Fall 2010 - Castlemont High School Alumni Association

Fall 2010
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Ye Alum Castle Crier
Volume 5 Issue 2
A.C. or Alumni Football, Born in the Summer of 1947
Second in a Series by Dave Heagerty, ‘45
Thanks to a persistent and persuasive Charlie Williams (CHS June 1942), the Castlemont Athletic club
(or A.C.) was founded in the summer of 1947. Made up of forever great and near great football Crusaders, plus
some with the experience from other schools, and a few who never played at all, the first A.C. squad had one
thing in common. They all loved the game and eagerly wanted to play ball, many were World War II veterans of
the U.S. armed forces. Castlemont HS football teams were one of the very first anywhere to adopt the T
formation that revolutionized the game at Stanford and the Chicago Bears in 1940. Castlemont had winning
seasons in 1941, 42, 43 and 44 and had OAL Championship teams in all those years establishing an enviable
tradition carried on by the A.C. Cavaliers.
Please See A.C. Football Page 2
Pictured above are some of those who were part of the first Castlemont Athletic Club Cavaliers football
organization founded in the summer of 1947 in the garage of Jimmy Land on Oakland's Hillside Avenue:
(Standing) Jack Fenstermackher, Fremont HS, June '41 and Cavalier first head coach; Chuck Hoffman,
Castlemont HS, June '44, end; Ed Bonham, CHS, Jan '45, halfback; Glenn Williams, CHS, June '47, end; Jack
Silva, CHS '46, quarterback; and Jimmy Land, CHS, June '42, quarterback.
(Seated) unknown service provider; Fred Speer, CHS, June '46, place kicker; Jack Stephano, Fremont HS, June
'45, tackle and broadcaster; Wendel Brown, CHS Jan '41, guard; Dave Heagerty, CHS June '45, defensive
halfback and publicist, later team general manager; unknown player; Jack Patee, CHS June '42, fullback and later
head coach; Rod Larsen, CHS June '44, guard; Lee Jardine, CHS Jan '42, tackle' Charlie Williams, CHS Jan '42,
halfback and founder, later head coach; and Ray Correa, CHS June ‘40, manager.
Fall 2010
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Volume 5 Issue 2
A.C. Football
For those who really know football there is probably no level of the game that is rougher or more
spirited than club or semipro football. The club also benefitted from a few who participated in a coaching or
administrative capacity. Williams was able to convince his teammates, including some who had played service,
junior college, college or professional football, that there was still something left in the tank to warrant another
crack at gridiron glory. Despite some wariness on the part of wives and good friends, this concern somehow
lessened after games, when parties beckoned, particularly after winning efforts and only minor injuries were
involved. Preseason practices were held at Chevrolet lawn on Foothill blvd. and 73rd Avenue while home games
and season practices took place on what was then a mixture of dirt and sawdust directly behind the original and
classic high school building at 86th and MacArthur Blvd.
Called the Cavaliers or Purple Paladins, the team played through the 1951 season before it became
known as the Oakland Football Club Owls. Owls home games were held at the much larger, old Emeryville
(Oaks) baseball park. A few members played all six seasons. Most of the Castlemont A.C. and Owls
opposition came from service and other club teams, such as arch-rival Fremont, San Leandro, Alameda,
Hayward, South San Francisco, Concord, Martinez, Rio Vista, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Petaluma.
Service organizations, particularly during the Korean War, came from bases located at the Alameda Naval
Air Station, Moffett field, the San Diego Naval Training Center (No. 2 military team in the country in 1952),
Hamilton Airfield, Edwards Air Force Base and an Army Base in Santa Maria.
The club posted a winning record in every season except for 1952 when the Owls went 4 and 4, losing
its final game at Oaks Park against former Cal All-American Les Richter's Santa Maria U.S. Army eleven.
Richter would go on to the L.A. Rams and all-NFL honors!
Note: Much of the writing here is based solely on ancient memories and the help of a few aging friends.
Readers who spot errors in fact or omissions are urged to contact our editor at 925-935-7258. Every effort will
be made to correct these in future Crier A.C. /Owl installments in this series.
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Table of Contents:
Page 1: A.C. or Alumni Football, Born Summer 1947
The Second in a Series, Dave Heagerty, ‘45
Page 3: Did You Iron Your Levis?
Martha (Milton) Stookey, ‘58
Page 4: Memories of Castlemont: 1945-1948
Arue Beaulieu Szura, Jan ‘48
Page 5: Alumni Associations, People Searches, and Profit
Cynthia Vogel, ‘58
Page 6: The Not So Great Escape
Vern Smith, Jan ‘58
Page 7: Remembering Stu Carter, 1952-1960
Roger Hewitt, ‘58
Page 9: A History of the 1950’s, Howie’s Version
Howie Reed, ‘56
Page 11: The Knight’s Summer Basketball Germany Trip
Mike Parker, ‘67
Page 11: Castlemont 2010 Football Preview
Mike Parker, ‘67
Page 11: October 23, 2010 Luncheon/Reunion of the
Bernie Vigallon, ‘65
1964 Championship Football team
Page 12: An Castlemont Golfer’s Story
Gene Miranda, 58
Page 13: A Letter Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of Castlemont’s Girls Athletics Association.
The Castlemont’s Girls Athletic Association was founded in 1938. The letter was written by Gerry Laws in
1988. It was provided by charter GAA members, Helen (Zumbrun) Olson, ‘39 and Dr. Evelyn Pellaton, ‘39
Page 14: Class of 1950 Sixtieth Reunion
Dave Ramos, ‘50
Page 14: The Thank You & Plans for the January, 2011 Crier
Rich Klier, ‘58
Page 15: Fall 2010 Castlemont Alumni Association news
Rich Klier, ‘58
Fall 2010
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Volume 5 Issue 2
Did You Iron Your Levis?
Martha (Milton) Stookey, ‘58
How important clothes were for everyone at Castlemont; boys and girls ! Recalling them tells us
something about our fragile, high-school selves. I remember the joyous freedom I felt when I met girls from
another school whose fashion statement was the oldest and dirtiest of saddle shoes! I threw out my white bucks
and that impossible powder bag and never polished my saddles again. At home, at night, girls shrank the cuffs
of their sweaters to keep them neat and covered their heads with pin curls and curlers. Boys could be discovered
in the kitchen ironing creases in their Levis. Or maybe they were like Bob Griffiths '57 and his buddies, “No
ironing, we didn't consider them worthy of wearing until we could literally stand them in the corner!” But they
were Levi's and those red tags got pulled off if you weren't careful.
