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SHIFTING SANDS


Do you have an announcement you would like to share with the brat community?  Are you getting married, or having a baby?  Maybe you were nominated for a prestigous award, or sadly maybe someone passed away? 

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  • 18 Dec 2023 1:27 PM | Charles (Charlie) Foreman

    Craig was my best friend in RT.

    F. McCurdy Obituary

    On Oct. 24, 2023, F. Craig McCurdy, 76, went to be with the Lord, leaving behind a testimony of strong faith and deep love. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8

    Craig was born Jan. 3, 1947, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, son of Richard McCurdy and Jean Meddock McCurdy of Titusville. Part of his grade school and junior high school was spent in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, where his father worked for Saudi Aramco Oil Company. He returned to Titusville in 1961 as a freshman and graduated from Titusville Senior High School in 1965. From 1964-1968, Craig played guitar professionally for a group called The Fenders in northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York.

    Craig met Debbie Fischer from Meadville, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1969. They married Aug. 8, 1970. The next day they left for Fairbanks, Alaska, pulling a 22-foot travel trailer which they ended up living in for three years. He served in the Pennsylvania and Alaska Army National Guards from 1968 to 1974, attaining the rank of E-5. Craig attended the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris Business College, and graduated from the University of Alaska with an AA degree in science in 1979. He entered the IBEW Electrical Lineman's apprenticeship in 1974 and was employed as a lineman for GVEA from 1979 until retiring in 2005. For many of those years he served as the union shop steward.

    "Cowboy" Craig enjoyed rodeos and participated in the bull riding competition locally and statewide during the early 1980s. His greatest enjoyment and one of the things that drew him to Alaska was hunting and fishing. Some of his more memorable trophies in Alaska were Dall sheep and Kodiak brown bear. He also had a passion for waterfowl hunting, spending many opening weekends with his dog and family in the Minto Flats. He and Debbie went on a safari to Tanzania, East Africa, in 2000 where he hunted lion and cape buffalo. He shot two cape buffalo and several plains game.

    Craig graduated from Northwest Iowa School of Taxidermy in 1992 and practiced taxidermy in his spare time. He also earned a Veterinary Assistant Certificate from Penn Foster College in 2010 and worked for a short time at Golden Heart Veterinary Clinic in 2010 and 2011. He was a member of Bible Baptist Church. He and Debbie often helped during the summers at Kako Lake Bible Camp, a youth camp near Russian Mission on the lower Yukon River. Craig graduated from Faith Bible Institute in 2012 with a college degree in Bible. He also worked in the Reformer's Unanimous program at the church.

    Craig is survived by his beloved wife, Debbie; his son, Clayton (Robyn); granddaughters, Yelisa (Aaron), Emily, Kayla and Kyleigh; and great-granddaughter, Liliana.

    Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, at Bible Baptist Church. Visitation is from 6-7 p.m. Internment will be at East Troy Cemetery near Titusville, Pennsylvania.

    Published by Daily News-Miner on Oct. 29, 2023.


  • 17 Jun 2023 2:09 PM | C. A. Fight

    If anyone / the association is interested in buying the domain www.abqaiq.com, feel free to contact me at cafight@mail.ru.

  • It appears she passed away back on September 16, 2014.  There is an obituary under her name, Mickey Stebbins Phelps.  Please add her to the Black Camel list.

  • 23 Sep 2022 12:33 AM | Brandy Walker

    Graduated H.S. Class of '91.  I was in Saudi till about '86.  Seventh grade.  Let me know if you're still out there guys !   A.K.A.  "BRANDY"

    MISS YOU GUYS !  

    WLKR.CHRS.1@GMAIL.COM

  • 09 May 2021 12:43 PM | Ann L Burba

    I am sorry to report that Jan Lynch, Ab '68 passed away on April 28 in Phoenix, Az. She liven in Abqaiq throughout the time she was in KSA. Her parents were Beth and Bill Lynch.

  • 28 Aug 2019 5:28 PM | John Biedenharn

    Dear fellow Brats, I've retired to Cairns in beautiful Far North Queensland in Australia, and am working on becoming a 'scuba bum in the South Pacific'. This is going to be fun! I don't think I'll be coming to any reunions after this, so please drop me a line sometime. All the best, John

  • 05 Feb 2017 5:48 PM | Deborah Coulter-Allan

     

    SANDRA JEAN COULTER (1950-2016)

    Sandra (Sandy) Jean Coulter died peacefully at her home in Burien, WA on November 10, 2016.  Cause of death was breast cancer.  So ended the fully-lived life of a kind and adventurous woman, who had much to say for herself and a great deal to offer.  She was 66.

