July 26, 2019

Did you hear about the breast feeding kerfuffle aboard a KLM airliner a couple of weeks ago?  The woman apparently didn't want to cover up while feeding her infant.   Reminded me of the fellow sitting next to a lady who asked if he was offended by her breast feeding her little boy, explaining how it equalized the pressure in his ears and kept him from crying.  "You go right ahead," said the man, adding "and all these years I've been chewing gum."

If you attended the Campus Lab School at San Diego State -- and graduated from Crawford in 1969 -- you’re invited to an informal lunch in Old Town on the day of the Crawford reunion at Bali Hai.  Contact Karen Dilworth kcpdmp@cox.net or George Sorensen george.sorensen@me.com if you’re interested in attending.

You can run but you can't hide.  Frank Klepach (left) finally located his '64 classmate Jerry Pierce after five years of searching and got together with him for breakfast in Rancho San Diego.

I'm not much of a bird watcher, but I sure enjoy Ernie Cowan's writing.  Click HERE to read his latest column about a shore bird known as a Willet.

Ed Schoenberg '70 sent me a couple of programs from his acting days at Crawford.  I spent the better part of Wednesday scanning The Witches program only to discover that it was already on my website -- with extra goodies!!  Click HERE to check it out.

Here's a post card of the Campus Chuck Wagon, sent to me by Dave and Linda Roberts Ponsford.  Click HERE to see it enlarged.  The eatery was around from 1958, when it took over the Algier's Restaurant site at 6205 El Cajon to around 1978 when it was replaced by Carlos' Fine Foods.

Faculty Member Warren Marlay passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side on July 13, 2019.  Born in Chicago, he was a teacher for 30 years at Mission Bay and Crawford. He was a co-founder of Sunset Pool Company.  During WWII Warren served in the Navy and was based at Pearl Harbor Submarine Base in Hawaii.  Warren is survived by his wife of 68 years, Adeline; two sons, Warren and Gregory, and daughter Rebecca.   Click HERE if you'd like to sign the on-line Memory Book.

Ginny Sanderson Dahlen '60 contacted me Thursday with the sad news that her classmate, friend and fellow Song Leader Dottie Johnson Vargas had passed away of cancer.  Services are Tuesday.  If you need to know more, email Ginny at fitginy20@hotmail.com

Also on Thursday I spotted a Facebook posting by Ed Pease, who let folks know that Larry Greenwood '64 died on June 29th.

July 19, 2019

Marilu Henner, if memory serves, was once interviewed by David Letterman about her photographic memory.  She has the ability to remember every day of her life.  He asked her if she could recall what she was doing on July 20, 1969.  She turned red, sputtered, and allowed as how she had lost her virginity in a shower in Chicago.  “Why did you pick THAT date,” she asked.  “Well,” replied David, “it’s the day man first set foot on the moon.”  (Not trusting my memory I tried to authenticate this story using Google.  I was pretty close, except the internet said she was interviewed by Johnny Carson. Or Tom Snyder. Or Bob Costas.  No mention of David Letterman.)

I wanted to share news of a memoir about Mr. Richard Brosio that his widow Martha sent to me. It is the story of his life -- including time at Crawford -- their relationship, his scholarship, his dementia, and the choice to die.  It is both incredibly touching and also very informative.   I was a big fan of his in high school and even had a chance to visit with him and Martha in Milwaukee, WI where they lived after retiring from Ball State in Muncie, Indiana.  Martha knows that he was a popular teacher in San Diego and wants to share her story with people he touched -- June Reznikoff '66

The Last Ten Days: Academia, Dementia, and the Choice to Die is a heartrending memoir of love, scholarship, dignity, courage, and the choices one is forced to make when given the devastating diagnosis of a terminal illness. Spanning sixty years, this extraordinary book recounts the love story of Martha Risberg Brosio and her husband, Richard Brosio, Ph.D., a brilliant scholar and college professor whose communication skills dazzled all with whom he came in contact. Teenage sweethearts who went their separate ways after high school, Martha and Richard reconnected twenty-six years later over a friendly dinner that sparked into passionate love. They married in 1983, enjoying a vibrant life together. Then tragedy struck. In late 2013, Richard was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a type of dementia similar to Alzheimer’s that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. The disease impacted Richard’s ability to communicate. There was no cure. Determined to have a dignified death at the time and in the manner of his own choosing, Richard hastened his death two years after his diagnosis by voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, seeking only palliative and hospice care until the end. 

Click HERE to go to Myers Educational Press.  Use code MEP25 to receive 25% off on your purchase.

Where Does The Time Go?  Bill Wolf '68 posted this photo montage on Facebook:  Born in Reno in 1950 but moved to San Diego shortly after • My fire engine! 50th & El Cajon Blvd • Had moved to near downtown and first family picture •  Crawford High School as a Senior.  I met my future wife there -- Kathleen Lally!! • Basic training 1968 at Ft Ord - 17 years old! • 129th Assault Helicopter Company, Door gunner and crew chief 1969-70 • Drill Sergeant back at Fort Ord, 1970-72 •  Sergeant with San Diego Police Department for 27 years, 1974-2001 •  At my son's wedding wearing my military ribbons and wings.

