2003 Winter

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY 2004

The Wildcatz had a good 2003 season even if they did lose to Aptos, the game was

watched by 2500 cheering fans. If anyone remembers the good old days with Emmett

Geiser, let me reassure you the memory is alive & well. I noticed at one of the football

games that there is a memorial built in his honor at the front of the field. As each football

player enters the field, they touch the memorial & then go out to win the game. I was so

impressed even tho I'm sure that most of the players have no idea how good the old days

were. Go Wildcatz! Among those at the game was Dick Hardy's daughter Laura, mother of

Wildcatz wide receiver & cornerback Joel Holly, who represents the fourth generation in his

family to play football for Watsonville. Laura's grandfather, Donald Hardy, father Dick Hardy,

brother Rick Hardy & son Joel all played Wildcatz football. By her own estimation, every

Friday night for the last 18 years, she was at a football game . But this year is the one she's

finding most exciting. This team is not only good players on the field but they are great kids

off the field. To have them have such a successful year their senior year has just been a real

joy. Joel takes great pride in the fact that his family has been here & supported WHS for

so many years, it's just been a part of their life.

*Let it be known that part of the reason Aptos High beat Watsonville Wildcatz was a

young man named Justin Greene who happens to be Mike Larkin's grandson. Justin is a

great football player & also enjoys driving his grandpa's '57 Chevy. Aptos won the CCS

championship!!

News:*David McDaniel wrote that he recently retired from the Federal Govt. He first

worked as an investigator for the US Congress & later worked for NASA's Ames Research

Center in Mt. View. Currently, he is a lecturer at CSU at Hayward & is a consultant in the civil

rights area for the US Forest Service & other govt, organizations. He calls Pleaston his

home base from his many travels. His daughter Michelle is a RN at our Watsonville

Hospital. Upcoming plans include a trip to Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai & other parts

of China & Taiwan.

*Angie Luporini has a new granddaughter, Kaitlyn Marie LaRue, born in April to Angie's

daughter Lisa & her husband Doug. She is a doll!

*Sally England & Bill spent Sally's birthday in Ireland. It was a last minute choice which

made it even more exciting. They were in Northern Ireland during the Orange Day

celebration which made for interesting politics. The celebration was peaceful & the Irish are

hoping that they are making strides towards a lasting peace. The weather was perfect, the

island beautiful, & the people so friendly. There was prosperity everywhere due to U.S.

companies moving over in recent years.

*Carol Tarkington & Ray had a great Mexican Riviera cruise in April. They love the warm

weather. They just got back from a Fall Colors trip in the Maritime, Rhode Island, New

Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, St. John.

*Mieko Hirahara writes that she is going to be a first time Grandma. Their

daughter Loree is expecting a baby boy in Jan. Mieko & Howard went to Kona, Hawaii in Oct. & golfed.

*Jim Gibson & his wife, Shirley Yappert, class of '59 visited Switzerland in Aug. during the

heat wave in Europe. They have been researching their family roots.

*Pat Hewett writes that after her mother died, her extended family have been having yearly

family reunions. They meet at different places in CA. with their RV's & have a blast.

Recently Pat & her husband Jim returned from a trip in Canada. But best of all, their oldest

son Michael, is finished with his cancer treatment & is doing beautifully. He is selling his

business to take better care of himself. He is now selling 4/Life immune systems products.

It was given to him to keep up his immune system, as there are people now in complete

remission who have taken it. Needless to say it made believers out of them & now their

whole family is taking it as well. Anyone wanting to know more about the product, just let Pat

know.

*Bobbie Smith & husband Earl Rackley just got back from celebrating their 65th birthdays.

They took a 10 day cruise on the Holland American cruise line. They stopped at 6 ports in

Mexico. It was great. If they aren't cruising on the ocean, they are cruising in their RV. They

will be heading south for Yuma soon for a couple of months. What a life.

