2008 California State Fair Goes Hollywood

Last weekend, Carol Nicholls Lebrecht, Cathy Nicholls Coyle and I had a FAB time at the state fair and to prove it, here is a little 5 min video with background music by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass!

source

We added more photos here.

Verdugo Monthly Article

BURBANK HIGH CENTENNIAL "A CENTURY OF PRIDE!"

By karen Apostolina
source

Sept. 11 to 14: Thurs., noon to 7 p.m.; Fri., 8 to 10 p.m.; Sat., 10 to 7:30 p.m.; Sun., TBA, Burbank High School and various other locations in and around Burbank.

Four fabulous event-filled days celebrating Burbank High School alumni offers plenty of opportunity to reminisce about the glory days!

The Centennial event kicks off with the class of 1948's 60th class reunion, followed by campus tours, an alumni fun run, a cross country meet and evening musical performances—and that's just on Thursday!

The fun continues with a concert by current students, a parade from McCambridge Park to Burbank High, a tailgate party, a golf tournament, a football game, the Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony, campus tours, a picnic, a car show and much more!

902 N. Third St., Burbank. Check out burbankhigh100.com for event details and learn about the more than 30 Centennial programs and projects. Alumni can also sign up for the alumni database.

Email from Dean Hutton

Received an email from Dean Hutton after he saw the blog - great to hear from you Dean!

Wow, what a surprise to find this info on my tiny little e-mail site. I would love to correspond. And maybe take part in any future celebrations, reunions, etc.

I live on the northernmost tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. I was a firefighter/paramedic/chief in the California fire service for 30 years before getting hurt in 2001. I still feel like I'm about 21 mentally, but physically I don't quite have the same get up and go.

Right now I am semi-retired, looking for some work, trying to write a book, goofing off, and am single............ very much so. I do have a daughter in law school but otherwise my family has evolved from friends. Bill Niekamp lives up here!

Take care,
Dean
Email: deano14741@hotmail.com

So I emailed again asking about Bill as we went to Miller together. Also asked if I could post his email and suggested that he and Bill come to the BHS Centennial - his reply:

Bill is, and has been for 30 years, a grade school teacher. We have been best friends since entering BHS. You can post my e-mail. I will talk to Bill about his.

I will see about coming down for the shindig. Was the list of names you posted the ONLY people coming from 67? Thanks for writing me back.

In the other room I have the TV on and there is a program about the 60's and what a pivotal time that was for our nation. Remember the craziness with Vietnam, the hippie movement, etc.

Hope to see you.

Dean

Mary Ogle's New Granddaughter

Congratulations Mary on the birth of your beautiful granddaughter and thanks for the update. We will keep your folks in our prayers.

Aloha from Denver,

It’s been a very busy summer; I’ve been constantly on the move since I sold my home in Hawaii and moved to the mainland the first week in June. After living out of a suitcase for 12 weeks I’m excited to finally be getting settled into my own place but first the reason I’m in Denver – adorable grandkids!

With her husband Mike, sister Taryn and me in attendance, Tristen gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Thursday August 21st at 9:14am. Little Barrett Samantha Bergener (aka “Peanut”) weighed in at just 5 lbs. 13 oz. and 17 ¼” long. She was full-term but the placenta was small so she didn’t grow as much as she should the last couple of weeks. She’s doing fine now and eating well. A sweet baby with lots of dark brown hair it’s hard to tell yet but she seems a bit darker & more Chinese-looking than her brother so she may look more like her Mommy, much to Tristen’s delight! Big brother Ash Thomas (2 ¾ years) is adjusting well to his new role. He’s a very happy boy who calls me Tutu Mary (Hawaiian grandma) and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with him (as does Mike’s mom whom he calls Grandma Barrie.) So it’s no surprise that I’ve promised once a week babysitting for the happy, proud, tired parents.