    Sandy started her journey through life on April 9, 1950 in Seattle, WA.  She was the second of four children born to Jean (Campbell) and Arthur Coulter. However, staying in one place and living ordinary lives was not the Coulter way.  Arthur, a geologist and drilling engineer, had accepted a position with ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia, and Sandy’s green temperate world was soon transformed into one of endless sand, swimming pools, and horses.   She thrived in this environment, developing a life-long love of the outdoors and wide-open spaces.  She also excelled.  As a member of the ARAMCO elementary school swim team she won a drawer-full of medals, which she was always rather proud of.  And as an aspiring equestrian she learned how to gently handle King, her spirited, intelligent Arabian horse, experiencing the sheer joy of galloping full rein across desert tracks near her home.

    In 1961 Arthur accepted a job with the Occidental Petroleum Company and the Coulter family moved to Beirut, Lebanon.   That fall, Sandy along with her three siblings (Terry, Deborah, and Tim) were enrolled at the American Community School (ACS).  She would later describe the next six years as having the biggest impact on her life.  Quickly making life-long friends and enthusiastically embracing the vibrant, international scene that Beirut offered, she also took full advantage of the many outdoor activities that were readily available and easily accessible.  For those who knew Sandy then, some of their best memories include her smiling face as she engaged in one of her favorite sports; body-surfing waves rolling in on sandy beaches; riding her horse YaEin through umbrella pine forests; skiing hell-bent down the slopes at the mountain resort Faraya; and hiking the limestone, thyme-scented hills rising up behind and beyond Beirut. These years Sandy spent in Lebanon also had a profound influence on her world view and future political convictions.  And, as anyone who knew Sandy will attest, her thoughts and opinions on such matters were strongly held and, if necessary, hotly debated.

    In 1968, Sandy graduated from ACS.  This event marked the end of her Beirut experience, as she and her family returned to Seattle, WA.  Sadly, it also marked the end of her relationship with a man who had brightened her Junior and Senior years and who was the love-of her life.  Sandy never married and in the days before her death she spoke of the time she spent with him as the happiest of all.   Back in the U.S., Sandy enrolled in the University of Puget Sound, later transferring to the University of Washington (UW).  Here her passion for history and interest in China led to a major in Asian Studies and the daunting task of learning Chinese.  Four years later, with two bachelor degrees in hand, she went to Taiwan, where she continued this course of study at the University of Taiwan, while helping to make ends meet by teaching English as a second language. 

    In 1983 Sandy returned to the US, having decided to combine her ability to speak Chinese and her knowledge of Asian cultures with a business career.  Toward this end, she accepted a teller’s position with  Peoples Bank and then worked her way up to the loan officers desk, where for many years she had the best record in the bank. 

    Having established firm credentials in the world of finance, she was well-qualified for a job that opened up with the Japanese bicycle manufacturing company, Sakae.  This job turned out to be a perfect fit for Sandy.  At the time Sakae had a  plant in Seattle and was in the process of opening another in  China.  Sandy thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of developing a U.S. market for the light-weight, carbon steel bikes Sakae produced.  She also made many trips to Japan, acquiring a high level of respect and admiration for the cultures as well as being able to indulge her love for sushi.   The job with Sakae introduced Sandy to the world of biking, which she took to with all the enthusiasm she had for other sports in her life.  It was not long before she was entering biking events around the Pacific Northwest, including the annual Chilly Hilly on Mercer Island and the 200+ mile, Seattle to Portland event.  And it was not long before she had her family and friends outfitted and joining her on Sunday morning rides, which would usually include a brunch or pancake breakfast somewhere along the way. 

    In 1995, Sakae decided to sell its bicycle division and Sandy was given the unenviable task of closing down its North American operations.  She did so successfully, but not before finding all her Sakae employees other jobs, which in turn, earned her high marks from the Seattle business community.

    However 1995 turned out to be a watershed year for a completely different reason.  This was the year Sandy was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Her career and active life-style was put on hold as she endured surgery, treatments, and a year of recuperation.   When she was finally ready to restart her life she resolved to take her career in a new direction.  She decided to find a small, promising company in the Seattle area that she could help grow and that offered partnership potential. After researching and interviewing firms, Sandy found Modelwerks and so began her successful, rewarding career as financial officer and part owner of the company.

    Outside of the time Sandy dedicated to her business, she enjoyed travelling, remodeling her house, driving her high performance Ford Mustang, and attending ACS/ARAMCO Brat reunions.  Special, memorable times were also spent with family:  regular Sunday dinners; excursions with sister Deborah to local nurseries in search of rare rhododendrons; and, when her cancer returned, a whirl-wind trip to Europe to visit brother Tim and his family.  And then, before becoming bedridden, she managed one more adventure with Deborah and brother-in-law Bill – a cruise to Alaska that was full of joy and sadness- but nonetheless an experience that helped Sandy muster the mental fortitude she needed to face her final journey.