*Ed Fagalde & Adrienne Marmo had several guests this year at their cabin at Lake

Almanor. Dropping by for a visit were, Sally England, Betty Sue, Bob D'Anna, Vic Griffith

& Bob Dieterich & their spouses. Great fun.

*Jacque Marceron & his wife visited Jim Carter & Barbara for three days in Oct. in New

York City. They stayed at the Fitzgerald Grand, took the subway, circled Manhattan & the

Statue, saw Phantom of the Opera, took the NOC tour & saw Katie Couric & George

Clooney, lunched at the Grand Central Station, visited St. Patrick's Cathedral & Ground

Zero. Everybody smiled & asked about their new governor. They left NYC & the Carters

who live in New Jersey & headed for New Orleans. They took the plantation tour, Bayou

tour, steamboat ride & enjoyed lots of delicious Cajun food. On Nov. 4th they celebrated

their 35th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas at Harrahs.

*Maryella Kern's daughter Jenny & husband had a baby daughter, Madeline Grace, born

Sept. 7th & is all smiles & cooing sounds. Maryella is a first time grandma, so the digital

cameras are working overtime. In Sept. Maryella was elected to participate in a consumer

led workshop on patient safety which was held in Houston at the MD Anderson Cancer

Research Center on the University of Texas campus. They met to discuss the future of

health care & the role consumers can play to ensure patient safety.

*Wanda Palmer sends her greetings. The good news for her is, with the extraordinary

support from her family, friends & doctors, she has won her second battle in 9 years with

cancer & is feeling great. She is looking forward to another trip & this time to Cosa Rica for 2

weeks with friends in Feb. She still hasn't retired & not sure about a time line on when she

will. She would love to hear from you.

*Jan Baird's mother, Katherine Baird died June 22 in Grass Valley. She was born in 1915

in California & was the youngest of 10 children. She was a homemaker & enjoyed being

with her family. She loved her flower garden. She is survived by 3 daughters, Janice,

Susan & Stephanie; 2 sons, Bill & Jeff; 12 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren. She was

preceded in death by her husband Wayne Baird in 1956.

*Carol Tarkington's parents died one month a part. Her mother, Bea Tarkington died July

31. A native of Oklahoma, she came to Watsonville 69 years ago. She worked as a cook's

helper for the PVUSD & as a drapery seamstress for Don Bland Home Interiors. Carol's

father, Bill Tarkington died Aug. 31. A native of Colorado Springs, CO., he had lived in

Watsonville for 65 years. He worked for Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical, retiring in 1971. Mr.

& Mrs. Tarkington were members of the First Baptist Church in Watsonville. They are

survived by their daughter Carol; son Stan;six grandchildren & two great- grandchildren.

*Marilyn Bogisich' mother, Mildred Meyers died Aug 19. A native of Watsonville, & life

long resident. She graduated from WHS class of 1936. She was a member of the Seniors,

Veterans & American Legion centers. Mrs. Meyers is survived by her daughter,

Marilyn;two sons, Randall & Guy; five grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her

husbands, Nick Bogisich & Arthur Meyers.

IN MEMORY OF STAN! WINVICK, OCTOBER 2003

Some memories of Stan:

He was my favorite childhood friend, Jim Carter

A total Hunk, Class of '57 Girls

Stan sat behind me in Mr. Rowland's Government class. As many of you know, the final

exam was oral. When it was my turn for the "hot seat" he asked a question & I answered it.

He looked at me in surprise & then roared with laughter, I was quite bewildered by this

response & when I returned to my seat, Stan asked me what I had said to make the teacher

laugh like that. I said he asked me who elected the president & I said the electrical college.

Stan laughed & with tears in his eyes exclaimed, Oh my gosh Adrienne, it's the electoral

college not the electrical... Adrienne Marmo

We played at Second Street playground as kids. Good guy. Gary Costa

Stan teased me alot until I cussed him out & we were great friends after that. Betsy Wong

*Bob & Bill Osborn's mother, Irene Osborn died Sept. 18 at her home. A native of

Oklahoma, she lived in Watsonville for 54 years. She was a member of the First Baptist

church of Watsonville & enjoyed knitting, sewing, painting & cooking. She is survived by her

husband, Jesse Osborn; 2 sons, Bob & Bill; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren.