So back to my adventures in getting here. At first the plan was to go to Texas to house-sit for my brother so I flew to Houston . Vern & his family took me in and treated me to several vacations - a week in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, the 4th of July weekend in San Antonio, and then in mid-July we drove out to California to pick up my car that I’d shipped to LA & on to San Luis Obispo for a family reunion celebrating my parents 60th anniversary. It was a wonderful party and great to see my 5 siblings & their kids, but especially nice to see my 3 (Trevin, Taryn, & Tristen) and my grandson Ash; he was so cute playing with my brother John’s 5-year-old granddaughter, Ilina. After the party Dad & Mom asked me to drive them up to Santa Cruz to check out an assisted living facility near my sister Nancy. They liked it, so I drove them back home, packed them up, and was able to get them moved into their new apartment in just one week. Sadly a recent fall & concussion plus the stress of the move dramatically increased my mother’s dementia and she has not done well in the weeks since. Mom fell again and was in the hospital for a week or two where they decided that she probably has Lewy Body Dementia (characteristics of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.) She’s no longer lucid very often and this week was moved into a nursing home. It’s all taken a toll on Daddy (Aug. 20th was his 90th birthday) who’s sad & lonely without Mom. He’s doing his best to make new friends & find someone to play cards with at his new home, but says most of the people aren’t that alert.

As you can see, it was very difficult to leave California and my folks but as soon as I’d gotten them settled into their new apartment I had to head to Texas to meet the moving van with my stuff from Hawaii . By the time I got to Aransas Pass/Corpus Christi I’d decided to decline my brother’s offer to house-sit & instead redirect the moving van & go to Denver to be near my grandkids. (With Vern 3 hours away I’d have been in a little town by myself and I’d have to move again when the house sells, plus I didn’t really like the hurricanes, heat, humidity & mosquitoes.) Anyway after driving 3,000 miles I arrived in Denver on Aug 7th, tired but ready for the birth of my granddaughter and the start of my new life. It’s taken me awhile to adjust to the altitude (haven’t played tennis yet) but I found a nice apartment the first day and scheduled my move-in date for – yep, Thursday Aug. 21st. So again I had to reschedule the movers. With no sleep the night Tristen was in labor and then busy moving into my own place ever since, I’m EXHAUSTED but happy. My new address is: 5250 Cherry Creek South Dr., Apt. #6-I, Denver, CO 80246. My apartment is very small but it’s in a terrific location – one block away is the Bull & Bush Brewery the best tavern in town, one mile away is Cherry Creek Mall, two miles away is the Gates Tennis Center (the largest public courts facility in the state), and 6 miles away is Tristen & my adorable grandkids. I miss Hawaii and my friends there, but I’m very excited about making Denver my home! I love looking at the Rocky Mountains and might even have to start skiing again.

Although I’m tired of moving and traveling, as soon as I’m settled here I need to take a 2-week trip back out to California to help my sister Nancy with my parents and the sale of their house. I’ll probably go next week so I can help Daddy move to a smaller apartment in the Sunshine Villa, then I’ll go down to Los Osos as their house has sold and someone has to go thru all their stuff to see if we need to keep it in the family or just sell it. My poor sister has already missed too much work and doesn’t have the time to do everything by herself. When I get back to Denver I’ll just get a job at Target or something through a temp. agency that I’ve registered with ‘til I find a decent job. I’m not really too worried – my credit cards are still working!

So that’s it for today. Much love to you & your family, Mary

Mary V. Ogle
Cell: 808-960-3511
New Home Phone: 720-255-2157
New Address:
Creekside Apartments #6 - I
5250 Cherry Creek South Drive
Denver, CO 80246
Email: mary.ogle1@gmail.com

How to Make a Drill Team Skirt

This weekend Carol Nicholls Lebrecht invited her sister, Cathy, and I to come over and go to the state fair (see photos), enjoy her beautiful new pool and work on our alumni drill team skirts and what a great time we had!! Below is Carol's email with photos on how to make a drill team skirt - thanks Carol and Cathy!!

Hi Cathy,

How to make a drill team skirt.

Here we are trying to figure out how we are going to go about making a skirt. This tiny sample skirt just won't do..............

Lets make a pattern first, and then we can use it to cut out the skirt.

Here is Cathy modeling the pattern. Whoops! The hemline is a little crooked.

Then to iron the material to get it ready for cutting, pinning the pattern on the skirt material and cutting the skirt out.

