241026 - ..
241027 - As we entered the dining room, really amazed by the turnout this
241028 - evening. Looked like over 200 people came from near and far to
241029 - celebrate our time at Cupertino High School 50 years ago. This
241030 - reflects hard work by the reunion committee planning and coordinating.
241031 - Alexa Heffernan was thorough and helpful communicating with former
241032 - classmates.
241034 - ..
241035 - Saw Rob and Joyce in the throng of people. Asked Rob about walking
241036 - the grounds outside to remember our home located here 50 years ago,
241037 - and as Rob suggested in a call this morning, reported in another
241038 - record on 130928 1017. ref SDS 17 Y25H Rob said that he and Joyce
241039 - arrived earlier, and so had already walked the grounds.
241041 - ..
241042 - Rob is terrific with people, seems to remember everyone. Because he
241043 - taught for awhile, first at Cupertino and later at Homestead, Rob
241044 - brings a broader perspective to share our high school experience. I
241045 - couldn't remember anyone. Dennis Watenabbe though remembered
241046 - attending Collins elementary with Rob and me in the 3rd grade. His
241047 - reminder brought back memories of doing homework together in the
241048 - cafeteria, and on the bus riding home from school. Boy, that was a
241049 - long time ago, when we lived at Grandmother's house on Seagull Way in
241050 - Saratoga.
241052 - ..
241053 - Found Bill Lyon, who is the emcee tonight. Asked about saying a few
241054 - words to the group during the proceedings? Bill said the program is
241055 - already set and the schedule is tight, so adding another speaker won't
241056 - be possible. Asked Bill to consult with reunion committee colleagues
241057 - about fitting in just 1 minute, holding up an index finger. Bill
241058 - smiled and said he will ask.
241060 - ..
241061 - As usual for social occasions, drinks of various kinds were available
241062 - - beer, wine, liquor, soft drinks. Made a combination of lemonade and
241063 - Sprite, although it tasted odd.
241065 - ..
241066 - Said hello to Fred Keep, who was a terrific baseball player during our
241067 - time at CHS. He's still in great shape today, ready to hit another
241068 - home run.
241070 - ..
241071 - Visited with Lauren Madsen.
241072 -
241073 - 
241075 - ..
241076 - Lauren has, I think, a twin brother, who was also in our class.
241077 - Everyone knew of their mother, who for many, many years, and long
241078 - after we graduted in 1963, was a booster and strong supporter of
241079 - activities at Cupertino High School, much like Richard Popejoy did
241080 - years after he graduated, and became a dentist and commuity leader.
241082 - ..
241083 - Lauren remembered Richard. I explained Richard wanted to attend this
241084 - evening, as discussed in the letter to Alexa on 130817 2202.
241085 - ref SDS 10 KT59 Richard, like Lauren's mom, was involved at CHS for
241086 - over 20 years after graduating in 1964, including coaching the
241087 - wrestling team and providing financial assistance in various ways to
241088 - the school and helping students, all while continuing his dental
241089 - practice. Unfortunately, ill health prevented Richard from being with
241090 - us this evening.
241091 -
241092 - [On 150611 1328 Suon Cheng, former CHS student who wrestled
241093 - under Richard's coaching during the 1980s, and comments on
241094 - this record for CHS class of 1963 50th reunion. ref SDS 35
241095 - FW51
241097 - ..
241098 - Appreciated being remembered by former classmates. Several people
241099 - related in separate discussions that our senior year I was involved in
241100 - a brief scuffle at a carnival, which came to town for a week or so
241101 - every year, and set up shop in what was then a big vacant field
241102 - between the school grounds and Stevens Creek road.
241103 -
241104 - 
241106 - ..
241107 - My own faded recollection is that Joe Anderson and I and another
241108 - friend, probably Grant Allen, even though he gratudated the year
241109 - before, were walking across the field. Out of the blue, someone, who
241110 - was disoriented with alcohol, yelled at me with loud, abusive
241111 - language, angry about nothing in particular. He walked up and took a
241112 - swing. I ducked, and he fell to the ground; or, I may have thrown
241113 - him, not sure at this remove. A small gathering had formed a circle,
241114 - but the matter ended there. I helped the person up, and we three
241115 - continued into the carnival. Never knew who the attacker was, nor
241116 - what happened to him. Until today, I was not aware anyone took
241117 - notice, but somehow it has become part of the Welch lore from 50 years
241118 - ago.
