2009 Winter

Class of 1957 Newsletter, December, 2009

This has been a year full of history for our city. Headlines read on October

17, 2009, "A DAY WATSONVILLE WON'T FORGET". Twenty years may

have dlmmed-most memories, but Watsonville residents vividly recall

where they were at 5:04 p.m. on Oct. 17 when the Lorma Prieta

Earthquake struck. The earthquake measured 7.1. I know Clarice

remembers well, as Oct. 17 was also her 50th birthday. Two major jolts of

reality. I was in the Sizzler Restaurant with my friend Adrienne. Since we

are teachers the first thing you do In an earthquake is dive under a table

or desk, which is what we did. My husband who was standing with his

salad in hand started laughing as he noticed 2 rather large rear ends

sticking out from the table covered with salad. Outside of the restaurant

were many downed live wires & you could see smoke all over

Watsonville from burning homes. That was the end of our Ford's Dept.

store & our dearly loved Bake-Rite Bakery. 250 homes were destroyed &

another 800 were damaged. Every major road in & out of the county was

closed or partially blocked & all power was out. I don't think that

Watsonville was ever the same since. Quite an experience.

Forty years ago Aptos High School opened its doors for the first time. It is a

beautiful campus & a great school.

Fifty years ago, Sylvia Armstrong's parents, Dutch & Nina Armstrong

closed their doors to Landls Fountain in Freedom to make way for the

extension of Green Valley Road to Main Street. Landis was famed for their

menu names, like a huge ice cream concoction called, "Idiot's Delight," and

quirky features like a mock parking meter in meterless Freedom. The

building dated back to 1885.

Fifty Years ago, Dec. 1, Dale Skillicorn was hired to direct plays for

Monterey's First Theatre. The first play he directed, Fatal Wedding,

received tumultuous applause & a critic's praise for its "varied & appetizing

fare." Dale hopes someday to have his own theater.

CAPITOLA SAYS GOODBYE TO CAPITOLA THEATER. After61 years

the Ciy Council of Capitola agreed to tear down the building due to fire

safety concerns. Demolition will not take place until after the first of the

year. Barry Swenson bought the property to build a hotel on the site. I'm

sure most of you remember spending time in the beautiful theatre with your

date.

Seventy five years ago on Nov. 24, 1934, in the Evening Pajaronian

Black & Gold" section stated "No P.E. today" was the confident comment

of many students surveying the sea of mud on the field left by recent rains.

But Coach Emmett Geiser ordered, "Line up, boys, this is a fine day for

relay races."

Seventy five years ago on Dec. 8, 1934 the new Veterans Memorial

Building was dedicated in an impressive ceremony. A brief history was

given on American military action from the Civil War to World War 1.

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH TURNS 150. Many of us were married in

the beautiful First Christian Church on East Lake. The famed Watsonville

architect William Weeks designed & built the church. Inside, the sanctuary

is a serene place with thick redwood rafters high overhead still covered

with original artwork. Behind the pulpit sits a functioning pipe organ from

1914. The stained glass window facing the altar casts a brilliant light over

the room. The church is a landmark in our community.

I have been thinking back on the many years I have lived in Watsonville.

Many changes I know. My biggest concerns 50+ years ago were, do I

have a date to the football game Friday night or do I have enough Regal

blue stamps to fill the gas tank so we could cruise the drag one more time

or money enough for a Pronto Pup, to present day where we are

celebrating our 70th birthday or 50 years of marriage or being greatgrandparents

or taking care of our parents. We have come a long way &

it has been a great ride. Watsonville has been very good to me & my

family. My high school memories the best. I love seeing many classmates

that I went to school with for 12 years in the market or church or a social

event that still live here in the area. So as we head into our 70's, it is full

speed ahead. Live & enjoy each day & be thankful for your hometown,

called Watsonville.

IN MEMORY OF SANDY HILTON

Sandy Hilton passed away this year. I do not have the exact date. She

suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for many, many years. She spent several

years in the convalescent home in Salinas before her death. You may

remember her father from Hilton Studios here in Watsonville. I think he

took our senior pictures. Sandy leaves three children.

