The Message Forum is an ongoing dialogue among classmates. The goal is to encourage friendly interaction, including interaction among classmates who really didn't know each other. Experience on the site has revealed that certain topics tend to cause friction and hard feelings, especially politics and religion. 

Although politics and religion are not completely off-limits, classmates are asked to be positive in their posts and not to be too repetitive or allow a dialog to degenerate into an argument. 

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Response" button to add your entry to the forum.

Lowell Tuttle

I have a friend whose second electric razor accomplishes the same thing.

David Cordell

This forum really has gone into the toilet.

Steve Keene

Hollis,

I want to have a discussion with you about an inconvenient truth.  It will have some political overtones which cannot be helped.  The left have longtime represented themselves as champions of the underpriviledged and worker class.  Nothing could have prepared us for having the millionaire Bernie Sanders tell us he wasn't giving back any of his money to help the little guy, while he tries to figure out which one of his three houses he is going to quarantine himself in.

Other champions of the left are government workers and teachers.  It has not been lost on me or anyone in this country that teachers are not in danger of losing their salaries or taking cuts, while oilfield workers and the pay check to pay check crowd have lost their job like I have, or are not allowed to go into work so they do not get their hourly wages.  Likewise, state and federal government workers are being paid full wages while they are off with no danger of seeing their salaries cut.   In light of everyone sufferring this corona virus pandemic, wouldn't it seem fair that teachers and government workers should be asked to take a cut as well in a shared sufferring gesture so that everyone is in this together?  I am pretty sure of the answer you will give on this, but I would like you to present the teacher and government worker view so you can avoid any appearance of hypocracy.

David, you can wiegh in on this as well.

Karin Ridenour (Anderson)

I just got word from Royce's brother Scott that Royce died this morning, apparently from a heart attack. The medical examiner will confirm tomorrow. They don't think he had any COVID symptoms. He will keep me posted on what happens next and I will relay that here. I know his soul is flying free and that he is overjoyed to get answers to his questions about the universe. Much love,  sweet brother. 

David Cordell

Very sad news, Karin. I took the liberty of sending a notice to the class. Please let me know if there is additional information, including arrangements, if any. Thanks. David

Russ Stovall

Steve:   In response to your thoughts on teacher's getting paid. The teachers are working.  They are on call by phone or by internet to tutor their students thru the day.  They are still doing lesson plans using the internet.   This has been a challenging for them to do the teaching by way of the internet.  My daughter is a 4 th grade teacher and the district is implementing a way for the teacher's to do the work on the kids iPads.  As a former high school teacher I can see how all this will work for high school and jr high but for elementary I can't even imagine. Then to grade all the assignments off of the internet will be a daunting task.  Plus if they have kids at home to home school their kids as well.  

David Cordell

Steve,

I wish I had a good answer for the right path forward with the COVID-19 situation. I'll wait until it's all over, then I'll tell the world what should have been done.

Economically, it seems to me that some will  be unaffected, but most will be losers or bigger losers. I am fortunate to continue receiving a paycheck. I merely have to do something different, i.e., give lectures online and communicate more frequently with students.  Of course, I've taken a big hit in the portfolio, but it will come back in a year or so. I'll work another semester or two.

By the way, I mentioned that I intend to spill most of my cash into the market, in several infusions, a little at a time. Haven't started yet, but I am not going to try to catch the bottom.  Dollar cost averaging.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

I am so shocked and saddened to hear about Royce.  I spoke to him on the phone just a few days ago.  He sounded so positive, happy and looking forward to new adventures.  I just don't have words.  I loved his individuality, spirit, and heart felt compassion.  I will miss him terribly.  Peace to you sweet Royce, your memory will dwell in my heart for as long as I live.

Ron Knight

Re: Royce Herndon

So saddened to hear the news of his passing. He had planned on coming out here to Asheville and stay with me a day or two before he was going to check himself in to a Monastery in nearby Hendersonville,NC. That was last fall and was to be during our Reunion. But, last minute changes happened and that was the last time I spoke with him. He has conquered his demons now! RIP my friend.

My memory must be failing, I did see him at the Reunion and we spoke only briefly about his postponed trip out to NC. He is missed!!