Yes, this looks a lot better. The team work really paid off. Now all we need to do is put the waistband on and hem it. Shall we March?

Bob's Revisited!

Gary Wilkerson '64 provided the link to the following article in Pam and Jon's Looper email - thanks guys!


BURGER BEACON: “It seemed like everybody in town stopped at Bob’s” on Friday nights, a former company official wrote in a recent memoir.

Big Boy returns in all its Googie glory

Los Angeles Times
source

After lapsing into decline, the roadside restaurants are making a return.

By Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 22, 2008

There's the massive doughnut that crowns Randy's Donuts in Inglewood.

There's the old Tail O' the Pup hot dog stand built in the shape of a hot dog.

Glory days Going on a hunt for Googie...But when it comes to classic Los Angeles roadside attractions, few can top the smiling boy in the red checkered overalls hoisting a towering burger above his shoulder.

Aficionados of Bob's Big Boy hamburger chain have been mourning the beloved outpost on Wilshire Boulevard near La Brea Avenue. The Big Boy on Wilshire closed at the end of July and is now more than 80% demolished, said Chris Nichols, chairman emeritus of the Modern Committee of the Los Angeles Conservancy and author of a book on Wayne McAllister, who designed many well-known Big Boy coffee shops.

But a new Bob's Big Boy is taking hold.

The new Big Boy in Downey is being built on the site of Johnie's Broiler, which in its heyday was the largest carhop drive-in ever built in California. The new owner plans to restore the original 1958 plans, cleaning up the mess from the partial demolition of the coffee shop in January 2007.

The Downey location could open as a Big Boy early next year.

"It's a big deal," Nichols said. The builders of the new location are seeking inspiration in the landmark Toluca Lake Bob's, which is marked by colorful neon lighting and vintage mid-century modern architecture. Bob's is expected to hire carhops.

"I am really looking forward to the one in Downey," he said.

The Big Boy empire began with a modest counter and 10 stools in Glendale. When Bob Wian opened the tin-roofed restaurant, barely bigger than a shack, with the $350 he got from selling his convertible in 1936, little did he know Bob's Big Boy coffee shops would multiply across the country and become a cultural icon.

Bob's Big Boy came to symbolize the "Southern California leisure lifestyle," Nichols said. "It meant cheap, plentiful, abundant land, food and buildings."

Within a year of opening the restaurant -- known then as Bob's Pantry -- a group of customers from an orchestra asked Wian to dream up something different, according to the website of Big Boys Restaurants International.

Wian cut a burger bun into three slices and added two hamburger patties, making the first double-decker hamburger.

Soon, the website said, a chubby boy came into the store and inspired a name for his sandwich and the restaurant. "I was so amused by the youngster -- jolly, healthy-looking and obviously a lover of good things to eat, I called him Big Boy," Wian said.

Bob's Big Boy restaurants, especially the ones with drive-ins, became a teen scene.

"They would go there and hang out and meet friends and it was colorful and fun and exciting and cheap," Nichols said.

At its peak in the 1960s, the company had 750 restaurants across the country, many of them designed by well-regarded architects, Nichols said.

The fiberglass statues of Big Boy in checkered overalls were so popular that teenagers often stole them and took them for joy rides.

"We were as popular as Elvis," Chris Hansen, a former vice president with the company, recalled in a recent memoir.

"It seemed like everybody in town stopped at Bob's [on Friday nights]. They were attracted by the good food, gorgeous waitresses and the action."

The popularity of Big Boys started to flag in the 1980s, probably because new owners of the chain were paring it down and the next generation of young people had moved on to flashier things, Nichols said.

But Big Boys are beginning a new expansion with about 40 to 50 scheduled to open in the next few years, Nichols said. "People kind of see it in more of its original light, as a fun place," he said.

He credits the Toluca Lake Bob's, which is hopping with diners seeking the feel of the 1950s, with helping this regeneration.

"They get to see it in its buffed-and-polished state instead of its last-legs state, which it was in for a while," Nichols said.

jia-rui.chong@latimes.com

Centennial Committee Mtg Update

Thanks Cathy for the great update!!

