September 27, 2019

Every so often something appears on my TV screen that causes me to sit up in the Barcalounger and wonder if my eyes and ears were deceiving me.  Mission Federal Credit Union is helping to sponsor the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program.  Who better to "help feed San Diego School Children" than Mission Fed spokesperson -- wait for it -- Angie Lasagna!!

I don't promote ALL of the missives of my '62 classmate Ernie Cowan, but most all of them.  Last week's Outdoor column was the delightful "Nature's morning wake-up call on Mt. Whoville".  Click HERE and enjoy.

Last week George Sorenson sent me a photo of some folks from the Class of '69 who had all started out at San Diego State's Campus Lab School.  He also sent a lovely shot of their 1st Grade class in 1958.  I was able to blow up the 1958 class and place it on the School Days Page.  George was never able to locate the person who took the above photo and get a denser version.  If we do get one we'll blow it up and post it also.  Pictured above are:  Robby Wilcox, George Sorensen, Thomas Cook, Terry Potter, Doug Smith, Karen Dilworth, Phil Frye, with Keith Christensen seated in front. Terry Potter went on to be the Crawford Homecoming Queen and George Sorensen the Drum Major of the Marching Band.   George says you can pick them out in the photo below but he didn't say how.

Well, it's been 60 years since the 21st Annual San Diego City Schools Football Carnival was played at Balboa Stadium on September 26, 1959.  Crawford was the host school for the event, and Vern Bowman got his portrait published, although most of his face was blocked out by the face guard on his helmet.  Click HERE to reminisce.  

Without the California Tower as a reference it's hard to tell which way we're looking in this photo of the Cabrillo Bridge taken on July 18, 1915.  Click HERE to look at an enlargement and see what my guess is.

Charles Byrne ’62, passed away September 18, 2019 at his home in Carson City, NV.  Charlie, later known as Chuck, was born in San Diego and attended San Diego State’s Campus Lab School, Jackson Elementary, Horace Mann and Crawford.  He attended the University of Arizona for a year, married, then finished at San Diego State with a degree in Finance.  He worked for several corporations in the San Diego area in finance and accounting before moving to the Silicon Valley area for a number of years.  He then transferred to Carson City, NV in the 1990s where he was CFO, then President and CEO of Hytek Microsystems, Inc. before his retirement.  In his later years, he loved golf, fishing and chilling out at the family cottage on the rocky coast in the Redwoods north of Trinidad, CA.  Chuck is survived by his son Quentin and daughter Christine, both in Nevada, and his brother Mike ’64, of Hudson, MA. 

September 20, 2019

You're invited to the Crawford High Whole Site Modernization groundbreaking on Wednesday, September 25th, from 8:45 to 9:30 AM.  Speakers will include Superintendent Cindy Marten, Board President Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, Chief Facilities Planning and Construction Officer Lee Dulgeroff and new Crawford High Principal Froylan Villanueva. The cheer team will also kick-off the groundbreaking. 

I've scanned and posted the Senior Awards Assembly Program from June 15, 1970.  I think this is the last of the goodies sent to me by Ed Schoenberg a while back.  Click HERE to find out who the big winners were.

Tom Isom is at it again on Facebook.  Here's an 1899 photo of San Diego Harbor printed from a glass negative.  Small world.  Tom, it turns out, is married to Vivien Messick Isom '63.  Tom grew up in Lakeside, but was a lunchtime supervisor at Crawford during the 1966-1967 school year.  Click HERE if you'd like to see an enlarged version of the photo.

I hope you have a 2020 calendar.  Barbara Alvarez wants you to save the date for next year's 50 Year Reunion.  The information is above.   I've also posted it on the Reunions Page.

Frank Alfano ’67, a native San Diegan, died at the age of 70 on September 5, 2019.  Frank was a shortstop at Crawford, leading his team to three consecutive CIF baseball finals.  He was drafted by the New York Mets out of high school but opted for a baseball scholarship at USC, where he was the star of the school’s 1970 and 1971 NCAA champion baseball teams. He went on to play for the Minnesota Twins organization in the Midwest and Carolina leagues. Upon his return to San Diego, he was employed by HomeFed Bank as an Assistant Vice President Administrative/Purchasing Director. He left the financial industry in 1981 to “fight real fires” with the City of San Diego Fire Department and retired as Fire Captain in mid-2007.  For over twenty-three years, Frank was also a high school sports official in San Diego County, officiating baseball, football and track events. He also umpired NCAA and NAIA college baseball games throughout Southern California. He was inducted into the San Diego County Sports Officials Hall of Fame in 2015.  Frank always made his family and friends a priority and was an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed camping, fly fishing, and hiking. His favorite annual road trip was the Moose Lake “Bellinger Bros’ Man Camp” in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, Montana.  Frank is survived by, among others, his wife of over 37 years Jane Cruz Alfano and brother, Tony Alfano ’69.

Dan Daniels ’67 passed away July 19, 2019.  Dan was born in Roseburg, Oregon and, at the age of five, moved to Imperial Beach with his Mom and Sister. After attending Crawford he went to Grossmont College, San Diego State, then was in the California National Guard from 1970-1976.   Dan met his wife Kathy on August 2, 1975 and they married on February 9, 1980.  They lived in Rancho Bernardo from 1980 to the present.   In 2008 Dan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  Kathy took care of him until a week before his passing.

September 13, 2019

Dave Duncan '63 has now lost two family members to brain cancer.  His wife Jeanine died in 2013.  Son Chris (above) passed away last Friday.   Click HERE to read an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  

Ed Schoenberg has sent me his student handbook from 1968.  It only took me about 20 hours to scan, reformat, and post all 52 pages.  Click HERE to peruse the results of my efforts.  There will be a quiz.

"La La La La" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" were Numbers 2 and 3 of the September 19, 1964 KDEO Top 40.  Obviously the Golden Age of Rock and Roll.  Click HERE to check it out.

One of the most stunning historical views of Mission Valley popped up on Facebook last week.  Two, actually.  Click HERE to see them enlarged.

September 6, 2019

Butch Higgins '65 puts together seasonal golf tournaments and this one, a “Back to the Future” gathering, was played at Colina Del Sol, a pitch and putt that most of us played as kids.  Alums from the ‘50s to the ‘70s competed,  including my son Matt (Santana ’93).  Steve Kapchinske '65 won the seasonal trophy on a points basis.  The field included a who’s who of notable San Diegans.  It might be fun to see if your readers can identify them. We're all a little long in the tooth, so it will be tough sledding -- Dan Burton '66 

(Click HERE to check out a whole lot of photos taken by Dale Olson '65.  He posted them via Google photo, which may allow you to make comments -- or name names.  I'm pretty sure Bob Boone is left of center, in a red shirt with a horizontal blue stripe)  

I shoulda posted this last week.  It's the football program from the San Diego-Los Angeles high school game played at Aztec Bowl on August 26, 1959.  Click HERE to check it out.

Turns out, before there was Cinnamon Cinder at 7578 El Cajon Blvd, there was Comanche Bowl.  This is the best I could do for a photo.

Turns out The Contrasts, who followed the coasters on this particular weekend, was a band largely made up of Colts.  That's them below playing a benefit at the Scottish Rite Temple:  Bill Keller on sax, James “Skinny” Bolan on guitar and lead singer, Donny Arnold on drums, Jan Tonnesen on lead guitar, and Kenny Jiampa on bass. I've put all of the Cinnamon Cinder stuff on a web page.  Click HERE to peruse.