For people who attended Crawford High School or would have attended if they hadn't
moved -- or just have fond memories of San Diego in the '40s, '50s and '60s.

Check out the Crawford High web site.

Friday, May 28, 2021

May 28, 2021

 





Here's an aerial of Crawford taken September 30, 1957 -- the first week it was open.  Click HERE to see it enlarged, plus two bonus aerial photos.  



The May 25, 1961 Pacer -- sixty years old -- is filled with news about folks from the Class of '62.  Click HERE to check it out.



Pat Edwards gets front page ink in the May 26, 1966 Pacer -- and he's the one who loaned us issues to post on the web site.  Click HERE to read the paper.




Don Edic ‘59 passed away May 17, 2021 after a battle with cancer.  He was my next door neighbor and close friend beginning when we were eleven years old.  He was a member of Crawford’s first cheerleading team.  He became an ordained minister and traveled the world with ESL Ministries teaching English literacy.  He was an accomplished oil painting artist in his later years and many of his works can be seen on his Facebook page.  I will greatly miss him -- Claudia Messerli Baker ’59


A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2021 at 2:00 pm.  An in-person service will be hosted by Christ Presbyterian Church Rancho La Costa, 7807 Centella St., Carlsbad, CA. Guests may join virtually as well at https://christ-pres.church/


Friday, May 21, 2021

May 21, 2021

 

Class of '66 Vietnam Veterans Dan Burton, Mark Mellinger and Gary Crossland got together recently for lunch at Cass Street Bar & Grill in Pacific Beach.  I'm not sure what's in the bags.



Here's a 1967 color shot of Morena Boulevard, where it branches off to Linda Vista Rd.  It's a lovely billboard to be sure, but if you look carefully you'll spot a Kinney's Shoes, gasoline for 28 cents a gallon, Presidio Nursery -- and an Oscar's Drive-In.  Click HERE to see the enlarged view.



I'm sharing this photo of the Stardust Motor Hotel parking lot mostly because of the cars.  I can't decide if the car on the left is silver or Ice Blue, but -- as I comment inside -- you could smuggle a whole bunch of kids into the Ace Drive-In by the looks of that trunk.  Click HERE for the bigger view.



I think Claudia Messerli Baker '59 has some 'splaining to do.  This was her entry in the 1959 San Diego City School Quest magazine loaned by Sharon Culver Considine '60.  Click HERE to peruse all 49 pages.



Crawford's fourth consecutive CIF Swimming Title captured the headline on the Sports Page of the May 21, 1971 Pacer.  Click HERE to read the rest of the school paper published 50 years ago.



Carolina “Calina” Estrada Eckert ’59 passed away May 5th, at the age of 79, following a massive stroke while vacationing in Palm Springs.  Calina was born in Calexico, California, the only daughter of Gustavo and Leonila Estrada.  She was a member of Crawford’s first graduating class.  She helped coordinate numerous Class of ’59 reunions, staying close with many wonderful classmates.  In 1976 Navy Lt. Bill Eckert asked Carolina for a dance at the Admiral KIdd Club and a romance began, culminating in a military wedding in August 1977 and 43 wonderful married years thereafter, with enjoyable trips to many parts of the world.  Carolina was very proud of her Mexican heritage and maintained close relationships with family members in Mexicali, Tijuana, Los Angeles and New York City.  She shared many fun times with her San Diego girls’ sorority, the Iota Pi’s.


A Celebration of Life is scheduled for June 12, 2021 in the southernmost section of Paradise Point called Vacation Isle Park, on Hibiscus Lane, from noon to 3 PM.  All are welcome to attend and celebrate Carolinas life.  Lin lieu of flowers, please send donations to https://www.stjude.org/ Carolina’s favorite charity.




