BIRTHDAY  CELEBRATED  ON  BOARD A  CRUISE  SHIP

Birthdays have been celebrated for hundreds of years, generally in homes or restaurants.  They continue to be observed with parties, gifts, and THE song. 

My wife’s birthday was last week and to celebrate it in an enjoyable and satisfying way, I took her on a four-day cruise out of Long  Beach. It was not a surprise gift since cruises have to be booked ahead of time to get the right accommodations, services, and preferred treatment.

If you sailed with this line before, you become a member of the VIFP Club which gives you priority services.  And we were members of this Very Important Fun Person Club. Here are some of the benefits:  You are boarded faster from the VIP counter bypassing a thousand or more guests, and you duplicate this service when you get off the ship. There is wheelchair service (although we had our own), On board there are other favors for you. On the way to and from our cruiser, the Inspiration, we had a free  look at the old Queen Mary which has been moored there since 1967.  

 My wife, Ruth, was quite nonchalant about her birthday. After all, it was just another one, and she has had quite a few before.  But to me and our three children (all graduates of Fohi) it was an important day.  Our daughter Donna,and her husband Richard who accompanied us on this four-dayer, considered this to be a significant birthday and were determined to make it a memorable one. One that she might want to repeat.

We reminded her that we booked the cruise in order to celebrate this birthday in an unusual way. She had even checked with her doctor to see if there were any medical impediments if she lived on a ship for four days. He said “Enjoy yourself, the ship has a medical staff on board.” 

So we all relaxed.

Halfway through the cruise, her birthday arrived, right on schedule. Richard, my daughter’s husband was already planning to handle this event in a memorable manner. At dinner time the night before, Richard approached the Maitre d’ of the late seating.  This man is anxious to please the passengers.  From my position at our dinner table, I could see them nodding and then shaking hands. A deal had been made.    

On the birthday evening with dinner over, a line of waiters and assistants followed their leader, the Maitre d’, who was holding carefully a three- tiered cake with four candles already lit and flickering. Placing it carefully in front of the birthday girl, he asked her to blow it out. Ruth obliged. With an inhaled breath which she exhaled with vigor, the four candles went out.  

Now, the Maitre d’, who turned out to be a former tenor from Turkey led the group in the Happy Birthday Song. Several other tables joined in. A wave of handclapping followed while Ruth smiled in appreciated. She was really impressed.

We enjoyed our delicious wedges of the birthday cake.

Incidentally, the four candles each had worth of 23 points. 4 X 23 gives us the birthday count of 92,  a very respectable number.

Richard helped Ruth, the birthday girl into her wheelchair and then moved her triumphantly out of the dining room. The Maitre d’ bowed as she passed his station.

The cruise ship had been a most pleasing place for this birthday celebration.

Philip A. Rue

June 30, 2012 

Retired FUSD Teacher Honored as a “32nd Senate District Teacher of the Year”

Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod acknowledged extraordinary teachers throughout the 32nd Senate District at a special luncheon held on October 6, 2012. Eleven deserving local teachers were honored by the Senator, including retired Fontana High School Teacher, Ruth Rue.

Mrs. Rue taught for 28 years in Fontana before her retirement in 1982. She covered five different subjects every day for several years while in Fontana Junior High School. Later in her career, Mrs. Rue taught English and Business Communication at Fontana High School. Her early study of Latin prepared her in the teaching of English, building vocabulary and grammar as an integral part of her assignments in class. A student who was in Mrs. Rue’s advanced English class at Fontana High School in 1970-71 wrote in a local newspaper 42 years later on the impact Mrs. Rue made to her life. The type of education she gave to her students allowed them to become successful individuals.

“This Awards Luncheon is an opportunity to recognize local teachers who always put students first. Teachers play many vital roles in the lives of students and often go unnoticed. I want to change that by highlighting their achievements,” said Senator Negrete McLeod.

The eleven teachers were nominated by parents, students, colleagues and friends. One teacher was selected per city and unincorporated community within the 32nd Senate District, in addition to selecting one retired teacher from the district. In addition to Mrs. Rue, this year’s honorees are: Ryan Duckworth (Bloomington), Jose Quintero (Ontario), Wesley Pulido (Muscoy), Scott Rossen (Chino), Lori Faulkner (Etiwanda), Emily Rodriguez (Pomona), Jose Martinez, Jr. (Colton), Dorothy Johnston (Montclair), Carol Bertotto (Rialto), and Ken Soto (San Bernardino).