THE CONNECTOR A Newsletter By, About, and For Graduates of William Allen High School's Class of 1983 Issue 11 - June 2001

I had a wonderful opportunity this spring. I had the chance to go to Hawaii for 10 days. If you've never been to Hawaii, you have to take a trip there at least once in your lifetime.

While this was my first vacation in 10 years, and I was excited to be getting away, I don't think that affected my perception of the place. The people are nice. The pace is slow. The lifestyle is different than what I am used to in Pennsylvania.

My time there made me realize many things that I probably knew at one time (like when I was a carefree child), but forgot. Rushing around each day, getting things done, is the life that I generally live. Or should I say, used to live? My time in Hawaii taught me many things, which I now try to incorporate into my daily life. You may want to think about doing so too! Here is a list of some of my newfound realizations.

	Work is not the only important part of life. Fun is important too.		My husband and I on Waikiki Beach. Brian and I on the Na Pali cliff hike. Our friends Brian and Nancy enjoyed the trip with Eric and I.
	If you are nice to people, they will probably be nice in return.
	Surround yourself with plants and flowers. They uplift your spirit.
	Natural beauty surrounds us. You just need to open your eyes and look.
	Material things are not what creates ultimate happiness. Relationships with people are.
	There is no need to rush through life. Slow done, and enjoy each day.
	Your work should be something you enjoy. You spend a great part of your life doing it.
	Being patient is not a weakness. It is something great that takes a lot of effort to achieve.
	Stresses are all around us. It is only worth worrying about the one's that you can control.
	Drink lots of water. It is important not to get dehydrated.

For those of you who are interested, here are the major things I did while there. I would recommend all of them. If you want to see more, check out the web site Nancy put together about our trip.

Oahu (Time there: 3 days)

• Saw fireworks on Waikiki Beach
• Hiked up to Diamond Head Crater
• Watched the mongoose at Hanauma Bay (friends went snorkeling)
• Hiked into the Hawaiian rain forest
• Visited Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial

Kauai (Time there: 7 days)

• Took a boat ride up the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto
• Attended a luau
• Took a helicopter tour of the island
• Saw more waterfalls and rainbows than I have ever seen before
• Hiked the Na Pali Coast to Kalalau Beach
• Visited the National Tropical Botanical Garden
• Ate Mexican food at the Crack
• Snorkeled at Poipu Beach and learned about sea cucumbers from a 7-year old Hawaiian girl
• Shopped at the Coconut Marketplace and Wal-Mart
• Drove along and into the Waimea Canyon
• Watched the sunset at Glass Beach

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Although it seems like the 15-year reunion was not that long ago, it is already time to start thinking about our 20th reunion. Now is the time to decide where we will hold the party, what kind of reunion we would like to have, and how to track down our classmates.

Please join us on July 17, 2001, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss these questions and to have a good time. We will be meeting at Rumours Cafe at 4226 Chestnut Street in Emmaus.

All classmates are welcome, and we would love to see some new faces. This is an initial planning meeting. We will start having regular meetings once the date of the event nears. We hope to see you there!

After 11 years in banking (Merchants Bank and First Union), Andrea Helwig has been working as a computer programmer at Computer Aid, Inc. (headquartered in Allentown, PA) since 1998.

Wade Muehlhof is in Montana working as the main anchor for KECI in Missoula. In addition to anchoring Missoula's best newscast, Wade does voice-over work. See his business card on our business page. Here's his bio from the television station's site >> Born in Virginia, the only son of an Air Force navigator (father) and a Bell Telephone employee (mother), Wade lived coast to coast as a child. This exposure sparked his interest in current events, and eventually the world of broadcasting. Wade attended college for a year after high school and then joined the Army, which took him overseas. Wade rose to the rank of Sergeant and was the chief of a ten-person Howitzer crew. While stationed with the 2nd Armored Division at Ft. Hood, Texas, Wade served in both Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Wade completed his enlistment, then earned an associate's degree in Radio/Television and Film and a Bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism at Southwest Texas State University. Wade started his broadcast career as a news and sports reporter on an AM news talk radio station. His writing won recognition from the Associated Press. Wade quickly moved up to anchoring the drive time news and co-hosting a weekly talk show. Then Wade made the move to TV news, starting as a general assignment reporter before taking over the weekend anchor spot at a station in Corpus Christi, Texas. In April 2000, Wade joined the NBC Montana crew as co-anchor of the News at Six and News at Ten at KECI-TV. Wade enjoys the scenic surroundings in Big Sky country, is active in the great outdoors, and enjoys serving the community.

Update - Wayne Barz has finally gone back for an MBA and should be done 20-30 years...he means 2-3 years.

Update - In August 2000, John Ashbrook took a job practicing securities law at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood. After making ten or eleven offers on houses, he, his wife Mona, and son Justin finally had one accepted and moved to God's Country (Glen Ridge, NJ) in March.

Update - Sharon (Finkelstein) Patent's e-mail has been changed to Sharon.Patent@NDCHealth.com. Her daughter Zoe turned two earlier this year.

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These are the people who have submitted their e-mail address for inclusion or changed their e-mail address on our contact page, since the December issue of The Connector. Visit our contact page to find out how to submit your information and / or to find your friends!

Adams, Tammy
Finkelstein, Sharon
Helwig, Andrea
Jones, Dan (not a grad, but many may remember him)
Mapstone, Diane
Muehlhof, Wade