January 30, 2015

Soccer Coach Kyle Hagenburger has emailed UPDATE #5 to the folks who contributed to his GoFundMe fund. There is a home game vs Madison on February 3rd and the Alumni Game on Saturday, February 7, at 11:30.  If you have additional questions you can EMAIL Kyle or call his cell phone at 619-885-0113.

Terry Hall '64 shared a photo of some members of the Crawford Surfing Club, and Coach Malcolm, at a barbecue in 2013.  Click HERE for the big picture and the names.

After a long battle with Parkinson’s disease Adrian Fernandes '60 passed away on January 7, 2015. He taught Graphic Arts and Photography from 1971-1984 at Clairemont High School. His family is honoring him with a "Celebration of LIfe" event at their home on 2128 Pine St. San Diego, 92103 on February 1st from 1:00-4:00 P.M

Have you joined the Crawford Colt Corral Facebook page?  You won't have to wait until Fry Day for these alumni updates -- and you can comment on what others have to day.

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The First First Thursday of 2015 will be held on the First Thursday of February which, I believe, will be February 5th, but you better check.  I may be using an old calendar.  Nancy Miljas as changed the time on her artwork to reflect when folks actually arrive, so I expect they will now start arriving at 4.  Either way it should be light when you arrive, so you can find your way across the parking lot.  You're on your own finding your way back after the sun goes down and you quit drinking.

January 23, 2015

THE SUN IS UP IN PACIFIC BEACH and a gorgeous day is in store.  Nancy and I will be having our usual late breakfast at the Amigo Spot, and will be joined this morning by Ken and Joanne Ptack.  Ken and I were best buddies growing up in Normal Heights, and I was best man at their wedding at Annapolis in 1967.  

I've made good progress on letting folks know about transitioning the Fry Day email to Facebook, getting through the Class of '72 yesterday.  Some folks are digging their feet in, but several hundred have made the move.  

Ernie Cowan '62 wrote a nice article about migrating birds for the U-T this week.  Click HERE to check it out.

Michael Klatt '70, who now surfs Morro Bay, didn't know Crawford HAD a Surfing Club until he picked up a copy of Surfing in San Diego, by John Elwell.  He loaned me his copy and I snagged a handful of great shots of Coach Marshall "Scooter" Malcolm dating back to the '40s.  I've posted an "album" of the shots on Facebook.  You may be able to see them if you click HERE.   The shot above is from the '64 Centaur.  I talked to coach Coach Malcolm yesterday.  He's 81 now and still hits Tourmaline most weekday mornings.  You'll have to get there around 6:30 if you want to join him. 

The Ladies of Dorian Gray (they never get older, but somewhere on a wall their portraits aren't doing so well) met on January 15th for the annual Class of '72 Re-Gifting Party.  Click HERE for a larger portrait, caption, and a few additional photos.

Here's the Golden Anniversary Pacer for January 21, 1965.  I just noticed the headline:  "Pasty Walden ROTC Queen"  Click HERE to read all four pages.

Janice Casteel Mills '64 died November 11, 2014 in Marysville, Ohio. Click HERE to read an obituary.

The death of Jim Testa '67 hit his brother Ed harder than the passing of his twin brother Ray in 2002.  Read what he had to say on the Class of '67 Obituary Page.

January 16, 2015

Dear Colts,

The Fry Day email software is sitting on the shoulder of the Information Highway with the hood up.  My web hostess recently upgraded the security certificate on her server and, when the dust settled, I could no longer send or receive on my Microsoft Entourage email program.  She had tailored this software as a workaround when Time Warner Cable decided I was a spammer and would no longer let me send multiple emails.  I may or may not attempt to transfer my contacts to another program.  I have tried this a number of times over the years unsuccessfully.  In the meantime I’m going to try to direct traffic to my Crawford Colt Corral Facebook page, which you are looking at now.  It currently has 228 members.  I’m pretty sure I was sending the Fry Day emails to around 3000 Colts.  Perhaps you can spread the word to your Facebook friends.  Another idea is that you could go to the Email Page on my web site, click on the link and go to your Class Year.  At that point you could scroll down and send emails to people that you know, sharing the Facebook link.  If you’d like to take the time to contact all the folks on the page, that would be wonderful.  You might check back with me first, so there is no duplication of effort.  

