FALLBROOK CLASS OF ’65 - “WHAT’S GOING ON”
Bios and Photos from the 40th Reunion attendees, and other Classmates
Compiled by Jim Price and Linda Lowe de Graaf
Photos scanned by David Samuels
September 2005

The 40th reunion of the Fallbrook Union High School’s class of ’65 was held the weekend of Sept. 16-17-18, 2005. The reunion hotel and gathering spot was the Holiday Inn By the Bay in San Diego. A welcome reception was held there on Friday evening. On Saturday evening attendees boarded a San Diego Harbor Excursion ship for a great dinner and harbor cruise – on what turned out to be an evening with not only a full moon, but the Harvest Moon! Then on Sunday the gang converged on Live Oak Park in Fallbrook for a great “family picnic.”

In preparation for the 40th reunion, we heard from many class members – primarily viae-mail – thanks to an excellent e-mail list and web page set up by Jack Foster Mancilla (FUHS ’64). Fortunately, George Ward has been keeping the class database going for many years. Thanks immensely to Jack and George; this infrastructure allowed a deluge of discussion – memories of Fallbrook, memories of High School, networking with other class mates, former faculty, those who graduated in other years, and so on.

Many photos were taken during the weekend – some are posted on the class website, maintained by Jack Mancilla: http://www.classannual.com:8080/fallbrook1965.

I’ve compiled here, and thanks to Linda (Lowe) deGraaf for the assistance on this, many of the tidbits we received from class members and kindred sprits during the past few months. David Samuels provided the “then” photos for all of us. I took most of the “now” photos. For simplicity I’ve alphabetized the whole thing by last name during high school days. There’s lots of material on some people, little on others. But we did hear from lots of people.

Note that this “Reunion Book” is intended to be a living, breathing document, not just the documentation of a static point in time. Contribute to it whenever the fancy strikes you. Go to the web page and/or contact Jack Mancilla for more info.

Cheers—Jim Price

		Fallbrook Class of 1965 FALLBROOK HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF ‘65 40TH REUNION ATTENDEES 33 Classmates and 54 total people attended at least one of the three events.

In the text, these 40th Reunion attendees are marked with an asterisk *

and Steve Brenneman*

(both FUHS ’65 classmates),
e-mail: califia.artist@sbcglobal.net

We live in Del Mar, CA
and near Carson City, NV

Steve and I live in Del Mar and in the foothills of the Sierras near Carson City, NV. Steve is retiring from the Federal Govt in San Diego in September. We will be spending more time in Nevada than Del Mar after his retirement. Getting a little crowded for us here in San Diego.

Not sure I can sketch by bio in a few lines.

Steve and I both graduated from colleges in NJ. He from Princeton, I from Rider, a few miles down the road from Princeton in Lawrenceville. Steve went on to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey and I went to work for a Marketing Design firm in San Francisco. I went to Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport RI and Steve went to flight school in Pensacola FL. We were married while I was in OCS. I joined Steve in Pensacola. We were in the same squadron, he was a student Naval Flight Officer (NFO) and I was on the staff. We went to Rota, Spain after that and then to Norfolk, VA and back to CA. Steve got out of the Navy and went to work for the Navy on Point Loma as a civil servant, computer system engineer. I stayed in the Navy and went back to Norfolk and then to Treasure Island in San Francisco and then back to San Diego where I retired in 1990. I am an artist now. I have done a few greeting cards, but mostly just paint what I want and don't worry about selling any more. We have two dogs and no children and we are both looking forward to the future with both of us retired! Think that is it.

Cyndy B

Elizabeth Anthony*,
e-mail: ElzAntho@aol.com;
Lives in Hemet, CA

I teach at night at adult and community college level - people from other countries needing English. It's a lot of fun, and no discipline problems. I substitute teach during the day, and really those K-12 teachers are astounding.

Teaching adults has brought much happiness my way; environmental activism has been educational and challenging...I was appointed to the Women's Commission in Santa Cruz, but haven't focussed on women's issues per se. Just seemed like trading on one's history wasn't doing much. Went to Washington D.C. twice for the Sierra Club to lobby Congress on environmental issues, and Sacramento several times...We put in place permanent urban growth boundaries in Sonoma County, with permanent green belt areas between cities to protect the agricultural land and quality of life....It now take a general plan amendment to
create the type of housing developments we see with astounding regularity on southern California....just astounding....and a real shock to view Temecula after 25 years in northern California.

[Elizabeth has been a frequent contributor to the e-mail reflector. She will no doubt be willing to provide further info about her “life and times” if asked]

Cindy (Appleford) Bryce*
e-mail: twoinbend@yahoo.com;
Lives in Bend, OR with husband Rob.

Hard to know where to start, but I will try to be brief.  Yes, we did live in California until 5 1/2 years ago.  We had been looking throughout the western US as a new location to live away from Southern California.  When our daughter moved to Oregon to be close to her boyfriend (now husband) we began visiting and really fell in love with Bend in Central Oregon.  Being in the eastern shadow of the Cascades, we have way less rain, snow in the winter and beautiful summers and fall.   I work part time in a small hospital and my husband is retired.  We both do our share of volunteer work and spend time with friends and family. 

I am planning on going to the reunion.  I just have to make travel arrangements and reserve a room.  My husband begged off this time, which is fine.  He is very involved with the veteran community and heads up a new non-profit which is working towards a homeless shelter for veterans.  He and his fellow Viet Nam vets are very concerned that returning military from Iraq and Afghanistan be welcomed home and followed closely so they can avoid the problems many of them faced.

I, too have enjoyed reading all the posts about our classmates.  It seems just like yesterday that we were facing graduation and the future.  I can honestly say that life has been good to me and my family.  We are having a great time tempered with only a little adversity here and there. 

Debbie (Ashton) Scott (’68)
e-mail: dashscott@earthlink.net
Lives in Vermont

I have enjoyed being on this list as a "friend' of the class of '65", and listening in as you plan your reunion.Many of my FUHS memories involve the class of '65. The first boy I ever kissed was David High, at a Fallbrook Junior Rider's party at the Bolton's house when I was in 8th grade. I went to my first dance with Charlie Stratiff (the Christmas formal in 1964). His sister Susie was in my class, and 'fixed us up'. My first 'real boyfriend' was Wayne Swinscoe, who set the bar high for those who followed. Many of the class of '65 were strongly represented in the church youth group I joined in the spring of '65 (BYF from the American Baptist Church): Wayne Swinscoe, Dudley Leath, Vern Southard, Alan Serry, George Ward, along with many others from many other classes. I am still in occasional contact with Wayne, Vern, and George. Fallbrook was such a small town in those days, it seems like there are threads of connection and attachment with so many people....sort of an extended family. But, yeah...it was all about boys in thoses days.

I left Fallbrook in 1993 (I used to work at Fallbrook Hospital) and lived in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Tennessee. After all those years in Fallbrook, I decided it was time to move around. I have been 'back' in Vermont for four years now, where I am the Director of PTSD Services in the Behavioral Health Service for the Dept of Veterans Affairs medical center. My work has involved primarily Vietnam vets with PTSD, but that is starting to change with this unfortunate war in Iraq. My mother, Evelyn Ashton, moved north of San Francisco to Mendocino Co after we sold our avocado ranch in Fallbrook on Los Alisos Drive in 1998, which was the last time I was in town.
My sister, Gayle Ashton ('73) now lives on Cape Cod, MA.

Debra Scott (aka Debbie Ashton)

Scott Atkins
e-mail: scottatkins@comcast.net;
Lives in Sacramento with wife Vicky.

My wife (Vicky) and I will be on a long-planned extended vacation in New England during the dates for the reunion, and will be unable to attend. I have very fond memories of Fallbrook circa '57 to '70 and FUHS. Actually, I spend at least a month in Fallbrook, each year, as my mother still has the ranch and my brother and his family live there. My sister is nearby in Cardiff.

Have a great reunion, and we will catch you at the next one.

Scott Atkins

Bob Bekins*
e-mail: bekind5@juno.com;
Lives in Carlsbad, CA with wife Cindi.

1963 saw our family of seven transferred to Kansas City for Dad’s last duty station in the Marine Corp – Recruiting. I was a minor curiosity for the Missourians with my suntan and surfing stories in an era when the Beach Boy concert was one of the biggest musical events of the year there. So I graduate at Raytown Senior High. When I went back for my 25th reunion, 85% of the class still lived within ten miles of the school and 94% within 50 miles. Very different from our global 1965 FUHS alums.

Following in my father’s footsteps, I went to two years at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I wrote some poetry, majored in Engineering and Business, and managed to climb some of the flatirons without getting killed. Then tried to transfer to SDSU but had to wait through a semester at Palomar JC. The Registrars office there neglected to apply an official stamp to my 4F student draft status papers (in a stack with 114 other fellow’s) and though we objected mildly, most of us ended up in the military within a year. My choice was the Navy.

I went to bootcamp and Naval Electricians School in San Diego. My first ship did geodetic surveys of the ocean floor in Ulithi, Palau, Truk, and Ponape. Then training at Coronado for Swift Boats. Finally, on a tender, repairing busted destroyers coming from Viet Nam to the Phillipines to get fixed up. We couldn’t take our surfboards, so we made them on the ships, ending up surfing in Hawaii, Guam, Hong Kong, the P.I., and my favorite Japan on Jan.8 in dead of winter. The water was 58 degrees but it was snowing on the beach.

I was run down by a truck on Huntington Beach Blvd. just six weeks before my enlistment was finished and I gave up my pre-service career of becoming a chef and took up with hoteliers. Starting in Del Mar as a Best Western night auditor, I took fifteen years to work through Westin Hotels, Benchmark Management, Murdock Hotels and Sun Hotels. My wife, Cindi, was a hotel guest that I dated against company policy. We married in London in 1974 and lived in Spain during our first five months learning international hotel skills. We moved through nineteen homes in our first fifteen years of marriage and the hotel career, including stays in Los Angeles, Denver, Baltimore, Charleston, Santa Cruz and unfortunately New Jersey.

Managing to finish my bachelors in just under eleven, oft interrupted, years, I graduated from SDSU in 1976 with a BS in Business/Marketing minoring in Statistics. All the moves presented the opportunity to study in other communities and I find myself in college at the rate of three units a year in perpetuity. Along the way our son James Christopher was born in April, 1984. When we moved to Escondido in 1987 our three-year-old son was moving into his fifth home in four states and asked, “Can we live here for a long, long, long days, Daddy?”

I changed careers. With perfect timing I became a Real Estate Broker in 1991 just as the market crashed and spent three years working two full time jobs to stay afloat. Nights as PM manager of the Pan Pacific Hotel and days being a loan officer, a residential ERA Realtor, owning my own small property management company, a commercial broker, and finally into new home sales. Somewhere in all that chaos God found me and gave me a new life. I think it was about 1992. We’ve had a wonderful lifestyle furnished by the successful run up of new home sales over the last nine years. Most recently, selling condo conversions in Del Mar, which was preceded by tract sales and regional sales management in Oceanside, Escondido, University City, Murrieta, Corona and Temecula.

