February 20, 2015

Boy, those 911 operators can get testy.  I had a hankering for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and could not, for the life of me, open the jar.  I figured a fireman could do it with ease and, if all else failed, bring in the Jaws of Life.

Some folks out there have personalized their email "signature" with philosophical sayings or, better yet, something clever.  Stan Faulwetter's says "The internet is full of false information -- Benjamin Franklin"

Two ladies from the Class of '67 have contributed class photos from their elementary schools.

Susan Hanstrom Cates sends shots from Hardy Elementary School

Linda Malone shares photos from Oak Park Elementary

I hike with a group that was started years ago by two Crawford teachers, Marion McAnear and Tom Patton. Shortly after they began, LaMar Rogers and Bob Genette, also Crawford faculty, joined them. I'm the second youngest one in the group and often work hard to keep up with their pace. Here's LaMar and I after a short local hike -- Joe Dyke ’65

I have placed a link for the Tom Rowe Memorial Scholarship Fund under Tom's photo on the Class of1966 Obituary Page.  Sadly, no one ever sent me information on Tom's life that I could also share. 

I'm pretty sure Milton Levant '61 has passed away, because Paul Dean went to Miramar National Cemetery this past Wednesday for his burial.  If I had more information I would share it.

Marc Friedman '61 says his classmate Jane Rudeen Marus passed away February 13, 2015.  I haven't been able to confirm her passing.

Ron Dargo '63, a standout pitcher on a team full of stars, died January 31st.  You can read his obituary and sign the guest book at U-T San Diego

Robert Scroggs ’64 passed away in Madera County, CA on February 12, 2015 of complications following a stroke.  He was born in San Diego on October 24, 1946. 

February 13, 2015

It's still dark in Pacific Beach, but a day of spectacular beauty is in store.  Once again, I have nothing that NEEDS doing -- and all day to do it!!

Circus Vargas has pitched its tents at the southeast corner of Mission Bay Park this week, which reminded me of the great photo Bob Richardson '61 sent in years ago of the Clyde Beatty Circus.  Click HERE to see it enlarged, find out who the girls are, and read what folks had to say about it.

Londa Galley Warren just found her Colts Beanie "in a drawer that hadn't been opened in 30 years".   I think mine had a propeller on it.  Actually, I don't recall ever getting one.  I wonder if they were for the Jewish kids.

Jay Katz -- are you out there?  Eric Watkins wants to apologize for the dirty, rotten trick he played on you 50 years ago.  Read all about it in the February 11, 1965 Pacer.

George Sorensen '69 sends photos of himself and the Colt Marching Band at the 1968 Mother Goose Parade.  "Who is the girl with the 'R'?" he asks.  Click HERE to look at the photos.

February 6, 2014

I DON'T KNOW HOW they're doing at the Farmer's Insurance Golf Tournament in Torrey Pines, but the fog has lifted in Pacific Beach and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.  I'm hoping to talk Nancy into breakfast at the Landing Grille, formerly the Kruse Galley, on the bay near Islandia.

Here are the items I posted on Facebook this past week.

Steve Haiman '62, insisting he's not just another pretty face, wants folks to know he'll be appearing in "Into The Woods" as a member of the Pickwick Players.  He plays a character known as the  "Mysterious Man", which -- he notes -- shouldn't surprise his friends.   The venue is the Off Broadway Theater located on Cuyamaca Street in Santee (sharing the Food-4-Less parking lot).  The play runs from February 20 through March 1st.  Steve is certain the play will sell out quickly and hopes you will get your tickets early.  EMAIL Steve with questions or just go to the Pickwick Players web site.