I have been delighted by all your replies and interested to find that hair styles changed more rapidly than
clothing styles. All of our respondents are from the fifties, so I called my sister-in-law (Genevieve Petta) Who
graduated in '47. Already girls were wearing angora sweaters, matching angora socks and white buck shoes or
saddle shoes. Skirts were below the knee. Their hairstyles had lots of curls with rats on the sides. You bought
the rats at Woolworth's
By 1952, girls still had curly hair (sleeping on pin curls again) but Edna (Wills) Billings reports that they
wore the curls only on the side with a straight tail at the back. Edna also reports that skirts were very short
which surprised me. I didn't think they got short until the 70's.
By 1954 dyed to match sweater sets with pleated or pencil skirts were in vogue, along with circle skirts
with lots of petticoats -- and Red lipstick. I remember something called Pink Plum. When I look at photos it
seems it was bruised plum. Jeanette Wagner Gardner remembers a senior event, “... maybe a dinner, and I wore
a Lilli Ann suit with a hat. That was very fashionable at the time and I thought I was so cool.”
1957. Girls were still wearing pastel angora sweaters and buck shoes
Cynthia Vogel who graduated in '58 remembers Schiaparelli sweaters from Italy and dickie collars of
various styles, some with fur balls at the end of long velvet cords. We wore straight bangs and fairly long hair.
I remember a style that was very straight with a sausage roll all around the bottom and there were girls who
managed to turn their heads so the sausage never broke. After several attempts at this miraculous hairstyle, I
opted for the ponytail which seemed just right for a girl with dirty saddle shoes.
'58 saw Bonnie Doon socks and Keds, khakis with our father's white long sleeved shirts, sleeves rolled to
the elbow and the tails hanging out. Lucky girls had a Block C sweater at the Friday game and “ were in heaven”.
We wore full cotton skirts in summer with crinolines to make them stand out. Tops with summer skirts were
normally cap sleeved and our cotton dresses were fitted. Often summer clothes were hand made. We wore a
string of pearls around our necks. Summer shoes were “flats” and purses were sort of small and box style with a
mirror inside the lid when you opened up. I remember a purse made of a World War II leather bullet bag and my
friends wrote their names on it in ballpoint pen.
The Class of '59 had few changes. Here is an anonymous list.
1 White Buck Shoes (with buck bag to powder over scuff marks)
2 Angora Sweaters (which I could never afford)
3 Matching socks, belt, and neck scarf
4 Flip hairstyle
5 Layers of petticoats
6 Hoop skirts
7 Tiny bells on shoelaces (the teachers finally banned them!)
8 No such thing as backpacks, book bags, or tote carts
9 Friday ""Dress-Down Day" when girls could wear pedal pushers
Please See Levis Page 4
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Levis
Unfortunately, not so many guys responded, but I remember my brother, who graduated in '46, wore
soft yellowish cords and refused to use an umbrella no matter how wet it was.
In the Fifties boys wore Levis or ” peggers”, grey or khaki. Someone also remembers the Zoot suit look
with a long watch chain. I certainly remember powder blue suits and hair in a flat top with maybe a DA in the
back.
Bob Griffiths '57 fills us in on Pendleton shirts. “ We could hardly wait until the new season's line came
out so we could have one of the "new" colors. I remember how nobody could ever beat Dave Van Hooser in
getting the newest ones, then we found out he worked at Bermans!! We never had a chance to ace him out LOL”
Rick Klier says, “Fashion for me came down to getting both socks to match” and remembers that, at
that time, you didn't buy basketball shoes or running shoes. All athletic shoes were tennis shoes unless they
had spikes or cleats.
Thanks so much for sharing your memories. For our next issue I hope you will all try to remember the
slang we used. What did we say? “Cool”? “Bitchin?” Right now, I can't remember!
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Memories Of Castlemont
Arue Beaulieu Szura, Class of January 1948
I first attended Castlemont High School in February 1945, when I was fifteen. The Tudor Revival had
been built in 1929 and looked to me exactly like an English castle. I was in awe. Ivy climbed its brick walls, and
there were turrets and leaded glass windows and a reflecting pond out front, even beautiful hand-carved wood
doors.
I spent my first few days there memorizing the combination to my locker or wandering the halls looking
for the various classrooms to which I had been assigned.
Community service was highly regarded at Castlemont and students were encouraged to participate in
one of the school's many service clubs, each one named in the spirit of our Knights of the Round Table theme.
I was invited to join The Guild of the Lance in my junior year. Initiates were to wear jeans, mismatched
shoes, socks of different colors, and a buttoned sweater worn turned backward, no lipstick on our lips, and our
hair in curlers, then take a bus to downtown Oakland, dressed like this, to the corner of 14th and Broadway in
front of the Kress Five and Dime store. Once there we were required to stand on top of the square metal
garbage can and give a speech. I don't remember the subject of my speech but I do recall passersby smiling
indulgently at us, perhaps wondering what all those crazy teenagers were up to!
The prestigious Girls' Block “C” Society was founded in the mid 1930s by our physical education
teacher Gerry Laws as a way to encourage girls to participate in sports. To join the Society each girl had to
maintain high scholastic grades and to be nominated by a current member as well as one teacher.
One of the perks of being a member of the Girls' Block “C” was that you got to wear white shorts and a
white blouse to gym class instead of those awful blue shirts and bloomers the rest of the girls had to wear. That
alone served as an incentive to keep our grades high and to participate in sports.
Castlemont had about 1800 students when I was there and yet I can recall only a few times when anyone
got into trouble: One is when a few boys picked up a small car and put it into the reflecting pond as a joke. It
caused quite a stir around school and I'm sure there were repercussions for those involved. That car actually
looked pretty silly sitting there in the pond surrounded by water lilies! Actually, there were a few students also
tossed into the pond from time to time.
Please See Memories Page 5
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Memories
And whenever anyone talked back to a teacher they were sent to the office of either Mr. McMasters, the
Vice Principal for boys, or Miss Ball, the Vice Principal for girls. Both were known to be very stern so if you
were smart you kept your comments to yourself while in class. Smoking was also frowned upon and your
parents were called immediately if you were caught with cigarettes.
I was never sent to Miss Ball's office because my mother had put the fear of God in me.
But I also remember dancing the Dirty Boogie, boys wearing Zoot suits with chains dangling from the
waist almost to the floor, boys who never washed their jeans so they could stand upright by themselves, Friday
night school dances, saddle and “buck” shoes, Combs, Elliott's Drugstore, and the Blue & White Drive-in where
you ate in your car and the girls who served you wore roller skates. Ah, the good old days.
