2007 Summer

Class of 1957 June Newsletter, 2007

Two hundred attended our 50th reunion May 19 & 20th. What a

great time we had, lots of laughter, remembering old times but

most of all, celebrating the BIG 50, TOGETHER. It was great

having, Mr. Staley, Mr. Johnson & Mr. Haney with us. Very special

teachers to all of us. We had several skits, thanks to Georgeann

& Adrienne.Betty Sue annouced her candidacy for President of

the United States. She now has 26 committed voters.So exciting.

Josh Blanton ended our evening with 2 songs. He is the Best!

Kenny Blanton, Betty Sue, Dan Pini & Marvin Byers brought their

classic cars.Real beauties. Twelve very daring & brave gals from

our class made a calendar for the class which has taken on a life

of its own. We sold 200 calendars at the reunion & were

interviewed by ABC News. The money goes towards scholarship

for a Watsonville High student. If you would like a calendar let me

know, they are $18, includes postage. We have 25 left.

Notes of thanks from our classmates:

Marilyn Bogisich: It was a fabulous reunion & Sat. was great too.

The calendar is a treasure.

Yoshie Yoshida: What a blast! Haven't had such fun for a long

time. The program so fun & the calendar a big hit!

Mieko Hirahara: Thank you so much for organizing the best 50th

reunion. My husband even had a good time.

Jean Mathews: BRAVO, BROVO! You all did a great job!

Joan Mezger: It was awesome & the best ever.

Judy Baker: I was impressed with many things about the

weekend but two remain in my mind: the closeness or sense of

family that I felt as well as the representation of so many longterm

marriages.

Jan Baird: Kudos! We had a very special reunion, not to be

forgotten.

Aran Aridaiz: Mahaol nui loa (Thank you very much) to all of you

who assisted in making our reunion possible.

Jane Sullivan: My friends talked me into coming this year, I am so

happy I came. It was great! What a wonderful turnout. Thanks to

the committee.

Clarice Giberson: What a fantastic 50th reunion. It was just

terrific. Josh Blanton was awesome.

Fran Tanimura: I am always bragging on how GREAT our reunion

committee & classmates are. Sooc.when is our next one?

Betsy Corrigan: Thanks to all who worked so diligently to put on

the reunion.

Jerry Baker: A HUGE thank you to the committee. The reunion

could NOT have been better.

Betsy Wong: I had a wonderful time at the reunion. The calendar

idea was a scream!! The skits were clever & witty, proof that the

class of '57 has not lost its groove.

Lee Sampson: Thank you! Only the committee would know how

many hours were spent for our enjoyment.

Ed Fagalde: Thanks!! I can't say it enough, Thanks Again for all

your work to make the class of 1957 reunion so Special.

Jerry Chin: I stayed up & read the complete memory book after

the reunion. It could not be put down.

Colleen Connor: A great reunion. It was truly one to remember.

So appreciated!!! Thank you Class of 1957.

IN MEMORY

DOUG OTIS, GENE LACY, MARLENE ROBERTS

CLIFF FRIESEL, ROBERT BALDWIN

ANTHONY MACEDO

DOUG OTIS died in Fresno, CA. He leaves his son, Ryan;

grandson Little Ryan; granddaughter, Kelly Ann. Doug attended

the Aptos Elementary School & was in the class of 1957. Doug's

idol was James Dean.

Gene Lacy was a native of OK. He worked as a mechanic for 40

years. He enjoyed auto racing & motorcycles. He is survived by

his sons, Michael & Eric; daughters Darla, Denise, Susanna &

Rosa; brother Lonnie & grandchildren.

Marlene Roberts died of brain cancer. She was living in Los

Banos at the time of her death. She leaves her brother Ben &

sister-in-law Shirley & her best friend Betty Fagundes.

Cliff Friesel passed away after a year long battle with pancreatic

cancer. His hobbies included camping, hiking, bike riding,

gardening, reading & had a passion for model making. He was a

member of the NRA & also a history buff. He is survived by his

wife Jennifer; brother Wayne; daughters from his first marriage,

Leslie & Susan; five grandchildren.

Rachel Zuniga writes that she & her husband are enjoying life.

They are still employed doing property management & travel

quite a bit. They have been to Hawaii, the Mexican Riviera & para

sailing & whale watching tour in Cabo San Lucas. Next stop is

Disneyland with their family.

David McDaniel spent a year in China teaching English at

Nanjing University. He taught 600 students, all English majors &

loved them all. Teachers in China often visit the student's home

where they meet the parents & trade stories about their lives &

culture. He visited 20 cities & many rural areas. The people are

amazing & the country is full of energy & hope for the future. His

experiences in China changed many of his values & outlook on

other cultures. He is now teaching again part-time at California

State University, East Bay & plans many more trips across the

world. His daughter Michelle is still a RN at our Watsonville

Hospital.

Thanks to our very own Marvin Byers for opening up his beautiful

Victorian home for us to tour as part of our reunion festivities.

