Monday, March 30, 2009

Judith Rosen Hopper Passed on March 12, 2009

We are very sorry to share this news with you regarding our BHS '67 classmate, Judy Rosen, and ask that you keep her family and loved ones in your prayers.


JUDITH ROSEN HOPPER (3/12/09, Palmdale, CA)

Obituary

FIND A GRAVE Link
 

On 3/30/09 Judy's brother, Bob Rosen BHS class '64, wrote to Pam Kirkwood:

"Some sad news, my sister Judith Rosen Hopper class of '67 passed on March 12, 2009, in Palmdale California."


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Jerry Berg BHS '67 Talks About "The Music Man"

Recently got in touch with Jerry Berg who went to Miller with us and I asked him to write about his adventure playing a bit part in the movie 'The Music Man' - thanks Jerry!!!

\

Where's Jerry and Ted??


Hi Cathy.
Hope you are doing well. Fran Serafin apparently saw my name on Classmates and dropped me a line. Last time we saw each other was in early 1971. Anyway, it turns out he also lives in Apple Valley about 4 miles from me. Go figure..........

Now for The Music Man thing. In the Spring of 1961 we were all in the 6th grade. Warner Bros. was starting to cast for their production of The Music Man. They sent out notices to all the schools in the area that had music programs that if anyone was interested in being in the movie they should report to Warner Bros. Studios on a certain day. The casting office was on Olive Av. between Hollywood Wy. and Pass Av.

We were all told that each kid would receive $2.50 travel money. For that kind of loot, this was going to be a win/win situation. Besides myself and Ted Goldstone, I don't know if anybody else from Miller School went. At the time Ted and I were in the school orchestra. We found out later that the Studios were under the impression everyone was in some kind of MARCHING band. I'm not sure how many kids showed up, but it had to be several hundred at least.

We signed in (or I guess our mothers signed us in) and we were all given our "show up" money and a piece of paper with a number on it. The paper was similar to what a cowboy in a rodeo would pin to the back of his shirt. As I recall, we did a bunch of waiting around until your number was called. I remember going in to a room with one other kid and standing by a "grown up".

Looking back my best guess is that the person we were standing by was one of the dancers who was also to be in one of the bands. They were mostly in their early 20s. We stood there for a few minutes while several casting people with clipboards sized us up. We were told to hold our number up to our chest so they would know who they were looking at. After being checked out by casting we were all told "thank you and we'll let you know". I figured that was it but at least I was $2.50 richer.  

I don't remember how much time passed, probably several weeks, until we received something in the mail informing us that I was one of the kids selected to be in the movie. Ordinarily this would be reason to celebrate but since baseball season was in progress, I would be forced to miss several practices and games. Now I'm pissed!! Since I already blew my $2.50 we figured I better take the job. I ended up working a total of seven days. We had to get a Social Security card but I don't remember anything about a SEG (Screen Extras Guild) card. Maybe Ted remembers that part as I think his father worked for Warner Bros.

The first day the "band" showed up to begin filming was when Warner Bros. discovered we didn't have any marching experience. I remember they brought some guy in to whip everyone in to shape and give us the basics about marching. He didn't have much time but he did a good job with what he had to work with.

Since filming was during the week we all had to miss school. We were instructed to bring work assignments from our teachers. For me this meant Mrs. Ecklund?? For some reason I can't remember her name. All I know is that she was the first teacher I had who I couldn't stand. As I think back on it she really didn't like boys in general. Maybe someone remembers the dear lady's name.

   Now, back to the movie. Since we were minors we each had to have a parent or guardian accompany us to the studios every day. In my case it was my mother since she didn't work. I think my father took one day off so he could see how the whole thing worked. In the trailer that served as our classroom I was in with maybe 12 or so kids.

One of my "classmates" was little Ronnie Howard. At the time, Mayberry RFD, or whatever it was called, was in production so Ronnie was working two jobs. I remember that during breaks in our school work my mother would talk to "Opie" and ask him about the show. Ronnie would sit and not only do his lines, but those of Andy, Don Knotts, etc. After one of these sessions we were called to do a scene and Ronnie grabbed my hand to walk to the set with me. Knowing what we all know about Ron Howard now, I probably should have continued to hold on to his hand.

One day in a sound studio my mother was standing with a small group of people when the star of the movie, Robert Preston, walked by. My mother got excited and said "oh look, here comes Preston Foster" (from the old tug boat series). Robert Preston must have heard her because all he did was give her a Charlie Brown look and kept on walking.

Another time a few of the mothers were outside on an outdoor set when some filming was going on. As the camera was moving down the street the women were trying to get out of the way and Mrs. Goldstone remarked that "if we mess up this take my husband is going to kill me". They didn't, so all was well.

That's pretty much the highlights of what I remember. I know we were paid $8-something an hour which was serious money for a sixth-grader in the early 60s. On a sadder note, I'm still waiting for my first residual check. It's been a long wait. That's all I have to say about that.
    --- end ---
  
A FEW MORE CLIPS FROM THE MUSIC MAN  

  

 

  

MORE VIDS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO0DFttQoJc&feature=share&list=PLE0AA6E50447AA48C

3/27/09 UPDATE 

Received this email yesterday - thanks Jerry for the kind words AND for the clue as to where you are in the video clip!

I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful job you did with my story on the BHS67 blog page. I hope our classmates appreciate the time and effort you put into this website. Keep up the good work. Jerry. F.Y.I. on the 76 Trombones finale that you posted, as you're looking at the band coming towards you I'm the drummer in front on the left. Thanks again!

