11/23/2015 - vhs62.com

Monday Update
A weekly newsletter dedicated to those who
remember & celebrate Vallejo as it once was.
Vallejo
Apaches
St. Vincent
Hilltoppers
Hogan
Spartans
St. Patrick/St. Vincent
Bruins
November 23, 2015
The Monday Update is published weekly, on the
John Bunter Memorial Computer
by Harry Diavatis, who is solely responsible for its content.
Please send correspondence, photographs and archival information to
[email protected]
The Monday Update is posted every Monday on www.VHS62.com
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HH = Hogan HS SV = St. Vincent’s HS SP = St. Patrick’s HS FF = Former Faculty
G = Guest VJC = Vallejo JC SCC = Solano Community College
Year Only (ie: ’60) = Vallejo High School
1
Hello Classmates, Schoolmates and Friends:
In this edition: Gary Baysmore ’62, George Buis, Ron Collins ’60, Jerry Cook ’58, Chet Curtis SV60,
Glenn Dyson ’66, Carol Egidio-Murray ’63, Ed Giblin ’53, Jerry Hallett ’53, Brenda “BJ” JohnsonGreen ’64, Sharon Kent-Harris ’62, Mike Kollar SV59, Tom Libby ’61, Angelo Martin ’62, Don
McConlogue SV56, Randy Morton HH63, John Ranacis ’61, Nick Razes ’56, Brendan Riley ‘63,
Helen Wagley-Mezzera '62, Linda Wallace-Orr-Misita '61, and John Walsh SV51.
Index
This ‘n’ That ............................................................................................................... 2
The Mailbag .............................................................................................................. 17
Apache Review of Arts by John Parks ‘62 ................................................................. 27
On the Sidelines ........................................................................................................ 30
A Cup of Joe by Joe Illing ’61 .................................................................................... 31
Paperback Writer....................................................................................................... 34
This Week’s Newbies ................................................................................................ 35
In Memoriam ............................................................................................................. 35
The Last Word ........................................................................................................... 35
MU Calendar of Upcoming Events ............................................................................ 38
Public Service Announcements ................................................................................. 38
Addendums ............................................................................................................... 33
Yearbooks ................................................................................................................. 43
The Fine Print ............................................................................................................ 45
This ‘n’ That
JFK Remembered…
November 22, 1963 was a watershed moment for
many of us… the Pearl Harbor of our generation. Our
beloved president, John F. Kennedy, was
assassinated in Dallas, Texas and today, some 53
years later, there is still no consensus as to the who
and why of it.
There are many theories. Pick one.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
a lone gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald
the Mafia
the Soviet Union
Southern Democrats backing Johnson
the CIA
2
There remain many conflicting theories, but only one reality: JFK was
dead. Along with his death went our hopes and ambitions for a better
future… “Camelot” had been destroyed.
It was the first of several violent acts, of the turbulent ‘60s, which
would redefine life in these united states, and our society, as we
knew it: Vietnam, Civil Rights, Civil Disobedience, and the
assassinations of Martin Luther King, Bobby Ken-nedy and Malcolm X.
The political landscape of this country changed forever.
We had been “fat and happy.” Those of us raised in the post-war ‘50s
had enjoy-ed a tranquil life… a life of plenty and a bright future. The
quality of life for our generation was unprecedented. We had TVs,
cars, music and plenty of spending cash to enjoy our teen years. We
were fearless… no boogeyman in our lives, no drugs to entice us.
Little did we know that it was the calm before the storm.
A single bullet to the head from an assassin changed all that. As
Walter Cronkite would say “…and you were there.”
...
Free Advertising for Your Business
Next week’s issue of the Monday Update will carry advertising from
our readers touting their businesses. So if you want to reach our
audience you need to send in your ad copy for
the “Business Edition”. With Christmas and
the holidays coming up, this would be a great
time for you to advertise your business or that
of your children and/or grandchildren. Here’s
the best part… it’s FREE. Just send me your
advertising copy and/or camera ready art
work.
3
...
Da Fellas…
About a dozen or so of us got together last week for a “Boy’s
Luncheon” at Truffle Berries. As always, we had a great time
“shooting the breeze” over lunch.
Attending were:
(L-R) John
Lammon ‘62, Paul
Wright ‘61, Mike
Coakley-G, Billy
Gordon ‘64, Mike
Houston ‘61,
Steve Bleamel ‘62,
John Ranacis ‘61,
Don Evans ‘55,
Rich Maples ‘59,
Gary Pheatt ‘62,
and Jerry Orr ‘61.
Mark Twain, referred to a certain religious publication, as
“chloroform in print.” Well
Billy Gordon is “chloroform in
person.” A guaranteed cure
for insomnia. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Actually, that’s not quite
accurate… I like Billy, and he
ALWAYS has something interesting to offer in conversation.
The guy is a living, breathing,
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talking encyclopedia on the topic of growing up in Vallejo, “back in
the day.” I keep encouraging him to write that “tell all” book. I even
offered to help him with the spelling. LOL.
Billy was at the Homestead Miami Speedway
yesterday to watch Jeff’s final race of his
career. (See complete story in the On the
Sidelines feature in this MU) I told Billy I
wanted a full report with lots of pics for the MU.
...
A Final Look at Carol Doda
Carol Doda led quiet early life in Vallejo
By Richard Freedman
Vallejo Times-Herald
11/19/15,
Carol Doda appeared in the film,
‘Head,’ with the pop group, ‘
The Monkees,’ in 1968.
Carol Doda may have stood out for years as an
iconic San Francisco stripper, but the legend of The
Condor Club seemingly existed without fanfare
growing up in Vallejo.
Doda died Nov. 9 of lung and kidney failure at 78.
Though a Bay Area celebrity, Doda apparently never claimed her Vallejo roots, though
born in Aug. 29, 1937 to Elmer and Doris Doda, according to an Associated Press
account forwarded to Vallejo High School historian Harry Diavatis by Vallejo historian
Brendan Riley.
5
“Carol was a very private person, so it’s been difficult trying to get enough info on her,”
said Diavatis.
Doda’s ninth and 10th grade photo is included in the Vallejo Junior High School 1953
yearbook.
“I assume she attended elementary schools in Vallejo,” Diavatis said, adding that he
“never met her personally.”
Diavatis said in his VHS online newsletter that “even a few of our readers who went to
school with her only have fleeting recollections of the cute, little, then-brunette. No
clues as to why she would suddenly quit school after the 10th grade and, in her own
words, become a cocktail waitress. She clearly had some sort of disdain for the city
she grew up in.”
Diavatis added that during a gathering this week of some VHS alumni, “one of the guys
said that he knew for a fact that Carol had married, despite her claim that she never
married. I can’t substantiate that, but it could explain why she dropped out of school
after the 10th grade.”
Vallejo resident Jeff Trager, a longtime San Francisco music promoter, said he was
“quite familiar” with the burlesque queen.
“Carol and I used to hang out at Enrico’s coffee shop. We would meet after she got off
work almost every weekend,” Trager said, chuckling that “I knew Carol before her
silicone injections.”
Trager remembered introducing Doda to Tina Turner at a San Francisco club.