Hi CP: I attended the Centennial Committee Mtg. tonight. All the plans are coming together nicely. We are all getting anxious and excited about the whole Centennial Event. Dave Thomson has done an outstanding job of directing us through this entire process. He has literally given up over a year of his time and energy to make sure that every possible scenario has been addressed and no stone is left unturned.

Fred Cook, BHS Athletic Director, was telling us that our 1967 CIF Swimming Champs will be inducted into the First BHS Hall of Fame! He said that this will be the first time the four guys will have been together since graduation! They are flying in from: Washington, Louisiana, New Jersey and North Carolina to be honored on Friday, Sept. 12th at 6:00 pm. in the BHS Gym. It should be a heart gripping event to see all the honorees selected for this well deserved award.



There will be BHS students at the school that will be helping alumni to register on the Centennial website and will also be taking photos that can be downloaded onto the website as their "Now" photo. They will also be taking group shots for anyone that would like to be photographed.

There is so much going on that you really need to check out the BHS Centennial website to select which events you want to attend. You can find out all the information you want to know at: https://www.burbankhigh100.com.

Kim Fields (aka: Tootie) will be the Grand Marshall of the Parade that starts at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13th. The streets surrounding the school will be closed at 9:30 a.m. so be sure to get there earlier so you can get a parking spot!

Also of note is that on Sunday, Sept. 14th at 4:30 pm they have planned a "Closing Ceremony" that is sure to make you tear up while you listen to the Burbank High Alma Mater being sung; along with the release of white doves.

Don't forget the Class of 67's Sunday Breakfast starting at 8:00 a.m. at Joan and Freddie Ortega's. Come on! It's not that early! And, it will give you more time to visit before the Festivities begin at 11:00 a.m. on the Football field at BHS; with our own Anson Williams MC'ing the Festivities!

Can't you just feel the anticipation building by the minute??? Hope to see you all there!

Cathy Nicholls Coyle

Burbank High Stuff

Received the following email and photo this morning from Carol Nicholls Lebrecht, I must say I'm always amazed how classmates have saved so much BHS memorabilia - skate keys, pins, the letter 'B' etc. I guess because I've moved a gazillion times over the years, 'stuff' gets tossed or lost in the process. I'm thankful to still have my yearbooks and my diaries. I didn't go to the BHS 70th anniversary but my oldest sister, Patty, did and she said is was GREAT! She bought me the book which I still have and her comments prompted me to want to attend the 100 anniversary next month. Thanks for the email Carol... see you SOON!


Hi Cathy,

The 100 year centennial for Burbank High School is drawing near. My sister Cathy is very excited to have you and I marching in the Centennial parade with her. Cathy has already bought our t-shirts and we will be making the blue drill team skirts this weekend.

Cathy called me a couple days ago and said that it popped into her head where her letter "B" from her drill team uniform might be. She went straight for where she thought it was before she could forget and there it was. I was talking on the phone with her tonight and had been thinking of where I might have placed my "B". I mean, we wouldn't be twins if we didn't have the same "B" from our drill team days at Burbank High on our skirts. I looked in my dresser drawer under a box of memoriabilia and out popped my "B" along with a Burbank Bulldog pin and the 70 year anniversary of Burbank High pin.

I was wondering if any one else remembers attending Burbank High School's 70 year anniversary. Maybe they can relate their recollection of it. I can't believe that it is 30 years later and we will be attending the 100 year anniversary. How many alumni from other schools can boast the same? With all the different activities going on I hope we will be able to attend them all. I missed the reunion last year and then heard how everyone had such a wonderful time. I know I will be anxious to see old friends and make new memories.

See you soon,
Carol

August 23, 2008 UPDATE
Cathy,
I just found my drill team pin, drill team gloves and senior key. Can you replace the last picture I gave you earlier with this one please.

Thanks,
Carol

Bob Hazeltine

Just received an email from Jeanne Barron Aikman who made contact with our buddy, Bob - thanks Jeanne! Looking forward to seeing you, Bob and everyone else next month.

