All posts by Barbara
Patti Davis-Addimando writes:
Graduated and started working at the FARM remember State Farm on 17th street! Worked for them off and on 40 years. Did a little Kelly Girl and homemaker.
Moved to Texas for a year while my husband was in service, then to back to Santa Ana and then Garden Grove till 1995.
3 Kids 2 boys 1 girl and #8 grandchild due this March 2016. 4 grandsons and will be 4 granddaughters.
Retired now in Bakersfield on 2 1/2 acres with 6 horses, 1 pimy goat, 2 roosters, 3 dogs 3 cats. Married 48 years and going strong. Ever in or near Bakersfield stop by 3933 Renfro Rd.
Email me, GiddyupGranny7@gmail.com. Still alot of fond memories from high school, can’t believe its been 50 years! WOW
Patti Davis-Addimando
Phil Lynch Checks In
Married very well and played a great deal of golf.Was very fortunate and lucky to be in the right place at the right time in my marketing business.Retired, love to fly fish, hunt ducks, play golf. Live in Picabo Idaho on a ranch. Will be here as long as we are able. Love the country.Meeting Bruce and seeing Barbara Blackwood again was really fun.Best,Phil
Barbara Blackwood Morgan Finds Phil Lynch
Barbara Blackwood Morgan tracked down our own Phil Lynch and his wife Kristi. She reports: …a meeting after 50 years, spawned by the 50th reunion. REALLY FUN & HEARTWARMING.
Jill Shuler Taylor writes:
I’m so jealous of all of you who got together to celebrate the 50 year reunion. Shouts out to Barbara Welty, Jane Lindsey, Ruth Ryland and oh so many wonderful Saints!
Jill Shuler Taylor here. I wish I could tell you all how many conversations we had in our house about whether or not I could possibly get to the reunion for our 50TH. My husband of 45 years, Howard Taylor felt guilty making me go to his in September without trying to make sure I got to mine in August. But even if I wasn’t able to be there, I have loved catching up with you all via your posts on WhatsUp!
I left SAHS with no plans to attend college, but Harlan Anderson took me directly to UC Irvine to enroll in the first class of Ant Eaters! When my parents were going through a divorce, I took a detour my senior year and landed at Taylor University—just for a year, and just long enough to meet my future husband. I came back to UC Irvine to graduate, got married and moved to Long Island where I taught Jr. High School—English, Music and Drama! Wildly crazy. In four years we were moving to Indiana where Howard took a position at Taylor University in Administration. Our first born, Kari Ann, is a Hoosier! The only paid job I had in Upland, IN was an Activities Director for a retirement home in our backyard—brand new with 7 residents!
While in IN we added a son, our only CA child, who was born in Whittier and blessedly placed in our home by a precious birth mother. Just 19 months after Douglas came Kathleen (Katie) Audre Taylor. In 1981 we moved to Diamond Bar, CA where Howard worked for Fuller Seminary and I got my Masters at Claremont. Off to teaching for 17 years in Pomona Unified Schools, working my way aaaaaallll the way down to Kindergarten. During our years in CA Howard and I got to attend a high school reunion or two before moving back to Ohio in 1999 where we observed YK2 with people who had cellars and gardens to fill them!
Ohio provided Howard a position at Malone University as Vice President for Advancement with a few days a month to continue consulting. For the first year I continued to work with McGraw Hill presenting their elementary music program in CA, so flights back and forth. During those years I was blessed to be with both parents for visits…making up for opportunities lost in the days after the divorce.
16 years in OH have given us a place to drop our California boat in the water at Salt Fork State Park lake. Water-skiing is something I love doing. Ohio also afforded me a career change—jumping into a position of Executive Director at Pregnancy Support Center (PSC) of Stark County. For 15+ years in Ohio I have had the opportunity to share love and compassion with so many young girls facing unplanned pregnancies. Our greatest joy is to provide options for LIFE choices, but also to be there for women who have had abortion as a part of their past—and seek reconciliation and healing.
Well, that’s a wrap. Our years have been full of joy and some surprises along the way. Our third child, Katie, started a Film School non-profit in South Africa…with one huge bonus of two additional daughters from South Africa—Nangamso and Lusanda. Both have gone through USA high school and college and as of this December both will have married. Lots of fun getting to have another round of kids!
Howard is back to full time consulting for faith-based non-profits while I continue to serve at PSC. We worship at the Akron Chapel, the Green campus where we hear incredible sermons from a NASA Engineer, once an atheist, who trusted God with his life and has served as our pastor! The science lessons are AMAZING. I wish for you all the best this world has to offer, knowing that the world that follows is where the real deal begins!
Jill (Shuler) Taylor
Carolyn Cronin writes:
Aloha from Kauai. As I write this note, I am spending 3 weeks on Kauai with my husband of 3 weeks, David Saulibio, who was born and raised on Kauai. We met on Maui 42 years ago and went separate ways, and reunited one year ago via LinkedIn.
