A momentous date, October 21, marked the 44th and 45th reunions of the graduated classes of 1956 and 1957. Unwilling to wait any longer and follow the traditional ten year mark, approximately 150 eager alumni came together for the reunion.
        The alumni assembled at the atrium for the first event at 11 a.m. The reunion brought them back for the first time since the existing facilities were remodeled and the new buildings were constructed.
        "They kept on looking at each other's name tags just to see who they were talking to," said '56 alumni Gary Grady, 1956 reunion coordinator.
        Personalized name tags, each with one's first and last name, in some cases maiden name as well, plus his or her picture from the yearbook, were distributed and worn among the attendees.
        Afterwards; the alumni separated into groups and dined at their favorite hangout for supper such as Goody's. Twohey's, and Petrillo's, restaurants that existed in the 50's and are still in business today.
        The remainder of the evening was held at the Santa Anita Inn in Arcadia for speeches and more conversations. Clark Reynolds, '57 alumnus and master of ceremonies, introduced speaker Frederick Appleton, '56 alumnus and 1st semester ASB president. Appleton spoke of the many changes in the world to say compared to their high school days. A speech was delivered by Hiko Kobayashi, '56 alumni and 2nd semester ASB president reminded the audience of how enjoyable it was facing each day in high school with the whole student body back then.
        The final event was brunch at Ruby's, a restaurant with a 1950's look. To Many, Ruby's brought back old memories. As this occasion was about to conclude, the majority of the alumni commented on how great it was having been able to talk to old friends again.
        Seven years ago a '57 alumnus organized a very casual reunion at Lacey Park in San Marino. Word got around, and approximately 70 alumni from the area showed up. The reunion appealed to Gary and Richard Mays, ' 57 alumni and reunion coordinator, and thus planned this reunion that way.
        Thoughts of another reunion in approximately three to four years are already taking place. For more information, contact the reunion coordinators at www.sghs-alumni.org.

        "Be all you can be." Clark Reynolds did just that. And more.
        According to Reynolds, writing came easily, naturally to him. He loved, and still loves, to write. Thus, he began his writing career as a junior in San Gabriel High School, first established in 1955.
        Being "a part of a mission to create something [for SGHS]," Reynolds participated in the writing of the constitutions for the new school. Further into the year, the journalism adviser recognized and appointed Reynolds as The Matador's first editor-in-chief for his natural talent in writing.
        Every senior had to complete a project that directed students towards making career choices. Reynolds decided to write to three historians for their opinions of the field. Their responses proved helpful. But his interest in history did not begin there.
        Navy sea stories passed along by his uncle, F. Robert Reynolds, who served on board the carrier Yorktown, perhaps inspired and influenced Reynolds to initially pursue a career as a naval officer. However, the disadvantage of being red and green colorblind robbed him of such a career. Therefore, instead, he majored in history while an undergraduate at University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed his doctorate at Duke University.
        Reynolds held many titles during his life: professor, independent scholar, author, consultant, defense analyst, lecturer, and strategic historian.
        On writing, Reynolds values simple, direct prose designed for the average reader. He describes his style as "scholarly in a popular vein."
        "I try to avoid esoteric words, like 'esoteric,' in order to guarantee the reader does not stumble along the way."
        His writing was highly praised in his book "The Fast Carriers: The Forging of an Air Navy," rated as one of the ten best English-language naval books of the Naval Institute's first 100 years.
        Up until today, Reynolds has published ten books, four of which he coauthored, 30 essays, and 22 encyclopedic essays, entries, and supplements. Besides his books, Reynolds considers his students as his most notable accomplishments.
        Reynolds taught at the U.S. Naval Academy, the University of Maine, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, where he served as a professor and head of the Department of Humanities.
        Since 1988, he is a history professor and the chairman of the Department of History at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, where he teaches two courses: Strategic History of the United States and The Cosmos in History.
        Not wasting time, Reynolds spends his Sunday evenings as a disc jockey over local public radio, hosting the jazz show "Swingtime," which is broadcasted from the Yorktown's former primary flight control.
        A native Californian now residing on the east coast, Reynolds, a true historian, still remembers how SGHS's campus was like back then: "We ate dust." Amidst many accomplishments, Reynolds has one more thing left to pursue: retirement.

