From a Distance

Queen of it All

Cloverdale has been educating students about 150 years.  Thousands of diplomas have been earned during this time and many of those graduates proceeded through life leaving a legacy.  The purpose of life is to create something that will outlast it—a legacy. The “North Star” for this recognition was well known to many Cloverdaleians in 1972, give or take 25 years.  Two of her “adopted sons,” Ed Bowen and Gary Mills, pooled their thoughts and the following is a collection of their memories:  She entered elementary school speaking only Italian.  Graduating valedictorian of her class of 1936, it is believed she earned the highest grade point average in the history of Cloverdale High School.  She excelled in most phases through elementary and high school.  She did most everything better than anyone.  Whatever she was involved in was better for it.  Those who worked for or with her adored her.  As a business owner she was the best.  Deeply spiritual but never wearing it on her sleeve, any clergy encountered at her restaurant would be a “no charge”.  She once created a huge celebration at her home to honor those home from military service or college.  In church and civic matters, people followed her lead like no other.  Rising like a full moon over the ocean from a child to the finish line, she inspired Cloverdale in some way for about seventy years.  Aldina Cuneo, better known as Dina Giovannetti, mother of Virginia, Leo, Paul, and Geri Giovannetti, wife of Joe Giovannetti, Jr. will live in the hearts of those who knew  her until our flame burns out.

Happy Mother’s Day, Dina!

Selecting the Best

Scanning the success journals for Cloverdale High School dating back to the beginning, 1893, selecting one male student who stands out as number one is difficult at best, therefore, a tie is the best that could be done.  Class of 1961’s John Allen and Dennis Parker were the best in just about every category that had a best.  Both played on the 1961 basketball team with a 19-0 record which became the first, and one of only two undefeated teams in the history of the Redwood Empire.  Anyone who knows of the other undefeated team wins two free throws with a ball blessed by legendary coach John McMillan.

John and Dennis both graduated from military academies where they achieved scholastic and athletic recognition.  They completed their military careers and have lead exemplary lives.  John resides in Washington state and Dennis resides in Healdsburg.

Top Rung

At least twenty “Pioneer Family” names dot the history books of Cloverdale.  Studying the paths of these prominent people, one family name is displayed on the top rung of the ladder of success.  Many names will forever be part of Cloverdale as streets, housing tracts, athletic fields, etc.  Our most disinguished family’s matriarch was mother of three boys and nurturer to hundreds of third graders between 1955 and 1975.  The patriarch inspired hundreds of Cloverdale’s youth through scouting, schools, church, etc. For about three decades.  The football field at Cloverdale high school is dedicated in his memory.  Their three sons are well remembered for their accomplishments scholastically, in sports, and scouting—each an Eagle Scout, performing brilliantly throughout life.  The parents have long passed yet Rob, Ken, and John continue to trailblaze.  We are honored to know the Maxine and John Allen family.

Archives

More on Golden Eagles

Cloverdale's first high school welcomed students in the fall of 1892 graduating their first class in June 1893.  Fifty years later, Jean Smith,Jessie Wood, Grace Wilcox, Oscar Tyler and Charles Cheeks became Cloverdale High's first brood of Golden Eagles.

It is believed by 1968 when this inaugural class reached the seventy-five year marker on the journey, all had set up shop in another realm.

Stealth

Our Class of 1965 has a match for the B-1 Stealth Bomber.  The search for classmates, parents, teachers, clergy, community leaders and anyone else connected to our class began in 2011.  No stone was left unturned, every bush was eyeballed, every possibility for a discovery was investigated.  We had our search air tight... Until Mrs. Wilkison pointed out Harold Peters lives a stone's throw from the First Street Bridge crossing.The Russian River -- almost in downtown Cloverdale.  What?!!  Class of 1967's Nancy Peters Yoast's and our Dave Peters' father has been at our doorstep for over 50 years. A second son, Steve, graduated from CHS in 1976 and reported to West Point in the Fall.

Mr. Peters purchased a ranch in the 1950s on South River Road and has been an active member of Cloverdale since.  Losing Mrs. Peters, his wife of 62 years, in 2008 has been the heartbreak of his life.  He drives to a coffee shop 'most every morning and mentions he is home by 9:00 AM so he can get on with his day.  In his "Plan for the Day"... he has a girlfriend -- seriously!!  At 96 he will be the most seasoned "Senior Golden Eagle" attending our event.  He is a highly decorated veteran of WWII and boasts about not being "hit" once.  It seems that those with "stealth" capabilities have that sort of good fortune.  Cloverdale High School has been waiting nearly 150 years to celebrate its first Centenarian graduate.  It is yet to happen.  Class of 1965 is betting on Mr. Peters' claiming that distinction.