I have moved to Spokane, Washington and will be helping Dave raise his 3 grandsons. Ed Robinson, a fellow classmate of ours, and my first husband, have a 35 year old daughter who is going to be teaching third grade this year in Portland, OR. She graduated in 2013 from Columbia University and just recently moved to Portland. No grandchildren from her yet, but who knows, perhaps next year.
Life has been great and it just keeps getting better. Dave and I will not be attending the reunion, as we had already rented a lake front home on Diamond Lake in the Spokane area during the time of the reunion. But I will be thinking of you all and wishing you a wonderful visit. I could say a lot more, but it would be boring anyway.
Linda Filson Woodbury Sends Best, Remembers Nationwide Impact of SAHS for Blind
You guys have been in my thoughts all weekend, every hour. Know all was so much fun and such a joy to see old friends.
I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it or get video to you in time to let class
know the trend they started countrywide and how it changed the lives of so many blind p persons. That SA H class was the first and started a flurry of opportunities immediately. My parents fought to get me there and you guys made it successful.
Best,
Linda Filson Woodbury
(see also: https://www.sahsreunion.org/meetup-plans/linda-filson-woodbury-writes/)
David Ault Liked the Reunion, Reveals Secrets
The 50th Reunion was simply amazing – far exceeding any expectations I might have had prior to the event. You gave us a rare chance to relive our youth and reconnect with many friends we had not seen in 50 years. I’m so indebted to the Team for making this possible. I realize you put in numerous hours of planning to make this event happen; I for one am so grateful for your efforts. It was so much more than just a dinner – it was the “break-out” groups you developed, the casual lunches together, the tours of SAHS and the down time we had to bond with old friends. In looking back, I realize we were very fortunate to get the education we received at SAHS and we should all be appreciative of the support given from parents, teachers, church groups and our fellow classmates. An event like this reminds us that we were lucky to have had a good foundation on which to build our futures.
Coming back to the present, I’m so proud of so many of our classmates and really enjoyed hearing their stories; Tom NcNeal, Doug Nalle (my two best friends in school), John Waters and Karol Wahlberg just to name a few. Seeing Barbara Denton (my first grade crush), Jane Lindley (my 6th grade crush – but she didn’t know it) and my senior year sweetheart, Sharon Storm. The evening with the basketball team and coach Collier – priceless! The veterans tribute was so meaningful.
As you can tell, the event was truly outstanding or we used to say ……..”We all had a bitchin time”.
Thanks again and God willing hope to see you at our 55th!
Sincerely,
Dave Ault
SAHS Class of 65
Mr. Snell Says Thank You
Denis Velarde writes:
I will be in town at Ronnie Cardiel’s house for the weekend. Don’t know if we will make the dinner however. Hopefully we will make it to some of the festivities. 50 years is so long, a lifetime for some! So sad to see the names of those that have left us.
My son Darin and his wife and 2 1/2 kids( another soon) now live in San Diego where he is CTO at Sony.
Gale Grall Moore writes:
I was so surprised to see so much info about so many people. I had no idea. Now I’m a bit late but will add my two cents.
Bill Coon, from Shanghai
Sara Meeker writes:
Still feel and act younger. Guess I’ll always be 18. Ha!
Barbara Welty Nelson writes:
I am very excited about our upcoming reunion, as I have not been able to attend many in the past. Still find it hard to believe it has been 50 years since we graduated.
Following graduation, I attended Santa Ana College and in Spring ’67, the Semester at Sea. I then went to UCLA, where Sharon Storm and I were roommates on pledge porch of the Kappa Alpha Theta house!
I received my teaching credential in Elementary Education and taught 3rd and 4th grade in Oakland, CA. After 4 years, I decided to take a 2-year leave from teaching. I wanted to experience living in Norway, as my Grandma Welty had immigrated from there. I worked as a secretary and became active in the American Lutheran Church, where I met my husband, Dean, from Decorah, Iowa. When he heard I was from Santa Ana, California, Dean asked if I knew Bryn Henderson, a Luther College classmate and friend!!! Small world!!! Dean and I became engaged in Oslo, and when we were deciding where to begin our married life, Dean said he had always wanted to live in California and I was his ticket!
Rather than returning to my teaching job in Oakland, Dean and I chose Santa Barbara, and I taught at the Christian School of Santa Barbara until our son Tobin was born in 1980, when I became a stay-at-home mom. With job changes for Dean, we continued to move south. Our daughter Megan was born in Huntington Beach in 1983, and in 1997, we did something we said we would never do … we moved from San Diego to Decorah, population 8500, and home of Luther College, where Dean worked until retiring. With our kids being 14 and 17 at the time, we did pray about this move, and they said let’s do it. Decorah has definitely become home for me, although I no longer want to be here during the winter months!
In 1988 I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, and although it isn’t something I would have chosen, there have been many blessings from it. I am now 28 years cancer-free.
I am very thankful that I am finally a grandma to 2 precious grandkids, 3 and 2 ½ years. Because they live a distance away – Istanbul, Turkey and North Carolina – I am always happy when we get to travel to spend some extended time with them. (As our son is with the State Department, they relocate every few years.
