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| Born in KC on February 21, 1940 and died of alzheimer's disease on October 21, 2012. He was a life long friend with an unforgettable personality. I loved this guy like a brother and would have taken a bullet for him. We were friends from the time we were six years old until his death spanning 60 years. He lived at 51 North 10th street and I lived at 7 north 10th street in KCKS. We were constant companions thru grade school although I was a grade ahead of him at St Benedicts Grade School. We were always doing something we shouldn't. We seemed to have our mothers duped into believing that everything would be OK as long as we were with each other. If Ferrell asked his mother Hilda,can I go out and play with Don, she would say I'm sure you will be OK with Don. If I asked my mother Charlotte if I could play with Ferrell, her response was that I would be safe with him. Nothing could have been farther from the truth !! When we were 10 to 14 our mothers sent us to Camp St Maur in Atchison Kansas in the summers. We were inseparable while at camp. The conselers were monks studying for the priesthood from St Benedicts Abbey. What were some of the things we did at camp ? It was all fun: archery, riflery, swimming, horseback riding, over night hikes, treasure hunts, capture the flag, baseball, basketball, nature hikes, achieving levels in the Indian Lodge (brave, medicine, man, chief) Ferrell achieved chief status and my best was medicine man because I could not pass the life saving class in swimming needed for chief. Ferrell loved to hold snakes but I could not stand to be close to them. We had an obsession at Camp to be "Gentleman Camper" an award given weekly at the Saturday night bonfire for meritorious work during the week. It never happened and rightfully so. We also wanted to be "struck" by the "golden thunderbird" a secret society. But it never happened. Ferrell was the only "chief" never chosen. Of course I never made it either. We did all we could to learn the secret of the golden thunderbird even stealing a neck lanyard and tearing it apart only to find a benedictine metal. When it was time to do our Indian dance at the weekly bonfire, the dance of the buffalo and the hunter was selected. We argued over our roles and I ended up being the buffalo and a good buffalo I was, though not my first choice. There are two incidents that I treasure with Ferrell when we were in about the fifth grade. The first was when I was being chased down Central Avenue by one of the Schoolcraft brothers who wanted to beat me up for no reason but meanness. Out of nowhere like superman came Ferrell to my rescue and he went straight after the villan. What a friend to save me from a beating. The second was we went to confession on Saturdays and Ferrell had taken $5 from his mother's purse without her knowledge. I asked him if he was going to confess it and he said he was. Afterward we were walking home and I asked how the confession went. He said that he told father that "he stole a pencil" and then he told father that "he told a lie". Ferrell my good friend and brother, I will love you for eternity. You should have been a lawyer, since you are the only one who has ever been able to "plea bargain" in the confessional. 
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This was a sad occasion when St Benedict's |
Christmas eve at Ferrell's house in Olathe. |
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Ferrell and Family |
Christmas at the Heeter's |
Santa Ferrell and his elf Don. |
| My first full time job after graduation from Rockhurst was with Colgate Palmolive at 18th and Kansas Avenue in Kansas City Kansas as a quality contrlol chemist. This is where I first met Dal as we worked in the same lab together. He was married to Mona and eventually had three children named Don, Zack, and Lisa. We were not friends immediately but because of our mutual interest in playing cards during our break time we had a shared interest. We loved to play "hearts" the card game durning our break periods. We eventually started playing chess and I studied hard and soon beat him and he was furious. One day he told me there was a couple of guys in the lab that think they are hotshots at bridge and wanted to play for money. I bought a book by Charles Goren called "Point Count" and read it in a weekend and we started playing rubber bridge for penny per point. We did pretty well and played many weekends for 10 - 20 hours at a time. What fun it was !. Finally Dal said that we should try duplicate bridge. We went to my first duplicate game at a club that above a post office on Prospect Ave and was run by Peggy and Dewy Cundiff. It was master point night and we won a full point. Thrilling ! Wow ! I was hooked. I joined the ACBL Dal and I remained friends for the rest of his life. We went to bridge and chess tournaments together. He went into computer programing as an independant contractor. He worked in many citys from coast to coast. He worked locally for Farmland Industries and Data Systems for Nancy Spear and Gay Manning. We drank many a beer and closed many a bar together when I was still able to do such things. Dal was an addicted smoker and had one going all the time. It eventually got him when he died from cancer. God bless my friend Dal. I loved you buddy.
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Dal at a Galvanston Texas pier, crab fishing. |
Looking for another picture of Dal. |
| I was paired with Don for a duplicate game in about 1966 by Muriel Hipsh. Since then we have been friends and buds. One of the things that I cherish about our friendship is that we have tried to play every Friday afternoon at where ever the main bridge studio has been located. For most of this time he was married to Nancy who was a total delight to be with and to share thoughts with. One of my favorite stories was when Nancy was getting close to becoming a life master. They were at a regional tournament and when defending a contract declarer led toward a KQxx and Don holding the ace did not take it and he lost his ace. That would have made Nancy a life master. Because of that mistake they had to go to two more regionals before Nancy became a life master. Ducking the ace of clubs cost Don over $1000 and the center of a story that I delight in telling. Many years ago they moved to France for seven years and their stories about this experience were wonderful. Every year they invited me to come to France for a month visit. I always found some reason to decline. Finally I agreed to what was surely going to be a great experience. As I was preparing to go, Don informed me that his family was coming and I was uninvited for a year. What an opportunity missed as that was their last year in France. Some time after that Nancy passed away and the world was a sadder place because of that. But there has been a new light in Don's life and she is a peach. Gone from KC for over 30 years, it is Marty Roth nee Tims and she is too a delight. How lucky am I to be able to look forward to the many good times ahead with them. Don and I are BBF as I am blessed.