Senior Golden Eagles

Eaglet Farmers

Our class of ’65 was blessed with a rainbow of mothers.  They sacrificed for us in many ways from an egg to a point where they could no longer hold and rock us.  Then it was our turn to hold and rock them—what an honor!  Geri and Paul Giovannetti earned a blue ribbon for getting their mother, Dina, to the finish line providing years of 24/7 in-home care.  Many of us have had or are having a turn at dealing with aging parents, hence the term “Eaglet Farmers”.  They grew us from a seed to “Golden Eagle” status in different ways.
The following appears on the class of 1965’s “Golden Pathway”, a 50-year history from 1922—1972.

cuhsclassof65.blogspot.com

Golden Eagle Status

We have reached the "South Pole" of our journey, that being twenty-five years of history between 1947, Class of 1965's birth year, and 1922.  The "North Pole" is twenty-five years in the opposite direction from 1947 to 1972.

This fifty-year block of time in the history of Cloverdale covers many aspects of the lives of all those who will become "Golden Eagles" on June 11, 2015.  Everyone who began first grade in 1953 and/or passed that major milestone on the road of life, high school graduation, in 1965 will earn an imaginary Golden Eagle feather to put in their imaginary headdress.

Congratulations and well done!

Cloverdale in the Early Days

Cloverdale was coming together as a town in the early 1860s.  Dr. Shipley of Cloverdale paints a picture covering six decades starting in the mid 1860s.

And So It Ends

Our journey covering fifty years, 1922-1972, is complete.  We’ve lived the best of times.  Nearly one hundred topics have been addressed and there are that many more which could be covered.  Time and space set boundaries.  Within the following pages, Froggie will demonstrate his Magic Twanger’s capabilities and cover some highlighted topics that were bypassed along the way.

Winging It

No Reveilles exist for 1922 or 1923.  So let's throw some water on a hot topic - fires. Like many things, fires accompany life. The five most spectacular blazes in Cloverdale's history are listed below:

The Grove

One of the best decisions ever made by Cloverdale was to purchase “The Grove” known today as “City Park.”  Parties of all kinds, Scout activities, countless baseball games, high school football games before 1960, and many other events are held at this location.

Spirited Sorts

Jane Leist and "Mother" Murray's relative Isabelle Murray lit up the scoreboard in 1924.  Both high performers in many ways, they returned to Cloverdale's classrooms as teachers.

Isabelle Murray became Mrs. Isabelle Nobles after high school.

Healdsburg to Cloverdale

Roaring 20s

Missing in Archives

The Roaring Twenties played out big time in Cloverdale.  The Class of 1927 has Old Homestead in their back yard -- Preston.  Buried in the dust and ashes of history, this magnificent structure provided a lot of jobs for Cloverdalians.

Year of the Banker

Pioneer Families

Some scoundrel absconded with all fifty-two issues of the Reveille for 1931.  By this year several family names had taken root and are present in Cloverdale today (2015).

Moonshine

No Reveilles exist for 1932.  Using 1932's space we will shine a bit of light on the Viet Nam of the 1920s, Prohibition.  This decade had a devastating effect on Cloverdale.  The period was a nationwide constitutional ban on the sale, production and transportation of alcoholic beverages that remained in place from 1920 to 1933.

Braccialini

For an entire century the Braccialini name has been a vertebra in the backbone of Cloverdale.  Class of '65 lucked out as we have Dan Braccialini on our roll call.  His relatives, Anne, Judy and Class of '33's Minnie did their name proud back in the day.  Dan has a calming effect on his surroundings.

No Doubt

No doubt who is Class of '65's unanimous choice for graduate of the year in '34.  Without Rollo Bandiera there would be no Ron.  Without Ron our class would be like a table with 3 1/2 legs.  Thanks Rollo, you bailed us out long before you got into politics -- Mayor of Cloverdale in the late '60s.  How's this for knowing the ropes? Jane Leist and Harley Groves were pulled from their jobs and sent to support the war. Rollo's dad shattered his ankle at the onset of grape season. Rollo was sent home from the war zone to fill in for his dad.