We do love to travel … but I wish we lived closer to our kids/grandkids.) Our family photo was taken in July 2014.
I love to quilt, which I have been doing since 1970, and I am very involved in our church, Bible study, and Moms in Prayer.
It will be wonderful to reconnect with our classmates! Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Barbara Welty Nelson
nelsondb47@gmail.com
Susan Frederickson Gibson Heins writes:
Just sent Sandy my check. My email address is susan@heins.com. I was Susan Frederickson. I married Chris Gibson from our class. We divorced but had two amazing sons and 6 grandchildren . He moved to Oregon and had twin boys at 50 with his present wife. He had back surgery yesterday so don’t look for him.
My husband Ed of 18 years will be attending. We live in Huntington Beach. I still do hair in northern SA on Fridays and volunteer for the Assistance League in HB. I haven’t kept in touch with anyone from high school so will be looking over the Ariel to refresh my memory.
I plan to drop by SAHS Friday after work for the tour. Please send me any new info.
Susan Heins
Dan McMichael writes:
I worked summers throughout SAHS teaching children and adults tennis for Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Dept. After high school I studied at Monmouth College (Illinois), Santa Ana Junior College (AA degree) and the University of Utah (BS degree) playing competitive tennis at each stop.
I enjoy sports of all kinds, movies, and going to concerts.
Florinda (Louanne) Islas Bailey writes:
Florinda (Louanne) Islas Bailey writes:
I have two grown children and 2 grandchildren. My husband and I just celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary. We raised our family in Huntington Beach and I’m fortunate to have my children close by.
Old Geezer Breakfast Club
Lou Baron writes:
Start the conversation … I like that theme! I’ll start with a little about my journey from 1965 Orange County (I now recognize what a sheltered, halcyon time it was to grow up) to 2015 Sacramento, and conclude with what I’m about today.
Graduated with a BS in biochem and a BA in psych from Cal State Fullerton in 1975 … on and off it took me seven schools and 10 years. During that period my father died and I, as the eldest, suddenly became responsible for handling his business interests.
After college I got my start in the corporate world working at Beckman Instruments in a science based job that I loved; during that time I shared an apartment with Bob Fainbarg in nearby Park Newport on the Back Bay – if I remember our theme back then was work hard and play hard.
Eventually, work took me to Sacramento, where I later married and settled down to raise two girls and a boy. My oldest, Michelle, is a professor at Hobart and William Smith in New York; the next, Pamela graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and is an up-and-coming illustrator living in Oakland (pamelabaron.com); and my youngest, Matt, is still at Sac State studying nutrition. This past May my granddaughter, Ellie, was born in New York and suddenly I’m holding babies again … they are great.
After 17 years of marriage I divorced. Committed to mitigating the effect on the children, I focused on their best interests and today my ex and I are good friends and occasionally even go on vacation with the children and their companions. For the past eight years I’ve been dating a woman I met online. She is an attorney with a penchant for travel, adventure, knitting, and me.
I still live in Sacramento; my home is across the street from the American River and almost daily I enjoy a run or a bike ride on the beautiful, tree lined river bike trail.
My business life had been somewhat diverse; after Beckman I worked in loan underwriting, real estate appraisal, retail sales (I owned a One Hour MotoPhoto store), and stock and futures trading (unfortunately a disaster). The last 20 years, though, I’ve been a full time real estate investor (primarily in small commercial and multi-family properties) in partnership with my younger brother, Mike.
Over the years I’ve had the good fortune to travel to some interesting places, for instance the Pyramids, Machu Picchu, Paris, Tel Aviv, and Istanbul. I continue to travel and I’m planning a trip to Costa Rica later this year and to Cuba in early 2016.
Aside from children, the most gratifying investment I have ever made, in terms of time and effort, has been learning to swing dance. The Lindy Hop community is worldwide and I can usually find a place to dance no matter where I travel. I’ve danced in Chicago, New York, San Diego, and Orange County (at the Atomic Ballroom). If you’re a follow and like swing dancing, find me; I’d love to dance with you at the reunion!
My other passions today revolve around real estate and finance, exercise, nutrition, longevity research, and giving back to society (wonderful to see various classmates who have done so in a significant way, kudos to you).
I remained friends with Craig Juratsch, Bob Fainbarg, and Mike McCord and we see each other periodically. I’ve also visited with Don Baker, who I had for chemistry. I couldn’t resist including the following “then” photo; you should recognize three of us from our class.
But there were so many more classmates who provided tons of entertainment, encouragement, and competition in the classroom, at lunch time, in sports teams, and outside of school; and I really look forward to seeing many of them again.
If the varied and interesting “Here’s Wassup!!” bios are any indication, it should be an interesting, memorable, and fun reunion. 50 years! Wow! See you soon!