Cindi was drawn into the business tangentially when my developer asked her to build a few gift baskets. She has been in that business now for eight years and won an award at the National Convention for her art-quality design skills. She works with Realtors, Dentists and other professionals to thank and reward their clients and staff. We are always WAY over supplied with chocolates and our friends have learned not to accept dinner invitations without certain risks.

In 2003 I felt a tug on my heart to start writing and took a year off to complete my first novel. As it is yet to be published, the return to real estate was inevitable. I’ve a good start on another novel and have written enough short articles to compile into another book. My novels are in the elite (def: small market) genre called dystopian social science fiction. 1984, Brave New World, Oryx and Crake, etc. I’ve attended courses in Hawaii and at UCSD with four writer’s conferences. This is astonishingly difficult work and my respect for those who do it well is an hundred times greater than at the beginning of the Millennium. Two in our class do that well; Lynn Dold and Jollee Edmondson

The Lord has led me to two small ministries, which we run from the house. One finds new church homes for college students who are going out of state – called Hand Off Ministry. The other is facilitating in-depth studies of a book called Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. Both of these have provided terrific joy for me and I feel so fortunate to have found them.

Our son has just finished two archaeological digs this summer. A Paleolithic dig in Nebraska and a village dig in Italy. Last week he started his Senior year at the University of Colorado (third generation). A most unusual gentleman, he is on the University Fencing Team and plays in the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. Inspired by Margie and Libby’s children we started him in music in the 6th grade. He will complete his degree in Anthropology next June and plans on teaching for a year before going to grad. school. He is the student leader of his church’s campus ministry. We couldn’t be prouder.

Both Cindi and I have lost both parents. It feels strange to be grandparent age and still feel like orphans. We are blessed with many friends, fulfilling work and all that this great country has to offer. Cindi and I have traveled all over the world in our 31 years of marriage and consistently kiss the ground when we return to the good old USA.We wonder daily at the body’s amazing ability to creak into action and ponder the next great adventure. Getting old sure is a pain, but it beats the heck out of the alternative.

First off my name is Diana Bojorquez, I am married to "Ronnie", I have been reading your emails since this whole reunion celebration started. Ron and I have been together almost 20 years come next May. Oh and by the way this is the only reunion that I could get Ron to go. Because, he is such a work-a-holic, he could not get away for the rest of them. All of your emails have such great and inspiring things to say about each other, I wish my school would have been like that. Granted that I was only "9" years old when you all graduated!!

See you all in September 2005
Diana Bojorquez

I think our Class was made up of a lot of surfers or juvenile delinquents, some of us were both, so responsibility was the least of our thoughts.

Since '66, I moved back to northern CA, from where I had moved in '59, 3 days after I turned 18. I was now on my own. 2 pair of jeans, change of underwear, transistor radio, sleeping bag, and $6 I received for my birthday, I hitchhiked to Lake Tahoe. Spent the next 5 years living the "Summer of Love" in and around the Bay Area. Lots of drugs, alcohol and rock and roll. (p.s. there are many, many vignettes in this time period)

Moved to a 700 acre ranch in the hills above the Napa Valley (Angwin) in '71, got married and settled into a live of pure living in wonderful isolation.

Saw the hand writing on the wall, finally, quit my job, with my wife and 2 year old son, moved in with her parents and went to a JC, full time, in Novato, CA.

In '78 moved wife and 2 sons to Davis, CA to finish a degree in agronomy. Took a full time job in April '80 with the University of CA Foundation Seed Program and have been here since.

Still married to the same woman, Shelley, who anyone entering UCD as a freshman might have spoken to as she is in the Admissions office. We have 2 sons, Brendon, 32, Michael, 29. 3 grandchildren, David, 11, Hannah, 8, and Liam, 3.

I have been back to Fallbrook twice since '66. In '68 to see Mark Ross and in '96, when I got lost getting through the Base.

My sister, Frankye, brother Mike and I were Stagecoach Lane kids also.

All most all of my extended family lives in the Chico, Paradise, Oroville areas, which was where I was from prior to moving to Fallbrook.

To show what a small world we live in, one of my wife's family (the Plambecks) lived in Fallbrook close to the time I did. Also Shelley's oldest brother was a resident at LA County hospital at the same time as my sister was in RN training during the late sixties. They realized they knew each other at my wedding in '71.

That is an abbreviated 40 years worth of living.

Earl Booth
Department of Plant Sciences
Foundation Seed Program
Mail Stop 1, 1140 PES Bldg.,
University of California,
One Shields Ave.,
Davis, CA 95616-8600

I live in Castaic, Calif.  I am divorced, have 4 kids (2 girls & 2 boys), 4 grandchildren.  I am currently working full time as the manager of a post op recovery room at a Trauma Hospital located in Mission Hills (near San Fernando).  The kids, grandkids and work keep me pretty occupied.  I hope to retire maybe in the next 6 years and take up golf and go fishing with my brother Earl, who lives in Davis.  He graduated a year behind us and has been watching the emails also. 

I will not be able to attend the reunion.  I have been reading all of the e-mails and enjoying them.  Thank you for all your efforts.  Hope everyone has a great time.  Thanks for getting everyone together.  

Frankye

It's Cindi Brooks...........don't know if anyone remembers me. It's been a long time. The only ones that I have spoken to are Johnny and Peggy. I'm in Oceanside and hope to move next year to Colorado. My Son lives in Littleton and I want to live in Canon City. I do hope to be able to make it to my first reunion. I haven't been able to make it to the others. Hope to see everyone there, and I am looking forward to seeing you all

Cindi

Thank you for your personal follow-up with me regarding the Fallbrook class of ’65 40th Reunion and all your efforts with communication via the internet.  My problem is that I am scheduled to fly out of LAX to the East Coast at 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 17th when the main activities are scheduled for the reunion.  Therefore I would only be able to attend the Friday night reception and not the main activities of the reunion.

Best regards,

Bill Brush, 60 - 59th Place
Long Beach CA 90803

I regretfully will not be able to attend the reunion due to family concerns. I am teaching 3rd grade and traveling to many places: Australia, New Zealand, Budapest, etc. Have a great time. You all will be in my thoughts.

Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, I can't make it. As a college teacher I'd have to miss two days of class just near the beginning of the term, so have to pass. Another time, I hope.

Prof. Linda Ledford-Miller
Chair, Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Scranton

I am happy about the reunion, and hope it is well attended and happily so. As for me I'm busy writing fiction, doing grant writing for non profits, and fishing, horse riding, and traveling. Been all over last year, and in two months I'm off to Papeete to catch a cargo vessel up through the Tuamotus and on to the Marquesas for a month, a lifelong dream of the South Pacific. Maybe there'll be a travel book in all this, who knows....

Sadly, I just don't have the time to come to San Diego, though it would be wonderful to see everybody. You may recall one time I went to the high school reunion in Fallbrook, and saw some people I didn't expect to see, etc. This time though, it just comes at a bad time with work. I'm doing on a big Federal grant and finishing a novel for my agent. In addition, I've made a weekend commitment with my oldest fishing buddy to run up to the Rockies for four days in mid September to fish for browns on the Arkansas River at Salida, Colorado. But I will be there in spirit, and if a get-together comes around again, I'll be sure to attend if I can.

As always, I'm in Fallbrook, down at the record store or throwing baseballs out on Potter's ball diamond. The place is in my blood.

Take care,

Lynn Dold

[for those who don’t know: Lynn has written many novels, mostly murder mysteries – he has his own “Sam Spade” character named Mitch Roberts – set in Kansas in the late 1950s. Elizabeth Anthony and Jim Price (at least) have read many of his books – his writing style is simply explosive!]

My family moved to Fallbrook in 1960 when I was in 7th grade. We moved into the house Dan McCullough and family lived in at 1260 E. Mission. In fact, my parents still live there. Some of you may remember parties at my house. After high school I attended Palomar and couldn't wait to join the work force. I worked as a bookkeeper, and executive secretary at different places around Fallbrook.

Don and I hooked up at the A & W upon his return from college at Cal Poly Pomona, he too was anxious to work and had his own business. Our first date was to the FUHS Homecoming game. We were married in 1968 and have enjoyed 37 years of marriage. Don is V.P. of his family business Durling Nursery, Inc., a four generation business. He works with his Dad, 2 sisters and our son, Kevin. We lived 30 years in De Luz Canyon. Less than 2 years ago we moved to the opposite end of town near Bonsall. It is a development called Rolling Hills off Olive Hill Road near Morro Hills where Don lived during his high school years. We love this location and Don does not mind his commute to the canyon. Mike Pierce is remodeling our home presently. It's been a fine experience. All of his subs are local and they include Glen Geyer and son, electricians and Gary Berger and son, plumbers. We are living in our guest house and enjoying being near our project.

We have three children. Dennis 36, Kevin 34 and Corinna 31. They have given us 8 grandchildren and #9 is due any time now. We have 4 grandboys and 4 grandgirls. They are precious! Three are 6, two are 4 and three are 2. Lots of fun!

We love to travel and have been to such countries as Italy, England, Spain, South Africa, Swaziland, Turkey, the Greek Isles, Peru, Brazil, Canada, Porto Rico, The Caribbean, Australia, Mexico, Panama Canal and we love our own Alaska and Hawaii. We are happy that we traveled when we did since it is more difficult these days.

We would welcome a visit from any of you. We are in the phone book!

See you soon, Peggy

Gary Esslinger
e-mail: g.esslinger@comcast.net;
Lives in Virginia(?) with wife Judy.

Jim, and the Class of '65,

I have been reading with interest the e-mails that have been circulating in regard to the 40th reunion.

Because I did not grow up in Fallbrook and attended FUHS for only two years, I missed out on the people and history of Fallbrook. Camp Pendleton was just one of many places I lived growing up. FUHS was the twelfth different school I attended. I added three Colleges and Universities later. Because of all of the moving, I got to see a lot of the US, I have been in every state except Maine and Alaska, and meet a lot of wonderful people, but it did prevent the opportunity to have long-term childhood friendships.

My wife, Judy, and I have been married for 32 years. We have a daughter, Nikki and two sons Kevin and Kelly. Nikki is married and has two children. Kevin has been on the ten year college plan, but will graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University with honors in December. Kelly is almost a Junior at West Virginia University. Now for the fun part, Kelly is at WVU (Big East), Nikki and her husband, Bryan, both graduated from Virginia Tech, VT left the Big East for the ACC, WVU and VT play football each year, Judy has large WVU and VT stickers on her van, and I graduated from James Madison University and JMU won the National Championship (I AA). So you can see, I have plenty of "buttons" to push.

