Extravaganza 2001

Our 21st year.  This year we took over the Gunn House Hotel in Downtown Sonora. The weekend was chocked full of partying, drinking and karaoke with undeniably the greatest performance of "Devil..." done by Joe and The Gang ever!  There was an unusually bad version of"You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore" done by two nameless people that was thankfully ended before the end of the song.  Someone checked the box that increased the key of the song up a few steps and the singers didn't realize it.   And then of course, there was the pranks!  Breaking in and thrashing rooms was not too difficult since the rooms were very old and the locks were antiquated simple to pick.  Salt in bed sheets, lotion on toilet seats, shaving cream on the door handles all made for a great weekend.  Kelly came up with a great song-title game to play around the pool.  Of course, the newbies did get the "Saints" march - courtesy of Mike, Shauna, Dawn and Tony.  Who knows what fun next year will bring!!!  

A Tribute to Ty Osborn

A Tribute to Ty "T-BONE" Osborn Ty C. Osborn 10/27/1978 - 1/4/2001

It seems I was still dealing with the shock of losing my Mother when I received the phone call from my Aunt.  I was at home, on the computer, getting ready to go to work.  She said that she was sorry for calling me with bad news but that she just learned that Ty had taken his own life the night before.

Ty was like a little brother to me.  Mike and I would babysit him when he was little (which was no easy task.)  Ty was allergic to everything when he was young.  He had to eat bran cereal with apple juice instead of milk. He couldn't eat candy or drink soda but Mike and I would sometimes sneak him goodies when we would take him to the movies.  In fact, we took him to see E.T. shortly after it opened.

Ty was agenius as far as I was concerned.  At a very young age he was hacking into phone systems and computers.  When he was 9 or 10 he got me into the world of BBS (the true predecessor of the 'net.)  He used to sysop a cool board and would spend time on mine as well.  Wow, it's amazing that we used to think that was so high-tech.

Ty worked at Pac-West Telecomm.  His Mom knew the owner but he didn't get a golden ticket in.  He started there when he about 15 or 16 and when I worked there in the call center.  He started off doing meaningless tasks for the pc techs and cleaning the switch room.  He had moved up quite a bit in the years he was there but I can't think of his title... too high-tech for my brain.

Ty's parents decided on celebrating his life with a ceremony and get-together at Steamboat Slough Beach.  It was a nice gathering and the LaRues were very generous to his parents.

I miss Ty and think about him all the time.  I always thought we would grow old together and he would be the CEO of some company by the time he was 30. He was a good kid and I miss him very much.

If you wish to support a charity in Ty's honor. you can make a donation to: Caring Christmas Tree P.O. Box 95 Linden, CA 95236 This year-round migrant labor support program is something in which Ty and his family has participated for the past 15 years.  Your contribution to this program would mean a lot to the family

A Tribute to my Mom

Faith Gere Beckwith 6/27/1942 - 10/24/2000

My Tribute

After losing Mom a lot of people all over the world, some I had never met, sent condolences and their best wishes.  It seems that a lot of people knew different sides of my Mother.  To us she was a Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Niece, Sister, Cousin and Friend.  Some knew her as a Hero, an Idol, an Inspiration, an Expert, a Public Speaker, a Volunteer, a Teacher, a Mentor and so on.  It seems she was more to everyone than I ever thought.  My Mom is gone, and we have lost others in our lives, and this is my Tribute to them.

The Stockton Record was very gracious to run the following letter I sent to them about Ma: Originally Published Thursday, November 9, 2000:

Stockton loses remarkable citizen

Late on the evening of October 24th, in Yolo County, my Mother, Faith Beckwith, was killed in a motorcycle accident. My Mother taught me many of the "motherly" things that you would expect me to write about: love, honor, respect, responsibility, etc., but she also taught me how to love where I live. Mom was proud of Stockton and took her civic responsibility very seriously.

Once she made Stockton her final home 23 years ago, she went right to work helping and honoring our city. As a certified employment specialist -- and owner and operator of At Your Service for the past 14 years -- she had helped thousands and thousands of people find work all over the county, state, nation and world.