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Alumni Associations, People Searches, and Profit
Cynthia Vogel, ‘58
I recently received an email from a Castlemont Alumni Association that was not the one I had joined. I
emailed our leader, Richard Klier, and asked whether he knew that there was another Castlemont Alumni
Association and could he explain the difference between it and ours. Given that many of us Castlemont Alums
are former or current teachers, I should have known what the reply would be. “Why not write an article for Ye
Alum Castle Crier ,” said he in his best why don't you educate us and yourself mode.
To get a sense of the chore, I googled (it's an accepted verb now, isn't it) “Castlemont Alumni
Associations Oakland California,” and received 2,160 hits! I am retired and am done with data collection,
reports and advocacy positions-except when I get annoyed and want to go after politicians and their stances.
But the Google response had me somewhat intrigued.
Reach out and touch someone. Technology, that has given us cellphones and the internet, also has given
rise to an ever increasing market for communication between and among individuals. Musings such as “I wonder
whatever happened to that ol' school chum or that pain in the neck in chemistry class,” provides grist for
entrepreneurial ventures. One of the sites that provides ol' school chum opportunity is Classmates.com that
purports to have 7,734 Castlemont alumni registered. School associations can post on its site reunion
announcements as well as update alumni on events and activities. Facebook.com, a current fad, has 1,290
Castlemont alumni registered. I happened upon a new site, MyLife, that has 21 '58 Castlemont alums aloneincluding Great Balls of Fire, Bill Ernst (a '58 inside joke-not Bill, just his verbal burst of enthusiasm, from time
to time). You can register for MyLife FREE!, but pay a fee at some point. Another online option is
alumniclass.com/castlemont where for $10 you can view your classmates who have joined as well as buy Tshirts. To be fair, this site does offer interactions that our site might do well to copy. These are .COM
enterprises bringing in megabucks with an impressive roster of MBA officers. Why is there a market for
computer-mediated interaction between and among people? Why do so many of our fellow classmates register
for access to several sites? Social scientists have been investigating social interaction in cyberspace for the past
decade; however, if you are interested in the phenomenon of computer mediated social interaction, please do
your own literature review. This field is for the young, intellectually wired folk and I admit I am of another
generation who observes and clucks, shaking her head.
Associations. A dictionary defines an association as an organization of persons having common interests
and purposes. There are websites that require no fees such as classreport.org/usa/ca/Oakland/chs where class
reunions can be recorded. Also alumz.com is free-its site will be paid for by ads-where 22 of our classmates are
listed. These sites have no other purpose that I can see other than to allow you to contact fellow high school
Please See Internet Alumni Associations Page 5
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Internet Alumni Associations
graduates. So the answer to my original query, how does our Association differ from the others, I found in Dick
Ehrhardt's section of Ye Alum Castle Crier, Vol 5, Issue 1, pp.4 & 6: “Our school needs help and it makes sense
for us to provide some. But, how can we provide a meaningful impact on the students and school? …A
campaign to increase the members and, further, to secure donations, will be implemented this Fall.” And more in
Bill King's efforts to incorporate the Association: “This corporation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation
and is not organized for the private gains of any person (emphasis added). It is organized…for charitable
purposes. The specific purposes for which this corporation is organized are to initiate, encourage and conduct
projects to benefit Castlemont High School and its students.” Some of you might have seen the TV interview of
a current Castlemont student who told us that he was not learning anything in school-except in this Calculus
class. View test scores for the Oakland School District and you will know that our urban schools' students need
help. So, perhaps we can say altruism beats profit-making enterprises? Let us work to that end.
Addendum For the Jocks: www.thebaseballcube.com
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The Not So Great Escape
Vern Smith, Jan ‘58
It was about 3AM on a Sunday morning back in 1958. I had just left my fiancée’s apartment at 78th
Avenue and MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland and was headed for home on 75th. The car I was driving belonged to
her and was a 1953 Ford with an automatic transmission. I heard a siren coming from behind, I looked in the
rear view mirror and saw a motorcycle with red lights coming up fast on me. I glanced at the speedometer and
saw I was doing almost 60 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. I slowed down as I came up on 75th and put on my turn
indicators, then turned left down 75th. The motorcycle went whizzing by and remained on MacArthur. I
thought to myself, ‘WHEW, I was lucky, he must be on a call to somewhere else.’
I slowly continued down 75th and came to a stop at Hillside Street. Home was now just a half block
ahead. As I started to pull into the intersection, here came the cop on the motorcycle on my right from 74th on
Hillside. His red light on and his siren still blaring. I did not want my neighbors or my parents seeing me get a
ticket in front of my house, so I turned left and headed towards 76th. I was home on a weekend pass from
Marine Infantry Training, which only allowed me to go as far as 150 miles from Camp Pendleton. I was closer
to 400 miles away.
Panic set in because I now knew he was after me! I decided to make a run for it. I turned out the lights
and stuffed it into low gear. As I came up on 76th I swung wide to the left, then turned right and headed down
toward Garfield Avenue. The motor cop did the same. As I came up on Garfield, I swung wide to the left,
running the stop sign there and then continued straight toward Bancroft Avenue. This confused the cop who
also swung to the left, slowed down and was set up to make a wide right turn, but I punched it to the floorboard
and went straight ahead to Bancroft. After running the stop sign at Bancroft, I swung wide to the left and
turned to the right. The cop was a little further behind now as he was not sure what I was going to do next.
I still had the peddle to the floor and was now following the train tracks down the middle of Bancroft.
The motor cop saw his opportunity to try to gain some ground on me as I went straight past 75th and then past
74th. (When Bancroft reached 73rd, you had to either turn right, up 73rd or turn left, down 73rd due to the
Chevrolet Assembly Plant train yards that started straight ahead there. To continue on Bancroft, once you
turned left onto 73rd you had to almost immediately turn right, back onto Bancroft).
The cop was still gaining on me, as I swerved to the left. He did the same and then I made a 90 degree
Please see Not So Great Page 7
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Not So Great
turn to the left. He was overly committed to the left and coupled with his speed he could not turn to the left
without losing his bike. The last time I saw him, in my rear view mirror, he was heading into the dirt and gravel
of the train yard. In short order I lost sight of him in a massive cloud of dust. I turned right, back onto Bancroft
and continued on.
