OHS Newsletter
A Summary of Events and Topics of Interest to OHS grads and friends
October 1, 2004
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Previous newsletters since September 2002 and links of interest to OHSers are available on the site as well.
Here we are in September. The Grandkids are back in school, and the desert can't decide whether it wants to be 115 or 35 degrees. Mike actually had to turn the furnace on for me this morning. It was only 45° INSIDE our place.
I've had a busy 6 weeks. My son, Scott, who goes by the name Scott Fig in his comedy act, will be appearing on Showtime At the Apollo. Most of us don't stay up late enough to watch it after Saturday Night Live, but he filmed in New York on Tuesday Sept 28, they film for the entire season in 5 days, so his air date won't be until next June. While in New York, a comedian friend of his named Bruce Bruce (no idea who he is) made a phone call and got Scott 10 minutes on stage at the Boston Club. He was followed on stage by Dave Chapelle! Mr. Chapelle took him afterwards to play for a private audience at another club. Hopefully this will be his big break. He only moved to Las Vegas 18 months ago, and his career seems to moving quickly. He tried out for Star Search, finishing 5th out of 60. Since the first 4 went on to the show, Scott got all the Las Vegas gigs. He's played Michael Jackson's father Joe's birthday party at Neverland last month by request, along with many casinos. We hope he does well. His father was Gary Figueroa, '64. When I get the air date I will send out a memo to everyone. It's not expected to run until May or June of next year. Don't mean to be a name dropper, but I'm just so excited for my son, who has finally found his niche! Since he went to see CATS in Jr. High, he's been wanting a career in entertainment.
Labor Day weekend was spent with what started out to be a quiet BBQ for me and Mike. Suddenly we had almost all the grandkids, who found out Auntie Teri, my daughter, was coming up for the afternoon as it was her birthday, so with her son, we had ALL the grandkids, all my kids, the Mike's 2 sisters and their husbands showed up. And if that wasn't enough, some friends from the old Party Porch dropped by to show off their new baby, as the dad was only home for 2 weeks from Iraq. After several trips to the store for more burgers, buns and beans, and a birthday cake I had to cut to serve 23, we had anything BUT a quiet weekend. And for that, my friends, I am very blessed.
Speaking of blessed, the weekend of the terrible lightning storms in So. Californina, our nephew, who is a tow truck driver, was assisting a motorist on the freeway when lightning struck the motorist. He grabbed our nephew and lightning shot through both of them. Some of you may have heard the story on the news. The motorist was unfortunately killed, but Shawn survived. Lightening entered his wrist and side and exited his feet, burning his socks off, but leaving his boots untouched. He's had to have skin grafts to the bottom of his feet, but is walking already. He felt he had bad luck, but I think he should have bought a lotto ticket. It was his LUCKY day. The motorist died. He lived. How blessed is that? Of course, they say you have a better chance of getting struck by lighting than winning the lotto.......................guess he proved that one right!
Enough family gossip.
Bob Chan, '71 is doing very well. He is up to 50 miles a week, walking around Lake Merritt, and Glenview areas. Not bad for just having a quadruple bypass. We're really glad to hear you are doing so well, Bob. He's even back scanning yearbooks again. I can't believe his energy! Conratulations Bob. Reach him at greatrcc@aol.com .
Bev Shulster Beiman '65, like always, is busy, busy,busy. Between family and friends, the Memorial Board and her other hobbies, she's a hard lady to reach these days. Just want to let you know we are thinking about ya, and that new grandson! bbevy@012.net.il
Just heard from Elizabeth (Liz) Middleton Mank, '65. She recently joined Classmates. Our class is over 200 registered on there! I recall when I first registered there were less than 15! Gotta love the Internet! Liz is currently living in Rocklin, and working as a psycho-therapist, mother of 2 wonderful sons, and has a grandchild on the way. I'm sure she'd love to hear from old friends. Write her at lmank@prodigy.net . Been waiting to hear from Liz for a long time!