Found this photo... Jerry is on left with drum!

Unclaimed Money

It is estimated that over $30 billion is unclaimed and sittiing in state treasuries - wow! The following email gives more info along with a few links.

Thanks Pam and Patti!

Cathy...

Patty Maisner '75 has found some sites, where people can check to see if they have any unclaimed money coming to them...Might be something for your blog...I am going to "Loop" it too...There are the sites below and also this one for California...She found my daughter on the California site, although my daughter had already filled out a claim for the money.

http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/

Just type in your name and town...I found some minor amounts for people I know...

Pam

--- On Wed, 3/25/09, PM Maisner wrote:

From: PM Maisner
Subject: unclaimed money searches
To: "Pam Kirkwood"
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 4:58 PM


Hi Pam

Well, I have been a busy person; making anonymous phone calls and sending out letters to people that I have known in the past that have large amounts of monies waiting for them.

Just wanted to give you the sites, found one for others not living in CA

http://www.unclaimed.org/

http://scoweb.sco.ca.gov/UCP/

But it would behoove everyone to check the California site as there are a lot of claims from Security Pacific Bank, First Interstate MetLife Insurance which is just now a stocks and bonds company, the utilities companies, etc etc

I have found so much money that I am literally overwhelmed, I get so nervous on the phone -- anyway -- I found nearly $1000 for someone that I used to work with in the 70's, hard to ignore

Anyway, maybe that gal who has the blog spot can add these sites as well.

Also, my neighbor, MR TALENTED would like if you could loop his name and website
Chad Frye @ http://www.chadfrye.com/

Seriously, you will love his work!!

He got laid off @ Disney and is networking anyway that he can

Also he has written a few books that are fab for kids, Mack has 3 of them, they are fantastic

Thanks a million
Patti

FOLLOW-UP EMAIL:

Here is one more money claim site from Patti...

--- On Wed, 3/25/09, PM Maisner wrote:

From: PM Maisner
Subject: one more
To: "Pam Kirkwood"
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 5:07 PM


Here is one more site

http://www.missingmoney.com/Main/Search.cfm

And I did a search on my cousin Gino, found two claims for him

Monday, March 23, 2009

Rudy Pinnow Update

Thanks Rudy for the great photo! (Read Rudy's previous email here.)

And to others out there, please send in a photo you want to share - whether current or from the past.



Hi Cathy,

Here is a new pic of me, Its still cold here in NH, 25 today with a wind out of the northwest at 25 - 30 mph, definitely jacket weather.

Take care,
Rudy

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Times, They are a Changin'!

Rudy Pinnow (BHS '67) passes along this funny email - thanks Rudy!

And I added a little video clip at the end...




Comments made in the year 1955
That's only 54 years ago

'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.'

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.'

'If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. 25 cents a pack is ridiculous.'

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging 10 cents just to mail a letter?'

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.'

'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.'

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying D__N in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either H__L or D__N in it.'

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas.'

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.'

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.'

'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.'

'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.'

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.'

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to government.'

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.'

'There is no sense going on short trips anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.'

'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital, it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a haircut, forget it.'


source

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Irish Greetings

What a nice surprise to receive a Happy Saint Patrick's Day video from Carol Nicholls Lebrecht and an Irish blessing and prayer from her twin, Cathy Nicholls Coyle, both who are Scottish lasses!

Hi All,
Hope you have a wonderful St Patrick's Day.

Check out attached video for some St Patrick's Day cheer.

Carol


source

Irish Blessing
"May God be with you and bless you,
May you see your children's children,
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward."

Irish Prayer
"May those who love us love us
And those who don't love us
May God turn their hearts,
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And like many, I too have Irish roots. My grandfather was John O'Hearn who changed his name to John Hearn because he got mad at the Catholic church - or so I was told. His sister, Agnes, was the mother of 1940's movie star, Joan Leslie.

ELIZABETH O'HEARN AND HER CHILDREN



John Hearn "Jack" (my grandfather); Elizabeth; Frank O'Hearn
Front: Mary (Regan) - mother of Frances, Shirley and Gail; Agnes (Brodell) - mother of Mary, Betty and Joan.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Aerial Espionage Born in Burbank

As suburban secrets go, building an invisible aircraft in the heart of a city is a doozy


What Plane?

by Annie Jacobsen
LA Times
source

If you were to transform this story into a movie and the line at the end of the credits read, “This is based on a true story,” no one would believe it.

Back in the 1950s, there was a top-secret program code-named SUNTAN being conducted at a top-secret facility called Skunk Works. Its objective? To develop a liquid-hydrogen-powered spy plane. Because liquid hydrogen is incredibly volatile, early experiments were conducted inside a bomb shelter with eight-foot-thick walls.

The engineer in charge built what he called his “own hydrogen-liquefaction plant.” At first, tests began in Dixie cups, but before long the place was producing more liquid hydrogen than anywhere in America. “We wore grounded shoes and couldn’t carry keys or any metallic objects that might spark,” he recalls. “We installed a nonexplosive electrical system and used only nonsparking tools.”

