April 8, 2016

New technology provides new humor.  Here's a Bizarro cartoon from Tuesday of this week.

Yippee!!  J and M's is featuring Pork Chops as one of its April Specials.  Now all I need is a ride to Escondido.  Oh, wait -- what does it say in fine print?  "Served Anytime During March".

Tom Clancy and I both wrote military books.  He used his royalty checks to buy part of the Baltimore Oriole baseball team.  I may cash my $25 check and head out to the Wrangler Barbecue in El Cajon. Turns out George Glover '73 is part owner.   George got his start at a barbecue place in the shopping center at 63rd and El Cajon.

Click HERE to check out the "Boss 30" top hits on KGB 1360 for April 9, 1966.  Gee, that's almost 50 years ago!!

Jim Kermott '67 shares a classic photo of Colts and Cardinals from the "Colt Country Club".  Jim says that was any bar in Tijuana on a Friday or Saturday night.  Click HERE to see what they're drinking.  Must've been something special 'cause at least two of the couples got married.

John McGuigan '64 poses with Trooper, in a photo taken earlier this week in Squaw Valley.  Trooper is the newest Squaw Valley Avalanche dog, also known as Squawdogs.  John is in his 13th year as a Volunteer Ski Patroller.  

I've just learned of the passing of Wayne Morgan '64 on March 14th in Bullhead City, Arizona.  Click HERE to read an obituary.

April 1, 2016

The perfect day to read the best April Fool's Day publication.  Click HERE to peruse the April 1, 1960 issue of the Pacer.

If you don't get your Fry Day email, go to the Colt Corral blog.  If THAT isn't current, then you can email me and ask if I'm OK.  Thanks for caring.

The plan, last Friday, was to breakfast at the Waffle Spot, then head out to the Barbecue Pit on Fletcher Parkway to pick up a Roast Beef Plate that I could put in the fridge to eat at a later date.  The Waffle Spot was packed to the gills, so we headed to Brothers on Waring Road.  A black pickup truck entered the lot ahead of us -- and took the last parking place.  Waring to Navajo to Lake Murray Blvd got us to the Lake Murray Cafe, where there WAS parking.  After that it was a short trip to the Barbecue Pit and smooth run back to the beach on Highway 52.

Kathy Keeyes Antus '68 shares her Monte Hall Birthday photo.  Click HERE to see the enlarged version.

Click HERE to check out the March 31, 1966 Golden Anniversary issue of the Pacer.

March 25, 2016

Turns out some of you have never visited my Crawford web page.  Click HERE and click on some links that will take you away from Facebook for a few hours.

Bad news -- Nancy Alumbaugh Bailey Rinck's second husband has passed away.  Good news -- Nancy's returning to San Diego.  You can find her email address on the Class of '60 Email Page. 

I continue to be a day late and a dollar short on the Golden Anniversary Pacers.  Click HERE to read the 6-page 1966 St Patrick's Day issue.

Ron Jagodinski has uncovered some old photos.  Here he is with four of his buddies at John Muir's 6th Grade Graduation in 1956.

Last week's photo of SDSC professors whose children went to Crawford devolved into a mention of Monty Montezuma and, eventually, Monte Hall.  Seems like a good time to revisit my "Monte Hall, Uncle Russ, Smokey Rogers, Johnnie Downs and other Idols" page.   Click HERE to check it out.

I don't think I ever dined at the Top Shelf, but I saw it from the freeway a thousand times.  I'll bet it brings back a lot of memories for a lot of Colts.  This photo appeared on Greg May's Vintage San Diego Facebook page this week.

Greg May added another postcard to his Aztec Motel Facebook Page.  The address of the motel was 6050 El Cajon Blvd.  He's included a link so you can see what's there today.  This is sounding familiar.  Have we already covered this?

March 18, 2016

Hope you enjoy this Bizarro cartoon as much as I did.

I never heard back from Kelcie Butcher about the athletic shoes so I'm abandoning my "new shoes" campaign.  If you want to send a check contact Susan Marshall Gordon at smarshallgordon@hotmail.com about where to send it and who to make it out to.  

In what has become an annual (or bi-annual) tradition, Joe Dyke ’65 reminds me that there is only one “S” in Daylight Saving Time.

That was NANCY Myers Woodward ’72 who shared news on the demolition of the Crawford campus -- not Kathy.