Les Wilson, has been spending time riding his Harley , recently taking a trip up to Willits/Fort Bragg area. His son Logan is a Harley Rider too, so we are hoping to see them both at the OHS '65 reunion. Les currently lives in Sacramento. leswilson@hotmail.com
Richard Tan '65, and a friend have been off gallivanting around British Columbia. Ahh, retirement is great! There is something good to be said for reaching retirement.
Ruth Speelman Anderson, Skyline '65 (OHS before that) and her boyfriend Rob are off on a 10 day cruise to, as she puts it, whatever is left in the Carribean. Fun and luck to them both!
Get well Wishes to Bill Mathers, husband of Gail Posey Mathers'65, who is suffering severe heart problems. Let's keep them both in our prayers.
The 1964 Reunion Picnic was a great sucess, according to Debbie Katz Bardon, Roy Owens, and Tom Allen. Roy took 7 rolls of film, and I'm are trying to get a few pix to show you what a great time everyone had! Tom Allen particulary put in good comments about The OHS Memorial Board, operated by Bev Shulster Beiman, '65. Debbie says there were about 180 people at the picnic! If anyone else besides Roy has photos to share, I don't need to tell you how much I love pictures!!! Please include names of those in the photos so I can use them in the newsletter!!
REUNIONS:
Class of 1962
Good news for the class of '62. There may be a reunion in the planning stages. Craig Hansen is looking for all alumni from 62, and can be contacted at ohs1962@yahoo.com. If you have any names, addresses or updates for 1962, or you just want more info, please contact him as soon as possible. Also, see the web site for the class of 62. www.ohs62.com. It's really a great site. If you can get out there to check it out, you will enjoy it.
Class of 1965
Class of 1965 is getting ready to send out pre-reunion postcards. PLEASE, if you were in the Class of 1965, or you want to be on the mailing list to attend, no matter WHAT class or school you went to, send all address changes to myself at bonnie.hulse@usmc.mil, or Norma Allison Pernell at GramiP@sbcglobal.net. We want to make sure our address list is correct and up to date.
Class of 1966
Diana Rhodes Fisch '66 is trying to get together a 40th reunion for the class of 1966. Come on you guys, 65 is all ready to send out postcards! Let's get on the ball. If you'd like to participate in setting up the reunion (and the committee usually has a blast!) get a hold of Diana at ladydi@thegateway.net. She is the keeper of the addresses, both real and email for the class of '66.
LETS GET GOING! Why wait until we are to old to enjoy the reunions? Lets get in as many as possible before wheelchairs and walkers are the main mode of transportation! She is taking suggestions on where it might be held, what do do, VOLUNTEERS for the committee, etc. FORTY YEARS! Come on guys, let's get this thing going. We're still young, so lets put these reunions into gear and get going on them!!!! That goes for all of you, no matter what year. It's never to early to start.
Class of 1967
For reunion info write to Judy Gee Sue at jkgsue@aol.com.
I would like to see SKYLINE '65 get a reunion going! Fremont has their's planned and ready to go. Who is the go to person for Skyline '65? Give me some names and I'll do some campaigning for a reunion!!!
We welcome some newcomers and some people who have returned to our newsletter!
First, Tom Allen, '64, and Barbara Allen Mandolph '66, siblings. Tom is retired and living in Bakersfield. How's about that 5 Point quake the other day, Tom? You can reach Tom at Tom7774@cox.net, and Barbara at Barbara.Mandolph@ousd.k12.ca.us. Welcome to you both. Also, Elizabeth (Liz) Middleton Mank '65, who has just signed on at Classmates. She is a psychotherapist with her own practice, living in Rocklin near Sacramento, but considering a move to Folsom (the city not the prison! C'mon, guys...:) ). Has two wonderful sons and is expecting a grandchild soon. She loves cycling and Salsa dancing. lizmank@prodigy.net. Sandy Emerson Reyes, Skyline '66, has just rejoined our list. Her email is katreyes@earthlink.net.
A change in email address for Norma Allison Pernell '65. She is now GramiP@sbcglobal.net.