“The two just hit it off talking music til the sun came up,” Trager said. “Tina was one of
her favorite performers. Carol actually started her own rock ’n roll band and told me
that it was all because of her admiration for Tina.”
Doda, added Trager, “was real nice and down to earth away from the Condor, even a
bit shy.” According to IMDb.com, Doda was 19 when she performed her first topless
show at the Condor on June 19, 1964. (This is impossible: do the math, Rich.
If she was born in 1937 she would have been 26 going on 27 years old
in 1964, not 19.) At her peak, Doda performed 12 shows a night at the Condor
Club.
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From the late 1960s through the late 1970s, Doda was spokesperson for KICU-TV,
“The Perfect 36,” and continued to dance three times a night at the Condor in 1982.
Doda is quoted in the IMDB biography as once saying “I
feel like I’m part of San Francisco and San Francisco is
part of me.”
A photo on the Mare Island Museum Facebook page
circulated with Doda standing in front of the deep
submergence vehicle Sea Turtle (DSV 4) at Mare Island,
probably in the late 1960s.
According to the report, a young officer had made her
acquaintance and had brought her to Mare Island to show
her the DSV, and later, when the commanding officer saw
the picture of the classified submersible, he went ballistic
because of the security violation. Meanwhile, that picture
was posted all over Mare Island well into the 1980s.
Taking girls to the waterfront to view
the deep submergence vehicles was a
common occurrence in our youth. We
called them the “submarine races.”
Mark Hutchings posted on the
site that his father was a welder
on Mare Isand from 1955 to
1974 and one of his co-workers
was Doda’s uncle, Ed Doda.
“I got to meet her on the base back in 1964. I was only 9 at the time and, for some
reason, when I shook her hand I don’t remember seeing her head,” Hutchings wrote.
Though Doda “was street-wise, when she was on stage, she took on a whole different
persona,” Trager said. “She had every guy in town wanting to take her out.”
...
From: Ed Giblin ‘53
I have a few memories about Carol Doda. She lived with her grandpa on Amador St.
across the alley from the post office and her home was on my paper route. I had a
Cushman motor scooter for my paper route delivery and every now and then I’d give
her a ride home from school. I never tried to date her because she was a couple years
behind me in school.
Carol married a friend of mine, Tom Smith and had a boy and a girl. Tom worked for
Baker’s Roofing for about 35 years and passed away about 12 years ago. Ben Kuduk,
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Dale Beeghley and i went to the Condor a couple of times. Carol would always say
“Giblin got your scooter with you? Give me a ride home.”
...
From: Linda Wallace-Orr-Misita '61
When the base commander got wind of
this photo all hell broke loose. Why?
The vessel the picture was taken on
was a top secret submersible!
...
Carol Doda at Mare Island Naval Base
From: George Buis
Carol’s parents, Elmer and Doris Doda,
lived at 921 1/2 Amador in Vallejo.
Carol and I paled around. Our paper
said she was never married or had
kids… no, she was married… to a friend of mine, Tom Smith. He passed a few years
ago and they had a son and daughter. The daughter died but the son is still alive.
Yes, I know about her. We were close friends years ago, and her ex, Tom, was a good
friend of mine too. Ms. Doda was so fervently protective of her privacy that few knew
she had a large, extended family in Northern California, let alone had given birth, while
quite young, to two children with whom she had little contact.
Ms. Doda, who had told The Chronicle she never married, is survived by her son, Tom
Smith, and grandson, Westin T. Smith, both of Napa; and seven cousins. She was
preceded in death by her parents and her daughter, Donna Smith-Terzian.
I was ex MINSY 1964 back when Elmer Doda just retired, early 1970's. Elmer was
"Elmer James Doda" but went by the name "Al". I am sure he's the father of Carol. My
old time lady friend of Carol said "they disowned her" .
If any of Carol’s relatives come across this, please know that there is
no disrespect intended. Many who knew her (or of her) are curious
about the girl who grew up in Vallejo and then became such a wellknown personality.
...
8
A lady, looking for a turkey at the
grocery store, couldn't find one
big enough, so she asked the stock
boy "Do these turkeys get any
bigger?"
The stock boy replied "No they're
dead."
Time for Comeuppance
In our Nov. 16 issue we wrote that the Solano Black Chamber of
Commerce was going to honor VCUSD superintendent Ramona Bishop
for leading (and I quote) “the district’s efforts to raise student
academic achieve-ment and create a safe learning environment…”
choke, gasp…
Seems as if someone else has a differing opinion and is going to take
Bishop and the Vallejo School District to task. I find it quite ironic
that this story, in the Times Herald, came out the same day as Bishop
was to receive her “honor.”
Family files claim against Vallejo school district,
superintendent over safety concerns
By John Glidden,
Vallejo Times-Herald
11/17/15
Several months after the death of a Jesse Bethel High School
student, the family has filed a claim against the Vallejo City
Unified School District for negligence, asserting school officials
are responsible for his death.
Ramona Bishop
Kenneth Maxwell “Max” Rusk, 17, was killed in May on a trail which runs along the side
of the high school.
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In documents served recently to the school district, Rusk’s parents, Jaime Rusk and
James Busch, claim the district, superintendent Ramona Bishop, and Linda Kingston
— principal of the school — “knew or should have known that students at the high
school were in serious danger.”
“Despite this knowledge,” the claim further states, “the (Vallejo) school district and the
authorities failed to protect their students and failed to maintain security measures.”
Rusk’s parents contend an armed robbery — which took place on the campus a day
before Rusk was shot and killed — should have been reported to students and
parents, especially since a gun was used in the crime.
“There was no lockdown of the campus, email, announcement, or phone call of any
sort to the students and parents,” the suit states. “The armed robbery was, unfortunately, just one incident in a long series of violent acts that the district has done little to
stop, even failing to tell students and parents when major crimes have been committed
and danger remains.”
Reached by phone Tuesday, Kirk Boyd, representing Jamie Rusk, James Busch, and
the estate of Max Rusk in the case, said the high school continues to be unsafe,
several months after Max Rusk was killed.
“This would never happened in Walnut Creek, Dublin or Palo Alto because when someone commits an armed robbery on school grounds, they tell parents and students
about the armed robbery,” Boyd said. “It’s clear that there is a liability, the school is not
safe, and (VCUSD officials) failed to warn parents and students about the armed
robbery the day before.”
The robbery was allegedly committed by Zachery Kroll, 19. He allegedly used the
same weapon to shoot and kill Max Rusk, the suit states. Kroll, and Elisha White, Jr.,
16, of Suisun City, have been charged with the murder of Max Rusk. White, who is a
minor, is being charged as an adult in the case. Each is being held in custody on a
$1.5 million bond.
The suit also claims that one of the students robbed was “chastised” by the high school
administration “for calling the police and not talking to them first.”
“After the victim finished reporting to the police,” the suit further states, “the victim
student was taken to the administrator’s office and chastised again for reporting to the
police.” (Unbelievable!)
Boyd said his clients are troubled that the district “tried to keep the robbery a secret.”
When asked about these points, Bishop responded in an email Monday stating that the
district was unable to comment on particulars due to the legal proceedings against
Kroll and White, and the claim against the district.
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“Earlier this year, our school community suffered the tragic loss of a student to gun
violence. We remain deeply saddened by this incident. Law enforcement conducted an
investigation, and it is our understanding that two suspects have been arrested,”
Bishop wrote. “The district will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and will do
everything it can to ensure that justice is served.
