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Harriet Henry Bender

Hard to believe it has been 50 years! Ann Mackey Koch and I just spent a week together in Sunriver, Oregon. Put us in the same room and we can talk non-stop just as we did in high school! What a treasure it is in my life to still have contact with girlfriends who have known me practically my whole life.

Life has been good to the Benders! Next year we will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. If you remember, I moved to California the day after graduation, and Mike followed me three months later. He worked as a mechanical engineer for Santa Barbara Research Center, while I eventually graduated from UCSB and taught 6th grade for 31 years. Remember my role as Fairy May in the Curious Savage, well, that was the beginning of a life-long love of drama. I directed 25 musical theater productions with the 6th grade classes at Monte Vista School.

Our two children, David and Traci live in Central Oregon. David is a graphic designer and avid golfer. Traci owns a 20 acre horse ranch and runs an Eventing Equestrian Program. Our two granddaughters, Danielle and Alexa(identical twins) ride and compete in three-day eventing horse trials throughout the Northwest and California. They are off to college in the fall, one to Oregon Stare and the other to Cal Poly in California.

It is amazing how interests in childhood are reflected in your adult life. Mike and I are avid campers, only restricted by age and joint replacements. We have camped in every possible way through the decades...tent, one-wheel trailer, van conversion, small motorhome, truck camper, and now a 30 foot Winnebago. Oh, I forgot, ten yers of backpacking through the Sierras and Alaska, including several two week river trips.

Now days we winter in our home in Santa Barbara, and summer in our RV in Sunriver, Oregon with numerous trips around the Northwest, always accompanied by our two golden retrievers, Lucy and Charlie Brown. This year we are heading to an international horse show (Danielle and Alexa will be competing) in Kalispell, Montana with a detour to The Little Big Horn Battle field. This will include numerous flyfishing opportunities for Mike along the way.
I continue to be an avid reader, but never miss stopping at a quilt store as I also quilt. There is also an annual trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival with my sister Karla (remember my baby sister) and Traci.

For those of you who remember my house as "party central" and how my mom always said yes to another slumber party, she is now 91 years old and still living in her own home four doors from me. She visits Ohio every summer while we go to Oregon.

I am sorry I am going to miss the reunion, but I have some family obligations that make the timing difficult this year. Mike and I did see many of you last year during his 50th reunion. Have a great week-end remembering those "Happy Days"at Stow High School in the 50's. Little did we know how revered they would become.

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