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.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

August 14, 2015

IT'S STILL DARK IN PACIFIC BEACH.  It's going to get hot at the beach, but I won't get any sympathy from the folks in East County.  Looks like it's gonna be another breakfast with Uncle Ben.



If you've wondered why I haven't mentioned Nancy and breakfast lately it's because of the Wingo Women's World Tour.  Nancy, Lisa and Leanne have been exploring America's highways and byways for nearly a month.  This vintage photo was taken earlier this week in Estes Park, Colorado, which -- I hope -- means they're headed in a southwesterly direction.  I'm not holding my breath. They were headed west from Syracuse, New York earlier in the trip and decided to take a detour to Williamsburg, Virginia.




From my classmate Terry Walker '62 -- "Once again I will be hosting, as well as dancing and singing in the San Diego Follies “Hit Parade.”  There will be six shows over four days August 20 through August 23.  It will be held once again at the Lincoln Performing Arts Center in San Diego.  With the Palm Springs version  shut down permanently, this is the “only game in town” for us old codgers.  The theme will be “Top 40” countdown of the greatest songs of all time.  The show is produced by Christian Community Theater and its organizer Paul Russell, a member of Crawford’s Class of ’71.  There is a cast of over 60 and a 15-piece orchestra.  Fun for everyone."




Girls Galore from ’64!  Here is a photo taken Wednesday of a bunch of us who met at the Olive Garden in Grossmont Center for lunch.  Front row:  Mary Anne Graham Schofield, Gloria Blish Michealson, Anita McDonald Perry.   Back row:  Shirley Jackson Peterson, Gail Bell (Jim Bell's wife); Mary Hansen Herrmann, Kim Beavers Shannon, Nancy Gibbons Potts.  Some of us meet monthly for lunch and it is always a lot of fun.  Shirley Petersen comes down from Los Angeles every month and Gloria Michealson came from Arizona! 




My classmate Ron Jagodinski '62 forwards a photo, taken by his Mom around 1956, of two Admirals' Barges at Broadway Pier.  That's a British warship in the background.  Click HERE to see an enlarged version.



Do any of you remember this "classic" record?  It was a 33 1/3 RPM cardboard record in the middle of a 1966 MAD Magazine.  You tore it out and played it.  I used to have and actually put it in the middle of a book to keep it flat and then could never find it again.  Here is a picture of the record and I have attached the actual song.  Only MAD Magazine would have put out something like that way back then -- Rick Middlestead ’64  

(I wasn't sure how to share Rick's MP3 attachment.  I will attach and send it to those who ask.  Be warned, it's basically two minutes of intermittent belching -- John Fry)



Click HERE to read the January 21, 1966 copy of the Horace Mann Cougar Times, from the collection of John Pacheco '70.




David Ming '65 passed away July 1st.  That's all the person at the other end of David's email address chose to share.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

August 7, 2015

NOT MUCH HAPPENING around the Colt Corral this week, but at least no one sent me an obituary. I've dug into the files on my web site to bring out a couple Golden Oldies.  



Here's the KDEO "Fabulous 40" for August 9, 1963.



This Oscar's Menu dates from about the same period, I think.   Click  HERE to peruse all six pages and HERE to go the the Memories Page of my web site and look at some other Oscar's goodies.




From the John Pacheco collection, here's the Cougar Times for October 29, 1965.  There's only one article on Halloween, but several on new faculty members.  Oh, did I mention Governor Pat Brown visited the school?


Tuesday, July 28, 2015

July 31, 2015

Remember "Dick and Jane"?  That ship has sailed several times.



My good buddy Jeff told me about the April 20th cover of the New Yorker.  I gather it came out shortly after Cuba and the US decided to be friends again.  Click HERE to see an enlargement of this vision of Cuba after American business gets a new toehold



It would appear that Greg May has added some new photos to the Streetcar Album on his Vintage San Diego Facebook page. Click HERE to check them out.  You may have to be a Facebook member. This shot was taken on Broadway in front of the old, old courthouse (I think). 



The June 15, 1965 issue of the Cougar Times, courtesy of John Pacheco, is the 6-page Graduation Issue.  It's worth checking out just for the great photos of Julie Hansell  and Louie Schwartzberg,   Click HERE to peruse the publication.



Victor Perez sends word of the passing of Beatrice Goodwin Karp '67 on July 22.  I have no other details at this time, except that her daughter Ilana Sharone Karp is a '95 Crawford graduate.