Still, storing liquid hydrogen presents a very clear danger. And in the spring of 1959, a stove only 700 feet away from the tank caught fire. Extinguishers were ineffective. When local firefighters showed up, they didn’t have top-secret security clearances, so according to the engineer, the facility’s guards wouldn’t let them on site. Fortunately, the hydrogen tank did not explode, but with the project capable of blowing up the surrounding area, it was deemed too dangerous to proceed. The public was never the wiser, Project SUNTAN met its end, and Skunk Works returned millions in “black operation” money to the Air Force. The thing is, that covert spy-plane project was but one in a long line of secret projects being worked on at the same hide-in-plain-sight location—Burbank.

The facility was Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—now Lockheed Martin—and the engineer, later the director of Lockheed’s supersecret division, was Ben Rich. And all of this really did happen in beautiful downtown Burbank. Colonized by a dentist in 1867, it’s the sleepy L.A. suburb that, a century later, Johnny Carson would immortalize as the picture of normal and nondescript.

Who would have thought that in the 1950s, Burbank was a hotbed of international espionage? “It would have been hard for people to imagine the kinds of things we were doing there,” says Edward Lovick, the 90-year-old California physicist who worked at Lockheed in the Skunk Works facility (also called Advanced Development Projects) and would become known among colleagues as the grandfather of stealth.

After work on the liquid-hydrogen plane was halted, the goal for Skunk Works became developing an invisible aircraft—invisible to radar, that is. With stealth technology, the U.S. could spy on its Cold War adversaries without running the risk of getting caught. These days, the idea of stealth bombers is business as usual—heck, they even do flyovers at football games. But back then, inventing the technology was a strictly clandestine activity.

So it was in Burbank that, beginning in 1958, Lovick and a team of scientists and engineers indeed created the invisible airplane—something all kids dream of but hardly imagine could be happening next door. Even though the 2,000 mph aircraft, code-named OXCART, was developed back when Eisenhower was president, it was not declassified by the CIA until 2007. Like its predecessor the U-2 spy plane, OXCART was a collaborative effort between the CIA, the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed. Eisenhower had expressly put the CIA in charge because the Air Force was under tight congressional scrutiny, while the CIA could run OXCART as a black operation—meaning covert and deniable.

Lovick, sporting a colorful Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants and observing the world through large, wire-rimmed glasses, now offers us his perspective on Burbank through the long lens of recollection. He is seated in his home in the San Fernando Valley, surrounded by books, maps and small-scale models of the spy planes he worked on during his 40-year career at Lockheed. Quick-witted and endlessly full of ideas, Lovick and his wife, Sherre, also a former member of Skunk Works (and the person who, on another project, made the window on the catamaran-like ship called Sea Shadow invisible to radar), have recently returned from a grand European tour.

“In the 1940s, Lockheed produced airplanes like the P-38 Lightning, which helped us win the war,” Lovick says. “In the 1950s, Lockheed designed and built the famous U-2.” In May, 1960, Francis Gary Powers was shot down in a U-2 over Russia, and the CIA knew it needed a better spy plane. “Actually, the Russians had been tracking the U-2 long before Powers was shot down. It was only a matter of time before that happened, and the CIA knew it, which is why they had us working on a successor aircraft at the Skunk Works.” The idea for the new spy plane, originally called the U-3, “was to add stealth as an element from paper to plane.”

As Louis Pasteur once remarked, “Fortune favors the prepared mind,” and this was certainly true in Lovick’s case. He was Lockheed’s radar and antennae expert at the time and had been working on microwave theory, which is an integral part of stealth, since it advanced as a new science after the war. “Back then, few people cared much about this relatively new technology. Most engineers were learning about wiring—how power was generated and distributed. I began lab experiments with microwave theory at Caltech, and it was there I learned how to guide wave energy through hollow pipes to a specific location. My becoming an expert was simply a case of being the first one to know anything about it at Skunk Works.”

As Lockheed’s radar man, Lovick grasped how an intimate theoretical knowledge of radar could help in designing a plane that could fool it. So crucial was Lovick’s work that he accompanied his Lockheed boss, legendary airplane designer Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson, on trips to Washington, D.C., for high-level meetings with the CIA. “Right before Lockheed got the new [spy-plane] contract, we went to a hotel room for a meeting. It was Kelly Johnson, a few science advisers to the president, someone from the CIA and myself. Pillows were put over the heating vents, and the room was checked for bugs before any of us spoke,” Lovick says. “The CIA, who we called ‘the customer,’ was like that. It seemed a little silly to me at the time.”

Before you snicker at the cloak and dagger, it’s important to remember that it was a tenuous time—the height of the Cold War. Both America and the Soviet Union were preoccupied with spying on each other. The CIA required Lockheed employees to report if anyone “foreign born” tried to befriend them. Word was that pay phones just outside the Burbank headquarters were routinely used by Russian spies hoping to eavesdrop on workers’ private calls.

At the same time, each superpower was busy testing nuclear bombs. When considering various forms of espionage available to the CIA—humans, spy planes and satellites (which were then brand new)—aircraft provided a versatile means to secure the most accurate information in determining another country’s weapons capability. Eisenhower’s goal with the Lockheed spy-plane programs was to get more information on the Soviet Union than it had on us, all to prevent nuclear war. The OXCART was able to take photographs showing clear lines in parking lots—from 90,000 feet.

Lovick says he never felt pressure from Johnson, even though making the aircraft undetectable fell squarely on his desk. “Kelly gave me access to all areas. I was a little bit like a professor. I would roam the Skunk Works buildings and talk to various people. Everyone had knowledge. Most of our advances on the low observables [as in, stealth] came from putting together these different ideas.”