“The safety of our students continues to be our top priority,” she added. “And we
assure the community that we continue to be committed to creating an environment
where educators, civic leaders, public servants and parents work hand-in-hand to
support our children.” (Ya da, ya da, ya da… insincere praddle.)
The VCUSD Board of Education recently approved the spending of nearly $86,000 for
“additional surveillance cameras at two high schools and one middle school, (and)
server upgrade for one middle school,” according to the Oct. 7 district purchase orders
list.
Boyd declined to state how much the family is seeking in damages.
Clearly these parents are not as impressed with Bishop’s performance as is the Black Chamber of Commerce. I hope the parents win a
huge settlement from the District… one large enough to persuade the
School Board that it’s time for Bishop to seek employment elsewhere.
Maybe she can become the director of PR for the Black Chamber... it
only seems fair since they all seem to be self-serving hypocrites.
Wait There’s More…
I’m reprinting a recent article from the Times Herald along with the
comments from a couple of knowledgeable teachers who “tell it like it
is.”
Vallejo school board gets update on
teacher retention
By John Glidden,
Vallejo Times-Herald
11/19/15
Vallejo school officials assured the school board Wednesday night that the district is
taking every step necessary to retain and attract high quality teachers.
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“Staffing is a top priority,” said Gigi Patrick, the district’s chief human resources officer.
Patrick said the district — along with other districts — is expecting baby boomer
teachers to retire very soon, many after this school year.
She conceded that the district needs to be “creative” to retain teachers. The district has
around 620 full time teachers, Patrick said.
Vallejo City Unified School District Superintendent Ramona Bishop said the district
needs to improve public relations in the community about being a teacher.
She also said that the $2,000 stipend given to math, science, and special education
teachers at the beginning of the year helped to fill many teaching positions in those
academic areas.
Patrick said the district hired more than 100 teachers during the 2015 recruitment
season, “to fill vacancies created by retirement, resignations and increased new
positions for this school year.”
She added that due to required state imposed requirements — since 2013 — to reduce
class sizes in transitional kindergarten to third grade, the district has filled an additional
32 teaching positions.
VCUSD trustee Burky Worel wasn’t impressed.
“To me, it looks like we didn’t retain 100 teachers last year,” Worel said during the
meeting. He added that teachers are not leaving just because of salary. “It’s because
they don’t want to work here,” he added. “Why?”
Fellow trustee Tony Ubalde said the lack of support from society is a major reason why
there is a teacher shortage in the state and country. (How about “lack of
support” from the Vallejo School District?!)
VCUSD Board President Ward “Ace” Stewart argued that the district should have a
system, tool or exit questionnaire established to collect data on why teachers leave the
district.
Bishop said the district does want to know as much as it can on why teachers leave the
district. “I do want to say that there are some cases where there are individuals who
are not suited to work with our student population,” she said to the board. “Therefore
their exit is not of concern.” (Typical cold hearted statement we’ve come to
expect from her.)
Vallejo teacher Loree Tackmier expressed frustration over the situation. “Where has
everyone been for the last 10 years? Do you not hear us?” she asked the board. “Do
you not hear us talk about safety? Do you not hear us about class size? Do you not
12
hear us talk about lack of supplies, lack of materials, lack of support, lack of help in the
classroom?”
No Loree, they don’t hear you… and what’s more, they don’t care.
Here are the comments taken from the Times Herald:
From: Frank Pasley
Middle School Teacher
What a bunch of poppycock!
The primary reason Vallejo can't keep teachers is crime, violence and lack of support
from Management Administrators. And don't think it's just in our high schools where
robberies, assaults and bullying goes on each and every day.
In elementary schools there are problem kids teachers are not permitted to deal with
and more important is the parents of these same kids that blame the teachers for their
personal failures. Then they call these teachers and principals every name in the book
to prove their point. According to these parents a high percentage of our teachers,
school principals and Vice Principals are racist, regardless of color or ethnicity. These
parents tell all of them exactly that on a regular basis.
Don't believe it? Let's ask the teachers. Oh wait, teachers have told us the problems!
Check out what Vallejo teacher Loree Tackmier has to say in this very article. Her
words are just the tip of the iceberg that can be repeated by hundreds of Vallejo
Teachers. Can they all be lying?
Please Madam Bishop, don't tell us you're glad to see teaches go because they
couldn't do the job of savior instead of teacher. It's hard to believe an educated woman
like you can't see the nose on your face. One must ask if you have an agenda that has
not been clearly and publicly expressed. If that's the case, please enlighten us now,
thank you.
The bottom line: “To me, it looks like we didn’t retain 100 teachers last year,” Worel
said during the meeting.The real story is not the nonsense fed to us sheep by school
administrators. How some people, many of us know well, can sit on our School Board
with a straight face is totally beyond me and most reasonable humans. Shameful is
what it is! Who pays the price for heads in the sand? Vallejo's future, our kids and
grandkids.
From: Christal Watts,
Past president of Vallejo Education Assoc. (VEA)
It is ironic to me that as the former president of VEA, I brought these concerns to the
Board and was told that this wasn't a concern because the teachers leaving would be
13
replaced by better teachers due to some new tool/assessment called "Teacher Match,"
that they were requiring potential new teachers to take even before they were granted
an interview. The tool consisted of a series of questions which would take potential
applicants about 30 minutes to complete. No other school district in Solano county had
anything similar to this in place. This was a cost of around $50,000.
When the district discovered that potential teachers were not going to waste their time
on this assessement prior to even being secured an interview, the district then made it
a requirement to complete as part of the interview process. Again, this "tool" was
supposed to find the best teachers to replace all of the bad teachers who had resigned
or retired.
When a school district has to consistently replace 10 to 20% of its teaching force each
year, the quality of education goes down. Research shows that constant teacher
turnover is harmful to academic achievement, especially in high poverty, urban school
districts. Again, I sent this research to school board members when turnover started
becoming a major issue in Vallejo City Unified. I was told repeatedly that these
teachers would be replaced with better teachers. (For those interested, this article
provides info on how high quality teachers are kept out of urban
classrooms:http://tntp.org/assets/documen...
Research also shows that turnover harms school districts financially as well. This tool
shows the financial costs to school districts: http://nctaf.org/teacher-turno....
When the first grand jury report came out about the unsafe conditions at Vallejo High
School, I told the Times Herald at that time that teachers felt vindicated because finally
the proof about what teachers had been telling me for months was in a report - done by
an unbiased group of people. Instead of using that report to help guide discussions
about how to make schools safer, the report was ignored and the grand jury was
attacked as having ulterior motives.
Dr. Bishop continues to stick by her tired line that the teachers leaving are those who
cannot work with this student population. Never mind the fact that Vallejo is losing
many teachers who managed to teach this student population successfully for years
and many who go to other school districts with similar student populations and are
successful there. The failure, Dr. Bishop, is lack of support for your teachers. It is a
failure, very simply, of leadership. Your failure.
In closing, I told the school board members when the exodus of teachers began back
in 2013 that exit interviews should be done. It is interesting to note that two and a half
years later, one of them is finally requesting the exact same thing.