241120 - ..
241121 - Visited with Alexa to thank her again for leading the reunion
241122 - committee, and communicating with all of us this past year, following
241123 - up the letter on 130924 1713. ref SDS 14 DD9H Alexa seemed very
241124 - pleased that so many people could be located, and then travel from
241125 - afar to make this a truly memorable 50th reunion. Kathy took a
241126 - picture.
241128 - ..
241129 - 
241131 - ..
241132 - Jeanie Fiester said hello. Commended her and others on the reunion
241133 - committee for pulling this event together. Asked Jeanie if she
241134 - remembered Albert, and whether he is at the reunion. Jeanie mentioned
241135 - Albert's last name, which I have forgotten, if I ever knew. She said
241136 - that Albert could not be located to invite.
241138 - ..
241139 - Bill eventually announced that dinner would start in 15 minutes or so,
241140 - and asked people to start being seated.
241142 - ..
241143 - Discussed with Bill again about speaking to the group? (see above,
241144 - ref SDS 0 W369). Bill smiled and said this was approved. He will
241145 - work me into the program somehow.
241147 - ..
241148 - Kathy and I sat with Rob and Joyce. Had an interesting discussion on
241149 - education with a woman across the table. She is married to a former
241150 - classmate, and is now retired after teaching English in junior high
241151 - school, commonly called "middle school" these days. She seemed to
241152 - indicate few teachers actually help students discover the power of
241153 - editing to rearrange text into writing that is clear, concise and
241154 - complete. Took a chance and discussed the thoery of "thinking through
241155 - writing." (POIMS, ref OF 1 3742).
241157 - ..
241158 - Thanked Joyce for getting out of the tennis tournament in Carmel
241159 - today, so that she and Rob can attend the reunion this evening. Joyce
241160 - smiled and said it was not a difficult sell. Rob really wanted to
241161 - come, but felt obligated to support their tennis club. Recent injury
241162 - was just enough to seal the deal, so that Rob and Joyce could come
241163 - tonight, following up discussion last night at the Home Coming
241164 - football game on 130927 1300. ref SDS 16 UN7F
241166 - ..
241167 - At our table, Rob was seated next to a classmate, who had a successful
241168 - real estate development business for many years in Cupertino. I think
241169 - this was Glenn Proctor, listed in the program biography as a
241170 - design/build contractor. Could not participate in their discussion,
241171 - but sounded like Glenn was part of the great "crop rotation" that
241172 - swept through Cupertino and the entire Bay Area, the past 50 years.
241173 - Farmers plowed under fruit trees, strawberries, cabbages and turnips,
241174 - and planted houses, offices and malls for the massive growth of
241175 - technology in what is now called "Silicon Valley." We were very lucky
241176 - to be the cutting edge generation for this economic tsunami.
241178 - ..
241179 - An example is the baseball field constructed for Cupertino Junior High
241180 - in 1956. Our first year in the 7th grade, kids hit home runs that
241181 - landed over the left field fence into an orchard. By the 9th grade,
241182 - we were at Cupertino high school, but still played Babe Ruth games at
241183 - the junior high. That year, a very tall elevated fence was added in
241184 - left field, to keep home runs from leaving the park and hitting new
241185 - houses that had replaced the orchard. It was great fun to
241186 - occasionally see a home run clear the elevated fence, but probably not
241187 - for the insurance companies.
241189 - ..
241190 - Bill made announcements on the evening program, and then gave
241191 - instructions for guests to go through the buffet line in an orderly
241192 - manner, starting with the first third, then the middle, and finally
241193 - the 3rd side of the room.
241195 - ..
241196 - During dinner, Kathy got up to refill her drink. I asked her to also
241197 - get another combination of lemonade and Sprite, per above. ref SDS 0
241198 - 666O She returned and said, "There are no softdrinks, so she just
241199 - brought lemonade."
241201 - ..
241202 - I said, "Oh no! That's not correct."
241204 - ..
