Family
During World War II, my dad, Staff Sergeant Allen L Spencer, was stationed at Great Ashfield, Suffolk, England with the 385th Bomb Group as the Flight Engineer and top turret gunner. While his B-17G Bomber was never given a name, it was customary for the men to fly in different bombers on missions. They were used where they were needed. I don’t know if my dad was ever a crew member on the B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed Sky Chief (serial 42-39912) or not, but he did have his picture taken by that plane. “Sky Chief” was a B-17G-5-VE bomber with the 385th Bomb Group, 548th Bomb Squadron at RAF Great Ashfield, known as the B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen of the Skies. It was delivered to the United States in May 1943, it was ferried to the United Kingdom in October, modified for operational use, and then sent back to the United States for ferrying in November 1943.
When these planes went out on missions, the challenges were often brutal. Flak was notorious for tearing planes apart. Nevertheless, the B-17 wasn’t called the Flying Fortress for nothing. Many times, these planes returned to base practically in pieces, and yet…they quite often returned. On July 16, 1944, “Sky Chief” was returning from just such a mission and attempted to land at RAF Woodbridge (ELG) in Suffolk, England. With engines number 2 and number 4 completely missing, the aircraft faced serious handling challenges. As it neared the runway, it lost control and crash-landed in Capel Saint Andrew, a small village in the English countryside, marking a tragic moment for the B-17 Bomber. The crash was severe, with the B-17 Bomber breaking apart on impact and instantly killing two crew members. The rest of the crew, including pilot Charles R Johnston, co-pilot Frank Bullen, navigator Hubert Bevins, bombardier Charles Wynn, and other gunners, survived but sustained injuries. The aircraft was a total loss, and the survivors were evacuated.
Though considered a total loss, “Sky Chief” was officially salvaged on July 19, 1944. The event served as a 
stark reminder of the risks posed by engine failures and poor landing conditions during World War II bombing missions. Its story lives on in aviation history archives, with the nickname “Sky Chief” honoring its service as a veteran bomber in the Eighth Air Force. The 1944 crash happened during the intense preparations for the Battle of the Bulge, as Allied air forces carried out heavy daylight bombing runs over Germany. Incidents like the loss of Sky Chief were all too common, with B-17s battling intense flak, mechanical issues, and the difficulties of night landings at unfamiliar airfields. The story of “Sky Chief” is woven into the larger tale of the B-17’s service and the sacrifices made by its crews. It lives on in my memory because of the pictures with my dad standing next to a plane that I know later crashed. That feels so strange to me.
My nephew, Chris Killinger is a very busy man these days. Chris is about to become a daddy again, and he is very excited to be growing his family with his wife, Lacey and children, Brooklynn and Jaxon. The upcoming birth has been keeping the family somewhat close to home, but they did manage to take a weekend trip to Denver in May to attend a concert there. They also took a camping trip to the mountain over the Independence Day holiday. Lacey’s family has always enjoyed the Lake more than the mountain, but they enjoyed themselves on the mountain too.
Lacey’s mom, Alena Stevens and her dad, Mike Stevens have always loved the lake and often spent at least a week there each summer. Since Alena went home to Heaven, those camping trips to the lake have been more of a struggle for the 
family. I’m sure they will be able to work through it eventually, because Alena would really never want those camping trips to end. I’m sure the family won’t let that happen. The trip to the mountain was fun in a different way. Chris helped his son, Jax and the other kids to ride the quad. A great time was had by all, even if it was on the mountain.
Chris has been working hard on a “self-improvement” project, in the form of weight loss. Chris has been quite focused, and his efforts are proving quite fruitful. In recent months, Chris has lost 100 pounds, and he feels much better. Chris is getting ready for the future in other ways too. Chris has been very helpful with Lacey’s nesting and getting the house ready for the birth of their first child together. That job has required Chris to build and put together a lot of 
items necessary for the baby’s arrival. Lacey is wondering if he is sick of all the work, but he also wants everything to be in readiness for this baby. He, like Lacey, Brooklynn, and Jaxon are all very ready for baby to be here and for them to spend time with her!! I can fully understand that. As short as the nine months gestation period is, the last month or so always seems to take forever. The anticipation of the baby’s arrival always makes the last month of a pregnancy seem like three months instead of one. Nevertheless, before they know it, their precious baby girl will be here, and their joy will be complete, but this day is Chris’ birthday, and so the baby’s day will still have to wait a few more days. Today is Chris’ birthday. Happy birthday Chris!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Shannon Moore is truly the King of Adventure!! He is such a good Dad and always wants to take his daughter, Mackenzie to experience new things. Shannon and his wife, my niece, Lindsay Moore have always been athletic and outdoorsy, so it is something they definitely want to pass along to their daughter. The family loves to go camping, and this year, Shannon took Lindsay and Mackenzie camping where they could try out their new paddle boards, and go four wheeling, hiking to waterfalls, seeing animals…all the fun things! Lindsay tells me, “He does it all with joy!! Shannon has the heart of a servant. I’ve always noticed it. He’s so generous and helpful and it’s really genuine. How blessed we are to have him!!”
