Joe Lytle

Betty and Joe in 2015

Joe and Betty around 2022

2022 updateJoe and Betty spend a lot of time in the Black Hills of South Dakota and he enjoys going casino hopping.

Joe and his wife, Betty, have lived in many places due to his work as an engineer in the power industry, including South Africa. However, they have kept their home in Garnett and generously allowed several of our class reunions to be held there. Joe is now retired. He and Betty have three children, Ty, Tonya and Robert.

This is some parts of a message Joe sent to our class group in 2011 while living in South Africa:
We haven't fell of the end of the earth but we are getting close. I am working at what is currently one of the biggest projects in the world. It is just east of Johannesburg South Africa and consists of six new 800 MW coal burning power plants at the head of a new coal mine.
Being down here has sure changed our thoughts about Africa. South Africa is a modern country and in some ways more modern than the US. There is a lot of poor people down here but it is a rich country with a middle class equal to the US in standard of living. We are living in a furnished six-bedroom, five-bath, beautiful house that we got to pick out in a gated community on a nice lake. It is about three years old and has all the extras including an infinity pool and three living areas. Everyone that B&V sends down gets a rental car and a rental house with a maid, yard/pool man and all utilities paid.
The weather is great. No jungle here. It is farm and ranch land like Eastern Kansas. The only jungle is on the North edge of SA. They have moved most of the animals onto game parks which cover maybe 5 or 10% of the land. Big tourist trade. About all we see outside the game parks is really unusual birds. One might see a Monkey, Ostrich or Springbok but not many.
We have done a lot of exploring. We have been to Cape Town three times. It looks a lot like the drive from eastern Kansas to the middle of Colorado. Farms, ranches then mountains. One can see whales in the bays and Penguin colonies. The rich Europeans spend their winters down here. The country as a whole is rich with diamonds, gold, platinum and good farm/ranch land. The civil unrests, wars and starvation in Northern Africa are causing many people to migrate down here looking for work.

High School Activities
Freshman: Hi-Y, Honor Roll, Track, Glee Club
Sophomore: Hi-Y, Honor Roll, Glee Club
Junior: Hi-Y, Honor Roll
Senior: Hi-Y, Honor Roll, Electronics Club

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