Received 5/22/10

Leslee (Zermuhlen) Waite
710 East Broad Street
Statesville, NC 28677
home: (704) 253 – 1048
cell: (704) 577 – 8138
Email:  [email protected]

Former newspaper librarian, writer, passionate animal activist.

Husband – Bill Waite

Son – Dr Mark R. Meloon (40) graduated from Univ of WI (‘92), graduate Math degree
from California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA (‘98), works in Santa Barbara, CA as Senior Analyst.
Son – Brian A Meloon, (38) graduated from Univ of WI (‘94), graduate Math degree
from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (2001), works in Baltimore, MD as Research
Team Leader.

Sister – Lois Zermuhlen Herr (WHS class of 1961), widow, lives in south Florida

Father – deceased
Mother – Scottsdale, AZ

I have not been to many of the reunions. The time of the last reunion found me flat on my back while I healed from an enflamed sciatica. It took shots in my back and six months to have me up and walking well.

I have no idea how many of us have “replacement of parts.” I had a total right hip replaced in 2003 (no cartilage). This is made of titanium, while my mother’s hip replacements are made of stainless steel.

As a young child, I told my Mother that I would marry someone from the front of the alphabet….hmmm:  – 18 months with Godard, then spent 19 years as a Meloon, now it’s 20 years with Waite. I am resigned to being at the end!

We have a FOR SALE sign on this Statesville, NC property. We will be returning to Madison, WI, hopefully sooner rather than later.

It is a mixed happiness, because my first grandchild, a boy, was born this March 16, 2010 in Baltimore, MD. From Statesville we drive the distance in seven hours, whereas the trip from Madison is considerably more hours. It is interesting to note: We have four generations in my immediate family now -1910 – 2010. My Father was born in 1910, I was born in 1942, my son (father of this grandson) was born in 1972 and now this grandson  in 2010 – four generations in 100 years.

I am passionate about the welfare of cats and dogs, specifically being neutered and not being allowed to run at large.  I belong to a local organization that helps find homes for these unfortunates. We raise money for spay and neutering as well as take several homeless kittens, puppies and adults into our homes, thus keeping them out of the local Humane Society, which in this county still uses gas. I am a proponent of euthanasia and while still in Madison (1980‘s), I worked at the Dane County Humane Society.

I am active in a Tai Chi group of seniors to promote physical strength and serenity.

I belong to a writing class. I have started chronicling my childhood in story form, so that some day, my adult children will  know their Mother as a child and young adult. These memories complete the person I have “housed” in this body.

In 2005, I wrote a book about my first Chihuahua, Shelby Princess, published by Amazon.com.  It was written about her life to help me heal from my grief of losing her.  It is written in first person: Shelby is telling the story and thus she remains alive through narrative. It is entitled FROM PERIL to PRINCESS, the Chronicles of Shelby.  It was my extreme pleasure to donate 10 books to the St Jude Children’s Cancer and Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. They replied back that most gifts cannot be sterilized, but Shelby’s books of paper can  be sterilized and will be read to the children. I immediately sent 2 dozen colored pictures to go along with several chapters of events.

School Memories:
Larry Everard (the art teacher) came to visit me in Paris, France in the winter of 1961. He gave me a brass bell as a gift.

I remember Miss Woodward (librarian) asking me to watch the desk, while she went to the basement (furnace room) for a “ciggy”

I remember Miss Weightman and her Latin phrase, “Tabula rasa” (clean slate) which she told us we had at every new semester.

I remember Miss Truenfels (algebra and geometry), who made math simple for me.

I remember Mr. Wessels (science). At a birthday party for his daughter Lelani, he took the party group out into the dark night and pointed out all the constellations in the winter sky.

Lastly my favorite teacher was 9th grade Biology (Mr. Follensbee), who taught the classifications with such zest that it was fun.

I especially loved the Christmas assemblies. We walked across the street to a building that held a huge hall. I remember walking home in snow drifts and thinking how lucky we were to have the schooling we did. WHS embraced the arts as well as the hard core studies. We had home economics, sewing, cooking and the fine arts, jewelry making, a metal box, a wooden candy dish I still have. And I remember winning a years tuition because of an oil painting, judged by Prof Zingali at the UW art school.

Such a marvelous education we all had!