*Nancy Wynne's mother, Sue Elizabeth Johnson died Oct. 18. Sue was a granddaughter

of Henry & Susan Hopkins Peckham, an early Watsonville family. The youngest daughter

of Superior Court Judge Manson & Elizabeth Peckham McCormick. She graduated from

Pomona College in 1938. In 1955, Sue & her late husband moved to Watsonville where

they owned Rascos, a variety store on Main St. Sue leaves her daughter Nancy; 2

grandchildrenflve great-grandchildren.

*Eldon Roth's sister, Doreen Roth Herrera passed away at the age of 53 on Oct. 25,

surrounded by her family. She lived her life in Watsonville and graduated from WHS in

1968. She is survived by her husband of 34 years, Manuel Herrera; son.Todd; daughter;

Tanya; granddaughter Sasha Herrera & her brothers, Eldon & Les Roth.

*Jane Beck & her husband traveled to Moquereo, N. M. in their motor home to attend their

oldest grandson's graduation from high school. There were six graduates in their small

town.Their grandson plans to join the Coast Guard in Jan.

*Mike Larkin won "best car" for the second year in a row at Hot August Nights in Reno. His

1957 Chevy convertible is in pristine shape, a real beauty. There were 5000 entries.

*Don Armstrong's son Zak is serving in Iraq with his Army Reserve unit. He has been there

6 months. His unit has been assigned to the 4th Infantry Division in Northern Iraq, & is

billeted in Tikrit. The 244th's mission is to repair Iraqi infrastructure & to improve various US

Army & Air Force sites for long term deployment.A typical task is to convoy to a Military

site , which takes him through many Iraqi villages where locals often greet them with friendly

waves or pretend to be pointing a weapon at them. The conditions are so raw that they

sleep in, on & under their trucks & equipment & rarely remove their helmets or flak jackets

even in the hottest of summer, & always are armed with rounds chambered. A nearby

grammar school had few of the 3R's supplies, plumbing that hadn't worked in years & no

playground equipment except for a sandbox. Zak's Unit adopted this school & when they

have downtime they work on the school & solicit school supplies from home. Don has sent

many boxes of supplies to them. Is Don worried "you bet"! But all they can do is what

millions of other parents have done over the years & many wars that young Americans

have gone off to fight...pray for a safe return home.

*Charlene Corrigan visited her oldest daughter, Leigh & her husband in Anchorage. Leigh is

an attorney. Charlene took her 8 month old pup, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel & was part

of the AKC dog show. She won her first AKC point for championship. Charlene's twin

daughters are living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Claire is a lawyer & is working for a large

firm in San Franchsco. Carin is working towards her Masters in Marriage & Family

Counseling. Her goal is to work with troubled teens. Charlene will be cruising to the

Western Caribbean this month with her partner Ron. No retirement for Charlene as yet.

She loves her work as an Interior Designer.

*Joan Mezger says hello to everyone from Sunnyvale, CA. She & her sister Elinor had a

wonderful week in Hawaii. They also celebrated Joan's granddaughter's, 21st birthday while

there.She is attending the University of Hawaii her last two years. Shannon plans on being

a special education teacher for the deaf impaired. She loves working with handicapped

children. Joan also vacationed in Orlando, FL in Oct., being a big kid again at Disney World.

It was awesome & so much to do. Joan sends God's blessing to all of you.

*Betty Sue & Allen, Sally England & Bill enjoyed a 12 day cruise through the Panama

Canal. Ports of call were Acapulco, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominica, Aruba, St. Thomas &

Puerto Rico . The adventure through the Canal was definitely the highlight of the trip only

second to the food. The guys enjoyed the golf courses in Acapulco & Puerto Rico. Sally &

Bill came home with some beautiful art pieces.Allen & Betty Sue with several added

pounds.

