July 10, 2020

If you have autocorrect on your phone you'll probably get a kick out of this.

Gary Trudeau is "on vacation".  I thought he was retired.  Anyway, they're running Doonesbury cartoons from a long time ago.  They're still hilarious to me.  This is part of a series on the dumbing down of college admissions.

The passing -- or possible passing -- of Dave Flesner '60 (see below) got me thinking about phone books.  Remember them?  They got bigger and bigger until the white pages and yellow pages became separate books.  Then they disappeared.  The internet made them obsolete.  Phone numbers were at the tip of your fingers -- until they weren't.  I had hoped to contact the Flesner household and delicately ask some questions.  Did not happen.  All of the free on-line directories have now been monetized.  I wish I had a phone book.

Larry Slayen '62 is looking for a copy of Mr. Staff's Jackson Elementary 6th grade class from 1956.  I've got Mr. Kroll's class above and Mrs. Warren's class below, but no Mr. Staff.  I reached out to the Class of '62 specifically, but was unsuccessful.  Perhaps someone out there has access to a sibling's photo.

We got a lot of feedback from last week's photo of Blumer's Bakery.  Here's a San Diego Union ad from March 18, 1961.  They were still using the old Juniper telephone exchange.  I love the line at the bottom: Open Every Day including Sun., 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Closed Tuesday.

Did I say the #7 bus was headed east in last week's photo?  I meant the OTHER east, also known as west.  No sooner did I mention Palisade Gardens than a photo we've seen before popped up as well as a 1985 Reader article on the skating rink's last days.  Click HERE to check it out.

Gordon Dawson '60 died on April 17, 2020.  He was born on March 27, 1941.

Dave Flesner has apparently passed, as reported by the Crawford Alumni web site.  No other information was available.

Penny Wuest Severson ’66 passed quietly at home, in her sleep, with her family by her side on June 11, 2020. She was a native San Diegan, educated at Oak Park Elementary, Horace Mann Junior High, Crawford,  and Grossmont Junior College. Then she was off to Delta Airlines for the next 34 years. She retired in 2003.  Penny was a volunteer advocate. She was a Candy Striper in her teens, worked at a hospital while based in Texas, and a faithful worker for the San Carlos Library for almost 25 years. She constantly encouraged her family and friends to volunteer.  She was also a Brownie leader at Hearst Elementary School in Del Cerro, and she drove braille students and their dogs to and from lessons.  Penny was a breast cancer survivor for seven-plus years.

James Parish ’75, an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Southern Illinois University, passed away from natural causes on April 20, 2020.   Jim was born in Augsburg, Germany, the youngest of five children.  He received his Master’s from University of California Santa Barbara and from there went on to graduate from the University of Chicago with his Ph.D. in Mathematics. Jim taught at the University of Arizona before moving to Edwardsville where he taught at SIUE for more than 30 years.  He was well-liked and admired by his colleagues, students, and friends.  Mathematics was his passion, but he had many interests that included reading, music, cooking, and the love of his two furry companions.

July 3, 2020

I spotted this on the web and I thought I'd share it.

Remember when the Old Globe Theater burned to the ground?  Not OUR Old Globe Theater!!  I'm talking about the original in London.  The date was June 29, 1613, as mentioned in this past Tuesday's Today's highlight in history column.  Turns out they were putting on a performance of Henry VIII that required a cannon shot.  What could go wrong?  

This is the second week in a row that the Union-Tribune has had an article featuring a photo that includes the Tower Bar on University and Euclid.  This piece lets you take a ride on the #7 bus, shown here heading west at Winona Avenue.  I think this is the route you chose as a teenager to get to the Palisade Gardens skating rink.  Bus ridership is down in San Diego due to the pandemic, but not on the #7 Route.  Click HERE to read the article.

I was looking for something else and came across this May 1975 photo of Blumer's Bakery taken by my late friend John Suitts.  Click HERE to see some of the other photos he took of East San Diego.

A couple of hours later Cathy Fay posted on Facebook this October 1983 shot of the Century Twin Cinema around the corner from Blumer's.  I don't know Cathy but I wanted to make sure she got credit for the photo.

Linda Pinkerton Reutz '67 passed away June 23rd.  That's all the information shared on the Crawford Foundation web page.

Barbara Thomas Davis ’68 passed away June 23, 2020, after battling cancer for eight years.  Barbara worked full-time at an insurance brokerage company after graduating from Mesa College with an Associates degree. After moving to Utah, she worked full-time at Brigham Young University as a secretary in the Employment office.  She loved being a stay-at-home mom. After the children were grown, she especially enjoyed working for Jackman Music.  Her late brother Richard described her best when he said: “Barb was always nice and very kind.  I don't ever recall her being really angry.  She was always too kind to be mean, even when she thought she was being mean.”  Her kindness was evident throughout her life.