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Did we just win something ?? |
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Did someone say fun in Mexico ??
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She was quite a gal and beaucoup fun. |
| I met Frank at Camp St Maur in Atchison Kansas. He buddied around with Mike Hare and I buddied with Ferrell Heeter. We were two pairs of neer-do-wells and always into mischief. Although Frank lived in Overland Park and went to De La Salle High School, we never met again until 1957 attending St Benedicts College in Atchison. Frank roomed in Freshman Hall and I roomed with Steve Bozich in St Joseph Hall with Father Conrad as our shepherd. My last year at St Benedicts (sophomore), Frank and I roomed together in St Augustine Hall with Father Gerard as our shepherd. What a wonderful experience those two years were from drinking beer at Hammy's to intramural sports to attending football and basketball games to hanging out in Raven's Roost to pinochle card games in our rooms to shooting the bull with fellow class mates to going to hilltop roadhouse on weekends. Frank and I got into a huge fight when the baseball Yankees came back from 3-1 game deficit in the world series to beat the Milaukee Braves as the fists and bottles were flying. After our sophomore year, I went to Rockhurst College and Frank went to Kansas State and we graduated at these schools. Frank was a teacher for several years after K-State. He had a daughter Kathy with Marcia and moving on from that marriage to Diane with two more daughters Kindra and Kory. Eventually he got a great job with the PGA as a rules marshall on the golf tour. Finally he met and found the love of his life, Carolyn, a Jersey girl. Now living in New Jersey and now coming to Kansas City several times a year since all his daughters are living here. We touch base at lunch every time he is in KC. Our memories and discussions are endless. Frank, you are a friend forever.
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Sophomore year in 1959 St Benedict's College |
Here are some of our St Benedict's classmates. |
Breakfast with Frank and Carolyn circa 2018 |
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KIMBERLING CITY SECTIONAL 10/24/2003 to 10/26/2003 THE BOWLING ALLEY SECTIONAL Partner Alan Stout and teammates Paul Pressley and Ron Ashbacher Friday Afternoon Stratified Open Pairs - 1st Place 10.33 Friday Evening Stratified Open Pairs - 1st Place 10.33 Saturday KO Teams - 1st Place 15.50 Sunday Swiss Teams - 1st Place 15.00 Total 51.33 OVERLAND PARK SECTIONAL 10/20/2017 to 10/22/2017 AT JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER Friday AM AX Pairs with Don Brooker - 2nd Place 8.77 Friday AFT AX Pairs with Linda Eakes - 1st Place 12.38 Saturday AM AX Pairs with Jack Spear - 1st Place 12.83 Saturday AFT AX Pairs with Jack Spear - 1st Place 12.15 Sunday AX Swiss Teams - 2nd Place 9.49 with Jack & Nancy Spear, John Oxley Total 55.62
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LINCOLN NEBRASKA GREAT PLAINS REGIONAL 8/9/1994 TO 8/14/1994 Pierre Flatowicz (Tue,Wed,Thur, Fri), Jack Spear (Sat,Sun), Jim Nash, Alan Stout, Don Stack Tuesday-Wednesday KO - 1st Place 26.83 Morning KO - 1st Place 23.00 Thursday Open Swiss Team - 2nd Place 18.64 Friday Masters Pairs - 1st Place 26.97 Saturday Flight A Open Pairs -1st Place 26.36 Sunday Flight A Swiss Teams - 1st Place 26.23 Total 148.03 COUNCIL BLUFFS IOWA REGIONAL 8/2/2004 TO 8/8/2004 AT THE AMERISTAR CASINO Pierre Flatowicz, Jim Nash, Alan Stout, Don Stack Monday - Tuesday KO Bracket 1 - 1st Place 36.80 Wednesday - Thursday KO Bracket - 1st Place 36.80 Friday - Saturday KO Bracket 1 - 1st Place 34.50 Morning KO Bracket 1 - 1st Place 27.60 Sunday Stratified Swiss Teams - Tied 2/3 19.15 Total 154.85 Finals of Wed-Thur KO played against Bill Gates Redmond WA, Bob Hamman Dallas TX, Sharon Osberg San Francisco CA, Fred Gitelman Las Vegas NV.
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First in the Mixed Team BAM in Nashville playing with Linda Eakes, Nancy and Jack Spear in 2007,
a national event worth 110 platinum points.
Second in Barry Crane 500 Race with 2447 masterpoints helping Alan Stout win the race in 2005. 17th place in 2006 World Championships Senior Pairs in Verona Italy with Tom Kniest (highest ranking American Pair). In 1995 playing with Donna Magee, we played in all three KC sectionals. Playing on Saturday in two session qualifying open pairs and Sunday in the swiss teams winning every event. In addition at the Christmas regional, playing in two events and winning them both. In addition playing in the North American Pairs and winning a trip to Philadelphia.
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