Sue Ohman Baldwin RHS '67
lassue@aol.comI have been reading Gloria’s blog (thank you, Gloria!) for awhile now, and have loved it. I thought I might just go ahead and put my two cents worth in.
I have wonderful memories of Randolph High School. I’ve been happy to have stayed in touch with Steff Burgoon (Parker) over the years, and Kurt Linhof and all of his adventures, and have had a couple of nice visits with Carolyn Armold (Torrence) and Colleen Mahoney. I was so sad to learn of John Stampley’s death last summer, and Steff’s brother, Steve, in December.
After graduation in 1967, I went to Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia (or as Tony Hyde wrote in my yearbook: “Best of luck at that Lady’s College...by the way it sounds, you’ll probably need it!”)
I met my future husband (Bill Baldwin) there my senior year~he was from New York and was an art student at Lynchburg College. After graduation, we lived in Washington, DC~I was the personal secretary for an Iowa Congressman for 3 years, and Bill was a street vendor in Georgetown with his leather and metal crafts. (I seem to recall running into Bonnie Reed one day while we were set up, and another time, Jan Owenby~whew! That was a LONG time ago!)
After the Congressman I was working for lost his election in the mid 70’s, I started working with Bill full time, and we have been doing Art and Craft shows throughout the country ( mostly the East Coast) ever since. I have sent along a couple of examples of our work to give you an idea of what we do.
In the late 70’s, during a visit with friends in Lynchburg, we saw our dream home, bought it, and that’s where we’ve lived ever since, with a variety of animals (now, 4 cats), but no kids. Luckily, we have wonderful nieces and nephews who are very dear to us. My Dad retired in 1972, and lived in San Antonio until his death in 1993, and my step-mother still lives at the Army Retirement Center near Randolph. Bill and I have been able to travel the world, although we especially like the British Virgin Islands, and the East Coast of Mexico for trips together during our time off. Bill is an avid skier, and skis everywhere he can~from Slovenia (!) to Chamonix, to Zermatt, and I have fallen in love with Mexico, particularly the area around Guadalajara, where I go every winter (to warm up, mostly, while Bill’s in Europe with the snow!)
We are scheduled to do an art show in Northern Virginia the weekend of the RHS reunion, and Bill is doing it by himself, as he has encouraged me to fly to San Antonio for the weekend. Can’t wait.
An Example of our work~wearable leather "grape" mask
Another one of our pieces~leather butterfly, feather mask
Sue in Mexico~Rio Caliente (my favorite place to go in the winter)
near Guadalajara.
In Tulum, (Another favorite place), Mexico for our 30th Anniversary
Ryan and Nannette (Ohman) Menath ~my niece and the closest
to a daughter I'll ever have...2001 USAFA grads and now pilots and Majors in the Air Force with Bill and me
Sue and Steff (Burgoon '67) Parker and Husbands Bill Raissle and Bill Baldwin on the Riverwalk in San Antonio not too long ago.
Bill Baldwin meets Kurt Linhof (RHS '67) during a visit to Colorado
Our House in Lynchburg