Raymond Kirk '68 passed away July 24th.  Memorial Services will be held Saturday, August 1, 2015, at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 5150 Wilson Street, La Mesa, at 11:00 a.m., reception to follow. Burial Services will be held Monday, August 10, 2015, at Miramar National Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. Click HERE to read his obituary and sign the guest book.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

July 24, 2015


Once upon a time, in a land known as East San Diego, girls would ride the bus to North Park and shop at Whitneys.   Greg May has added two photos of Whitneys to the North Park album on his Vintage San Diego Facebook page
.



Later on, driver's licenses in hand, those girls would go out in the evenings to the movies.  One popular venue was the Valley Circle Theater, about where BevMo is in Mission Valley today.  Greg May has two photos and a great Grand Opening advertisement for the Valley Circle.  The Grand Opening took place December 26, 1966.



From the collection of John Pacheco, here's the


Speaking of the Horace Mann Cougars, Vivien Messick Isom drove by the old school the other day and noticed that it was now "The Home of the Tigers".  She wonders if female faculty members didn't want to be thought of as Cougars.




Victor Perez sends word that Naida Groff, his Biology teacher at Crawford, has passed away.  Click HERE to go to the Faculty Obituary Page.




Lee Cook '66 shares the sad news of the passing of his classmate Carole Kudrna Coleman.  Click HERE to go to the Class of '66 Obituary Page and learn more.



Wednesday, July 15, 2015

July 17, 2015


The San Diego Union-Tribune will have completed all 100 of its 100 Memories of Balboa Park by the time you read this (I think).  The miniature railway was #94.  Click HERE to check out the series -- and HERE to revisit the photos on my web site.

Crawford’s Class of 1970 will have an “Icebreaker” on Friday, July 24th from 4-8ish at the Bahia Resort Hotel’s Tangier Bar (998 W. Mission Bay Drive, San Diego 92109).  (Free appetizers from 3-5 so come early if you can )



This ad from the November 3, 1971 Daily Aztec recently appeared on Facebook



I had a request for a Crawford "C" with a horse jumping through it and thought I'd share what I found with you.  This decal set was loaned for copying by Sally Brett '63




Class of ’64 girlfriends Meri Pierce Knight, Kris Gjerde Flynn, Bev Bachman Fritschner, Laurie Koosed Ratner and Janis Irvine Ricards get their picture taken at Fashion Valley’s True Food Kitchen on July 14th.




Another group of '64 classmates met at Claim Jumper, in Grossmont Center, on the 15th.  Left to right are Anita McDonald Perry, Nancy Gibbons Potts, Mary Hansen Herrmann, Kim Beavers Shannon, and Shirley Jackson Petersen





John Pacheco '72 has loaned me his collection of Horace Mann Cougars.  This one has no date, but I'm pretty sure it's March of 1968.  Click HERE to decide for yourself.





Robert Quinten '71 is alive and well.   The reports of his passing, according to classmate Victor Perez, date back to a time prior to the last class reunion.  Robert apparently thought it would be fun to spread the word that he had left this mortal coil.  His photo doesn't appear in the yearbook, so I've substituted an appropriate vizage.



J Mitchell "Joe" Simon '71, on the other hand, passed away in January 2014.  Details are hazy and not likely to be forthcoming.




Karen Kessler '75 sends word of the belated passing, on June 20, 2010 of classmate Dyan McCormack Wootton.  Dyan moved to Leucadia during high school and she graduated from San Dieguito.




Wednesday, July 8, 2015

July 10, 2015









Gary Mitrovich '76 was able to get this photo for me for a Hoover grad who was lamenting the disappearance of the East San Diego sign -- and East San Diego for that matter.  Retired police officer Mitrovich has written a book about the East San Diego Police Department  Click HERE to see an enlarged version of this San Diego History Center photo which shows the northeast corner of Fairmont and University.  I tried to share a Google street view link, so you could see what's there now, but Google has changed the program and I'm too dumb -- and lazy -- to figure it out.




San Diego Jewish World is apparently going through its bound past issues and sharing them on its web site.  This photo is from the August 9, 1957 issue celebrating the the Jewish Center Little League's North Park Loop Championship.   Front Row, from left to right: Robert Sassaman, Darrell Cohen, Tom Rossi, David Hansen, and Glen Lovell. Second row, from left to right: Junior Katz, Morris Winicki, Barry Penn, Howie Toole, Paul Levine and Mike Dale. Standing in the rear is Herman Cohen. Not in picture, Jimmy Kraus.  Click HERE if you'd like to read the article, courtesy of Jimmy "Not In Picture" Kraus '65.




Bob's Big Boy is alive and well in Michigan.  Sharon Cramer Sceper '68 took this photo in Petoskey, MI.  She and the hubby visited Mackinac Island where the movie Somewhere In Time was filmed at the Grand Hotel.