Gary

Lives in Fallbrook with wife Kathy (Chown) Geyer

Glen's not much use on the computer so I told him I would respond. We won't be attending the reunion as we have other plans but if there is going to be a time at the park we would try to make that on Sunday. We still live in Fallbrook, Glen still has his electrical business with our son, Kevin working with him. We have two married children and our youngest is still looking, 5 grandchildren, dogs, cats, birds, fish, and a lizard. The grandkids love to come to our miniature farm. Everyone have fun at the party and maybe we'll get to see some of you at the park. Kathy Geyer(Chown)

I was able to contact Wayne Glasgow by email. He is retired but he is working two weeks per month for "A Child's Hope Foundation" see www.achildshopefoundation.org on the WEB. It is a non-profit foundation to place children from third world countries by adoption into the United States and Canada. Wayne and his wife Dolly will not make it to a 40 year class reunion.

David Samuels

I left Fallbrook about 1968, moved to L.A., worked for a few years in the early computer and printed circuit industry. In 1971 I moved to Ohio and settled in the Cincinnati area. Like many in our generation I felt the need to get back to a simpler lifestyle so I learned the art and science of farriery and have been shoeing horses for a living for the past 34 years. This business has suited me well and provided a good living for my family as well as demanding that I continually grow and learn and remain open minded. I also do artistic blacksmithing on the side. Very soothing for the soul. We have horses and they tend to stand at the shop door, peering into the darkened, forge lit interior, mesmerized by the light and sparks from the fire and the ringing of the anvil. Like I said, very pastoral. I've been published in several magazines and on the Internet, mostly technical articles in the trade mags but a few philosophical ones too, poking fun at the industry that I serve.

I have a wonderful wife (Debbie), we've been married for 30 years and have two fine children. Our son is currently in the Army and stationed in Germany after serving 15 months in Iraq. Our daughter is finishing her second year of college and will be coming home in a few days for the summer.

Ernie

John Griffith*
e-mail: johntgriffith@juno.com;
Lives in Vista, CA with wife Mary

After graduating from Fallbrook High in June 1965, I worked part time jobs, performed with my band “The New Nobles”, attended Mira Costa JC in Oceanside.

In July 1966, I was drafted into the U.S. Army. After basic training at Ft. Ord California, I completed Military Police School at Ft. Gordon, Georgia and returned to California in December 1966, assigned to 54th MP Company detached at Camp Roberts. I served as an MP Sergeant at Camp Roberts until June 1968, was deployed to Da Nang Vietnam where I served as a CID agent for 10 months. When I returned to the U.S. I was stationed in the MP Army Guard Corps at Arlington National Cemetery for 5 months and was last stationed with 6th Army at the Presidio, California when discharged from active duty in 1969.

Once home from the Army I resumed music for a while until I was excepted to the California Highway Patrol Academy, Burbank. I was a CHP Officer till I resigned 1971, to take a job with Pacific Bell in Oceanside. I just wanted a gig that I didn’t have to wear a uniform, had regular hours and that let me resume playing music. With a semi-regular work schedule at Pac-Bell, I obtained BS in Electronic Science from San Diego State University, continued playing music and started a life long interest in the vintage guitar business. With Pac-Bell I was a Senior Com-Tech, worked central office digital engineering, maintenance and tech support. The job was interesting due to the fact that when other operating companies requested me for assistance I was able to go to every U.S. State except Alaska and other countries to include the UK, Mexico, Canada and Australia. I retired from Pac-Bell when it merged with SBC in 2000.

During this whole time I always continued my music and vintage guitar interest, plus stayed active surfing, running in marathons and triathlons. Somewhere along to line I ended up with the nickname J-Cat?

In 1983, I met my wife Mary and we were married in Maui in 1988. She has worked at Bank of America as a supervisor for 24 years, now part time due to being a state registered RYT Yoga and Meditation teacher at Yoga Studio Carlsbad. In 2004, she published “Heart Wide Open”, a book of poems and meditation. We have no children but are very active in Dachshund rescue and our current Dachsy is a red standard named “Timmy”.

Through all my years in music, buying and selling vintage guitars, traveling around for the Phone Company, I made many important connections with musicians and music companies. The only reason I guess I did a normal job for so long was to be able to buy guitars and play music. I have performed or recorded with artists to include, Joni Mitchell, Dick Dale, Dwight Yoakum, Eric Clapton, John Fogerty, Dan Aykryod, Mick Clarke, Seymor Duncan, Pete Anderson, Billy Sheenan, Alice Cooper, Steve Howie, Paul Shafer, Brian Setzer, Brian Wilson, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Vai, Marcus Miller, Joe Walsh and Richie Sambora. In 2001, I was co-writer contributor with J Black of the Fender Custom Shop for the book, “The Fender Bass an Illustrated History”. In that same year I assisted John Page from the Fender Custom with the Fender Museum project in Fullerton, Ca. In 2003, I assisted Phyllis Fender with the Leo Fender Display, a tribute to her late husband at the NAMM Museum of Music, Carlsbad Ca. I have been a Representative for the GHS Strings Corp. since 1996 and continue performing with my own bands, “North Star” and “The Fabulous Woodies”.

In 2002, an unexpected new avenue of interest happened for me when I started helping deceased veteran’s families secure benefits for burial and writing their obituaries. This resulted in being the Veteran Society County of San Diego Chapter staff writer, researcher and photographer. I have been to the National Archives Center, Missouri to assist in replacing lost and destroyed records. I have worked with the Medal of Honor Association in replacing damaged and aged veteran’s gravestones in cemeteries statewide. With other veterans I have cleaned up neglected local cemeteries and reinstated burial records for the U.S. Ancestor Register. My files and photos are posted on the AP, VA locator, different veteran and ancestor web sites where relatives or anyone can find lost person information. It has been a very welcome rewarding experience at this point in my life and one I hope to continue with as well as other interest.

Best wishes to you all and thank you for letting me share my past 40 years story.

John “J-Cat” Griffith

Sounds like a good time is in the offing. Sorry can't be there. Dance one for me.  My husband Mike had the brilliant idea of moving to the Chicago area for a better work situation. So here I am in Beecher, can't even find it on the map. He's happy, so-o-o-o, it's all good. Working at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights in Labor and Delivery--of course I'm a Nurse.

Mike and I have two daughters that are married and, of course, are in California. Each has a girl. Dawn, our oldest (36), has a girl 4 Nicole, and our youngest daughter Rachel (33) has Katie (1). We get out there about every 3 to 4 months (not enough).

Lots of good wishes to all. We will be thinking of you.

Hi Jim, Thanks for the email. Sorry I haven't responded sooner but I've been in Seattle for a month since we just had our first grandchild-Jonathan Hunter Van Essen. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make the reunion since the family will be gathering in Seattle on that weekend. I will however be in Fallbrook from Monday afternoon, Sept.12th until Thursday morning, Sept. 15th for Mom's 91st birthday so if anyone's around it would be fun to see them. I did get a nice email from Phyllis. It was great to hear from her. Have you been able to locate Mary Lindquist? or Lawrence? Hope you all have a wonderful time. Sorry I won't be able to be there. Thanks to you and the others for all that you're doing for the reunion. Hope to see you at some point. Have fun,

Isabel

Probably a lot of you didn't know this, but my father (Ted King) was born in 1899 and raised in Fallbrook, and his father was one of the first people to settle in Fallbrook. So, my grandfather's house was north of Fallbrook, across the river, (at that time it was called the King Ranch and it was up the river from the Turnbull Ranch), and his house was in Riverside County and the old barn was in San Diego County. I used to deer hunt with my dad when I was a young boy, and we would walk and never get off the property. I have many happy memories of those hunting trips. My father told me that the train originally followed the river, but in 1916 there was a heavy rain and flood, and the train was in danger being flooded out. My father told me a story of hooking up a mule team and pulling the train into town. I believe this was the same year that the bridge was washed out in Bonsall. As for the Ellis Hotel, it was located behind Harris' Drug Store at the end of Pico Street and Alvarado where my grandmother lived. I remember when the Ellis Hotel was being torn down, I helped my father salvage some of the lumber out the building. I spent many hours pulling the old square nails out of the timbers that my father wanted to save. This had to have been around 1955 or 1956.

On life in Idaho

The climate is extremely dry. My daughter and her family actually moved here for a few months, but the climate (high desert) was so dry that her son developed dry skin that actually cracked and bled. They returned to Escondido. I have adjusted to that dermatological annoyance, however.

We are farther north so it stays light until after 10pm in the summer. The kids go to school in the dark in the winter. Sunrise is after 8am for part of the winter. Our first winter here was a cold one. Our Sophomore daughter, Bronwen, caught the bus at 6:30 am, long before dawn. The first time it was very cold, but not yet snowing, she left for the bus stop. That afternoon I asked her how cold it was. She replied, "It was colder than I have ever been. I sneezed and I heard it hit the ground."

My 16 year old son went to a conference at which every high school in the state was represented by one student. We live in Boise. It is has about 150,000 people and is, by far, the largest city in the state. Small by California standards. They had one event which was described as "Dress clothes." He wore a nice pair of wool slacks, dress shoes, and a shirt and tie. The majority of the delegates are from very small farming communities. They showed up in spankin' new blue jeans and freshly ironed plaid shirts. They affectionately nicknamed Merritt, "City Boy."

Rubbing elbows:
I was in the parking lot of the local music store one day and recognized the Governor, who happened to be there to pick up his clarinet from the repair shop. I greeted him and introduced myself and commented on his recent difficult decision on a death penalty case. We chatted for a while, and went on our separate ways. Merritt, as a Borah High School student council member, was a valet parking attendant at the Governor's (different Governor) daughter's wedding two weeks ago. He was also invited to be a page at the State Capitol during the legislative session, by his eighth grade history teacher, a State Representative. We would not be likely to run into this in CA.

Some medical specialties here are fabulous, but others rely on monthly visits from physicians from Portland or Salt Lake City. Lyonal, one of the twins, remained very small. By the time he was 13 I had taken him to several doctors including the visiting Endocrinologist. They pronounced me "overly concerned." I, however, did not give up easily. At 13, he was 4' 6" tall and shaving daily. His twin sister was NINE inches taller. I will not go into all the details. I made up my mind to try one more time. A new Endocrinologist had arrived from the Kansas City area. I took Lyonal to him with the thought that I would get his opinion and, if he disagreed with me, fly to CA for one last opinion. He asked some questions, looked at the chart, looked at Lyonal, and then shut the chart. I thought, "Here we go again..." This man said, "I can tell you right now that this child should have been on growth hormone for several years." BINGO! He started at Thanksgiving of 2003. He has grown about nine or ten inches in 1.5 years. He was growing at a rate of about .5 inches per year before that. He would have been under 5 feet at that rate. A less persistent (polite for stubborn) parent would have given up. The drug costs more than $60,000 a year. Our insurance will not pay for it so Pfizer gives it to him free of charge. They do not want any child in the country to grow up without the drug if they need it and can't get insurance to pay. (It is considered experimental and unnecessary unless the child also has some other syndromes). That is the short version of the story.

Another difference is housing cost. Homes are embarrassingly reasonable here... or were. Along with that, however, go much lower salaries and wages.