80 Years Later

Much has been said about the Class of '35's John Santana, but there's more. Eighty years after he graduated high school his legacy looms large in Cloverdale.  Three daughters Linda, Antoniette and Patty are lifelong residents of Cloverdale.  A son, Jerry, lives in Oregon.  Baseball has been paramount within the family for nearly a century but they have branded their legacy as outstanding athletes on football fields and bowling alleys as far East as St. Louis, Missouri where Mrs. Santana (John's wife) won the National Handicap tournament in 1969.  As impressive as all this is the asset more admirable than all the ribbons and trophies...they all have earned a citizenship award for being good people.

Life is Now in Session

The most remembered female teacher in the 125 year history of C.H.S., Miss Leist, was in the classroom in 1936 declaring "Life is Now in Session, Are You Present?"  She had a gift of inspiring students and encouraged them to perform up to their potential.

Thugs and Misfits (Continued)

Continued from previous post:

Thugs and Misfits

Articles from the Cloverdale Reveille

Continued in next post...

Lawman of the 20th Century

No Reveilles exist for 1937 so we'll fill in with a legend from that time frame.  The recipient of our Lawman of the Century recognition goes to police chief Jim Ledford.  Graduating with the C.H.S. Class of 1932, he followed a career in police work.

The following article is an account of how Chief Ledford took care of business.

8 from 8th Grade

The eighth grade class of 1938 had eight students with familiar names in our 1965 circle. Angeli, Giampoli, Imperiale Sumner "trust me" Lampson, Murray, Rege, and Vadon continue to have roots in Cloverdale on some level.  Anyone, and there are many in the first fifty years of the 20th century, with Murrany as a last name are related to our Class of '65's prize possession, Diane Mother Murray. Randy Imperiale and Charlie Fayter have direct ties to '38's members - you choose the eight names.

3 of a Kind

In 1939 Ron Bandiera was counting down…eight years until birth in 1947.  Wanting Ron to feel welcome, the Bandiera name was prominent in Cloverdale.  Emilia and Lena are aunts and and Mariana is a cousin.  Ron has continued to maintain the high standards of the Bandiera name over the past 67 years minus a few years in the early ‘60’s—ya, high school.  From this triangle, Emilia married Bob Bilbro.  Lena hitched her wagon to a De Marcantonio, and Ron's third and final aunt, Norma, married Bud Hixson and they are parents of Judy and Gary.  Cousin Mariana took the Zapponi name and created Mike, a member of our class who ditched us about sixth grade.  He has processed what he did @ 55 years ago and we’re all but positive he’ll show the 27th and repent.

Class of '40

In the first half of the 20th Century basketball and baseball dominated the sports scene.  Football was in the future.  Many of the standout athletes have familiar names.  Ray Zittleman and Bill Potter lost their lives while flying bombing missions over Europe.  Marie Vadon is in our Class of '65 circle.  She is Jim Vadon's sister, aunt of Tim Vadon, married to Kathy Greppi and here's the connection--sister of Charlie Wright Greppi.  Whew! Enough of this. :-)

P.S. Marie's mind is as capable today as it was when she held high honors on the high school basketball court.  She is recognized as Cloverdale's premier historian.

Last "Normal" Graduation

1941's graduation was to be followed by year's end by the onset of WWII.  Occurring six years before Class of '65 hit the street in 1947, several '41 graduates are connected to our class.

Henry Parker is the uncle of Dennis, Cheryl and Penny Parker - none Class of '65 but close enough to mention. Charles Burgans - Charlie Wright Greppi's uncle.  Margaret Burgans, Charlie's aunt.  Betty Jean Caldwell has direct ties to us through Charlie.  Her daughter-in-law is Kathy Greppi Vadon, wife of Tim Vadon and sister of Charlie.Cuneo lines up with Giovannetti.  Henry is doing well and lives in the Yuba City area.

All others have passed.

Santanas

Harley Groves

Harley, the Phantom of the Forest, came from the Bull Elephant side of town.  He had a way of teaching us juveniles high standards while keeping the rowdies in line.  He shaped many of us into future leaders mainly through Boy Scouts.  It is said good teachers train people. Great teachers train leaders.  Great job, Harley.  Now, what's your take on the bucks at the Lockhorn?  He will be there the 27th along with our Spirit Club.

Legendary Teacher

Gains and Losses

Cloverdale beat its chest all of 1947, the hot item was the arrival of several members of the Class of '65. Born there, graduated there, and experiencing life after sixty-six there.