Dominic Gaccetta '73 checks in from Kingman, Arizona, where he is building a Missionary Training Center.  Contact him a pastord@gobadd.org if you want more information.

Debbie Nichols Poulos ’63 would like to hear from anyone with suggestions on how to publish her book about teaching Grades 4-6.  Her email address is dnpoulos@urcad.org

This 1955 photo of San Diego State faculty members accompanied a nice article on Professor John R Adams in the Spring 2016 issue of 360: The Magazine of San Diego State University.  I'm wondering how many of them had children who went to Crawford -- such as Richardson, Sorensen, Lamden and Schrupp.  Click HERE to read the article and see an enlarged copy of the photo.

Got to thinking about Oscar's hot apple pies.  Click HERE to check out the whole menu.  There's a lot of Oscar's memorabilia on the Memories Page.

March 11, 2015

Daylight Savings begins at 2 AM on Sunday, so set your clocks ahead before you hit the sack.  It's gonna be dark in the morning but -- yippee -- staying light later at night.

I'm hearing from a number of you that you miss the old emails where I talked about the weather and where Nancy and I were headed for breakfast.  We pretty much head to the Waffle Spot on our Monday and Friday breakfast ventures.  The Eggery is now the Truck Stop, which is my Sunday morning venue with my long-time pals Tom and Jeff.   The Green Flash morphed into one of those places with loud music, bar stools and Mimosas, so that's out.  Mike Crawford closed Good Time Charlie's and Mission Valley's Adam's Steak and Eggs have both closed.  On the weather front, I finally reached the top of a three-month waiting list for a new roof last week, just in time for Monday's thunderstorms.

I got to meet Dave '69 and Linda Roberts Ponsford '70 last week.  We were all dining at Pernicano's, where Patriarch Johnnie Pernicano still plays the piano, until he walks across the restaurant to take up the vibes.

It was SHERYL Leonard Bodzak '70 who checked in from Castle Rock, Colorado last week -- not Susan.

Athletic Director Kelcie Butcher is asking for your used athletic shoes.  I'm prepared to purchase a pair of new shoes for a Crawford Athlete.  I called Kelcie and learned, if dreams do come true, she needs:  10 pair of baseball cleats, 10 pair of softball cleats, 30 pair of track running shoes and spikes, and 5 pair of Volleyball shoes.  Obviously I have no idea how much shoes cost, but I'm gonna double my offer.  Get back to me if you want to join my team.  In the meantime, the used shoes are still very welcome.

Had I remembered to include the March 3, 1966 Pacer last week it would have been almost EXACTLY a Golden Anniversary Pacer.  Click HERE to read all six pages.

Mike McKittrick '60 shares a photo of himself (with a beer stein) and his buddies Chuck, Hoot and Guenther heading for the first taping of the Mickie Finn Show.  No, he wasn't in the band.  He claims to have worked in "customer satisfaction".  

Some years ago Bob Richardson '61 sent a couple of photos from a Christmas party at his house that he thought was either in 1955 or 1956.  He's shared five more photos, but still doesn't know what year they were taken.  He hopes someone out there can help.  Click HERE to check them out.

I've just learned of the passing of Roger Merk '66 on November 3rd.  He grew up in South Dakota but came to live with Aunt Myrtle at 17 when both of his parents died.  Click HERE to read the obituary and send condolences.

March 4, 2016

Susan Marshall Gordon '64 found this photo, in her mother's things, of the sign that preceded the building of Oak Park Elementary.  Click HERE to see an enlargement.

Why didn't Bill Kousens join his '64 classmates at Richard Degen's wedding.   Click HERE to learn the rest of the story.

Speaking of 1964, I've just come across a 1:45 minute YouTube video of Channel 8 news.  If you're as old as me you'll remember Ray Wilson, Bob Regan, Doug Oliver and Harold Keen.   Click HERE to check it out.

Sheryl Leonard Bodzak checks in from Castle Rock, Colorado.  She's now on the Class of '70 Email Page.

Ron Smith '72 shares his Sixth Grade photo from Rolando Park.  I've added the photo to those he shared previously.  I'm not sure which one Ron is.  Chuck Rainey might be there somewhere also.  Click HERE to check out an enlargement

One of the back-logged emails I got last week was from my classmate Vicki Holman Sawders, who shared the sad news of the passing on August 6th of her best friend from age 5, Bonnie Johnston Knauer '62.  You can still sign the Guest Book.