Susie Shannon (Barshop)

I just read David's message about Royce dying of a heart attack this morning. That 

is heart breaking news and so unexpected. I am sadder than sad to lose such a

bright, kind, sweet friend. RIP, Royce...you will be missed! 
Susie

Pam Russell (Taylor)

My best wishes to Royce's family and friends. RIP

Steve Keene

Royce was practically my best friend at Richardson.  As we grew older we had many dealings with each other, many happy, and many frustrating.  We tried to comfort each other when each of us went through bad times.  I have been mad as hell at him lately over his postings, and now that he is gone I am really mad at him.  He remains my biggest failure in trying to bring someone to believe in our Savior.  I miss him already and it is going to be some time before I am able to come to grips with this.  I guess he knows what the truth is now.  I grieve for his wife Lani, his kids Georgiana and Jason and his brother Scott.  His funeral is one of the few things I would violate the 50 person rule to attend.  May God have mercy on his soul.  Life is a lot duller place without him in it.  I even miss getting in the car with him and having a conversation and suddenly realizing you had driven a hundred miles and not managed to get in one word.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Steve, 

My heart aches for you.  I know you cared a great deal for Royce.  He was loved by all who were touched with his intelligence, passion, and spirit.  He always had a kind word for me, about me , and he was always kind and considerate to my entire family.  He talked about his brother, children and even his ex wife with love and compassion.  I am in a state of shock and my association with him was decades shorter than yours, so I can only imagine what kind of pain you are feeling.  If you talk to his family, tell them I enjoyed his wit, humor and compassion.  He was something very special, and I treasured our friendship.  My sympathy to you dear Steve. 

Edited to add this:

Royce was not your failure to save, Steve.  He had love for you, and humanity in general.  He was loved in return, I feel in my heart.  Love is what lasts, what matters, what endures and what makes us immortal, because we pass it on.  

Terry Mitchell (Reddy)

I am deeply shaken by this news. Royce lived a few streets away from me in high school. He was my boyfriend our senior year. We went to prom together. I attended his wedding. We lost touch over the years, but RHS reunions and parties brought us together again with many happy memories. At our reunion in October, he and Eddie Norton kept me in hysterics laughing. He was so clever and witty and funny. He was a sensitive, brilliant, probably tormented, but maybe we all are to a certain degree, and a dear man. I don't like this part of life. I lost two very close friends last year and now this. Heartbreaking. Off to the universe with you Royce. You are loved here on earth.
 

Phil Huber

I am attaching a photo of Royce from the Sat night main event at last October's 50th Reunion with Ed Norton, Terry Mitchell's sister Nancy and myself. Royce could be exasperating to talk to in a serious conversation because he both knew everything and was so certain that he was always right, but he was also a good friend and always appreciated for his having something he believed in and never feared sharing his thoughts.  He was much too young to meet his maker but he will now get the answers he sought. I'll miss you, buddy. 

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Couldn't get Royce off my mind yesterday.  He was an amazing guy, and an unusual acquaintance of mine.  Didn't know him in high school, but got to know him on this forum.  He challenged my mind many times with  interesting discussions and pointed opinions he felt.  He and I disagreed on many things, but still I found him an interesting person to talk too.

He would get very irritated with me on certain topics, but nevertheless would continue to battle with me usually in an attempt to express his superiority over me, but never meaning to destroy me, I feel.  I would retreat for a bit, but then come back to argue again, as I usually enjoyed his tenacity.  I think he enjoyed mine too!  

I will always remember his determination and his overly confident personality, but also his ability to give compliments occasionally.  He had a little tenderness inside at times, and he could be a nice guy when push came to shove at a homourous moment of two stubborn people being stubborn towards each other.

All in all, he was certainly an interesting talker and challenger!  Wish I could have broken through his outer armor concerning his thoughts on the meaning of life as I and many others see it, versus the way he saw it, but he had his own interpretations.   He took his chance and accepted his gamble.

I will miss him.  I wish him peace.

David Cordell

I created an "In Memoriam" page for Royce. I hope  many of you will post comments on that page. Some of you may want to cut-and-paste your Forum comments. You can get to the page via the In Memoriam link in the left margin of the website.

You might also want to review others on the In Memoriam page to see if you would like to comment on some of those Fallen Eagles.

David Cordell

Finally pulled the trigger. Bought some S&P 500 index funds as of market close yesterday. An amount equal to one half of the annual distribution that I intend to begin drawing when I retire.