Lou Baron
Phyllis Aldrich Hallstrom writes:
Wow I can’t believe it’s been 50 years! Seems like yesterday! So happy I can still remember those fun and carefree days of skipping lunch and driving to the original In’N’Out on Cubbon & Main, sneaking a smoke in the girl’s bathroom and waiting for Mr. Rollo Beck to round us all up from our cars before school started. So many fond memories of good friends and fun times.
I married my high school sweetheart right after graduation on July 3, 1965.
We had two boys Joel and Jason. We were married nearly 40 years until Duane lost his battle with cancer in April of 2004. I worked for the Orange Unified School District and retired in 1989 to stay home and spoil the first grandson, who is now 25 years old and in the Navy, stationed at Coronado San Diego, not a bad place to be!
One more grandson and two lovely granddaughters followed.
Duane and I stayed in the neighborhood purchasing a home in Park Santiago on Poinsettia Street. Our neighbors included many SAINTS the likes of Dennis Hill, David Scott and Kathy Mobley DeFord were just a few.
I am looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and making new memories see you all soon!
Phyllis Aldrich Hallstrom
Mark Angell Catches Dale Deckert for Lunch
Hey Mark! Who paid!?
Sharon Bartosh Kinney writes:
Geesh….50 years…I can hardly remember that far back!!
I taught school for 34 years and now have my dream job working as a vet tech for my vet of 30 years. Our son was born in 1980 and married a wonderful Ohio girl just three years ago. I’m definitely anxious to be a grandmother.
In ’99, I defeated breast cancer. I’m pleased to see every birthday.
For 43 years, I have raised, bred, shown, hunted and judged champion salukis (hounds).
I’ve judged hounds throughout the USA and Europe (England, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Australia) in the past 25 years. My pinnacle assignment was in ’03 judging 257 salukis in Lexington, Kentucky. I’m loving training my Aussie in agility.
I married in 1970 and still retain the original model. Jim is an architect and built our dream home in east Orange.
My USMC Dad lived until 91 and we are blessed to still have both Moms kicking @ 92 and 96. I play duplicate bridge to keep my mind active and working. We are inaugural season ticket holders for the Anaheim DUCKS (hockey) and love to follow the boys throughout the playoffs.
Traveling is my biggest passion (must be ingrained from my Dad) and East Africa and Israel were our finest trips. I doubt that I will ever stop teaching and presently teach 4 year olds in Sunday school for my LDS church. I am blessed every day of my life!!
See you on the 22nd!!
Sharon Bartosh Kinney
Steven Johnson writes:
Steven Johnson in Motor Pool, Vietnam US Air Force 1970-71
Sharon Condon Curry writes:
After I graduated, I worked at The Paulo Drive in, State Farm Ins when it was on 17th St. in Santa Ana. Also attended Orange Coast JC. During this time I met my future husband. He was in Marines. We relocated to Petaluma for a couple of years while he attended Santa Rosa JC. I worked part time for Petaluma Realty handling rentals. The other part of the day I had short, temp jobs. One was as a “chicken sexer” at on hatchery. Yes. It’s a job. Someone has to determine the male from the female just after they are a few hours old.
In 1972, we moved on to Humboldt County. In particular Arcata CA and Humboldt State University. He continued school and I worked for ten years at HSU in the Theatre and Film Department as the Department Secretary. I got involved in plays and was a major. Somewhere in there we divorced.
I decided to take a leave of absence for a year to see what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I travelled for two months across Europe with a girlfriend.
Upon my return I met up with my brother at the Houston Astrodome as he was Marvin Gaye’s Tour Manager for awhile. That experience was the change in my career direction. I knew I wanted to work in the entertainment business somehow.
I quit HSU. I worked for the Marvin Gaye production company for awhile. Then I found a job on a television game show that was just starting: Face The Music with Ron Ely (one of the Tarzans!). Within that production company, I was a production assistant, script supervisor then Assistant Director supervising post production with the Director. I met tons of people and it is all about who you know and if you are good they refer you. I was referred to work the 1983 US Festival in Devore CA, there I met an HBO Tech Manager who hired me to work in his company- NEP. I moved to Pittsburg and worked for a television mobile unit (TV trucks that do sports, concerts, etc). I was loaned out to MTV to work on their 1st Annual MTV VMA’s at Radio City. This because of my experience with the US Festival…. lots of cameras, editing, etc. I worked the 2nd and 3rd MTV Video Music Awards as well.
I was referred to the NBC Olympic unit to be a Broadcast Manager in Seoul 1988 Summer Games. I handled the broadcast studio in Olympic Park working with Bryant Gumbel and Bob Costas.
After that experience I went on to do four more Olympics: Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and one Winter Olympics: 1992 Salt Lake City. In between the Olympics, I worked at a corporate travel company, Maritz. I was the Director of Production Operations for 10 years. I took leaves of absence to do the Olympics.
My boss finally told me I had to choose because it was a hardship for him to lose me for two months. So I became a corporate manager. I loved my job. And the Olympics has me on the substitute list to be called if someone gets sick or has to bail for whatever reason. I chose the corporate career doing business meetings, events, videos, car launches for clients like Nissan, Toyota, and other automotive companys. Also Taco Bell, Oracle, Apple, etc. Supervising about 150 production and creative people on tons of projects.