    These last 20 years of Sandy’s life were truly a culmination of all she had been and all she had become.  She kept the good and strived for the better.  She was never one to grandstand; but in her own quiet way she acquired a retinue of friends and colleagues who valued her strength of character and dogged determination to succeed in everything she set out to accomplish.  Yet what made these attributes all the more remarkable was her unassuming, warm personality and a smile that could make your day.  Put simply, people just liked spending time with Sandy.   She was a person who added up to someone quite extraordinary.  

    Sandy is survived by sister Deborah Coulter-Allan , (husband Bill), and brother Tim Coulter (wife Astrid), as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother Terry.  Remembrances are welcome and may be sent to ForeverMissed.com.

  • 20 Sep 2016 4:25 PM | George Michael Aboassaly-Skaff

    My sister Vicky passed away this passed June 28, 2016.  She is dearly missed.  

  • 04 Sep 2016 1:02 PM | Kristen Lowman

    Hi gang,

    My short story "Sadiki" will be published in the next issue of Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts.  http://gulfcoastmag.org  I'm posting this because I feel some of you might enjoy it - it's a Saudi story.  And aside from my story, I do recommend this journal.  Think it's $18. for a year subscription with much to offer.

    Thanks so much.  See you at the next one!

    Kristen Lowman (ABQ)


  • 09 Nov 2015 1:17 AM | Deleted user

    Marhaba fellow Aramcons!

    My name is Zach Nims, brother of Todd Nims, and producer of Home the Aramco Brat Story.  I grew up a wild animal, roaming the dunes of Dhahran and hope that everyone loved it as much as I did.  I’m reaching out to the Aramco family to help me publish my first science fiction novel to print!  Please share with friends and family.  If you are a fan of Enders Game or Ready Player One you will find my novel VEG a welcome companion, being predicated upon the idea of a fascinating and attainable future.

    When Charles Sanders, the inventor of the revolutionary game VEG, dies of unknown circumstances, a catalyst occurs, awakening heroes and revealing villains. Follow four characters on their journey to save or destroy humanity as they ride the waves of code that engulf our planet. VEG (Virtual Earth Grid) an augmented reality game brings all of their separate worlds crashing together to reveal the terrible truth. Will their haunting pasts lay waste to their future or will the idea of hope prevail and save our world?  This book is written from the future documented by different media sources and personal journals to unfold the events of the past. 

    Although not many people know about augmented reality today it will become a part of our everyday lives in the near future. This novel gives an insight into how this technology could be used to improve our world; an unconventional stance that opposes the usual view that future technology is adversarial to humanity.

    I’ve put the novel up on Kickstarter which is a crowd sourcing website.  I’m raising money to fund the novel to print as well as help animate the cover artwork.  The novel will come with a smartphone app allowing you to see an example of the Virtual Earth Grid as written about in the book.  Follow the link below or go to Kickstarter and type in the word VEG to find the page. 

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/214708012/veg-gaming-evolved

    Here is my author bio:

     My intentions were to dazzle, to amaze, and even to entice the reader with tales of grandeur in my bio.  But it's a cup of coffee past sunrise and I need sleep.  The idea of defining myself on a page sickens me, it curdles in my creative cortex.  I'm not a writer, I'm a story teller.  I get off on losing myself in that place where you're walking with the story.  It's leading, an infinite wonder lies just beyond.  You can't see it yet but you trust that it's there.  Maybe it's the illusive ADD that I was diagnosed with as a child that allowed for me to lose myself in stories.  I just thought it was called being creative in the good old days.  Sometime between being born and raised in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by ex-patriot parents and teaching English in Korea I learned to harness my gift.  Whether it came from unique experiences shared on top of shifting dunes under familiar foreign stars or learning to stand and walk on my own with boarding school brothers, risking barriers to find the true marrow of friendship.  One constant is clear to me, I want to read my story as much as you do.  Somewhere hidden in the pages you will find me.  Read on, I know I will.

    That is who I am, a man attempting to enjoy the endless exploration of his mind.  Facebook or Google searches will answer any other questions you have about me.  Maybe even an old profile on match.com, but don't tell my wife if you discover it.  Or, we could leave a little mystery.  A little whisper of magic to entice fantasy and make believe into filling that ancient void.  We are all curious children somewhere and my stories are attempts at awakening yours.

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