I decided to park the car at a distance and walk home, now that he was no longer on my tail. I drove up
to a dead end street by the crematorium off of Havenscourt Avenue and parked. (I remembered leaning on one
of my fiancée’s taillights one time and it popped off. Whoever she bought the car from had forced 55 Olds
bullet-shaped taillight lenses into the inner ring of the 53 ford taillights giving it a slightly modified look. It just
so happened when I had popped off the Olds lens, I noticed that the right Ford taillight had a large piece
missing.) With the preceding thought in mind, I popped off both Olds lenses and tossed them in the trunk.
Once removed, it was obvious that every time you stepped on the brake the white light would have shown to
the rear through the break. I could only hope that the motor cop didn’t get close enough to get the license
number. If he didn’t, then saw the broken lens, he’d think that could not be the same car, because he never saw
any white lights whenever I stepped on the brakes.
I started walking slowly home. As I approached 73rd Ave on Foothill Blvd, the place was swarming
with cops. I continued on home, shaking like a leaf and climbed into bed, fully prepared to be awakened by one
of Oakland’s finest. I woke up about 8:30 AM and called my fiancée. I told her what had happened and said if
the Police Department called, to tell them as far as she knew, the car was parked in its normal place outside of
the apartment, and she had not given permission to anyone to take it. Nothing ever came of this. She kept an
eye on the paper for a few days and said nothing was reported about a motor officer being injured, so I guess he
managed to throttle down by going straight into the train yard.
Upon immediate reflection, I decided that I would never take that kind of chance again. I’m sure the
penalty of paying for a speeding ticket and possibly being charged with being out-of-bounds would not have
been so bad as compared to having the book thrown at me in civil court for evading arrest, reckless driving,
running stop signs, etc., and then through the double jeopardy process of a military court-martial being
prosecuted again.
Needless to say, I’ve been a law-a-biding citizen since then.
As I don’t know how long the statute of limitations runs on the above, I would prefer to remain,
Anonymous.
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Remembering Stu Carter, 1952-1960
Roger Hewitt, ‘58
While Hall of Fame Coach Paul 'Shep' Chappelle consistently mentored his wrestling and swimming
teams to repeated OAL championships in the mid to late 1950's, the Knights also were enjoying considerable
success as East Bay powers in both football and baseball under the steely-eyed and iron-fisted gentle guidance
of former PT-Boat skipper and WWII hero, Coach Stu Carter.
Although not a large man by any means, the muscular Carter's persona cast a shadow sufficiently huge to
capture any man's attention and respect. An accomplished athlete, Carter was born and raised in East Oakland,
where he attended Fremont High School and was a three-sport 'All City' athlete, who would go on to achieve
star status as a San Jose State Spartan running back on a bowl-bound team that, post season 1941, would find
itself in Hawaii, up close and bomb-dodgingly personal, as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. By 1944, the
U.S. Navy OCS graduate Carter already had distinguished himself in Pacific battles of far greater magnitude than
Please see Remembering Coach Carter Page 8
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Remembering Coach Carter
anything awaiting him in the coaching ranks; he'd even survived his PT-Boat being blown from beneath him.
Throughout it all, neither tobacco products nor alcohol had passed his lips. Nor would they ever. He would,
however, have three children with wife, Barbara.
That background perhaps gives us some minute idea of the nature of the man. It also provides glimpse of
his unique insight into the economics, demographics, and traditions surrounding the community where he
returned to begin his coaching career. Perhaps it also explains what may have been a special ability to relate to
what many kids from our area were up against and more than a little awareness on his part of what character
traits and self-discipline those kids might need, both as boys and as men, to take advantage of or avoid whatever
opportunities might present themselves.
Fear and quit, especially in anything related to athletic endeavors, were two words not included in the
man's vocabulary. He was one of those rare individuals who possessed the personality and leadership qualities
of a General Patton, or perhaps Attila the Hun to some, especially those who found themselves on the receiving
end of a well-deserved Carter disciplinary measure or lecture. On the field or in any room with Mr. Carter, no
one ever doubted who was in charge or how things would be done.
Stu Carter took over as Castlemont's head football coach in 1952 and led the Knights to the OAL
championship the following year, as the team went undefeated (4-0-1) in league play. Carter's Knights would
repeat as OAL champs in 1955 and 1956, incurring but a single loss in league play over the two seasons-that
coming in 1956 when senior star quarterback Rich Xavier was forced to sit out the final game with the rival San
Leandro Pirates. Junior Ron Gaspar performed well and running back O'Neal Cuterry produced his usual
sparkling game, but the traveling co-champion Pirates prevailed 19-14 at day's end.
Coach Carter led his Knights to another pair of consecutive championships in the 1957 and 1958
seasons. The undefeated 1957 team, ranked No. 1 in Northern California throughout most of the season, was
perhaps his crowning coaching achievement while at Castlemont. That team -led by all stars O'Neal Cuterry,
Dick Maddern, Skip Johnson, Terry Jones, and Willie Carleton (the names I most remember)- was a state-ofthe-art high school powerhouse on both sides of the ball. The offense attacked with Oklahoma split-tee and prospread sets and defended with basic Oklahoma 5-4 or 6-2-3 sets that stopped opponents cold throughout the
season. Thanks to Mr. Carter's off field efforts, and those of Assistant Coach, Tom Tancredy, five members of
the team (all of the above named) would receive full college scholarships that year, and at least two more would
be awarded to players in the following year-a previously unheard of and almost unimaginable accomplishment
for folks from our demographic and economic backgrounds.
Through 1958, Carter had put together five championship football seasons with a combined league
record of 20-1-2 in those five years. And while football clearly was Mr. Carter's first love, it was not the only
sport in which he produced a championship team. In fact, my first real exposure to him came as a sophomore
member of his 1956 baseball team. Although Mr. Carter never considered himself a true expert in any sport
other than football, he led the 1956 Castlemont Knight team to the school's first OAL championship, beating the
venerable coach, George Powles, and a McClymonds team led by the great Vada Pinson. Carter's baseball team
also finished second the following year, his last on the diamond before stepping aside for new baseball coach, Ed
Strelow.
Stu Carter left Castlemont in 1961 to take over as head football coach at Palomar Community College in
the greater San Diego area. After suffering an initial losing season, he would go on to lead the Comets to a 7-2-0
best ever record the following year. He resigned that position shortly after, in late January of 1963, citing health
reasons. He returned to the Bay Area; however, that's as far as I've been able to trace his career. I'm told that he
Please see Remember Coach Carter Page 9
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Remembering Coach Carter
went on to coach at the College of San Mateo but, as yet, I've been unable to come up with any school coaching
information for those years.
