May 13, 2016

Happy Friday the 13th!!  Looks like it'll be a beautiful day.

I thank you and Chassion thanks you!!  The Crawford Soccer GoFundMe account reached its $2500 goal late last Sunday.

Terry Walker '62 (that's him below) will be hosting the 2016 San Diego Follies at Helix High School June 16-19th.  Click HERE for details.

Here's the May 12, 1966 Pacer from 50 years ago.  Click HERE to check it out.

I was perusing the San Diego Historic Neon Facebook page when the familiar photo above popped up.  Seemed like as good an excuse as any to revisit the Don Jose's Mexican Food page.

Turns out College Avenue and 60th Street aren't the same street.  That's just one of the things I learned when folks got back to me about "King" Arthur's Court.   Click HERE to learn more.   I've included links to the Aztec Drive-In and Aztec Motel.

May 6, 2016

Am I the only one who thinks Ron Howard and Padres' Manager Andy Green are twins separated at birth?

Chassion Griggs, the new soccer coach at Crawford, is working to get college scholarships for players he thinks can play at that level.  An important step in the process is for them to be able to participate in "Club Soccer" after school and on weekends.  San Diego United Club has agreed to accept Chaisson's best players at a stunningly-reduced entry fee.  He has set up a GoFundMe account in hopes of raising the $2500 that will cover the cost for six students he's got his eye on.  Click HERE to read more and -- hopefully -- help out.

You are invited to an evening of musical entertainment featuring pianist David Geist '80 and Hannah Kornfeld in the Crawford High Auditorium on Wednesday, June 1st.  Click HERE for information on how to support this Crawford fundraiser.

This fun map of San Diego, created in 1928, showed up on Facebook this week.  I've enlarged it and put it on my web site for those of you who don't "do" Facebook.  Click HERE to check it out.

Also appearing on Facebook was this postcard of "King" Arthur's Court, a "motor lodge" at Highway 80 and 60th St -- El Cajon Blvd and College Avenue in modern parlance.  Click HERE if you'd like to see it enlarged.

A final Facebook entry is this seven minute computer-generated video showing the history of the late China Camp Restaurant from its beginning as Tops.  Click HERE to watch -- and prepare to turn down the irritating music.

April 29, 2016

Ay Caramba!!  If my calculations are correct, next week's Colt First Thursday Fiesta will take place on Cinco de Mayo.  That's May 5th, by the way.  No matter how early you arrive, there will be Crawford people already chatting and dining.  Amigo Spot • King's Inn • Mission Valley

Dave Palmer was looking for information on the Class of '66 Reunion and found my website.  He's now listed on the Class of '66 Email Page.

Renewal notices for the quarterly 12-page alumni newsletter have gone out to those who subscribe from the Class of '71.  Click HERE if you'd like to subscribe.

Here's the April 28, 1966 issue of the Pacer.  Click HERE to read all six pages.

George Sorensen '69 was Huck Finn in the 1966 Horace Mann production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  Apparently he forgot to return his 56-page songbook.  I've excerpted the first five pages.  Click HERE to check them out.

Johnny Long '61 passed away April 21st, says his sister Barbara Long Van Pelt '64.  You can sign the Guest Book via the Class of '61 Obituary Page.

Rona Goldfarb '62 died April 23rd in Los Angeles from leukemia.  

April 22, 2016

It's Earth Day.  I'm not sure what to do today.  Not like the olden days when I led my students at Hale Junior High on protest marches and ended up in the principal's office.

Elaine Robinson Davis ’61 will be the featured artist in Gallery 23, Spanish Village, April 16th to the 30th.  She will also be in booth 381 and 383 for Art Walk, Little Italy.  She would love to see old friends and classmates.

Larry Okmin '64 was "in the house" at the Amigo Spot last Saturday night.  He brought in the Little League Program above, which he found at an estate sale, to share with George Fogelman.  I snagged it before George could get it.  I had hoped to share it as a Picasa file, but I guess my Mac has gotten too old.  In the meantime, I'll post it on Facebook so some of you can read it.  You'll recognize a lot of names, if you're my age, and get a kick out of the advertisements.  Oh, by the way, Larry Okmin brought his sax and sat in with the band.  Very nice.

Julie Eskew Daniel '64 forwards a BEFORE picture of the Helix Theater (above) and an AFTER photo of downtown La Mesa.

