Another General has fallen.  I am saddened to tell you about the passing of Ralph Nollenberger on March 15.  I texted with Ralph a few weeks ago and he said he really wanted to come to the 60th reunion but he was in a delimma about taking rejection drugs for his lung transplant while fighting a Squamus cell cancer and that the doctor could not treat him with the medicines he needed.  Ralph said he was going to fight like hell to get through this problem and make it to the reunion.

Ralph lived in Fairfield Bay, AK with his wife Becky.  He had requested there be no funeral or orituaruy, but to be cremated and buried besiede other family members in Wisconson.

Although Ralph was a Navy veteran, his major achievement was to teach at Webb High School in Belt Buckle , TN for 22 years where he taught Mathematics ( including Calculus) for 22 years.  He loved that student engagement.

He also was one of the longest living lung transplant recipients where he helped other people like Perry Bozarth deal with the difficult transtion to take 17 pills a day and live with the challenge of rejection.  Perry and Darlene met with Ralph and his wife Becky and this time at the 50th Lafayette Reunion was a time for sharing and encourangement for Perry.

In 1964, I drove Ralph home from UK everyday when we were freshman and we became the best of friends.  Before then we were football buddies and experienced life on the line with Roy Walton.  Ralph was a tackle and I was a center.  I  admired him and although and I was in engineering, I did not sense Ralph would have focused on mathematics.  He seemed to love his time with Ms Beeler and the philosophy of English literature.

I think Ralph reached greatness in his commitment to  teaching students and

helping others. He loved Fairfield Bay, AK and traveling with Becky.

Van