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Tilda Todd (Balsley) (1964)

Absolutely horrible.  I'm certain all of us with a shared "SAHS" history feel anger and sorrow.

Tilda Todd Balsley

Anne-Marie McNamara (1966)

Hello fellow classmates of 66'!  I've not been very good at keeping in touch and not able to join in any of the reunions that have taken place over the years - have been living in Europe all these years (France mostly and currently).  Since the COVID situation, I have ZOOM to be able to communicate with family and friends.  I note that the 67' class did a Zoom reunion last summer.  Any chance we can organize one for this summer 2021?  Bon dimanche!

Laura Schultz (Nix) (1964)

Hi Jim Schindler (1964

I can't remember exactly where the ice skating rink was, but I do remember that a parking lot close to the base housing was framed with 2 x 4's and flooded.  We had great fun as the winters were so cold that the rink lasted for days.  The fire department would come and add water every night.  Does this bring back memories?

Laura Schultz Nix (1964

James Schindler (1964)

Laura, Wow! Ice rink? I am trying to recall. If there was one that I am just real vague about it is probably because I do not recall our having taken ice skates with us to Seoul, or acquire them there. But thanks for raising the issue. I owe my sister (Class of 1965) a call so I will ask her if she remembers. 

In the meantime, Happy Belated Birthday! As usual I received the notification and did not react immediately. Hope it was a good day.  Jim

Joe Holcombe (1967)

You may be thinking of Walker Hill. There are photos on the SAHS Brats website.

Joe Holcombe

Nancy Rogers (Campbell) (1964)

I remember the skating rink beside the elementary school that they flooded and put up sand bags (or something like that) for the edges.  I only went there once because I had no balance at all and there wasn't anything to hold onto!

William Bornemann (1970)

Bill Bornemann 1970

I believe it was a flooded field next to Collier Field House.

I believe it was a flooded field next to Collier Field House.

Had a blast skating winters there in 1965.

Randy Smith (1962)

 The skating rink was down the hill from our quarters.  Just a short walk from the Teen Club and hot cholocate on a cold day.

Josh Young (1990)

I came around much later, but in the late 70s, there was definitely a skating rink around Collier Field House.  If memory serves correctly, and you look at that area with all its ball fields as one big square with Collier in the top left of the square, there was a rink on the bottom right.  It sounds like they were all makeshift rinks anyway and probably changed locations through the years.  I only remember it because it was the only time I attempted to ice skate.  I spent a couple minutes falling down, hating it, then crying to my mom that I wanted to go home.  LOL.  The things we remember sometimes...

Pete Ramirez (1967)

SAHS alumni for 1960's will be having another zoom reunion on June 6th. Please send me an email to update your name to parimpeter41@gmail.com. Please signify what class were or would have been graduating.

Jonathan Bernstein (1969)

Peter, I tried emailing you at the address you provided, parimpeter41@gmail.com, and it "bounced" as undeliverable....?

Jonathan Bernstein
Class of '69 (actually attended freshman and sophomore years)

Patrick Camblin (1974)

In the winters of '68-69 there were two ice-skating rinks. One was diagonal to the southwest corner of Landis Field next to Collier Field House, and the other was on Main / North Post near the library, bowling alley, parade grounds.  They were simply constructed by bull-dozing the earth into a 4-sided berm; then they'd tap a nearby fire-hydrant to fill it with about 18" of water.  You could check out skates at the bowling alley or at Collier at no cost, and they did a good job of keeping the edges sharp.  I eagerly awaited any sign of the new birms each year, learned to skate there, and absolutely loved racing around the rinks in the falling snow.  Many years later when I was working in Ottawa, I enjoyed skating the miles of canal they maintained as "the world's longest skating rink".

Pamela Sands (1968)

Peter I also tried emailing you at the address provided, parimpeter41@gmail.com  and it was not delivered.

Donald Pinard (1974)

Patrick

remember the ice rink on main post,  next to bowling alley,  softball field and near parade grounds.  it was nice.  I used to race skate,  long blades, so winter days there or on the Han River was nice

DonP

Karen Rose (1968)

When we lived there 1964-1965 the base didn't have a skating rink.  My Dad would take me out into the country and we'd ice skate on the frozen rice paddies with the locals.  Their ice skates were very rudimentary and my white lace up skates were a novelty to them.  Although the paddies were well-frozen, we had to hop, skip, and jump over the old rice stalks that poked up through the ice.  It's a unique memory and brings a smile.

Linda Hammond (Gloystein) (1970)

I also enjoyed skating at the rink by the bowling alley my Dad took us to the Hahn river for more skating adventures.

William Bornemann (1970)

Hi Karen:

I was in the eighth grade 1964 to 1965 at Seoul American and I believe one of my classmates was Curtis Rose.

Any relation?