There is no graffiti. Until recently, there were no drive-by shootings. When a car backfired, we all used to duck when we first moved her.
You can leave your house unlocked and your bicycle on the porch.

My children have had some amazing opportunities. One has been on the state championship soccer team numerous times. They all (four youngest) got to sing with the Opera Idaho Children's Chorus for several years.

I really missed going to the store and running into Mrs. Scheckel, or seeing the Tanners at the stationery store, or chatting over the back fence at the school with Mr. and Mrs Rhoades. I liked the fact that no errand was complete without running into someone I knew. I moved to Fallbrook in about 1951. It was really the only home I knew. When we moved in 1994, it was a wrenching change. I am very happy here and figure I must subconsciously plan on staying because I have actually looked at the cemeteries and thought, "I'll end up there someday." Carmen is less certain of this new location. He works in CA quite a bit and longs for the allergy free coastal air.

The good things remind me of my own childhood and youth.

When I think of Fallbrook, I find myself missing the sensations which are permanently fixed in my memory of my childhood village.

The mimosa, viewed from above, that reminds one of yet another worthy reason to climb a hill.

Jacaranda, whose blue blooms billow up from the treetops in spring.

Audacious naked ladies whose firm stems thrust out of the wintered soil to blatantly announce the change of seasons with a bouquet of pink.

Crepe Myrtle, Liquid Amber, Agapanthus

Citrus blossoms fragrancing the air in waxy white clusters with the promise of delectable rewards in months to come.

The fearsome stench of a flattened skunk on a shady drive I t always made me think of the WWI soldiers who detected a whiff of poison gas and realized their feet could not outrun their destiny.

The confidential crunch of frost-hardened grass at the start of a brisk new day.

Fog, clinging in the shallows of the hills at dawn, spreading the sunrise colors across the tops of the vanishing mounds of moist air. Eucalyptus trees standing alert in the barranca behind my home.

The aroma of a pocketful of those wonderful star-marked eucalyptus pods you could gather in a minute and keep warm in a pocket.

The daring innocence of city leaders who would allow teenagers to light a giant bonfire in a vacant lot near the town center and then dance through the streets of an autumn-dark village.

The anarchy which seemed funny at first but then required downtown property owners to maintain vigils on Halloween night.

The alarming clunk of my ten silver dollars, a cherished gift from my Uncle, when I dropped them on the way to the bank (later Port’s) at the intersection of Alvarado and Main. That was my ten seconds of fame and power. The traffic stopped, one car, perhaps, to allow me to collect my treasure.

The ache in my heart when I return and see that, although there is a lot of Fallbrook yet in me, there is little or nothing left on me in my former home.

Carmen Poling and I married in 1967. We lived in San Diego while finishing college, which we did in 1969. Due to a medical emergency at the time of the birth of our oldest daughter, Chemene, he took a job teaching Driver Training to the deaf at the California School for the Deaf at Riverside. After our child was born, we moved to Riverside. By the time our son, Gabriel, arrived in 1972, we were living in Fallbrook. We lived in Fallbrook, changing addresses as the opportunity or necessity presented itself. In 1974 we opened Fallbrook Country Day School at Fig and Mission. The site was the old home once used as the parsonage of the Methodist Church across the street. The school, a Montessori pre school, grew over a period of years. It eventually expanded to cover one half block along Mission between Alvarado and Fig. Children from age two through twelve were included in the pre school and elementary program. During the time the school was in operation, our family expanded with a daughter, Bronwen, in 1978; sons, Duncan and Merritt, in 1987 and 1988; and twins, Molly and Lyonal, born three months prematurely in 1990.

Family ties and the school kept us in town, enjoying friends and the rural life. Fallbrook had always been home, but various circumstances made it sensible to move. My mother had passed away in 1984. I might never had been able to make the decision to go until I took a car load of children to the Natural History Museum at Balboa Park for a field trip in 1993. While we were in the museum, my brand new Suburban was stolen. In the aftermath of indignation, anger , and consolation from concerned friends and family I had an epiphany. If looking on the bright side of the event was being grateful that I had not been car jacked at gun point, perhaps I was living in the wrong place.

We escaped to Boise, Idaho. You can leave your door unlocked and your bike on the front lawn. But…it isn’t Fallbrook. I love the way the Iris and roses and tulips burst out of the soil each spring. Crocus blossoms pepper the snow outside my window when the air is still cold enough to crystallize a sneeze. Hostas give a tropical look to the shady areas on hot, hot summer afternoons when the highest temperature arrives at 5 pm. But I am, possibly, the only person growing citrus trees and gardenias in my living room. There will always be a lot of Fallbrook in me, and I am well pleased.

My wife, Patria, and I just got back from a week on Peaks Island off the coast of Portland, Maine. One of my daughters and her husband live there. We kept busy hiking, biking, rollerblading, sailing, sea kayaking, and veging out - but not enough veging...we had to come home to get a rest.

Between FUHS emails and USNA emails, I am having a hard time keeping my reunions straight. My 35th Academy reunion will be held September 2-4. I'll just be getting that one wrapped up when I have to start thinking about getting to San Diego. Who has time to work?

Unfortunately, I'm not retired retired yet either - just retired from the Navy. I've been working almost as long since I left the Navy as I did when I was in it - 21 years active duty and, now, 14 years in the contracting world.
Most of my second career has been supporting digital mapping and charting with the Defense Mapping Agency, NIMA, and now NGA.

A couple of years ago, two fellow mappers and I started our own LLC. We subcontract to SAIC since they have a prime contract with NGA. It’s been fun to be our own bosses and not have to deal daily with corporate bureaucracy. We call ourselves the National Defense Research Analyst Associates, or NDRAA. Nobody cares what the company name is, but you have to have an acronym if you want to work in this business! We picked NDRAA ‘cause no one else had, or so we thought. I googled NDRAA a while back and found out we are not alone. Turns out, NDRAA is also the North Dakota Red Angus Association. But then, I guess we have quite a bit in common since we both deal with a lot of…you know what.

Speaking of you know what, Patria and I have lived in the metropolitan DC area for 20 years. That’s gotta be a milestone for a couple of displaced Californians (Patria grew up in San Diego). We have one daughter still here in our area, and one in Maine. Our son escaped, traveled hither, thither, and yon only to end up back in San Diego…where he was born. He’s currently living with my mother near San Diego State (gone back to school he has) and spending a weekend now and then with Patria’s parents on Point Loma.

So, our 40th reunion is one more good excuse among many I have to fly off to San Diego come September.

I'm living in Fallbrook now since my folks are older and need some looking after now and then.

After working for almost 30 years, I went back to school and am working toward a liberal arts and sciences degree, with an emphasis in women's studies, and a minor in art. I hope to combine the two and work with victims of domestic violence. After putting my then-husband through school while he earned his master's degree, and then putting my youngest son through Northern Arizona University, I realized I should be focusing on myself! Better late than never, I guess, though it might be a photo finish at the finish line between completing my own master's degree and being eligible to draw Social Security!

Thanks so much for the info re the reunion. And thank you for all the time and effort you have devoted to pulling this event together. Shirley

Jim,

I’m sorry I won’t be able to attend the reunion. I have been following all of the postings for the classes of ‘64 and ‘65. I have also been looking at pictures to try to identify classmates from 40 years ago. It’s not easy! I’m sure I would be just as unrecognizable to them.

Here is a quick run-down on my life since high school. I finished college (Ohio University) and joined the Peace Corps, where I served in Dahomey (now Benin), West Africa. I taught English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).

After leaving the Peace Corps I married a Dutchman (Willem de Graaff) who was living in Switzerland. We got married in a little castle in Delemont, Switzerland; my dad performed the ceremony. We lived in a village on the outskirts of Delemont for 7 years, had a son named Christian, I taught TEFL again, and we traveled quite a bit. (My husband was an industrial heat treatment engineer who traveled all over the world; I didn’t exactly have my feet glued to the kitchen floor.)

In 1989, Willem decided he needed wider horizons than Switzerland offered, so we moved packed up the baby, the dog, and a few belongings and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where my parents and sister were living. After a few years of settling in, Willem started working for General Electric Aircraft Engines. In 1983, we added a daughter, Emily, to the mix; when she was 5, I got my Masters and started teaching again.

When Emily was in 7th grade, she complained that everyone had traveled more than she. Would I, she wanted to know, take her on a big trip to see some new things? So, that year, I left teaching for good, put Emily on a semester of home school, and we went to Greece for 2-1/2 months to wander and explore. It was one of the best trips I have ever taken. I’ve been back once and would go again in a minute…well, if the moment were right.

In 2002, Willem transferred to the Madisonville, KY plant. Never ones to be left out of an adventure, Emily and Chris packed up and came along, too. At this point, the story becomes a little convoluted. I came to Madisonville one weekend, chose a house, and returned to Albuquerque to supervise the move to KY. By the middle of September I was on my way back. After 4 days in Madisonville, my father had a stroke, so I returned to Albuquerque. As it turned out, I was there about nine months helping with my father’s recovery, selling and packing up their house, and getting them ready to move to KY. Finally, we got everyone settled in with us and started building a handicap-friendly house for mother and dad, attached to our house. Mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and has lots of other health problems, and dad doesn’t walk any more, so getting this building project to fruition was very interesting. But, we got it done and they are now living happily next door, where they have lots or autonomy and I am near enough to oversee the daily events.

That’s what I do now. I am very pleased to have them so near. Dad reads a book a day, so we make lots of trips to the library. Mother has the porch full of pots of flowers she has to tend.

Emily is studying marine science at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA). She is home this summer and working at a veterinary clinic. Always looking for a new experience, she volunteered to take a puppy that was 17 HOURS old; Toby is now 6 weeks old, 3 pounds and is everyone’s darling. He has been adopted by the owner of a pizza/sandwich shop next to MMA. So, in 3 weeks Emily and Toby leave for Maine and life here will be much too calm.

Chris has a degree in Information Technology, does freelance computer work and takes care of Granddad 2 hours each morning. He does a great job and has surprised all of us with his skills as a caretaker; he has always been such a computer nerd. He also does all of the grocery shopping and most of the cooking for both households. That was a surprise, too. He likes to cook and he’s actually very good at it. It’s an arrangement that suits me fine since I would rather clean toilets than cook. (I do, however, have a special fondness for eating.)

Willem is still with GE Aircraft Engines and within 4 or 5 years of retiring. I suppose he will step down one day, if we can ever convince Emily that there is life beyond being a student. She’s on the 7 year program now and may let us off the hook with only 3 more years of tuition. Willem and Chris build and fly radio-controlled airplanes for a hobby.

I suppose you can deduce from the above that my days are filled by managing other people’s lives. I’ve always been bossy, so this probably suits me to a T. I am very grateful that my parents are near enough for me to help with their care; I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing.

We live just outside of the village of Hanson, the smallest historical district in the United States. We have a house (now 2 houses) on five acres and a small lake. There are deer in the forest next door, otter and beaver in the lake, fishermen who come and go on weekends, Canadian geese, and Mallard ducks, and wild birds of every ilk. It is an idyllic place to live, if a little sticky in summer. When I have time, I like to play with polymer clay, paint birdhouses, and (to the dismay of my family) do “projects”. Dad and I read together almost every evening. I need new knees before I can take up gardening again—maybe next year.