We've just learned of the passing of Judie Smith Cagle '60 on December 10, 2009 in Aurora, Colorado

February 26, 2016

Yesterday my computer hiccuped and belched, then coughed up a hairball containing 136 email responses dating back to August 19, 2015.  Who can figure this stuff out?  Luckily they were mostly of the "I'm on vacation and can't access my email" type of missive, but some of them required action or had important information.  I'll work through them as quickly as I can.

This shot of lower Broadway, looking east from Pacific Highway, pops up every so often on Greg May's Vintage San Diego Facebook page.  It was taken sometime prior to 1949, when the last streetcar made its run.  You can see a "modern" Class 7 streetcar heading up Broadway, and an older streetcar stopped at the far left at the Santa Fe railroad station.

Steve Schlesinger '83 shares a link to a CBS video on Julie Swann Paez '83, injured in the San Bernardino shootings.  Click HERE to watch it.  There was also an article in the Los Angeles Times

Tuesday's Union-Tribune had a nice article about "Mr. H.", a volunteer at Crawford's New Arrival Center.  Click HERE to read it.

Here's a color shot of the Homecoming Court from the 1971 Centaur.  I couldn't quite figure out who was who.  Click HERE for a larger photo.  Get back to me with the names.

February 19, 2016

The refurbished Silverado Ballroom was opened to the public this past Wednesday.  Click HERE to read the article in the San Diego Union Tribune -- and HERE to read more about the ballroom on my web site.

Dave Swinington '65 posted a photo of his 1953 Dodge Meadowbrook surf wagon on Facebook.  I've taken the liberty of adding it to my Cars We Drove To School page.

We're just about caught up with the Golden Anniversary Pacers.  Click HERE to check out the issue from February 3, 1966.

February 12, 2016

NOT MUCH HAPPENING this week of interest to former Colts.  At least the police weren't on campus to escort any teachers to the Grey Bar Hotel.

Jan Bremner Hall and Jennifer Tineo Graham are organizing the Class of '66 50th Anniversary Reunion, to be held the weekend of October 14th at the Mission Valley Marriott.  Jan will be the Point of Contact if you have questions.  Her email is janbremnerhall@gmail.com   If you have some spare time check out my Class of '66 Missing List and let me know if you have addresses for any of the folks mentioned.

Here's the Radio 91 KDEO "Fabulous 40" list for January 5, 1962.

Boy, the 6-page Golden Anniversary Pacer for January 20, 1966 is chock full of goodies.  Sandy Kramer was selected Girl of the Month and Gary Gordon's '57 Vette was named Pacer Car of the Month.  I enjoyed the ad for Le Mans Miniature Model Car Racing center on 54th and University.  I had forgotten about "slot cars".

Dennis Snead ’73 passed away February 8th.  Services will be held at 1:30 on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at Gates, Kingsley & Gates Praiswater Mortuary in Canoga Park.  Click HERE to sign the Guest Book

February 5, 2016

Crawford Spanish teacher Toni Nicole Sutton was escorted from campus last Thursday by police and arrested on suspicion of engaging in an unlawful sexual act with a student.  Ay caramba!!  Click HERE to read more and HERE for a video.

Sorry there's no link here.  I just got a kick out of this 1953 Boys' Life cover posted on Facebook.

I'm still trying to get up to date with the Golden Anniversary Pacers.  Here's the 6-page issue from November 24, 1965.

The Crawford Alumni Association reports the death of two Colts, but I can't confirm their passing

Rollie Buckallew '59 • January 29, 2016

Jeri McGuire Gutowski '65 • November 23, 2015

January 29, 2015

Susan Marshall Gordon was stunned to see the photos of Doug Kelimoff at 5495 Redwood.  It's the house she grew up in, except for the short time the family lived in Washington DC and rented out the house.  Susan's mother Larraine passed away on January 8th and there will be an Open House on the 31st.  Doug Kelimoff has accepted Susan's invitation to attend.

David Swinington has posted on Facebook a 1947 shot of the Swinington family home at 4355 Bonillo Dr

Greg May's Vintage San Diego Facebook page has posted new photos in

The Palisade Gardens Album and

The Mickie Finn's Album