The link to my Email Page is 

http://www.johnfry.com/pages/email.html  

The link to the Colt Corral Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/1420153521541969/

Your Pal in the Corral,

John Fry

Click HERE to find out why this photo from Florence sent Bob Richardson looking for his 1960 Centaur.

January 9, 2015

IT’S STILL DARK IN PB and the heater in my house just went off.  When Nancy arrives we’ll head to the Amigo Spot for a late breakfast.  The Waffle Spot is closed for renovation.

I see the Birch Aquarium is offering whale watching tours.  Beware.  They say it’s a “Three Hour Cruise”

Greg May has posted a series of stunning aerial photos of Pacific Beach circa 1975 on his Vintage San Diego page.  Click HERE to check them out.  I’ll try to add some captions over the weekend.

Larry Okmin ‘64 has scored a Two-Fer

A)  He shares a photo of classmate Miguel Reynero that he took at the 1964 Graduation Party.  I’ve added it to the photos Bob Lutz took last October.  Click HERE to take a look.

B) Remember Mickie Finns?  Larry Okmin PLAYED AT MICKIE FINN’S!!  That’s him on the left playing clarinet with the South Market Street Jazz Band.  ‘64 classmate Bob Saare is smack in the middle of the photo on trombone.  Click HERE to view an enlarged version. The page also contains some of the memories shared by other Colts.

A Celebration of Tom Rowe’s life will be held at 2 PM on January 25th at Faith Presbyterian Church, 5075 Campanile Drive

Cheryl Craig Brown ‘72 died suddenly and unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm on December 9th.  You can sign the on-line guest book but you better hurry. They’re taking it down on January 11th.

January 1, 2015

It’s New Year’s Day!!

Bob Lutz ‘64 hooked up with his classmate and AFS student Miguel Reynero during a trip to South America last October.  Click HERE to see this photo enlarged -- and get a bonus photo in the process.

I wandered down the trail of one of the albums on Greg May’s Vintage San Diego Facebook page and stumbled on some Mickie Finn photos.  You can check them out on the Memories Page of my web site, or click HERE.

A growing number of Colts are departing this mortal coil without leaving an obituary.

Class of ‘66 basketball star Kenny Neun passed away, according to his classmate Edmond Dantès.  I was able to talk to Ken’s daughter.  She confirmed his death, but said I’d have to talk to her Mom, who hasn’t returned my phone call. 

The Crawford Foundation page says Tom Rowe died on December 23rd.  If not “Mr Colt”, Tom was certainly “Mr. Colt 66”.  It said “COLT 66” on his license plate.  I knew he’d been in failing health and hope to get additional details in the future.

December 25, 2014

It’s Christmas Day!!  Nancy and I and her daughters will be dining in the Mission Bay Ballroom of the Bahia Hotel. 

Before Mission Valley, Fashion Valley and Grossmont Centers young ladies who didn’t want to take the bus all the way downtown shopped at Lerner’s in North Park.  Click HERE to view an enlarged version of this photo, which I found on the Vintage San Diego Facebook page.

Kris Pruski Wood ‘70 says that Bill Manning has two Class of ‘69 ladies rings that belonged to his late wife.  They are size 6.  He would like to sell them at a small price.  Contact Bill at bmanning52@mac.com

Rick Blaine ‘64 says his classmate Leonard Campbell passed away December 11th.  It seems to be more and more the case that no additional information follows.