Owen Western '63 shares a fabulous 78 record by Smokey Rogers.  Click HERE to read the back story, and listen to "No Vacancy" and "I Let My Wife Support Me".   I am stunned at the quality of the writing and singing.  "No Vacancy" is about returning WWII veterans trying to find a place to live.  It should be in the Library of Congress.  If you, like Buddy Rich, dislike only two kinds of music -- country and western -- my apologies.

April 15, 2016

THE SKY IS GETTING light in the East and a beautiful day is forecast for Pacific Beach and San Diego.  Nancy and I will try to fight through the construction to breakfast at the Waffle Spot -- or not.

I wonder if Sandy Shapery '61 played Monopoly as a youth.  I remember all-day games on my block, interrupted only by a quick lunch.  I got to thinking about all this when I spotted a photo in the Union-Tribune of what some of us, and Sandy, call the Gas and Electric Building.  Turns out Sandy owns the building, wants to remodel it, and is interested in your suggestions.  Click HERE to read all about it.

Class of '64 grads, or at least the ones who bought an annual, will recognize this photo from the yearbook's frontispiece.  I've tried to blend the two pages into one for your viewing pleasure.  Click HERE to see an enlargement.

This superb photo of downtown La Mesa and the Helix Theater showed up this week on Greg Mays' Vintage San Diego Facebook page.  I liked it so much I enlarged it and put it on my web site.  Click HERE to check it out.

April 8, 2016

New technology provides new humor.  Here's a Bizarro cartoon from Tuesday of this week.

Yippee!!  J and M's is featuring Pork Chops as one of its April Specials.  Now all I need is a ride to Escondido.  Oh, wait -- what does it say in fine print?  "Served Anytime During March".

Tom Clancy and I both wrote military books.  He used his royalty checks to buy part of the Baltimore Oriole baseball team.  I may cash my $25 check and head out to the Wrangler Barbecue in El Cajon. Turns out George Glover '73 is part owner.   George got his start at a barbecue place in the shopping center at 63rd and El Cajon.

Click HERE to check out the "Boss 30" top hits on KGB 1360 for April 9, 1966.  Gee, that's almost 50 years ago!!

Jim Kermott '67 shares a classic photo of Colts and Cardinals from the "Colt Country Club".  Jim says that was any bar in Tijuana on a Friday or Saturday night.  Click HERE to see what they're drinking.  Must've been something special 'cause at least two of the couples got married.

John McGuigan '64 poses with Trooper, in a photo taken earlier this week in Squaw Valley.  Trooper is the newest Squaw Valley Avalanche dog, also known as Squawdogs.  John is in his 13th year as a Volunteer Ski Patroller.  

I've just learned of the passing of Wayne Morgan '64 on March 14th in Bullhead City, Arizona.  Click HERE to read an obituary.

April 1, 2016

The perfect day to read the best April Fool's Day publication.  Click HERE to peruse the April 1, 1960 issue of the Pacer.

If you don't get your Fry Day email, go to the Colt Corral blog.  If THAT isn't current, then you can email me and ask if I'm OK.  Thanks for caring.

The plan, last Friday, was to breakfast at the Waffle Spot, then head out to the Barbecue Pit on Fletcher Parkway to pick up a Roast Beef Plate that I could put in the fridge to eat at a later date.  The Waffle Spot was packed to the gills, so we headed to Brothers on Waring Road.  A black pickup truck entered the lot ahead of us -- and took the last parking place.  Waring to Navajo to Lake Murray Blvd got us to the Lake Murray Cafe, where there WAS parking.  After that it was a short trip to the Barbecue Pit and smooth run back to the beach on Highway 52.

Kathy Keeyes Antus '68 shares her Monte Hall Birthday photo.  Click HERE to see the enlarged version.

Click HERE to check out the March 31, 1966 Golden Anniversary issue of the Pacer.

March 25, 2016

Turns out some of you have never visited my Crawford web page.  Click HERE and click on some links that will take you away from Facebook for a few hours.

Bad news -- Nancy Alumbaugh Bailey Rinck's second husband has passed away.  Good news -- Nancy's returning to San Diego.  You can find her email address on the Class of '60 Email Page. 

I continue to be a day late and a dollar short on the Golden Anniversary Pacers.  Click HERE to read the 6-page 1966 St Patrick's Day issue.

Ron Jagodinski has uncovered some old photos.  Here he is with four of his buddies at John Muir's 6th Grade Graduation in 1956.