Hey Cathy

I just got off the phone with Bob Hazeltine and had a great time getting caught up. The last time I saw him was in Pasadena where I learned he works with Silver Clay. I googled him so I could learn more about it for my high school students and found him via a fellow jeweler. He is living in New Mexico now. Moved from California in 2002 to Santa Fe area and still does his jewelry.

It was so good to chat with him. I wanted him to know about the BHS Centennial. Looks like he is going to make an attempt to be there. Since he does not use the computer often, I told him I'd send this info for your blog page so others would know. He's excited and said to include his phone number which is 505 400-3274. I will also get the info about '67 Breakfast on Sunday to him.

He also spoke so fondly of you and sends his best.

It's so great having another reunion to look forward to.

Love you
Jeanne

Classmate News

Just received this email from Madelaine (Zelany) Whiteman - thank you for writing, Madelaine. My deepest condolances to Patty Ellis on the tragic loss of her son. We will keep her in our prayers...

Cathy,

Add my list to the people attending the Centennial. I look forward to seeing you and other classmates and alumni that were not at the summer picnic. It has been a long time since I have seen most of you, at least 20 years! The Saturday night get together sounds like fun and I told Joan & Freddie I would help if they needed me at the breakfast on Sunday.

On a sad note, Patty (Ellis) MacDonald, lost her son, Christopher, on July 17 in a motor cycle accident. He had been living in Spokane, WA. for the past several years. She is doing better, but as anyone who has suffered a loss knows, grief comes in waves.

And to end on a happy note, Kendra Murphy, Debbie Spaulding Milton’s daughter just past her test and is now an RN working in the oncology ward in Santa Fe where her mother was a patient. Debbie would be very proud of her accomplishments.

Best to you.

Madelaine

Who's Going to our Class Breakfast?

LAST UPDATE 8/28/08

So far, this is whose going to our class breakfast Sunday morning:

Jeanne Barron Aikman
Kent Barcus
Kathleen Bryan
Nancy Krogh Brez
Dona Foy Bruckner
Bevery Bullock
Cathy Nicholls Coyle
Frank Davenport
Paula Dean
Kathy Dupree
Gene Hernandez
Neal Hershenson
Dave and Dawn Moselle Hourigan
Carol Nicholls Lebrecht
Deanna Lloyd
Denny Lombard
Marilyn Miller
Linda Mustion
Shari Deuel Nicholls
Joan Nobile Ortega
Cathy Palmer
Jay (Chris) Peterson
Ken Peterson
Linda Peterson Everett
Marilyn Williams Peterson
Don Ray
John Rocke
Alan Singer
Jeanne Sproul
Tim Thomas
Diane McCall Ward
Madelaine Zelany Whiteman
Ron Wysocky

WHO ELSE??

OTHER EVENTS:

SEPTEMBER 12
Meet at Toluca Lake Bob's Friday night and if you want to show your Classic Car, arrive EARLY!

SEPTEMBER 13
Join Classes 63-67 Saturday night at BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant located at 107 South 1st Street, just below San Fernando Road at Angeleno.
Time: 6:00 pm
Cost: Free
Room has been reserved on the patio and there will be alumni attending from the Classes of '62 through '67. Come join in! The more the merrier! We are looking forward to seeing you there!

SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
Class Breakfast at Fred & Joan Ortega's home
Time: 8am
Donation: $5
Location: 1313 N. Brighton St. Burbank , 91506 (between Victory and Burbank Blvd
PLEASE RSVP to Joan at jmochiles@gmail.com or tel 818-842-6221.
Thanks!


After breakfast beginning at 11:00 a.m. there will be more festivities and events going on at BHS all MC'd by our special classmate Anson Williams!
CENTENNIAL EVENTS

BHS Class '66 Blog Now Up!

Received this GREAT email today! Please forward to all your BHS Class of '66 friends.

Hi
The class of 66 blog spot is up and ready http://bhsclass66.blogspot.com/

I would appreciate a mention on the the other class blogs. My plan for this is to post up coming events and if anyone has information they would like to post I will put it up. Also Photos from 66.