You're looking at a 101-year old aerial photograph of Mission Cliff Gardens, where the streetcar turned at Adams Avenue and Park Boulevard.   At the right is the Bentley Ostrich Farm.  I wondered about the football field.  Nancy suggested, and I'll bet she's right, that it's where they held the ostrich races.

This week's Golden Oldie features a photo of the late Coach Jim Sams and his 1963 CIF Championship basketball team.  Click HERE to see the picture enlarged -- plus a bonus shot.

Richard Morse ’66 passed away Sunday, July 14, 2019, after a 2-year battle with cancer.  He was living in Sonora, CA with his wife Deborah -- Ron Morse ’64

Eileen Gianola ’76 died June 29, 2019 after a long illness.  Born on November 5, 1957,  Eileen grew up in the Oak Park area of San Diego, the fifth of eight children, and attended Holy Spirit School. Her entire working career was with the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, retiring as a Supervising Recreation Specialist with the Aquatics District in 2017. 

July 12, 2019

Cartoonist and Crawford grad Scott Shaw! ‘68 will once again be a Special Guest at San Diego's Comic-Con International, doing presentations and meeting his fans.  Comic-Con begins Wednesday and ends Sunday.

And since it's the event's 50th anniversary, there will be a number of other Crawford alumni attending as Special Guests, many of whom were instrumental in founding the San Diego Comic-Con in 1970: Science fiction author Greg Bear ‘68; wine and spirits authority and poet David Clark ‘69; scientist, educator and author Roger Freedman ‘69; and illustrator and fine artist John Pound ‘70.   

Three of those -- David, Roger, and Scott -- were also turned into comic book characters by the most respected creator in that industry, cartoonist Jack Kirby. In the pages of SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN No. 144, the world was introduced to "The San Diego Five String Mob", a rock band from the planet Apokolips sent to Earth to assassinate Superman -- and Roger, John, and Scott were members! 

To celebrate the fictitious band's reunion -- all six former San Diegan members are Special Guests at this year's CCI since they were all founding members of the convention -- Scott's even created a new "tour" T-shirt to celebrate the occasion.  That's the artwork above.

 At any rate, if you're going to be in attendance Scott would love to have you seek him out and say hi.

Turns out I'm not the only one having a hissy-fit over the desecration of the cheeseburger.  When they have to put a giant toothpick in it to keep it from falling over, something is very wrong.  Anyway, comedian Jim Gaffigan did a great opinion piece on CBS Sunday Morning last week.  If you CLICK here you may be able to enjoy it.

It's Summer Time, so I guess that means reruns from the Memory Page.  This color shot of '62 grads Helga Ritter, Bruce Parker, Barbara Holewinski, Beverly Swaim, Renee Ames, Buddy Power and Sue Knoll is from one of my first attempts at building a web page.  Click HERE to check it out.

Maria Elena Wantoch posted this shot of Mission Valley on the Growing Up In San Diego Facebook Page, although I see the Vintage San Diego imprint also.  Anyway, I assume the photographer was documenting the progress of the 805 bridge construction.  As often happens in these cases, he or she captured a lot of other interesting sites.  Montgomery Ward and May Company take center stage, and Valley Ho and the old ice rink can be spotted at the far left.  My favorite though, and right down front on the left, is the Jolly Ox Restaurant.

Linda Lee Hester '71, according to the Crawford Foundation website, passed away April 4, 2019.

July 5, 2019

I try to avoid sharing bad news about Crawford graduates, but sometimes I can't help myself.  Linda Blake Morrow '70 and her husband were recently apprehended in Israel, having been on the run since 2017 -- charged with fraud.  Click HERE to read all about it.

I thought this was a better version of a Palisade Gardens photo we've seen before, but it's a different image posted on Facebook by Brooks Wilson who found it on the Library of Congress web site.

Max Van Horn put this photo on Facebook, adding "I borrowed these from the Midway and Campus drive-ins on the nights they closed. If they ever re-open I will return them. The one from the Midway says so but the Campus was marked United Cal, I believe it was an owners group."

I misspoke last week when I said the photo below was taken in front of the downtown library at 815 E Street.  It was taken in front of the downtown post office at 815 E Street.  I snagged a snippet of a 1947 Howard Rozelle aerial that shows the post office.  You're also looking at the back of the Carnegie Library that preceded the one most of us grew up with.  I suppose that mailbox is down there somewhere.

Maria Navarro Coyle ’67, my childhood friend of 60 plus years, and neighbor growing up on 49th Street, passed away June 25th.  After numerous bouts with cancer over the years, the big evil C has taken her from us.  I was one of her bridesmaids in 1967 and was honored to attend the 50th wedding anniversary of Maria and Marshall Coyle in September 2017 in Madison, Alabama, where they have lived since leaving San Diego many years ago.  I was also able to visit with her the first week of June, along with her sister Anita Navarro Baldwin '63 and brother Jose Navarro '68.  Maria will be sadly missed -- Kathy Keeyes Antus ’68