If it is hard to imagine the birth of aerial espionage taking place in Burbank, it’s even harder to conceive the materials that helped deliver stealth technology to the world. “There were no computers at our disposal,” Lovick says. “This meant we made all of our calculations on slide rules. We mixed chemicals in vats. We stomped on things like grape stompers.” The results of those hand calculations and old-school chemical trials were astonishing. Not only did Skunk Works create the magic formula that is now known as stealth, but the OXCART flew three times faster than the speed of sound (Mach 3.2), at an altitude 16 miles above the earth. Its state-of-the-art camera could capture 100,000 square miles of terrain per hour. The design was so sophisticated that one of the companies involved remains classified to this day.

It was also Lovick who designed the first anechoic chamber, a shielded, echoless room that allows scientists to test how airplanes will react to radar in the atmosphere. Now standard at all aircraft manufacturers, the one built by Lovick in Burbank was the first of its kind. “It was so quiet in that chamber,” he says, “I could hear my blood flowing through my body.”

As “Cold War-era” as these spy-plane projects may now seem, it’s another key element of aerial espionage born in Burbank that has since become the single most valuable means of surveillance—the pilotless aircraft, or drone, code-named TAGBOARD. Lockheed’s D-21 drone project, classified “above top secret,” was officially kept quiet until 2007. Lovick designed the plane’s antenna, which when it received the necessary signal, would cue the craft to launch off the back of the OXCART.

Because it flew without a pilot, the D-21 was designed to fly over territory where the U.S. was denied access and to take photographs of weapons facilities from altitudes as low as 1,500 feet. But the project was canceled on July 30, 1966, after a fatal accident at sea during the drone’s first official launch. CIA test pilot Bill Park and flight engineer Ray Torick were flying the OXCART 150 miles off the Malibu coast. A follow airplane and rescue boat were nearby. The drone was designed to launch up and off the spy plane at Mach 3, but on this night something went terribly wrong. During separation, the drone pitched down and split the aircraft in half. Park and Torick were trapped inside as it fell more than 20,000 feet. Both managed to eject and fall though the air tethered to their parachutes—remarkably escaping the falling debris—and both made successful water landings. The rescue boat located Park, who was fine, but Torick apparently opened his visor upon landing, which caused his suit to fill with water, and he drowned.

Scientists and engineers at Skunk Works were devastated. Lockheed canceled the program, and the CIA/Air Force continued to hone the technology in other programs. But where would Lockheed flight-test its covert aircraft? Designing and building spy planes and drones in beautiful downtown Burbank may have been one of the century’s best-kept secrets, but there was no way to fly an oddly shaped, Mach-3 aircraft over the San Fernando Valley without causing public alarm.

For that reason, the CIA had arranged for flight testing to begin at a secret military facility in the Nevada desert—the place the world has come to know as Area 51. Find out more about that in next month’s issue of LA.
ANNIE JACOBSEN writes about aviation security and the intelligence community. She lives in Los Angeles.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Dancing in the 1950's

Today received the following email from Pam Kirkwood '64. Thanks Pam and Linda for taking us on a fun trip down memory lane once again!

Hi Cathy,
Thought you would enjoy this...I received the following email from Linda Melton Damarjian JBHS '61...She is the Chairperson of our Annual BHS/JBHS Reunion Picnic and a really wonderful person. (no relation to Don Melton '65 or Peggy Melton '66)

Pam
Just a tidbit FYI....
We used to dance like this when I was in school, only not with 2 girls. We went to the Olive Rec Center in Burbank on Wednesday nights and we had a back room where we could dance and practice new steps and turns. It was called "Lindy Club". Fun times for sure '59-'61. I and some of my friends use to swing dance on TV almost everyday after school at KCOP in Hollywood. I'd get a group and we'd all drive down there to The Wink Martindale Dance Party Show. We'd dance for an hour and go out with a 6 pack of Coke & Bubble Up each day. They were our sponsors. I had a whole patio full of the stuff and use to sell it to my brothers for a quarter a bottle. HA!! In the summer after my Jr. year we did the show from POP in Santa Monica. Good 'ol days for sure!!! Wink and I were good friends and are still in touch. He lives about 10 min. from us in Calabasas. We email now & then too. George and I still Swing dance, I taught him years ago. We love to dance on cruises. Love this video!!!!

Linda

Very cool video...about 4 minutes...this guy sure has a smooth rhythm...looked like so much fun, and gets better once into it...


source


MORE VIDEO CLIPS...

Here's more dancing from the 50's!

source

Top 30 best rock songs of the 50's

source

More dancing from the movie Don't Knock the Rock

source

Razzle Dazzle by Bill Haley from the film Rock Around The Clock

source

Friday, March 13, 2009

1968 The Seekers

I'll Never Find Another You

source

Georgy Girl

source

Great Video about Toluca Lake Bob's!


source

Friday Fun!

"Watch the moment Liverpool Street Station danced to create this special T-Mobile Advert." Posted on youtube January 16, 2009

source

Monday, March 9, 2009

What Goes on at the BHS/JBHS Alumni Picnic?

I have never gone before and asked Pam Kirkwood '64 about the upcoming June 20th picnic and she replied with a wonderful overview I thought you all would enjoy - thanks Pam!

John Coyle '65 and Jon Kirkwood '64 at the 2008 Picnic


Hi Cathy,

Well, here's the scoop... We have the car show of course....There are different catagories for entries.