Another hot item from 1947 -- the loss of the U.S. Hotel in the most devastating fire in Cloverdale's history. How's this for Karma? The business currently occupying the space where the hotel stood -- The Lockhorn!! Is it possible Julie and Marc were planning our 50th Reunion before they were one?  Refer to "Born to Party".

Life During the War

Life during the war was greatly altered. Supporting the war effort was paramount as our nation was in a fight for its life. Materials, fuel, food, and most everything was limited. Our nation strove to keep as much as possible at pre-war levels.

Ray Zittleman

70 Years

Coxswain Quinliven

Dennis attended Cloverdale High his junior year and most of the senior year.  Classmate Marie Vadon Hill remembers him well.  She remembers him as handsome, athletic, and friendly.  The nation was shocked by the onset of WWII and Dennis was on the leading edge of countless courageous, patriotic, Americans who put their life on the line for their country.  Dennis is acknowledged on the American Legion’s Plaque at the Vets Building, the base of the flag pole at City Hall, and the soon to be dedicated Veterans Memorial at the Cloverdale Cemetery.

Four of Our Best

Cloverdale lost four of its best in WWII.  The following is a tribute to each for their sacrifice.

Bill Potter

Locals

Ron Bandiera, Dan Braccialini, George Cavagnaro, Nikki Ferrari, Mark Haehl, Randy Imperiale, Diane Murray, Julie Peters, Steve Rebottaro and Charlie Fayter had dads or relatives directly involved in the war effort.

The War

About Face

We have recounted our life’s memories with regard to the Class of 1965 from our starting point, 1947.  The journey has covered highlights to 1972.  Rewinding to 1947, we will explore twenty five years before we were a gleam in one or both of our parents’ eyes.  That’s a total of fifty years of history.  Mr.  McMillan and Mr. Pawlan are proud we are so into history.

Returning to 1947 and looking south towards 1900. There is a lot of the past that went into shaping members of our class before we were born.  Ron Bandiera, Marc Black, Dan Braccialini, Paul Giovannetti, and Dave Peters followed their relatives and developed careers in and around agriculture.  Talbert Petersen, Ken Little, Merle Reuser, and Craig Rose followed in their dads’ footsteps and worked their way through life in the construction or timber industry.

1946 saw Cloverdale begin the healing process after a four year grueling war which directly involved just about every able bodied American.  It was a time to regroup and resume the baby making process which had been put on hold for four years for most families.

Long Term Friendships

Travel and Adventure

High School Sweethearts

Conflict Over Conflict

The conflict in Vietnam intensified throughout the ‘60s and more of our high school graduates were called upon to deal with the situation.  Tensions within America grew to an all time high.  Our class was well represented with at least three Marines, four Air Force, six Army, and thirteen Navy.  It is believed the Navy had something to do with using Diane Renay’s hit song “Navy Blue” being released as a recruiting tool.  Sneaky, but it appears to have worked.

Sadly, one of our Eagles represents our Class of ’65 on “The Wall” located in Washington D.C.  Steve Weigt owns a space there.  Honorary Class of ’65 member Duane Baumgardner is remembered there too.  There is a smaller replica of the Washington Wall in Pensacola, Florida and a traveling wall that has been viewed in all corners of America.

In addition, Steve and Duane are remembered at the Veteran’s Section at Cloverdale’s Cemetery.  City Hall in Santa Rosa shows their names as does a monument on the Sonoma State College Campus.  All can be seen 24/7.  Both Steve and Duane will be remembered forever.

By the end of 1969 most military had paid their dues and returned to civilian life and thinking about our 50th Reunion, Right?  Arnold Mendoza and Roger Fonnest chose a career in the military.  That wandering nomad Merle Reuser found a recruiting office in 1971 and joined the Navy.  He spent his time slamming airplanes on the decks of aircraft carriers and into other aircraft.

The Vietnam War ended in the early ‘70s leaving wounds and scars that exist in many today.  Fortunately most of our class has lead successful lives and are enjoying our grandchildren and retirement.