Click HERE to check out the goodies sent to me by Dietra Anderson Davis '62

I've just updated some of the first photos I ever uploaded to my Crawford High web site, loaned to me by Mary Jo Schmith Grubb '62 from her time at John Muir Elementary.  Click HERE to see three photos of musical groups.  Click HERE to see class photos from Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Paul Wright died January 20, 2014.  He was born in Coshocton Ohio. In 1950 he left for South Carolina to attend Central Wesleyan College where he fell in love with Betty Lou Henderson, his wife of 63 years. With the start of the Korean War, Paul enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving 4 years on the Rendova and Bon Homme Richard aircraft carriers. From 1960 to 1996 Paul taught Physics and Chemistry at Crawford, starting the Advanced Science Program for San Diego County. When not in a classroom, you could usually see him digging in his garden, repairing one of his rental houses, or involved in a construction project at his church.

Services will be held at 2pm Sunday February 8th at El Cajon Wesleyan Church, 1500 E. Lexington Ave, El Cajon, CA 92019

Sign the Guest Book

John Lane ’59  died, with family at his side in Nampa, Idaho of natural causes on December 29, 2014.  He retired as a construction superintendent, relocated to Lone Pine, California then moved to Caldwell, Idaho in 2008.

Christopher Crumrine ’63 passed away on December 14, 2014 at home in Redding, California.  Chris was born and raised in San Diego.  He was an officer in the ROTC program at Crawford. After high school he joined the Army, where his specialties included Intelligence Analyst, Correctional Specialist and Tactical Air Operations Specialist. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, one tour of duty in IndoChina, two tours of duty in Germany.  He received an honorable discharge in March of 1984 as a Chief Warrant Officer 3. He was a lifetime member of Disabled American Veterans and a member of the American Legion.

Stephen Anderson '73 died January 6, 2014 in Corpus Christi, Texas.  He was born in San Diego on December 28, 1954

January 30, 2015

Soccer Coach Kyle Hagenburger has emailed UPDATE #5 to the folks who contributed to his GoFundMe fund. There is a home game vs Madison on February 3rd and the Alumni Game on Saturday, February 7, at 11:30.  If you have additional questions you can EMAIL Kyle or call his cell phone at 619-885-0113.

Terry Hall '64 shared a photo of some members of the Crawford Surfing Club, and Coach Malcolm, at a barbecue in 2013.  Click HERE for the big picture and the names.

After a long battle with Parkinson’s disease Adrian Fernandes '60 passed away on January 7, 2015. He taught Graphic Arts and Photography from 1971-1984 at Clairemont High School. His family is honoring him with a "Celebration of LIfe" event at their home on 2128 Pine St. San Diego, 92103 on February 1st from 1:00-4:00 P.M

Have you joined the Crawford Colt Corral Facebook page?  You won't have to wait until Fry Day for these alumni updates -- and you can comment on what others have to day.

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The First First Thursday of 2015 will be held on the First Thursday of February which, I believe, will be February 5th, but you better check.  I may be using an old calendar.  Nancy Miljas as changed the time on her artwork to reflect when folks actually arrive, so I expect they will now start arriving at 4.  Either way it should be light when you arrive, so you can find your way across the parking lot.  You're on your own finding your way back after the sun goes down and you quit drinking.

January 23, 2015

THE SUN IS UP IN PACIFIC BEACH and a gorgeous day is in store.  Nancy and I will be having our usual late breakfast at the Amigo Spot, and will be joined this morning by Ken and Joanne Ptack.  Ken and I were best buddies growing up in Normal Heights, and I was best man at their wedding at Annapolis in 1967.  

I've made good progress on letting folks know about transitioning the Fry Day email to Facebook, getting through the Class of '72 yesterday.  Some folks are digging their feet in, but several hundred have made the move.  

Ernie Cowan '62 wrote a nice article about migrating birds for the U-T this week.  Click HERE to check it out.

Michael Klatt '70, who now surfs Morro Bay, didn't know Crawford HAD a Surfing Club until he picked up a copy of Surfing in San Diego, by John Elwell.  He loaned me his copy and I snagged a handful of great shots of Coach Marshall "Scooter" Malcolm dating back to the '40s.  I've posted an "album" of the shots on Facebook.  You may be able to see them if you click HERE.   The shot above is from the '64 Centaur.  I talked to coach Coach Malcolm yesterday.  He's 81 now and still hits Tourmaline most weekday mornings.  You'll have to get there around 6:30 if you want to join him. 