John & Pete Alaga's brother Nick, class of '54, died Nov. 26th. A native

of Watsonville. After serving in the Navy, he became involved in the

electrical industry. Nick is survived by his sife, Dana; two sons, Nick Jr. &

Randy; three brothers, Pete, John & Bill ail of Watsonville; four

grandchildren & two great-grandchildren.

WATSONVILLE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS

Go Wildcatz!! The last time Watsonville won the division championship

was 1994. Feels so good to be the champs again. It has been a great

year. Our quarterback, Jerry Alvarez broke Josh Blanton's record

(bittersweet) for passing with 2727 yards & 32 touchdowns. Jerry &

receiver, Fernando Olivarez were named co-MVPs of Monterey Bay

League. Jerry was also named The Sentinel's All-County Player of the

Year. We are very proud of our team. Most of the players this year were

seniors. We wish them all the best as they continue their education &

become alumni of our alma mater, WHS. It was great hearing Edmund

Surich, the late Nick Surich'son, call the plays for the game over the radio

waves. Edmund is an alumni of WHS.

Carole Hiatt, still our Fiesta Queen at Freedom School has been busy

this year attending weddings, 3 to be exact. She traveled to Maine for a

Jewish wedding & then onto Cape Cod for a week. She returned to CA.

for another wedding. The third wedding was her granddaughter Cristin

Murphy who married a local Aptos boy Tyler French, Oct. 3rd. Many of

Cristins accomplishments occurred while attending Cabrillo College. She

was MVP of the Cabrillo Women's Soccer team, earning the WAC, an all

tournament honor.

David McDaniei writes that he just returned from attending his first

Chinese wedding in China. He was even invited to the morning ceremony

something a/most unheard of In Chinese tradition. The morning ceremony

the most exciting part of the day, is only for family members of the bride &

groom. It would be nice if the West incorporated some of those traditions

Beijing had much less pollution than before the Olympics while Nanjing

had much more. Nanjing's population has increased in 4 years from 5

million to 7.5.

Class of 1957 website http://sites.google.com/site/whsclassof1957

Great job John Higaki. You will find many pictures of our class.

Don Armstrong reports that he is back among the employed. Given the

hit on his investments this past year, & a son who has decided to go to

medical school & an offer he couldn't refuse from his former business

partner, he is consulting in the call center business part time. He still saves

time to whack & lose golf balls instead of complaining about aches & pains

& Medicare.

Ken Dobler & his wife Anne went to an Idaho fishing hole to do some fly

fishing & then onto Jackson Hole, WY & wherever the map led them. Anne

took Ken to Nashville in Nov. to celebrate Ken's Big 70. He enjoys country

music.

Ralph Shugart & his wife Lee threw themselves a superb 70th birthday

bash. They had a wonderful Jazz Combo with 70 guests for dinner &

plenty of wine at their garden party They also went to Wyoming, passing

by the Lincoln Highway. They arrived in New York Grand Central Station

after a week. On their return trip they visited friends in NJ, N C, Fl TX. &

CA. In Fl. they spent 5 days in Key West.

Dan Pini writes about his grape picking season. What a dreadfull thing to

be doing at retirement time. They have a 1999 RV diesel with 19,000 miles

on it & 4 tires deteriorated on it from just sitting so he put 4 new tires on it

& it hasn't turned a wheel yet. Dan made contact with Lee Simmons He

would also like to get in touch with Larry Stone.

Joan Mezger's son in law Brad Tompkins has been coaching football for

25 years. His legacy started with his Dad, Dewey Tompkins who was

Soquel High School's first football coach. The stadium bears his name

Her grandson Travis played quarterback for 4 years & became a coach

too. Brad is currently coaching atScotts Valley High. Joan's daughter has

been a football coach widow for most of her married life. Goes with the

territory. It is a wonderful legacy & they were featured in the Sentinel

Newspaper, 3 generations, father, son & grandson.

Glen Kimoto attended Monterey Pennisula College & then transferred to

San Jose State after graduating from WHS. He married Judy Dewar from

Santa Cruz in 1962. He happily taught Junior High School science for 38

years in San Jose. Since retirement in 2001, he likes RVing. He enjoys

aikido, woodworking, bicycling & traveling.