In 2008, the financial crash brought the demise of my production business unit at Maritz. 150 of us were let go. I now am a freelance contractor still producing events, meetings, training for mostly automotive clients. I work a little less because I want more down time…semi-retired?! I now work golf tournaments. Such a life!! As I write this summary of my career which I’ve not done before, I realize how lucky I have been to have had these jobs. I am very thankful.
I never remarried nor did I have children. Pets have come and gone. I have a cat right now. I live in downtown Fullerton and love it. I owned a home in Anaheim for 12 years. Sold it 2 years ago, made lots of $$ and downsized. I am enjoying “less stuff.”
I loved my time at SAHS. I hung out with Patty Davis and Susan Eagloski. We have lost touch. I am hoping they might go to the reunion.
I look forward to seeing the other 1965ers that I know and, of course, who may remember me.
Sharon Condon Curry
Doug Nalle writes:
He is in the middle of the wine bottling from the 2014 crop and that’s pretty much 24/7. He will finish Friday, Aug. 21, get in his car with wife Lee and drive like a maniac to make it to the Reunion!
We will be so glad to see him! In the meantime, his website http://www.nallewinery.com/ and years of marketing have yielded some text and photos, as follows:
Nalle Winery is about as “family” as it gets. Son Andrew runs the joint, while father and mother Doug and Lee Nalle give wisdom from 31 years of winery experience. Younger son Sam, a scientist in San Francisco, gives encouragement and support. Then there’s our bevy of friends who magically appear at the right moment to lend a hand. Steve Edgar, from Arizona, still shows up for crush, and has, since 1991.
Our winery and home rest on land that has been in Lee’s family, the Henderlongs, since 1927. Her cousins, the Saini family, run the vineyard. In addition to the estate Zinfandel, Carignane, Cabernet and Merlot vineyard, two other local growers, Bernier Farms and Hopkins River Ranch, provide Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a smile and a handshake.
Doug Nalle
Jane Lindley Ransford writes:
Hello Classmates!
Kathy Flynn Tsakas writes:
Hi Friends! How nice it is to hear about you and what has happened in the last 50 years! It’s been quite a ride! I finished nursing school via Hawaii and LA County-USC Medical Center and enjoyed years as a Registered Nurse. Always loved to travel and being a Stewardess was fun. Then I took an advanced course in Psychiatric Nursing of Adolescents in Edinburgh, Scotland. While there, I met my husband, a Professor of Genetics at the University of Athens, and we lived in Greece for 17 years.
The marriage lasted a long time, but not forever, and I am now divorced and living near Boston working in health care. I’m very happy to have my two children and their families living near me.
I will always be thankful to our teachers at Santa Ana High who made all the difference in the world to me then and whose kindness gave me resilience in my life , Mr. Anderson, Mr. Leecing, and Mr. Ashbaugh . And to the friends I’ve lost touch with, we had fun especially in The Miracle Worker and Debs & Esq, we helped each other out, and I wish you all the best.
Kathleen Flynn Tsakas
Best e-mail address: kftsakas@yahoo.com
Dennis Hill Sends John Roquemore’s Photo
See you at the Reunion!
Gayle Neiman Inbody writes:
Hello Saints,
It is hard to believe that I am old enough to have graduated 50 years ago. I have lived in Orange County for most of the past 50 years. As far as I know I have not run into anyone from high school. Currently I live in Lake Forest on the lake. I have been here about 3 years and love it.
So here is my update, will try to keep it brief.
After graduation I went off to Cal State Northridge. Got married and I had 2 daughters. Was a stay at home Mom for a few years and then my parents bought Ashly Jewelers that was on 4th Street in Santa Ana. As that business grew and had more location I started working in the business and I became the human resource manager for the stores.
After 20 years of marriage got a divorce and a few years later got remarried to a wonderful man. He owned an engineering company and I ended up running his office. We traveled all over the world going to places that I had never imagined that I would ever get to see. Sadly after spending 21 years together he died this past year.
I have lots of family close by, wonderful friends, 5 grandchildren and one on the way.
So I am happy to say I keep very busy. Recently I took up lawn bowling so I am an official member of the Newport Harbor Lawn Bowling Club in Newport Beach. It is a lot of fun and if I have any extra time I spend it bowling.
The enclosed picture is me with one of my granddaughter Marissa.
Happy 50th!
Gayle Neiman Inbody
Carolyn Cronin writes:
Aloha from Kauai!
Dale Tilton writes:
Bio from Dale K. Tilton
Arline Radillo Greene writes:
In 1965 I vowed I would never marry or have children. Today, I’m thrilled to report that we have 5 children, 4 daughter-in-laws, 1 son-in-law and 12 grandchildren and I have been married for 38 years. Okay, so I only bore two of these children, but I consider them all mine.