Most of our BHS folks are gathered in a certain area under the trees...some people group into class years, but most of BHS is just all together.

We have tried vendors in the past...Santoros etc. but, they didn't seem to make a profit. Burroughs has had a booth the last couple of years where they provide freshly squeezed lemonade, hot dogs and snow cones and people make donations for the Burroughs Band, I think it is.

Yes, there is music...We have Tony Geraci (DJ), who is wonderful (we even hired him for our Class of '64 45th Reunion in Oct.) and he plays all the music from our eras...Dee Dee Daugharty Culotta '66, will be singing again for us, like she has for the past 2 years. She is so super. She sings all the oldies from the 60's...I play her CD all the time.

We really don't have "booths" as such, that sell things. We will probably have a booth manned with BHS folks selling the Centennial Book or if any of the High School Activities want to set up a booth for donations or whatever. In the past, Linda Mustion '67 has set up her Burbank Veterans Memorial Display, but it got to be too much for her.

Most people bring their own lunch...We have sodas and water for sale...

We don't charge admission, but ask for a $2 donation which includes a raffle ticket (additional raffle tickets are available for sale)

Free parking is available on Bob Hope Dr. or at the Providence High School Lot which is adjacent to the park.

Door prizes are raffled off throughout the day. We obtain door prizes via donations (and greatly appreciate any and all donations ie. gift certificates etc.) We always acknowledge all who make donations.We set up a BHS check-in booth and a JBHS check-in booth... We have large sign-in sheets for each decade...That way, folks can check to see who has signed-in from their class...

It is a really large park and quite spread out. There are lots of trees. People should bring folding chairs or blankets to sit on. No alcohol is allowed in the park.

If any Alum from either school wants to enter their car in the car show, they should contact Denny Grossman JBHS '55 at grossmand@aol.com

Your video taping idea sounds great...I would suggest that you station yourself at the BHS check-in booth, because everyone should be passing through there at some point...or you could set up shop over in the BHS area and just cruise around from group to group...

It is a real "kickback" day...Usually too warm for any organized activities as in volleyball or whatever. I suppose if anyone wanted to dance, they could, but...we don't usually get too many who feel like dancing in the heat!

Many folks opt to stop by Bob's Take out and bring their "Big Boys and fries" to the park or they go to Santoros for a famous sub and bring that along.Hope this gives you some idea of what goes on.

Love, Pam

One more thing...
Also, current BHS Sophmore Mallory Maisner will be singing the National Anthem again for us at the picnic this year, along with a couple of other selections. Mallory is a girl who is "going places" ...She was named "best female vocalist" last year for the BHS Vocal Music Association and will be featured in the upcoming TV debut pilot episode of a new series entitled "Glee" on Wednesday, May 19th, Fox Channel 11 at 9PM (right after American Idol)...

50th Anniversary Barbie Update

Hey, here's a Barbie deal for you from Cathy Nicholls Coyle!

Toys R Us



Hey CP:

Anyone who lost out on getting their Barbie's at $3.00 in 1959, can now purchase the 50 Year Anniversary Barbie at Toys R Us for the same price of $3.00!

Cathy

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Remember Darla from Our Gang?

Stumbled upon this video clip of Darla singing which is so cute but wow, what a flirt!


source

BHS Class '67: Party at Peterson's!



Instead of meeting for brunch at Denny's, Linda Peterson Everett has graciously offered to open her home in West Lake Village to the BHS Class '67 on Sunday, June 21, 2009.

So stay tuned, Bulldogs, time and details to follow - thanks Petey!

MORE INFO HERE

Serenity or Senility?

This cracked me up so I had to post it - thanks, Linda Peterson Everett '67!

This one is worth reading and it should give you a chuckle...................Linda



Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, 'How old was your husband?' '98,' she replied. 'Two years older than me'
'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented.
She responded, 'Hardly worth going home, is it?


Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman:
'And what do you think is the best thing

About being 104?' the reporter asked.
She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'



The nice thing about being senile is
You can hide your own Easter eggs.



I've sure gotten old!
I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement,
New knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes
I'm half blind,
Can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine,
Take 40 different medications that
Make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.
Have bouts with dementia
Have poor circulation;
Hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.
Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92.
Have lost all my friends.

But, thank goodness,
I still have my driver's license.


I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape,
So I got my doctor's permission to
Join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But,
By the time I got my leotards on,
The class was over.



My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.



Know how to prevent sagging?
Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.


It's scary when you start making the same noises
As your coffee maker.


These days about half the stuff
In my shopping cart says,
' For fast relief..'



THE SENILITY PRAYER :
Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
The eyesight to tell the difference.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Evolution of the Wedding Dance!

Thanks Jackie Elrod LeBaron '67 for this entertaining/funny video clip!


source

Burbank on Parade Drill Team

For those who want to march in the parade - anyone can even if you weren't on drill team in high school! Please contact Linda at LnJhn9@aol.com

BHS Alumni Drill Team at Centennial Parade 2008 surrounding a friendly motorcycle Officer!


Good Saturday morning to you all......the Burbank On Parade will be Saturday April 25th......please let me know if you plan to march and if you think we need a practice......we can always meet before the parade ....we will be doing the Budweiser Song.....which is easy enough to learn the day of.......other wise we can meet the Saturday before at the school to practice......Linda Lee

P.S..... for those of you who need pompoms you can get them a Buddies All Stars on Victory Blvd........846-8805

P.S.S. for those of you I have added to this list.......join us!!!