14
From: Frank Pasley
The School Board, Dr Bishop and her Administrators think the Solano County Grand
Jury is a bunch of liars, with ulterior motives. Sadly they have never defined exactly
what those ulterior motives might be. More Poppycock!
The post by Christal Wats, is a well crafted response, filled with obvious truth. Thank
you.
From: Anonymous
Ms. Bishop, expel the criminals you allow to disrupt our classrooms. Vallejo has
allowed felons to ruin our city, schools, streets etc.
C’mon Vallejo! How long are you going to allow these people to
continue to screw up Vallejo’s schools. In order to make any
substantial changes you must first change the School Board. Last
year was a good start with the election of Burkey Worel and Ruscal
Cayangyan. The next election in 2016 will give voting Vallejoans the
opportunity to replace Raymond Momsen and Ward Stewart. Unfortunately we have to wait until 2018 to replace Tony Ubalde, who is
probably the most useless of them all, but at least we can neutralize
him.
...
Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame Class Announced
The GVRD has announced the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame class of
2016 which will be inducted on March 5 at the Dan Foley Center.
The inductees include: Bethel High School running back C.J.
Anderson, who is currently playing for the Denver Broncos; Bobby
Brooks; Rich Ostercamp; Mark Cameron; Dan King; Jodi Tennyson;
and Kevin Tolliver. Also to be inducted is the 1958 Vallejo High golf
team. Special achievement goes to Byron Craighead and Dr. Roger
“Doc” Petrie. Historical Achievement is Jerry Howell and the coach is
Michael Wilson.
15
A special congratulations to my classmate Dan
King ‘62 who was a talented guard at VHS and also
Vallejo J.C. before moving on to Chico State. And it
was also great that they are recognizing Larry and
Molly’s son, the late Roger Petrie of Hogan High
and then UCLA.
Dan King swooping in for 2
...
Rock On…
Here’s a little something for you music lovers. This video features
“dueling pianos” with Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis
on the same stage. It’s a “rock out” video and illustrates just how
lucky we were to have those sorts of musicians while we were
growing up. http://gottaseethisvideo.com/dueling-pianos/
...
It was the first time the blonde was eating Thanksgiving dinner
without her family. Trying to re-enact the tradition, she prepared
a dinner for herself alone.
The next day, her mother called to see how everything went.
"Oh, mother, I made myself a lovely dinner, but I had so much
trouble trying to eat the turkey!" said the daughter.
"Did it not taste good?" her mother asked.
"I don't know," the blonde said. "It wouldn't sit still!"
16
The Mail Bag
From: Chet Curtis SV60
It was with mixed feelings that I read of the passing of
Jean Raahauge SV34. Jean was a "Grand Lady". The
Obit listed Christine, her daughter followed by "88". Chris
graduated from Saints with the Class of 1960.
Following graduation I worked at Cobb Mountain Resort
life guarding and maintaining the pool and adjoining areas
for two summers. Mrs. Raahauge was at the pool almost
every day, enjoying the sun and all of the families long time friends from Vallejo and
Napa.
Mrs. Raahauge lived a long life and was loved by all. The door was always open to
Chris and Rob's friends. One afternoon Vic came home from work and said, "Are you
guys here to drink my beer or eat my food". We all cracked up as he loved Imported
Torburg. It was "Hands Off" when it came to his beer. Great memories!
God bless. Rest In Peace Mrs. R.
Sorry, Chet, I stand corrected. My VHS database shows a Christine
Raahauge graduating in 1988… could it have been a relative?
...
From: Randy Morton HH63
Harry: What a nice surprise that I was mentioned in today's MU. If I have not, I also
want to mention the reference to my mother and me in your early 2014 edition and
your attendance at her Funeral service. Thank you very much. She was a wonderful
mother to me.
Thank you very much as I am sure that many of my classmates read today and I will
soon hear from them. My phone and email were not mentioned so you might put them
in if possible. They are [email protected] and (707) 346-0776. I have not been as
religious a reader as I should be but certainly will from now on. By the way, the reason
I left off the second "o" in my last name was that in 1992 AOL only allowed 10 letters in
one's screen name.
Hopefully the powers that be at CMA know they can thank you for getting the Athletic
17
program going at CMA. Even one who has not lived in Vallejo for over 45 years knows
that.
The more I read MU the more I have to write. I too remember the Spenge’s Restaurant
Ferryboat in Benicia. Don't remember my age but I was about 10 when my parents
took me there. I remember the oyster crackers with butter on them and the sirloin
steak dinner was a whopping $1.50. Only one bridge in those days.
Don't know if Dale Carriker HH64 remembers me but I remember him even though he
was a year younger. I may have known him in Boy Scouts. By the way, my two
brothers and I may be the only Eagle Scout threesome in existence. (I’ll defer to
my BSA expert Tom Price ‘61, on that one.)
I see you and Sally visited Sebastopol recently. My oldest friend in the word, Diana
Stone (I knew her 60 plus years) recently passed away. She was born in Santa Rosa
and I visited her there many times. Her parents, Wes and Patricia Stone allowed my
parents and I to live in their garage for several months. Being as knowledgeable as
you are I am sure you know that Sebastopol is an old Russian town also. That's it for
now.
Hmmm… so you think I’m “knowledgeable” do you? Actually, maybe a
better term would be “resourceful.” I learned a long time ago that one
doesn’t actually need to memorize dates and data or even know how
to spell, as long as you know how to use a dictionary and aren’t afraid
to visit a library. Today, one’s “library” resides at their fingertips on
the computer keyboard. So you see, old friend, you don’t really have
to be “knowledgeable” but just know where to search for the answers.
I’ve gotten pretty adept at doing that.
Randy, feel free to write in to the MU as often and as much as you
like. It’s always good to hear from you.
...
From: Brenda “BJ” Johnson-Green ‘64
Oh by the way, Harry, I do not consider myself an African-American. I am, simply put,
"black." A lot of my heritage does not include Africa and maybe, more than I think,
includes other ethnicities. So… My perspective is that we as a people have been
designated so many different names that I figure it will evolve into another name so I
just remain Forever Black.
18
(“Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud” performed by James Brown, the former Hardest
Working Man in Show Business on Soul Train)
Link: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2VRSAVDlpDI
Sorry, BJ, I shouldn’t have attempted to “label” you. I should have
known better. Here’s some irony for you: according to Wikipedia
many older African Americans initially found the term black more
offensive than Negro.
Maybe we should take the lead from Stevie Wonder and Paul
McCartney “Ebony and Ivory, live together in perfect harmony…”
Here’s a link of the two performing this great song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZtiJN6yiik
...
From: Brendan Riley ‘63
Hi Harry -Can you run the attached flyer in the Update? Should be a really nice display of
Dorothy Herger's art.
Thanks again for the PSA's for the Nov. 13 museum fundraiser. It was a big success.
Glad to do it, Brendan. Information on the Visions of Dorothy Herger
show can be found in the PSA section of this MU.
...
From: Jerry Hallett ‘53
Harry, thank you for the Monday Update… you do one heck of a job..
Thanks, Jerry. We now have 7 readers from the class of ’53. Always
Always room for more.
...