(Since this photo was taken we’ve added a daughter-in-law and 2 more grandchildren
After graduating from Cal State Long Beach, I returned to Santa Ana and taught 2nd grade at John Adams elementary. I was one of the few bilingual teachers in the district. After two years I convinced the school district to take a chance on a bilingual educational television program. Educational T.V. was in its infancy. They agreed and “The Number Shop” or “El Mercado de los Numeros” was born. I wrote and hosted this math program. We sold the program to KCET, the Los Angeles PBS station, where the program was distributed throughout Southern California. Then I accepted a job with another station working on two programs: a live entertainment series following summer happenings in Orange County, and as a segment reporter on a biweekly news program. Lots of fun. I rode an elephant from the train station to the convention center, covered the surfing competition (while trying to learn to surf), covered the national offshore powerboat competition, the square dance convention, and was hypnotized on-air. I looked like an idiot the entire time.
I then married a divorced man with four children. Many were not happy with my decision, and when we returned from our honeymoon he was fired from his job. That meant I was now supporting his four children. I was advised (unsolicited) to annul the marriage, which I refused to do. He went on to start the biotech industry in San Diego which included pioneering the first PSA tests. Later he started a company to develop a new hormone for controlling diabetes. Life with Ted has not been boring.
We have put all our children through college. They are all married and have children that love sailing, chicken and noodles, and popcorn. A must if you’re going to live in this family.
We’ve been to 6 continents with Antarctica as our next destination in February. We’ve crossed the equator: I was read my list of felony charges by King Neptune when I successfully converted from a pollywog to a shellback.
I’ve been served monkey brain soup in China, something “unrecognizable” in Kenya (it was still wiggling), and Grasshoppers in Thailand. None of which I could eat.
We still have our home in San Diego, but have retired to Northern Michigan with the deer, wild turkeys and abundance of birds that hover at the kitchen window when the bird feeders are empty. In the summer all our kids arrive. They wouldn’t want to miss our annual watermelon seed spitting contest.
In 2001 I started a scholarship fund at Santa Ana College in honor of my father. These scholarships are awarded to Hispanic kids majoring in Engineering, Biology, or Chemistry and who are transferring to a 4-year college.
Help is given for tuition and books. Do this day I still interview all candidates.
Looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up. Bring pictures!
Arline Radillo Greene
Sandy Beatty Brummett writes:
I had a wonderful time at Santa Ana High School. I met Earl in my Junior year. He was in the Army and went to Vietnam in 1966. I got a job at Disneyland and had a great summer with my friends. In 1967 we married we went to Germany for a year. It was a wonderful year, we traveled, shopped, lived in our own apt near the Army base. Great experience!!
I worked for Bank of America for 26 years. I went out on LTD in 1989 with major bladder problems.
We started our family in 1972, with a beautiful little girl. We had a lot of good years. Then divorced in 1981.
I was single for 5 years then found Gary Brummett, from Orange. He went to Orange High School and graduated in 1960. We have done lots of traveling in the 29 years we have been married. We love to cruise. He is a wonderful person.
I do a lot of volunteer work for Hospice and Dialysis work for at St Elizabeth St Joseph in Orange.
I also belong to Orange Emblem Club in Orange. We are affiliated with Orange Elk’s Lodge. Our Club supports 19 Charities every year. I’ve been a member for 16 years. I’ve been Treasurer for 7 years for the club.
UPDATE:
I went to a concert at GG Elks Lodge recently and I ran into the Chantay’s. Bob Welch was sitting watching the show 4 Chantays band members were upstage playing R & R songs from high school days “pipeline” It was fantastic. I got up my nerve and asked Bob’s wife if she’d take my picture with Bob.
She did, I explained I knew Bob from High school he was class of 63, I was from class of 65. I told Bob we were having our 50th class reunion next month and I wanted a picture of him to show my classmates. So my daughter posted it for me on facebook. I was on cloud nine all day!!
Then they had the new version of Beach Boys that played a lot of songs, my friends and I sung our hearts out. I got some pic of the Chantay’s playing and Beach Boys singing.
They were great!!
I’ll send the one by phone you can post on my bio page.
Sandy Beatty Brummett
Carl Cullings writes:
After graduation from SAHS in 1965 I spent a week in Hawaii, on Oahu, and a month in Japan traveling with a former junior high school teacher.
We were in Tokyo for one week and then traveled to a number of other places including Kyoto, Nara, Mt. Fuji, and Hiroshima. I was amazed at how friendly the Japanese people were to Americans. The exchange rate was 400 yen to the dollar. Today it is about 123 yen to the dollar.
College:
I entered a journalism scholarship contest sponsored by the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. They offered me a 4-year scholarship to Pepperdine University to pursue a major in Journalism (with the expectation that I would work for them after graduation). However, I exceled at math and science and wanted to follow a different career path so I declined their generous offer.