I hope all of the classmates have an exciting reunion. There’s a lot of catching up to be done and I’m very sorry I won’t be there to help with that. Maybe somebody will write a little update once the reunion is over and help the rest of us keep in touch. (Some pictures with names would be nice.)

Best wishes to all,
Linda (Lowe) de Graaff

Remember me? Linda Magann, now Stocker? I See Jane fairly often we are like sisters, and Ann too, but I don't see her as often. Ann is married to her second husband, Gary, and they live in Sequim, Washington. Jane and Lenny live in Valley Center. Both the girls are doing great!!!!

My husband and I live in Henderson, Nevada . We are about twenty minutes from Las Vegas. It's already 105 degrees here.

Friends all around.......

I just finished reading the bios - some of them I would have guessed, some were a total surprise. All were fun to read - what great memories, and what terrific adventures and achievements after high school. Congratulations to all on your travels through life's pathways. My husband, Bill, and I live on Bainbridge Island, just across the water from Seattle. Since high school I have lived in Santa Barbara.. Seattle.. Moscow, ID.. Portland, OR.. Bellingham, WA.. Boulder, CO.. Byron, MN.. and now back to the Seattle area. Bill and I have 3 sons. The oldest just started med school at UCSD, the middle one is married and is finishing college in Bellingham, and the youngest is going to college in Olympia. They all seem happy with their lives which has been Mom and Dad's goal all these years. My mom and all my sibs still live in Fallbrook. My brothers are running the citrus and avocado nursery my dad started about the time we all graduated from high school. So with that much of my family in the Fallbrook / San Diego area, I do visit sometimes. I hope to see some of you on one of those trips. In the meantime, I'm so sorry to be missing this reunion. To those lucky ones who will be there, have a wonderful time!!!

All the best!!

Gail (Maddock) Walker

Jack has maintained and moderated the e-mail reflector for the Fallbrook Class of ’65 and has been especially helpful during the run-up to the reunion.Not only has he kept the “wheels turning” for the reflector itself, but he has also been in there cheerleading, offering helpful hints on stirring up enthusiasm, etc. He provided this same service for the class of ’64 reunion. THANKS, JACK!

Kandi Moore and I got married in '67 and then moved up to
Oregon in '68. We started off in the Central Point/Medford area and moved around quite a bit. Anyway, to make an extremely long story short, she's up there now (remarried - last name Dunn) living on the outskirts of Prineville. Over the years, we've remained friends and
actually get along better now than when we were married!

I also have a son in Medford (Bob-married w/2 kids-a boy and a girl), a daughter in Klamath Falls (Shannon - married w/1 daughter), and another daughter in Prineville (Sarah, widowed with a son and daughter). I also have a stepson, Bill Hastings, who lives in Eugene. All the rest of us are "stuck" here in Colorado Springs :-).

I joined the Air Force (in '74). We initially got stationed at Norton AFB in San Berdo. Went to the 10th reunion in '75 since we were so close. Then I was all over creation. My second assignment was to Colorado Springs. It's really the only place I feel like I'm "home" anymore.

I still kinda wish I was able to see Fallbrook now and then, but it's all so different than what I like to remember. We sure were lucky to grow up in that place when we did...I wouldn't trade those times for anything.

As for liking the cold...it's actually pretty decent here. We definitely have 4 seasons and we've been suffering a drought for the past 5-6 years. This winter (which is still trying to hang on--we had a BLIZZARD last Sunday and 6-8 foot drifts here in town) has been trying to keep holding on, but we really need the water and snow does turn into water (eventually).

I retired from the Air Force in 2000 and since Margie is a Colorado Springs girl (born and raised) I knew we'd be settling here. We were married in Sep 1980 and that's part of the reason we can't come out for the reunion. We're going to spend a week in Hawaii and then come back to Las Vegas for a week on the way back...all that's scheduled for the third week in Sep. But don't worry...I'll be there in spirit.

To all of you posting recently, thanks for bringing back some great memories of a time that will be forever cherished. I'm so impressed with the accomplishments I've been reading about...ya'll done good! Have a great reunion and keep up the posting. It's really fun to read and remember.

Dan(ny) McCullough

As this reunion approaches, Bob and I began to reminisce about our days at FUHS. Bob arrived from Sweden as a sophomore, and joined the summer Swim Team. I met him his first day in the US on the deck of the Jr. High's pool. I remember going home that day and telling my mom I was going to marry him. Indeed, I did but it took a wee while. We have such fond memories -- Phyllis, Susan Neufeld, Sue Tanner, Lascotas, Manny, the Linns and of course Joan Billet -- my best friend for years! What a remarkable time we all had. It became important to us to give our children that same small town experience - and Coronado was the place. Tinja, our daughter, is a Sophomore at the University of Hawaii and what an exciting time she is having. She is on the sailing team, the UH Athletic Board, works two jobs ... and is currently preparing for her real estate exam. I was never that motivated! Michael, our son, is a Senior at USC and is ranked #1 in the US for the 470 class dinghy. He attended the Olympic Trials in 04, came in 2nd which allowed him to attended Athens as the alternate. What an experience! He is already gearing up for a 2008 Olympic run. Michael is a two time College All American in Sailing. Our children are the center of our lives and joyfully they welcome our continued involvement.Our life has certainly been a busy one. We sold our house in Newport Beach, May, 04 and moved back to Coronado ... gypsy feet. However, we are feeling confident that this will be our semi-permanent house ... can't say permanent because you never know! Bob is the contractor on this one. We love it. We have moved a lot over the years ... that means our garage is fairly clean. lol Our Consulting work is still going strong. We are not sure we will ever retire. Would love to hear from one and all ... Visit our websites: www.AndersonMitterling.com www.TeamUSA1734.com

I most likely will not be able to make the reunion but will try. I have two businesses going right now. One is a local water hauling business, and the other a school called "Survive-all" where I travel and teach law enforcement survival skills.

This photo is me and my wife, Lisa on our deck in Colorado. I would love to hear from old classmates. They can reach me at P.O. Box 4, Chimney Rock, CO 81127. Tell all hello for me and hope they are doing well in health and life.

Carolyn and I went to school together in the 7th and 8th grades in San Lorenzo (Bay area). I moved to Fallbrook and began as a freshman at FUHS she moved a year later and began her first year at FUHS as a sophmore. I remember starting my sophmore year and being so excited when I saw Carolyn’s lovely (I had a crush on her) and familiar face. Acting as if I had discovered a long lost friend, I naturally ran up and presented myself. Alas, my crush was crushed, she pretended not to know me. Funny, that memory, despite having been filed away for too many years, plays back as fresh as if it were yesterday. Alas, I wax poetic.
Ernie Gray

Carol was born 12/13/46. She lived in Fremont and worked in Pleasanton. Her husband was Terry and she had two girls Melinda and Tabitha. I have their home phone number if anybody wants to contact them to find out the specifics of her death.

Kermit Harrison
ps: I dated Carolyn in high school my senior year. I was shocked when I read about her death.

Lives in Ventura, CA with wife Dwayla (Smithson) *, FUHS ’67

Hi everyone. I have been reading the recent postings with interest, especially since I have had little or no contact in recent years with most of you. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in San Diego.

My brief history: Some of you may remember my high school sweetheart, Dwayla Smithson, Class of ’67. We dated my senior year & continued dating after high school. We married in August, 1967 after she graduated. We went to college together our first year of marriage. I worked as a meat cutter and she worked in the x-ray dept at Tri-City hospital.

In the summer of 1968 I was drafted and spent 2 years in the U.S. Army. I was fortunate to spend all 2 years at Fort Ord (Monterey, CA). Dwayla stayed in Fallbrook until June of 1969, then was able to move up to Monterey with me.

After completing my tour of duty in September, 1970, we returned home & bought a home in Vista. We both went back to school and both worked. As a friend once said, I managed to squeeze 4 years of college education into 10! I graduated from San Diego State in 1976 with a degree in history, planning to get a teaching credential & teach high school. By this time we had two children and Dwayla was a “homemaker” and stay-at-home mom. I had been working at a supermarket as a meat cutter since getting out of the Army and going to school part time, but because of a variety of circumstances, I was unable to work out a school schedule to get the teaching credential. I ended up getting my real estate license in 1977 and going into the real estate business in Fallbrook. We sold our home in Vista & returned to Fallbrook. The R.E. business turned out to be a great blessing. I had always enjoyed looking at new homes & drawing house plans. By 1979, I ended up the owner of Sunshine Properties of Fallbrook.

Over the next 12 years, we obtained a Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate franchise & opened a second office in Bonsall. In addition to representing buyers & sellers, we designed & built 6 homes, living in 4 of them over time.

During this time we had continued being active in our church in Fallbrook, and in 1991 I was asked to go on staff there as the Minister of Music. I sold my company in 1991 and spent 8 years in full time music ministry there at our home church, playing keyboard instruments, leading worship, directing choirs, etc. Dwayla had returned to school to finish her R.N. and went back to work as school nurse at Potter after our kids got into elementary school. In 1999 I resigned that position and we relocated to Ventura, California. I had gone back to school & obtained a Masters Degree in Christian Ministry, and currently I serve part time on staff at a church in Ventura doing Marriage Counseling & some other duties. I have been back in the real estate business here since 2000. Dwayla was recruited to be the Senior Staff Nurse for the main health clinic for the County of Santa Barbara Health Department in Santa Barbara, and has enjoyed working there since 1999.

Our greatest joy is our children & grandchildren. We just returned from a “whirlwind trip” to visit all of them. Our son, Eric, actually was the band director at FUHS for 3 years in the mid 1990s after the band had gone through some tough times. He later obtained his doctorate from U.C. Santa Barbara and teaches political science at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA.This school year he obtained a fellowship to work at the State Department in Washington, D.C. and is on sabbatical from Vanguard for a year. He & his wife Mary have 2 adorable children, Spencer (now 4) and Jane (now 1 year old) and are living in Alexandria, Virginia, for the next year. Our daughter, Cari, married a Camp Pendleton marine in 1994 and spent a year with him in Okinawa. Geoff is a wonderful son-in-law, devoted to Cari & their 2 sons, Tristan (now 5) & Caleb (just turned 3). Geoff works for Southwestern Bell in Dallas, and Cari is a full time mom & homemaker. (For those of you who are interested, you can see the cutest grandkids on my business website. Go to www.cbillpatterson.com, then click on the “cute grandkids” link on the left side of the page.)

I have heard that in our current society the average worker will have “3 careers” by the time they retire. My 3 have been meat cutter (10 years), minister (9+ years), and real estate broker (over 20 years). Quite a variety!

