When the Blessed Sacrament Altar Society had a luncheon just before Christmas, Alice Chaberlain Gallagher, third from right, had her family as guests, including Dr. Carmen Rathmell, Cristy Keyes, and Chacha Keyes of College Station.

Rev. Alfonso Narvaez and his wife Dabney celebrated their wedding anniversary in Venice. Here they have the Grand Canal in the background. They now live in Edenton, North Carolina.

Raymond Leal talks of a living will, a document which orders doctor and hospitals to let one die in place of having a lingering death when there is no hope of recovery. Raymond is very happy with his life. Long a widower, he remarried happily.

One of the memorable events of his life, he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. "Very proud of having served his country," he says.

Fernando Salinas reports that Mexico, too, is suffering from a depression. Who taught him penmanship? He writes a beautiful note. He reports, too, that his good friend Max Mandel is hospitalized. Max came to Laredo and married Roselyn Alexander. His milieu was the Laredo National Bank. Kind, with all the social graces, and handsome, he had all the good gifts.

From Mildred Reyna we learned that she had a New Year’s party at which she served delicious black-eyed peas -- her good luck. Sam Johnson and Charley had their usual Christmas gathering of old friends.

The Abrazo children were honored at the Laredo Country Club. One is the grandchild of Manuel and Olivia Bravo and the other is the son of Robert and Tami Summers. Carroll and Evelyn Summers, the grandparents, and from Austin, Kay Hale, once on the Laredo Junior College faculty. She is on the State Coordinating Board.

Karen Winch and Margaret Marlow served as hostesses for the meeting of the Alpha Nu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma in the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.

Mildred enjoyed seeing Angie Borchers at the Marthas Luncheon. Her daughter Judith took her to see A Beautiful Mind, which she enjoyed. Daughter Mary Claude is with an airline in New York came for a week in February.

Robert Dwan, retired colonel who now lives in Albuquerque, spent a few days at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, where he met with others who were involved in the liberation of Manilla.

Agustin Mena writes from Austin where he and his wife and three daughters live. At Christmas they went to her relatives in the north. His parents, the Agustin Menas, live in Laredo.

For the last Daughters of the American Revolution meeting, Sheila Glassford made the cake. Julia Ruhlman’s beautiful home was the setting.

Ruth V. Fierros wrote and read a tribute to the Late Hermelinda Murillo at the Alpha Nu Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma. She is preparing a new book of her poems titled Welcome to My World.

"We are such stuff as dreams are made of and our little life is rounded with a sleep." --Shakespeare.

Martin Barrera and his mother, Lupe, former Laredoans, will come home from Los Angeles to celebrate her 85th birthday on June 9.

Why do we dream? Has anyone found an answer? Usually dreams show something we wish for, someone we should like to see.

Minita Freeman reported that she dreams of being a successful stockbroker. Because she has a love of plants, Betsy Gill dreamed of being a gardener.

Singing operas often is the dream of Mary Jo Brenner, an avid supporter of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Frank Staggs, prominent rancher, who loves working the ranch he and Julieta own out towards Mirando City, dreams of rain or drought and working cattle in the corrals.

After being in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sam Johnson, noted for his work with the Little Theatre, was in Saltillo del Mar, Spain, ill. That night he dreamed the whole play. He kept asking himself how he should deliver each line.

And your dream, what is it? Mine, I’m back in old Laredo.

Hints for If you are assigned as hostess, then do your duty. If for some reason you cannot attend, pay you part of the cost.

Try to remember the name of each member.

Make your stay at the club pleasant by conversing and finding some item for which you may compliment members.

If you have some little information to give, ask the president first if you can have a few minutes on the program. If you are reading one poem, don’t make it a whole volume.

If you are program chair and invite some musicians or artists or politicians to speak, tell them how long their talk should be, else the whole program will be too long.

Dearest Friend

If you would like to be enlightened about the defeats and victories of the birth of the United States from the point of view of an astounding woman who lived through those days, read Dearest Friend, the life of Abigail Adams, wife of the second president of the United States and mother of the sixth president, John Quincy Adams.

This paragon of women married to John Adams for 54 years advocated women’s rights and stood against slavery. Managing their farm and keeping their financial records, she was often separated form her husband for years at a time. She took a great interest in politics, thinking in the same way as her husband did. She kept her ear to the ground, reading the newspapers of the day and discussing trends and ideas with her husband, who was her dearest friend.

Dearest Friend will enlighten you about the early days of our country and reveal a super character, Abigial.

No Ordinary Time

Read No Ordinary Time if you would understand the immense advancement of our nation because of the work of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt in the war years, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. This tome is 636 pages, dealing with these great leaders day by day.

The country that emerged from the war was a far better country. The book is no bed book, though I read it in bed night after night; couldn’t put it down.

To write it, the author did an immense amount of research.

Most people do not consider that heaven shapes human events, but it does seem that when the world needed great leaders, both Roosevelt and Winston Churchill arose to lead.

Note: Celebrating my 93rd birthday with family and many cards and calls from Laredo, I plan to send in news to LareDOS monthly. If you want some publicity, send me photos or notes, I will edit and send them to Meg Guerra, publisher. My address is 9503 Collier Flats, Helotes, TX 78023.club members
In the early century, there were few clubs. People went calling, dropping in at a friend’s home on her "at home day" where they were treated to a cup of tea and cake, perhaps sandwiches.
They had cards printed with their names, calling cards so that the hostess had a record of who came.
In today’s busy world women have gathered at specific times in clubs. The club may be purely social, cultural, or charitable. In my peregrinations around Laredo for the last 60 years, I have belonged to and been an honorary member of many clubs. Other clubs merely invited me so that I would give them publicity since I have been associated with four publications.
While each club has its own rules, these are some that might make life more pleasant.
Pay your dues on time. If you plan to attend a dinner or lunch for which there is a charge, pay that once you make a reservation, whether you go or not.