The Aftermath

It’s early morning June 12th and the voice in the sky is reminding us “Life is now in session, are you present?”  Life is predictable in that it always moves on, with or without you.  We are high school graduates, a major milestone.  At this point, being adults, we chose our course.  By the final day of 1965, thanks to Vietnam, our class had scattered like a covey of quail around the planet.  Steve Weigt, Arnold Mendoza, Roger Fonnest, Frank Anglesy, Dave Belford, Marc Black, Ed Bowen, George Cavagnaro, Dennis Dalbec, Frankie, Butch Giocolini, Paul Giovannetti, Ron Goodman, Earl Hall, Gordon Langevin, John Love, Bill Mix, Curt Moore, Carl Murphy, Ron Petersen, Stan Pickle, Greg Reeder, Merle Reuser, Roy Richardson, Craig Rose, Danny Wallis, Roger Watts, Bearcat Don Wright, and others were our representatives in this global migration.

Pursuing higher education, Deloris Andrini, Dan Braccialini, Connie Erickson, Bill Frederick, Nancy Foster, Paul Giovannetti, John Greenhalgh, Christina Grist, Audrey Haczela, Mark Haehl, John Porter, Merle Reuser, Bill Walton, Dennis Wilkison, Larry Wolfe, and others supported college campus bookstores for years.  Others like Ted Emmel, Ken Little, and Gary Young began careers.  Ted’s span over 40 years at M.G.M. Brakes in Cloverdale, his tenure was surpassed by our Class of ‘65’s John Love.  Sadly Ken’s clock stopped at 5:45 AM one October morning in 1970.  A logging truck he drove for H.O. Sharp left the roadway and Ken was called home.  Gary Young met a similar fate over ten years later.  Gary’s big rig left the roadway at The Geysers and when the dust had settled, Gary had checked out.

By Dec. of ’65 our entire class was on their way working through life after high school.

The Finish Line

Time has marched on and we find ourselves nugged into Graduation Day and we see our official Finish Line Scribe on the 11th. It was like passing the twenty-six mile marker on a 26.2 mile marathon, which Merle has done nine times. The days leading up to Graduation are spent in a euphoric state. Spectators will be distributed within days and the school picnic at the City Park springs us from school an entire day. As life would have it, we are looking at each other in cap and gowns and the lights on the football field are about to brighten as we enter the next chapter in the book of life and continue our journey. We begin to understand the saying "It's not the destination but the journey that makes life exciting". So true - the excitement is in earning a diploma, not so much owning one. Well done Class of  '65, have a successful half century and we'll see you at the Lockhorn on June 27th, 2015.

That's Planning!

School Picnic

One of the top ten events of each school year is the School Picnic.  One entire day of the last week of school the student body gathers at the City Park.  It was a time to reflect knowing that each of us had achieved the next level.  Freshmen were no longer doormats.  Sophomores had moved to a respectable Junior status.  Juniors had elevated themselves to that level where they expected underclassmen to visualize words like monarch, royalty, sovereign, and regal when in the presence of a Senior.  Like Mr. “C” and his baton, we owned a scepter.  For proof check out our yearbook’s page 85 showing our high school band in the Citrus Fair Parade.  That is Bill Fredericks leading the talent. Check out the upper right corner.

Games like three legged races and tug-o-war created competition between classes.  We won the tug-o-war as Seniors no sweat but as Juniors we had bigger stronger jerks on our side of the rope and humbled the Seniors.  Charlie Greppi, Charlie Fayter, Ted Emmel, Ron Petersen, Stephan Longo and Ken Little will forever be disliked by those Seniors from the Class of ’64.

It was a day where massive amounts of ink were transferred to the pages of our yearbooks.  That ink is still there and it is interesting how what was written fifty years ago has played out.  Many of us will bring our Spectators June 27th knowing the second week of June, 1965 that we had until the fourth week of June 2015 before we could fill up more pages recounting events of the past five decades.

Spectator

On the “top 25 most prized possessions” list in our lives for many are our high school yearbooks.  This publication provides a summary of most of our school year, featuring highlights of the past eight months.  Containing academy award winning photos of the seniors and mug shots of the rest of the student body, “the book” also covered events of the year A to Z.  Taking possession of a Spectator is a parallel to taking a one lap to go flag at the Indy 500.  We know school is all but over.  Many of us excitedly have dozens of our classmates write something nice about us and we in turn sugar coat our true thoughts about them.  Was that nice?

Nearing one of the paramount happenings in our lives, our 50th High School Reunion, it is a good time to review our 1964-1965 school yearbook in preparation for our gathering north of the stoplight.