Obviously, there was so much more to Stu Carter the man, coach and teacher than I've been able to relate
here. While he seemed a complex and sometimes unyielding person in many respects, his coaching, whether
baseball, football (or tennis for that matter), always carried a few simple but very important underlying threads.
First and foremost, he taught and demanded commitment and desire from the players.
“Give me 22
players who want to play football and we'll win a championship,” he used to say. “You have to want it!”
He also expected every player to perform to his full physical potential. No Stu Carter player ever
raised his hand to come out of a game unless he expected not to return. “Can you breathe?” the former PT-boat
skipper (or eye-blinking USC linebacker Tom Tancredy) would ask. Any affirmative response (the only one
acceptable) meant that a Carter-coached player stayed on the field.
I'm sure his greater contribution (much like that of Coach Chappelle, but accomplished with a much
different approach) came in the positive character-building influence he exerted over the young men he coached
and in the profound impact he had on so many lives-never politically correct, but always effective. I remember
him helping me to get my first summer job (in my junior year of high school), and I'm sure he did the same for
many others. I can personally remember at least nine players (myself included) who I'm virtually certain never
would have seen the inside of a college classroom had it not been for his considerable efforts. I'm equally certain,
given the countless opportunities that so many of us had to screw up royally, that Mr. Carter's steely-eyed
demands, admonitions and example (along with a bit of luck) kept more than a few of us out of serious trouble.
I last spoke with Mr. Carter in late 1991. I remember the year because he was preparing for a 50-year
reunion of the 1941 San Jose State team in San Francisco. I'm grateful that I had the chance to thank him for all
he'd done. I even called him Stu, which probably irritated him a bit.
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A History of the 1950’s, Howie Version
Howie Reed, ‘56
The 1950’s was a transition time for both Castlemont and the City of Oakland. This even before Bob
Dylan “sang”, sang is a relative term, “The Times they are a changing.” The Oakland Oaks still played baseball
in Emeryville of the old Pacific Coast League. There was no Oakland Coliseum complex. The Freeway along the
shoreline was brand new with wet lands still open to the occasional duck hunter (like the author of this piece
and pal Jimmy Marion), no BART but a street car that ran down East 14th Street, the 4th of July meant the day
and evening at Lake Merritt, guys wore Antonio Pegers with Pendleton shirts as girls worn Poodle Skirts and
Poodle Haircuts. Jerry’s Beefburger (12 cents) was the “in” place and Mel’s Drive In had yet to be made
famous . Ay yea those were the days.
Coaches Stu Carter and Paul “Chep” Chappell weren’t “change” they were the “now”. Little 2010 lingo
tossed in. With two distinctive approaches, both afforded players the chance to learn about sports and life.
Which one took precedence is a matter of opinion. The two gentleman were as different as night and day but
both effective in winning. No not the Cole Porter song 'Night & Day" but your recognition of same does make
you smarter than a 5th grader. See that diploma was worth something. In the tenure of the Class of ’56 the two
coaches combined for OAL Championships in football, baseball, swimming and wrestling. Football and baseball
coach Stu Carter replaced Coach Reichart when he died while the class of June ’56 was still in Jr. High. Many
of the young aspiring football players in the area knew Coach Reichart as he was there ready to give kids old
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My Way
Castlemont equipment for their pick-up games played in the sandpit that was the Castlemont practice field.
Some even had their mothers dye old sweatshirts purple using white tape for numbers. While Coach Carter was
new, those that went to Elmhurst jr. High knew his Dad as Mr. Carter who taught metal shop. There’s a rumor
that his Dad once smiled but the report couldn’t be verified.
A neighbor who lived across the street from my parents played football at Castlemont when Coach
Carter was playing at Fremont. “We loved it before our game with Fremont. We’d go back to Elmhurst and tell
his old man how we were going to send Stu to the hospital. We never did. He was pretty good.” Carter was no
nonsense on the practice field and even less friendly walking the halls. He didn’t really spread a lot of sunshine
around. He was “my way or the highway” long before the term became popular. Like many that are sure of
themselves he would never be caught laughing at himself.
He loved to pick on guard John Kilfoil probably because he figured he could handle it. Kilfoil was a great
student (he was prepping for a Military Academy appointment but instead went to the Harvard of the West
San Jose State (now there’s a great career choice), a good guy and a darn good football player. A part of the
Carter approach was that every lineman would have the exact stance. No variation. One day during practice
Kilfoil’s stance was not spot on. “Damit Kilfoil you look like a cross-eyed chinaman taking a leak.” Realizing
what he said Carter followed up with “Sorry George”, speaking to Uncle George Nabori. The silence was broken
with “I’m Japanese”. No one laughed out loud….. then.
Coach Chappell had a different approach. He cared just as much but was more of a “players coach.”
He could have a laugh but had no use for anyone that didn’t give 100%. A little aside here. If you hear anyone
say “I gave 150%” he or she is full of bull. If you can only give 100% how in the name of all that’s holy can you
give more ? You can’t. Some of us on the wrestling team were members of the Red Coats. One of the “clubs”
annual events was the Christmas dance. A few of us skipped school to drive up to the Oakland Hills and gather
mistletoe. Hey when there were no hayrides try misteloe. We were so smart that we gathered at school the
morning of the hunt. While goofing off in the hills one of us (no names as the author invokes literary license)
got a tick imbedded in his back. The crew showed up for wrestling practice . “Well gentleman it’s nice to see
you’re all back from your doctor’s appointments.”
We had a source (name withheld) within the counselor’s office that had provided us “notes of absence”.
“Back in the day ” a note from a parent had to be provided for either being late or absence. The Friday before
graduation some of us got the measles as we had attended the same function. My Mom wrote a note explaining
that I was absent because of a slight case of measles. The next day I was called into Mr. Stokes office to
explain why my mothers note and signature didn’t match the others notes of absence that he had. After
stuttering for what seemed like hours he said, “We’ll discuss it next week.” Back to wrestling practice. As we
worked “someone’s” back got very red and sore. “Let me look at that”, said Chep. “Hummmmmmmm. Looks
like you better go back to the Doctor’s office and have him remove the tick he put in your back.” To be accurate
the same person actually got a letter for wrestling. The mechanical drawing class did the lettering on the
certificate. This person’s certificate had the name correct and the sport as “wresting”. The artist must have seen
“that person” get pinned in 20 seconds by Bill Borders in the OAL meet. First round. Oh the shame of it all.
Cue Archie Bunker for “Those were the days.”