December 19, 2015

IT’S DARK OUTSIDE and my heater’s going full blast inside, but — yay!! -- the days are gonna start getting longer come Monday.  And I believe it's supposed to hit 80 on Tuesday when much of America will be watching the Aztecs play Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl.  When Nancy arrives from Escondido we’ll be off to the Waffle Spot and then on to Von’s.

 

I got a kick out of this take on the storm damage some of us suffered during last week’s storms.   

Here’s another photo posted on Facebook courtesy of Pea Hicks.  It’s the Hotel del Coronado, of course, and appears to have been taken around 1952.  Click HERE to view an enlargement.

I’ve added a list of drive-ins to the one I’d already posted.  One appears to be circa 1967 and one 1968.  I just can’t remember which is which.  Click HERE to check them out.

The Golden Anniversary Pacer is the Holiday Issue from December 17, 1964.  Diana Loss and Stephen Hill are the Senior Sketches and Ted Nichols’ ‘55 Chevy won Heap of the Week.  Click HERE to check out all 8 pages.

December 12, 2014

IT’S RAINING IN PACIFIC BEACH and the wind is rattling the trash cans.  If Nancy and I can dodge the showers, I’ve got my taste buds set on biscuits and gravy at the Waffle Spot.

Check out the cool uniforms sported by the Crawford Soccer team, thanks to your generous donations.  Click HERE to learn more about how the team is doing.

I snagged this Cotton Patch menu off the Vintage San Diego Facebook page where it had been posted by Jan Tonnesen.  Jan, who went to Horace Mann, but then to Helix, gave me permission to share it with you all.  Click HERE to look inside the cover.

Some stunning color photos of San Diego in the ‘50s have popped up on the Vintage San Diego Facebook page, each with the note “Thank you Pea Hicks.”   We think Pea Hicks purchased these photos at a yard sale and is sharing them with Vintage San Diego.  I’ll share them with you.  This one looks west in Mission Valley, circa 1952.  Click HERE to check out the enlarged version.

Good news for Janice Levine Zalewski.  There WILL be a 50th Anniversary Reunion, says Chairperson Judy Horowitz Glenn.  I’m guessing it will take place in 2017.  Victor Perez ‘71 shares a link for the Class of ‘67 Facebook Page.  I’ve posted these links on the Reunion Page of my Crawford High web site.  

I think it’s just a coincidence but Carlynne Albee, who went to Montezuma and later Grossmont High, says there’s a ‘67 Centaur for sale on Ebay.  Click HERE for the link.

December 5, 2014

IT’S A LITTLE COOL in PB after a couple of days of rain and it’s getting light outside. Nancy and I will be lugging the December Alumni Newsletter to the Midway Post Office and having breakfast at the Waffle Spot, not necessarily in that order.

I snagged this photo off the Vintage San Diego Facebook page.  It shows Horton Plaza at Christmas time, circa 1955.  Click HERE to access an enlargement.

Nancy Watson Wingo — yes THAT Nancy --loaned me this 1955 photo of her Andrew Jackson Girl Scout Troop.  You can view a much large version if you click HERE, but you’ll still have a hard time spotting the reclusive Nancy.  Back row:  Susan Hudjohn, Vickie Holman, Donna Waite, Marlene Dunn, Nancy Watson (in her “don't want my photo taken” era) and a girl whose name may be Patricia.  Front row: DyAnn Richardson, Laralee Richardson, (mascot) and  Kristine Bobbit.

November 27, 2014

It’s Thanksgiving Day!!

I thought you might enjoy Richard Lederer’s column from last Saturday’s U-T

Every Day You Say A Mouthful Of Food For Thought.

