Change Over To New Email Directory

On 7/1/2011 the Email Directory page of the class website will be retired. From that date on access to our Email Directory will be via the separate link I provided you on 6/4/2011.

In my 6/4/2011 email I mentioned that you should use the link I sent you to set a bookmark, favorite, shortcut, or whatever you do to ensure you can get to web sites you frequently visit. I made that comment because experience has shown that relying on a link in an email to get to a web site will likely fail you. The email gets deleted or lost and there goes your link with it.

If you are not sure how to set up a permanent way to access the new Email Directory please see if you can get a friend or relative to help. Its not hard to do once you see it done.

Frank Melvin Maranto

This obituary is for a brother of classmate Charles Maranto. Please keep the Maranto family in your prayers.

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Frank Melvin Maranto M.D.
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SHREVEPORT, LA - Frank Melvin Maranto, M.D., 70, passed away in Dallas, Texas on June 22, 2011, after an extended illness. He was born in Shreveport on April 27, 1941, the third of eight children of Joseph Anthony Maranto and Irene Crawford Maranto, who predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Scorsone Maranto; daughter and son-law, Kimberly and David Tullis; granddaughters, Margaret and Sarah Tullis; one sister, Marie Maranto; six brothers and their spouses, Joseph, Jr., James (Lydia), Robert (Vicki), Charles (Evelyn), Donald (Cindy), and John (Christy); six sisters-in-law and their spouses, Deane Crenshaw (Paul), Joanne Sandstedt (Carl), Theresa Baker (Paul), Charlotte Waterfallen (Jimmy), Connie Stubblefield (Billy), and Cindy Roberts (Randy); and numerous nieces and nephews.

Dr. Maranto attended St. John's High School, and graduated Byrd High School and Centenary College. He received his medical degree from the Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans, and he completed his residency at Confederate Memorial Hospital in Shreveport. He was board certified in Internal Medicine, and began practicing Internal Medicine in Shreveport in 1972. Dr. Maranto was a caring physician who touched the lives of many patients.

Dr. Maranto served his country as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. He was a generous and thoughtful man who never met a stranger. He played football and boxed as a young man, and later developed interests in fishing, golf, chess, building model airplanes and studying foreign languages. He enjoyed living life to the fullest. Most of all, Dr. Maranto was a family man. He was extremely close to his seven siblings and shared great memories with them. He owed much gratitude to his brother Donnie, whose gift of a kidney in 1994 made it possible for Dr. Maranto to live to experience many special family moments. Dr. Maranto was married for 44 years to Carolyn Maranto, to whom he was devoted. He treasured the time he spent with his beloved daughter, Kimberly, of whom he was very proud. His granddaughters, Margaret and Sarah, held a special place in his heart, and their "Paw Paw" will always be with them.

Pallbearers will be nephews, Will Maranto, M.D. Charles Maranto, Jr., Daniel Maranto, and John Maranto, II; and friends, Tom Montgomery and James Smith.

I’ve Been Searchin’

If you use Google’s Chrome browser to access the internet here is something that may interest you. Its called Voice Search. If you ever watched the old Star Trek TV programs you may remember the ship’s computer was asked all sort of difficult questions and provided  the answer almost immediately. Well we are not there yet, but the Voice Search we have now can be amusing. Sometimes its even helpful. Over time I’m sure it will become even more useful. Read the article below and see what you think.

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Google Voice Search for the PC has Arrived

June 16, 2011 01:10 PM EDT

Google has added a new feature to their Chrome internet browser's Google search engine. Google Voice Search is its name, and it has been a feature available to smart phone users for some time.

It makes sense to use voice search on your smart phone. It is especially useful if you are looking for directions while in the car, and don't have your hands free to type in your search request.

This particular search feature for the PC is something that the world has been anxiously awaiting, and is only available if Chrome is your internet browser. Probably, the truth is, most Chrome users haven't even noticed it.

When you go to the Chrome Google search page you will see a little microphone icon located within the area where you type your search text. You just click on the microphone, and a little box will pop up that tells you to "speak now." You have to speak directly into the microphone to get the best result. Also, if your television is on, you might need to turn the volume down or mute the sound. Otherwise, Google will give you some pretty funny results.

For instance, with the volume pretty loud on the TV, speak "top business news." You might get a result something like Baton Rouge area top business news. Need a laugh? Get your aggressions out, and holler top business news. Google might come up with a result like Christmas music. Do those two things sound remotely alike? Apparently to Google Voice Search it does.

As you can see, voice search might take a little getting used to. In order to get the search results you want you will need to speak clearly, not have a lot of room noise, and be willing to make a couple of tries to get it to work correctly.

