2004 Spring

SPRING NEWSLETTER, 2004

Happy Summer to all of you. Only 3 more years to go & we will be celebrating our 50th

Class Reunion. But I'm sure most of us are busy signing up for Medicare this year. Groan...

If you have any ideas for celebrating our 50th reunion, please let us know. Several ideas

have been given & we look forward to hearing yours.

In our December newsletter, we will have a new feature. We will select our own WHS class

Hall of Fame person. Along with this honor will be the great joy of being Honorary Principal

of WHS for one day, possibly Honorary Mayor too, who knows???

Happenings in Watsonville include "Gene Johnson, just call him Coach as he has been

coaching since 1955 and he is still going." At 78 years old, Johnson is the longest serving

coach in Santa Cruz County. He's coached football, baseball, basketball & now softball. No

worries, no stress, no nail-biting, Johnson is in his element coaching & is probably the most

relaxed man in the world. When most men his age are long into retirement, Johnson straps

on his running shoes & ballcap each day & reports to work at Cabrillo College since 1968.

Coach Johnson really enjoys it & he cracked, "Besides all my friends are dead". In 1955

Johnson joined the coaching staff at Watsonville High, where after a year of coaching the

junior varsity football team, he took over the vaunted varsity program from the legend

himself, Emmett Geiser, the man they named the stadium after. Johnson coached four

years before coming to Watsonville so he has been coaching 53 consecutive years.

Johnson is no pushover. Back in his younger days at Watsonville he was known to be a bit

of a terror to misbehaving high school boys, standing with his arm crossed, watching them

run off demerits around the track. These days, though, people speak of him in terms of

being gentle & caring, perhaps one does mellow over time. Finding his way to Watsonville

back in 1955 was a bit of serendipity. He brought his Fremont team to Watsonville for a

baseball doubleheader & really liked the area. He told his wife, Doris that this would be a

great place to raise their children. Soon after that pair of games he got a call from Geiser,

who offered him a job in the PE dept. He jumped at the opportunity. Little did he realize

that he would be Geiser's hand-picked successor, a job that brought enormous pressure

considering the Wildcatz had a run of seven straight league titles going. Johnson's first

varsity team finished second, ending the streak. In 1968, he was offered a job at Cabrillo

College coaching. He is credited with helping develop two of the school's greatest players

ever, defensive backs Sherman Cocroft & Reggie Stephens, who both played in the NFL.

He is now coaching the girls softball team at Cabrillo. They think he is the greatest. Johnson

got his masters in physical education at Stanford & has been going stong ever since with no

retirement in sight as reported by the Sentinel.

Testing your memory anyone remember the famous Watsonville basketball star Kenny

Sears???? Well, he is 70 now. He hasn't played basketball since he retired from the NBA

in 1964. It was a teacher at WHS, Mr. Rowland that saw great potential in the young Sears,

saying to him, "Kenny do you realize you've got the opportunity to go to a university on a

basketball scholarship?" Mr. Rowland also told him that he wasn't going to go anywhere

unless he started improving his grades.Mr. Rowland helped him with a plan to get through

his junior & senior years. After college, Sears was chosen by New York Knickerbockers as

the No. 1 pick in the 1955 NBA draft. After 6 years, he was traded to the San Francisco

Warriors. After a year & a half, he chose not to renew his contract. Kenny came home to

Watsonville. Watsonville will always be his home. He was born here & plans to be around

for a while.

*Meiko Hirahara writes that she is finally a "grandma". Her daughter Loree had a baby boy

January 26. Nathan Torao weighed 8 lbs., 10 ozs. Nathan has brought so much joy to their

family. She loves being a Grandma.

*We have a new, proud grandma, BJ (Liz) Everton Merrium. Sydney Elizabeth Aratin

was born on January 27th, 6 lbs., 12 oz. & undoubtably the most beautiful little girl in the

world. She is already interested in drama & has wonderful arm & hand gestures & lots of

voice projection. Congratulations Grandma BJ, love that title.

*Diana Casini's mother Nellie Rocchi died Dec. 24, 2003 at home in Watsonville. She

was 90. A native of Seattle, WA, Mrs. Rocchi had lived in Watsonville since 1947. She is

survived by a son, Omero; a step son, Roy; daughter Diana; four grandchildren; six great

grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband

of 33 years, Angelo who passed away in August.

*Joan Mezger's mother Eleanor Mezger entered into rest on January 5 in Roseville, she

was 94. Her husband of 57 years, John Mezger died in 1991. She worked for the County

of Santa Clara, Municipal Court. She leaves four daughters, Elinor Corbus, Joan Mezger

Hines, Barbara Halterbeck & Sandra Goulart; 11 loving grandchildren and 9 great

grandchildren.

*Adrienne Marmo Fagalde's brother John Marmo, Jr. died March 16, in Vancouver, WA.

He was 72. John lived most of his life in Watsonville. He is survived by his children,

Giovanna Wat, John Marmo III, & Victor Marmo; six grandchildren; 2 sisters, Adrienne &

GeGe. He was preceded in death by his wife, Nella Wagner Marmo.

