the temperature soared to 60 F. on the departure day Jan. 6.
The Haines Volunteer Fire Department held its annual banquet Jan. 14 at the American Legion Hall. Dick Haas and Chip Strong combined efforts on the meal, which included prime rib, twice-baked potato, shrimp cocktail and cheesecake. Department officers for the coming year are Scott Bradford, chief, Roc Ahrens, assistant chief, Thom Andriesen, treasurer, and Vince Hansen, secretary. Engine company officers include Danny Gonce, captain, Larry Jurgeleit, 1st Lt., and James Sage, 2nd Lt. Fire company officers include Tim Walters, captain, Roy Josephson, 1st Lt., and Randy Bachman, 2nd Lt. Ambulance company officers are Thom Andriesen, president and Julie Anderson, 1st Lt.
Gina St. Clair and Dan Humphrey enjoyed three weeks in La Manzanilla, Mexico. They camped on land Gina has there and used paddleboards to get to the best snorkeling spots. Gina said highlights included bionocos, a salad with local fruit, yogurt and granola, for breakfast. Temperatures there were in the 80s, and the water was warm enough to stay in for an hour without getting a chill, she said.
Three former residents living in Sitka stood in for Haines players during the 7th Mount Edgecumbe Invitational basketball tournament. Carl Blackhurst, Andrew Friske, and Jeremy Strong played on the squad, using jerseys that Joe Parnell delivered. The Haines team finished second to Petersburg in the men’s open division, losing 120-104. Parnell played for a senior Yakutat squad that finished fourth in the master’s division. Former Haines High School teacher Terry Friske played for Juneau’s “James Gang,” which upended three-year-champion Klawock to win the master’s division title.
While in Sitka, Parnell stopped in on a history writing workshop taught by Haines writer Dan Henry. Dan’s short story, “Chilkat Style,” was published in the winter 2012 issue of “Connotations,” published by the Sitka Island Institute.
An account has been started at the bank to help pay for the veterinary expenses incurred by Jeremiah Kinison and Shannon Thompson. The couple’s two dogs, Foxy and Maple, were shot with arrows last week. The account was started anonymously and not by Haines Animal Rescue Kennel, HARK officials said.
Lori Giddings, husband Albert and daughter Jess spent the holiday in southern California, connecting with family. They visited Albert’s dad, Stan Giddings, in Laguna as well as Lori’s parents, Nob and Ats Takeuchi, in Torrance while checking out colleges for Jess. They also spent time with Lori’s brother Gregg and his one-year-old twins. Lori said her mom’s side of the family celebrates Christmas Eve with tamale pie, prime rib, homemade bread and blueberry pie. The New Year’s celebration with her father’s side of the family is traditional Japanese, including sushi, black beans and rice cakes. The trip included visiting the aircraft carrier Midway in San Diego.
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