Cindy Torrano Turner, '65 Fremont is looking for Shirley Menge, '65 OHS.
YEARBOOK CD's. MORE and MORE books! We now have a website for the yearbooks. Visit it at http://yearbooks.50megs.com/index.html . Available now, and for reunions, are the below listed books. I'm not including books outside of Oakland in this list. All yearbooks marked with *'s have been done by Bob Chan, '71. Other books are noted by the contributor's name. (Just got tired of typing Bob's name 100 times! Ha Ha!)
OAKLAND HIGH
1922 Aegis *
1929 Aegis *
1931 Aegis *
1932 Oaken Bucket (First one)
1933 Oaken Bucket *
1936 January *
1941 January (courtesy of Walt Albin)
1945 January *
1945 June *
1948 January *
1948 June *
1949 January *
1949 June *
1960
1961 plus 35th and 40th reunion books
1962 plus Supplement (Courtesy Bob Chan and Craig Hansen)
1963
1964
1965 plus supplement, 20th Reunion book, 36th reunion book, and over 250 reunion photos
1966 (Courtesy Paul Manuel) Plus 36th Reunion book
1967 *
1968 *
1969 *
1970 *
SKYLINE
1965 Olympian complete book
1966, 1967, 1968 Seniors only (Courtesy the late Biff Gudmundsen)
1993 Olympian
1994 Olympian
FREMONT
1949
1962
1963 (Courtesy Steve Guhl '64 Fremont)
1964 (Courtesy Steve Guhl '64 Fremont)
1965 plus 35th reunion book in Xerox form only
Bob Chan has several more books scanned, including Aegis's , Oakland Tech, and University High. Altho I want profits to go to the Oakland library and the Aegis, I've been finding they are being eaten up buying more yearbooks on Ebay and thrift stores and replacing equipment (Scanners, CD's, Labels) and postage. For this reason, while we keep the $10 price for everyone at OHS and the newsletter, the website price is set higher. We are including books from other cities there, also. We will also provide yearbook CD's to be included in reunion packages, at a special rate, if any classes are interested. CD's would include years behind and ahead of reunion year.
We've lost another Wildcat. Linda Jones Miller, Class of 66, passed suddenly of a massive heart attack on September 27, 2004. Her husband, Warren Miller, '66, and Linda came to our '65 reunion, and had a blast on our food crawl. Linda loved living up north, and always had 'critters' that she and Warren had visiting in their yard. She and Warren were a very special couple, very involved in their community. Linda will be missed by many. Our very deepest sympathies to Warren and the family. Please relay your condolences to Warren at calmedical@saber.net, or by mail: Warren Miller, 2325 Perch Dr., Williets, Ca. 95490, or phone: 707 456 0990. Photo attached to newsletter.
Before I begin "Life and Times", I need to let you all know the lady in the white car that only turns left from the wrong lane got stopped last night! She actually got a ticket. I was dying to stop and ask the cop what for, but since I'm never sure if I'm one of America's Most Wanted, it seemed like the wrong thing to do.
MIKE GETS A HOBBY- AGAIN It's been a long, hot, windy summer in Barstow. Most of Mike's noisy mechanical animals never made it out of storage, and 80% of his jungle died off after the move. I don't know if it was shock or heat or what. I'm not sad to see them all go, especially the animals........but........
Christmas is coming. I'm already worried. Mike's sister gave him an 8 foot inflatable Frankenstein for his birthday. Already, we've had to put a Santa suit on Layaway for Frankie........so he'll fit in with the decor! Also joining the inflatable group is a family of inflatable bears, to go with the inflatable tree, Snowman, and Giant Polar Bear......and here it is, only September, and all the Christmas stuff is out. That means more lights, more decorations, and more musical stuff. Since he took 2nd place last year, you know he is aiming for first place this year!!!
What REALLY has me worried is his birthday. He renewed an old hobby. I, like an idiot, have encouraged it. He wants to get back into HO railroading. Little small trains. Teeny things really. What an innocent sounding hobby! Little trains on a little track, running in little circles.