*Janet Tindall Mattos' mother Alice Tindall passed away March 23 at the age of 95.

She was born in Iowa. Her grandparents came from Norway. Alice made her home in

Corralitos for 73 years. She worked for Ford's Dept. store. She loved to bake & was well

known for "Grandmas's Pies". Her husband Allen passed away in 1989. She leaves 2

daughters, Eloise Wilson & Janet Tindall Mattos; six grandchildren including Doug & Brian

Mattos & 12 great-grand children.

IN MEMORY OF SUE CARPENETTI

Sue Carpenetti Wemmer, class of 1957 died March 20 in Visalia. She was 64. A native

of Pennsylvania, Sue lived in Watsonville with her husband Jerry Wemmer for 40 years.

They both ran Jerry's Appliance on Hall Road for many years. Sue is survived by her

husband, Jerry of Visalia; her parents, Joe & stepmother Thelma Carpenetti of Missouri; a

sister, Anna Camphouse; a brother, Joey Carpenetti; four sons, Kenneth, Keith, Kyle &

Ron Wemmer; a daughter Kathy; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild. She was

preceded in death by her mother, Mae Carpenetti.

*Helen Kokka Gee's brother Henry Kokka died April 6. A native of Watsonville, Mr.

Kokka returned to Watsonville upon his retirement. Henry graduated from Berkeley, with a

degree in chemistry. He worked with the East Bay Municipal Utility Dist. He is remembered

by loved ones as a quiet, gentle & generous person. Henry is survived by five brothers,

Tom, Norio, Haruo, Sam & John; four sisters, Misako, Kuniko, Helen & Suyame.

*Mickey Crumpton died April 25 at San Jose Medical Center. He was 63. Mickey was

born in Lubbock, Texas. The family moved to Watsonville when Mickey was a year old.

He was a graduate of WHS, class of 1958 . He joined the National Guard in 1962 & was

called to active duty during the Watt Riots in 1965. He attended San Jose City College &

continued dating his high school sweetheart, Mimi Dooling. They were married August 8,

1964. This summer they would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. His

passion in life, aside from his family & his company, was golf. He also loved to travel. He is

survived by his wife Mimi; daughters Claire & Molly; his grandsons Malcolm, Michael

Patrick, Stephen & Solomon.

*Gary Beller, class of '55 died May 12. Gary had lived in Watsonville for 55 years before

moving to Aptos 10 years ago. He retired from Southern Pacific Railroad after 30 years of

service & also served in the U.S. Navy for four years. He was an avid sports fan & played

softball & slow pitch in men's leagues for years. Gary is survived by his wife, Gerry Ann, a

son Scott & a daughter Kim; his mother, Barbara Franklin; a sister Toni Beller Bowie; one

grandson.

*Jim Whyte's mother & Marilyn Stromberg's stepmother, Marjorie June Stromberg died

May 14 in Bremerton, WA. A descendant of the Cornell pioneer family of Watsonville,

Mrs. Stromberg was a longtime resident of Watsonville, moving to Washington in 1996.

Mrs. Stromberg worked as a secretary for the night school at WHS for many years. She is

survived by two sons, Jim & Bob Whyte; two step-daughters, Carol Stromberg Skillicorn

& Marilyn Stromberg Allen;10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in

death by her husband, Hjalmar Stromberg in 1986.

For over a 45 year period, thousands of WHS Sno Catz discovered the joys of a pristine

winter sport through efforts of head chaperone Miss Jean Pogue, Math department chair &

adventurer extraordinaire. This year in memory of Delmar Brown, Laurie Matiasevich, David

Willoughby & Bill Sambrailo the team took several runs in their memory. Mas Hashimoto,

former teacher at WHS said," It was an honor skiing side-by-side with Jean Pogue. Jean,

who admits to being in her 80's, skied flawlessly & with determination. She's an inspiration

to us all." A delicious lunch was waiting for them, prepared by Elvena Marini, Bill Alaga &

Sue Kalich. They spent the time with "remember when...." and laughing & reflecting on how

our friends who had skiied these slopes so many times had enriched our lives."

*Yoshie Yoshida & her husband John Wong spent 14 days in Costa Rica.They visited

San Jose, a third world city of 1.3 million, Rio Frio and took a boat ride northerly towards the

border with Nicaragua. The trip was quite fascinating as they saw numerous Caymoans.

Many species of birds & also teased a couple of groups of howler monkeys in nearby

trees by doing some human howlings. And they responded. They actually crossed the

border into Nicaragua during the ride. Costa Rica has similar problems with illegal

immigrations with Nicaraguans. They cross into Costa Rica for better jobs. The minimum

wage in Costa Rica is $400 US per month. At Los Suenos, a new development in

Guanacaste with million dollar homes & a beautiful yacht harbor with million dollar boats, one

can easily become mesmerized by the wealth. Yet, as their bus exits the Marriott Hotel,

you can see natives bathing in a nearby river with trash distributed along the river slopes.

The Costa Ricans are quite proud of their country. The people treat visitors with kindness &

respect. A great place to visit but Yoshie doesn't want to live there, particularly on the

Pacific Coast. Too hot & humid during the dry season.