From: Angelo Martin ‘62
Hi Harry , just read that Greeks were citizens of Rome at one time… makes you Italian
19
Et tu Angie? Oh, that hurts… and from such a good friend. You need
to stop being influenced by such zealots as Carmela Piccolo-Coakley.
Read this and understand a little more on the issue:
Roman citizenship was also used as a tool of foreign policy and control.
Colonies and political allies would be granted a "minor" form of Roman
citizenship, there being several graduated levels of citizenship and legal
rights.
The granting of citizenship to allies and the conquered was a vital step in
the process of Romanization. This step was one of the most effective
political tools and original political ideas (perhaps one of the most important
reasons for the success of Rome).
Got that, Angie… “Romanization.” That was just a way for them to
continue their subjugation and conquering of the world. Fortunately,
it didn’t work. All that’s left now of those “noble Romans” are a strain
of garlic-lovers we call Eye-talians.
...
From: Linda Wallace-Orr-Misita '61
Hi Harry, I just happened on this pix of a Greek olive
tree and thought I would share it with you.
Actually Linda, you should be sharing it with
my day-glo friend Carmela so she can see
what a real olive tree looks like. This tree
probably came into being when the Romans
were still swinging on trees and dragging
their knuckles on the ground. LOL.
...
From: Glenn Dyson ‘66
The last time I ate at Spenger's was a little over 5 years ago, when I was still working in
Emeryville and commuting between Dallas, Sao Paulo Brazil, and Emeryville. It was
the second time there in maybe 6 months, and it was after McCormick and Schmitt
(Shit) bought them. After having gone there many times over the years from maybe
20
1964 on, with my parents and sister, this was when the food was sooooooo…good!
Now!, I have officially transferred ALL of my loyalty to The Tadich Grill in SF on
California St. It is excellent but a little pricey. I took a couple of my Brazilian compatriots there in 2009, and they said it was the best restaurant meal they had ever eaten
in America, so it made me happy that I could treat them to this experience. In
summary, no more stinkin' Spengers, ever!
I haven’t eaten at Tadich Grill for
40 years or more. The last time I
was there, I stood at the counter
for quite a while waiting for a stool
to open up, just as these folks,
hugging the wall, are doing.
...
From: Mike Kollar SV59
The 44th Annual High School All-Star Football game is scheduled for Saturday,
December 19th at 1:30 p.m. at the Napa Memorial Stadium. The game features 80
High School Seniors from 25 High Schools representing elite players in the area.
This game benefits the Greater Kiwanis of Napa and the Vallejo Police Activities
League. This year it’s being dedicated in the memory of Dr. Roger Petrie who was
a long time supporter/physician and was a participant in 1982. Appreciate any
contributions or your attendance at the game.
Contributions can be sent to Vallejo PAL, 301 Wallace Ave. Vallejo, CA 94590,
For more information contact me at [email protected] or (707) 552-1573.
...
From: Jerry Cook ‘58
Here's some good laughs for you, Harry, and the MU readers... as in What could
POSSIBLY go wrong… hahaha..
Video: The Best Surfing Fails Of The Super Bank...
This is only about 20 minutes up the coast from me.. the crowds are getting pretty bad
and we have had 14 shark attacks this year, already more than the entire 50 years
previous.. The outer ocean is getting fished out, especially by those massive international ship trawlers so the sharks are coming in close, after the young fish and
21
surfers/swimmers, and with the huge crowds surfing now, they have plenty to choose
from inshore. Our species sure can screw things up.
Just watched that video. Ouch, ouch, ouch! Now I remember why I
never took up surfing. Hey Jer… doesn’t that hurt. My god, the size of
those waves. I’ll tell you why the sharks are coming in… because all
of that banging and falling has tenderized those surfers to the point
where they make great eating for the great whites. LOL.
...
From: Nick Razes ‘56
Here's the photo of me, Joe and Jerry
before the Superbowl. I always win the
game with a great play. Then I wake up
from my dream.. (ha-ha)
Nikko, you have way too much
time on your hands.
By the way, I see the niners finally got rid of that tattooed freak
Kaepernick. Maybe they’ll win a couple of games now.
...
From: Don McConlogue SV56
I would like to thank all of my classmates from St. Vincent’s class of ‘56 for their
positive thoughts and generosity toward my wife and I because of the Valley Fire. The
fire was something that no one should have to experience. The actions of the SV56
folks gave us impetus to keep moving forward in this very difficult time. Again, Thank
You one and all and GOD BLESS all of you.
...
From: Sharon Kent-Harris ‘62
In Sunday’s SF Chronicle, Willie Brown's column, states he attended the black tie
event hosted by the Greek Atlantic Society. "One thing about the Greeks, they don't
need happy hour, the come happy and loud."
OPA!
...
22
From: Tom Libby ‘61
Maybe they should
both take their act to
Vegas.
Judging from these pictures it’s clear
that Libby is already mourning the
loss of his dear companion Frankie
Arellano who is moving to Las Vegas
to seek his fame and fortune.
23
Talk about “space cadets…”
Question: Why would Michael
Jordan want to pose with a cutout of the Libster?
...
From: Gary Baysmore ‘62
Harry: Sorry to hear you’re not eating out for Thanksgiving. Pat and I have been going
out of town for Thanksgiving for the last four years. We go to Point Reyes a couple of
days before Thanksgiving just to chill out, and return the day after. There is a nice
restaurant near where we stay so everything is convenient. Point Reyes is especially
nice if its storming, but storm or not the place is magic to us just to be there. I am sure
you have places like that in your life. Try one of them for Thanksgiving sometime, you
might like it.
Hmmm… thanks for the good advice, my old friend. I really can’t think
of too many places for which I
have that sort of nostalgia, other
than the Claremont Hotel in
Berkeley. I’ve always enjoyed
going there dating back to my
Vallejo Junior College days when
24
I was in Student Government and we put on a dinner/dance there. I’ve
always felt very “at home” at the Claremont which opened in 1915.
Have a great time at Pt. Reyes, Gary.
...
From: Helen Wagley-Mezzera '62
Our 18th Annual Global Holiday Faire takes place on Saturday, December 5th at the
First Christian Church in Vallejo. Friends come together from churches in Vallejo,
Benicia and American Canyon to work this event. Last year we raised over $15,000
for 18 fair trade non-profits. There will be beautiful and unique gift items, reasonably
priced, from all over the world. I know that you could find a special gift for Sally. The
faire is a lot of fun, and you would see old friends from St. Vincent's and VHS working
at the tables. Stop by for a tasty lunch, listen to entertainment and shop! Again this
year, we have 18 organizations we are supporting (including locally Genesis House,
DePaul Women's Center, Loma Vista Farm, Milestones of Development, Amador St.
Hope Center) and we hope to raise more money than we did last year.
I ask those MU readers who live within driving distance to shop at the faire. Know that
every dollar you spend is helping someone in need somewhere in the world. Please
post our flier. Thank you Harry. My love to you and Sally. And Happy Holidays.
Thanks, Helen… the best to you and Dave as well. To view the flier
for this event please go to the PSA section of this MU.
...
From: Carol Egidio-Murray ‘63
On Saturday, Loretta Smith-McCracken ‘62, Gail GreigBoblitt ‘62, Gail Olson-Smith SV64 and I went to Chianti
Osteria, in Suisun, for dinner. Loretta had to leave early
but here are the remaining mug shots.