In remembering our high school days, one funny incident comes to mind. It was in Latin class our sophomore year. Someone had a brainstorm that for a class project we would translate the Cinderella story into Latin and perform it as a class play. The catch was that all the male parts were played by females and the female parts were played by males. I think I was the director – at least I was not a costumed player. Wayne Swinscoe played Cinderella – all made up with fiery red lipstick & rouge, etc. The funny part is that right in the middle of the play we had a fire drill! All of us had to exit the buildings & you should have seen the looks of the other students seeing all these guys in drag trying to hide behind each other and not be noticed!

Anyone else have a comic memory?

Jim Price* e-mail: jnprice@pacbell.net Lives in San Diego with wife Joan Sieber A little about me: My Dad, Newt Price, was the Principal at FUHS from '58 to '62. So I was there from 6th to 9th grade. That's why I don't know some of you, and vice versa, who came in the later years of high school. We lived on View Street, a couple of blocks up the hill from (then) Potter Jr. HS, now the Iowa Street School. Don Dona lived just down the street. My memories of Fallbrook are very pleasant - and I still enjoy driving down Main Street, and "making the rounds" through town, even though it's changed a lot. Mrs. Barkow still runs her little shop in which I bought *many* 45 RPM records. No records now, but the bins they used to be in are still there, displaying gift items. We moved to Santa Maria, CA in '62 - Dad got a job at Righetti High School (Director of Guidance), and Mom (Jean Price) started teaching 4th grade again. I graduated from Righetti in '65, and headed off to UC Santa Barbara. I got my BSEE degree in '69, followed by an MSEE in '71. My parents both retired in the early '70s. Unfortunately Dad died in '82 (lung cancer), but my Mom lived on another 15 years - in Orcutt. I went to work at the Navy research & development lab on Point Loma in San Diego. It's had a lot of different names over the years: NEL, NUC, NOSC, NRaD, and now SPAWAR Systems Center. I met my wife, Joan, in 1973 - indirectly through work as we were both in the bowling league (yes, we met in a bowling alley!). We got married in '78, and we have continued to work at the Lab since. No kids, but we have generally had a dog and cat - we're on our 3rd "set" at the moment. I was selected for a 2 year work assignment in London, UK in 1995, and that experience was certainly a highlight, not only of my work career, but of our lives in general. [Hence I missed the 40th FUHS reunion!] I retired from the Lab in 2003, and I do some consulting with a contractor. But mostly I'm consumed in my hobbies of ham radio, railroad history, ghost towns, photography, antiques and collectibles including cars, records (yes, vinyl), and most anything "old" and/or nostalgic. My wife will retire at the end of this year. We really enjoy traveling and will hopefully be able to do even more next year. It’s been a lot of work to help put this reunion together. But I’m expecting that it will be a fun experience for all. Bob Bekins, George Ward, Jack Foster Mancilla, David Samuels, and Linda (Lowe) de Graaf all went the “extra mile” to help make this happen!

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Tony Price* Lives in Fallbrook Attended picnic with son, Curt

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Carolyn (Qualls) Seely* e-mail: carolseely@cox.net Lives in Escondido, CA with husband Phil

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Martin Raish* e-mail: raishm@byui.edu Lives in Rigby, ID with wife Kathy I went from FUHS to UC Davis, where I majored in Art History. (I know, I was supposed to be a math whiz, but calculus stopped me after one semester, and there was this art appreciation course with lots of cute girls, so . . .) I went to New York University for my master's degree. It was a culture shock - a farm kid who raised pigs in 4-H gawking at all those skyscrapers - but I loved Manhattan, especially the museums and book stores. Classes were held in an old mansion on 5th Avenue and 78th Street; the Metropolitan Museum of Art was just a few blocks away. I married my college sweetheart, Mimi, in 1969; she died in 1971 when our son, Matthew, was 9 months old. I finished my degree, then we moved to Salt Lake City where I met Kathy, who was a kindergarten teacher. We were married in November 1972. In the mid-70s we moved to Albuquerque NM where I earned my Ph.D. in art history. My specialty was ancient Mexico (Aztecs, Mayas, and so forth). Our daughter, Corinne, joined us there. I returned to Utah and taught at Brigham Young University for a decade, then decided that librarianship would be a good career change. BYU had a library school, so I obtained my 4th college degree, then moved to Binghamton NY for 10+ years. That is in "upstate" NY, four hours north and west of Manhattan. Beautiful green, rolling hills, gorgeous fall foliage, but humid in the summer. As our parents grew older we determined to move back west to be closer to family. In 1999 I accepted a position in the library at BYU (Utah), then after 3.5 years we moved to BYU-Idaho. The school had just changed from a 2-year junior college to a 4-year university, with planned increase in programs, faculty and enrollment (from 8,000 to 12,000 students). The library director had retired and the administration was looking for someone to develop what had been an excellent junior college library into a facility for the new university. With the arrival of the personal computer in the 1980s and the Web in the 90s, and the incredible changes in the nature and availability of information, moving any library into the 21st century is a challenge. My education and experience are being put to the test, but I love my job and look forward to coming to work every day. (I'm able to teach some art history classes, too.) BYU-I is in Rexburg, about an hour north of Pocatello and 90 minutes south of Yellowstone National Park. We are also near the Tetons and Jackson, Wyoming. Kathy and I live in Ribgy, a small town a dozen miles south of campus. There are only two traffic lights in town, neither one of which is really necessary. (Does anyone remember when they installed the first traffic light in Fallbrook, when we would go downtown just to watch the light change?) We built a home in a small development amid the fields of grain and potatoes. The winters are cold, the summer sunlight dazzling, the air clean and crisp (except when the farmers are burning the field stubble, when huge plumes of smoke erupt, then quickly disappear in the breeze). It is quiet most days and you can see the stars at night. I still have the 1930 Model A Ford I drove to school my senior year. Margaret Knox had an A, as did Wayne Swinscoe. Those were fun days, weren't they? Over the past few years our lives have been consumed caring for family. Kathy lost her sister and only sibling (from MS), two aunts, two uncles, then her mother and her father (just this past June), all after long struggles with poor health. They lived in northern Utah, about 2.5 hours from here. We have worn out our cars and ourselves driving, worrying and losing sleep, and haven't been able to go anywhere or do anything "fun" for a long time. We are looking forward to getting away for an enjoyable weekend. See you soon. -- Martin Raish

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Jan Raymond* e-mail: jray@naj.net Lives in Davis, CA

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Bill Reeves* e-mail: bsreeves@earthlink.net Lives in Magalia, CA with wife Sandra

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Ed Roe* e-mail: Ed.Roe@HDS.ColoState.EDU Lives in Loveland, CO with wife Sharon

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Sharon (Russell) Blasingame e-mail: DCFBLAS@aol.com Lives in Gilmer, TX with husband Don. I will not be coming to this years reunion. Hope everyone has a great time. What have I been doing for the last 40 years: Been married to the same man for 39-1/2 years, have twin boys that are 35. One granddaughter who is 19 months old. Went to China last year with my son and wife to adopt her. She is a beautiful and wonderful little girl. My husband worked for San Diego Gas and Electric for over 37 years. Retired 3 years ago and we moved to Gilmer, Texas last year. This is where his father was born and lots of family live her. The town is like what Fallbrook was many years ago. It's great that you keep up with everyone and let everyone know what we are all doing. Keep up the great work. Thank you, Sharon (Russell) Blasingame

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David Samuels* e-mail: david_samuels_2000@yahoo.com Lives in Chico, CA with wife Marcia I have been a Certified Public Accountant for the last twenty-seven years. I moved to the Paradise/Chico area in 1975 from San Jose, CA. I finished my BS in Accounting in 1977 at California State University, Chico and an MBA in Taxation from Golden Gate University, Sacramento in 1984. So, when I say I am writing a journal entry it means debits and credits not the journal of my life. I will be married to Marcia 16 years this December and was married the first time 18 years to Lorraine and we have one daughter, Diane. Marcia has two daughters and together we have seven grandchildren. We live in Chico, CA as does Marcia's oldest daughter, Krisi and her two sons. Marcia's other daughter DeeDee and her second husband live in Angel's Camp, CA(The Jumping Frogs of Calavaras County) She has two children from her first marriage and two by Kirk her present husband. Diane and Mike, her husband had a little boy in April 2004. So, we have six little boys and one little girl. Marcia sells real estate and teaches piano. She is also an excellent gardener. We have a vacation home with other families in Sunriver, OR and try to get up there to ski in the winter and golf in the summer. I will be going up right after the reunion for a week and plan to see Cindy (Appleford) Bryce in Bend, Oregon while we are there this time. We will be seeing each other at the reunion also. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion!

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Rick Saunders* Lives in Fallbrook

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Phyllis (Schekel) Minner* e-mail: PRMINNER@aol.com Lives in Fallbrook I will be starting my 25th year...teaching at Bonsall Elem. where I teach 4th grade (what a great age?) I moved back to Fallbrook in '80. I continue to be fulfilled in teaching and haven't yet experienced the "burn-out" that so many of my contemporaries have experienced. Gee, who would have thought that I'd return to my Fallbrook/Bonsall roots!? Do you remember Kathy (Benson) or Judy (Hoxie). They too teach at my school site. Well, enough of my ramblings. We all have our "life stories" to tell. Phyllis (Schekel)

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Alan Serry* e-mail: alserry@msn.com Lives in Leucadia with wife Diana Hi Gang – Alan Serry here. Sure did like growing up in Fallbrook (5th grade on). I just love life and all it’s adventures. Always sought relationships and experiences over gathering “things”. Here is my story. College was Palomar and SDSU (Psychology) through 1970, then the Navy Air wing for 3 years (North Island, San Diego). I was married to Fallbrook gal Candy Bryant for 26 years, we raised two mighty fine boys, Christopher and Kevin. Really enjoyed being a father! Always liked driving sideways and raced sports cars for years. Yes, I still have a motorcycle. I just love building houses. Meeting strangers, share in the adventure of building their home, and become life long friends. I like the difficult and unusual, where the client cares about a good job. Currently I am building a 6,000 sq ft house on Palomar Mountain. My four recent years on Palomar Mountain, (the mountain range we could see from Fallbrook), have been most enjoyable for me. Palomar Mountain is a step back in time. There are 200 folks who call Palomar home, gather at the lodge for potlucks and square dancing. Snow, mountain lions, independence, beauty, cowboys, views – Great.I met the love of my life here, Diana. We had a fun mountain cowboy wedding, are more in love today than when we first fell in love. Spending time with my sweetheart is one of my favorite things. It’s a good fit. Currently Diana and I live west of historic 101 in Leucadia (as funky as it was in the 60’s). It’s good.We just got back from visiting and working on our house in Hawaii where we are planning to move within the next couple of years. Kapa’au is a small village on the north tip of the Big Island. It’s old Hawaii, constant trade winds, aloha spirit, and best of all good people. Diana and I have 4 boys together. Her boys, Joel and Micah are musicians, artist, and surfers. Kevin is at UC Santa Barbara (started his own computer business in high school). Chris just graduated from UC San Diego and after a bidding war for his expertise, and has accepted a position with General Atomics in the unmanned air vehicle design program UAV. The most important part of my life, like many others in our class, is my relationship to God because of Jesus Christ. I enjoy travel, old cars, (68 Mustang, 69 Kaiser Jeep military ambulance), building, and hanging with my sweetheart. Look forward to seeing you at the reunion!

