October 19, 2018

Bart King '69 WAS able to change the dates on last week's cartoon to 1958 and 2018.

Here's a cartoon from Harry Bliss that I got a kick out of. 

You need to know Jackson Pollack's work to appreciate it.

National news this week talked about Sears filing for bankruptcy. Click HERE if you'd like to read an article on "Sears Through The Years".  Locally, plans for a new development on the old Sears site at UTC were revealed.  Click HERE to read the article in the UT.

You're getting on in years if you can say you shopped at the "Old Sears" -- in three different locations.

At University Town Center.

In Hillcrest, at 1290 Cleveland Avenue.  

(Click HERE to revisit a previous web discussion of this store)

Downtown, at the northeast corner of 6th and C.  This photo looks north on 6th.

Remember the City Schools Football Carnivals that kicked off each prep season?  Crawford played La Jolla in the first quarter of the match held on September 26, 1958.  Click HERE to peruse the program.  Dear God in Heaven -- the fourth quarter started at 9:50 PM!!!

The coronation of Terry Potter as homecoming queen headlined the October 17, 1968 edition of the Pacer.  Click HERE to read all four pages.

I've just learned of the passing of Donna Wykle Woelfle '60.  She was born in East Peoria, IL on March 10, 1941 and died in East Peoria, IL on August 4, 2018.  I wonder how she ended up graduating from Crawford?  Click HERE to read an obituary and sign the Memory Book.  Donna's husband Irv would like to hear from Emily Adams Byerley, who attended their wedding on February 20, 1960.  

October 12, 2018

This just reappeared on Facebook.  If I knew how, I'd change the dates to 1958 and 2018.  The guy on the right, if you're confused, is completely tattooed in apparently the same pattern as the other guy's trunks.

1964 classmates Frank Klepach, Paul Woolery, and  Andy Lemons got together last Fry Day at Johnnie B's in La Mesa, where the alcohol content of the beers is posted on the wall.   I'd steer clear of the Stone Delicious IPA at 7.7%.

The four-hour History of the Circus on PBS this week reminded me of the 1949 photo Bob Richardson's dad took of the Clyde Beatty Circus when it was in town.  Click HERE to see it enlarged, read some comments, and peruse the San Diego Union advertisement I've posted.

October 5, 2018

Why yes, I DID have a birthday this week.  Why do you ask?

On September 28th Barbara Bush and Tom Cassie celebrated the 55th anniversary OF THEIR FIRST DATE.  Says Barbara, "Thank you Tom for asking me out on our first date. We had a great time at the SDSU football game and pizza afterwards at Pernicanos.  My new shoes hurt, so I took them off, unbeknownst to you. When it was time to go, I couldn’t find them. That was the first red flag, but I’m so glad you ignored it and the all the others that followed."

Philip Hill shares a photo of Mission Valley Center's courtyard, looking east to May Company, that he took in July 1966.  "When the Center originally opened," he recalls, "I worked my first job at Thrifty Drug Store's Ice Cream counter on the West side of the mall next to Montgomery Ward's. I'm thinking that might have been during the summer after my '61 Crawford graduation."

Did you ever have the Chateubriand for Two at Kelly's Steak House in Mission Valley?  Me neither, but I must have seen the sign a thousand times driving on the freeway.  I swear it was $3.95 the first time I saw it, but I'm sure I was wrong.  What does this have to do with anything?  Much of the Town and Country Hotel, including the old steakhouse, will be dozed in the not-too-distant future and the above image is a rendering of what it will look like.   I no longer recognize much of downtown, and Mission Valley is soon to follow.  Click HERE if you'd like to read the article in the U-T.

Click HERE if you'd like to read the 6-page Golden Anniversary edition of the Crawford Pacer, issued on October 3, 1968.

Earlier this week I mentioned the services being held for Marty Fischbein today at the East Lake Shores Beach Club at 11 AM in Chula Vista.  Alan Jay Weissman recalls his classmate and friend.