Jimmy Carter writes that he has 2 good sons, 2 good daughter in laws.

Even his wife tells him he is still the man of her dreams except for the

baldness.

Marilyn Morgan says the big news in their home is that their son Steve

Lewis is home from Iraq. Marilyn & Carl celebrated their 50th anniversary

this summer with a family reunion & their second honeymoon trip to

Yosemite, a gift from Steve & his family. Marilyn spent her 70th birthday at

Pajaro Dunes with close friends.

Jane Sullivan had 100 guests at her cocktail party celebrating her 70.

Old tennis friends, bridge friends, golf friends & 49er tailgate friends were

there. She was presented with a very special gift. It was a 49er jersey with

her favorite players numbers on it...on front was #16, Joe Montana, on

one sleeve #42, Ronnie Lott & the other sleeve was #84, Brent Jones &

for the finale, on the back it says COBB, Jane's married name. Under

COBB, #70. Jane wears it to the 49er games. What a fan!!! Jane's

grandson stated after being told how many were coming, "I don't even

know that many people." Jane went to an Invitational Tournament in

Oakmont & noticed on the list that someone was born in Watsonville. It

turned out to be Mary Ann Flath. They found each other & had a great visit.

Jacques Marceron has been remarried for 2 years now. His second

home is in Bullhead City, AZ. He is going strong, currently living in

Sacramento. Jacques attended WHS his senior year.

Steve Siebes took their annual trip to Branson, MO. for 2 weeks. They

saw 11 shows, all were great. They also enjoyed Sedona, AZ.

Bob Fenner turned the big 70 in Aug. He was in Ohio with his wife Gail,

officating at the National High Power Rifle championships. After Ohio they

visited Nigara Falls & Old Ft. Niagara where the Niagara river meets Lake

Ontario. It was the 250th anniversary of the British taking over the Ft. from

the French. Recently, he officated at the CMP Western Games &

Creedmoor Cup matches in Phoenix with a side trip to Wichita to vist their

daughter Katherine & celebrated their granddaughter's 17th birthday. Bob

is still working part time at his areospace job in satellite communications.

Clarice Giberson spent Thanksgiving in AZ visiting their grandsons, now

9 & 11. In Dec. they leave for the Netherlands to celebrate with their

daughter at the award of her Ph.D in Nutrition. They will also get to see

their grandson, Declan in Rome for Christmas.

Babe McVary writes that she is "out of her wheelchair", walking again. It

has been a long time since her hip surgery. She goes to physical therapy

& is a very "Happy Woman"

Jim Gibson took a trip to the gold country & later visited his daughter &

family in Temecula. They spent a few days at a resort in Indio.

Bob Osborn won the quiz in the last newsletter. He won a free movie at

Starlite Drive In, one pronto pup combo, one free tank of gas at Regal.

Clarice came in second. Good job!

SALLY ENGLAND, DAR

Sally is a member of the Los Gatos chapter of DAR. The DAR is the

largest women's volunteer organization in the country. The members all

have at least one ancestor who was a Revolutionary War patriot. The Los

Gatos chapter celebrated their 80th anniversary. They have 106 members.

Sally's Revolutionary War ancestors were Lt. Charles Trafton, his son,

Charles Trafton of York, Maine. Lt. Trafton died in the war in Rhode Island.

Sally's picture brightened the headlines in the San Jose Mercury

Newspaper where they featured her membership in the DAR.

Marilyn Bogisich & Ed were given a party by their daughter on Hilton

Head Island, SC. celebrating their 50th anniversary. They had relatives &

friends from CA., OR., GA., MA. & SC. They had a large town home for the

week & everyone came over each morning for breakfast. They all met on

the beach for a family photograph. The cake was topped with the same top

they had 50 years ago. They started their life together in Berkeley, then

Santa Clara, Cupertino, San Jose, Atlanta & now live in Aiken, SC. Many

family events are planned for the holidays. Marilyn & Ed will spend her

70th birthday in Dec. alone. No more parties. They have a daughter & two

sons.

Ron McLeister's wife Lorraine passed away Oct. 17. She is survived by

her caring husband, Ron & their sweet beagle, Molly; loving children,

Laura, Eve, James, Holly & 9 grandchildren; stepchildren Christine & Mike.