Thanksgiving is a delicious time of year to nibble on a spicy, meaty, juicy, honey of a topic that I know you’ll savor and relish. Feast your eyes on the veritable banquet of mushrooming food expressions that grace the table of our English language and season our tongue. As we chew the fat about the food-filled phrases that are packed like sardines and sandwiched into our everyday conversations, I’ll sweeten the pot with some tidbits of food for thought guaranteed to whet your appetite.
I know what’s eating you. I’ve heard through the grapevine that you don’t give a fig because you think I’m nutty as a fruitcake; that you’re fed up with me for biting off more than I can chew; that you want me to drop this subject like a hot potato because I’m a spoiled-rotten weenie; and that you’re giving me the raspberry for asking you to swallow a cheesy, corny, mushy, saccharine, seedy, soupy, sugarcoated, syrupy topic that just isn’t your cup of tea.
OK, so you’re beet red with anger that I’m feeding you a bunch of baloney, garbage and tripe; that I’ve rubbed salt in your wounds by making you ruminate on a potboiler that’s no more than a tempest in a teapot; that I’ve upset your apple cart by rehashing an old chestnut that’s just pie in the sky and won’t amount to a hill of beans; that you want to chew me out for putting words in your mouth; and that you’re boiling and simmering because you think I’m an out-to-lunch apple polisher who’s out to egg you on.
But nuts to all that. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. Eat your heart out and stop crying in your beer. I’m going to stop mincing words and start cooking with gas, take my idea off the back burner and bring home the bacon without hamming it up. No matter how you slice it, this fruitful, tasteful topic is the icing on the cake and the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Rather than crying over spilt milk and leaping out of the frying pan and into the fire, I’m going to put all my eggs into one basket, take potluck and spill the beans. I’m cool as a cucumber, happy as a clam and confident that this crackerjack, peachy-keen, vintage feast that I’ve cooked up will have you eating out of the palm of my hand.
I don’t wish to become embroiled in a rhubarb, but your beefing and stewing sound like sour grapes from a tough nut to crack — kind of like the pot calling the kettle black. But if you’ve digested the spoon-fed culinary metaphors from this meat-and-potatoes disquisition, the rest will be gravy, duck soup, a piece of cake and easy as pie — just like taking candy from a baby.
I’ve lived to a ripe old age beyond my salad days, but I’m also a smart cookie who’s feeling my oats and is full of beans. I may be wrinkled as a prune, but I’m a salt-of-the-earth good egg who takes the cake, knows his onions, makes life a bowl of cherries and is the apple of your eye and the toast of the town.
Hot dog! I hope you’re pleased as punch that this souped-up topic is a plum, not a lemon, the berries, not the pits. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and this cream of the crop of palate-pleasing food figures is bound to sell like hotcakes. I’m no glutton for punishment for all the tea in China, but, if I’m wrong, I’ll eat crow and humble pie. I don’t wish to take the words right out of your mouth, but, in a nutshell, it all boils down to the fact that every day we truly eat our words.

You can read the Golden Anniversary Pacer from November 25, 1964 on the 1964-1965 Pacer page or just click HERE.

NEXT THURSDAY is First Thursday.  Nancy Miljas has changed the artwork to reflect the REAL time folks arrive.  I believe that will be December 4th on your calendar.  That's the Amigo Spot, King's Inn, in Mission Valley.

November 21, 2014

LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER FRY DAY with nuthin’ to do and all day to do it.  Nancy and I will surely breakfast at the Waffle Spot, then run a few errands.  Maybe there’s something worth watching on pay-per-view.

Sunday’s U-T had a nice aerial of Mission Valley taken in 1953.  Click HERE to see an enlarged version.

A mere mention of the Music Department’s needs in last week's Fry Day email got them over the $2000 mark.  Their goal is $2500.  Here's the gofundme link again for those of you who’ve been thinking about donating.  And — YES — they eagerly accept the donation of musical instruments.