June 26, 2020

Yesterday's Bizarro cartoon

My heart goes out to Matthew Hubbard, a professor at Laney College in Oakland, who apparently suggested it might be a good idea for one of his Vietnamese-American students to anglicize her first name.  Every Asian I've known had an American first name.  I'm thinking of Ed Fong and Dennis Ming at Crawford, and Doreen Fujisaki at San Diego State.  My favorite waitresses at Chinese establishments have American names they use at work.  At any rate, Professor Hubbard is weathering a Tweet storm for being culturally insensitive and xenophobic.  He's apologized profusely, but may lose his job.  There is no way in hell this girl got through junior high using her given name, and you won't hear it on radio or TV.  It's Phuc.  I assume that's pronounced Fuck.  Cheers.

"These are the times that try men souls," to quote Thomas Paine.  I guess I can understand why Aunt Jemima Syrup is getting the boot.  Apparently Mrs. Butterworth is also on the way out, because of her figure (I'm serious).  But Eskimo Pie!!  Well, I'm not a Native American from Alaska, so I'll take their word for it that it's culturally insensitive.  Click HERE to read the article in the New York Times.

This deal on avocados, from the A & P ad I shared on Monday reminds me of the thrifty shopper who came upon an identical offer.  "How much for ONE avocado," she asked the manager.  "13 cents," he replied.  "I'll take the other one," she said.

Tuesday's Union-Tribune had a thoughtful article about NASCAR's heritage by Bill Center '63.   Click HERE to check it out.  By the way, if you type Bill Center into Google Images you get the nice photo above, and a whole bunch of shots of the Buffalo Bill Center in Cody, Wyoming.

Three of the people in this group photo are B. B. King, Eric Clapton and our own Nathan East.  Sunday's Union-Tribune had a feature article on the 20th Anniversary of the album Riding With The King, and a whole lot about Nathan.  Click HERE to give it a read.  Unfortunately, it doesn't have the snapshot of B. B. and Nathan, a 1973 Crawford graduate, that was featured in the print edition.

Remember the Horace Mann handbook submitted by Ron Smith last week?  He also sent along a copy of Crawford's Student Handbook for the Class of '68 -- or at least I thought he did.  Turns out he emailed the cover, two pages, and a school map.  It all worked out fine, because it turns out Ed Schoenberg had previously submitted the same handbook, but Ron's cover was much nicer.  I did take the time to enlarge the map for your pleasure.  Click HERE to check out the map.  Click HERE to read the original handbook.

An email from the Crawford Foundation said that Stephen Dickson '66 passed away earlier this month.  That's all I know, except that his name was Stephen but the annual printed it as Steven.

June 19, 2020

Monday's Union-Tribune featured an article entitled Diary of a Recovery.    It's probably more than you want to know about the businesses around Euclid and University trying to recover from the pandemic.  Who knew there is now a Chinese restaurant on the first floor of the Silverado Ballroom?  Click HERE to read the article.

Click HERE to view a larger image of autos waiting to cross into Mexico around 1963, a photo posted on Facebook by David Nieraeth.

Ernie Cowan's latest column revolves around his discovery of a century-old Auto Club directional sign in the desert.   Click HERE for a fascinating history lesson.

Did you graduate from Oak Park Elementary in 1961?  You might be in this photo submitted by Jim Miller '67.  Click HERE for a closer view.

Ron Smith '72 shares his 1969 Horace Mann Junior High School Cougar Handbook.  Click HERE to enjoy all 14 pages, two of which are a magnificent map of what appears to be an overcrowded school.

I burst out laughing when I saw the front page of the 1970 Pacer Graduation issue, and I've had This Is The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius rattling around in my brain all week.  Maybe it's PTSD, because that would have been my second year of teaching at Hale Junior High.  Click HERE to check out the entire ten-page issue.  Or is it eight?  I think I'm having flashbacks.

Doug Wied ’63 passed away on May 29, 2020, in Ventura, CA, surrounded by his children.   He was editor of the school paper at Crawford, and earned a BA in history from the University of California, Berkeley.  After college, Doug entered the United States Navy Reserve and attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI.  He served aboard the USS Duluth (LPD-6) during the Vietnam War and was discharged at the rank of Lieutenant.  While stationed in San Diego, Doug met Christine Goscinski, and they married in February 1971. They moved to Lodi in 1977, where they raised their family, before moving to Ventura in 2006.   Doug's career in banking and as a trust officer spanned 42 years.    Doug had a tremendous love of music and musical performance. In his youth, he played saxophone in the Bonham Brothers Boys Band in San Diego. He was a great supporter of the Stockton Symphony Association, serving on its board and as its president. He also sat on the board of the New West Symphony and was a past president of the Ventura Music Festival.   In late 2019, Doug was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, which contributed to his passing

June 12, 2020

I REALLY don't like to get involved with religion, but Paula Kincaid sent me some Church Signs.  I liked this one.