Friday, March 6, 2009

Beautiful Downtown Burbank

3/18/09 UPDATE
Burbank Time Capsule Revisited

ORGINIAL POST
An unidentified lady crosses the Olive Street bridge in 1959 in a picture found in the Burbank time capsule.


Burbank — A city that time hasn't forgotten
By Tony Castro, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/05/2009 09:08:58 PM PST
source

If anyone can appreciate the photographs developed from film that was tucked away 50 years ago in a time capsule and unearthed in Burbank last month, it is Mary Jane Strickland, founder of the city's Historical Society.

Strickland, 84, whose family settled in Burbank in 1913 and whose father, George Cole, was the city's first police chief, said the town she grew up in is no longer the same.

"The biggest difference has to be that half the buildings I grew up with are gone," she said. "They've either been redeveloped or torn down.

"The city just changed."

For example, she said, the local single-screen movie theater was later replaced by an AMC megaplex, while big malls displaced mom-and-pop businesses. And when the Magnolia Bridge was built, she said, it dramatically changed the city.

"When they built the overpass, it cut the city in half," she recalled. "It closed off a lot of the streets you used to get across town, and it made getting across town harder."

Strickland, who worked for the city as a librarian and later in community relations, said that was why she remembered with mixed feelings the time when the capsule was enclosed in concrete at the bridge.

Last month, city officials carved out the tiny silver film canister.

Cheryl Case walks across the Olive Street bridge in Burbank on Thursday, March 5, 2009, in a scene much like that in a 1959 photo found in a time capsule unearthed last month. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer)


Deputy City Manager Joy Forbes said the capsule containing 35 mm film was taken directly to the Warner Bros. Studio, where technicians processed the shots of various buildings, schools and what was then the new city golf course.

"We didn't want to take the chance of opening it ourselves," Forbes said.

Strickland said she hopes to eventually get copies of the photographs and the time capsule itself for the Burbank Historical Society.

"The time capsule is an important part of the city's history," she said. "Understanding the past is important in understanding the present and the future."

A Burbank street scene from 1959 was captured in this time capsule recently unearthed in the city.


--- end ---

Unveiling a historical tribute

This recently unveiled plaque on the Cusumano Civic Plaza commemorates the site of Burbank's first city hall.


By DAVID LAURELL
Published: Last Updated Tuesday, March 3, 2009 10:08 PM PST
source

Members of the Burbank Heritage Commission joined city officials and representatives of the Cusumano Real Estate Group this past week to unveil a bronze plaque that memorializes the site of Burbank’s first City Hall.

Located on the northeast corner of what today is the Cusumano Civic Plaza on Olive Avenue and Third Street, the plaque commemorates the site of Burbank’s first governmental administrative building that housed the offices of the City Council and city manager, as well as the city’s police and fire departments.

Built in 1916, city business was conducted on this site until 1943 when the current City Hall building was built directly across the street. In 1959, Burbank’s first City Hall was demolished and replaced by the police headquarters that stood on the site until 1999 when the city’s safety services moved to their current facility a block north on Third Street.

"I would like to thank the Heritage Commission for keeping our city’s history alive," said Mayor Dave Golonski who went on to laud the educational value of the plaque.

From left, Burbank Senior Planner Michael Forbes with Assistant Planner Amanda Klotzsche and Burbank Historical Society President Carey Briggs at Monday's ceremony.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Balboa

Bob Carter mentioned Balboa and today Madelaine emailed saying more, so I wanted to post a bit about that fun little island!

As a teen, we would visit my sister who lived in Costa Mesa, borrow her GTO and cruise over to Balboa. In the late 70's, I lived in Costa Mesa too and often would visit Balboa - haven't been back in years but would love to visit!


Balboa Peninsula boardwalk and beach, featuring summer teen fashions from the mid-'60s — Balboa Pavilion in the background.


June 20th & other comments

Cathy,

I love the idea of combining the picnic with another gathering at BJ's. I really enjoyed seeing so many people I hadn't seen for all those years. And for most in our class this is a milestone year, so the more merriment the better is my view. Would love it if we could have some dancing too?? Count me in.

Also, in response to Bob Carter's interview, the Balboa venue was the Rendezvous Ballroom which is now condo's. I also remember Mr. Big's burgers, which I loved. And the music. So many times when I hear the songs he mentioned or any that hold a particular place in my psyche, I am so taken back. When I lived in Telluride, there was a radio show every other week hosted by a contemporary. Every once in a while he would play a song that I literally hadn't heard (or remembered hearing) since high school. Boy, that would transport me back immediately.

I don't read your site as much as I would like to, but I am sure grateful that you put so much effort in keeping the chains of communication open and the memories flowing. Thank you.

Madelaine (Zelenay) Whiteman

Here is a photo of the Rendezvous Ballroom not on the island but located near The Prison of Socrates (where Tim Morgon often performed).


Dick Dale, who was a regular at the Rendezvous Ballroom in the late 50's, is still performing in his 70's!






Do you Swing Dance, Madelaine??



MORE COOL BALBOA LINKS

Why Balboa, you ask?

Surf's Up

Burbank/Burroughs Alumni Picnic Weekend



4/20/09 UPDATE
NO BJ'S SATURDAY NIGHT
When I called BJ's to see if we could reserve the patio, it was already taken! So until further notice, we won't be meeting there after the picnic on Saturday, June 20, 2009. If anyone has another idea, please let me know - thanks!