Shannon has always been into sports and is now the assistant coach for the Wyoming Cowboys football team. 
He is also their tight ends coach. Shannon is an educator to the highest level. He has the credentials to be a teacher in mathematics and even the school principal, but his real love is coaching, and he is so good at it. Not only is he a skilled coach, but his players love and respect him too. These guys are usually far away from home and having a coach (and his wife) take them under his wing is so great. Lindsay is a very social person and loves to entertain. That makes her the perfect hostess for the team get togethers.
Lindsay always gets excited about Shannon’s birthday and the chance to brag about her husband. She loves 
that she and their daughter, Mackenzie, get to celebrate “the guy who always takes care of us and everyone else!” Shannon and Mackenzie share a special bond…he’s always ready to spend quality time with her. They play, he teaches her new things, and their love for each other is obvious. She’s got Daddy wrapped around her finger in the sweetest way. For Shannon, being a dad is such an important job. When Mackenzie’s learning something new, he’s patient like a true coach, whether it’s flips on the trampoline, riding a bike, mini golfing, paddle boarding, or even math. Shannon just knows how to teach. Those are pretty amazing things to have said about someone, and Shannon truly has a heart of gold, and a great blessing to his family. Today is Shannon’s birthday. Happy birthday Shannon!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
On the evening of Wednesday, July 13, 1977, at 8:34pm EDT, a lightning strike hit the Buchanan South substation on the Hudson River, tripping two circuit breakers in Buchanan, New York. This substation reduced the 345,000 volts from the 900 MW class Indian Point nuclear generating station to a lower voltage for commercial use. However, a loose locking nut and a slow upgrade cycle kept the breaker from resetting, stopping the power from flowing again. A second lightning strike knocked out two 345 kV transmission lines, with only one coming back online automatically, cutting power from the Indian Point nuclear plant. This pushed two other major lines into overload. At 8:45pm EDT, Consolidated Edison tried to start a fast-response generating station, but the remote start failed since no one was there to run it. Other plants kicked in, though some turbines were down for maintenance and couldn’t provide full capacity.
Then, at 8:55pm EDT, a third lightning strike hit the Sprain Brook substation in Yonkers, knocking out two more key transmission lines. Because the system prioritized the already-isolated Indian Point plant, only the north–south line came back automatically, and poor control-room display design kept operators from noticing at the time. When a second transmission line opened, it left Con Edison disconnected from major generating stations 
across the Hudson River. As a result, power was rerouted through cross-river lines in Newark or upstate New York before heading back toward New York City. The remaining lines into the city couldn’t handle the extra load without surpassing their long-term capacity limits.
I don’t know why a power outage should have caused the events that followed, but for whatever reason, some people tend to go crazy over things like that. Nevertheless, the blackout had hit during a tough time for the city, with a severe financial crisis and fear from the Son of Sam murders hanging over residents. The whole country, especially New York City, was in a long economic slump, and people compared the event to the lighter mood of the 1965 blackout. Some blamed the city’s money troubles for the chaos, while others pointed to the sweltering July heat wave gripping the East Coast. It didn’t help that the 1977 outage struck after businesses had closed, unlike in 1965 when many shop owners were still around. This time, looters kept going well into the daylight hours of the next day.
Looting and vandalism swept through New York City, affecting 31 neighborhoods. Crown Heights was hit hard, with 75 stores on a five-block stretch looted and damaged, while Bushwick saw rampant arson, leaving about 25 fires still burning the next morning. At one point, two blocks of Broadway in Brooklyn, separating Bushwick 
from Bedford-Stuyvesant, were ablaze. In total, 35 blocks of Broadway were destroyed, with 134 stores looted and 45 also set on fire. Thieves made off with 50 new Pontiacs from a Bronx dealership. In Brooklyn, some youths used cars and ropes to pull away store grates before looting inside. The chaos left 550 police officers injured and resulted in 4,500 arrests. It’s such a sad incident.