The Ladies of Dorian Gray (they never get older, but somewhere on a wall their portraits aren't doing so well) met on January 15th for the annual Class of '72 Re-Gifting Party.  Click HERE for a larger portrait, caption, and a few additional photos.

Here's the Golden Anniversary Pacer for January 21, 1965.  I just noticed the headline:  "Pasty Walden ROTC Queen"  Click HERE to read all four pages.

Janice Casteel Mills '64 died November 11, 2014 in Marysville, Ohio. Click HERE to read an obituary.

The death of Jim Testa '67 hit his brother Ed harder than the passing of his twin brother Ray in 2002.  Read what he had to say on the Class of '67 Obituary Page.

January 16, 2015

Dear Colts,

The Fry Day email software is sitting on the shoulder of the Information Highway with the hood up.  My web hostess recently upgraded the security certificate on her server and, when the dust settled, I could no longer send or receive on my Microsoft Entourage email program.  She had tailored this software as a workaround when Time Warner Cable decided I was a spammer and would no longer let me send multiple emails.  I may or may not attempt to transfer my contacts to another program.  I have tried this a number of times over the years unsuccessfully.  In the meantime I’m going to try to direct traffic to my Crawford Colt Corral Facebook page, which you are looking at now.  It currently has 228 members.  I’m pretty sure I was sending the Fry Day emails to around 3000 Colts.  Perhaps you can spread the word to your Facebook friends.  Another idea is that you could go to the Email Page on my web site, click on the link and go to your Class Year.  At that point you could scroll down and send emails to people that you know, sharing the Facebook link.  If you’d like to take the time to contact all the folks on the page, that would be wonderful.  You might check back with me first, so there is no duplication of effort.  

The link to my Email Page is 

http://www.johnfry.com/pages/email.html  

The link to the Colt Corral Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/1420153521541969/

Your Pal in the Corral,

John Fry

Click HERE to find out why this photo from Florence sent Bob Richardson looking for his 1960 Centaur.

January 9, 2015

IT’S STILL DARK IN PB and the heater in my house just went off.  When Nancy arrives we’ll head to the Amigo Spot for a late breakfast.  The Waffle Spot is closed for renovation.

I see the Birch Aquarium is offering whale watching tours.  Beware.  They say it’s a “Three Hour Cruise”

Greg May has posted a series of stunning aerial photos of Pacific Beach circa 1975 on his Vintage San Diego page.  Click HERE to check them out.  I’ll try to add some captions over the weekend.

Larry Okmin ‘64 has scored a Two-Fer

A)  He shares a photo of classmate Miguel Reynero that he took at the 1964 Graduation Party.  I’ve added it to the photos Bob Lutz took last October.  Click HERE to take a look.

B) Remember Mickie Finns?  Larry Okmin PLAYED AT MICKIE FINN’S!!  That’s him on the left playing clarinet with the South Market Street Jazz Band.  ‘64 classmate Bob Saare is smack in the middle of the photo on trombone.  Click HERE to view an enlarged version. The page also contains some of the memories shared by other Colts.

A Celebration of Tom Rowe’s life will be held at 2 PM on January 25th at Faith Presbyterian Church, 5075 Campanile Drive

Cheryl Craig Brown ‘72 died suddenly and unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm on December 9th.  You can sign the on-line guest book but you better hurry. They’re taking it down on January 11th.

January 1, 2015

It’s New Year’s Day!!

Bob Lutz ‘64 hooked up with his classmate and AFS student Miguel Reynero during a trip to South America last October.  Click HERE to see this photo enlarged -- and get a bonus photo in the process.