Last week's photo of SDSC professors whose children went to Crawford devolved into a mention of Monty Montezuma and, eventually, Monte Hall.  Seems like a good time to revisit my "Monte Hall, Uncle Russ, Smokey Rogers, Johnnie Downs and other Idols" page.   Click HERE to check it out.

I don't think I ever dined at the Top Shelf, but I saw it from the freeway a thousand times.  I'll bet it brings back a lot of memories for a lot of Colts.  This photo appeared on Greg May's Vintage San Diego Facebook page this week.

Greg May added another postcard to his Aztec Motel Facebook Page.  The address of the motel was 6050 El Cajon Blvd.  He's included a link so you can see what's there today.  This is sounding familiar.  Have we already covered this?

March 18, 2016

Hope you enjoy this Bizarro cartoon as much as I did.

I never heard back from Kelcie Butcher about the athletic shoes so I'm abandoning my "new shoes" campaign.  If you want to send a check contact Susan Marshall Gordon at smarshallgordon@hotmail.com about where to send it and who to make it out to.  

In what has become an annual (or bi-annual) tradition, Joe Dyke ’65 reminds me that there is only one “S” in Daylight Saving Time.

That was NANCY Myers Woodward ’72 who shared news on the demolition of the Crawford campus -- not Kathy.

Dominic Gaccetta '73 checks in from Kingman, Arizona, where he is building a Missionary Training Center.  Contact him a pastord@gobadd.org if you want more information.

Debbie Nichols Poulos ’63 would like to hear from anyone with suggestions on how to publish her book about teaching Grades 4-6.  Her email address is dnpoulos@urcad.org

This 1955 photo of San Diego State faculty members accompanied a nice article on Professor John R Adams in the Spring 2016 issue of 360: The Magazine of San Diego State University.  I'm wondering how many of them had children who went to Crawford -- such as Richardson, Sorensen, Lamden and Schrupp.  Click HERE to read the article and see an enlarged copy of the photo.

Got to thinking about Oscar's hot apple pies.  Click HERE to check out the whole menu.  There's a lot of Oscar's memorabilia on the Memories Page.

March 11, 2015

Daylight Savings begins at 2 AM on Sunday, so set your clocks ahead before you hit the sack.  It's gonna be dark in the morning but -- yippee -- staying light later at night.

I'm hearing from a number of you that you miss the old emails where I talked about the weather and where Nancy and I were headed for breakfast.  We pretty much head to the Waffle Spot on our Monday and Friday breakfast ventures.  The Eggery is now the Truck Stop, which is my Sunday morning venue with my long-time pals Tom and Jeff.   The Green Flash morphed into one of those places with loud music, bar stools and Mimosas, so that's out.  Mike Crawford closed Good Time Charlie's and Mission Valley's Adam's Steak and Eggs have both closed.  On the weather front, I finally reached the top of a three-month waiting list for a new roof last week, just in time for Monday's thunderstorms.

I got to meet Dave '69 and Linda Roberts Ponsford '70 last week.  We were all dining at Pernicano's, where Patriarch Johnnie Pernicano still plays the piano, until he walks across the restaurant to take up the vibes.

It was SHERYL Leonard Bodzak '70 who checked in from Castle Rock, Colorado last week -- not Susan.

Athletic Director Kelcie Butcher is asking for your used athletic shoes.  I'm prepared to purchase a pair of new shoes for a Crawford Athlete.  I called Kelcie and learned, if dreams do come true, she needs:  10 pair of baseball cleats, 10 pair of softball cleats, 30 pair of track running shoes and spikes, and 5 pair of Volleyball shoes.  Obviously I have no idea how much shoes cost, but I'm gonna double my offer.  Get back to me if you want to join my team.  In the meantime, the used shoes are still very welcome.

Had I remembered to include the March 3, 1966 Pacer last week it would have been almost EXACTLY a Golden Anniversary Pacer.  Click HERE to read all six pages.

Mike McKittrick '60 shares a photo of himself (with a beer stein) and his buddies Chuck, Hoot and Guenther heading for the first taping of the Mickie Finn Show.  No, he wasn't in the band.  He claims to have worked in "customer satisfaction".  

Some years ago Bob Richardson '61 sent a couple of photos from a Christmas party at his house that he thought was either in 1955 or 1956.  He's shared five more photos, but still doesn't know what year they were taken.  He hopes someone out there can help.  Click HERE to check them out.

I've just learned of the passing of Roger Merk '66 on November 3rd.  He grew up in South Dakota but came to live with Aunt Myrtle at 17 when both of his parents died.  Click HERE to read the obituary and send condolences.