Is it actually worth using? An article written on a CBS web site called Tech Talk mentions that it doesn't seem to be a very useful tool especially in the workplace. Google Voice Search would certainly be more of a distraction and cause confusion in the office. Can you imagine a roomful of people yelling at their computers?

At home it probably isn't any more useful, but it can afford a few laughs for some of the silly results you might get. You'll shake your head wondering how Google Voice came up with "that one." The tool seems more of a novelty, and maybe someday it will be more helpful. If Chrome is your web browser, give it a try to see how it works for you. More than likely you'll find that it's easier to just use the keyboard.

Addendum – 6/18/2011

#1 - I have experimented with Google’s new voice search feature off and on yesterday and some again today. One of the things I was trying to do was see if it could get it to easily find the link to our class web site. I already knew from past experience that if you manually type  “fairpark1961” into the Google search box it will bring up a list of links that go directly to the web site and its pages. However, I have tried every different way I can think of to get the voice search to find the class web site and failed on nearly every try. However, just now I had some modest success using “Fair Park Class of 1961”. One I didn’t have much success with was “Fair Park Class of 1961 Email Directory.” That one was repeatedly translated as “Pulled pork clash of 1961 email directory.” If you want in on the fun, jump in. Please let me know if you find a phrase that consistently works for you.

#2 – I just had a note from Jerry Cook. He has tried the voice search and found that it works well for him. He said he was using a combo headphone-microphone that he uses when making telephone calls on his computer. It sounds like his headphone-microphone set is a better quality product than the standalone microphone I am using. That would be something to consider if you wanted to try the voice search process.

Home Address Updates

If your home address info changes don’t forget to use the Update Address form on the class web site. And even if you haven’t moved recently, check the new online version of the class email directory for the date you last updated your address info. If its been a year or more, please use the Update Address form again. Following this approach greatly increases the chances we will  always have up-to-date contact info for you.

Death Of Carole DeClerk

I received a note from Fay Cagle Tooley that the wife of Gary DeClerk passed away on June 2, 2011. I couldn’t get the obituary notice to load so I have pasted in the info below. Please keep Gary and his family in your prayers. His email address is in our Class Directory and I can provide his home mail address upon request.

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Carole DeClerk

On June 2, 2011, Carole went to Heaven after a five year battle with colon cancer.  She is survived by her husband, Gary, two children, Mike DeClerk and Suzanne Harkness, a sister Anne Shriner of Bremerton, and seven grandchildren.  She was a long time member of the Federal Way United Methodist Church where she enjoyed Hand Bells and Bible Study.  She was interred at Tahoma National Cemetery on June 7 and will have a Memorial Service at Federal Way United Methodist Church, Thursday, June 9 at 7:00 PM.

She will be missed very much.

Email Directory

On June 4, 2011 I emailed everyone to let you know about a new way to go to our Class Email Directory. Feedback I have received shows that the change is working correctly and is lots easier than the old way we did it.

If you haven’t tried the new way yet just follow the instructions in my June 4th email. I’ll leave the old Email Directory in place until the end of June and then I’ll remove it from our class web site.

While you are using the new Email Directory please note the date of your last update to your address info. If its been more than a year, or if there is no date showing, use the Update Address page on the class web site to provide your current information.

You can use the new class directory either online, or you can download a copy to your computer. I recommend using  the online approach because that assures you are always using the most up-to-date version. However, if you download the directory choose the PDF format download to ensure that you have the software to run it. Be sure and save the file to a location on your computer that is easy to find when you want to use the file.

If you have any questions drop me note. I’ll help if I can.

Rose Bacilla Brocato

This obituary notice is of a memorial service for the Mother of classmate Rose Ann Brocato Story. Mrs. Brocato passed away on April 14, 2011. Please keep Rose Ann and her family in your prayers.

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Rose Bacilla Brocato

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SHREVEPORT, LA - A memorial service for Rose B. Brocato, 90, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday June 3, 2011 at Centuries Memorial Park at 8801 Mansfield Road.

Mrs. Brocato was born on June 20, 1920 and passed away on April 14, 2011. The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until service time at Centuries Memorial Funeral Home.

A funeral Mass was held for Mrs. Brocato on May 2nd at All Saints Catholic Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

During Mrs. Brocato's career she worked at Phelp's Shoe Store in Shreveport, was a member of Saint Mary of the Pines Catholic Church until 2001, when she and her husband moved to Cleveland, Tennessee.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 71 years Sam Brocato. Survivors include her son Sam Brocato, Jr., of Cleveland, TN, daughters, Antoinette Brocato Davis of Atlanta, GA, Rose Ann Brocato Story of Haughton, LA, and Maryanne Brocato Keir of McDonough, GA, brothers, Phillip Bacilla of Church Point, LA, George Bacilla of Shreveport, LA and Gus Bacilla of National City, CA, eight grandchildren; six great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.