Ron Newport ’62 passed away May 10, 2021.  He was born in Nevada, Missouri and moved to San Diego in 1948 with his brother Larry and sister Linda.  Ron quickly adopted the Southern California lifestyle.  He received his education at San Diego State University.  As a youth, Ron became interested in the environment. Two of his interests were forestry and firefighting.  In 1963 Ron was hired by the California Division of Forestry. His initial assignment was with a dozer crew where he assisted in building fire roads, inspecting dams and learning the wildland firefighting trade.  In 1965, Ron was called to serve his country in the United States Army. Ron completed basic training and was stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana as an orthopedic medic. His job included setting, casting, splinting, pinning, and treating soldier’s fractures and other orthopedic related injuries. Three months later, Ron’s brother was called to serve his country. His brother was deployed to Vietnam and was unfortunately killed in action while performing Special Forces duty.  After being discharged from the Army, Ron went back to work for the California Division of Forestry (CDF). His initial assignment as a seasonal firefighter was in San Diego County. In 1967 Ron was hired permanently as a firefighter in CDF/Orange County Fire Dept. Ron became a member of the crash fire rescue crew at the Orange County Airport (now called John Wayne Airport).  Ron married Merrilee Fortin in 1978, and had one daughter, Dani Newport Barker.  Ron enjoyed his time off with his family and friends water skiing and snow skiing and house boating. He played rugby many years, golf, and Senior Softball with the La Mesa League, along with many other sports.



Friday, May 14, 2021

May 14, 2021


Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week at Crawford.  The foundation paid for a Panera breakfast to be catered for the teachers on Monday and, on Cinco de Mayo, there was a catered lunch from Taquiza Jose.  Thanks to a large check from a '65 grad, and your donations, allowed gift cards to be passed out to an appreciative faculty.  Hey, isn't that the cafeteria on the right?  I got kicked out of there for shooting a straw wrapper.



Who knew?  I was scrolling through the guide on my television and noticed a kids' show on KPBS starring a donkey named Hodie.   I burst out laughing when I sounded out Donkey Hodie.



Recognize these ladies?  The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, in an article asking if masks might no longer be necessary outdoors, took a photo of a fellow either putting one on -- or taking it off -- under the watchful gaze of some old friends at Knott's Berry Farm.



Boy am I confused.  Marcia Sleet '59 shares her 5th Grade photo from Rolando Elementary, not to be confused with Rolando Park Elementary.  Rolando Elementary, on Tower Street west of 70th, is still there -- but part of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.  Click HERE to see an enlarged version of Marcia's photo, with some names.



Click HERE to peruse all 6 pages of the May 12, 1966 Pacer.  By the looks of the ad below, Sports Editor Bob Zucker had a side hustle.  Remember LPs?  Remember 45s?  Remember dial phones?






Jeff Garrison '73 shares a photo of his sister Christie '68 on the cover of the June 1976 issue of PSA Magazine 



If you were heading east on Upas Street in the '50s, say from Morley Field or the Zoo, you would have spotted this gas station at 30th Street.  There's a Jack in the Box there now.  Click HERE to see an enlargement of this photo, which appeared on Facebook this week.



Remember Balboa Stables across from Navy Hospital?  This photo appeared on Facebook this week.  I'm not gonna enlarge it for my web site, but thought it might bring back memories for some Colts.  A 1959 newspaper article said it was going to have to move because of the proposed Crosstown and Switzer Canyon Freeways.  The Switzer Canyon Freeway was never built, but I think the Crosstown Freeway would be I-5. 




Friday, May 7, 2021

May 7, 2021


A guy posted a photo on Facebook last week of his Starbucks cup.  He told the barista his name was Marc -- with a C.  My friend Andrea goes by Andé.  She told the girl at Starbucks her name was spelled with an E.  She got her coffee and there it was -- ENDI!   Then there was the time my friend Tom LaShell told the server at Karl Strauss the spelling of his name was T3om -- but the 3 was silent.  He went on to add that if she looked in the dictionary under gullible there would be a photo of his friend John Fry.