241205 - I walked to the table across the room where drinks were provided by
241206 - serving staff. All the servers were assisting guests at the dinner
241207 - buffet line, but I found more cans of Sprite. Took one back to our
241208 - table, and showed Kathy, saying "These are in plain sight!" I asked
241209 - how she missed them? Kathy said, "Rod, check the label - it says
241210 - Light Beer!" And, so it did. This solved the mystery why the first
241211 - drink had such an "odd" taste. ref SDS 0 666O It was a first for me
241212 - having lemonade with beer, and immediately reminded of Millie's son,
241213 - Steve, having Cherrios with beer for breakfast at the cabin in about
241214 - 1990, because we were out of milk. Today, milk is not an issue, but
241215 - why mix beer with lemonade?
241217 - ..
241218 - Turned out the Budwiser Light Beer can looks similar to Sprite,
241219 - especially for the preoccupied mind, emblematic of how little mistakes
241220 - occur and often go unnoticed for quite awhile, then explode into
241221 - disaster, noted by Aristotle in 400 BC. ref OF 2 4564 Fortunately,
241222 - this evening not many people are having problems combining lemonade
241223 - with softdrinks. Interestingly, Reuters defined "recession" as "Too
241224 - many people having too many problems," reported on 001207 1459.
241225 - ref SDS 6 V54M
241226 -
241227 - [On 131108 0910 Kathy Seymour Silva, with the reunion
241228 - committee liked the story on mixing beer and lemonade.
241229 - ref SDS 24 VR84
241231 - ..
241232 - About this time, Rob was commenting to Glenn that his travels around
241233 - the country indicate California, and especially the Bay Area, has
241234 - substantialy recovered economic vitality following the recent
241235 - recession that hit about 2007. However, much of the rest of the
241236 - country still suffers. Apple Computer, now one of the most innovative
241237 - and profitable enterprises in the world just happens to have their
241238 - world headquarters located in Cupertino, and on land which 50 years
241239 - ago was a strawberry patch between Garden Gate and Highway 9. Rob and
241240 - I used to walk through and swipe strawberries during the harvest
241241 - season, while walking to school at Collins on the other side of
241242 - Highway 9. Blessings of economic resurgence in Silicon Valley are due
241243 - in large part to this "crop rotation" switching from Strawberries to
241244 - Apple iPads, which at the moment are in full bloom for the current
241245 - fashion of high tech.
241247 - ..
241248 - During dinner, Jeanie Fiester made the rounds saying hello and
241249 - stopping to talk at various tables. She knelt and spoke with me again
241250 - briefly, comenting that Mr Hill, the former head football coach,
241251 - during our time, Mr DeSelms a counselor, and Ms Tedesco, who taught
241252 - business classes are the only members of the administration from 1963,
241253 - with us this evening, and now in their late 80s and early 90s.
241254 -
241255 - [On 140803 0936 letter to CHS Runion Committee inviting
241256 - Lex, Diana, etc, to join us for lunch in October, when Bill
241257 - Lyon travels to California, ref SDS 31 CF5M, and mention
241258 - Jeannie's cogent suggestion to thank Ms Tedesco who
241259 - attended the 50th Reunion dinner for Class of 1963.
241260 - ref SDS 31 ZF76
241262 - ..
241263 - I mentioned good fortune long ago that Mr Pittman encouraged me to
241264 - take typing the final semester of our senior year, and this wound up
241265 - having a major influence the rest of my life. Jeanie said that Ms
241266 - Tedesco was the only typing teacher we had, so she must have been my
241267 - teacher. She suggested telling Ms Tedesco this story personnally.
241269 - ..
241270 - So, I did. Walked to her table. Placed my hands gently on Ms
241271 - Tedesco's shoulders, leaned over and introduced myself. It was quite
241272 - a treat to thank Ms Tedesco for helping a student 50 years ago begin
241273 - developing skills for a lifetime constructing ideas and formulating
241274 - meaningful narrative, now possible with the marriage of typing and
241275 - high technology, in the same way that anthropologists explain synergy
241276 - between human hands and the brain contributes to the growth of
241277 - intelligence that enables slow, weak creatures to dominate existence,
241278 - cited in the record on 990121 1302. ref SDS 5 CO6I
241280 - ..
241281 - [...below on 130928 1800 Diana Plapp's cogent and
241282 - compelling "remencement" cites Ms Tedesco teaching typing
241283 - and shorthand class. ref SDS 0 WL96
241285 - ..