Carlos Amezcua '71 is back -- and KUSI has him.  I did a spit take with my Cheerios Wednesday morning -- and Carlos was pretty surprised too -- when they brought Coach Richard Draz into the studio as a surprise.




The Class of '75 reunion will still take place on August 8th -- but at the Mission Bay Hilton.  Email Ken Flagg KFlagg@gmail.com  if you have questions.




My cousin John Murphy '64 passed away at home in White City, Oregon with his daughter and sister at his side. He had heart problems but died of pancreatic cancer -- Nelson Moore ’61

Thursday, July 2, 2015

July 3, 2015





I got a kick out of this Bizarro cartoon from last Friday.




Greg May has added this photo to the Sports Arena Album on his Vintage San Diego Facebook page. I like it because you can spot the old Midway Drive-In at the left and, if you really blow it up, you can see that hamburgers are 22¢ at the Jack-in-the-Box just out of the picture (and still in business) to the left.



 


Members of the Class of '61 and '64 who subscribe to the quarterly newsletter should get renewal notices this week.   I really appreciate your support.  I no longer send subscriptions to all class members so, if you're interested in subscribing, click HERE for information.



Monica Pacheco Zech '72 got some ink in Diane Bell's Column yesterday with her snippet about ducklings being rescued in El Cajon.




Maurice Barringer is somewhere in Asia, but reads the Union-Tribune on line and spotted the obituary for his classmate Bob Fortin, who died June 13th.  Click HERE to go to the Class of '64 Obituary Page.  You can read what Maurice had to say -- and sign the on line guest book.




Counselor Lois DeLay passed away October 3, 2014, according to Joanne Dewey Urban '72.   "We shared the same birthday (different years), so I had the pleasure of celebrating many times with her."


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

June 26, 2015


Here's a photo Nancy took from the ferris wheel at the fair on Wednesday


A couple of weeks ago I shared a cartoon from Harry Bliss.  My other favorite cartoon is Bizarro, by Dan Piraro.  Here's one from Tuesday of this week.

The following snippet in Monday's San Diego Union caught my eye:  "A 23-year-old motorist was killed Sunday when he drove off the road and his car struck a fire hydrant and a tree before overturning in Alpine."  I might have inserted "Alpine" earlier in the sentence.  It sounds like he struck the tree in, say, Pine Valley,before overturning in Alpine.  (Please God, don't let the deceased driver be a friend or relative of someone who reads this)



The First Thursday Auto Show on July 2nd at the Amigo Spot will feature Barry Penn’s 1950 Ford Woodie, Phil Piscopo’s 1947 Jeep Willys Wagon and Earl Asbury’s 1966 Cadillac Convertible.  We have room for a couple more cars if you have one you’d like to show off.



The Class of '70 Reunion Committee continues to meet.  Pictured above are John Pacheco, Rene Hansel Clay, Debbie Chmidling Elmore, Roxanne Shard Rusing, Kris Pruski Wood, Debbie Picon Lessard, Denise Daniels Casinelli, Sally Willett, Jane DeBolt Blackwell

The July 25th function is $60 per person if you pay by June 30th.  Email Rene Hansell Clay or Kris Pruski Wood.



Ray McFarland  ’68 passed away June 6, 2015.  A native San Diegan Ray, was actively involved at St. Therese Parish, and a Fourth Degree Knight. Ray was also a devoted Marine, Raider fan, and Harley enthusiast.   He was buried at Miramar National Cemetery.  Click HERE if you'd like to sign the on-line Guest Book.

Friday, June 19, 2015

June 19, 2015


The Summer Solstice will occur at 9:38 AM Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday.  I'm pretty sure that means it'll be Spring when I enter Starbucks at 9 and Summer when I leave at 10.


Roy Boughton '59 wonders if Chuck Woolsey was the Music Appreciation Teacher at Hoover that Elaine Robinson Davis liked so much in Summer School.  Elaine has dug into her oldest records and retrieved the correct answer.  It was Mr. Julian who she liked so much in the Summer of 1958.

Steve Brownell '64 and wife Sandy are moving to Brevard, South Carolina from their long time abode in Orange County.  He says this will give him a chance to realize a lifetime dream -- owning a tractor.  


Here's a photo of my sister Vicki and I on OUR tractor in Spring Valley circa 1949.

Sharon Stevens Leibl '62 and Dick are making a shorter move -- from Long Beach to Los Alamitos.



Here is one of the interesting ads in the October 15, 1964 Homecoming Issue of the Pacer loaned to me by Marv Abrams '65.  Click HERE to read all six pages.