2012 Winter
Watsonville High School
Class Of 1957 Newsletter-"HIGH TIMES"
2012 Winter Original written and edited by Betty Bjur
VOL.32 E-editions by John Higaki
NEWSLETTER, CLASS OF 1957, DECEMBER, 2012
WATSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES 120 YEARS
Alums reflect on one of the oldest high schools in our state. "It was a time when Ellis Island
had just become a reception center for new immigrants, the "Pledge of Allegiance" made
its first appearance. The students faced the future which included two world wars the rise
of the American auto industry, the spread of the interstate freeway system & the advent
of the computer, as reported in the Register Pajaronian." Since then, the school has
grown from the first graduating class of 13 to this year's senior class of 451. Several alumni
were quoted in our newspaper showing their appreciation & commitment to WHS, Jane
Woods Borg, 1948. Polly Loftin, 1960, Mas Hashimto, 1953, Richard Wiggins 1956, Nancy
Bilicich 1969 & Norm Haney our teacher, 1950-1989. Richard Wiggins, Clarice Giberson's
husband said he remembers paying 10 cents to attend weeky lunches dances. He also
recalled when students cruised Main Street on the nights of sporting events, stopping for
Cherry Cokes at Pronto Pups. "There would literally be 50 cars on Friday nights," he said. "It
was a fun time." With a population of 8000 people in Watsonville, we knew everyone in
school. Wildcatz spirit is in our blood. We bleed black & gold. Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.
Georgeann Cowles, Watsonville's Women of the Year
Georgeann a fifth generation Pajaro Valley Farmer was born and raised in Watsonville an
attended Freedom School & graduated from WHS in 1957. After working in the insurance
industry she returned to Watsonville in 1998 to help her father on Cowles Berry Farm which
she took over after her father's death in 2006. Georgeann is active in our community, with
leadership roles in Watsonville Rotary, Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, Salvation Army the Agriculture History Project, 1957 Calendar girl project, Georgeann said, " she was extremely honored and humbled, "I don't think I'm deserving" Let me just say, " Yes Gee, you are deserving and we are all proud of you".
WATSONVLLE
50 years ago: plans have been made to demolish Moreland Notre Dame Academy building on Main Street. A new convent building will be constructed to provide more school space.
50 years ago: Pat Brown beat Richard Nixon for Governor of California
55 years ago: WHS Class of 1957 graduated 311 students. The best class ever.
58 years ago: Larry Ogden broke the record for rushing yards of 210 in one game with 17
carries and 2 touchdowns for the WHS Wildcats
This year Roger Contreras broke Larry's record, rushing for 379 yards, & 6 touchdowns in one game.
100 years ago:Discussion continued on the need improving entrance to our city is a disgrace. The Orientals in that section no doubt pay good rent but the property owners need to clean up their premises & tear down old shanties, replacing them with new building.
100 years ago: The controversy of ragtime dancing has spread to Watsonville. After Sheriff Trafton witnessed a "ragging" , he said "they practically walked around the dance-hall in an embrace that was as disgusting as it is impossible to decently describe "
50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CLUB
Bob Osborn & wife Marlene, May 19, 2012
Bill Osborn & wife Betty, July 14, 2012
Dick Hardy & wife Carol, Sept. 15, 2012
Terre Skillicorn & husband Dan, August 25, 2012
Edna Reimer & her husband Bob, October 27, 2012
Bill Daniel & his wife Gloria, November 23, 2012
Beverly Clements & husband Wayne, November 25, 2012
55 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CLUB
Arline Hansen & husband Don, August 21, 2012
Pat Hewett & husband Jim, December 8, 2012
Bill Osborn & Betty celebrated their 50th anniversary, July 14. They were married at the First Baptist Church in Watsonville. Bill is a retired Teacher/lnstructor/Pilot. He & Betty reside in Hillsboro, Oregon. A family celebration in Maui was held in August. They have daughters,
Heather & Laurie & son David & 5 grandchildren. They love spending time with their family.
Edna Reimer & her husband spent their 50th anniversary on the Oregon Coast in a beautiful
suite on the beach & had a marvelous time. On their anniversary day, they had dinner with their daughter, husband & two teenage sons. They feel blessed to be so happy after being married 50 years. They love their life on the Pacific Northwest.
Bob Osborn & his bride, Marlene flew to Las Vegas for their 50th anniversary. They were met their by their son Kevin & his family & Marlene's maid of honor, her sister Nancy & her husband joined the celebration.