Parents

Growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s in Cloverdale was about as good as it gets.  It was a time when schools, Little League, Blue Birds, Scouts, Brownies, Campfire Girls, churches, Citrus Fair, and other groups pulled together.  Parents were parents more so than ever.  We had the best from “Woman of the Year” for California, Mrs. Greenhalgh to every parent who helped make it happen. Mothers sacrifice so much in the parenting process many of the sacrifices going unacknowledged.  Fathers guided our youth on many fronts - spirituality, Scouts and school projects, to name a few. This unique period in our history saw Cloverdale working as a TEAM Together Everyone Achieves More.  No fathers of our classmates are with us.  However, Mrs. Cavagnaro, Mrs. Farrell, Mrs. Frederick, Mrs. Murray, and Mrs. Haehl are with us but have advanced medical issues. Mrs. Reeder, Mrs. Bogner and Mrs. Wilkison are delightfully spry and if we are real nice, they may “Book Us” for June 27th at the downtown chow hall.  Currently known as La Hacienda.  We were so fortunate to have old school parents.  Words cannot express our gratitude for their sacrifices that have played out in some way for nearly seven decades.

Cars

Late Spring Has Sprung

May- Three letters that mean the hunt is over and we have all bagged an education — agreed just because diplomas all look alike, the amount of education they represent varies widely.  For some the bar was positioned so an ant would squeeze under, others soared with the eagles. By May it is safe to say NONE of us are rabid to capture any morsel of knowledge put before us, which was sooooo characteristic of our class.  Well, some of our class?  All eleven or twelve previous Mays, we knew we’d be back in three months and resume where we left off.  May of ’65 was different. None of us will return to the ole watering hole known as high school in September. Every one of us chooses our path at this point.  Teri Williams and Alice Yip disappeared into the world never to be seen again.  Others felt Cloverdale is as good as it gets so why look at the city limit sign in the rear view mirror?  Frankie, Jeanie Farrell Barnet, Ted Emmel, and Nikki Ferrari Johnson chose this option.

Senior Trip

Events in our lives that occur once are rare. Sixteenth and twenty-first birthdays, first child, Golden Wedding Anniversaries, and Senior Trips fall in this category. Most any appropriate destinations where a 5:00 AM Saturday departure and 9:00 PM Sunday arrival in Cloverdale is doable is fair game. Inspired by Annette and Frankie's Beach Party movies, the Beach Boys, and Marc Black's beach buggy, our class chose Asilomar. At that time Annette was probably the most envied and admired woman in America. Most every girl wanted to be her best friend, and every guy wanted to marry her. Nine daring adults boarded a bus with nearly forty of our country's future leaders and vanished into the sunrise. Everyone experienced one of the most memorable events of our last year of high school. Being the forward thinkers we were as a class, several of us intended to create memories we would rerun at our Fiftieth Reunion on June 27th at the Lockhorn.  How's that for Vision?

Senioritis

As April shows on the calendar, Senioritis has become epidemic in our class. This is a rare condition in that teachers encourage the students to experience by doing things like kicking us out of Study Hall. We know we have them over a barrel. This is one time in our life we really pay no consequences for copping an attitude. If they flunk us, they look real bad. So, within limits, we are pretty much home free and many of us played that card to the max. The following baby photos of classmates are survivors of Senioritis, inspired by knowing class would be in session at two o'clock, June 27th at the Lockhorn with no instructors. We choose the current event of the moment.

P.S. Nancy Foster Colter was born with Senioritis. She could so derail Mr. Pawlan - thanks, Nancy. Countless topics were discussed in class that you brought up. We need to re-create those episodes. Stephan Longo could be Mr. Pawlan and who else but the REAL Nancy play herself.

March Memories

The windy, rainy days of Winter are fading and sunshine, lollypops and rainbows take their place. Spring is arriving, signaled by daffodils smiling at us from all directions. St. Patrick's Day was always "a hoot". Most everyone wants to be a Leprechaun for a day at some point in their life. Reality is wearing on many - just ninety days and we have a diploma and are all grown up. Then what? In the meantime, most of us are children by law so why change course? Conditions by March are such that we can resume activities that had taken a rest... Like racing our beach buggies. Our class owned three of these pieces of ... art. Marc Black, Belford & Rebottaro, and Blackmon & Reuser owned the pink slips on these champions. Every race they participated in our senior year they always placed in the top three. The machines are probably somewhere in China's metal wholesalers possession, but we are working on Marc, Dave and Merle to take the Green Flag in a fifty yard footrace on Main Street Cloverdale.

Postage Scale