Gail Weintraub (Stern)

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I post the passing of my dear friend and first love, Arn Bortz, this morning August 29 in Cincinnati. I have no further service information but will inform you once I know.

Arn's memory will forever be a blessing.

(Please post your memories of Arn and Steve Collett on their In Memory pages and not on the Message Forum. Over time, your comments will then not get lost in the many Message Forum posts. Thank you.)

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Such sad news about Steve and Arn. I will post on their individual memory pages but I am stunned to learn of both of their passings. 
How ironic that an image I took of the two them together at our last reunion came to mind.  June 9, 2023 at the Skyline Chili restaurant in Cincinnati.  I considered them both great friends. 

Laura Reid (Pease)

I, too, am stunned by these two wonderful men and outstanding classmates.  They were the epitome of true gentlemen and the kindest human beings.  The world will miss them both, and we will all miss our soaring Eagles.

Margery Erhardt (Schrader)

I am also so sad to hear of Arn's and Steve's passing. This is an obit for Steve...    https://quno.org/timeline/2024/10/remembering-stephen-collett

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Margery, thanks for the link to Steve's obituary. 

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

I had to search in my 2015 Facebook posts that locate a couple additional pictures. This is from the WHHS Foundation dinner in honor of Arn's brother Neil.

Arn with Ira Goldberg 

...and one of me with two of the most handsome men in the class of '64.  And yes, I was wearing my freshman beanie!

Sandy Steele (Bauman)

So hard to believe we have lost these two amazing ckasssmates in one week. At our last reunion, Steve brought me a newspaper clipping of us as 6th graders at Hyde Park Ekementary. It was from a music class. We will miss them both.

Larry Klein

I was fortunate to attend Arn's induction ceremony to Walnut's Hall of Fame. Gene snapped this photo of Arn and me.

Becky Payne (Shockley)

I am also very sad after hearing the news of Arn Borts and Steve Collett's passing. They were indeed smart, kind, and successful people who contributed much to our world, and I am sad not to see them again at the next reunion.

Becky Payne (Shockley)

I was also saddened to discover Nancy Messer's obituary. I remember her well from WHHS, and I remember being concerned about her physical challenges at the last reunion. I was glad she could attend, and I thought she managed quite well in spite of it, but I'm sure her life was difficult. I will miss her.

Gail Weintraub (Stern)

There will be a Gathering to Celebrate the Life of Arn Bortz on Wednesday, September 3rd from 1-3pm at the Spring Grove Cemetery Event Center, 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232. 

Let's show our support for our classmate, friend and former Mayor of Cincinnati. May Arn rest in eternal peace. 

Gail Weintraub (Stern)

I have added Arn's obituary link on his In Memory page.

Larry Klein

Wishing a BIG 80 Happy Birthday to Kevin Langner today!!  The third of our class to reach that number after Gordon Fankhauser and Robert Altbeier.  Becky Payne and I will be the 4th and 5th on 12/4.  Hoping to see all of you at our 80yo reunion next year. Cheers!!

Philip Spiess

Kevin:  Happy Birthday on having attained the big 8-0!  (Now go for the big 9-0!  And Becky and Larry -- you two get ready, too!)

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Happy Birthday to all of you octogenarians!  We already know that our class baby, Laura Pease, has a long way to go to reach that milestone. However, I'm among the babies in the class too! I'll still be 78 through Thanksgiving!  
I just feel glad that all of us who are still around share a bond that includes the collective memory of those who are no longer with us. 

Paul Simons

Happy Birthday to my cousin Ira Goldberg! And many more to come! 

Jeff Daum

I just returned from a trip to observe the Arctic Polar Bears just outside of Churchill Manitoba along the Hudson Bay on the southern part of the Arctic Circle.  A truly amazing experience seeing these Ursus maritimus or Arctic Polar Bears, which are the largest land carnivores.  The males are generally between 550 to 1700 pounds and are 8 to 10 feet while the females are between 200 and 700 pounds at 6 to 8 feet. 