IN MEMORY OF FRANK McCOMBS & DON STRACENER & LOUIS BILICICH
FRANK McCOMBS died June 14 encircled by his devoted family after a courageous battle
with leukemia. He was born in Claremore, OK & relocated to CA in his youth, where he met the love of his life, Audrey Wyman, class of 1956. They married in 1956. He also enlisted in the USMC that year beginning his stellar 20 year career. He was an expert marksman with the USMC Rifle & Pistol team. He earned a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration & Human Resource Development & was a leader in many organizations but most recently served as the Post Commander for the Veterans. He is survived by his wife Audrey, daughter, Anita, sons Frank & David & sister Josephine, 7 grandchildren & 4 great-grandchildren, cousin Marilyn Morgan & friend Don Armstrong.
DON STRACENER passed away at home on August 13. He was born August 1, 1938 in
Cullen, Alabama. Don moved with his family to Watsonville at the age of seven. He graduated from WHS, class of 1957 & married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Beard of Aptos. He was employed by Lone Star Industries in Davenport for 30 years & also worked for Kaiser Sand. Don had a great love of classic cars, camping & fishing. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Barbara, his mother, Mary, his sister Darlene, 2 daughters, Christine & Cathy 3 grandchildren & one great-grandchild & friend Ben Wilson.
LOUIS BILICICH, on Aug. 13, 1918, World War I was drawing to a close, Woodrow Wilson was President, Babe Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox & Louis came into the world, He died Nov. 24. At age 8, he began helping the custodian at WHS, by age 14, he was a student custodian & upon graduation he became the head custodian until 1981. He is survived by his wife Louise; daughter Nancy & son, Louis Jr. and his 2 grandchildren.
John Ivanovich, class of 1954 & Santa Clara University, class of 1959, died August 26 after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer . He owned W.L. Jefsen Co. here in Watsonville. John
leaves his wife of 48 years, Gayle Huff Ivanovich, class of 1960; his son, Louis, his daughter,
Elizabeth;his sister Katherine, and 2 granddaughters.
Brad Johnston's father Bill died August 29. Bill was born in Clydebank, Scotland. He received his citizenship in 1942. Bill served as mayor of Watsonville, 12 years. In 1983, he was honored as being Watsonville's Man of the Year. He is survived by his sons, Brad & David, 3 grandchildren & 2 great-grandchildren.
REUNION COMMENTS
Best ever!!! Really enjoyed the reunion & all the hard work that was done for it.
Loved the informal atmosphere. Was able to talk to more classmates than ever before.
When's the next one?
Great reunion. So well planned.
Really liked the roll call. Got to see everyone.
Thanks to Pat Button for the wine.
Let's do it again soon.
Mr Haney sent his thanks for a fantastic day.
Wonderful time, nice venue, lots of good visits, not enough time.
Great planning & effort toward a successful reunion. More to come???
Hearings gone, can't see, can't pee but everyone looked & sounded great. Hmm
We had 111 attend our 55th reunion. Traveling from out of state were Bev Clements, Texas,
Ralph Shugart & Jim Whyte, Washington, Robin Ashburn & Dee Beckwith, Oregon. It was great having our teachers, Mr. Haney, Mr. Moser & Mr. Staley, class president Dennis Reader, our homecoming queens Marilyn Strongberg & Terre Skillicorn, Pom Pom girls Carole Hiatt & Adrienne Marmo, Salutatorian Jim Beebe attend. Jim Dicus was pleased to be removed from he deceased list & attended with his family. Jerry Heintz also brought a family member, This was the first reunion Pat Button attended. Hearing loss, vision, knee & back problems seeme to be the most common complaint but everybody laughed & realized, we are all in this together. Al Ding, Betsy Wong's husband & Art Mino are forgiven for exchanging name tags, no one knew the difference. You just have to watch these guys like a hawk. Several of our classmates were ill & couldn't come, Bobbie Smith, Marybeth Smith, Ted Standen, Tom Crisel, Eldon Roth, They have always attended in previous years. We have lost 29 classmates since our 50th reunion.
GRANDPARENTS
Carole Hiatt welcomed great granddaughter Cameryn on Aug, 6th, Cameryn's parents are
Tyler & Cristin French.
Jim Beebe welcomed his first grandson, Nov. 7, Thomas Edward Beebe, born in Mountain
View, at 8'11 oz. to his son Mike & mother Stacie. He was a big boy for his 5'5 mother. Jim
married Mike & Stacie in 2008 on the beach at Half Moon Bay. Jim looks forward to being an
active grandparent.
Don Armstrong's 7th grandchild arrived July 12. Clare Louise Armstrong was born to their
youngest son Charles & his wife Ashley. Clare is their first child.
John HIgaki is a grandfather for the 4th time. Tyler Kenichi Higaki Byron was born , Oct. 10
weighing in at 7'.
B J Everton 2nd grandchild & first grandson was born Sept 25 in Orlando, FL to her son Chad & his wife Crystal. BJ flew down the morning he was due & wouldn't you know, she landed in TX to a pilot strike & spent 5 hours waiting. She was sure she was going to miss Connors grand introduction, but Connor waited for his grandma to arrive like the good child he is with great panache Connor happily jumped into their lives the next day, all 8'1oz of him. He looks like her son & husband but based on his size, they may have a tall one for the first time in their family. Her grandpa was 5'5. Connor is a sleeper & a model child in comparison to her life experiences.
