March 2, 2018

The talk this week about arming teachers took me back 40 years to when Gary Keefer and I were both teaching at Hale Junior High.  I was covering the Old West in my US History class and decided to bring in my Winchester 94 to show the kids the "Gun That Won The West."  Gary spotted me toting the rifle and said simply -- "Discipline Problems?".  (You couldn't do this today -- I can't believe I did it then)

In 1957, when I was 14 going on 11, I listened to the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres on my crystal set -- and Rudy Regalado was my favorite player.  Eight years later I was interning at the Washburn and Justice Ad Agency and Rudy walked in the door representing XETV Channel 6.  It was like I was meeting the pope.  Rudy died on February 12th at age 89.  Click HERE if you'd like to read more about him.

This Bizarro cartoon was published the same day the UT ran an article about Ace Parking suffering because folks were using Uber and Lyft.

Class of ’72 pals Skip Weitzen, Craig Hodgson, Bill Davis, Tony Flores lunched together at City Tacos in La Mesa  last Thursday.

Norm Black '68 hopes you can help him identify these surfing pals of long ago.  He thinks their names were Art and Mike.  The photo was taken at La Jolla Shores

Click HERE to read the Golden Anniversary Pacer issued on February 29, 1968.

Joel Bercuson ’62 passed away of heart disease while living in Solana Beach on September 13, 2017.   He is survived by sister Marsha Bercuson '64 and brother Alan ’73.  

February 23, 2018

Members of the Class of ’61 are pictured at DZ Akins on February 13th.  Left to right are:  Nelson Moore, Rhoda Reinas, Barbara Willoughby, Tana Piper, Judy Vultaggio, Sandie Robbins Knox, Christine Hayes and Al Palladino

FROM THE CHS WEBSITE:  The 1959 Little League Rolando Dodgers, courtesy of Brian Langlois '68.  "I’m at the far left in the second row, squinting severely with the best cap crimp," says Brian.  "Note the sewn-on R's on some of the ball caps and the bill crimp jobs. Check out the funky gloves, tied to the waist with the belt, and the coach on the right with his smokes rolled up in his sleeve."

Sandra Heck Hernandez '61, my dear friend and next door neighbor from the Oak Park days, passed away February 16th in San Diego -- Susan Marshall Gordon ’64

Doreen Manser Lindberg  '61 died January 26th of complications from a stroke.  She lived in Schertz, Texas.

Richard Christensen ’62 passed away February 15th.   He was a great friend and brother.  I will miss him -- Keith Christensen ’69

Suzanne Wamble Bowman ’67 died February 17th.   We were friends since junior high and had our kids at the same time.  I will really miss her --  Janice Pagliuso Haag ’67

February 16, 2018

Some of you will enjoy this Bizarro cartoon.  Those of you not on social media may not get it.

(From Diane Bell’s UT column of February 12th)  San Diego County Clerk Ernie Dronenburg Jr. will be wearing a pink bow tie to work Wednesday — and praying that it doesn’t rain.  Valentine’s Day is traditionally “our busiest day bar none,” he says, with as many as eight wedding ceremonies being conducted simultaneously throughout the day inside the county building and outdoors in Waterfront Park.  Reservations are encouraged, but walk-ins are accepted. “Just be sure you come early,” Dronenburg cautions. The weather forecast calls for 40 percent chance of rain Wednesday afternoon. If it rains, the outdoor weddings will be re-located to rooms on a lower floor of the County Administration Building.  As many as 10 to 15 county employees volunteer to help perform ceremonies, which cost $88, plus a $70 license fee.  Last year, 108 couples exchanged vows at the county building and its four satellite offices. Even more can be accommodated, Dronenburg says. “We won’t turn anybody away.”  (PS: It didn’t rain -- and I couldn't find a photo of Ernie with a pink bow tie)

Jim Bell organized a mini-reunion of folks from Crawford, Hoover and Kearny who played baseball in 1964.  That's Jim and Mike Shannon above.

I think I've shared it before, but this photo of Cinerama showed up on Facebook this week, and I'm sharing it again.  I think I saw Rosemary's Baby here.

The Golden Anniversary Pacer was published February 15, 1968.  Click HERE to browse all six page.

