January 25, 2019

I love this cartoon posted by Lulu Anaya Summers on Facebook.

Doug Houser '60 is the author of Jungle Warriors.    He served as an infantry officer in Viet Nam, so I guess he's got the background  Click HERE for more details.

Wanna take a ride down University in 1972?  Well, it MIGHT be 1972.  I'll pick you up in North Park and we'll drive to 70th St.  We'll go by Dean's Photo, Cinerama Theater and Par Tee Miniature Golf.  See if you can keep track of the gas stations that aren't here any more.  Click HERE and buckle up.

Here's the Golden Anniversary Pacer, issued on January 23, 1969.  Ina Godda Da Vida was announced as the theme for the 13th annual ASB Ball.  Need I say more?  Click HERE to read the complete paper.

Lannie Pasas ’59 died peacefully in Franklin, TN on January 15th, surrounded by his loving family.  Born in San Diego, he graduated in 1964 from San Diego State University with a degree in accounting. Lannie served for six years as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard in California. He had a 36-year career in accounting with Ernst & Ernst, followed by Ernst & Whinney, and finally Ernst & Young. He retired as a Partner with Ernst & Young in 2000.  He is survived by, among others, his sister Marion Pasas ’61.  Click HERE to sign the on-line Guest Book.

January 18, 2019

Crawford student Masiti Ahmed (that's her in yellow -- or is it ochre?) is part of a program teaching girls to become FAA-certified drone pilots.  That's a long way from what the girls below hoped for in a career.  Click HERE to read the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Mary Smith '62 shared on Facebook the color photos she took on the day we got our Centaurs.  Turns out I'd already posted the photos on the website some years ago.  Click HERE to check them out again.

After the shellacking we took in football my Sophomore Year I didn't think I could ever look at a picture of San Diego High School again.  Apparently the scars have healed, because I really enjoyed this color shot of The Old Gray Castle" that popped up on Facebook last week.

I normally steer clear of politics, but this article from the Union-Tribune archives gave me a chuckle.

Here's the Pacer from January 16, 1964 -- 55 years ago.  Beth Stewart was crowned ROTC Queen and my buddy Doug Kvandal was part of a group of award-winning handball players.  Click HERE to take a walk down Memory Lane.

Louise Neil Abdelnour '63 sent in a renewal check for her quarterly newsletter AND included a May 16, 1968 newspaper clipping on the death of John Callaham '64 in Vietnam.  That got me perusing the Union-Tribune archives and I came up with a couple of more articles, written by Dan Burton '66 and the late Dan Felice '68.   Click HERE if you'd like to read them.

Joe Mousley contacted me with a little information about his father Jim, who passed away December 14, 2018.  I've posted it on the Class of '65 Obituary Page.  Looks like Jim achieved his goal of becoming a police officer.

January 11, 2019

I hate to pass on bad news, and am usually reluctant to talk about Colt offspring, but in yesterday's U-T Sports Section I spotted a story about Chris Duncan, son of Dave Duncan '63.  Brain cancer, which caused the death of his mother, has resurfaced.  Click HERE to read an article in USA Today.  Obviously, our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris and Dave.

Just in case you missed him in a Sea of Red, that's Joe Dyke '65 tooting his horn for the Salvation Army Band in the 2019 Rose Parade.  It was the 100th straight year the Salvation Army has appeared in the parade.  Make up your own joke about how many of those years Joe played.  Click HERE to try and pick him out in the video. 

Apparently members of the Class of '68 have been turning 68.  Susan Weetman Belair's turn came this past Monday and her life-long pal Karen Nobbe Griffin '69 made the long trek down the hill from Julian to help her celebrate at O'Sullivan's in Escondido.  That's Susan on the right.

My classmate Larry Guske had a question for city councilman Scott Sherman, who had a representative call him back.  Turned out to be Sheldon Zeman, who attended Euclid Elementary and Horace Mann before heading to Herbert Hoover Senior High.

Kay Ross Slater '60 hopes I'm OK.  She hasn't been getting her Fry Day emails.  I'm fine, but don't know why she's not getting them.  I reminded her that all Fry Day emails are archived on the Colt Corral blog.  You all should save it to your favorites just in case.

The Winter Issue of the 12-page quarterly newsletter is in the mail and subscribers should have it in their hands.  Click HERE if you're interested in a subscription.

I think Betty Greenwood posted this shot of her and Bob Lutz on Facebook.  Bob says he's filled out nicely since this photo was taken at the 1963 Junior Prom.  

News of Jim Sams' passing caused Bob Richardson to pull out this photo from the 1960 Varsity-Faculty basketball game. Says Bob, "Coach Sams is in his favorite shooting spot, on the baseline, left edge of photo, wearing his Aztec number 33! In the 1960 Centaur he was cropped out of the same photo. Closest to the camera, #54, is Crawford's first ever American Exchange Student, Darwin Montaldo. Immediately to the right of him is Marshall Malcolm, who coached JV basketball (also cropped out in the Centaur). The person making the layup is Mr. Jackson, who was Crawford's Varsity basketball coach in its first two years, and a math teacher. I sent him a framed 8x10 print of this photo, with a letter, nine years ago." 

January 4, 2019

The End of the World is Near -- at least as far as dining out.  Spoiler Alert -- I am NOT a foodie.  An article in the Union-Tribune talks about new restaurants expected to open in 2019.  Trust me, they're not going to be offering comfort food.  Louisiana Purchase in North Park promises, among other mouth-watering delights, "alligator cheesecake with crawfish cream sauce".  Include me out.  Click HERE if you'd like to peruse the article.

Ernie Cowan has done it again.  This past week his Outdoors column recalls a New Year's Eve in the desert many years ago that involves a bunch of teenagers (possibly from Crawford) and ghosts.  Click HERE to enjoy.

Jerry Magee, a sportswriter at the Union-Tribune for 50 years, has died.  Bill Center '63, who knew him for most of those years, has written a heart-felt obituary.  Click HERE to read it.

The Crawford Alumni Association web site reports the passing of Coach Jim Sams on December 20, 2018.  I assume details will follow.

Forrest Folck ’66 died of complications from Multiple Myeloma December 28, 2018.  Forrest, at the age of five, with his mom and younger brother, moved to Southern California.   He would go on to become a highly sought-after motor vehicle forensic expert with over 43 ASE Master Mechanic certifications including, ASE certified Advanced Level Specialist. As well as a phenomenal automotive instructor for the San Diego Community College District, including TIA Automotive Tire Service Instructor certification.  Forrest would always jump at the chance to share his knowledge and love for automotive engineering --- whether it was helping his students on their “weekend projects”; to opening his home garage to neighbors to teach and help repair their vehicles, to teaching his grandson how to install a new car stereo system.  Forrest was always cool and calm in the courtroom, patient in the classroom, and the loudest cheerer at his daughter’s dance recitals & son’s soccer games.   He was always the first to lend a tool, share his knowledge, pick up litter on his daily multi-mile walks, and help his friends, family, and neighbors.  Forrest’s pride in his adult children was only superseded by his pride in his grandchildren, to whom he passed along his mechanical inclinations, sense of humor, sense of exploration, and never-ending love. 

Hiram Holloway ’68 passed away in his sleep on December 14, 2018.  “My brother succumbed to esophageal cancer.  Hiram was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer of the esophagus in June 2018” -- Ben Holloway ‘67  (Hiram did not have a photo in the Centaur)