I enrolled at and attended UC Irvine in the Charter Class. I took classes in Math, Social Science, French, and Physics. My major was in Physics. UC Irvine used the quarter system (3 quarters per school year instead of two semesters). As a junior I enrolled in a 5-quarter physics class taught by Dr. Forrester. During an important final exam 70% of the class got very low grades and hence, many of the 100 plus students in this class ended up changing their majors, including me. I changed my major to Electrical Engineering. It turns out that I liked that field and graduated in 1969 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. I subsequently enrolled at USC and attended night classes working towards an MSEE.
Work:
After graduating from UCI in 1969 I was hired at Aeronutronic in Newport Beach (just over the hill from UCI). Aeronutronic was a defense and space related division of Ford Motor Company.
In 1961 Ford purchased Philco and merged the two companies in 1963 and called the company Philco-Ford and later Ford Aerospace. Some employees called the company Ford Aeroneurotic. I worked on the Chaparral Missile system, which was a missile, launched from a tracked vehicle with 4 missile rails. These missiles used an IR (infra red) seeker in the nose and were very effective in downing enemy planes and helicopters. After two years with Aeronutronic, massive layoffs occurred, and I interviewed at many companies over a 3-month period and received an attractive job offer from Hughes Aircraft Company in Fullerton, CA where I started working in 1971. I worked in the Receiver/Exciter Department for about 6 years, spending the first 6 months working graveyard shift on the SLQ-17 electronic countermeasure system. This system was deployed on all of our aircraft carriers to protect them against enemy missile attacks. I then transferred to the Signal Processing Department, in the Beam Steering Group, where I spent another 6 years. I did design work on a number of ground based radars, including the TPQ-37 Artillery Locating Radar System (which could back plot an enemy’s mortar or artillery round and direct our artillery to fire back before the enemy shell hit the ground). This radar used electronic scanning to sweep the sky in azimuth and elevation and could track many targets simultaneously. The radar was large and expensive but very effective and is still being built today. I then transferred to the Antenna Department where I spent another 6 years working on a number of radar projects including a few classified radars. Then I transferred to the Component Engineering Department where I spent another 6 years working with many RF and microwave components used in a number of different systems.
General Motors purchased Hughes in 1985 and merged Hughes Aircraft with its Delco Electronics unit to form Hughes Electronics Corporation. Then GM sold their assets to Raytheon in 1997. Most of the buildings in Fullerton were sold for commercial development and the majority of employees, including myself, had to transfer to El Segundo. The commute from Orange to El Segundo was a lengthy one taking about 3 hours of round trip travel time per day. Raytheon has a number of buildings in the El Segundo area (near LAX), as does Boeing. I worked at the El Segundo South site in Building E1. I worked on a variety of different programs involving radars (for Army, Navy, & Air Force), electronic countermeasures, communications systems, and satellite systems. At one point Boeing Defense Systems needed additional help so my department agreed to loan them about 8 people (myself included). We spent 20 hours a week working for Raytheon and 20 hours a week working for Boeing. Raytheon acquired a number of other companies across the US and they created technology teams to try to integrate the various companies. I was chosen as the leader for the RF/Microwave Tech Team which was comprised of about a dozen people from locations in El Segundo, Santa Barbara, Tucson, Dallas, Sudbury, MA, Tewksbury, MA, Fort Wayne, IN, St. Petersburg, FL, and several other sites. I did a lot of traveling around country to visit other Raytheon facilities and visiting with suppliers, and potential suppliers. I worked on generating a list of Raytheon standard suppliers and a list of Raytheon standard parts (to be used by all the sites). I helped generate an RF/Microwave Handbook for design engineers to use. I retired from Raytheon at the end of 2006 as a Principal Electrical Engineer.
IF
Family:
I have one 5 year older brother, John, who along with his wife Diane has been living in Laguna Beach for 45 years. John also attended and graduated from Santa Ana High School. I met my wife, Cathy, in 1972 while roller-skating at the Skate Ranch in north Santa Ana (now known as the Discovery Science Center). She was a graduate from Orange High School. We got married a few months later and lived briefly in an apartment in Yorba Linda, then moved to an older home in North Orange where we have been for the last 43 years. We have three children, ages 42, 39, & 28 and 6 grandchildren ranging in age from 13 to 19.
Travels:
Cathy and I have gone on a number of one and two week train trips led by an excellent tour director (Roland Graham) from Irvine whose travel agency is called Mountain-Outin. He specializes in train/motor coach tours with about 50 people per tour. We have traveled around the US and across Canada with some of his tour groups. We also make periodic trips to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Prescott, and Alabama.
Pets:
We have one dog (Siberian Husky) and one cat (long haired calico). They are both getting up in years but then so are we.
Hobbies:
Photography, computers, travels, people watching.
Memories from High School:
- Riding my Honda 55cc trail bike to school on a rainy day, leaving home wearing white corduroy pants and arriving at school with black corduroy pants.
- I loved the school cafeteria where you could request a larger helping and many times receive it. The spaghetti was my favorite. But then in a cost cutting measure they eliminated the cafeteria and replaced it with vending machines with food put in paper containers with plastic wrap on top. The spaghetti was slimy and awful. Someone probably got a raise for this cost cutting measure.