Gail G-B & Carol
Gail O-S & Gail G-B
25
Carol, I’ve never heard of Chianti Osteria. Sally and I will have to give
it a try.
...
From: John Ranacis ‘61
Harry, for the last four years I have produced calendars for the Boys Under The
Hood. This will be my last calendar. It is a hot rod/custom car calendar, which includes
scenic areas and local business's in Dixon, Vacaville, Vallejo and Mare Island. I have
a few remaining which are being offered to non-members for a $10 dollar donation,
cash or check made out to Boys Under the Hood. If interested please contact me
at [email protected] or cell (707) 694-7056.
...
Being airborne approximately thirty minutes on an outbound evening flight
from Dublin, Ireland, the flight attendant nervously made the following
announcement in her lovely Irish brogue:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm so very sorry, but it appears that there has been
a terrible mix-up... by our catering service. I don't know how this has
happened, but we have 103 passengers on board, and, unfortunately, we
received only 40 dinner meals... I truly apologize for this mistake
and inconvenience."
When passengers' muttering had died down, she continued..., "Anyone who is
kind enough to give up their meal so that someone else can eat, will receive
free, unlimited drinks for the duration of our flight."
Her next announcement came about 2 hours later... "If anyone would like to
change their minds, we still have 40 dinners available."
Contributed by John Walsh SV51
...
26
The Apache Review of Arts
….”Smaller than a breadbox!”
By John Parks
CATHLEEN ---- with
West and Parks at Cecret Lake between the Alta
and Snowbird resorts in Utah. (Yes, spelled with
a “C”.) I'm spending Thanksgiving with their
family.
SO, ---- I'm in my neighborhood UPS store and
a woman walks in carrying three devices that
look somewhat like the ones used to retrieve a
golf ball from a pond. I ask about them and she
explains they are used in the new sport of “Whip Golf”, invented by her husband. He
designed the “stick” used to “throw” the ball and she was shipping some to a customer
in Minnesota. Then the store manager starts telling me about another golf game called
27
“Topgolf” that started in the UK about ten years ago. It features a microchip technology
inside golf balls that are hit into several targets to score points. Players tee off from a
driving bay onto a landscaped outfield with targets ranging in distance from 20 to 215
yards. Players receive instant feedback on how far they have hit a shot and are
allocated points based on distance and accuracy. Here are links if you'd like to learn
more about either of these new games, both of which are apparently growing.
http://whipgolf.com/ and http://topgolf.com/us/
THIS UTILITY BOX ---- in Vallejo was recently
painted by a “street artist”. I like it.
MY ALL-AMERICAN ---- is a real good sports
movie based on the life of Freddy Steinmark in the
late 1960s -- a time we relate to. Fans of college
football will especially enjoy this story and the
many action shots.
1864 WOODCUT IN HARPER'S
WEEKLY ---- of Russian Fleet
visiting United States Navy Yard,
Mare Island, California. Who knew…
28
QUIZAPALOOZA ---- Here's granddaughter
Beatrix with a recent drawing she made. Name
the character on the left and you'll have a good
chance of winning a fabulous prize from the
ARA.
HERE'S A VALLEJO GHOST STORY ---written in 1900 and situated at Richardson Drive
in the old Marche-Maher Ranch Area (later the
Borges Ranch). "Little Boy Blue" the missing
Royal of France. In 1980, the authentic painting
of Little Boy Blue was found in an old worn
down home on Richardson Drive. The people
just bought the home and the neighborhood was
being rebuilt. One of the construction workers
came across the painting. It was Prince Louis
Bonaparte Delacroix Montenegro Hollanzder of
France (1879).He was going to be King. He was
kidnapped at 18 years old. Right after the Royal
Court painted his picture. Some say he was
murdered violently still wearing his Royal Outfit.
He had met another Royal who was also kidnapped and taken here and they became
boyfriend and girlfriend. The description of the ghost: Prince Louis has short dark hair
combed back. He is wearing a blue army/military suit with a white collar, he looks like a
teenager, he is a bit thin. He has blue eyes. He loves women. Some people say he
was killed on his way to meet his girlfriend who lived in the Marche Mansion.(Located
on the present-day Angelina Way Street).*Some people say every night since 1879 the
ghost of Prince Louis kisses any women who end up moving to this street, going house
to house watching over them. His ghost was the Inspiration to the story, Peter Pan.
From Hauntings in Fremont and the San Francisco Bay area California.
http://www.lovehaight.org/…/secret_sidewalk/white_witch.html Credit Ted Visaya
AND HERE'S THIS WEEK'S SONG! ---- The Love I Lost, extended version, by Harold
Melvin and the Bluenotes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGWNc1dkOgY
“Ta-ta for now”,
John
[email protected]
...
29
On the Sidelines
Professional athletes with Vallejo ties…
Jeff Gordon ended his illustrious career yesterday at the rain delayed
Ford Ecoboost 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Although the
entire field could race, only the top 4 regular season winners were actually
competing for the NASCAR championship. Jeff finished third in that group. Postrace
he was disappointed and thought that they were going to do better in this, the last race
of his career. In truth he has nothing to be disappointed about because he has a
storied career and is a lock for the Hall of Fame. Congratulations Jeff. We’ll miss
writing about your racing career.
...
C.J. Anderson and the Denver Bronco’s hung on to beat the Chicago
Bears yesterday 17-15. C.J. had another so-so game with 12 rushes
for 59 yards and 2 receptions for 13 yards.
...
Rashad Ross was a non-factor in the Redskins loss to the
Carolina Panthers yesterday. It was a rout… you’d think that
they’d give the kid a shot.
...
Contributed by Gary Baysmore ‘62
30
Start your Monday with
A
By Joe Illing ‘61
How I Won The Cold War, Part 2 … OUTSMARTING ‘EM
by Joe Illing
Don’t worry kid,
all things pass …
one way or another
The torment, suffering, misery and pain of basic
training subsided after the first few weeks, replaced
by a maturing sense of camaraderie.
An old saw has it that soldiers don’t die for their country, but for each other. After my
brief immersion with my brothers, I have no doubt in the veracity of that maxim. It’s
simply astounding how quickly a group of young men of vastly differing abilities, backgrounds, ethnicities and social classes, not to mention religious and political
traditions, can bond when facing a common enemy.
Up on the hill the enemy was called “drill sergeants”.
Until you’re completely subject to their authority, their interpretations of their mandates,
and their unique prejudices, until you endure the full force of their highly refined, 24/7
combo of physical and psychic conditioning to metamorphose a bunch of ordinary
Joes into fearsome warriors, it’s excusable to debate or even doubt this thesis. But
after an intense immersion in their methodologies, you get an insight into why a soldier
would charge a machine gun or confront such other destructive inventions in battle.
It’s not that they’re psycho or wacko or fruitcakes. They’re simply protecting, or
revenging, their brothers caught in the same web of war that’s entangled them all since
the dawn of time. It really comes down to that.
31
And it’s bloody amazing how quick you can get tight
with guys you’d had nothing in common with just a few
weeks earlier! Even after half a century I can remember so many of them so well.
Tracers adorn
a nighttime sky
I can recall lying on my back chatting with a close buddy early one evening. He was
a Mexican field worker.