EVONNE BALDWIN'S GRANDSON NICK

Evonne's grandson Nick Pengelly returned from Iraq Oct. 7th. He was

honored at the annual Veterans Day parade in Watsonville as a native

hero. When the Twin Towers came down on 9/11, Nick was a student at

WHS. He joined the Marines right after his senior year. In 2006 he came

home after serving his time in the Marines. In Oct. 2008, he was recalled to

the Marines & was sent to Iraq where he led a squad of 18 men on

missions. He says that his experiences in Iraq made him a better person. It

was life-changing. Nick is now back home with his family & 2 year old son.

Pengelly plans to join the Watsonville Police Dept. He is glad he had the

opportunity to serve in the military & give back to his community.

LOST & FOUND, PAT BUTTON & KRISTINE PARKER

Pat Button is living in Tehachapi, CA. She has been married to Gene

Stirm for 36 years. Gene is an artist, writer & actor. They have 2 sons & a

daughter, Don, Mark & Malinda. Pat has her own business, Patricia's

Alterations. They enjoy spending time at the Hot Springs in the Bishop

area. Pat's mother was a Native American. Pat is tracing her own

ancestry through her DNA. Several of us had lunch with Pat in

November. Great to see her again.

Kristine Parker resides in Carmichael, CA. She & her husband have

been married for 30 years & have their own business, Dick James Assoc.

Inc. They have two children, Michelle & Todd & 8 grandchildren. Kristine is

a pilot & has competed in air races for 7 years. They own their own plane.

Kristine said that she was very shy in high school. She graduated from

Fresno State. Kristine's mother was at teacher at Santa Cruz High school

in the '50's.

Jim Gibson our researcher found Glen Ackerman. Glen lives in

Pearblossom, CA. near Palmdale. We have found serval of our

classmates in the last few years, Jim Dicus, Betty Fan, Dawn Barnes

Cindy Apel, Stan Arnbrister, Kenneth Clewett, Frank McCombs, Carol Tory

Betty Sue & her husband & 4 cousins caravaned in their RV's to Alaska

in Sept., 7400 miles. What a beautiful State. First stop was Tok, Alaska to

the nearest body shop. You know you are in trouble when there are 7

body shops in a town of 935 people. We were the 16th RV to pull In with

radiator problems due to the lovely roads In Alaska. While we were

leaving 2 more RV's came in. $2000 later, we were on our way to the

North Pole, my favorite spot. So much wildlife, lakes, mountains along the

way. Among the famous people in Wasilla are Sarah Palin & our own

Grant Wrathall. Nice town just outside of Anchorage. Other major towns

we visited were Seward, Fairbanks & Valdez. Even saw Mt. McKinley

G r e a t t r i p !

Adrienne celebrated her 70th birthday in Ames, Iowa at the home of her

cousin Fred Vallier, class of '55. Adrienne & Ed drove back to attend her

aunt's 95th birthday on July 6th. The cousins from California & elsewhere

who traveled there for the aunt's party helped celebrate Adrienne's July

4th birthday as well. It was perfect said Adrienne & she felt like a kid again

when they all went running around with sparklers. What's 70 anyway just

a n u m b e r ! !

Jules Maderos writes that while cleaning out a closet, he noticed an old

wooden coat hanger that said, Frank J. Oliverus Custom Tailoring 460

Main Street, Phone #56 on it. So, how many old businesses can you

name that made up Main Street in the 1950's? To get you started how

about Royal Cafe, Busy Bee Tavern, Star Cafe, Alexander's Men's

Clothing, National Dollar Store, Bob's Lunch, Daly Brothers

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night. Wishing you all the verv

best as we begin 2010 !!!

Betty Sue Henry Bjur 190 Bjur Dr. Watsonville, CA. 95076 or e-mail

GTObjur@charter.net We want to hear from you. If your name hasn't

appeared in the newsletter in the last year, promise me to do somethinq

really fun or important in the next 6 months & tell us about it We love

hearing about grandchildren too.

Can you name the people in the picture below????? It

taken in 1955.(sorry picture lost in scanning)

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