The decision looks prescient right now. At this minute, the S&P 500 is up by 6.5% this morning. Total luck. It may be down by 6.5% by the end of the day. Who knows. I am going to spill the same amount about three more times, but I haven't established a discipline, i.e. when and/or under what conditions to invest. I'm trying to pursue a version of "dollar cost averaging."

I am hoping that the Congress will pass the bill today. Not to be too political, but I think the Democrats are behaving very badly by trying to jam unrelated programs into the legislation. They are cynically following Rahm Emanuel's advice: Never let a good crisis go to waste.

One thing that may come into play in the short term -- Lots of institutional investors rebalance their portfolios at the end of a quarter. Because stocks have gone down so much, their asset allocations (i.e. percentage of stocks versus percentage of bonds) is way out of whack. So, if they were 60% stock and 40% bonds, a 33% drop in the stock value changes their allocation to 50-50. That is, I think there is potential for buying at the end of the quarter if they re-balance to 60-40

Who knows? I have never tried to "time" the market. I know that my purchase yesterday may not have been at the bottom of the market. My overriding philosophy is that the market will go back up eventually. I don't know when I will be back to where I was, but it will be happen. Meanwhile, I have a much larger allocation to stock than is normally advised for someone my age, and I hope to ride the roller coaster back up to the top. Meanwhile, I plan to keep working in the fall semester!

David Cordell

Absolutely brilliant toilet paper replacement system

There are a lot of time-wasting, silly solutions being posted on the web to help us through these trying times. This one, however, from an engineer, shows ingenuity and promise.

Be sure to watch to the end.  It may be the answer to the TP shortage.

David Cordell

Is anyone else gaining weight from inactivity??

In anticipation of my friends' likely comments, no, that isn't a photo of me (or anyone else in my family).

Steve Keene

Royce and Steve

UT Austin 1969 College Roommates

As I recall, Royce used my rock hammer to cut a hole behind that picture of Raquel Welch to escape from college to the Freaky Roads and Mystic Lands.  "Some birds aren't meant to be caged."

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Steve,

That photo makes you and Royce look clueless!  Is that you two in your English class being asked a question by Mrs. Alsup about what you two have planned for your futures?

Royce looks like he is perusing a page of coins, thinking of ways he could counterfeit his own stockpile, possibly, to stack in his bedroom for endeavors he was dreaming of.

 I notice a swimsuit pic of a lovely lady....Is that a poster from a OO7 flick?

David Cordell

Janalu, 

I think the swimsuit person is Ursula Andress. And yes, they were clueless.

I wanted to add something to what I wrote about investments. I absolutely do not advocate that anyone else make the investment decisions that I make, especially the typical person in our age group. My situation is different than most.

• I have a good, steady job of the type that I can retain (i.e. postpone retirement) if the market does poorly for an extended period. 
• I am in good health.
• I have other sources of income.
• I have a good understanding of return and risk.
• I am more risk tolerant than most people; I am not going to panic when the market tanks.
• I have a PhD in finance and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

This is a terrible period for many people who are becoming fearful of losing everything and thus considering pulling their funds from the market at the completely wrong time. On the other hand, when they take the periodic withdrawals from their account that they usually take, it represents a higher percentage of their funds. Example: you have $100,000 and need to withdraw $1000. If your stock sells for $50, you need to sell 20 shares.

If the market falls so that the shares sell for $40, you need to sell 25 shares to get $1000. When the market comes back, you have five fewer shares than you would have had if the market hadn't gone down. I would try to withdraw from non-stock accounts as much as possible until the market rebounds.

I wish I had cashed in my chips (financially) a month ago, but that is ancient history. I have never tried to time the market, although it would be nice to have that skill. Academic studies indicate that it is typically unsuccessful in the long run. Of course, economist John Maynard Keynes famously said, "In the long run, we are all dead."

I never liked Keynes

Just my two cents worth.

Robert Carlson (Carlson)

I'm so very sorry to hear of Royce's passing! I grew up not far from Royce, and always enjoyed his energy!

Steve Keene

Hull,

After 10 days in quarantine with just me and food in the house I got the idea of putting together a skit for the next mini reunion.  When looking for back up dancers,I naturally thought of you.