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Roy Reichert Field Fund Raiser October 10,2010 at 8:00 in the morning: A five K
Run/Walk costs $20 & begins and ends at Castlemont. Proceeds will finance a new scoreboard. To
help, send your donation to Rich Klier, 6 Westminster Place, Lafayette, CA 94549. He’ll pass it on.
Fall 2010
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Volume 5 Issue 2
The Knight’s Summer Basketball Trip to Germany
Michael Parker, ‘67
The Castlmont Knights basketball team came back from a successful 10 day Summer excursion to
Mannheim and Heidelberg, Germany. Winning four of five games against high school age sport club teams.
They were housed in the homes of their opponents, getting a unique cultural experience. The Knights only
loss came in their last of three games on one day. The eight man squad fell to fatigue, though the 44 fouls to
their opponents 8 may have been a factor.
The new season squad will have returnees and captains Gary Willliams and DeVareaux Manley, with a
supporting cast of Jamelle Corbino, Michael Martinez, Daevon Oliver and 6’8” Bobby Johnson, a transfer from
St. Elizabeth High School.
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Castlemont’s 2010 Football Preview
Michael Parker, 67
The 2010 version of Castlemont football looks to be exciting, with new head coach ex-Cal bear’s running
back Russell White and his valuable defensive coach Lloyd Johnson.
Coach White is a 1993 Cal grad who is enshrined in Cal’s football Hall of Fame. He’s a nephew of USC
Heisman trophy winner Charles White. His defensive coach, Lloyd Johnson, is a 1978 graduate of Fremont,
played at Contra Costa Community College, San Francisco State, and professionally with the USFL Oakland
Invaders.
Returning players Fakalaci Akusi (QB and line backer) and center “A.J.” will anchor the offense. On
defense, linebacker Tony Suni and Devon Miller will back up defensive lineman Amini Liku, Jr, who also plays
on the offensive line.
Coach White's challenge of melding a small returning core with new talent will test him in his rookie head
coach year. To meet the task, Coach White said, “We’re not rebuilding, we’re reloading! It’s about character
building as well”. Coach White’s philosophy looks to send the young Knights on a path of success.
As this article goes to print, Castlemont had a scrimmage with a talented Castlemont High squad and the
Knights held their own in competitive play. Coach Johnson was enthused by his defensive team play.
The Knights have three preseason games, leading off with a trip to play Eureka High, the Division II
State Champs. The Knights want to avenge last year’s 42-8 loss. Following that, the knights will host Rancho
Cotati and Summerville High schools.
Coach White is confident his maturing squad will be very competitive in their O.A.L. campaign. We
look forward to the young Knights having a spirited, successful season.
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The 1964 Championship Football Team Reunion, October 23
In 1964 the Castlemont Varsity Football team won the Oakland Athletic League (OAL) and in the
process tied a 1925 record of dominating each game; going through league play UNSCORED upon.
The '64 Knights were known for an explosive offense and fierce defensive play. They were featured in
the national publication, “Gridiron Champs of America” as one of the top 100 teams in the nation. After
winning the championship many of the players were recognized by OAL coaches who placed 14 of the Knights
on the All City Team. The 1964 outstanding seniors and OAL All City Team were Co Captain Center Daryl
Stone, Co-Captain Tackle Bennie Shannon(Lineman of the Year), QB Bill Gomes (Most Outstanding Offensive
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’64 Champions Reunion/Luncheon
Player), Fullback Otis Comeaux (MVP), Guard Kirk Bauer, Halfback Larry Dumas, Tackle Sam Allen, Def
End Daryl Hall and End Jamie McNeal. The All City selection also included four juniors who went on to
captain and lead the 1965 team to another championship and again make All City (Gary Knowles, Frank Slaton,
Bernie Vigallon and Von Joshua) Slaton went on to play at San Jose State, Knowles Cal State Hayward,
Vigallon Chico State College and Von Joshua had a career in Professional Baseball.
Several players remembered Head Coach John Mackey's words after the championship game and pieced
together his comments “all you young men don't quite understand what you have achieved this season, some
day when you are old men you will look back and be extremely proud of your outstanding team and individual
accomplishments. Many of you in this room may go on to play on the next level, others will seek your future in
the world of work or the military, some of you will go on to do some great things in life, you may forget
teammates names, you may even forget the scores, but you will never forget this season.”
After 46 years the team will hold a reunion at Athen's Restaurant in Dublin on Saturday October 23
from noon to 6 pm. If you would like to attend, contact Phil Mahoney ([email protected]). The cost is
$25. Of the original three coaches, two managers and 37 team members the reunion committee (Phil Mahoney,
Bill Gomes and Bernie Vigallon) were able to make contact with Head Coach John Mackey and 23 team
members who have made a commitment to attend the gathering with their guests.
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A Castlemont Golfer’s Story
Gene Miranda, ‘58
Richard Klier asked me to write about how sports at Castlemont (specifically golf), impacted my life and career.
While remembering back to the 1950's it is clear that I was most influenced by my experiences playing sports
and by those dedicated teachers who taught and coached me. Early in the 10th grade I concluded that it was
safer to play sports after school than it was to walk home. I also discovered that it was easier for me to hit a
golf ball than a curve ball, especially one thrown by Ron Gasper, so golf became my summer sport. I still
needed two other sports to complete my year-round activity so I chose football as my fall sport and wrestling
for the winter. Being slow and chubby (I prefer chubby rather than fat) I gravitated toward sports with little or
no running requirements. That explains my football position of offensive tackle;
and becoming a heavy weight
on the wrestling team. The only running in golf is when someone steals your golf ball at Lake Chabot. My
favorite sport has always been golf but that was certainly not the in sport at Castlemont. My father exposed
me to the game at age 10 when I was asked to caddy for him on weekends. By age 14 I was ready to move to
the big money at Sequoyah Country Club where carrying double could earn you $7.00 with tip. Caddying was a
very good learning experience that allowed be to enjoy some lasting friendships with Pete Kunich; Phil Ferreira;
Mike Sharpe; Bill Duarte; Don & Bob Hollibaugh; Frank Pagano; Chuck Unsderfer; Leo Jeanminette; Larry
Gonzales; Val Beatriz; Bob Jerome; the Solis brothers; Erwin Gill (who lasted about two rounds before he quit)
and many others. Unfortunately a few of those caddy friends, along with some football and wrestling
teammates, have passed on. I was also exposed to some career caddies (rudely called “winos” by us high school
loopers) and realized that I would prefer a life where I hired a caddy rather than one where I was hired to caddy.
