This document is an addendum to:  BENJAMIN DONALD HALSTED and ALBERTINE (Waggi) KRESSIERER, OCS Class 58B, Sixth Squadron, Lima Flight, OUR LIFE DURING AND AFTER OCS, as requested by Prentis Ollis, OCS Class 58B Webmaster by E-mail dated 24 January 2005.

In the fall of 1996 I published a second draft of my first book, “The Ohlhausen’s of Mason County, Texas”, and started preparing my book “The Family of Bennie Gray Halsted and Alpha Arvilla Ohlhausen - Their Ancestors and Descendants” in January 1997.   I had purchased a computer, hooked it up to the Internet and subscribed to AOL.  I also installed Family Tree Maker to store and process the data I intended to collect. This computer capability proved to be a boon in my genealogy research.

Our house burned down in March 1997 and it took my wife and me over a year to reconstruct the house and to partially recover. While we were reconstructing our house I did continue my research efforts for my Halsted family.  During my research I met several families in Merkel, Texas and became very interested in their effort to form the Merkel Area Historical Society and to prepare and publish a book on the area.  My father and mother had farmed in the Merkel area in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and my sister and two brothers had been born in Merkel. As you know, I had been born in Guion, Texas while my parents were farming cotton in Trent, Texas - 15 miles west of Merkel.  Merkel is a farming community about 15 miles west of Abilene, Texas on Interstate 20.  So I became a member of the Merkel Historical Society, did some significant research, wrote several chapters of the book and helped publish the 600 pages Merkel Area History in 2002. 

When we finally did finish with the Merkel Area History book I was able to publish my second book in July 2003.  This book, titled “The Family of Bennie Gray Halsted and Alpha Arvilla Ohlhausen - Their Ancestors and Descendants” covered four hundred thirty-two years of Halsted history and five hundred and eighty years of Ohlhausen history in 336 pages and includes about 200 pictures.  It took me about thirty-three years to research and publish the book. It took me about two years to do the final writing and publication as well as advertising and mailing to buyers.  There are now copies in the Library of Congress, many genealogical research libraries and associations in several states and it also advertised in the January 2005 issue of the Military Officer MOAA Magazine and Web page. Go to www.moaa/org/magazine.asp and click on January 2005 issue.    The MOAA web page listing follows: The Family of Bennie Gray Halsted & Alpha Arvilla Ohlhausen: Their Ancestors and Descendents. By Maj. Benjamin Donald Halsted, USAF-Ret.  Halsted’s book tells the story, history and genealogy of the Halsted and Ohlhausen families for 588 years in England, Germany, and the North American Colonies from about 1635, including the Revolutionary and Civil wars. There are over 200 pictures. It also presents the origins and history of the Halsted and Ohlhausen names, and some history of both families back to about 1100.  Windmill City Publishers. Contact the author at 6536 Lincolnshire Way, Abilene, TX, 79606-5109. (325) 695-7722. [email protected]. ISBN 0-7949725-3-3. 336 pp. $50.00 postpaid.

In the meantime, Waggi continued her oil paintings from 1998 to 2005, producing what I considered some of the best art of her painting career.  She also continued to socialize with the Garden Gate Garden Club of Abilene as well as our many friends and neighbors. Waggi also walked several miles a day with her good friend and neighbor, Barbara Hauschild.  I continued to golf out at Mesquite Grove Golf Course at Dyess AFB with Ed Wood and our gang of early morning golfers, and at my best shot a 77 in a golf tournament.  And Waggi and I both continued to walk until Waggi’s right knee wore out and she had to have knee replacement surgery in August of 2001. She continues to suffer from this operation and her fibromyalgia.  She can no longer enjoy traveling and walking.

 I finally had to stop walking and golfing in 2000 due to the development of peripherial neuropathy.   In evaluating me for disability the VA concluded that the neuropathy was caused by the stomach surgery that was done by the Air Force in 1968 at the Wiesbaden USAF Hospital in Germany.  I now have a VA rating of Unemployability and 70 % disability because of my service-connected neuropathy with a reevaluation scheduled in February 2005.  We are hoping for a 100 % disability rating so that we can start drawing full dual compensation earlier than originally scheduled.  Having to stop walking, golfing and traveling have been very difficult for both of us, although we were able to travel to the last OCS Class 58B reunion in Orlando, Florida. That was a great reunion that we thoroughly enjoyed - although we had to leave a day early because of a scheduled VA testing at the VA Medical Facility in Big Spring, Texas.

In March 2004, to our great joy, our first Great Grandson, Jack Remington Hughes was born in Dallas, Texas to our Grandson, Chad Rifle Hughes and his wife, Laura Lynn Orange of Norfolk, Virginia.  Laura has two other children from an earlier marriage, Savannah Ashley and Kennedy Megan Collins.  They are wonderful great grand daughters too. 

Because of our infirmities, in January of 2004 we decided to sell our house in Abilene and purchase a home in a new retirement facility, Wesley Court, in Abilene, just a few blocks from our house.  Our new house is three bedrooms, two-car garage, and two-bath room place with about 3100 square feet of space.  Waggi uses one of the guest bedrooms for her painting facility and I have set up my office in the second guest bedroom.  Construction was delayed a bit but we finally moved in (in the rain) on 15 November 2004.  We have been busy getting settled ever since.  You all come bye to visit with us when you can or at least send an E-mail or a Christmas Card newsletter. 

Our address is:  Ben and Waggi Halsted, 6536 Lincolnshire Way, Abilene, Texas 79606-5109, Telephone Number: (325) 695-7722 and E-Mail address: [email protected] or [email protected].