She had been invited as a public speaker and consultant to countless job fairs and seminars through the years and had been contracted by some of the largest employers in San Joaquin County to help prepare laid-off workers find new jobs. She also did motivational speaking at the California Youth Authority and was a Notary Public

. In 1986, the professional dance troupe that she co-founded, The Classy Country Dancers, was invited to represent California by performing at the World's Fair in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Years later, she co-founded the Stockton-based performing dance troupe Rhythm and Boots.

As a 10-year breast cancer survivor, she championed such causes as the American Cancer Society, Women's Shelter, Big Brother & Big Sisters, and every year adopted a needy family for Christmas. She was very proud of her recent appointment to the Board of the Women's Success Group.

My mother has contributed so much for so many people in this community it would be difficult to list them all. I have lost a mother, something that never seemed possible, and Stockton has lost a remarkable citizen.

Happy Easter 2000

Happy Easter.

A Tribute to Derrick Thomas

January 1, 1967 - February 8, 2000Derrick Thomas Linebacker -- #58 -- Kansas City Chiefs

D.T.'s longest recovery for a TD!

Anyone that knows me knows that I am huge KC fan and that Derrick Thomas was one of the largest reasons I followed the Chiefs!  D.T. had one of the most explosive jumps on the line and pursued his target with real vengeance.  Derrick Thomas also maintained his professionalism and was admired by many for how he conducted himself off the field.  This is my small tribute to my favorite football player.

Did you know? Derrick Thomas was the only Kansas City Chief player to have been on the active roster in three different decades?  Derrick Thomas was the only NFL player named as one of President George Bush's 1,000 Points of Light?  Derrick Thomas currently holds the record for single game quarterback sacks?  That's right... D.T. sacked Seattle Seahawk player Dave Krieg 7 times.  K.C. lost that game as Krieg eluded the 8th sack to throw a game winning touchdown.  That record was set on my birthday, Veteran's Day, November 11, 1990, especially meaningful for Derrick Thomas because of his admiration for his father who was killed during a tour of duty in the Vietnam War.  The name of his father's mission...??? Operation:Linebacker-2.

Goodbye #58!

Makenzy Rose

Our little daughter finally made her entrance into this world on March 1. She missed being a February baby by 101 minutes. Well, that's after all of the previous "false starts".

Makenzy Rose 9 lbs, 13 oz

Because she had to stay in the NICU for a week, we didn't get to take the newborn picture until she was already one week old.

Happy birth day!

A Tribute to Papa, My Grandfather

Jerome Hilton Bigelow  "Papa" 12/28/1919 - 7/2/1998

I could not imagine how my life would have been had I not grown to know Papa.  We were never close and he tended to wanted to be left alone.  After he lost his beautiful sail boat in the Bay he eventually moved in with my Mother and Step-Father.  I thought it was weird at first.  Parents coming home to live with their children was something that I heard about but never saw. I got to know Papa during this period.  We would play cribbage, in complete silence.  He did not like chit-chat during this game.  I was taught to play cribbage when I was very young, it was a requirement in my family that you play.  No one ever beat Papa, although Mimi said she would beat him often when they were married but he would never comment. Papa loved his children, grandchildren and really started to get used to being a great-grandfather.  Living in Mom's house for the last several years of his life he was surrounded by the kids of the family. Emily and her cousins got to enjoy his dry sense of humor, something that I am sure they still will always remember. Papa was a true American patriot.  Having served proudly in the armed forces and during two wars, he wore his pride close to his chest but was always willing to share a story. Papa enjoyed playing golf and pool. He was a welder and loved to build things with metal and wood.  When my Father met my Mother, he owned and operated a furniture store and continued to build things until he passed away. When I was a child I was embarrassed to have Jerome as a middle name.  As an adult, I am very proud to have been given his name.

One of Papa's painting. I have this one hanging in my family room where I look at it often and see his eyes.