Floyd and Athelyn Hale 65th Anniversary

Floyd, who also played violin, played the alto or French horn in the local community band concerts. He is a 70-year graduate of that town�s Stevens High School, the oldest active High School Alumni Association in the USA. All five of their children and eight of their 18 grandchildren are second and third generation Stevens Alumni. Many greetings were sent from Floyd�s classmates and the SHS Alumni Association & Officers. Although they were not able to attend the festivities this year as they have numerous times in the past, the Hale�s Anniversary was announced at the Alumni Banquet where fellow Alumni applauded them.

Previous summers have also found them driving to their former summer home on Little Lake Sunapee in New London, NH, Athelyn�s hometown. She is a Colby Academy graduate, and they received greetings from many of her fellow alumni as well. The couple�s 50th Anniversary Reception was held in the Alumni Hall at Colby College in New London.

Floyd and Athelyn (Gay) Hale were overwhelmed with the �Shower of Greeting Cards� in celebration of their 65th Wedding Anniversary on June 20, 2002. They sincerely appreciate the 130 cards, 65 apiece, which were received from President and Laura Bush, family and friends from across the country. They came from as far north as Maine, Vermont and various New Hampshire towns. Their former hometown is Claremont, New Hampshire where Floyd worked full time, and Athelyn, part time, for the Post Office from which Floyd retired in 1969 after 33 years of service. Aside from being a homemaker raising five children, Athelyn also volunteered many hours of service at the local hospital.

Retirement longevity has reached the same number of years as Floyd�s postal career. Therefore, most cards arrived from friends, relatives, fellow shufflers, and neighbors in their Lake Helen home town and many other Florida locations where they�ve been involved in various church activities, social groups, and shuffleboard clubs and tournaments. For many years Athelyn sang in the church choir and with the Harmonettes, and has written newspaper articles and reports for The Daytona Beach Chatterbox, The DeLand Sun News, the DeLand Beacon, Villa Voice and The City Observer right up until this year.

Besides the White House and the four previously mentioned states, cards also came from the following sixteen: Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Minnesota, Oregon, Arizona, and California. Two arrived via Fed-X and overnight mail. Some of their great-grandchildren creatively made their own beautiful cards, and lots of memories were shared in personal correspondence. A special binder with protective sheets now holds the collection of cards, newspaper clippings, church bulletins, notes and letters for them to treasure and enjoy.