241286 - Ms Tedesco reached back and placed her hand on mine still on her
241287 - shoulder. She smiled and said "Thank you, Rod," with tears in her
241288 - eyes on hearing that her work performed half-a-century ago continues
241289 - to influence the life of a former student.
241290 -
241291 - [...below on 130928 1800 expanded on the story of Mr
241292 - Pittman recommending to a senior taking Ms Tedesco's typing
241293 - class, and how this provided critical skills for a
241294 - lifetime. ref SDS 0 LH6L
241296 - ..
241297 - Noticably absent this evening were any members of the current
241298 - administration. I visited the high school yesterday, to meet the
241299 - principal. Kami was in a meeting, and could not take time to chat for
241300 - a moment, reported on 130927 1300. ref SDS 16 TM89 Hoped she, and a
241301 - few other "leading lights" would attend the reunion dinner this
241302 - evening for guidance and encouragement preparing future citizens to
241303 - take their place advancing community, the nation, and the world over
241304 - the next half century. Clearly, "continual learning" presents
241305 - challenges even for educators, who often preach eternal verities.
241307 - ..
241308 - Bill Lyon was at the top of his game as emcee - entertaining,
241309 - efficient, and helpful guiding the evening's events, just like at
241310 - school 50 years ago. During the proceedings, someone yelled out, "Hey
241311 - Bill, we need you for governor." Everyone clapped. Someone else
241312 - said - "President!"
241314 - ..
241315 - Appreciated that Rob and I were mentioned generously in various ways
241316 - this evening. Rob was the outstanding athlete for our graduating
241317 - class, and a top academic student. He excelled in football,
241318 - wrestling, and track. I think he set the State pole vault record our
241319 - senior year. Over four years, Rob set high marks for all of us to do
241320 - our best.
241322 - ..
241323 - Yesterday, at the Home Coming game, when the football coach threw
241324 - passes with me on the field, I thanked him for taking a moment. He
241325 - thanked me for the opportunity to throw with a "legend," reported
241326 - 130927 1300, ref SDS 16 3E4J This is Richard Popejoy's work over the
241327 - years being "keeper of the flame" at CHS for Welch. In any case, felt
241328 - responsibility to contribute in a small way to proceedings this
241329 - evening, and thereby redeem faith that has lingered from past glories.
241330 -
241331 -
241332 -
2414 -
SUBJECTS
Keynote Speaker Diana Plapp Lyster Star Performance Cupertino High S
2903 -
290401 - ..
290402 - Diana Star Speaker for Cupertino High School Class of 1963
290403 - Cultural Divide of 20th Century Launched 1945 Baby Boomers Arrive
290404 -
290405 - Diana Plapp (Lyster) was the star of the evening, the same beautiful,
290406 - kind lady who greeted Kathy and me on arrival, above. ref SDS 0 Y25H
290407 - Bill introduced Diana, who had donned traditional graduation cap and
290408 - gown. She offered remarks explaining how civilization advanced over
290409 - the past 70 years, redeeming goals and aspirations presented in the
290410 - commencement speech on graduating from Cupertino High School in
290411 - 1963...
290412 -
290413 - 1. High School 1963 Cupertino Fiftieth Class Reunion
290415 - ..
290416 - 2. By Diana A Lyster (Plapp)
290417 - September 27 - 29, 2013
290419 - ..
290420 - 3. To the graduates of the class of 1963 of Cupertino High School
290421 -
290422 - [On 131008 1937 received letter from Diana submitting
290423 - "remencment." ref SDS 19 SW6J
290424 -
290425 - [On 131106 1103 notify Diana results CHS 50th reunion,
290426 - invite feedback. ref SDS 20 248M
290436 - ..
290437 - [On 140601 1131 Richard read the report on the CHS reunion
290438 - class of 1963, which was held last September 28, 2013; he
290439 - wants to invite Diana to make a presentaion for the reunion
290440 - this year for class of 1964. ref SDS 30 CZ3F
290442 - ..
290443 - [On 140803 0936 letter to Reunion Committed notifies Diana
290444 - Plapp Lyster that Richard has discussed asking Diana to
290445 - deliver her remarkable "rememcement" for the Reunion Class
290446 - of 1964, later this year in September. ref SDS 32 ZF8U
290448 - ..