It is with great sadness that I inform you that our classmate and one of my closest friends Diana Wilson Longacre ‘60 has passed.  She left us on February 2nd in Clear Lake Calif -- Susan Stauffer Davenport

Our dear friend of many years Dorothy Woodward '66 passed away this past Thanksgiving evening (November 23, 2017}). She resided in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is shown on the left in the picture below with her sister Liz Woodward '69.  We had a wonderful visit here in San Diego with them last October -- Don Christofferson '68 and Linda Skeen Christofferson '70

February 9, 2014

Remember when you told folks you lived in East San Diego?  Turns out there actually WAS a City of East San Diego, long before you went to Crawford, and Gary Mitrovich has written a small book about it.  Email him at Garyemit@cox.net if you'd like to purchase a copy. 

Larry Greenwood '64 checks in from San Antonio, Texas.  His email is lgreenwood46@gmail.com

This image of a Campus Chuck Wagon cigarette lighter showed up on Facebook this week.  Red Meat and Cigarettes.  What could go wrong?

Here's a sports story from the February 10, 1968 San Diego Union I thought I'd share.

Hartwell Ragsdale ’70 passed away January 25th.  He was a phenomenal drummer and member of the groups Power and Rising Sun.  He was the heart and soul of Hollis Gentry and Nathan East.  His father was founder of Ragsdale Mortuary, one of the largest funeral parlors in San Diego.  I am so sorry for this loss as he officiated over the funerals of my grandmother, mother and sister.  This is a great loss as Hartwell was one of the most gregarious members of the Crawford alumni community.  When you were with him you always believed that you were the most important person in the world -- Bruce Hanley  Click HERE to read the obituary from yesterday's UT.

February 2, 2014

Happy Groundhog Day.  I think it's supposed to hit 80 in San Diego this weekend.

The MLB Channel aired a great documentary on the late Tony Gwynn this week, with lots of input from Bill Center '63, longtime Padres writer for the Union-Tribune.

Click HERE to read the Golden Anniversary Pacer from February 1, 1968.

Ed St John passed away January 22nd.  A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, February 3rd, 2 PM at the Pennant in South Mission Beach.

January 26, 2018

A Bizarro cartoon this week reminded me of the Fry Day email of May 17, 2013 when I realized I was "Grumpy" in Nancy's back window.

I guess Ozzie has passed away.  His niece shared the photo above of Ozzie's Music on El Cajon Blvd.  I see a '58 Ford and a '66 Mustang in the parking lot, so that's about how old it is.  Click HERE to read some Ozzie's memories previously submitted.

I forgot to share the Golden Anniversary Pacer from January 18, 1968 last week .  Click HERE to read it a week late.

An obituary for Tom Ault ’63, who passed away December 15th, appeared in last Sunday’s Union-Tribune.  Click HERE to read it.  A memorial service and celebration of life will be held today at 1:00 at the Village Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe, 6225 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe, 92067.

William Frederick “Fred” Luschei ’69 passed away January 16, 2018.   A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Sunday, January 28 at 2:00 pm in the auditorium at Skyline Church, 11330 Campo Rd.  Click HERE to read the obituary.

An anonymous email sent word of the belated passing of Roberta Williksen Carlton ’60 on April 11, 2016 in Texas.  Click HERE to read an obituary.

January 19, 2017

In case you can't read it, this Bliss cartoon depicts a museum diorama entitled "HOMO ERECTUS S'MORE MAKING"

Judith Aminoff would like to buy or borrow a '63 Centaur.  How you get it to France I'm not sure.  Maybe she'll throw in a plane ticket.  Email her at mzjga@orange.fr

Everything old is new again.  The North Park J C Penneys, where I had my first job (if you don't count my one-day stint as a dishwasher at Aunt Emma's), is slated to become a Target Express.  Click HERE to read an article in the Uptown News.

Remember when there were only two Oscar's drive-ins -- and one of them was in Coronado?  Me neither.  Click HERE to see all four sides of this very early menu.

San Diego attorney Tim Fields '69 has passed away, according to Sandra Slad Sladkey.  I don't have a date, or access to more information about his life.  Sandra thinks his demise may have been heart-related.  

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This week's offering from Paula Kincaid

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If you're not familiar with the work of Steven Wright, he's the famous erudite scientist and humorist whose mind sees things differently than most of us.   Here are some of his gems.

  1 - I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.

  2 - Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.

  3 - Half the people you know are below average.

  4 - 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

  5 - 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

  6 - A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.

  7 - A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

  8 - If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.

  9 - All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.

10 - The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

11 - I almost had a psychic girlfriend,  But she left me before we met.

12 - OK, so what's the speed of dark?