Besides, I did not like wine in those days and would have made a lousy wino. That epiphany got me serious
about school work and going to college. I was fortunate to play golf at San Jose State and the game of golf
provided me with many career opportunities and recognition. My first job out of college was teaching Physical
Education at Elmhurst Jr. High where I had been a student only eight years earlier. In fact, one of my students
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I started at Chabot
was Bernie Vigallon (younger brother of Jim Vigallon 58') who went on to earn his PHD and teach at Chico
State. Viet Nam was heating up in 1962 and I got drafted so I immediately signed-up for the Air Force Officer
Training Program and that released me from the draft. I was privileged to serve 20 years in the Air Force with
14 of those years at the U.S. Air Force Academy retiring as a Tenured Associate Professor of Physical
Education and golf coach. After retiring I continued working at the Academy as a civilian coach for another 14
years. I strongly believe that there is no better teaching laboratory than a golf course. There are practical
lessons; like using one extra club rather than two extra balls when hitting over a water hazard. But, more
importantly, the game also teaches patience, honesty, courtesy, self control, strategy, how to deal with
adversity, sportsmanship, the value of hard work and sacrifice. It is also a sport you can play your entire life
and you don't need to be good to enjoy the game. What I am most proud of in my life are the successes of those
I had the privilege to coach and teach. Many of my former players and students have gone on to become
generals in the Air Force. A boxing student of mine is now the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. One of my
assistant coaches is a three star general, and currently the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy. One of my
players went on to become an astronaut, another married the astronaut Eileen Collins. Many of my players
became pilots and a few are doctors and golf professionals. I credit much of my enjoyable and rewarding career
to the great coaches I had at Castlemont. Coaches Paul Chappelle and Stu Carter influenced me most and I
found myself coaching with the same enthusiasm and energy they displayed. I appreciate all they did for me
and I hope I was able to “pay it forward”. As a coach I can appreciate and admire Castlemont wrestlers Greg
Hickey and Joe Marion who stayed in contact with coach Chappelle and see that he gets to the monthly
luncheon of loyal Castlemont alumni. I will close with my favorite quote: “A coach should not be judged by his
won-loss record but rather by the quality of people his players become”.
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In The Beginning
The Letter Gerry Laws wrote in 1988 letter celebrating the 50th anniversary of Castlemont’s GAA
50 years:: Can it be? It can and it is - and only when we say those cold, hard, big numbers do I actually
face up to my age.
Maybe you are interested in the history and anctivities of those many years. There was an active Girls’
Athletic Association when I arrived at the beautiful “Castle” and it was my privilege to sponsor that group.
The girls were called upon to assist in other activities, - serving for the P.T.A. meetings, the Boys’ Block C
dinners, ushering at the plays and operettas and being of service to the school in numerous areas. Those who
participated in after-school activities and earned their Block “C”, had fine grades in other classes, A’s in
Physical Education, for effort, cooperation and willingness to help others and serving the Physical Education
Department, the school and Community. They became the nucleus for the ”C” Society. A simple Constitution
was written which was enthusiastically accepted by the Administrators and Faculty members. The enrollment
in the L10 classes ranged from 40 to 60 and the Senior members of the “C” Society, designated as Senior
Leaders, were assistants in such classes. In order to be identified by the Sophomores, they wore white uniforms
instead of the blue ones.
Many activities were added to the after-school program depending on places and instructors available.
Prior to the swimming pool being built by the school, we went to Mills College for swimming and diving, also
for horseback riding. Golf at Chabot Course, ice skating at the rink by the Fire Department Headquarters on
12th street, Crew on Lake Merritt, bowling in the Fruitvale Lanes, rifling at the R.O.T.C. range, archery, tennis,
badminton, and the regular team sports. Emphasis was place on good sportsmanship, developing good health
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Love One Another
habits of exercise, nutrition and enjoyment in working to improve. Excellence in all activities was not expected
but doing the best your physical makeup would allow was encouraged. And the Reunions? The first group of
“C” graduates wanted to come back sometime to play. The current members organized an evening of fun and
refreshments for them and basketball, volleyball, badminton, and table tennis; for others, card games were the
activities of the evening. Some just wanted to visit with friends. Each semester there followed a “C” evening
until the sad Pearl Harbor episode resulted in blackouts, and no night activities could be held.
When the ban was lifted, a request was made for the Reunions to resume. Plans were made for one
meeting a year in the Spring. The activities changed to eating and talking (not in that order).l
Now you have become dependable, capable, active members in your communities. I am grateful for the
time we spent together, - the happy times, some sad, many laughs and a few tears.
Fifty years later, one of your teachers still gives advice:
Think young - Be active, physically, mentally and spiritually - Be the best you can be and
Love one another!
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Gerry Laws, March 11, 1988
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Castlemont Class of 1950 60th REUNION
The graduation class of june 1950 had there 60th reunion on August 7th at Francisco resturant on
Hengeberger Rd. in Oakland. It was a luncheon starting at 11 A.M. and continue to 4:30 P.M. We also had
members from class's of Jan 50, Jan 51 and 52 present. Len Rogers class of June 50 and Don Victor class of 52
played music for the group for a couple of hours. We had a total of 75 people present. Roxana Larsen and Bob
Beecher did a video on the construction of Catlemont. Bob also did a presentation of the American flag.
There were classmates that came from all over the U.S. for this reunion. Award was given for the person
who travelled the farthest. Bill Brown came all the way from Flordia and received an award. Awards were also
given for the person with the most grandchildren. The class mate won the award with 33 grand and great
grandchildren. Bob Beecher took the mike and asked the gals present to raise there hand if their boy friend ever
took them up to Skyline Blvd. More then half raised there hands. It was a fun day and everyone had a great time
Dave Ramos Chairman of class 1950 60th reunion
Note: The Class of 1950 gave the Alumni Association $250, the proceeds of an auction and the surplus of the
luncheon money. The Association thanks the Class of ‘50 for their generosity.
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Dave Heagerty’s article on the AC was put together with some help from Mel Caughell, among others.
Martha (Milton) Stookey article had a number of contributers. She would like to do a slang article for the
January 2011 Crier. Arue Beaulieu Szura volunteered her Memories of Castlemont. What a wonderful writer
she is. Cynthia Vogel got roped into her ‘internet alumni associations’ article. She’s our resident investigative
reporter. Vern Smith volunteered his escape from the law, hoping we enjoyed it and the statue of limitations
had expired. Roger Hewitt volunteered his Coach Carter article as a tribute to a man he greatly respected.