Marty and I grew up in the same neighborhood near SDSU, where we both attended Hardy Elementary School, Horace Mann Junior High, and Crawford High School together.  Marty was a great friend, and I have many wonderful memories of our time together.  As children, we formed our own Beatles tribute band, where I was Paul, David Drexler John, Ron Lieberman George, and Marty was Ringo. The first all Jewish Tribute Band, I would joke later.  We all feigned playing the instruments, replacing the guitars with badminton racquets, and Marty feverishly beating on a bread basket with two pencils as drum sticks.  As kids, Marty and I did a lot of fun stuff together.  Whether it was playing football in the street, or crawling through the sewer across the freeway to Adobe Falls to catch pollywogs, Marty was always there.  Marty was kinda famous too when we were kids, as his uncle was Mr. Dependable.  Some of you may remember him, as he owned an appliance store and had a well known commercial on TV, where he would say, ''Hi, my name is Mr. Dependable, and if you can find it for less, I'll refund the difference.''  Marty never liked that commercial much, but all of his friends sure did.  Marty was always an adventurous child, as well as a teenager.  We spent a lot of time at the Jewish Community Center, where we would get into trouble from time to time.  One time in particular, we told our parents that we were at the JCC, when we were actually at 'The Western White House'' in San Clemente, holding picket signs, and DEMANDING that President Nixon help in our efforts to have restrictions eased, so Russian Jews could emigrate to Israel or The United States.  My father asked me the next day, ''Did you and Marty have a good time last night at the JCC?''  “Yeah sure dad, why?'', I replied.   With a look to kill he showed me the photograph of Marty and I in the San Diego Union, screaming and yelling so loud that Ron Nessen (Nixon’s Press Secretary) had to come over to us and say, ''The President will look into it''.  We were so proud of ourselves, and -- as angry as our parents were at us for lying about where we were that night -- they were very proud of us too.  We also went to our very first X-rated movie together in downtown San Diego, as we saw ''The Last Tango in Paris''.  I remember Marty being disappointed in it, and saying to me ''Really, is that it? That movie should have been rated R'', and we laughed and laughed.  Over the years Marty and I had lost touch a bit, but he has never been far from my heart, or my mind.  I have told many stories about our time together as friends in those years, and the stories will continue to be told, as I truly loved Marty Fischbein. Rest in Peace my brother, Rest in Peace -- Alan Jay Weissman ’74

September 28, 2018

Here's some more biblical humor from Paula Kincaid.

Well, THAT was a quick 60 years!!  Click HERE to look at the entire program from the Hoover-Crawford football game of September 27, 1958.

Mrs. Truette Benge, the mother of Tom Benge, passed away this summer a little shy of her 94th birthday. She must have been the best Mom ever.  Tom shares this clipping from the March 15, 1964 San Diego Union, showing the unicycle-riding Benge clan, with Lois and her boys Ken '65, Phil '68, and Tom '70.

September 21, 2018

Summer will change to Fall tomorrow at 6:54 PM, about the time some of you will be cleaning up your tailgate parties at SDCCU to watch the Aztecs play Eastern Michigan.  I'll be in the Barcalounger ready to watch the Padres

Not ANOTHER Jewish Holy Day!!  This is exhausting.  Apparently Yom Kippur begins Tuesday evening.  Bari Weiss says "It's a 25-hour caffeine headache capped off by a lox-and-bagels binge."  Obviously there's a lot more going on.  Click HERE to read her opinion piece in the New York Times.

Paula Kincaid has sent me some cartoons of a religious bent.  I didn't get into trouble last week venturing into politics, so I might as well take it up a notch.  The cartoon above apparently is what would happen today if Jesus tried converting loaves to fishes.

This whole #MeToo movement has got me  a little nervous.  I did a spit-take with my morning coffee when I saw the above headline in Wednesday's U-T.  To paraphrase Woody Allen in Play It Again Sam, "I was nowhere NEAR the zoo".

It's time to resume posting the Golden Anniversary Pacers, this time for the Class of '69.  Click HERE to read the September 19, 1968 4-page issue.   

Marc Pomeranz '74 passed away May 12, 2018.  I learned this after the post office returned his alumni newsletter with a "no forwarding address" stamp, and I did a little on-line research.  I think Marc was living in what I assume was the old family residence on Redding St.

Carolyn Schneider Reyes ’78 died on August 17, 2018.  She loved crafting, baking, doing puzzles, bowling, traveling, including trips with her parents in their Airstream trailer, and bringing laughter and joy to others. Carolyn married Ken B. Reyes on March 10, 1984 in San Diego and had one daughter, Kara Lynne in April of 1990.  She is survived by, among others, her parents , husband Ken and sister Linda Schneider Crawford ’75.

September 14, 2018

  

How was your Rosh Hashanah?  Mine was hilarious.  I lost count of the number of folks who gently tried to explain the difference between blowing a chauffeur and a shofar (Ram's horn).  I won't reveal the name of the lovely lady who said "Either one works for me."

Have you seen the Liberty Mutual Accident Forgiveness ads on television?   Like a growing number of advertisements, they are humorous -- which is a good thing.  I got a laugh when I finally noticed the fine print below (you won't be able to read it) noting the fact that it wasn't available in California.

Ernie Cowen '62, who's starting to read a little like Ernest Hemingway, shares his steak drippings with a Gray Fox in his most recent Outdoors Column.  Click HERE if you'd like the juicy details.

