My message for the Kid, as I still don't understand blogging...

Humacao, Puerto Rico
January 9th, 2007

It was just 40 years ago that I met Dennis Neal. As a rookie member of the UWP Cast B, he was assigned to me as a mentor, for it was imperative that new cast members be checked for discipline. I cannot recall the color of the socks I am wearing today but I do remember it was in Chula Vista, CA that our friendship started!

My friend Dennis was an idol for this 17 years old college freshman in his first encounter with the United States in the very unique setting that UWP provided: hard work as we traveled close to 35,000 miles in less than a year. We became acomplices in the very soffisticated process of finding a place to hide to have a puff, which was truly an act of confidence and trustworth at that time. Being a few years older and having, as I saw it, more flying hours than a Jumbo jet, I became a good pupil in learning about life, values and, yes, some mischief too!

Dennis left some months later, I think to enroll at East Stroudsburg State College. I remained in UWP until the Summer of 1967, when I was gently asked to leave and taken to JFK in a brand new Chevy Impala. We stayed in touch when I went back to San Juan to keep up on my 21 credits each semester in order to stay A-1 (the Vietnam War in its climax!).

From those years I warmly remember:

* The day the Kid told me about Linda and how beautiful she is
* My Summer visits to Akron by train from NYC to stay with the Benders
* Gloria, Kevin as a very young kid, Mr and Mrs Bender, with their love and respect towards me
* The Amish in Akron, Intercourse, Truth or Consecuences, Bird in Hand, Lancaster, East Stroudsburg...
* Visiting the young family in East Stroudsburg at their home with Stacey, a few weeks old
* Visiting the Hospital with Dennis and seeing how happy he was and how everyone appreciated him at the ER
* Receiving the news of Michael's birth
* Sharing with Linda and Dennis in Atlanta, where Ivette and I were attending a meeting and they gently travelled to Atlanta to spend the weekend with us from Tifton. I remember how happy and proud I felt when the Kid said, in his unique way, "Shit, is Ivette beautiful...!" I received it as his approval!
* The moving to Hilton and the eager I have been to visit with them there. I must confess that a few years ago we visited Albany for a meeting, so close. This year... Yes!
* Stacey's friendly encounter with CA and her struggle with it
* The great news about her being the winner!
* (...)

We have kept in touch, I must admit, very sparingly. My promise for 2007 is to be more in prescence with you. It is fascinating how a friendship can perdure, in spite of distance.

Sixty years are great, my dear Dennis. We celebrate your life and achievements and the mark you have left in the hearts of all of those that today celebrate your presence in this World!

¡Feliz cumpleaños , nuestro querido amigo!

Love to all of you,

Ivette and Rafael