From September 19, 1994, to May 12, 1995, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.7 MS (surface-wave magnitude) or higher shook the Myanmar-China border area. At the same time, seismologists noticed unusual anomalies in the region’s seismic data, and changes in water levels in Shidian County were seen as possible warnings of a major quake. Then, following the 6.2 ML (local magnitude scale) foreshock on July 10, 1995, the Yunnan Seismological Bureau sent a team to the area nearest the epicenter. After holding a meeting, seismologists predicted that a mainshock of around magnitude 7.0 was likely. Scientists from the Yunnan Provincial Earthquake Administration recommended an evacuation order based on this forecast, and less than 30 hours later, the mainshock hit.
The 1995 Menglian earthquake, also known as the Myanmar–China earthquake, struck on July 12 at 5:46am local time along the border between the two countries. Its epicenter was on the Myanmar side in the mountainous Shan State. Measuring 7.3 on the Chinese surface-wave scale and 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale, it reached a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII. Because of the early evacuation, the quake only killed 11 
people. It also injured 136 people, however, and destroyed over 100,000 homes in both nations, with another 42,000 seriously damaged. Some structural damage was also reported in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Thailand. The relatively low death toll was credited to an early warning triggered by foreshocks and seismic anomalies, leading to evacuations before the main shock. It is considered one of the rare cases of a successfully predicted earthquake. I suppose that there would be some people who would say that it was luck, and maybe it was, but the seismologists saw something in the situation that caused them to be alarmed. And the scientists agreed and called for the evacuation. Whatever the case may be, lives were saved.
The Shan Plateau, stretching across Yunnan and Shan State, is characterized by strike-slip structures that handle the Sunda Block’s crustal rotation and deformation from the India-Asia collision, where the Indian plate is forced beneath the Eurasian plate. It was shaped by uplift along the Shan Scarp Fault Zone, an inactive shear zone and reverse or thrust fault at its western edge. To the east lies the active Sagaing Fault, a right-lateral transform fault dividing the Burma and Sunda plates. To the north, the Red River Fault extends for 1,000 km as 
an active right-lateral fault. Between the Red River and Sagaing faults, bookshelf-style faulting from shear deformation has led to mostly right-lateral strike-slip faulting across the plateau. The earthquake happened due to dextral strike-slip faulting at a shallow depth in the Shan Plateau, rupturing a previously unmapped northwest–southeast striking structure near faults tied to the 1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes. Strike-slip faulting here results from “bookshelf-style” deformation caused by the plateau’s position between the Sagaing and Red River faults. The 1995 earthquake may have been triggered by increased coulomb stress transfer from the 1988 event. While the cause may never be fully known, the people whose lives were saved will aways be grateful for the quick actions of the seismologists and scientists who made the call.
While trying to avoid the meager cost of a toll on the nearby turnpike, on July 11, 1978, a road tanker owned by Cisternas Reunidas was traveling on a small, winding road 120 miles south of Barcelona. I don’t know what the toll would have been for the truck or its cargo, but it couldn’t have been too much when compared to the loss of lives that resulted from the truck being on the smaller road. On that hot afternoon just after 3pm along Spain’s Mediterranean coast, a 38-ton truck loaded with propylene gas, used to make alcohol, made its way down a narrow, winding road about 120 miles south of Barcelona. For reasons still unclear, the truck suddenly slammed into a concrete wall. Some witnesses claimed they saw flames on the vehicle before the crash.
Later called the Los Alfaques disaster the explosion happened near a holiday campsite in Alcanar, Spain. The liquefied propylene was extremely flammable, and the explosion killed 215 people, severely burned 200 more, and took the lives of 178 French nationals. Just down a hill from a concrete wall, about 800 people…mostly vacationing families from Germany and France…were camped near the beach in tents and makeshift bungalows. The truck careened down the hill and erupted into a massive fireball, sending flames 100 feet into the air and killing many instantly. The blast left a crater 20 yards wide, and the heat caused campers’ portable gas tanks and cars to explode as well. Few survivors wore more than bathing suits, leaving many with terrible burns. The timing of the disaster added to the high death toll, coming just after lunch. Many hadn’t yet returned to the nearby beach. The people simply didn’t stand a chance. So many German citizens were affected that German officials arranged an airlift of doctors and equipment from Stuttgart to help with the relief efforts.