Here's a new one.  A high school football referee has sued the San Diego Unified School District and a teenage Crawford High graduate, claiming $1 million in damages for injuries that he says the former student caused him during a game three years ago.  Click HERE to read the article in the Los Angeles Times.

I was at the San Diego Auto Swap Meet on Memorial Day at Qualcomm and found this Colts aluminum plaque. I had a translator help me speak to the guy and -- as the story goes -- he was renting a house and he found this in the garage. When we asked him where the house was or the address he said no more.  Anyway I purchased it for a dollar.  I recall making things in metal shop but I don’t recall this.  It’s 5 1/2” by 8 1/2”  -- Earl Asbury ‘64

Have you seen those bumper stickers for folks who run the marathon?

How about the ones for people who do the half-marathon?

They now have one customized for the rest of us.

Tom Van Doren '66 passed away September 8, 2018.  His classmate Don Levine remembered that Tom worked as a commercial fisherman in the south Pacific for eleven years until he was cut by a cable and got gangrene in his leg.  On a small air strip atoll the doctor wanted to amputate, but Tom wouldn't let them. He made it back to Hawaii, got care and kept his leg. He surfed his whole life, had a great smooth style. Loved his Baja surf trips. Tom was married for a while to Lynn Ballard.

September 7, 2018

It's time to Blow the Chauffeur (I think I got that right).  Gosh, has it been sixty years since I told my classmates at Horace Mann that I wouldn't be in school the next day because of the Jewish holidays?  Be careful what you wish for.  I tripped on a garden hose, broke my arm, and didn't go to school the next day.  I've always felt that should get me part way to Honorary Hebrew.

Speaking of the Jewish Holidays, who's hungry for Matzo Balls and Chiles?  Click HERE to read the recipe in the New York Times.

The folks running the Class of '63 Reunion (to which the Classes of '62 and '64 are invited) need to hear from you NOW!!  Click HERE for all the information you'll require.

What have YOU accomplished lately?  Did you ever get around to cleaning out the garage?  Four years ago Sharon Culver Considine shared a photo of herself, an Ernie Wright statue, and Eugene Yang and Said Shaba at Colina del Sol.  Click HERE to get an update on what the boys did with the scholarships Sharon's group awarded them at that time.

I'm very reluctant to get into politics, but sometimes I can't help myself.  Last week the head of the California Democratic Party called for a boycott of In-N-Out Burger after learning that the company had donated $25,000 to the state's Republican Party.  Turns out a lot of Democrats thought that party loyalty only went so far.  The boycott was called off a day or so later.  Click HERE to read the story in the Los Angeles Times.

If anyone can figure out how much a flu shot costs at CVS let me know.

Here's a Henry Bliss comic published this past week.

Alan Cahan died on July 14, 2018.  He went in the Navy after high school and stayed for 20 years. 

Eric Selten '64 relays word from Tom Rubin '66 that his brother Dennis Rubin '63 died peacefully in his sleep on September 1, 2018.  Tom will send more details at a later date.

Denise Felix '66 passed away June 15, 2018.   She was born in San Diego on August 17, 1948.

August 31, 2018

Who knew there was a Will C. Crawford High School in El Centro?  Turned out I misread the article on the wife of newly-disgraced Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr.   It noted that she attended Will C. Crawford High School in El Cerrito.  I still think of it as East San Diego.  Click HERE to read the piece, in which Duncan Hunter throws his wife Margaret Jankowski Hunter under the bus.  I think Margaret is a 1993 graduate.

A much more upbeat article appeared in Wednesday's Union-Tribune.  It's about Deka Ismail, daughter of Somali immigrants, who graduated from Crawford last year.   She'll be attending UCSD in the fall, which -- I think -- is pretty soon.  Click HERE to read the piece.

Speaking of Fall, in his latest Outdoors column Ernie Cowan '62 notes that it's tarantula mating season, so watch where you step.  The mating session, Ernie points out, often ends with the female killing the male.  Kind of harsh.  You would hope she'd just take the family home, settle for a monthly alimony check, and let the poor guy go on his way.  Click HERE to read Ernie's article.

Where DOES the time go?  I expect it seems like yesterday when Jeannine Berger Passenheim '60 was going through her student handbook.  Turns out it was 60 years ago.  Click HERE to read all 40 pages.

I recently posted on YouTube a 3 1/2 minute film I made on May 11, 1969.  It was Mother's Day and my Mom was putting her Mom on the Santa Fe streamliner.  Wish I could recall where grandma was going.  Most likely to Lewistown, Montana where she grew up and still had lots of relatives.  Click HERE to take a look.

Have you seen the Geico commercials in which Alexander Graham Bell's phone goes off in the middle of a play, interrupting the actors?  "No, no -- my number's 1," he says, "you must want 2".  Click HERE to watch it for yourself.