3/9/09 UPDATE
Here is the email I sent to Pam:

Okay dokay, Pammy, I posted the picnic info just now at http://bhsclass67.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-goes-on-at-bhsjbhs-alumni-picnic.html.

Also, please mention in the next Loop that our class '67 will be having a brunch/lunch (time to be determined) at Linda Peterson Everett on Sunday, June 21st, the day after the Alumni picnic (http://bhsclass67.blogspot.com/2009/03/bhs-class-67-party-at-petersons.html). She lives in West Lake Village - please RSVP to Linda at leverett963@yahoo.com. Anyone wanting to help, should also email Linda. Thanks!

And for any alumni who can, be sure to stop by Toluca Lake Bob's Friday night June 19th.

ORIGINAL POST
So here's is A PLAN. Please tell me what you think:

Regarding this summer, the BHS/JBHS Alumni Picnic will be on Saturday, June 20, 2009, and here is an idea:

Friday night, June 19 - Go to Bob's Toluca Lake, find a few friends, get a table and then hop around and visit, just like in high school - lol!

Saturday, June 20 - Picnic (link)
"All Classes" BHS~JBHS Alumni Reunion Picnic and alumni Classic Car Show Johnny Carson ParkSat. June 20th, 200911:00 to 5:00.

CORRECTION: Sunday am/pm: Now meeting at Linda Peterson Everett's home! (See above)

PS The above agenda is mentioned in the brief surprise interview of yours truly who was asked last weekend about this Blog from fellow grad and his wife, Kent and Beverly Barcus.


source

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Free & Cheap Stuff

We like FREE and CHEAP - thanks Cathy!

Hi CP! Joan just sent me these 2 great items. Thought you might like to post them on your blog.

BTW, yesterday I went to the Sr. Bulldog luncheon. Mrs. Gehler, the Foods teacher, came right up to me to tell me that she was so happy that her photo was in your blog. Somehow Denny Bolin saw it and got a hold of her. She was so happy to hear from him. I also sat next to Richard Shaw '63. He told me that he has been on your blog also. So..... it's getting around! Keep up the good work!

Your Bud,
Cathy (Nicholls Coyle)

Subject: Free & cheap Stuff



The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf are giving free 12-ounce Over Ice Tea Latte this Thursday from 2-6 p.m.



You can get $1 oatmeal at Jamba Juice through the end of March. go to http://www.oatmealforabuck.com/ to print out a coupon.

Burbank Time Capsule Photos

Hey, thanks Ray, for the link to the photos!



Don't know how many of our Class 67' grew up in Burbank? I remember a lot of this from my young years..

Ray

Subject: Burbank 1959

http://theburbanktimes.com/specialpages/time_capsule_photos_from_1959.htm

Thnking Back by Bob Carter BHS '66



Below are Bob's answers when thinking back 45-50 years ago which is pretty fun to read as it takes us all down memory lane!

1. Where is your favorite place to go with friends? McCambridge Park , beating John Gaball one on one (hey it’s supposed be about dreaming, right??); Don’s place having a basket burget and a pitcher after 3 hours of Bball @ (again) McCambridge; Stough Park….obvious reasons; Van Nuys Cruise night; Sorrento Beach (When Barry Gordon didn’t charge you for gas)!

2. Where would you rather be right now? Santa Monica Beach , Sorrento Beach , at a Burbank/Burroughs Football/Basketball Game or what about San Val or Pickwick Drive-in with your latest crush!

3. Name at least 3 favorite restaurants…Mr. Bigs; Bob’s Toluca Lake;Copper Penney on Olive (late night);what about A and W drive-in…and don’t forget the burgers (that’s right) late at night from Winshell’s Donut’s Glenoaks and Providencia…they were incredible; Larry’s Hot Dog’s; Pecos Bill’s on Victory; and what about the alltimer:
Sergeant’s on W. Victory…did anyone ever taste their dumplings??

4. Where do you buy your clothes? Ed’s Men store; Dennis Light; Penney’s for T-shirts and socks!

5. What are some of your favorite movies? Wait Until Dark; Dr. Zhivago; Bridge on the River Kwai; The Young Lions; Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns…especially Good Bad and Ugly!

6. What are some of your favorite activities? Pammy Z getting me into the Senior Parties when I was a lowly sophomore..especially when Spin the Bottle was the rage!
BHS basketball and Football games; don’t forget beach parties @ Huntington (firepits);Grunion Hunting; Catalina on Labor Day Weekend, going over on the Big White Steamship!

7. What radio stations do you listen to? KRLA, KFWB can’t top those!

8. What is your favorite type of music? Rock and Roll, Folk Music(remember Tim Morgan …played ins some ball room in Balboa, I think!, Pop, Motown….yup

9. Who are some of your favorite singers? Beatles, Elvis, the Stones; Beach Boys; Dion and the Belmonts ; later: the Allman Bros. Band…Stevie Ray Vaughn.; Four Tops...ELO; Rod Stewart; Otis Redding

10. What are some of your favorite foods? Anything my mother cooked! Bob’s combo;
Tommy’s burger on Rampart and Beverly; Pinks

11. What are some of your favorite songs? Norwegian Wood; She’s not There: The Band’s “the Weight”; Brown Eyed Girl; the Letter; Immigrant’s Song (Led Zep)…anything by the Kinks or Troggs; Good Vibrations BBoys; Badge (Cream); Probably Feel a whole Lot Better When You’re Gone (The Birds…saw them at the Hollywood Bowl with Bonnie McMurtry in ’64, I think); (I Saw You).. Coming Back to Me (Jeff Airplane); Sympathy of the Devil (Stones); Born to Be Wile (Steppenwolf); For What it’s Worth (Buf. Springfield ) I’m a Believer (Monkey’s????); Time of the Season (Zombies); Cryin’ (Roy Orbison) …that’s it…where does it end??