Howie Reed is Howie. He has already sent me his January 2011 article and his agent has contacted me. Mike
Parker, my manager from the 1965-67 varsity basketball teams, did all the work contacting the coaches. Gene
Miranda responded to my request for an article of his golfing odyssey. Helen (Zumbrun) Olson and Dr.
Evelyn Pellaton, provided Gerry Laws letter. Dave Ramos ‘50 organized and reported on their reunion.
Thank you all for taking the time to share your experiences, memories, reflections, thoughts, and hopes.
You created this special Crier. Thank You Many, Many, Times!
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Volume 5 Issue 2
A January Alumni Crier is planned. I’d like the articles by January 15, 2011. I intend to compose
it and distribute it in early February. It will have Dave Heagerty and Mel Caughell’s next chapter of the
first alumni association in the 40’s; Martha Stookey’s ‘Slang from our time’; Howie Reed’s latest effort to
rewrite history; Mike Parker’s report on the football season and basketball; Rich Klier’s Castlemont Math
afternoons: A History. We are hoping for a history of the Garedakis track glory years from 1960 through 1969.
We need trackmen from those years to send their Garedakis stories to Rich Klier at [email protected] . If we
get enough memories, we can get a follow up to Sheridan’s great Pre-Garedakis track history from last June’s
Crier. And what about Coaches Shigematsu, Denny, Mackey, ... or teachers Ferrero, Darling, Paysen, ...
Study who wrote things for this issue and you see most writers were from the classes of 1945, 1948, and
1958, heavy on the forty’s and fifties. If someone’s article brought some special memories you could share,
send them to me like a ‘letter to the editor’. Better yet, write an article for the January Crier. And we need
some stories from the other decades. Let’s share some 1960’s and 70’s and 80’s and 90’s memories!
I’m fishing for more articles. Perhaps Arue and Vern will write another, but I’m hoping this Crier
has awakened special memories in you which you’ll choose to share with everyone. It takes work, but what
you create will be special. Think about your Castlemont years. Commit yourself to sharing some of
your growing up in East Oakland memories.
Just Do It.
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Castlemont Alumni Association News
Our President, Kim Nguyen, ‘99 , pregnant with her first child, has resigned. These are challenging
times for our Association and Kim did a great job leading us this past year. In addition to being President, Kim
and husband Todd run Castlemontalumni.org , our website which they intend to continue doing.
Thanks for the leadership you provided this year.
Rich Klier will assume the role of President on an intirim basis. He is also the editor of the Alumni
Crier and membership chair. By June, 2011, Rich will not be leading the Association as President, nor will he be
the Membership Chair. If the Board approves, he will be the editor of the Alumni Crier.
Plans for 2010-2011
Our next Board meeting: October 16, 2010. Any member interested in helping us run the
Association is welcome to attend this meeting. Contact Rich Klier- [email protected] (925)935-7258 .
Sports Hall of Fame: Dave Heagerty, ‘45 complained that the Sports Hall of Fame selection process
slighted the great athletes of the 1930’s and 40’s. His great A.C. article in this Crier proved the truth of his
complaint. Thanks to the efforts of Dave and Mel Caughell, ‘41, the Board realizes the inappropriateness of
our present system for Sports Hall of Fame. We will include categories for the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Scholarships: Treasurer Bill King fully expects us to have our 501(c)3 nonprofit status in time for the
Association to award scholarships to graduating seniors in June 2011. Plans for the scholarships program will
be discussed at the coming meeting.
Varsity vs. Alumni Basketball game and BBQ: On the afternoon of November 13 , the alumni and
varsity will have their annual game. This year we’re having it on a Saturday and will include a barbeque and
social time before the game. At this time, Bill Vegel ‘58, Rich Klier ‘58, Lawrence Bennett ‘59, Mike
Parker ‘67, and Reggie Green ‘73 are the committee. If you want to be on the committee, contact Rich Klier.
Hall of Fame: We shall consider the procedure for selecting and electing the Hall of Fame honorees.
Meeting dates for future Board Meetings: A schedule for this year’s Board meeting dates will be
determined.
Career Day: We plan a Career Day on campus during the Spring Semester.
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CAA News
Annual Membership Luncheon: We determine the date of our Annual Membership Luncheon.
American Math Competition (AMC) and Castlemont Math Afternoon: Rich Klier will try to
arrange Castlemont’s participation in the 2011 American Math Competition, as well as put on a Math
Afternoon in the Spring. The Association will be asked to fund these activities.
Procedure to communicate Reunions: The Board will discuss ways to effectively communicate social
events organized by graduates or graduated classes.
Can you help me find these people? Life member Wilma Carole Knowles ‘66 was sent the Spring
Crier to her email and home addresses. Both were undeliverable. Anyone able to give me information to reach
her? I haven’t been able to reach Clifford T Robinson ‘79 either. Information to reach him is needed.
New members: These alumni first joined our Association this year: Roland Broach ‘61, Keith
Calhoun ‘69, Barbara (Thoma) Cullen ‘59, James Cullen ‘59, Ted Hobbs ‘56, Phyllis Lynn (Johnson)
Lun ‘62, Ralph Lytle ‘57, Ray Malgradi ‘40, Jan (Pickford) Miller ‘59,Sue (Nandervis) Maesen ‘59, Rich
Peaslee ‘59, Frank Slaton ‘66, Regina (Moton) Wilderson ‘58,
Suggestions to improve our Association or its programs: Suggestions will be solicited at the
meeting. Members may always make suggestions. Contact Rich at [email protected]
The Plea
Our Association is at a critical point in it’s short history. A small group of hard working alumni has got us
here. But that small group needs help. If you can’t help with the running of the Association, we also need
members. We have around 115. I’m hoping for one thousand. The great mass of Castlemont Alumni have
decided not to join. Reflect on this Alumni Crier. Wasn’t our Castlemont a special part of our lives. Let that
motivate you to change your mind. We can do something for today’s Castlemont. With a few new Board
members and many more members, we can spread the work and have the resources to do a great deal.
Just Do It.
Questions, Corrections, Offers to help? contact Rich Klier [email protected] or (925) 935-7258
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Class of
Visit www.CastlemontAlumni.org to find our Mission Statement.
Annual membership is $25. Nine years of annual membership makes one a life member.
Life membership is $225. Two married graduates become life members for $250 (one pays the life fee,
the other pays the annual fee once). The membership fee is $5 if you graduated in the last 10 years.
Graduating Castlemont seniors become honorary members by turning in the membership application.
Hail hail Castlemont, crusaders honor thee, Long may thy classic walls an inspiration be.
True as the knights of old, devotion without fail, gird and guide us for the fray, Hail All Hail....