The disaster was one of Spain’s deadliest fire-related incidents, second only to the 1977 Tenerife airport tragedy. Survivors recalled the scene as “like napalm.” There was no way of escape. In its aftermath, Spain introduced new regulations requiring dangerous cargo to be transported through populated areas only at night. 
Several company officials faced prosecution for criminal negligence. Today, the site stands as a memorial to the victims and serves as a sobering reminder of the risks posed by transporting hazardous materials in and around communities. The situation poses a rather tough question. The materials are absolutely necessary in manufacturing needed products, but safety around communities must be a top priority too.
My husband, Bob Schulenberg is a hard-working mechanic, by trade. Technically, he is retired and has been since July 1, 2016, but in true mechanic style, that hasn’t stopped him from being the main mechanic for many of his friends. I can’t imagine Bob spending his life in the absence of mechanic work, although I suppose there will come a day when he no longer can. Still, for his sake, I pray that day is a long way off. I think it would very likely drive him a bit crazy. I’ve seen winter days, when no one had work for him to do, and the weather was too cold anyway. He practically went “stir crazy” with boredom. During those days, he almost welcomed the myriad of sales texts and calls, hahaha!!
Bob doesn’t like to sit idly around…unless he is watching his favorite shows, like MASH, Andy Griffith, NCIS, Walker Texas Ranger, or Everybody Loves Raymond. Even then, if a mechanic job shows up, the television is 
turned off, because he is back in his element. His garage is his “man cave” and his favorite place to hang out. Personally, I don’t get it. The garage is cold in the Winter and hot in the Summer, but somehow Bob doesn’t seem to notice. He just plugs along on whatever car he is working on. The times he spends figuring out what is wrong with someone’s car are some of his happiest times. The good news is that it keeps his mind young and sharp. It can also be frustrating for him sometimes. Not every mechanical problem is as simple as an oil change.
Bob has joined the “old boys breakfast club” these days. He goes to breakfast every weekday morning with his buddies and often meets other retirees at the various restaurants he goes to. I’ve told him that is his thing. I go for a two hour walk instead. When I retired, I knew I didn’t want to spend the mornings talking politics with the 
old guys. Besides, that is his time with his buddies. We go to breakfast on the weekends, and that’s good enough for me. Bob needs that “guy time” with his friends. It’s important. He is a very social guy, and he needs his friends. Plus, the fact that many of his best friends are also the guys he calls on when he needs a mechanic’s helper or a consultation on a particularly difficult job. Bob’s friends have been a big help to him, and for that I am grateful. Today is Bob’s 72nd birthday!! Happy birthday to the love of my life. I have been very blessed by you!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
When my Uncle Larry Byer married the love of his life, Jeanette Morton, she became the first daughter-in-law my grandparents ever had. My grandparents had nine children…two sons, Larry and Wayne, and seven daughters, Evelyn, Virginia, Deloris, Collene, Bonnie, Dixie, and Sandy. Larry was the oldest boy, Wayne the youngest, with three sisters before Larry, three sisters after Wayne, and my mom, Collene Byer Spencer, right in the middle.
My grandparents were used to girls and all their mixed emotions, but before Aunt Jeanette, the new additions had always been men…husbands for the daughters. I imagine it must have been a bit of a culture shock to welcome another girl into the mix. In a family overflowing with girls, adding boys always seemed to settle things down, calming the emotions of the girls as well. I suppose Uncle Larry and Aunt Jeanette might have thought that a daughter-in-law could stir up more emotions, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. To me, Aunt Jeanette has always been a calm, mellow person with a wonderful laugh that lights up everyone’s face. I honestly can’t remember a time without her, since she married my Uncle Larry on February 11, 1956, just two months before I was born. Her sweet personality was a asset to the family. She never has had an unkind word for anyone.
Aunt Jeanette has always been such a kind and thoughtful person, which I’m sure is what drew Uncle Larry to her as well. She had been a friend of the family for quite some time before she and Uncle Larry began dating, so in many ways, she naturally fit right in. Still, Aunt Jeanette brought a unique sweetness, a blend of Grandma Byer’s warmth and her own gentle charm, to the family. She’s one of those rare people who still sends Christmas cards, simply because she wants her loved ones to know she’s thinking of them. That’s just who she is…and always has been.