We took a ride to Las Vegas to visit the hobby stores. Barstow is lucky to have a stop light. You think we might possibly have a hobby store? Of course not. So we packed a cooler of ice water and took the 3 hour trip to Vegas on a Saturday.
The best part of the story is he sat down at a Nickel machine and won over $200, which bought us a very nice dinner at the Rio Buffet. All You Can Eat. Good for him, but my new tummy can't do all you can eat. Well, it can if it's a teaspoon! There must have been over 1000 choices of food in this place. Every time we'd go through one line, there would be a new buffet line of food. There was food I've never heard of, and food I'd kill for if I could still eat it! Actually, I did eat a little of everything I wanted, including a bite of chocolate cake. Sometimes ya just gotta splurge, even if your tummy's the size of a lemon.
Then it was off to Hobbytown USA, which, by the way, has an internet site for ordering......Something I'm sure I'll regret he knows.
I had no idea model railroading was so popular. After spending 90 minutes looking around the store, he found a nice little starter set, which I may have to claim as a dependent on our income tax. I don't know where I got the idea it would be a tiny train, you know, the kind that run around the Christmas Tree..........The cars ARE tiny. The track is tiny. The box was kind of tiny. I even remember thinking what a great thing this will be for him, something that won't overtake our lives. Again.
My first shock was when they rang it up at the register. How one tiny box of tiny trains could cost so freaking much amazed me. It wasn't like we were buying diamonds or emeralds. It was a bunch of plastic!!!!
So, we took it home. We have a huge living room and dining room area, so after talking it over, we decided a section of the living room would be a nice place to set it up. I was unprepared for what happened next.
Holy Crap!
He started opening the box, and out came little train after little train, followed by an ungodly number of track pieces, both straight and curved, tunnels, bridges, little houses, train crossings, rivers, mountains, grassy stuff, and two transformers. It took him a full hour to empty the box. It was kind of like a clown car at the circus!
It started out on a table top. It wasn't long before we realized the table was going to be to small.
We went to the lumber yard (Yes, Barstow DOES have a lumber yard) and got a 4X8 foot piece of plywood, to sit on the top of the table, for the train to sit on.
Mike began laying it out like a surveyor planning a freeway. It kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I could see that old familiar look in his eye. You can see where this is heading.........
He didn't have enough track to set it up the way he wanted. I didn't even want to know what that meant.
He asked everyone for HO stuff for his birthday. Not N scale or O scale, but HO. Like anyone in the family would know the difference. It's akin to me sending him out to buy lipstick. He'd buy nail polish for my lips thinking it would last longer........I felt the same about the trains. I have no clue what to buy, or even if I should!
Last night, he cheerfully pointed out that when we run out of space, the trains can be built upward on different levels..........I cringed. I mean really cringed.
This morning he mentioned getting all the Christmas village houses and people out, but luckily they are too large for his railroad empire. Our huge living room now has the couch and loveseat crammed around the TV in a little 6X6 foot section. The Burlington-Hulse Santa Fe Railroad takes up the rest.
I have no clue where my Christmas Tree and massive ceramic village will go, although I'm eyeing the master bath. If I unplug the hairdryer and keep a lot of air freshener handy, I just might be able to make it work...............
Pictures this week include:
Scott Fig.
Bonnie's son performs!
Jim Byrne '64.
Jim Byrne '64
Bev Shulster Beiman '65 & Diana Makower Warshavsky '65 on a visit, Aug, 2004 .
Bev & Diana
Linda Jones Miller & Warren Miller at the '65 reunion, Aug. 2001 .
Linda & Warren
If you have trouble with the graphics in the email version, go to www.oocities.org/ohsnewsletter
Mail your news, comments and suggestions to Bonnie at HULSEBE@barstow.usmc.mil.
Copyright © 2002-2003 by Bonnie Burke Hulse '65 and Bev Shulster '65. All rights reserved.