- I remember having to say the Pledge of Allegiance in French in Mr. Bouchard’s French class. I can still recite it, in French, today.
- During open house, some students, taking chemistry class from Mr. Ashbaugh, would make a pasty mixture of potassium tri-iodide and spread it on spots on the sidewalk. When someone walked over the spots they would feel little explosions under their shoes.
- I took lots of pictures for the school newspaper. Digital cameras didn’t exist yet so we were using film cameras. My father helped me build a darkroom in our garage at home so I could develop the film, and make prints with an enlarger. This was a very time consuming task and required working with three different chemical baths.
- I had Mr. Petri for Physics class. I learned a lot from his class, which led me to pursuing a major in Physics at college later on. There were no scientific calculators yet so we did many math computations on a slide rule.
- I enjoyed being on the Track team and competed in the 100-yard, 220-yard, 440-yard dashes as well as many relay races and I competed in the high jump. Some of the relay teams I was on made it to the state finals.
- During Easter break thousands of students would travel to Newport Beach (for Bal Week) and enjoy the surf and sand and cruising up and down the Balboa Peninsula. It was a lot of fun until the police started setting up check points to discourage the out-of-towners.
I am looking forward to meeting my SAHS classmates at the reunion.
Carl Cullings
Theodora M. Christensen writes:
Wow, can’t believe 50 years have slipped past. Amazing! Having read the “bios” posted already, we certainly cannot be turning 60 something !!
You all sound so full of ‘get up and go’ and have filled these years in so many different ways !!
O.k. then, I will fill in a few of my years since graduation:
Having worked at Deckert Surgical for my 6th period work experience class under the guidance of Mr. Riordon. — Moved to Texas for awhile and then came back and started working at “Deckert’s” again. John Roqumore and Dennis Hill worked there as well at that time. Dale and I married and have 3 great daughters. Christina is a Partner Dr. for Kaiser Orange County, Karen is an attorney in Las Vegas and Julie works for Famous Daves BBQue. We have 7 grandchildren. I opened and ran a branch store of “Deckert’s” in Diamond Bar, Ca. where the girls grew up.
Somewhere along the way-we took a turn that led to seperate lives. We are great friends and have always shared in parenting our girls. I worked and help run a plastics reprocessing co. in Santa Ana learning all there was to know about thermoplastics and how it becomes plastic pipe–(a huge leap from medical supplies)– Besides being a business partner I became Co-Owner and a new marriage was born as well as a new company. Allegis Pipe, Inc. was begun in 1994 and built it’s manufacturing plant in Las Vegas, Nv. Allegis Pipe became the 3rd largest ABS DWV pipe manufacturing co. in the western United States.
We sold Allegis Pipe in 2000 and basically retired. My next new love was found in Wild Mustang Horses. I became involved with a wild horse group in Las Vegas that managed the Red Rock Canyon herd. I adopted 2 wild mares–one with a 3 day old filly and the other foaling 1 month later. What an experience to train wild horses. I was 55 then and thought all I would have to do was ‘love’ them. Fooled me–since I had NEVER trained a horse, none the less, a WILD horse! Mustangs are the greatest. My 4 “girls” all became gymkhana horses, which was quite a success story. In 2007, we moved to Leona Valley, Ca. (No. Los Angeles Co.) Bought a 10 acre horse breeding/boarding ranch and I still live there today. It was here I learned to raise chickens and sell organic brown and blue eggs. Besides the horses and chickens, the ranch had rabbits, goats, feral cats and a dog. I also made and sold apple butter, apricot and plum jam from the orchard trees.
Unexpectedly, I became a widow in 2009.
Always looking for new adventures, I became involved in Disaster Relief. I am a member of ‘CSBDRM’/California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministries: a non–profit group that voluntarily goes to help in any disaster for which they are called to deploy. There is a call out right now for Nepal and also upcoming to the Denver area. Last year I worked an “ash out” in Twisp, Wa. Very rewarding work, mostly for folks who have no homeowners insurance and truly need this help. I became FEMA certified as well as CERT trained, and continue to take any trainings that are beneficial to deployments.
For FUN, I enjoy traveling ie: camping, hiking (recently was in Moab, Utah at Arches), wine tasting, western dancing and so on— If there are any of you who would like to participate in any of the above adventures–let me know!
Besides Dale (Dusty), I stay in contact with Wanda Mason Lopez and Robbie Edney Jefferson.
As the song goes, “all my bags are packed and I’m ready to go”. Recently, I have had several SUPER phone conversations with our hard working reunion classmate Sandy Beatty!! What a delight. With all the hard work and efforts on the part of the reunion team, this should be a fantastic 50th!!
Until then, Happy Trails to you,
Tedi–(theo) Christensen
my email address is: sevenwildwomen@yahoo.com ph# 661 270-9533 — I would warmly welcome hearing from you!
oh yes–sevenwildwomen –hmmm-I was going to tell you, but maybe I will just wait and see if anyone asks!!