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!

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We added more photos here.

Verdugo Monthly Article

BURBANK HIGH CENTENNIAL "A CENTURY OF PRIDE!"

By karen Apostolina
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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
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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