290449 - 4. There were hot summer nights in 1944, and although this was
290450 - well before the "make love not war" declaration of the 60s, our
290451 - parents were making whoopee and the result was the beginning of
290452 - the biggest boom since the Gold Rush - the Baby Boom and we
290453 - were the Baby Boomers, the 45ers and we would cut a memorable
290454 - swath through culture.
290456 - ..
290457 - 5. After WWII, the sound of hammers rang throughout Santa Clara
290458 - Valley as homes and schools were built to accommodate us.
290459 - Slowly the orchards were removed for these new developments and
290460 - the black fertile earth was paved over with streets and
290461 - playgrounds. By 1963 the average cost of a new home would be
290462 - $12,650. The average income was $5,800. We were the Kings and
290463 - Queens for a day and we would rule from then on.
290465 - ..
290466 - Diana's focus on the class of 1963, being born at a special time in
290467 - history, at the end of World War II in 1945, is striking. Our parents
290468 - not only experienced the trauma and triumph of war, they defeated the
290469 - worst depression in many centuries. Momentum, skills and confidence
290470 - overcoming adversity transformed wartime inventions of necessity for
290471 - survival into peacetime development of housing, schools, factories,
290472 - and the rise of social conscience that energized community service for
290473 - millions of baby boomers, noted by Diana. Inventions of the digital
290474 - computer, plastics, neuclear energy, pharmecuticals, jet engines,
290475 - transistors, and many, many more layed the foundation for their
290476 - children to advance civilization over the next half century.
290478 - ..
290479 - Vanevar Bush's article "As We May Think," published in Atlantic
290480 - Monthly July, 1945, set a vision to leverage human thought with
290481 - digital computer technology, reported on 960304 1904, ref SDS 1 L47F,
290482 - following completion of the ENIAC computer by the US Army to aid the
290483 - war effort, reported in NWO. ref OF 3 705H
290485 - ..
290486 - Diana continues...
290487 -
290488 - 6. We were first to be vaccinated for polio, to ride in the
290489 - family's new station wagon. We had our haircut on Saturday.
290490 - Sunday was family day and stores were closed. We carried
290491 - metal lunch boxes to school filled with peanut butter and jelly
290492 - sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper, oranges and Hostess
290493 - Twinkies. Lunch at the school cafeteria cost 15 cents and we
290494 - were served canned spaghetti, canned spinach and canned fruit
290495 - cocktail. Santa Clara Valley was a fruit canning capital.
290497 - ..
290498 - Do kids still get vaccinated in school? We were very, very lucky to
290499 - get preventitive, comprehensive care through the school system.
290501 - ..
290502 - I rememeber at Collins elementary, on Friday's the cafateria served
290503 - fish sticks with tarter sauce. Never knew why for many years, but
290504 - really liked having lunch in the cafeteria on Friday's, when mom could
290505 - spare 25 cents.
290507 - ..
290508 - Earlier in about 1953, we moved from El Monte near Los Angeles, to
290509 - Sunnyvale off of Fair Oaks. Our house was in a development that was
290510 - formerly a pear orchard. There were 4 - 6 pear trees in the back
290511 - yard, and 2 in the front. Since we couldn't possibly eat all those
290512 - pears, my job was to rake up the spoiled pears that fell to the
290513 - ground, and throw them in the garbage or something. Seemed like this
290514 - went on forever to an 8-year old. Still hate pears to this day,
290515 - probably from the smell of spoiling pears.
290517 - ..
290518 - A few blocks away, was a cherry orchard. In another direction
290519 - apricots and peaches were growing. Down the street across the
290520 - railroad tracks was Libby Canning factory. This seemed like a huge,
290521 - fascinating place on the way walking to school, with continual truck
290522 - loads of fruit arriving around the clock during harvest season. On
290523 - weekends, us kids were given a quarter to go to the movies. We walked
290524 - along the railroad tracks about a half-mile into downtown Sunnyvale.
290525 - We could see 3 movies at the theater for a quarter, and get a hot dog,
290526 - coke and popcorn to split among us for another quarter. If a train
290527 - came along during our treks into town, we put rocks on the tracks,
290528 - just to watch them smashed into dust. Sometimes we might put a penny
290529 - or nickle to see them flattened. Couldn't afford to experiment with
290530 - dimes and quarters, much less 50 cent coins.