12. What is a typical favorite outfit that you like to wear? Only one: Levi
S; white T shirt; converse (lows, no socks)

13. How do you wear your hair? Like an absolute Geek! short

14. Regarding the opposite sex, do you prefer blondes, brunettes or redheads? Probably Brunettes….but then, Blondes, then again……

15. What do you feel you are pretty good at doing? Certainly not golf!

16. Read any good books lately? Kingdom Come!

17. What is your worst fear? I wouldn’t graduate when Gary LePon and I raced our sports cars on the BHS track the last day of school!.

18. What is your favorite kind of car? ’Jerry Tomic’s (and later Danny Harris’) 62 Silver Vette Convertible

19. Blue eyes or brown eyes? Depends who they belong to I agree

20. Ever done anything naughty? Danny Harris and got thrown into the Burbank Jail for T-Ping Beverly Bullock’s House..at least Danny’s Dad came and got him! And, then, Danny Harris and I driving his brother’s 59 corvette to Denver to visit Glen Ceiley when Jack was in Viet Nam and simply asked Dan to “start the engine once in a while”!!

21. What did you see yourself doing 30 years ago?? Probably teaching

22. What is the worst personality trait you can think of? Disloyalty and untrustworthiness…that’s pretty tough to beat!

23. What are the most important qualities in a person? Sense of Humor; fairness; honesty;

24. What does “Being Successful” mean to you? When you truly feel peaceful!

25. What year were you born? 1948

Thanks, Bob... You and Dan were arrested for t-peeing Bev's house??? YIKES!

Dr. Robert Dayo Leland 1919-2008

Our condolences and prayers go to our classmate and friend, Barbara Leland Bradham, and her family with the passing of her father and our former high school Principal, Dr. Robert Leland.

Dr. Leland also was the Principal at John Muir Junior High when our class was in 7th grade before transferring to BHS.

Please click here to read more.



Robert Deyo Leland was born June 30, 1919 in Albion, Mich. He served in the Army's horse mounted 7th Calvary. He also trained at Camp Young in the Southern California desert with General George Patton. He was in the service from 1941 to 1945 and was injured in battle in the Pacific.

While stationed in San Luis Obispo at Camp Roberts in 1942, he met Pearl Macomber and married her two months later. They were married for 65 years until Pearl's death. They had three children, Scott Leland, Barbara Bradham and Linda Edgar; five grandchildren, Rena, Kristin, Erin, Shannon and Wesley and five great grandchildren, Tait, Tomas, Katherine, John and Kai.

After his life changing experience during the war, he saw that the future of our country would depend on Education. He devoted his working life to the education of young people. He started his career as a Teacher with the Burbank Unified School District and retired in 1981 as the Principal of Burbank High School.

He earned his BA and Masters degrees at UCLA and his PHD at USC. He was Burbank Young Man of the Year and was very involved with the YMCA. He was president of the Burbank Rotary. He was foreman of the Los Angeles Grand Jury, 1988-1989.

He loved the ocean and they purchased a home in San Clemente, Calif. They moved to Palm Desert in 1992. He volunteered at the College of the Desert Library and the Coachella Valley Historical Society.

He died at the age of 89, Dec. 22, 2008 from the complications of Parkinson's disease with loving family all around him. He loved life and would not let anything get in the way of living life large. His outlook on life was positive, progressive, happy and full of interest in others and the whole world around him. A celebration of his life was held on Sat., Feb. 28, 2009 in Palm Desert. (source)


Photo of Dr. Leland taken from the Burbank High Yearbook Ceralbus 1967

Monday, March 2, 2009

How Good a Speller are YOU?


Take the Test - CLICK HERE.

"The 25 Most Commonly Misspelled Words is a list that has circulated among American businesses for decades. Two words have variant spellings for companies using British English spelling. Those two words have been repeated in the list of 25 words (making 27 items) asking for the British spelling. Business writers can avoid the problem of having supervisors, colleagues, and editors mark words as being misspelled by using the spellings preferred in their countries. Two words, at least, also have variants that appear with the words in a dictionary. However, business writers have clear preferences for one of the spellings. Select the correct or preferred spelling in each of the following questions to test your spelling of the most commonly misspelled words."

It ain't easy, folks!

Happy 60th Birthday, Jeanne!

May you have a wonderful and fun day, my friend!






At the class breakfast last year during the BHS Centenial, here are those of us that went to Miller Elementary School: Kathleen Dupree, Cathy Nicholls Coyle, Cathy Palmer, Don Ray, Mary Brotsis, Carol Nicholls Lebrecht and Jeanne Barron.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

A Visit to the Wine Country


Kent Barcus and his lovely wife, Beverly, came to Sonoma today and treated me to a delicious lunch at the Maya Restaurant on the Square.

After stopping by Sebastiani Winery, we visited the Dream House only a few blocks away and walked through the neighborhood - it was a fun time in spite of the rainy weather.

Thanks so much, Kent and Beverly - hope you or Donna win the house!