The setting around us was unusual to say the least. We were hidden by darkness and
high bunkers. We reclined on our spines in full battle gear under a grid of barbed wire.
M-16 rifles lay at our sides and our backpacks served as pillows. We chatted and
watched tracer bullets fly overhead, creating an incredible burlesque of slender, red
streaks as if handfuls of sparks were dropped from on high scattered across a sable
sky.
While we talked of this and that, we witnessed all around us shadows of our colleagues slithering past us. They crawled flat on their stomachs, rifles cradled in their
elbows which they dug alternately into the earth for forward propulsion, assisted by
pushes from legs splayed, and toes digging-in like giant frogs swimming through a dark
pond.
And they were, each of them and all them in a REAL BIG HURRY! They didn’t even
take a split second to behold the beauty of it all … the truly glorious scene it was!
Why even the soundtrack had a symphonic majesty to it … the piercing firecrackerpops of the machine guns, the deafening explosions of TNT, the whistle of bullets
whizzing by, the grunts and howls of our comrades struggling to crawl faster and faster
prodded by screaming sergeants who kneeled at both ends of the diabolical obstacle
course pushing men into it at one end and retrieving them from it at the
other, all the while bellowing oaths, orders and profanities at the tops of
their lungs
This requires a bit of thought
Overwhelming! Fabulous! Like the grand finale of Tchaikovsky’s 1812
Overture on steroids!
32
Not only did our slithering comrades forgo their ringside seat for all of this Fourth of
July style glitter, they hadn’t THOUGHT the thing through! By this point in our training,
experience should have taught them this one true thing … the end of one exercise is
but the beginning of another … the treadmill never stops!
So take it easy! RELAX! Lay back and wait … wait ’til it’s time for the sergeants to
go home. They won’t have one blessed thing for you to do then. Not one! Guaranteed!
Do you honestly think the brutes would forego dinner and a cold beer just to
hassle you?
Figuring out the sergeants’ agendas as a strategy always seemed to work. However I
didn’t care to blab about it, for if the others caught on, its effectiveness would have
rapidly diminished! So I kept mum, though I’d occasionally plot with a pal or two on
a situational need-to-know basis … after all it’s always nice to be nice to friends!
It was about this time when I began to notice a somewhat troubling personal
transformation. I’d started to feel something like pride metastasizing inside of me.
I felt it sneaking up on me when, weighed down by full battle dress, I’d run miles to
stadiums where I’d learn to kill targets at rifle ranges, throw live grenades without
jeopardizing the lives of my fellow soldiers, or how to slice the throats of enemy
Sentries and an amazing variety
of other vital survival skills.
Silence is golden
I felt the pride sneaking up on me when we’d double-time
back to our barracks in the low sun of a late afternoon. Our
boots, marching in lockstep, would strike the asphalt booming like legions ofkettle drums while we chanted cadences
older than our fathers that echoed off building walls and
down the streets of Fort Ord.
I felt it when I was covered with sweat and encrusted by dirt. I felt it when running for
miles with forty pounds on my back, rifle slung over my shoulder, tin pot strapped
on my head, I’d find myself watching the scenery move by me as effortlessly as if I had
been standing on an escalator.
There was no mistaking it! I was definitely starting to take pride in my plight!
Even as a beatnik wannabe I could feel that pride swelling within. And that’s when I
discovered how good being super-fit felt; I knew that I could persevere the worst the
army could throw at me.
33
And that’s when I felt something too, something called honor, the honor of being part of
a ragtag bunch of grunts who’d become as close as brothers almost overnight. Well,
not quite all of us. Some hadn’t converted yet. Our NFL-sized Platoon Leader from the
bad streets of Oakland was one notable holdout. Something really needed to be done
about him and that lingering sense of doom we all felt whenever his huge frame rumbled through the barracks. He’d walk by us to his private quarters at the far end of
our long open room filled with double bunks and footlockers, with a frown on his face
laced with so many scars it looked like a crossword puzzle template.
There was no doubt about it! Something really did need to be done about him!
——————–
Coming next! How I Won The Cold War, Part 3 … POT LUCK, WEEKEND
WARRIORS AND ARACHNOPHOBIA
...
Okay, Readers, send in that little short story, essay, poem,
remembrance or whatever, you always thought deserved to be
published and we’ll use it in Paperback Writer.
“Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?”
Paperback Writer
Redskin
Though I'm part Choctaw Indian on my father's side
my red skin shows when I take Cialis
Thinking it may be sending my blood pressure higher
forfeiting the pill brings my skin back to white
With no tales of redskin
surmising it seems to remain
Now settled contentment
with past visions of delight
…Ron Collins ‘60
34
...
This Week’s Newbies
The Monday Update welcomes Lee Fox-G, Lynda Frith-G
and Gary Cronhardt ’62.
...
In Memoriam
Ron Karinen ‘62
September 7, 1944-November 22, 2015
From: Linda Wallace-Orr-Misita '61
Hi Harry, just wanted to let you know that one of your classmates,
Ron Karinen, passed away this morning. He was living at the Vet's
home in Yountville. There will be no services. He is survived by his
brother, Larry Karinen '60, of Maui, HI. Ron was my longest friend
of over 65 years.
Ron was born in Beloit, Wisconsin.and his family moved to Vallejo
in 1949. Ron was a Vietnam vet and also spent 35 years in the restaurant trade in SF.
His brother, Larry, will publish an obit in the Vallejo TH.
Linda, thanks for letting us know and please accept our condolences.
I’ll run the obit when he comes out.
...
The Last Word…
I love this plant’s attitude. It’s full of ripe Meyer lemons and yet, look,
it’s already sending out blossoms for next year’s crop. I have 4 lemon
35
trees: 2 Eureka and 2 Meyer and the Meyer
lemons, by far are the juiciest. We pick them,
juice them and then Sally freezes them into ice
cubes so we can use them all year long. The
trick is to pick them before the first frost.
...
If Driving is Not a Right (Is it a Left?)
Because I’m now over 70 years of age
(sob), and my driver’s license was about
to expire, I had to go in to the DMV to
renew and take a written test. I haven’t
done that in years, and because studying was always against my religion, I
didn’t bother to study or even look at
the pamphlet. So the result? I failed
my written test.
But not to worry,-… you’re allowed to retake it after five minutes and
this time I passed. I guess I’m good for another 5 years.
Oh and by the way, I selected the option of being an organ donor,
which, in a way, is sort of laughable because I don’t think any of my
organs are particularly useable.
...
Crisis at the Casa Diavatis…
As frequent readers to the MU know, my wife is a
fervent (if not fanatical) animal lover. She loves all
animals… equally. The problem is all animals, do
not love all animals. Take our kitty-cats. They do
what kitty-cats have done since the dawn of time…
they hunt birds and rodents. Now the fact that they
kill and then play with the corpses of rodents (mice
36
and rats) doesn’t sit well with Sally, but she tolerates it knowing full
well that they aren’t the sort of animals you want in your house. But
now, our precious little pussies have begun to hunt and kill the birdies
that Sally feeds on a daily basis. (She’s sort of to blame for the death
of the birds because she’s attract-ing them to our backyard. Shhh…
don’t tell her I wrote that.) The best hunter between our male lynx, Trouble, and our female
calico, Cali, is the latter. Yep… this cute little,
wouldn’t-harm-a-fly-kitty is a major predator.