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Cecil (Smith) Anison* e-mail: cecilann@comcast.net Lives in Los Gatos, CA with a husband and two teenagers. Part One – Roots I was born in Annapolis, MD where my dad worked as a mechanical engineer for the feds. Our family moved to Oceanside when he was recruited to design land/track vehicles at Camp Pendleton. A year later, in 1954, he bought 160 acres in Bonsall for $100 an acre, which was virtually all of the land on both sides of the road, and became a rancher of sorts as well. I went to Bonsall School where there was one class for each grade and 150 students total. My siblings and I spent a lot of time outdoors, exploring the San Luis Rey River bottom, riding horses, and riding bikes on our property and up Olive Hill Road to the ponds. A big trip was to ride to Valley Fort on the way to Fallbrook. (I’ll skip high school so I can fit the rest of my life in this bio.) After high school I went to UC San Diego, and then graduated from UC Riverside. Part Two – Moving and Grooving Riverside was so smoggy that I couldn’t wait to get out so a couple of us (students) checked the air pollution tables for California and ended up moving to Eureka. After that, I lived in Morro Bay, Calistoga, Angwin (up the hill from there), and now Los Gatos, where I’ve been for the last 30 years. Along the way, I went back to college to study teaching, and finally landed a job in Santa Clara Valley. Night school got me more certificates and, credentials, etc. and I swore I’d never take another class. In my first years of college, I was introduced to the High Sierra and from the moment I saw those mountains, I was hooked. Thus began my second career of backpacking, climbing, and then high altitude climbing. I often combined climbing and traveling which was a lot of fun. Part Three - Parenting and Sandwiching So while my friends were having babies, I was off to Europe, South America, Mexico, Guatemala, Bali, etc. One of my friends with kids said she was envious of my “freedom” to go and do what I wanted. But the biological clocked finally clicked in, I had my first child at 41 and adopted another at 46. By then, my friend’s kids had left home and she had the “freedom” while I was taking care of babies. I take my kids to school along with other moms & dads who could have been my own kids or even grandkids. When I adopted my daughter, I started taking care of my parents as they became less able to care for themselves. Somewhere I read that we are the “sandwich” generation - older parents taking care of their own parents and young children at the same time. I moved my parents to be near me and their final years were very special for all of us. Part Four – The Here and Now I’m currently married to a fellow climber, (now more of a bicyclist). My son is a junior and my daughter just started middle school. My son’s high school curriculum is as rigorous as my college curriculum was and we stay closer to home now, partly because of his homework! I work in school administration in a large urban district nearby with 29 thousand students having over 60 languages. My work is mostly with state and federal compliance issues. The challenges are many and growing while at the same time school funding is limited and government enters more into education. I’d love to retire, but need to work a few more years. After retirement, I’ll probably go back to school to learn something new!

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Vern Southard* e-mail: vsouthard@earthlink.net Lives in Crestline, CA I've traveled quite a bit too, lived and worked in Europe and have good friends in Sweden. Always enjoy making contact with Europeans on my job, which happens occasionally; now that the Euro is equivalent to the dollar. I live up in the mountains in Crestline, near Lake Arrowhead...and commute a lot. I don't get to Fallbrook very often, but it will always be my home town. Yes, not everyone gets to make a big splash in high school, but it shapes your life in ways that you may not realize until many years later. We had a great group of classmates, and teachers, in the graduating classes before and after us also. Always busy it seems, but that's a good thing. See you all at the reunion. Vern

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Bruce Stover* (class of ’66) Lives in northern San Diego County

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John Stratiff Lives in Union City, CA In a note to Jim Price, John says that he is physically active, healthy, has a great job, and is enjoying life.

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Wayne Swinscoe (a.k.a. “Zack) e-mail: Swinscoe@burnhamrealestate.com Lives in Escondido, CA with wife Linda I am bummed that I will not be able to make our 40th reunion as I have been to most of the past events and helped George organize them. I will be in New York for a wedding. I have enjoyed reading the comments made by our classmates and remember all of you that have responded. I haven't responded until now as I have some health issues in addition to trying to keep a business and a ministry going. Our class was a special class at a changing time in history. I too look back on our events, teachers and those who influenced us with fond memories. As the banter continues over the next months, I may drop a short note in. I do hope all of you have a great 40th and hopefully I will see you at our 50th, God willing. Your long forgotten Senior Vice President, Wayne (now going by Zack) Swinscoe

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Sue (Tanner) Winn Lives in Carmel Valley, CA with husband Bob We live in Carmel Valley, 10 miles east of Carmel where we usually have the sunshine during the foggy summer months on the coast. We are coming up on 37 years of marriage. We have 2 married daughters (Kristin and Dana) who live in the San Jose area. And between them we have 4 grandchildren with another one due in November 2005. I work at the Community Hospital in Monterey as a Physical Therapist Assistant; have worked there 11 years. I still swim, am very focused on our family, and spend lots of time with the grandkids. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the reunion. I have enjoyed the updates on the fellow classmates who will be in attendance and look forward to hearing about the celebration of the last 40 years. I know this will be a special time for all of you. Please give my best to all! Sue

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Tom Teasdall* e-mail: thteasdall@sbcglobal.net Lives in Costa Mesa, CA with wife Jean I live in Costa Mesa, CA (Orange County) and my parents still live in Fallbrook and are 86 years old.. My wife, Jean, and I visit Fallbrook occasionally. Steve Brennemen is trying to talk me into going to the reunion. I work for a General Contractor as a Senior Project Manager in Irvine, CA. I graduated from Arizona State University in Construction Engineering Management in 1971. I lived in Metro Phoenix for 20 years and moved back to Orange County in 1989. Also, I worked on several projects in Las Vegas in 1976-1977 when I was single. My wife and I just celebrated are 25th Wedding Anniversary this year in August.

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Mark Violet (’66) e-mail: mwviolet@dslextreme.com Lives in Corona with wife Mary I spent my last two years at FUHS doing nothing more than wanting to get out of there and out of Fallbrook and experience the real world. My involvement in Speech and Debate Tournaments was the best escape I could find to get out Fallbrook and see many college campuses. Thanks to the Toastmasters, in the summer between junior and senior year, I spent two weeks at UC Santa Barbara. This was in the wake of my once gloried run at the Lion's Club speech contest and what has to be in the record books as the least recorded votes for FUHS ASB President in school history! After graduation I spent a total of four years at Palomar. It was an on again off again kind of thing since my biggest interest in those days was keeping my student deferment going, hanging out at the beach, riding a motorcycle and having fun. During that time I have many great and happy memories of a little studio apartment I had in Vista, (that still stands), and parties with Jerry Port, Mark Weaver, Ernie Garcia and others from '66 that today would seem very tame. By '69 I got serious about college and finished my A.A. at Palomar in the Spring of '70 and transferred to U.C. Riverside. Once I had to start paying SERIOUS tuition, I finished a B.A. in Sociology in the spring of 1972. I had been an English major going into UCR but realized I wasn't cut out for teaching and could graduate faster with the Sociology degree. I suppose it's obvious that a good deal of my college life was spent in the artful dodging of the draft and the fine art of party with a minor in poker and slacking. In retrospect, I feel a large measure of shame when I realize how that horrible war ruined so many of our generation while I purposely sat on the sidelines. During all of those college years I supported myself working as a waiter in various country clubs around North County and as a library assistant at UCR. In the spring of '74 I was given an opportunity to go to Southeast Alaska for three months in exchange for doing photography for the local weekly newspaper. I wound up staying for six years. I didn't do the photography for long but had a job running electric generators in a Norwegian fishing village island of about 2,500. Those years are now precious to me. I was actively involved in a community theatre group and in productions such as Kismet and Fiddler on the Roof. I even sang a solo or two that broke a few windows. I was also very involved in the start up of a community/public radio station that was the only live local media available on the island. They were heady days that I will always remember fondly. By mid 1980, after six years in a rain forest where it rained 100+ inches per year and the only way in or out was by boat or airplane, I moved to Seattle with my soon to be wife and stepdaughter. In 1980 I became disabled from an injury back in Alaska and spent a couple of years going through surgeries and such. In the mid-eighties I sold life insurance in Seattle and did the appropriate yuppie thing. In 1986 my soon-to-be-ex-wife and I bought a tavern in Roslyn Washington known as The Brick. Later in the eighties it was featured in the TV series Northern Exposure. Unfortunately we had divorced and she got the tavern before the tourist explosion related to the TV program. I spent four years in the mountains of Washington living a very simple humble life in a 100 year old cabin that had a nasty habit of letting its pipe freeze and running out of heating oil several times a winter. In the spring of 1990, through a mutual friend, I finally met the woman I had been destined to be with all of my life. Mary and I married on Oct. 31, 1989 and have shared a wonderful and devoted life since. About that same time, through another friend I went to work in the telecommunications industry on the cusp of the breakup of Ma' Bell and the founding of thousands of small entrepreneurial companies. Over the next few years we moved five times around the northwest and wound up back in Seattle where I continued in the telecom industry. In the summer of 1997 my mother, Wilma, whom many of you remember from Potter, suffered a serious stroke just as I was going to work for GTE, now Verizon. In the summer of '99 Mary and I grabbed on to a chance to transfer with GTE to a job in Rancho Cucamonga which landed us in Corona. We live in an area of Corona/Riverside that was nothing but bush, jackrabbits and snakes when I moved away in '74. Since then I have become totally disabled due to my arthritis while my wife works for a plastics manufacturer in Corona. I make at least a trip a week to Fallbrook to run errands for my Mom and generally take care of her. For many, many years it was my desire to come back "home" to So. Cal. And this is from someone who during my high school years could not wait to put as distance between myself and Fallbrook as possible. I agree with the posts from Liz and others about how Fallbrook has changed. However, compared to so many other places like Temecula and Murrieta and even Bonsall, if you put your blinders on just right, remnants of "old Fallbrook" remain. I envy those that have been at one occupation for 20, 30 or more years and been in the same relationship all of these years. For me, it has been more of; "what a long, strange trip it's been . . ." In a story way longer than I meant it to be, that's my life so far. I hope others will continue to post their stories as well. It is fascinating to know where we all have been and of our dreams realized and those that weren't.