        "If a day goes by and I haven't learned anything, I must be dead."
        This is the philosophy that class of 1957 SGHS graduate Richard Mays lives by.
With this in mind in 1997, Mays learned HTML and started a special web-site designed to keep track of SGHS alumni.
        "Don't ever lose touch with your classmates," said Mays, “They're the friends you'll miss the most."
        While surfing the net earlier that year Mays found Classmates.com, which served as inspiration for him to start the alumni site. From SGHS's class of 1957 only 50 people were registered and only 20 from the class of 1956. With such a high number of missing classmates, Mays set out to find the rest of the classes of '56 and '57 through the Internet.
        In October, SGHS's former website was discovered by Mays. Through the old site, Mays contacted with Victor Sandoval, who helped him recover the reunion contacts and alumni entry areas of the collapsed original SGHS web site. Now with a background in HTML and contact information, "Rich's Place" and "'57 Matador" were created to aid in the location of SGHS alumni.
        The success of his sites were fully recognized for the first time in October of 2001. Former classmates from the classes of 56 and 57 met at SGHS for a reunion. Mays said, "The only complaint that I received was that it wasn't long enough."
        Originally, the site started with the intention of reconnecting all alumni from the classes of '56 and '57, but it has now grown to aid all SGHS alumni with the start of
SGHS-Alumni.org.

        Most students wouldn't return to high school after graduation. However, there's one exception: Edmund Wang. While a student at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), Wang works as a representative in the career center to help students come face-to-face with making decisions about their future.
        "I want to know the students and give them and new perspective so that they can choose a college that will fit their personality," said Wang. "I didn't know what I wanted to do until my freshman year in college".
        A student with a G. P. A. as high as Wang's (over 4.0) wouldn't be expected to attend an institution of higher prestige, but Wang decided to apply to only CSULA, because "it has a good business school that gives you hands on next periods and personal attention from the teachers in smaller classes. There's also diversity."
        Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recruited Wang, but he refused to accept the offer with his concrete decision to attend CSULA. His academic excellence resulted in his receipt of a full scholarship to the University.
        "It's not the name that matters, that the environment that suits you. Find a college that fits your lifestyle and way of learning."
        As a Matador, Wang served as the Interact Club president during his senior year, while developing strong relationships with his teachers. Gabriella Manchester, English teacher, influence him the most by helping him “write better and enjoy writing, which helps in college. The work pays off."
        Introverted yet outspoken, Wang considers himself as an odd, unique person. Not often does he have spare time, and when he does, Wang spends it building
3-D models and going out with his girlfriend.
        "If you do make the wrong choice, remember that you're still young and you can turn it around. Some mistakes have their own advantages," said Wang, giving advice to students on choosing the right college.
        "Although I'm not as successful as I would like to be, I'm content with who I am."

        While others would leave their home after high school, Teresa Tortomasi never did.
        Graduating in 1971, she stayed close to home and attended college at California State University, Los Angeles, majoring in Mexican-American Studies and Spanish.
        “I wanted to be immersed in the language,” said Tortomasi, who isn't a native Spanish speaker.
        It was difficult to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, she said. "It was hard to figure things, unless someone told you, and there wasn't anybody."
        At that time, SGHS only provided her with class, but no college or career guidance. "Students don't realize what a huge opportunity they have now," she said.
        In 1977, Tortomasi came back to teach. She keeps her megaphone, a remnant from her good old cheerleading days, around in her class. Certainly useful in projecting her voice to quieting her students by saying “Silencio,” it's also proof to her students that she, too, was a Matador.

             "I wanted to be
          immersed in the
         language [of
         Spanish]”

        She couldn't help but relate her stories to her students today, especially about the dress code. At that time, the administration forbade girls to wear pants. They were confined to skirts and dresses. Boys had to wear dress shirts, tucked into their pants. Even teachers had a dress code. Female teachers were not to wear pants until 1963. Even so, the pants had to be part of the pantsuit.
        In 1985, Tortomasi was awarded a sabbatical. Her first Stop was Taiwan. There, Tortomasi taught English at a college. Her fiancé surprised her when he flew there. They were married on New Year's Eve at a group wedding with 12 other couples. She didn't know what the government official was saying, often turning to their best man and maid of honor for confirmation for when they were married.
        After getting married, the new couple traveled to China, and other parts of the world, making stops at Thailand, India, and Egypt. According to Tortomasi, she didn't see a point in flying from China to Paris. They spent four months in Paris, where Tortomasi took up the second leg of her sabbatical, teaching English to the French. For over one year, Tortomasi and her husband made an around-the-world trip.

          “One thing that
        can bring back all
        your memories is
        seeing something
        from your past.”

        “Travel is definitely something I tell my students to do because it gives you a different view of the world and life," she said.
        To Tortomasi, SGHS is a great school. It had been a second home to her brothers and sisters, and this legacy will be passed on to her son, who will also become a Matador next year.