As promised, here's the Graduation Issue of the Pacer, dated June 9, 1965.  Click HERE to peruse the entire paper.  The headline notes that commencement will be held at Aztec Bowl.  I wonder if any addled grandparents ended up at other Aztec Bowl on 30th Street.

The same week graduating Colts were making the trip to Aztec Bowl, Horace Mann 9th graders were getting their diplomas over at Crawford on the Athletic Field.  Wait a minute!  Wasn't the Athletic Field right next to Horace Mann?  Click HERE to peruse the 8-page program of graduates who would make up the Crawford Class of 1963.

Larry Boles '66 died May 18, 2020.  Born in San Diego, he attended Alexander Hamilton Elementary, Horace Mann and Crawford.  A lifelong runner, Larry was captain of the Crawford Cross Country team during his Senior Year.  Larry and Linda Francis '68 were married in 1970.  After graduating from San Diego State and San Francisco Theological Seminary, Larry served as a Presbyterian minister for twenty-five years.  He followed that by serving as a director Hillcrest Retirement Community in La Verne, California.  In addition to Linda, his wife of 50 years.  Larry is survived by their children Tammy and Paul, four grandchildren and brother Bob Boles '63 -- Rob Shepherd '66

June 5, 2020

Honorary Colt Paula Kincaid shared this.  It looks like the winning entry in one of those Write Your Own Caption Contests.

I don't want to name any names (Gary Schulte) but I got an email yesterday from someone who asked if I was OK.  They hadn't gotten their Fry Day email.  My response was, "I don't know about Idaho, but it's still Thursday in California".

Why does this remind me of my college dating years?

"Dinner for two?  Will this be a conjugal visit?"  A sign posted on the door of the PB Local Restaurant said "Please, no conjugating outside".  I'm not sure that discouraged large crowds.  (I've already forgotten who sent the photo of the sign to me, but perhaps they'll check in and I can recognize the source of this malapropism.)

 

This popped up on Facebook this week, with an almost-immediate comment stating that it became a university in 1963 in time for JFK to speak at graduation.  I shared the fact that it was still SDSC when I graduated in 1966.  Here's a Trivia Question.  What years was it CSUSD?

Here's the Graduation Issue for the Class of 1960.  Click HERE to check it out.  I'll share '65 and '70 in the coming weeks.  

May 29, 2020

This one took me awhile.  I can't help you with the Blueberry Pie, Eyeball, or lit stick of dynamite in the hallway.

It's been a bad week for privately-sponsored space travel.  Weather has delayed Elon Musk's SpaceX launch to the space station and, on Monday, Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit launch attempt was unsuccessful.  Mostly this is an excuse to show a really cool photo of Virgin Orbit's 747 Cosmic Girl flying in formation with the British Red Arrow demonstration team.  Click HERE if you'd like to read the Virgin Orbit story in the NY Times.

I opened up my San Diego Union Tuesday and spotted this ad for Bank of America.  I spent way too much time trying to figure out where in San Diego the photo might have been taken.  Then I unfolded the LA Times and spotted the photo below.  That one probably wasn't taken in LA.  Not much of a commitment to my way of thinking.

Tim Abbey shares a Homecoming Button from 1969

Earlier this week I shared a story from the May 1, 1970 San Diego Union touting the Crawford Jazz Band.  It included photos of Steve Christy, the late Hartwell Ragsdale II, and Gunnar Biggs.  Peter Thompson '65 reminds me that Gunnar is still making music, and has a web site.  Click HERE to check it out.

In 1994 Larry Okmin '64 received the above photo in the mail.  It shows Mr. Sanford's class -- including Larry and best pal Dale Saare -- on the steps at Horace Mann.  Click HERE to read the interesting back story, and to see the photo enlarged.  It was taken in 1958 -- or maybe 1959.

I found this item in Frank Rhoades' column in the May 4, 1963 San Diego Union.  I wonder how the three Class of '65 members made out.

Michael Will ’59 passed away May 22, 2020.  He was in the Prowlers car club, a Colt car club and worked as a master electrician most of his life.  He is survived by his wife Barbara Mardon Will ‘61, sons Steven and Robert and daughter Monica