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George Ward* e-mail: glward@wwdb.org Lives in Fallbrook with wife Karen In 1950 my father began Ward's Jewelers in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Leasing a section of Fawson's Music Store for his location. I remember, as a small child, going to the store and helping to clean the glass showcases for dad and mom as well as listening to records in the many listening booths at Fawson's Music Store. Tiring of the harsh winters in Idaho, dad started looking for other locations. In February of 1955 he found an ad in a jewelers magazine for a store that was for sale in Fallbrook, California. We drove the winding and narrow highways (there were no freeways) from Idaho through the deserts to Fallbrook - that was one of the longest, coldest, trips I can remember. We left during a blizzard and dad had to have a head bolt heater put in the car to keep the engine from freezing overnights. It was wonderful to arrive in the warm of southern California. Dad made an agreement with Mr. Thomas of Thomas' Jewelers in Fallbrook and we returned to Idaho to close things out up there. In May of 1955, with snow still on the ground we left Idaho, another long drive as far as an 8-year-old was concerned, arriving in Fallbrook during the Pioneer Days Festival we began our new life here. Our first location was 110 South Main, in Fallbrook. In 1959 we moved to a larger location at 113 North Main, in Fallbrook, with the expanded shop and display areas we began more of our own manufacturing. I was gradually being given more responsibility, learning to clean and polish jewelry and beginning to learn to engrave. When I was in Potter Junior High, I purchased my first engraving machine by working for a penny a letter and putting the rest toward the cost of the machine. Later, I purchased a larger machine by doing the same thing. And, I made my spending money at a penny a letter. I attended Fallbrook Union High School, class of 1965; I'm sure many of my friends thought that I never had any fun because I went to work at the store nearly every afternoon. But during those years, I participated on the rifle team (yes, we had guns at school), the color guard (raising the Flag daily at school and presenting the Flag before games and during Avocado Festival parades). I put many miles on a unicycle up and down Fallbrook's streets (it took me quite a while to earn the money for that unicycle, I mowed many yards for 50-cents a job). I bought my first motorcycle in 1964 by selling a coin from my collection. After high school I went to Palomar College. To earn some extra spending money, a friend and I started a street sweeping business in downtown Fallbrook. Each morning before we left for school we would sweep both sides (including the gutters) of the two blocks of merchants downtown. I think we only got 50-cents or a dollar a week from each merchant, but that kept us in gas (25-cents a gallon) so we could get to school, and…. I continued working at the store as my time would allow. During my time at Palomar College, I became "The PsychOdelic Maniac", my light show company traveled around the Southern California area with such memorable bands as the THE GROOP, THE PLASTIC PEOPLE and THE RAMPANT AVOCADO. Liquid projection was just about the messiest thing I've ever done. I also began learning about sound reinforcement while working with the bands. I participated on the Palomar College Archery Team, during their championship years of 1966-67. I then began my time away from Fallbrook, as I moved to San Diego to attend San Diego State, my reputation in lights and sound preceded me. And I was recruited by Campus Life to help make a moving-light theater marquee style sign as well as running sound for their concerts. My senior year at San Diego State, I received my "Greetings" from the Selective Service, I then spent 3-years in the Army. I was in Vietnam during 1970, working with Computer Systems Command, as a supply and maintenance computer specialist. In 1971-72 I was at Fort Hood, TX working as a company clerk and battalion legal clerk. During 1970, my parents again moved the store to a larger location at 1034 South Main Street in Fallbrook. I returned to Fallbrook in 1972 and went to work again at the jewelry store with my parents. During this time I again became involved with music - this time a Christian group called Any Day Now, they had heard of my experience with sound reinforcement and asked for my help. We toured the West Coast and played at the Worlds Fair in Spokane, Washington. It was in this group that I met my, then future, wife Karen. During the mid '70s, I was working at the jewelry store during the week and touring with Any Day Now on weekends. I was learning more designing and repair as well as management skills. In 1978, I married Karen Wise. Our love of our Lord Jesus Christ and His music soon had us again actively involved in a music ministry program. At the jewelry store we were again beginning to expand - we took over two more spaces in our building and totally remodeled the store, enlarging our shop area as well as our display area. I began taking courses from the Gemological Institute of America at this time. During the 1980s, I became more involved with the running of the jewelry store, and at the same time I spent many weekends and nights actively involved in the recording of eleven albums with Calvary Chapel of Fallbrook. I have been engineering the sound/recording at Calvary Chapel of Fallbrook since 1979 and have recently helped them in the design and installation of new systems for their new sanctuary. In 1997 I took over the store, my dad wanted to retire and do some traveling.  Shortly after he purchased a motorhome my mother had a severe stroke and wasn't able to travel.  She was the one who had wanted to keep coming to the store and it wound up the other way around as she became homebound, so he came daily to help with the watch repair. The summer of 2000 brought about a new chapter for Ward's Jewelers, the property where we had been located at for the previous 30 years had been sold and all of the tenants there including Ward's Jewelers lost their leases. We found a new location in Bonsall and spent the summer remodeling for a new store at the River Village Shopping Center. The new store opened just before Christmas. Six months later we endured more changes as dad suddenly passed away, and I added taking care of my mother to my life.   2005 --  The move to Bonsall has been good for our business, in spite of the things of the economy and the difference in the world since 9/11/2001.  Karen's life has also been turned into a caregiver as her dad developed Alzheimer's and her mom's health isn't good. The past several years I have managed to find a bit of time to do some website work for our church and a couple of other commercial accounts.  Recently, due to many e-mail requests from all around the world, I have been re-mastering for CD, from the original tapes, the eleven albums we recorded nearly 25-years ago.

Top -Table - A - B - C - D - E - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - P - Q - R - S - T - V - W - Guests - Bottom

Penny (Wasden) Peterson* e-mail: briteblueyes47@yahoo.com Lives in Heber City, UT with husband Darryl. Reunion attendees included Penny’s sister, Souci (Wasden) Pyper, Penny’s brother, David; and Don’s daughter Rebekah. I went to Palomar JC for a year. Moved to LA to be a nanny for my cousin. After that time I moved a lot, married and had three children, divorced. Worked some jobs when I was a single mom. Then my life changed a lot, I married a bachelor, Darryl, who was 38 yrs. old and lived in a town called Wendover, UT. I moved out in the middle of the desert for 16years. Had three more children and inherited one more because he was abused. I was active in the community, Church (LDS) and made the best of it. Till a great day came when we moved to a beautiful green valley named Heber City, UT. It is 6,000 ft elevation. Mountains, valleys, streams, lakes, it is so beautiful. Before we moved we ran two fast food restaurants in Wendover which we owned. We sold out to a franchise Burger King, and retired him at 54 yrs. old. We have a great life, traveling, etc. I lost both my parents, my Dad 22 years ago from cancer and my Mother this last August from old age and Parkinson's. Presently I have 7 children 13 grandchildren. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's 5 years ago. I'm doing quite well so far with all the maintenance I do for it. I love traveling and became a travel agent this year. I love it a lot. That's my story... I am so grateful for all my blessings throughout my life. Take care Love, Penny (Penelope) Peterson

Info from Eldra (Wilson):
Evelyn Wojcik lives in Phoenix too. She has changed from computer work to being a weaver. It has been about a year since I've heard from her so that may be old information.

Eldra (Wilson) Jarvis
e-mail: eldraj@cox.net

Hi Everyone,

I've really enjoyed reading the mail you have shared. This will be the first reunion I have missed and wish I could be there. I have a new job and cannot get off to come. I'm saving my pennies for the backpacking trip my 19 year old son, Ehren, and I will be taking to New Zealand after Christmas. I would love to talk to Penny about her traveling. A lot of you have some great travel stories.

The history of Fallbrook was interesting also. I am sort of the family genealogist, having inherited the position from my mother. I am the fourth generation of the family born in Arizona. I live in Phoenix where I was born.

After high school, I spent four years in Tucson getting a Bachelors Degree in Art Education, getting married, and having two kids (Rhonda and Dylan). We did some traveling about that time to Europe, the Soviet Union, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and a good number of states. We moved to Phoenix and got divorced. I then went to Arizona State University in Tempe and completed a Masters Degree in Special Education. I taught Special Ed in an inner city high school for a number of years, then taught regular science until I married Michael (23 years ago) and had a third child (that's Ehren). After that, life gets fuzzy. I have had a variety of jobs trying to find something that would work with being the family caregiver, raising three children, two grandchildren, and caring for parents. That has just recently ended so a new part of life is beginning. During that time I received certification to teach at the community college level and have been teaching Karate at Glendale Community College for about 5 years. The headquarters for Gembu Kai Karate is in Santa Ana so my friends and I have gone to California at least once a year for the last thirteen years to tournaments or just to work out. I started because Ehren wanted to learn to kick high like the Ninja Turtles, but he quit after eight years to play soccer and here I still am. Now Ehren and Dylan play on the same men's soccer team. It's cool to watch them. They're best buddies even though there's thirteen years between them.

Thanks for the update on George Poling and Cathy Jackson. I have thought of them often. Does anyone have information about Bonnie Chown, Peggy Oertle, or Otto and Eric Ray. These people are not necessarily in our class but I thought someone might know about them. I have received a lot of news from Mrs. Schekel so I know about a few of you. I hope you will keep in contact after the reunion.

Note from George: He didn't graduate with us, or for that matter he didn't even live around here when we went through school, he graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School (wanted to be an astronaut) in 1965.  But, he does know several of the classmates.  Wayne (Zack) helped him with leasing his first area store in a different shopping center several years before I met him.  I met him a couple of years before I moved into this shopping center, during a Christmas promotion where he was photographing children with Santa.  After I moved the store to River Village Plaza we became good friends.  Now, Charlie Linn, has office space here also. And we see Phyllis occasionally and Sid's brother Phil is a regular shipper from Seth's.  Seth and Johnny G. should get along great, as one of Seth's many hats was as a concert promoter in Canada for a while, and he's always got a song.

"Bud" Roberds
lives in Fallbrook. Plays piano at restaurants in North County 4 nights a week (at age 85)!

Coach Al Waibel*
lives in Carlsbad, CA, attended our 40th reunion with this daughter, Lori.

Great web site, George....I enjoyed seeing Dave's scanned Moccasin pages( Ann and I lost that yearbook (together with every yearbook through 1996) in our 2002 fire, so it was fun seeing so many familiar names and faces.

Bob served as the Director of Student Activities at Fallbrook High School in California from 1966 until 1996. He is the author of Spirit Works...Turn It On! , a book containing nearly 1,000 ideas to help improve school spirit, and 99 Nuggets , the 99 most important lessons learned in thirty years of directing student activities.

He was a charter member of the Hall of Fame of the California Association of Directors of Activities as well as CADA's first nominee for the National Association of Student Councils' Warren Shull Award. In 1990, Bob was presented the prestigious Jack Moore Award by CADA in recognition of his leadership in student activities and service to CADA members. On October 7, 2000, the brand new six million dollar classroom and performing arts complex on the Fallbrook High School campus was dedicated, in recognition of Bob's 30 year career, as "The Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts."

School Spirit, Pep Rallies, Noontime Activities, Float Construction, An Election Nominating Convention Promoting the role of the Student Council Advisor, and Prize Winning Yearbook Photography. 

Contact Bob Burton at:
Spirit Works P.O. Box 2995 Fallbrook, CA 92088-2995 Phone: (760) 728-1825 Fax: (760) 728-0272 Email: bburton@spiritworks.com