These Missed Mick 69'ers Have Gone Ahead

I know McBride '69 is just one-month shy of 40 years ago. But right now, and maybe because this is Holy Week, McBride seems as close as the one-hour Bi-State bus ride down Martin Luther King Drive that it always was. At this moment, these Micks that have gone to the other side are so close...so real...so 'just down the hall.' I'll always remember the haunting quietness of Steve Alsop's eyes, the thickness of Ken's just-sprouting stubbles, Carl's ruby-cheeks framing his bright smile and George's debate-style aggressiveness...Chris' dimples always hid an almost-audible-laugh, Rod's loafers were always shined, and Neil's smile was louder than his banter...Steve's voice was as deep as he was tall, and Tony's bite held the promise (for me at least) of a timeless novel...Steve Phillips always spoke behind a raised hand, Ralph's easy going manner kept life in perspective and Rich's square-jawed stare should have one day edited the Times. For me...these Micks remain very close...and for you? rjg

These 69'ers pictured L/R and T/B have gone ahead.
Steven Alsop-2004; Kenneth J. Bauman-1976; Carl E. Begmann-2008; George W. Daignault-2002; Chris Grinstead-1970; Rodney H. Hanebrink-2001; Neil R. Hohlfield-2008; Anthony V. Lazzari-1995; Stephen O. Husmann-2002; Stephen J. Phillips-1970; Ralph R. Russell-2006; Richard W. Vejvoda-2003.

Tim James '72 Mayor, Actor & Friend To All

The following notice regarding Tim James '72 is published on the KSDK site. "St. Ann Mayor Tim James, an accomplished local actor and performer, died at his home Friday night. He had battled diabetes and coronary artery disease. He was 54 years old.

James was elected mayor of St. Ann MO in 2007. Before that, he served as that city's 3rd ward alderman. His sister, Maureen Jaggard, says James was a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He did voice work for commercials and acted in plays.

Visit Google's Tim James Page.

Please send your remembrances of Tim to Richard Ganahl '69 at rganahl@bloomu.edu. Peace Be With Tim!

Mike Gorges '71 Creates St. Louis Graphic Icon

Mike Gorges '71 describes his eureka moment. "That was my art "CRUISIN." I did the Chuck A Burger art on the bill board. Originally I did a t-shirt for Ralph Stille, the owner then of the only surviving Chuck. I had previously worked as the night manager at the Rock Road location. Ralph was the supervisor of the the North County (4) chucks. After leaving and starting to print t-shirts in my basement, (yeah, I was the one printing posters and ribbons in the Brothers' basement after school hours), I ran into Ralph and he asked if I would do a Chuck A Burger shirt, "just for the workers to wear."

When I started designing the shirt, I wanted to do nostalgia of the Cruisin era. Ralph, expecting his "Chuck A Burger" logo on the shirt, was blown away, when I surprised him with a full color '57 Chevy, car hop and the Logo around the graphic. Immediately, he wanted to order more, "to sell to a few of his patrons and family." I started printing this shirt 3 doz at a time, and eventually through several years produced thousands of these shirts. I still have a couple of the original run. This eventually lead me to working for other t-shirt companies locally, and finally landed me in Indianapolis, where I work as a high end artist doing NFL, NBA, and NHL t-shirt art. You might see our shirts at WalMart or Pennys and occasionally at the stadiums. You can see some of my other work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_gorges/"