What to do, what to do?
Is this an evil sly look, or what?
...
Tis the Season to be Silly, fa la la la la, la la la la…
I got a letter the other day and printed on the outside of the envelope
in big bold letters was this admonition: IMPORTANT-DO NOT
DISCARD. Okay, so I opened it and it was a letter from my bank
informing me of my balance on my line of credit account. Now that
I’ve read it, what do I do… it did say DO NOT DISCARD. Hmmm… I
guess I’ll just set it on top of the stack of other notices I’ve received
over the years which also read DO NOT DISCARD. I don’t know
wotinell to do with them. I know… I’ll put them right next to my
pillows and mattress which still have a tag saying DO NOT REMOVE
UNDER PENALTY OF THE LAW. I mean, who wants to go to jail over
that… easier to just do what you’re told. You don’t want the Mattress
Tag Police on your ass. Trust me…
And Then…
A while back I saw an advertised product that I couldn’t believe… a
computerized trash can. Swear to god, this is true, you can look it up.
It has a built in GPS and follows you around your office and calculates
where to stand to catch your thrown garbage! So I decided to buy
37
one for my office… but, sad to say, after just a few hours, amidst the
clutter in my office, the trash can committed suicide. Sigh…
… thanks for starting your Monday with me… hd
...
If your class is having an event within the next year let us know and we’ll keep it posted on the
Calendar.
MU Calendar of Upcoming Events
Date
Event
Place
Sept. 23, 2016
Sept. 24, 2016
Combined Hogan/St. Vincent’s Fifty Year Reunion
Friday Night Cocktail Mixer
Zio Fraido’s- Vallejo
Reunion Dinner
Vallejo Naval Museum
...
Public Service
Announcements
38
Time
TBA
TBA
39
It’s On Line Auction time again!
All proceeds benefit
Camp Fire Golden Empire -- Camp Gold Hollow
Camp Fire Golden Empire is looking for donations of items to be auction during our
Second Annual On Line Auction November 27 - December 6, 2015 All funds raised
go to support local Camp Fire programs and camp programs at Camp Gold Hollow.
Camp Fire and Camp Gold Hollow have been providing quality youth program for over
75 years in our local area. Today we continue that tradition and as the last Camp Fire
Council in Northern California are job is even bigger and we are asking for your
support. Camp Fire is one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit youth development
organizations. Founded in 1910 as “Camp Fire Girls,” the contemporary, coeducational
Camp Fire provides all-inclusive, outcome-based programs across our nation and in
our local communities.
We had so many wonderful items donated for last year’s auction and they were all
great deals. We are looking for all types of items, gift cards to local restaurants,
theaters, grocery stores; services such as bike tune ups, spa treat-ments,
balloon rides; tickets to sports events, museums, entertain-ment; stays at cabin,
bed & breakfast inns; excursions, fishing trips, wine tasting events, green fees,
memberships, specialty food items. The list is endless. You probably know someone
or a business that would be willing to donate an item. They’re just waiting for you to
ask!
Have something to donate? Know someone who might be willing to donate? Have
questions? Contact Roberta at [email protected] or 707-448-2252.
Donations are tax deductible; Camp Fire is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization.
Watch for more details and donation ideas
40
The Chamber Choir
of the
Vallejo Choral Society
Presents their
Annual Christmas Concert
St. Peter's Chapel
Sunday, December 13th, 2pm.
$15 per person.
Tickets available at:
Vallejo Museum
734 Marin Street - Vallejo
Vallejo Convention and Visitor's Bureau
Ferry Building - Valleo
Mare Island Museum – Mare Island
Reception will follow at the Mare Island Museum.
Museum and Chapel are handicap accessible.
41
42
ADDENDUM ONE:
Reunion and Event Announcements
(Send us your upcoming events and/or reunions and
we’ll post them here every week until your event.)
No reunion info has been submitted.
...
ADDENDUM TWO: Missing Classmates
(Reunion committees: Send me your list if you want it posted here.)
No lists have been submitted
...
YEARBOOKS ON CD
Thanks to Bill Strong, many of the Yearbooks from Vallejo, Hogan, and St. Vincent’s
are available on a CD. (Also quite a few of the Junior High Schools.) The MU will be
happy to send you a personal copy, of your choice, on a CD for a free will donation.
The average donation has been $35. You may order up to five (5) yearbooks for the
same donation. Send your check to: Harry Diavatis, 5087 Green Meadow Court,
Fairfield, CA 94533
Year
1929
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44-47
VHS
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
HHS
SVHS
VJH
HJH
FJH
1
43
Sol JH
Springs JH
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72-74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
Total
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
41
1
1
13
6
11
5
8
1
10
If you have one of the missing Yearbooks and will agree to have it scanned and
returned to you, please contact Bill Strong directly. Bill is the one who has scanned
and provided all of these Yearbooks and we are indebted to him. It would be nice to fill
some of the “holes” especially St. Vincents. Bill’s email is: [email protected]
...
44
THE FINE PRINT
The Monday Update
Publisher/Editor: Harry Diavatis
Published: Weekly
First Edition: Oct. 26, 2004
Circulation: 1,395 subscribed
(est. readers 1500+)
The Monday Update was originally intended to serve as a newsletter for members of the VHS Class of ’62. Over a period
of time, members of companion classes (1960, ’61, ’63, and ’64) and from Hogan and St. Vincent’s, indicated an interest
and began participating. Today the Monday Update has a wide and varied range of readership ranging from 1937 and
into the new millenium. We also have several “guests” who have no direct affiliation with Vallejo, whatsoever, but are able
to relate to the era.. Anyone who has an interest in, or is nostalgic for, our era is welcomed to participate.
Back issues from as far back as 2007 are available on line at www.VHS62.com
To subscribe to the MU go to www.VHS62.com and click on the Link- Sign Up for Our Email Newsletter.”
There is no charge for accessing the Update… just the expectation that subscribers will periodically “contribute”
something to the overall effort, such as a personal update, archival pictures, news, memories, anecdotes, true
confessions etc… anything that may be somehow relevant or interesting to our readership as a whole.
The Editor reserved the right to print, delete, or edit contributions at his discretion and is solely responsible for the content
of the Update. If you send us an email and DO NOT want it published in the Update please be sure to state as much, and
we will respect your wishes. The MU respects your privacy. Personal information, including email addressess and phone
numbers, will not be given out without your permission.
The Monday Update is not financed by, nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of: Vallejo High School; the VHS
Class of 1962; or the VHS ’62 Reunion Committee. (And it sure as hell doesn’t reflect the Vallejo School Board!)
...
The Official VHS Class of ’62 Web Site
http://www.classreport.org/usa/ca/vallejo/vhs/1962
Administrator: Bill Strong
Asst. Admin: Harry Diavatis
Class size:
Located:
432
Missing:
198
Deceased:
141
Total on File:
771
All members of the VHS Class of ’62 are listed on the site including Missing and Deceased
classmates. Members of VHS ’62 are asked to log on to the site, register, fill out a profile and send in
a current picture. Non class members may also participate and should log on as “guests.”
...
45