"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm"
1960 Anchorage High Reunion: Classmates
Page posted Jun 1, 2010
Fred Lohse
AHS yearbook, 1960
I retired in Las Vegas on April Fools Day 1997 from the Treasury Dept where I worked as a Federal Agent investigating fraudulent sale, purchase and use of fuels to evade payment of excise tax. Prior to that I was the BLM Anchorage District Land Office Manager. Prior to that job, I was the BLM State Office Lead Specialist over Rights-of -Ways, Easements, and Airport Conveyancing and Leasing Programs. I also had 3 years BLM experience in Cadastral Surveying and 10 years experience at the Alaska District Army Corps of Engineers in Design, Planning and Regulatory Functions Program dealing with environmental issues for proposed construction projects (both private and government) in, or affecting, wetlands and waters of the United States.
I attended Weber State College and the University of Utah majoring in Civil Engineering. During the summers of 1960,61, and 62, I worked on forest fire crews in Alaska and had several construction jobs. I worked out of the Plumber/Steamfitters local for Sharman Allen Gay & Taylor and Brown & Root putting in the natural gas pipeline across Cook Inlet and installing gas distribution and service lines throughout the Anchorage area.
When I retired in Las Vegas, my wife, Sally, and I returned to Anchorage and bought a home in the old Rogers Park neighborhood---great area to live and convenient to everything. I began working on our Nancy Lake property that we bought in 1981. I finished a great one room cabin, dug a shallow well and built an outhouse that the Park Service would be proud to own. I put in a foundation for a post and beam house, constructed a barge that served double duty as barge and dock and cleared most of the brush on the 2 and 1/2 acre property. The property is a spit on the back side of the lake right behind Waldron's Island. It has 600 feet of shoreline with water on 3 sides and a view of the lake with Mt. McKinley and Foreacre in the background. My last year at the lake property was in 2000 when I did a hermitage for 6 months from early May to the end of October while Sally stayed in Texas.
In 2001, I lost the ability to walk and underwent lower bypass surgery to replace my aorta, both iliac arteries, and repair an aneurysm. The surgery was a success and blood flow to my legs and feet was restored. I no longer had the strength I previously enjoyed and had to face the fact that our Nancy Lake dream was exactly that---a dream. So we sold the property.
We lived in the Texas hill country south of Austin from 2000 to April 2005 when we relocated to our current home in Saint George, Utah's SunRiver active adult lifestyle community. We downsized and love our ranch style home and the great community we live in. Sally agreed to let me have an 800 square foot oversized 3 car garage for my motorcycle hobby, our Dodge dually and Chevy hotrod. Life couldn't be better.
Sally is a 1964 Anchorage West High graduate. She has made my life a living adventure and has not slowed down at all since I met her on a Halloween night at the Elmendorf theater in 1963. A double feature was playing---"The Mummy" and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon". She was sitting next to me and half way through "The Mummy" she grabbed my knee with the force of 3 vice clamps. I nearly shot through the ceiling and tossed my popcorn and soda all over everyone nearby. We began dating, but became separated when I was drafted into the army in February 64. We were married on Sep. 3, 1964 in Killeen Texas while I was stationed at Ft. Hood.
Sally and I have 2 daughters, Shelly and Tracie. They both went to schools in Anchorage and many of our classmates kids probably remember them. We have 4 grandsons ages 14 to 20---no granddaughters.
I attended Weber State College and the University of Utah majoring in Civil Engineering. During the summers of 1960,61, and 62, I worked on forest fire crews in Alaska and had several construction jobs. I worked out of the Plumber/Steamfitters local for Sharman Allen Gay & Taylor and Brown & Root putting in the natural gas pipeline across Cook Inlet and installing gas distribution and service lines throughout the Anchorage area.
When I retired in Las Vegas, my wife, Sally, and I returned to Anchorage and bought a home in the old Rogers Park neighborhood---great area to live and convenient to everything. I began working on our Nancy Lake property that we bought in 1981. I finished a great one room cabin, dug a shallow well and built an outhouse that the Park Service would be proud to own. I put in a foundation for a post and beam house, constructed a barge that served double duty as barge and dock and cleared most of the brush on the 2 and 1/2 acre property. The property is a spit on the back side of the lake right behind Waldron's Island. It has 600 feet of shoreline with water on 3 sides and a view of the lake with Mt. McKinley and Foreacre in the background. My last year at the lake property was in 2000 when I did a hermitage for 6 months from early May to the end of October while Sally stayed in Texas.
In 2001, I lost the ability to walk and underwent lower bypass surgery to replace my aorta, both iliac arteries, and repair an aneurysm. The surgery was a success and blood flow to my legs and feet was restored. I no longer had the strength I previously enjoyed and had to face the fact that our Nancy Lake dream was exactly that---a dream. So we sold the property.
We lived in the Texas hill country south of Austin from 2000 to April 2005 when we relocated to our current home in Saint George, Utah's SunRiver active adult lifestyle community. We downsized and love our ranch style home and the great community we live in. Sally agreed to let me have an 800 square foot oversized 3 car garage for my motorcycle hobby, our Dodge dually and Chevy hotrod. Life couldn't be better.
Sally is a 1964 Anchorage West High graduate. She has made my life a living adventure and has not slowed down at all since I met her on a Halloween night at the Elmendorf theater in 1963. A double feature was playing---"The Mummy" and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon". She was sitting next to me and half way through "The Mummy" she grabbed my knee with the force of 3 vice clamps. I nearly shot through the ceiling and tossed my popcorn and soda all over everyone nearby. We began dating, but became separated when I was drafted into the army in February 64. We were married on Sep. 3, 1964 in Killeen Texas while I was stationed at Ft. Hood.
Sally and I have 2 daughters, Shelly and Tracie. They both went to schools in Anchorage and many of our classmates kids probably remember them. We have 4 grandsons ages 14 to 20---no granddaughters.
Hi Craig,
I still have the book you gave me at our 40 year reunion "A Hurricane Named Vetter." It goes well with my motorcycle collection. I have 2 beautiful BSA Spitfire Scramblers ( a 1958 and 1962) pics attached. Also have 4 other BSA's and a Triumph. If you are serious about riding your bikes to the reunion---I'm envious. At our age, it would be an experience to remember.
I still have the book you gave me at our 40 year reunion "A Hurricane Named Vetter." It goes well with my motorcycle collection. I have 2 beautiful BSA Spitfire Scramblers ( a 1958 and 1962) pics attached. Also have 4 other BSA's and a Triumph. If you are serious about riding your bikes to the reunion---I'm envious. At our age, it would be an experience to remember.
Craig replies: We had to cancel our ride up in 2010 because the Brit riders that were going to accompany us could not for sure depart or return to England because of the BA strike and the dust in the air from the Icland volcano. We will try again next year.
Sally and me taken on her birthday, March 21, 2010.
Sally and I are attending the reunion. We will arrive late at the Capt Cook on June 22 and spend 2 nights before heading out to who knows where. We will be taking things one day at a time---hope to spend a night at the Nancy Lake Marina and another at the Lake Lucille Lodge. Leroy Plaster has asked us to stay with him and so has another friend---not sure where we will be sleeping? My sister Muriel (Mike) Goings lives on the Kenai Keys and I should drive down to spend a day with her. She is also a 1960 AHS Grad, but says she won't attend the reunion.Sincerely;
Fred Lohse