Don't know if you saw Richard Lederer's column in last Saturday's U-T.  He shared the little-known back story to a popular Mexican holiday: 

In the early 1900s, the Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Company was all set to deliver 12,000 jars of the condiment to Veracruz. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever brought to Mexico, but the ship sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise and were eagerly awaiting its arrival, were saddened by the tragic loss. Their anguish was so great that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day Sinko de Mayo.



There are three Weitzens in this College Park Bobs Coffee Shop Little League photo.  Click HERE to find out who is whom -- and see an ad for Bob's Coffee Shops.




AND he played drums later with the Cascades.  Click HERE to read some other articles from the May 11, 1961 Pacer.



 

Friday, April 30, 2021

April 30, 2021

 


Courtesy of Sandie Robbins Knox '61







If you did the crossword on Page 162 of last Sunday's Union-Tribune, you might have spotted a familiar name in Shelby Lyman's Chess column on the same page.  Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield '64 is the author of Learn to Read & Write Chess.  Click HERE to read the article.



Jeff Garrison '73 shares his 2nd and 3rd Grade class photos from Hardy Elementary.  Click HERE to check them out.  (Miss Torchia is hot!!)



Stan Duffield '73 submits his College Park Little League photo, which by the looks of the scoreboard at the rear, was taken in the middle of the 6th inning.   It's the Harbs Upholstery team, circa 1967.  Click HERE for an enlargement and some of the names.



Click HERE to read the 6-page edition of the Pacer from April 28, 1966 -- just about 55 years ago.


Friday, April 23, 2021

April 19, 2021




Courtesy of Henry Noble '60



Things are opening up!!  Gathered at True Foods in Fashion Valley for lunch on Wednesday were 1964 grads Janis Irvine Ricards, Jane Newberry Smith, Kris Gjerde Flynn, Laurie Koosed Ratner, and Bev Bachman Fritschner 


Paula Kimmerling Daniels '62 checked in.  She's looking for classmate Sarah Shea Arnold -- or Sallie as you may have known her.  Sarah was active on our reunion committees, but two different emails for her have gone bad.  

Doug Smith '69 has dropped off the radar.  He was always a part of the Campus Lab School min-reunions and now they can't find him.  Maybe you know of a friend or sibling who might be able to help.

Apparently there was more than one 6th Grade class at Andrew Jackson in 1956.  Larry Slayen has asked me more than once to find the one he was in.  His sister says he was in the photo shared by Tom Cassie las4t week.  He apparently thought it was his twin Ron all this time.



Jeff Garrison '73 submits his 1966 College Park 7/Eleven Little League team photo.  He's standing at left.  Click HERE to see the photo enlarged and to read a fond recollection of growing up next to San Diego State. 




Click HERE to read the April 27, 1961 Pacer from 60 years ago.





Shirley Roemmich Beyer ’59 passed away March 13, 2021.  She was born in Mott, North Dakota, moving to San Diego as a teenager.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from San Diego State University in 1963.  She married Crawford classmate Marv Beyer the same year, and they created a home and family in San Diego. Shirley worked as a school secretary for San Diego Unified School District until she retired in 1998. In the year 2000 she and Marv moved to Julian. They found a house on a beautiful piece of land in Pine Hills and both she and Marv took a lot of pride in creating a beautiful home. Shirley enjoyed being active in her community and volunteered for her church and the Julian Woman’s Club, writing both their newsletters for more than 10 years.  She is survived by her husband of 57 years Marv Beyer, daughters Tracy and Tammy, their husbands Mike and Steve, as well as sister Carole Roemmich Wilson ’62.




