It's a few days away, but let me wish you a Happy New Year early.

Douglas Glass has checked in and is now on the Class of '64 Email Page.  It's worth going there just to see the above photo enlarged.  Ed Kessler '72 is no longer missing.  He's living in Las Vegas.

We're coming to the end of the goodies Kris Pruski Wood saved in her 3-ring binder.  Click HERE to check out the KGB Top 100 songs of 1970.  

OH, DEAR -- It is dark and REALLY cold in Pacific Beach.  It's either the First Day of Winter or the Last Day on Earth, or both.  I believe it's also the shortest day of the year, so it's gonna stay light longer!! Yippee!!

Who knew?  It turns out that Light My Fire was sung by The Doors, not The Rolling Stones -- and Brainpolice opened for The Byrds, not Brainpower -- and Light Show was probably a light show and not an opening act.  Someone said "If you can remember the '60s you weren't really there."  I remember the '60s and I was just as clueless then.

I'm sharing this photo of University Heights again, for those who missed it last week.  Click HERE to see it enlarged, and click HERE to go to last week's photo and read what Terry Shewmaker '68 has to say about the old Teacher's Training Annex Building.  Elaine Robinson Davis '61 can take heart.

Word that Ken Ziegenfuss '62 would be in town performing Chopin Etudes on December 16th sent Bob Richardson to his photo archives.  Noting that December 16th was my mom's birthday, HIS birthday, and Beethoven's birthday, Bob sent along a photo of "The Four Ziggies" commissioned by their mom around 1960.  That's Ken at the rear and, clockwise, Valerie '67, Lynn '72 and Fritz '61.

The Golden Anniversary Pacer is the green 8-page Christmas Vacation issue of December 20, 1962.  Remember "Christmas Vacation"?  Remember headlines like "McCorquodale Elected By Sophs As 62-63 Prexy"?  Sophs?  Prexy.  Language and customs certainly to change.  Click HERE to take a gander at the paper.

Larry Mabee '61, whose family created Big Bear Markets, passed away December 16th.  Click HERE to to to the Class of '61 Obituary Page, where you can read the recollections of Lenny Como '69 and obituaries from UT San Diego and Bloodhorse.com

Charles Ham '65 spotted the obituary for his classmate John "JB" Belchez, who died on November 16th.  Click HERE to read the obituary and/or sign the on-line guest book.

Dave Engle '73 wonders what ever became of Auto Shop Teacher Jim DeVore

I don't enjoy having my picture taken and don't like to force it on others, but I kinda liked the photo Nancy took last Friday while breakfasting at Janet's Montana Cafe in Alpine.  If I'd been wearing red I might have passed for Santa.

Elaine Robinson Davis '61 spotted Alice Birney Elementary in last week's photo of El Cajon Blvd. and wishes her old school could be fixed up.  Click HERE to take another look -- and read what she had to say.

Elaine's not gonna be happy with this photo either.  It's one of my all-time favorites, taken from Mission Cliff Gardens in 1916.  It looks south along North Avenue to the distant Normal School.  Click HERE to gaze in awe at an enlargement of a photo that's nearly 100 years old.

My classmate Ken Ziegenfuss '62 is in town from New York.  It'll be his first Christmas visit since his mother passed away on May 23rd.  He hopes you can join him at the Fallbrook Public Library this Sunday, December 16th. He'll be performing Chopin Etudes from 3:30 to 5.  There will be a pre-concert presentation at 3 and goodies afterward.  Ironically, I'll be at Renown Care celebrating my Mom's 92nd birthday.  Hope someone takes pictures.

Jamie Harrington sends '68 word that his classmate Sheldon Engelhorn (above) has been selected as a UC San Diego Alumni Regent beginning July 2013.  Click HERE to read all about it.

"Light My Fire", by the Rolling Stones, was the #1 hit of 1967 according to the 3-ring binder of Kris Pruski Wood '70.  Click HERE to read the rest.  Don't be surprised if you have to take a break.  It's a little bit like staring at the sun.

Far Out!!!   Sam Judd '70 noticed that the local bands opening for the Byrds, in the poster shared by Kris Pruski Wood, were Brainpower and Light Show, one of which had a Crawford connection.  I was  -- like -- too stoned to pick up on it.  Click HERE to revisit the poster and read what Sam has to say.

Some of you have been asking about Mom -- and telling me you miss dining vicariously with Nancy and I (or is it Nancy and me?)   Mom's hanging in there.  I think she knows who I am, and I can usually coax a Mona Lisa smile out of her.  When I ask how's she's doing she says, "bad".  Attempts to communicate further don't end well.  On the dining front, we're staying close to home.  It would appear that Nancy would rather have Eggs Benedict at The Green Flash than go anywhere else.  Maybe it's because they made them special for her birthday on November 16th.

Here's a photo from the San Diego History Center, taken on June 19, 1942. You may already recognize it as El Cajon Boulevard, looking west at Alabama Street.  Click HERE enjoy a nice enlarged view.   It's unusual to get exact dates on historical photos and I'm worried about this one.  Some of the cars look newer than 1942 to me.  Maybe you experts can check in.  

Mary Wilcox Craven '63 enjoyed reading about the winning speech team in the November 24, 1971 Pacer and thought you'd like to know the name of the speech teacher.  It was Mary Wilcox Craven.

From the 3-ring binder of Kris Pruski Wood '70 you can check out the Top 100 Hits of 1968 from radio station KGB.  Click HERE to refresh your memory.  (I've enlarged the original list so you won't have to get right up on the computer screen).

From Bob Skirvin '71 -- "As cosmic serendipity would have it, Helen Draz called me on a referral to perform some carpet repairs at their house in University City.  When I walked in and saw Coach, I said "I know you!".  Of course I had seen him around town from time to time driving the VW bug that he seemingly had forever, but this was the first personal interaction I had with him in the last 40 years or so (and no, the bug is gone).   Coach Draz and his wife are a lovely, happy couple and it was a pleasure visiting with and working for them.  Coach and I are each having birthdays this time of year and combined, we're something like 142 years old.  Holy shit!  Where has the time gone?  I want it back!  Coach pulled out a few old Centaurs so we could look at ourselves from back in the day.  He even pulled out a '64 Centaur that featured both he and my dad, Emmett, in the one year that their service at Crawford overlapped."

Tom Cassie '62 sends word of the passing of our classmate Larry Urdahl on November 28th in Sedona, Arizona.  There is no word yet on local services, but you can read a nice article in East County Magazine.

Rick Blaine '64 says his classmate Edna "Eddie" Timmons Hart died on November 30th in Columbus, Ohio.  Only problem is -- I can't find her in the '64 Centaur.  Can you help?  In the meantime, you can read an obituary in the Columbus Dispatch.