<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Just want to let everyone in the AMA
pattern community that one of our AMA pattern pioneers, Ron Van Putte is
undergoing some serious surgery tomorrow morning and can use all of our
thoughts and prayers. Ron had a heart attack Fri, luckily not fatal and
he will have double, triple bypass, (that's right, a total of 6) operation
tomorrow at the age of 82. To his credit, Ron has always maintained a
healthy weight and used to be a marathon runner, and the prognosis looks good
for a full recovery a couple of months down the road. Ron has still
been operating his Shalimar Hobby Shop and he regrets to announce that it will
be closed until near the end of Feb. We hope and pray that Ron has a good
outcome with the surgery and will soon be rejoining us on the AMA pattern
contest trail. You can't keep a good man down and that certainly applies
to Ron. Just thought everyone would want to know.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Curt Oberg<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>