*Maryella Kerns Jansen fell from a step ladder while pruning a wisteria vine in her

backyard in Olympia, WA. Surgery on a severe ankle break was needed. She has since

returned to work in a wheelchair. We wish her a speedy recovery.

*Edna Reimer writes that she retired March 3, 2003. She has been a Mammographer &

worked in a large hosptial for 24 years. She will continue to train Mamm Technologists . This

involved travel & getting to meet new people, which she enjoys. She will also continue to

be on a Board, which oversees the licensing for the State of Oregon. She has a couple of

speaking engagements speaking on Mammography in Oregon. For fun, she & her

husband will travel . They plan to drive across the USA & into Nova Scotia & then to

Scotland. Family genealogy is of great interest to them. They have two daughters Dayna &

Lisa. Dayna is married & Lisa & her husband have 2 boys. Edna finds grandparenting the

greatest privilege & joy yet!

*Jan Blohm has a new job with the National American Red Cross in Charlotte, NC. The

Information Technology department needed a requirements analyst & after reading the job

description, Jan realized that she had been doing that for years. They need someone that's

strong in writing procedures & validation plans, that's Jan. Moving to the East Coast is a

scary thing for a 4th generation Californian. She was like a kid in a candy store when she saw

what she could buy in NC. Jan plans on working at least another five years. This job will

give her the opportunity to make her retirement more comfortable. It was a big decision, but

she feels good about it. We wish you much happiness in NC.

*Robert Sanchez writes that he is living in Sacramento. He & his wife Rachel celebrated

10 years of marriage. This is Robert's second marriage & they have 2 children. Rachel

works for the State of California Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Robert has been retired for 3

years after 40 years with Bank of America. He is in good health & is looking forward to

seeing everyone at the next reunion.

*Marilyn Morgan Lewis' son Steve is home from Iraq! Steve is a Navy SEAL. We are

all grateful for his safe return.

*Jerry Baker writes that after saying he wasn't old enough to be a grandparent, now he is

one. Jerry & Carol's son & wife, Rob & Noell had a beautiful baby boy, 8lbs., 15 ozs.,

named Liam Attacus (yes, from To Kill a Mockingbird), on March 11th. Carol, class of '58 is

retiring from the Sequoia Union High School Dist. Jerry is still in the UAL rut but really

enjoys it. Best to all!!!

*Gary Costa's wife Pat has retired from Apria Home Healthcare. Gary has been on

dialysis since October. He has started the process to be placed on the kidney transplant

waiting list.

*Beverly Clements, Marilyn Morgan & Betty Sue & their husbands spent 5 glorious

days in Branson, MO. What a fun place to visit . Every kind of music imaginable but of

course the best was Lost in the 50's. After the show, they have a great 50's diner there.

We had a 9 scoop banana split, the biggest we have ever seen & delicious. Bev &

Wayne also showed Marilyn, Carl, Betty Sue & Allen a wonderful time at their beautiful

home in Clifton, Texas. Beverly is quite a southern cook. We visited President Bush' Ranch

in Crawford, Texas just a few miles from Beverly's home.

*Ed & Adrienne Marmo Fagalde, Carolyn Pettus & Sally England & Betty Sue &

husbands made their annual golfing trip to Las Vegas & St. George, Utah in March. While in

St. George they visited Virginia Powers & her husband Bob Dickens at their home &

enjoyed four days of golf. There are some beautiful courses in St. George, check it out.

*Beverly Sampson & her sister Barbara had a fantastic trip all around & through South

America, Anartica all the way to the South Pole. It was very cold, beautiful & they had a ball.

*Betsy Wong has retired after 33 years with Almaden Parents Pre-School ( 4 years as a

parent, board member & president & 29 years as teacher, director) in May. Betsy writes

that in all my years with the school, I feel that I have accomplished a lot and that through the

children I have taught, we have all made the world just a little bit happier. Teaching, as many

of you know, is a wonderful, fulfilling vocation. She feel privileged to have taught the children

and their parents early in their lives when you can really make an impact on their lives. Their

immediate plans will be to travel. They will spend some time in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Santa

Fe and a cruise to the Panama Canal. Betsy also looks forward to gardening, reading,

spending more time with her grandchildren and also to meet former classmates at the Green

Valley Grill for an occasional lunch or two.

WHS 2004 HALL OF FAME HONOREES

The WHS Foundation has inducted four more alumni into the school's Hall of Fame. Each

year, the foundation honors four graduates of the school for exemplary service to their

communities and service as role models to current students at the school.

Dr. Nancy Giberson, Class of 1967, Dr. Ronald S. Mito, Class of 1968, Dr. Scott

Standage, Class of 1969, Captain James Patrick Work, Class of 1991. Congratulations to

these alumni.

Wishing you all a wonderful, funfilled, safe summer. Stay healthy & enjoy each day.

Please send any news about yourself or family to Betty Sue Henry Bjur, 190 Bjur Drive,

Watsonville, CA. 95076 or GTObjur@ aol.com

I am looking into getting a new server for my internet so if your message doesn't come

through, use my ever handy pocketmail: bjurusa@pocketmail.com

Betty Sue Henry Bjur

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