There will be a gallery on my website when I get through editing my images. I have also been asked to publish an article which I hope to get done around December for January publication, but here is a bit more information at this time. 

Though they are carnivores eating primarily the ringed seals, they also eat grasses and berries.  Based on what I observed, along with talking to our guide, and to renown polar bear expert Matthias Breiter, they are highly curious, basically gentle giants.  They do not roar even when jostling.  They don’t attack people but do go after opportunistic food caches and because of this present problems around towns.  Females will aggressively defend their cubs. Frequently misunderstood (often the result of being portrayed as growling ferocious bears in media) they are needlessly shot and killed.

At this time of year, they are typically ambling about until Hudson Bay freezes and they can go out onto the ice to hunt and feed.  Unfortunately, because of climate change, the bay is freezing later.  It used to freeze in September, but it still was not cold enough for that at this point in November.

More details will be in the article, but here are a few images in the meantime.

This Polar Bear is looking across the bay hoping for ice as the sun is rising:

Just ambling along, possibly drooling thinking about seals:

Making sure his nails look good:

Jostling to test one’s skills:

Just resting:

Not all Arctic Polar Bears are white:

Coming to get a closer look at me ( he was a BIG bear):

At the end of day, once again checking for ice:

For the camera enthusiasts: all images were taken with a Nikon Z7ii using a Nikkor Z lens Zoom S lens of 100 to 400 mm handheld.

Cheers,

Jeff

Margery Erhardt (Schrader)

Thank you, Jeff, for this information and wonderful photos. They are truly majestic animals. You have interesting messages, and I especially appreciated your article on Apteras. I have a friend who was in the first 1000 to sign up and thought he would have it 2 years ago. But now there are 50,000 signed up and still they aren't ready for manufacturing apparently. He is still waiting! 

Jeff Daum

Thanks Margery.  Indeed they are majestic.  One thing the images can not show is while the Polar Bears appear to be moving slowly, because of their massive size, they cover a lot of ground quickly.  We watched a number of them from well off in the distance, and then come across to where we were in the Arctic crawler tundra vehicle, far quicker than we expected.

I plan on including more details on their habits from my discussion with Matthias Breiter in my article. I have about 1000 images and videos from the trip that I am editing at the moment, but head off to cover SEMA (largest aftermarket automotive convention in the world) starting tomorrow.  So it will be a bit. 

Appreciate your reading my Aptera article.  Unfortunately the delays in reaching production continue.  While I was early like your friend, I ordered a variant that probably won't be part of the initial production.  The good news is that Aptera went public with their listing on NADAQ which will hopefully result in sufficient funding to go into production.

Cheers!

Bonnie Altman (Templeton)

Thanks Jeff, I really enjoyed the pictures  It is a place I have not been yet.

Bonnie 

Jeff Daum

My pleasure Bonnie.  Appreciate the feedback.  Churchill is a bit out the way but certainly worth it.  In addition to the Arctic Bears, the people are marvelous and the ones we met were very industrious and multi-talented.  The polulation is a mix of Metis, Inuit and First Nations plus transplants from all over the world.

We stayed at the Lazy Bear Lodge which is a true log cabin style 'hotel' built by the owner and extended/enlarged recently by him and his son.  Everything down to the chairs were made by them, using fallen local timber.

Anything that isn't locally grown or built has to be either flown in or come in on the train.  There are no roads that reach the town.

Sandy Steele (Bauman)

Jeff, Really enjoyed your photos and your explanation regarding the polar bears. Our son in law just went on a deer hunting trip to Kodiak Island, Alaska. He did get a special deer, had to dress it, and get the meat back to the live aboard boat and avoid the Kodiak bears. His photos were also amazing.

Jeff Daum

Thanks Sandy.  Sounds like your son had a great trip as well!  Both of these environs are so different from what we are accostomed to and their day-to-day lives as well.  That is one of the reasons we so enjoy travelling.

Cheers

Philip Spiess

Beautiful photos, Jeff, and great captions.  It's a known fact that these bears are found only in the Arctic at the North Pole because they're not bipolar.

Jeff Daum

Thanks Phil.  Good point