Aunt Jeanette has almost always been the only sister-in-law in the family, and the only one that remained for 
life, but to the rest of the siblings, she feels more like a true sister. She’s won their hearts in countless ways, with her kindness and generosity known to anyone who’s ever needed a helping hand. Always quick with comforting words, she makes it clear that whatever you need, she’ll be there. Today we celebrate Aunt Jeanette’s 90th birthday…such a great accomplishment!! Not everyone is so blessed as to live that long. Aunt Jeanette is indeed blessed. Happy birthday, Aunt Jeanette! Have a great day!! We love you!!
There’s a lot I didn’t know about my Uncle Elmer Johnson, mostly because he passed away when I was just 25. I’d known him my whole life, of course, but like with most families, you don’t see your aunts, uncles, and cousins every day. Uncle Elmer was just 47 years old when he died, so many of the stories I’ve learned about him have come from his kids. Thanks to those stories, though, I feel like I’m getting to know him all over again…and I’m learning about talents he had, of which I was totally unaware.
My uncle was an amazing cook, which isn’t something you always see among men. While many men can grill, and that’s often their domain, Uncle Elmer could cook anything, anywhere…kitchen, campfire, or grill. He especially loved making holiday meals from scratch, filling their kitchen with aromas so irresistible the family would gather just to breathe them in. Waiting for the food to be ready was tough, but every bite made it worth it. He loved experimenting with flavors and dishes, and somehow, there were never any bad meals. He just instinctively knew what worked together and exactly how to season everything to perfection. I wish I could have been there for some of those meals, but as is common in big families, we didn’t have every holiday meal together…in fact we had few together.
Uncle Elmer worked in many places, mostly as some kind of truck driver. He moved furniture for Burke Moving and Storage and United Van Lines, working for Tom Aurelius, and often took his oldest son, Elmer, along for a couple of weeks in the summer. Those trips were a blast for young Elmer and likely sparked his own love for trucks and driving. In their downtime, nothing made them happier than camping, fishing, swimming, and just goofing off while enjoying the beauty of Wyoming. They camped out or stayed in cabins at spots like Louis Lake and Meadowlark Lake. According to his son, Elmer, Uncle Elmer was always happiest with a fishing pole in one 
hand and a beer in the other. Those family adventures became some of the best memories for Uncle Elmer and Aunt Dee’s four children: Ellen Bremner, Elmer Johnson, Darla Stanko, and Delwin Johnson. Although their parents and now, the two youngest children are in Heaven, their memories still live on. Today would have been Uncle Elmer’s 93rd birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven, Uncle Elmer. We love and miss you very much.
My niece, Kellie Thompson tells me that her dad, Chris Hadlock is the best dad ever! Kellie and Chris often play the guitar and sing together, and for Kellie, those times are her favorite times with him. Playing the guitar and singing with her dad is one of her greatest joys…his too. Kellie says that her dad is so incredibly talented and doesn’t even know it! She says, “He taught me how to play guitar.” And now her niece, Aurora Hadlock got a guitar last year and he has been helping her with her guitar skills too!! Chris is always busy working on a new project too! He writes his own music and everything he plays is gorgeous!
Chris works so hard between the projects at their house and traveling quite a bit for work but always makes sure he carves out time to throw the ball for his favorite child…Liberty, their dog! Kellie says, “Liberty loves dad so much and he is definitely a “yes man” when it comes to Liberty (and the rest of us too I guess, hahaha). He somehow 
figured out how to build a rack on the 4-wheeler that made it so that Libby can go on 4-wheeler rides with them safely! It turned out really awesome too!! Dad is always there for all of us though! From hanging out with granddaughter, Jolene in the waiting room for hours while I had her sister, Tayla to giving me a “Dad hug” before going to the hospital when I was nervous!! Sometimes you just need a hug from your dad! He is the best! The best dad and the best grandpa that never hesitates to be there for any of us!!”
Daughter, Jessi says, “He can do all the things and is always busy making everything better. Whether it’s their property or something we need, he is there when we need him and happy to help. I have so much fun with 
him. He is very funny and I think that’s why I am too. You know it’s true. He loves all his grandbabies and is such a fun grandpa. I have never seen him not working hard. He’s not one to sit still long. And everything that he works on, he is good at. He’s a natural at the guitar, fixing broken things, innovating new ones, and loving us. He’s the very best dad, dad, Daddio and we love him!!” Sometimes the family makes my job of writing a birthday story so easy. Today is Chris’ birthday. Happy birthday Chris!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