*Don Stracener & Barbara Beard finished putting their 1937 truck back together. In October

they "drove" the truck to the Fall Colors Car Show in Bishop, 700 miles round trip & over

Tioga Pass 9,945 ft. elevation. The truck just purred right along, no problems at all. They

won 1st place in the all stock truck class. They were surprised & happy. There were over

400 entries. Don & Barbara belong to the Truckee & Reno car club. Their daughter & son in

law have classic cars & live in Reno so they decided to join their car club. Their "Kitty"

traveled with them. Barbara had knee surgery & is doing great.

*B J (Liz) Everton retired in June from her job as Executive Director of the CA Professional

Development Consortium which is conveniently located at the Santa Cruz County Office of

Education where she has been for the past 13 years. After retiring she started up a

consulting business, LizETC-Educational Training & Consulting, & has kept very busy. BJ's

daughter Suzi is having their first grandchild in Jan. Suzie works as an associate planner for

the City of Watsonville, as well as a historic preservation consultant for the County of Santa

Cruz, & her husband teaches science at Watsonville High. BJ's son Chad is in the film

industry, producer for special effects, currently in Chicago.*

*Neal Holbrook remained in the USA for four months after his surgery before returning to

Thailand. They are in the process of building a traditional Thai house in Chanthaburi. Neal is

drawing the plan & will be seeing an architect soon. His daughter is still living with Neal's

mother and is a sophomore at Watsonville High. Unlike her Father, she takes school

seriously & is maintaing an "A" average.

*Marilyn Bogisich & her husband Ed Furtado celebrated their 44th anniversary at The Ritz

Carlton, Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro, GA. They were married at Valley Catholic

church, Sept. 5, 1959. It was a small wedding, with Ed's cousin Virginia Conde & her

husband Al as attendants. It was a beautiful Sept. day. The apples had been released but

Marily's father couldn't start picking, because of the wedding. The reception was held at Ed's

parent's home. They honeymooned at Lake Tahoe.

*ClariceGiberson's husband Harry (Richard) Wiggins will be running in a half marathon in

Rome, Italy with their daughter in Feb. Not bad for a guy who is 66 1/2 . Clarice is going

along for the ride. Feb. 29 will be the 12th wedding anniversary of their son & daughter-inlaw

who were the third generation to be married in the Christian Church in Watsonville.

*Ed & Adrienne flew to Tahiti Oct. 8 & spent 10 days on a cruise touring 5 Polynesian

islands.After the cruise they flew to Australia & were there almost a month. They especially

loved climbing the Sydney Harbor bridge, riding a camel in the outback & flying over the

Great Barrier Reef in a helicopter. Then it was off to New Zealand. Ed did a great job driving

on the "Wrong Side" of the road. They met a friend in Auckland & after showing them the

city, they traveled the North Island. They took a ferry over to the South Island & road a train

to Christchurch & toured the island. They enjoyed seeing some of the country where "Lord

or the Rings was filmed. Ed & Adrienne are enjoying being busy senior citizens.

*Dick Hardy's new granddaughter, Erica Colleen was born Dec. 14. Happy parents are

Rick & Carrie Hardy & big brother Ian. They live in Sunnyvale.

*Marilyn Miller & Joe traveled in North America, Mississippi Coast, Salt Spring Island,

California, Oregon & the Inside Passage. Their grandson finally figured out what they

do...."You are travelers." They completed several big home projects & are looking forward

to more travels in 2004.

*Carolyn Pettus' mother Lily Pettus died Nov. 27. Lily lived in Watsonville 63 years &

Napa for 5+ years. Her life was totally devoted to her husband & Carolyn. She loved

gardening, crocheting & making the best pies around. She loved dolls & collected them as

an adult. Lily leaves her daughter Carolyn; granddaughters, Candy & Carrie; 4 great

grandchildren, Flora, Jordan, Sean & Sarah & a very special "Sonny*', Bill Davidson. She

was preceded in death by her husband, Carl.

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night

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