Joseph Lee Sites

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Andy Chacon on September 28, 2015:

FROM JOE HIMSELF Almost every morning when I wake up, I say a short prayer of thanksgiving. Then with deliberation and not much speed I get up, do my ablutions, and have breakfast. After breakfast I tend do slow down by reading the Washington Post. The Post has gotten to be as thin as the Lynchburg News was when I delivered it, 1941-1946. It no longer has a separate daily business section nor does it have the separate weekly book section. Considering the local sports teams, it has adequate sports coverage and if you include the reporting on Capitol Hill, the comics are pretty complete. By the time I finish the paper, the mail, mostly junk arrives. I hope that the volume will help keep the Post Office going. A few comments on the Junk Mail tell our story pretty well. Junk Mail contents: Bulb and seed catalogs-I still have bulbs I didn't plant last Fall; Medical supplies catalog. I have never met Dr. Leonard, but I feel like I know him. I think that he is a lecherous hypochondriac We get most of our medicine and care from Kaiser Permanents- so far- it has been very good.; Cruise catalogs- We haven't taken a cruise in the last couple of years and don't plan to this year, we still use our time shares and visit our son and his family in Richmond; Retirement home adds- Hopefully we can stay in our house for a few more years. I read that our 6 feet of snow since 18 December is a result of Global Warming. I sincerely hope that we don't have a Global Cooling. Lee and I wish you all the best and many happy "My Days." Joe. On 2-17-2010 Joe wrote, "Lee and I are still hanging in. I know the phrase is probably overused, but it describes us pretty well. The knees and hips restrict mobility a little and a few other aches and pains, but at our age; What can you expect?. I was with Joe Smith the other day and he made the wise comment that you would expect from an engineer: "Look at the Obituary Column- Most of them are younger than we are". We still plan to go to the reunion. I have had a chance to observe our reunion committee at some of their work. If it is not an outstanding event it will not be their fault. They really do deserve a lot of thanks. We belong to three bridge groups (including the class of "50 Bridge Group), a church book group and Lee is still very active with the Tuesday Afternoon Club. In the last year, we have taken a number of courses from The Teaching Company (Foundations of Western Civilization, World's Great Paintings, et al). Right now we are studying Cathedrals. The lecturer who is really good said that the Chartres Cathedral is the greatest church building in the world. That immediately brought to mind the heroic action of Alice Irving's father which saved the cathedral from destruction. The lecturer's comment really put in perspective what a great thing Alice's father did. All the best to everyone." Joe On July 10, 2011 Joe writes, "On the fourth of July we had a big celebration. This was an appropriate preparation for Andy Remson's birthday on the fifth. I hesitate to write this but I don't think that Andy is sending out a MY Day and Since we have been working together for the last 32 years ( not counting some previous episodes when I worked for him with him and in between) I thought that I would write something since I know that he is extremely busy. In addition to being the new class president. Andy is still working full time at BRTRC. He continues to provide the Army great assistance in doing Life-Cycle Cost Estimates on major systems. In this work he is particularly well qualified because of his Oxford Economics education and his Masters including a P.E. in Civil Engineering. Andy also is a valuable resource in BRTRC's Countermine work. Andy's son continues to travel around the world providing support for State Department Installations, checking and improving security. Andy doesn't know that I wrote the above and may not approve of it but I thought that the class should know. All the best to all, and Andy if you object please remember you threatened to transfer one of your employees to me." Joe On Febuary 17, 2012 Joe writes, "Sixty years ago today, I was in the pipeline to Korea. When I got to Japan I was diverted and sent to the CBR school at Gifu. One morning while at the sinks shaving I noticed that the man next to me had a Virginia Driver's license showing in his wallet. I asked and learned that he (Denny Fringer) was from Lynchburg, VA which is about 20 miles up the James River from my home village, Gladstone. During the following weeks we saw each other every day and had many conversations. When we finished the school, we said that when we got back to Virginia we would arrange to see each other. He stayed in Japan. After a few hitches, including a clerk transposing numbers in my MOS, I became an Observation Battalion Platoon Leader instead of being an Armored Field Artillery Battery Officer. My platoon was in the Chorwon Valley and frequently moved wherever Chinese Artillery was the most active. Since I had never even heard of an Observation Battalion I was very lucky to have a good sergeant who taught me what I needed to know. One good feature of the job was that it was a four point assignment with no going in reserve. This meant that I had a short tour and nine months after I left Gifu I had finished my tour in Korea and was in Virginia on leave. One day while on leave, I went with my Dad to a Masonic meeting in Lynchburg. Denny was sitting across the lodge hall and we immediately saw each other and met outside. He said that we should go on a double date. I told him I didn't know any young ladies in Lynchburg. He called his wife and she called one of her colleagues in the Engineering Department of the Lynchburg Foundry. That is how I met Elizabeth Lee Rucker. Eleven months later we were married and stretching the facts a little I have been able to say that I met my wife in a latrine in Japan. Lee has been my loving supportive wife now for 58 years. She had to move 18 times, traveled in 49 states and 53 countries. We have one wonderful son ,53, who, as an archaeologist has filled in a few blanks of Virginia History. Our special Grandson Sam ,14, is a highly competitive swimmer. Our talented Daughter-in-law, Caroline Kettlewell,(she is very very young, indeed) is a published author, assistant editor of "Virginia Living" and instructor at Randolph Macon College in addition to being a deep water swimmer. Lee and I are doing as well as cam be expected and wish all of you the very best." Joe On Feb. 17, 2013, Joe writes, "During the recent cold weather I noticed Lee at the front windows looking for the paddy wagon to take aged citizens to Florida. There has been no wagon and we are still in the City of Fairfax house which we bought fifty years ago when we came to Washington for our first assignment at the Pentagon. The house is much the same but I notice that the stairs seem steeper and the distance from where I am to where I need to be keeps getting longer. Lee is not playing bridge as often and has had fewer activities with the Tuesday Afternoon Club, but is reading vociferously. We are still taking the Teaching Company's Great Courses and had we taken them for credit, I suspect that we would by now have PhDs in Art History, Music Appreciation and World History. I recently completed reading the New Testament in the Gullah Language. This language created by slaves and ex-slaves along the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia really expresses the New Testament in direct meaningful ways. It was worth the effort. We send our best wishes to everyone." Joe On Jun 14, 2013, Andy Remson wrote: "Dear Classmates, Wives, and Widows, As many of you will recall, Joe Sites grew up in Gladstone, which is in Nelson County, Virginia, not far from Appomattox. He delivered newspapers, served as the RFD mail carrier, and worked on the railroad. He knew everyone. Last weekend he was invited back to give a presentation on the history of Gladstone. Joe's presentation was a great success. There were more than 100 people in the audience ~ actually more than the current population of the village. Congratulations, Joe!" Andy Remson On Monday, February 17, 2014 3:58 PM, Joseph Sites wrote: "Lee and I are still in the house we bought in 1963 (50 years and counting). As I may have said last year the house is the same but the steps seem steeper and the distances from where we are and where we need to go seem longer. December marked our 60th wedding anniversary. Considering age, wear and tear etc. we are doing fairly well. We don't play as much bridge or travel as much but I believe that we are reading more and are extremely conscientious about our Great Courses. If they offered credit and if we had passed the courses, we would probably have PhDs in Art, Music and History. In my last MY Day message I mentioned the great courses I received e-mail from Al Akers and Fred Irving that they too are taking the courses. In fact, I believe I saw Al in the introduction of one of the courses. I also saw on a TV show that Bill Gates had a book case full of the courses. All of this assures me that Lee and I are keeping good company. All the best to all of you," Lee and Joe

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