13 - How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

14 - If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

15 - Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

16 - When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

17 - Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

18 - Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.

19 - I intend to live forever.  So far, so good.

20 - If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

21 - Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

22 - What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

23 - My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

24 - Why do psychics have to ask you for your name.

25 - If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

26 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

27 - Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

28 - The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of  the bread.

29 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

30 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

31 - The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.

32 - The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.

33 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film.

34 - If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

35 - If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?

36 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
37 - I woke up one morning, and all of my stuff had been stolen and replaced by exact duplicates.

January 12, 2018

Kris Pruski Wood '70 thought you might enjoy the article about Crawford in the current issue of The Rolando News.  Click HERE to check it out.

A Hoover grad shared a photo on Facebook of her Kindergarten class gathered to greet JFK as he traveled east on El Cajon Boulevard during his visit on June 6, 1963.  I'm sharing it because it's a great photo -- and the original Nicolosi's restaurant is in the background.

A discussion on Facebook about the potholes on Trojan Avenue evolved into a "I grew up there" round robin.  Joe Dyke shared a 1948 photo of himself near the family home on Corinth St.

Ernie Cowan's Outdoors column in last Sunday's UT was entitled "Hiking in Anza-Borrego Desert Is A Great Way to Start the Year."  You might see a "Stick Lizard" (see above).  Click HERE to read the piece and find out what a stick lizard is.

Tom Ault '63 passed away December 15, 2017.   There will be a memorial service and reception on January 26 at 1:00 at the Village Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe.  A reception will be held after the service at the Rancho Santa Fe Country Club.   Click HERE to sign the on-line Guest Book.

John Bultez ’65 was in a fatal car accident October 24, 2017.  His daughter Brenda Wilson would love to hear from folks who knew him.  Email her at Bbultez@gmail.com

Raymond Hong '72 passed away on December 4, 2017. Some of you may remember my brother as a Cheerleader, tennis player and wrestler -- Lisa Hong Hom ’75

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Lotsa folks loved Paula Kincaid's Ordering Pizza story.  Here's another one she shared.  Be careful -- it involves a blow up sex doll.

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CHRISTMAS DINNER

(This is an article submitted to a Louisville KY Newspaper contest to
find out who had the wildest Christmas dinners. It won first prize)

As a joke, my brother Jay used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before Christmas.  He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them.

What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every Christmas morning, although Jay's kids' stockings overflowed, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty.

One year I decided to make his dream come true.  I put on sunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll.  They don't sell those things at Wal-Mart.  I had to go to an adult bookstore downtown. If you've never been in an X-rated store, don't go, you'll only confuse yourself.   I was there an hour saying things like, 'What does this do?'  'You're kidding me!'  'Who would buy that?'  Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll section.

I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passenger in my truck so I could use the car pool lane during rush hour.  Finding what I wanted was difficult.  'Love Dolls' come in many different models.   The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do things I'd only seen in a book on animal husbandry.

I settled for  'Lovable Louise.'  She was at the bottom of the price scale. To call Louise a 'doll' took a huge leap of imagination.  On Christmas Eve and with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to life.

My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee morning hours.  Long after Santa had come and gone, I filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise's pliant legs and bottom.  I also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray.   I went home, and giggled for a couple of hours.

The next morning my brother called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him VERY happy, but had left the dog confused.  She would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more We all agreed that Louise should remain in her pantyhose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner.

My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door.  'What the hell is that?' she asked.  My brother quickly explained, 'It's a doll.' 'Who would play with something like that?' Granny snapped.  I kept my mouth shut. 'Where are her clothes?' Granny continued.  'Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran,' Jay said, to steer her into the dining room.  But Granny was relentless.  'Why doesn't she have any teeth?'

Again, I could have answered, but why would I?  It was Christmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, 'Hang on Granny, hang on!’

My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said,  'Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?'  I told him she was Jay's friend.  A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise.  Not just talking, but actually flirting.  It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home. 

The dinner went well.  We made the usual small talk about who had died, who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise like my father in the bathroom in the morning.  Then she lurched from the mantel, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa.  The cat screamed.  I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and Grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

My brother fell back over his chair and wet his pants.  Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car.

It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember.  Later in my brother's garage, we conducted a thorough examination to decide the cause of Louise's collapse.  We discovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right thigh.

Fortunately, thanks to a wonder drug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect health. I can't wait until next Christmas!!!!!!!!