Joan Mezger has a new great granddaughter, Ella Grace born Oct. 29 She is named after
Joan's mother. To say the least having a great grandchild is even more exciting than having a grandchild, says Joan. The baby was born to Shannon, Joan's granddaughter & her husband Steven Wright n Santa Cruz as Steven was finishing up his very exciting season of pro baseball
NEWS
Roger Contreras, WHS Wildcatz football star was named Player of the Week by the San
Francisco 49ers. He has been invited to one of the 49er games where he will meet the players & Coach Harbaugh & introduced to the fans before the game.
Pat Blair visited her granddaughter in Kentucky who is doing a CO. State internship at a
hospital there (pre-vet program). In June, Pat went to Greece & saw many wonderful
archaeological sights in 90 degree weather. She wanted to do this trip before she was old but
found out that she was already (almost) old. She still wouldn't trade the sights she saw for the comfort of home. In Sept, she & her daughter went to SC & GA to see the granddaughter graduate from ROTC Army Basic. It was quite impressive, though almost as hot as Greece. She'll be back to CO. State in Jan.
Jo Ann Flores is glad the election is over. She is tired of the whole back stabbing mess.
Jim Gibson & his wife are back from Temecula visiting his daughter & family. They are truly a soccer family with 2 sons playing. The oldest is now driving so that helps.
Bob D'Anna & his wife had a great visit with Ed & Adrienne Marmo Fagalde at Lake Almanor. What a beautiful home they have. Really enjoyed their time with them.
Kathy Crossno rode her bike on her 73rd birthday with son Jake, on her 60 year old Raleigh. She made it home in one piece.
Betsy Wong & her husband traveled to Kauai, Boston, LA, NY & Quebec City. They took a
cruise up the East Coast to Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island. They enjoy living close to their family & Betsy is very active in her community, Morgan Hill.
Marilyn Morgan's granddaughter, Natalie Lewis, 24 is engaged to David Wical of San Diego
They will be married July 27, 2012. The groom to be is a Navy SEAL as is Natalie's father,
Marilyn's son, Steve. Marilyn is also proud to announce that they now have a 3rd Navy SEAL in the family, her grandson, Zachery Lewis, 22. He is the son of Steve.
APTOS HIGH FOOTBALL WINS SCCAL TWO TMES IN A ROW!!
Proud Grandma Betty Henry reports that her grandson Gregory plays for the Mariners.
Betty's son ,Greg is one of the coaches for the team.
Bill Beecher & his wife spent two weeks in Chile & Argentina sampling their wines. They also
slipped in some time in northern Patagonia. Bill sends along a little advice, don't travel to South America at the end of Oct. as they celebrate All Saints Day & the Day of the Dead. Everything shuts down. Talk to Bill about the winery tours, he has some good hints if you are planning to go.
Joan Mezger & her husband bought an Alpine 5th wheel & truck & off they went to Goodyear
AZ. to visit their granddaughter Shannon & her husband Steven pitch for Double A, Akron Aeros. He was drafted in July with the Boston Red Sox. He received a call a week ago from the Boston Red Sox that he was selected to go to Spring training with the Major League. He is a knuckleball pitcher. Congratulations to Steven.
RICHARD WIGGINS NAMED VETERAN OF THE YEAR
Clarice's husband, Richard, class of 1956 a native & longtime community activist was honored with being selected Veteran of the Year in Watsonville. He served in the U.S. Army from 1960-1984, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel. He served in Korea in the demilitarized zone, in Vietnam combat zones & in the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines & the Pentagon in D.C. A lifelong Eagle Scout, Richard decided when he got out of the service he didn't just want to sit back, he wanted to give back to the community.
Others in our class of 1957 that served in the military are; Helga Nielsen, Jim Gibson, Art
Rodriquez, Ed Fagalde, Robert Lynn, Tom Molina, Frank McCombs, Bob D'Anna, Frank
Harris, Jim Dicus, Maynard Potter, Steven Selden, Dennis Blum, Conred Maddox, Don
Armstrong, Charles Meyers, Art Mino, John HIgaki, Lee Sampson, Jules Maderos, Bob
Loftin, Jimmie Arruiza, Ralph Shugart, Dick Hardy, Jack Merceron.
Jan Baird's new commercial kitchen is completed for her business Buttercup Cakes & Farm
House Frosting. The business is doing very well. Jan's granddaughter Hannah did a solo
performance in the Nutcracker at the SC Civic.
**Keep the news coming. Ran out of space again, much better than having to fill in with jokes.
Have a wonderful Christmas & a blessed New Year. Happy 2013. Eke !!