Thank you

Alan

Centennial Meeting Update from Dave Thomsom

BHS Centennial Website

Dave Thomsom

Next Committee Meeting

Hello All,
Thank you to everyone who attended the last meeting on July 30. We had wonderful updates on the parade and all of the events and the excitement is definitely building.

We will have store posters by the end of this week, are ordering banners for the campus, and will have the first part of the website store up in the next few days. (Currently, website members can now pay the golf entry fee online, and soon the book will be available and donations can be made online as well.)

The Athletic Hall of Fame continues to generate a tremendous response and will be a wonderful evening. Several projects have already been undertaken concerning athletic facilities.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday August 20 at 6:30 pm in the library. The main focus will be to provide support to the Event Committee and enlisting and coordinating volunteers for all of the events. We are within one month, and it looks like we’ll have huge crowds at BHS to celebrate this very special time in the history of the school.

I will be sending out weekly newsletters via the website for the next month to help build interest. Please keep encouraging alumni to visit and log-on to the website. Thank you for all of your help.

Dave Thomson

Bulldogs need our help...

Alan Landros

Received the following email from Pam & Jon Kirkwood today and am posting to spread the word...

Hi Loopers...
This is kind of an "Emergency Loop" as we have an opportunity here to really help out 2 fellow schoolmates...

Below is a letter from Blyden Loutensock '70 regarding a commitment he has made to donate a kidney to a dear friend Alan Landros '70, whom he has known since childhood...

After you read Blyden's letter, hopefully you will be able to help him, to help Alan...

It isn't enough that Blyden has offered this magnanimous gift to Alan, but he is also dealing with his own mountain of personal difficulties...

If you feel you can help, please send your check to:

Blyden Loutensock
1036 S. 290 West
Apt. C
Provo, Utah 84601-5994

Thanks Loopers...

You guys are the BEST!!!

Pam and Jon

Hi Pam;

I am coming to you for hopefully, some help!

About 3 years ago, Alan Landros '70 went on to full blown kidney dialysis because both of his kidney's had failed. He goes to dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Friday for about 4-5 hours each visit...such is his life. He has no family to help!!! To make a long story short...I started testing over a year ago with the Transplant Center, at the UCLA medical Center...and was found to be a match. I have had to undergo testing two different times, requiring me to come to Los Angeles to UCLA in preparation. We have now been given a green light and our surgery date has been set for September 24th at the new Ronald Reagan Transplant Center at UCLA...at which time I'll donate my left kidney to Alan. I have to be there for pre-surgery testing on the 22nd and must remain in Los Angeles until I'm cleared on October 3rd...about two weeks. I feel it's a small price to pay, in order to give Alan his life back!

Please know I've been quiet and discreet about this personally...I'm doing this to help a friend I've known since 5th grade...and not for the accolades! Through this process, I've had personal obstacles to fight through, including my dad's ( former BHS Varsity Basketball Coach Jack Loutensock) health and battle with bladder cancer and the necessity to find new employment! So much for my life's history...sorry!!!

The cost of the surgery for both of us is completely covered through Alan's Medicare Insurance. Several of Alan's friends have stepped forward to pay for the cost of my travel...and for hotel accommodations there during the time I'm not in the hospital but in recovery. Being in a new job, I have no sick leave or vacation...and although my company will gladly provide the time off for me...it's without pay. Two weeks income for me is $1,500.00.

After talking with Alan, it was my idea to contact you. My thought was... as BHS Alumni, maybe if our other Loopers and BHS Alumni knew the circumstances...some might be willing to donate and help to cover my lost wages. If I had the money or resources...I'd do it myself..but personal circumstances ruined me and like most of the rest of America, right now I'm on a very tight income. If I can't solve this dilemma...the surgery may have to be put on hold!

There are many of our Loopers who know me and know Alan and I'm sure if they knew about this transplant, they are a caring group...and would probably happily come forward to help. If you'd like to talk with me more about this, my phone is 801-979-8282.

Thanks,

Blyden Loutensock
blydenjl@yahoo.com

More Classic Cars

A few days ago when I came out of the store here in Sonoma, there were classic cars all around me so I had to take pictures - hope you enjoy!