Lew Fay, a ‘59 Lincoln grad and original leader of The Nomads, has issued a CD of the group’s 1991 OMBAC "Coming Out Party" Concert.  It features 16 hits you’ll remember from high school, plus 4 original Nomads songs.  Send a check for $18 to Fay Productions, PO Box 60062, San Diego CA 92166. Click HERE to look at some great Nomads artwork featuring posters and photos.  If you have additional questions contact Lew at lewfay@aol.com

Richard Cloward ‘60, owner of Pacific Shore Maps, calls your attention to the Gold Rush Maps exhibition on display at the Map and Atlas Museum of La Jolla through July 2015. They are open 11-4 every Wednesday and Thursday, and the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month.

The Class of ‘64 Reunion photos are in!!  Char Krebsbach Clark has forwarded Picasa slide shows of the Friday night mixer and the Saturday night gala, plus folks gathered according to their elementary school.  I’ve posted the links on the Reunions Page of my Crawford web site.  You might want to check them out just to see the cool cars and hot babes.

Janice Levine Zalewski ‘67 wonders if her class has a reunion coming up.  I asked if she was interested in the 47th or 48th.  Either one, she replied.  If you know something I don’t, get back to me and I’ll pass it on to Janice.  In the meantime she might want to mark her calendar for the First Thursday at the Amigo Spot.  Those folks are mostly ‘66, which should be close enough.

Michael Naiman ‘68 has all of his Jackson Elementary school photos — except for Mrs. Bernheim’s 3rd Grade class in 1959.  Can you help?  Click HERE if you’d like to see the rest of Michael’s photos.  That’s Kindergarten up above.

Some Class of ‘70 ladies met for lunch November 8th at the home of Kris Pruski Wood.  Click HERE to get the names, and a much larger version of the photo.

Don Korsmo ‘60 died July 4, 2014.  You can read an extensive obituary and sign the guest book on the Class of ‘60 Obituary Page.

Dwight Yakel '66 passed away sometime in 2013 says Jeremy Wilson ‘65.  That’s all we know.

Barbara Kyle Gorla ’68 passed away November 10, 2014.  She is survived by daughter Monique Uyeda and family, brother Rodney Kyle ’64, and life partner Les Shelton.   Click HERE to sign the guest book.

November 14, 2014

LOOKS LIKE LITTLE JOHNNIE FRY is having oatmeal for breakfast this morning, ‘cause Nancy’s staying in Escondido.  She’ll be down tomorrow night for dinner at the Amigo Spot and to celebrate her birthday, which is actually on Sunday.  

Every so often it works out.  Susan Marshall Gordon ‘64, my contact on the Crawford Foundation, forwarded an email from Soccer coach Kyle Hagenburger.  I contacted him, he got back to me and noted that Colts could help him out by going to his gofundme link.  He asked for $2,000 for uniforms, cleats, shin guards and transportation monies and you guys came through.  Last time I looked the total was $3,850, which — Kyle says — will actually allow him breathing room into next year.  Way to go Colts!!

We don’t want to kill the geese that are laying those Golden Eggs -- but, some of you expressed a preference of supporting the arts rather than sports, so here’s your chance.  The Crawford Music Department, among other things, is hoping to replace its trash cans with real drums. Again, a dollar donation from everyone who gets my Fry Day email would match the good work we did for the soccer team.

Turns out Duane Sceper and Dave Gray CAN remember the ‘60s — and they agree!!  Click HERE to read some more of their memories the Land of Oden.

I snagged this business card off a Princess Stardusty post on the Facebook page “You grew up in San Diego if you remember”.  I remember my grandmother wanted to got to Sheng How Low for Thanksgiving — and we did.

Here’s the cover of the program for the Crawford vs St Augustine football game played at Hoover on November 13, 1959.  I’ll let you do the math.  Click HERE to read the rosters and see an explanation of the referees’ signals .

The Golden Anniversary Pacer for November 12, 1964 has a headline that caught my eye -- “Hootenanny Is Friday”.   Turns out it was Commissioner of Rallies and Assemblies Geri McGurn’s first assembly.  Click HERE to read the details.

Joe Russo ‘64 passed away November 9th of cancer says his classmate and friend of 55 years Ron Morse.