Here’s hoping that all HRC members had a happy holiday season and that you enjoy a very happy and prosperous new year. With the holidays behind us it is time for some of us to start dieting to lose some of those pounds that go on so easily with all the festivities surrounding the end of the year. The low carbohydrate diet sometimes works for me, but I am a better expert on putting pounds on than on taking them off.

January is a busy month starting with the Laughlin trip with two busloads of hopeful gamblers off to the casinos and feasts. Dale Wendt capably handled the arrangements and we shared this trip with the Sperry Retirees club. We also have a session at the Challenger Space Center in Peoria on Jan 19th.

Included in this Bridge are the latest updates on coming events such as the Arizona Highways presentation, a session on identity theft, our spring picnic in March, a genealogy meeting, and our annual membership meeting in April, which will again be at the Moon Valley Country Club. Ed Frick, Shirley Krieger and Virginia Clagett have been busy organizing events and are working hard to bring you new ideas. Please respond to the Hobby Corner survey enclosed in this Bridge, so we can try to better meet your needs.

Many thanks are due to Jim Guilford who has served so capably as Editor/Publisher of our Bridge newsletter for the last four years. He not only put out a great publication but he also computerized the compilation and transmittal process very well. We are pleased to announce that the new co-editors of the Bridge will be Charles Farmer and Ted Rees, starting with the next issue.

Wouldn’t it be nice to hear something from the attendees at the various luncheon groups who meet quite regularly to renew acquaintances from our working lives? Please designate someone to send us a little information as to who is attending and what is happening. (Or give the hotline or me a call) We would like to include more news about our membership.

We are finding that long range planning is needed in order to bring more exciting events to you. Contacts are being made to have a band at our Oktoberfest celebration, plan a fall cruise to Mexico and present a December retiree Holiday party. We are also considering joining the Sperry Retiree group in a cruise to Alaska in 2005.

Our HRC website, www.hrcaz.org, continues to be managed by Bill Doyle and Russ Henzel with excellent results. A membership application blank and the Bridge articles are posted there monthly along with coming events that may be of interest to you. If you have the Internet available, take a look and give us a call if you have comments.

Don Roeber