Memories from the 50s
CHARLIE
"LEFTY" GOODNOL, '50
From my "memory" file is that memory of Coach Rose
attempting to make a basketball player out of this rompin', stompin', 5 foot, 85 pounder
and then Coach Orlich just plain giving up. (Kidding!) Then, I get
"memory" flashes of the outstanding football teams and players like Mossi,
Morgan, Christian, etal…and the '50's Baseball Championship with Cereghino, Lunghi,
Findlay, etal.
Then, those "special" memories like getting passes from
Study Hall to make a "loop" at Lake Merced, sometimes packing for Lefty O'Doul
and picking up $5 and free tickets to Seal's Stadium.
Those good times with "Cece" Valverde, "BV"
Varni, "Porky" Galiano, "Big John" Matzek,"Babyface"
Willbanks, "Castoff" Hartje and after class it was off to the "Hall of
Balls". Wow! Great!
BEVERLY DENIKE FONTES, '56
Looking at
the arial photo of Jeff brought back a funny story. It wasn't at the time, but it is now.
Do you all remember when the school was so crowded they decided to have a few classes in a
building that was way behind the gym and off to the right? Siberia! We were told that we
were to stay on the paved road and not cut across the field to get to our classes. Not
being one to walk, nor a walker of speed, one day I decided that I would cut across and
who would care. (I saw others doing it more and more.) The boy's class was way over on the
other side of the field. I was almost across the field, when who comes running up to me
but Jim Rector. I was thinking he was calling me so we could chat! He was a good friend of
mine. He was also a Sergeant-at-arms. When he caught up to me I was on the paved road, not
the grass. AND he gave me a ticket, which meant I had to go to court.
(I didn't really mind and I was breaking the rules!)
I got to court and who was the judge? John Madden! He looked at
the ticket, which stated, "for disturbing the boy's gym class!"
John said in his stern judge-like voice, "What is this?"
Jim smiled and said, "She cut across the field."
I was found guilty and was given a sentence of a 'trillion' words
to look up in the dictionary and write out the definitions by such and such a date. (OK,
maybe it was a hundred.) I have no idea what would happen if I didn't do it. I would
rather have died than go to the principal's office--so I did it!
I almost forgot about Mr. Mongan. He was so nice, but tough when
he needed to be and I think that is why Jeff was so great. Where I lived, we had a gang of
punks. I remember when we started our freshman year and all these guys came in the front
door with their big hairdos. Mr. Mongan, marched them out the back door and
told them not to come back until they had their hair cut. They weren't real happy about
it, but they did as they were told. I wonder if they even have hair, today. Gee,
it's great to remember those days.
BOB GRUBB, '56
I
remember, "The Committee"-- Jim Honeywell, '56, and '55ers--Del Hamann, Dick
Hopman, Ken Smith and Kent Duncan. During our years at Jeff, we had a lot of fun and we
were forever playing practical jokes on one another.
One evening "the
Committee" met at Kent Duncan's house for one of our monthly dinners. After dinner, I
had to leave because I had a date with a girl from another high school. Since I hadn't
told them ahead of time, they decided to get even with me. While I was going to pick her
up, they called her and pretended to be my father. They told her that we were having some
family problems at home and he would appreciate her getting me home early from the date so
he could have a serious discussion with me. It was only after I took her home, early, and
found my "buddies" sitting in front of her house, that I figured out what had
happened and why the evening had been so strange.
CONNIE HENDRICK BARKER, '56
What I
remember most about Jeff begins with the bus ride along the winding coast road. This gave
me a chance to meet many students from different years whom I have remained friends with
over these many years.
My thoughts turn back to "THE
GYM" where I learned to do the "Bop", attended all of the rallies and did
those rainy day exercises and the swimming pool and those awful showers.
Then there was lunches in the
cafeteria and those paper airplanes that got stuck in the ceiling holes; the beautiful
front lawn which was a perfect place for a lunch break; study hall; band practice with Mr.
Runnells--marching at football games; walking across the field to Mr. Filice's math class
in "Siberia"; those special teachers--Mr. Hinkle, Mr. Lorenzato, Mr. Reese and
Mr. Rivera. AND then there was the last dance--the Senior Ball at the St. Francis Hotel.
JACKIE PIPPU STALL, '57
There are
good memories and bad memories of my years at Jeff. The worse thing that happened was in
my Senior Year when we had split sessions with the newly formed Westmoor. All of the
seniors ended up going to school in the afternoon--very bad planning.
The good memories are
many…turning your school ring around…sitting on the Senior Bench for the first
time…all the games, rallies and fun…our mascot, Judy McGuire, complaining that
the fog made her hair too curly, while most of us complained that it made ours too
straight.
CLASS OF 1957 -- TWENTY YEARS LATER 1977 |
|
|