Marvin & his wife Eileen purchased the home 10 years ago,

performed major restorations, & have since filled it with a dazzling

collection of mementos. It is filled with Manzanitas dating back to

1905, July 4th buttons, antique sewing machines, patterns,

thread. One room has a display of antique lights, including a

period lamp honoring Amelia Earhardt & old Edison Mazda bulb

displays. The theme is carried down the stairwell, with a

collection of Edison Mazda advertising calendars featuring

Maxfield Parrish illustrations. Included were 1920s/1930s

calendars from local businesses. So fun to visit. Over 80

classmates visited Marvin's home. Thank you, Marvin. If you have

any Watsonville memorabilia & would like to donate it to Marvin,

that would be great. Let me know.

JoAnn Tanner's husband Charles Overturf died Dec. 8, 2006. He

worked in the mushroom business as a grower, troubleshooter &

consultant. He served in the U.S. Army & was a member of the

Madisonville United Pentecostal Church. He is survived by his

wife of 43 years, JoAnn; son, John; 2 daughters, Kimberly &

Kandis & 5 grandchildren.

Janice Rowe's mother, Irene Johnson died March 13 in

Watsonville. She was a native of OK. Her hobbies include

crocheting, gardening, cooking & loving her grandchildren. She

is survived by 2 daughters, Janice & Shirley & 5 grandchildren.

Ralph Shugart's mother, Sarah Shugart died March 16. She was

100 . A native of Texas she enjoyed making dolls, crocheting &

quilting. She is survived by her children, Ralph, Dorothy, Emmett,

Harvey, Teana; 27 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren & 35

great-great- grandchildren.

David Devine our PE/swim teacher at WHS died April 2. He was

77. He was a member of a close community of friends dating back

to the early surfing days in the 1950's. He was a lifelong football

enthusiast & was a Giants fan. Mr. Devine is survived by 2 sons,

JD & Daniel; 2 daughters, Kim & April & 5 grandchildren.

Clarice Giberson's son Richard Wiggins, Jr. died June 17. He was

42 years old. Richard leaves his wife Tanowo & two sons, Alex &

Andrew: parents, Clarice & Richard & his sister Gina. He earned

his Eagle Scout rank in high school. Richard received his BS in

Fisheries Biology from Humboldt & worked for Arizona Game &

Fish Dept. He was a devoted husband, father & son.

FOUND

We have found several of our classmates lately including. Cindy

Ape!, Joyce Marlowe. Frank McCombs. Betty Farr.Lee Simmons

Joyce is living in Sparks, NV & came to the reunion. We located

Cindy after the reunion. She is living in Minden, NV. Cindy has 2

children & 3 grandchildren. Her husband Jim passed away last

year. We received an e-mail from Frank McCombs. Frank is

married to Audrey Wyman, class of '56. They live in Bountiful,

Utah. They have 3 children, 7 grandchildren & 2 great

grandchildren. Frank joined the Marine Corps in 1956 & has

served mainly in the Asian countries, serving 2 tours in Vietnam.

He earned his baccalaureate from University of SC & MBA from

Webster University. He also earned an Engineering Degree from

the Naval Electronic Engineering School. Lee Simmons is living

in Trinidad, CA. He is retired from the forestry & owns an art

gallery.

Ken Dobler welcomed a new grandson June 7. Ken's youngest

son Craig & wife had their first child, Braden Cole. Braden is Ken

& Anne's fifth grandchild. They are off for their yearly family

vacation at Bass Lake, & then they will tour Alaska in early July,

by land & sea, getting in some hiking & fishing.

CONGRATULATIONS WHS CLASS OF 2007

The Class of 1957 congratulates the Class of 2007 on your graduation. Fifty

years ago, 314 students celebrated their graduation from WHS here at Geiser

Field. Times have changed. In 1957, a '57 Chevy was everyone's dream car to

cruise down Main St. All male teachers wore ties & female teachers wore

dresses with high heels. A quarter was a decent allowance. Being sent to the

principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited us at home.

The price of gas was 35 cents a gallon. We could buy a corn dog at Pronto Pup's

Drive-In for 50 cents with a vanilla coke. The boys wanted to be like James

Dean. They dressed the part with Levi's, T-shirts, flat tops & duck tails. The girls

were decked out in Lanz dresses, bobby socks & ponytails. Yes, some things

have certainly changed but there is one thing that has stayed the same these

past 50 years. The students who stood on the very same platform in the same

stadium were also teenagers facing an uncertain future. They had choices to

make & obstacles to overcome. Many students went away to college, others

joined the military, while some found a future away from Watsonville. More than

100 of our 1957 graduating class returned to Watsonvile to become teachers,

nurses, farmers, & many other occupations. Clearly, one thing our community

will always need is people of character who continue to make an impact on the

town we live in & contribute to its well-being. The Class of 1957 encourages you

to follow your dreams, make the most of your education & the opportunities

offered you. Perhaps you will bring those talents, abilities & passions back home

to Watsonville to help & support a new generation of students from WHS.

This was read at the graduation ceremony, June 8, 2007 from our

class.

Please note change of my e-mail address: GTObjur@hotmail.com

Betty Sue Henry Bjur 190 Bjur Drive Watsonville, CA 95076Class of 1957 June Newsletter, 2007

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