Ilja Weinrieb ’63 died June 13, 2020.  He was born in Amsterdam, Holland, nine months after the end of World War II.  His parents survived the Holocaust by hiding in the Dutch countryside. They came to Buffalo, New York in 1949 to be near relatives in Toronto.  He attended Bennett High School, where he met Pamela Stecker, who was one class year behind him. When his family moved to San Diego, he graduated from Crawford.  When he returned to Buffalo, he enrolled in the University at Buffalo and married Pam in 1967.  He was accepted as a fellow at Harvard University, where he served his residency and clinical fellowship.  He took his post-doctoral fellowship in gastroenterology at Yale University’s Yale New Haven Hospital.  He served in the Army with the rank of major at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he was head of the Immunology Section in the Department of Gastroenterology and an attending physician.  He was one of the physicians aboard Walter Reed’s medical bus at the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977.  Dr. Weinrieb returned to Buffalo in 1978 and began a solo practice. More than 5,000 patients visited his office before he retired in March.  A voracious reader, he spoke and read Dutch, German and Yiddish.Ilja Weinrieb ’63 died June 13, 2020.  He was born in Amsterdam, Holland, nine months after the end of World War II.  His parents survived the Holocaust by hiding in the Dutch countryside. They came to Buffalo, New York in 1949 to be near relatives in Toronto.  He attended Bennett High School, where he met Pamela Stecker, who was one class year behind him. When his family moved to San Diego, he graduated from Crawford.  When he returned to Buffalo, he enrolled in the University at Buffalo and married Pam in 1967.  He was accepted as a fellow at Harvard University, where he served his residency and clinical fellowship.  He took his post-doctoral fellowship in gastroenterology at Yale University’s Yale New Haven Hospital.  He served in the Army with the rank of major at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he was head of the Immunology Section in the Department of Gastroenterology and an attending physician.  He was one of the physicians aboard Walter Reed’s medical bus at the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977.  Dr. Weinrieb returned to Buffalo in 1978 and began a solo practice. More than 5,000 patients visited his office before he retired in March.  A voracious reader, he spoke and read Dutch, German and Yiddish.


Friday, April 16, 2021




Here's what you see when you walk into the Dave's Hot Chicken franchise at Cass and Garnet in Pacific Beach.



I LOVE this 1956 color shot of two sailors at Horton Plaza posted on Greg May's Vintage San Diego Facebook page.  Click HERE to see the photo enlarged, plus some other stuff.



The first Del Taco opened for business in Yermo, California in 1964.  That would have been the year I turned 21 and made my first trip to Las Vegas.  I always saw the sign for Yermo on the way but don't think I ever stopped.



Greg Thomas '69 sent me this 1952 Jack-in-the-Box photo and wondered where it might have been taken.  He sent it to the right guy.  Click HERE for the details.



Guess I should have sent this out last week.  It's the KGB Boss 30 tunes for April 9, 1966 -- 55 years ago.  Click HERE to take a look.



I actually recognize some names and faces from Tom Cassie's 6th Grade Andrew Jackson class photo from 1956.  Hold on a second!  Who's that next to Ed Gabrielson?  It's Nancy Watson Wingo!!  Click HERE for an enlargement -- and a look at Tom's other Jackson class photos.



 

Friday, April 9, 2021

April 9, 2021



Perhaps I should have mentioned that the first Jack in the Box was at the corner of 63rd and El Cajon.  Click HERE to read more about it.



A & W Root Beer opened in Lodi, California in 1919.  Actually Roy Allen opened a root beer stand in 1919.  The following year Frank Wright became his partner.  They called it A & W Root Beer.


Click HERE to check out the 6-page Spring Fashion Issue of the Pacer, published on April 13, 1961.  See the article about April a la Mode?  You can click BELOW to see the invitation to that function.




Friday, April 2, 2021

April 2, 2021



I couldn't find my old favorite Easter Bunny cartoon of a rabbit making the "V" sign behind the ears of the rabbit next to him, but here's a selfie stick upgrade.



Courtesy of Sandie Robbins Knox '61




Tom Isom, husband of Vivien Messick Isom '63, posted this image on Facebook.  I've enlarged it and placed it on the San Diego Photos page.  Click HERE to check it out.



I've been sitting on an email that tells the origin of fast food restaurants around the country.  Perhaps I can share a couple each week in the Fry Day email.




There are Mat Men and Bat Men on the Sports Page of the March 31, 1966 Pacer -- published 55 years ago.  Click HERE to take a look.