I wandered down the trail of one of the albums on Greg May’s Vintage San Diego Facebook page and stumbled on some Mickie Finn photos.  You can check them out on the Memories Page of my web site, or click HERE.

A growing number of Colts are departing this mortal coil without leaving an obituary.

Class of ‘66 basketball star Kenny Neun passed away, according to his classmate Edmond Dantès.  I was able to talk to Ken’s daughter.  She confirmed his death, but said I’d have to talk to her Mom, who hasn’t returned my phone call. 

The Crawford Foundation page says Tom Rowe died on December 23rd.  If not “Mr Colt”, Tom was certainly “Mr. Colt 66”.  It said “COLT 66” on his license plate.  I knew he’d been in failing health and hope to get additional details in the future.

December 25, 2014

It’s Christmas Day!!  Nancy and I and her daughters will be dining in the Mission Bay Ballroom of the Bahia Hotel. 

Before Mission Valley, Fashion Valley and Grossmont Centers young ladies who didn’t want to take the bus all the way downtown shopped at Lerner’s in North Park.  Click HERE to view an enlarged version of this photo, which I found on the Vintage San Diego Facebook page.

Kris Pruski Wood ‘70 says that Bill Manning has two Class of ‘69 ladies rings that belonged to his late wife.  They are size 6.  He would like to sell them at a small price.  Contact Bill at bmanning52@mac.com

Rick Blaine ‘64 says his classmate Leonard Campbell passed away December 11th.  It seems to be more and more the case that no additional information follows.

December 19, 2015

IT’S DARK OUTSIDE and my heater’s going full blast inside, but — yay!! -- the days are gonna start getting longer come Monday.  And I believe it's supposed to hit 80 on Tuesday when much of America will be watching the Aztecs play Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl.  When Nancy arrives from Escondido we’ll be off to the Waffle Spot and then on to Von’s.

 

I got a kick out of this take on the storm damage some of us suffered during last week’s storms.   

Here’s another photo posted on Facebook courtesy of Pea Hicks.  It’s the Hotel del Coronado, of course, and appears to have been taken around 1952.  Click HERE to view an enlargement.

I’ve added a list of drive-ins to the one I’d already posted.  One appears to be circa 1967 and one 1968.  I just can’t remember which is which.  Click HERE to check them out.

The Golden Anniversary Pacer is the Holiday Issue from December 17, 1964.  Diana Loss and Stephen Hill are the Senior Sketches and Ted Nichols’ ‘55 Chevy won Heap of the Week.  Click HERE to check out all 8 pages.

December 12, 2014

IT’S RAINING IN PACIFIC BEACH and the wind is rattling the trash cans.  If Nancy and I can dodge the showers, I’ve got my taste buds set on biscuits and gravy at the Waffle Spot.

Check out the cool uniforms sported by the Crawford Soccer team, thanks to your generous donations.  Click HERE to learn more about how the team is doing.

I snagged this Cotton Patch menu off the Vintage San Diego Facebook page where it had been posted by Jan Tonnesen.  Jan, who went to Horace Mann, but then to Helix, gave me permission to share it with you all.  Click HERE to look inside the cover.

Some stunning color photos of San Diego in the ‘50s have popped up on the Vintage San Diego Facebook page, each with the note “Thank you Pea Hicks.”   We think Pea Hicks purchased these photos at a yard sale and is sharing them with Vintage San Diego.  I’ll share them with you.  This one looks west in Mission Valley, circa 1952.  Click HERE to check out the enlarged version.

Good news for Janice Levine Zalewski.  There WILL be a 50th Anniversary Reunion, says Chairperson Judy Horowitz Glenn.  I’m guessing it will take place in 2017.  Victor Perez ‘71 shares a link for the Class of ‘67 Facebook Page.  I’ve posted these links on the Reunion Page of my Crawford High web site.  

I think it’s just a coincidence but Carlynne Albee, who went to Montezuma and later Grossmont High, says there’s a ‘67 Centaur for sale on Ebay.  Click HERE for the link.