Kind regards,

Bill Bornemann 1970

Christina Blastos (1983)

The media sure does a good job pushing narratives. Asians and whites, male and female were shot in that salon incident but the news tried hard to hide that fact. I have many Asian friends and they have told me they have not and do not feel like they experience racism the way the press implies. Look. Hateful rhetoric towards ANY ethnicity is wrong and it can be universal. Just don't allow the press to cherry pick. They are trying to divide this country. It happens universally and we ALL should stand against it. The beauty of yongsan and Korea was we grew up in an international community. We always saw one another as family and we were so close. That is one of the things I cherish most about growing up on base. We were ALL family and over the years it has stayed that way. I would be very surprised if anyone from SAHS has racist tendencies. I truly would. SAHS community was and will always a beautiful thing. I wish people could experience the closeness that we did. We truly celebrated one another and still do to this day.

Charles Ramskov (1971)

I agree wholeheartedly, the media clearly has an agenda and we must now keep that in mind

when filtering the "News".  If you examine the stats on the attacks on Asians the history

will tell a very different story.  I went to 5 different highschools, Seoul American was my

longest, and most memorable.  Man did we have some independence in Korea it was a beautiful experience.

I went part of 8th, all of 9th and part of 10th loved it. I graduated in1971

 from Heidelberg American Highschool in Germany. I loved that community too. This is my

50th reunion year the reunion has been postponed 2022. I am fully vaccinated lets roll.

Charles

David Werho (2000)

The two prior posts are problematic and delusional. Non-Asians telling people that anti-Asian racism isn't a real problem is tone deaf and borders on "I don't see color" or "All lives matter" rhetoric. I truly believe that the posters have no ill-will or hateful agenda behind their posts, but I think they're living in a different reality than those of us who do see it everyday from microaggressions to flat-out hate speech and threats. I agree that the SAHS community is more open and accepting than the general population, so I hope that they will do some introspection to see why some of us may feel minimized, disregarded, or whitesplained by their words. 

Darren Zimmer (1980)

David,  The education we recieved at SAHS helped us see beyond these obtuse, power-play control games.  Words matter, you can try to beat people down with your words to shut them up when their views differ from yours...but in the end, as you wrote, you'll only feel minimized.  Look at at your words.

"problematic, delusional, tone deaf,  "All lives matter" rhetoric, they're living in a different reality, microaggressions, flat-out hate speech, threats, feel minimized, disregarded, whitesplained"

Christina and Charles postings were a nice change from the crazy divisive rampaging all around us.  Most of us enjoyed our experiences at SAHS and felt they were exceptional, uplifting and served as an example of how we should treat each other.  Let them be, let us have one place to chat where we're not bombarded by this social manipulation and hateful drivel.

Heather Stuart (Mitchell) (1982)

I wholeheartedly agree with you, David. You are not alone in thinking it is problematic and lacking insight.

Christina Blastos (1983)

Agreed Darren.

Like I said. I'm not minimalizing anything and I never said these problems don't exist.  I am saying they are also not one-sided and are more so dimensional. Everyone has been subjected to or experienced both negativity and positivity directed at them because of their ethnicity during their lives, as well as their height, weight, health, wealth, perception of beauty, age etc... To think or assume otherwise is narrow minded. To include the assumption that "I just don't get it". Well I do - I come from a family of immigrants too who have struggled and have gone on to a better life here due to their efforts. Nothing "easy" for them. . And I also know that it is universal despite what our agenda driven News puts out there.. For David to assume that only certain ethnicities experience negativity is presumptuous. For him to use condescending language to "prove his point" verifies this.  Many things in life are relative. Identity politics is real. I don't deny that there is racism but I also know the press writes a strong narrative presenting things one or two ways. It is universal. Everyone has their own crosses to bare and it is conveniently compartmentalized in our society. And likewise if you are Asian don't tell me as a non-Anglo what I have or have not experienced because it works both ways. How would you know my experiences if you assume I don't know yours either? The press validates or vilifies any which way they can.. Critically thinking - they do. 
Back to SAHS news... it will always be one of the most beautiful times in most of our lives.  I wish everyone could experience what a great nurturing and loving environment that it was. I can't attest to the years prior or after living there, but I do know and suspect they were as awesome and as magical as mine were back in the day. Very grateful to have experienced it and I have carried those wonderful memories with me to this day. 

Greg Dess (1966)

I agree with Darren. Let's keep the posts upbeat/friendly and not get into the politics which can be very divisive--and, in my view, be counter to the overall purpose of the Forum in the first place.

Buddy Wootten (1967)

Agreed Christina

I was there 1965-67 graduating in 1967. I stay in touch with many of my classmates who almost universally will declare our experiences to be the best years of our lives. I think many made lifelong friends who stay in touch regularly. It was a life changing experience for me in many ways having lived in Nashvile, Tn from grades 7-10 in very non-diverse environment. I made many friends who I would have never been around. It really changed my outlook on people and life. The experience of being 16 in a truly struggling 3rd world country taught me how blessed we were in America. Observing the horrible living conditions for so many of the Korean people taught me to really appreciate how great we had it. To this day I remain very unimpressed with material possessions. I have been blessed financially but realize life is not about accumulating stuff. Your tombstone will certainly not list your net worth but hopefully someone's life will be better because you lived. 
i am sure it was very different in many ways in later years but it seems like the spirit and comaraderie continued for many of you.