290531 -
290532 -
290533 -
290534 -
290535 -
2906 -
SUBJECTS
Baby Boomers Survived with Freedom to Work Play Explore Discover Cup
3603 -
360401 - ..
360402 - Baby Boomers Survived with Freedom to Work Play Explore Discover
360403 -
360404 -
360405 - Diana continues...
360406 -
360407 - 7. By the time we were fifth graders we could be crossing guards,
360408 - which earned us passes to the local movie theater for a 10 cent
360409 - entry ticket. Candy cost another 5 cents and we were in sugar
360410 - heaven. We rode our bikes everywhere and never wore a helmet,
360411 - never used a seat belt, nor wore sunblock. We were healthy and
360412 - ran freely with the wind. We spent our summers doing simple
360413 - things. There were no play dates. We just played. In middle
360414 - school we would have paper routes, babysitting jobs (that paid
360415 - 50 cents an hour) and we cut apricots in the summers at the
360416 - local orchards to help pay for our school clothes.
360418 - ..
360419 - Yes, getting appointed to be crossing guards was a big deal.
360421 - ..
360422 - With 8 kids we could never have gone anywere, if everyone had to have a
360423 - seat belt. Mom piled us into the car with friends and relatives. We
360424 - were thankful to drive instead of walk.
360426 - ..
360427 - In 1955, Welch's and Rideout's lived a block away in Garden Gate, down
360428 - the street from where we are right now celebrating the 50th Reunion
360429 - today on Stelling, near Stevens Creek road. Diana captures eloquently
360430 - Rob and I roaming around Cupertino to San Jose, Saratoga, Los Altos,
360431 - Woodside visiting friends, going swimming, and to Recreation at school
360432 - during summers run by Mr Lawson and Mr Campbell. I didn't have a
360433 - bike. Rob rode me on the handlebars. We had some great scrapes,
360434 - adventures, and close calls. Once an engineer stopped an entire
360435 - train, and chased us through the back hills, because we shot the train
360436 - with a bee bee gun. Somehow we got away. From early on, Rob and I
360437 - worked in dad's construction business. With lots of mouths to feed,
360438 - there wasn't enough money to pay us, but we were amply rewarded
360439 - learning skills and building muscles to be competitive in sports at
360440 - school, and later in life. One summer in high school we did get some
360441 - money, when dad gave us time off to pick apricots, as Diana mentions.
360442 - ref SDS 0 WL39 Our sisters also got jobs cutting appricots, while Rob
360443 - and I joined an army of guys picking fruit and stacking boxes for
360444 - distribution.
360446 - ..
360447 - The summer of 1957, between 5th and 6th grades Rob took me to the
360448 - original Cupertino Junior High, located off Stevens Creek about a
360449 - block from Highway 9. Mr Lawson and his protege, Mr Campbell, were
360450 - running a recreation program. Mr Lawson got Rob involved in wrestling
360451 - matches, because Rob had experience from the year before. Watching
360452 - Rob take on and defeat older, bigger kids showed how competitive this
360453 - sport was, a lot different from wrestling on television. Mr Campbell
360454 - was outside on the lawn area playing football with the big boys. This
360455 - was a game of speed, power, planning and coordination. It looked
360456 - really fun!
360458 - ..
360459 - One day, I saw Mr Lawson at the gym sitting in a wood chair. He
360460 - wrapped his legs through the legs of the chair, and pulled himself and
360461 - the chair up a rope hand over hand to the rafters in the gym, seemed
360462 - like 30' or so. This was awesome. I wondered if I could ever do
360463 - anything inspiring like that seemingly impossible feat. About 40
360464 - years later, in 1997, I had a chance to relate this story to Mr
360465 - Lawson, thanking him for guidance and inspiration to me and thousands
360466 - of other young kids. ref SDS 4 5G68
360468 - ..
360469 - Last week climbing the cables to reach the top of Half Dome, reported
360470 - on 130918 0620, ref SDS 12 YX6J, I felt like I was pulling myself up a
360471 - rope like Mr Lawson did now 60 years ago, but decidedly less confident
360472 - of the outcome. ref SDS 12 366L
360474 - ..
360475 - By the time we entered 7th grade, there was a new Cupertino Junior
360476 - High school built on Homestead road, near the Foothill Swim club where
360477 - Rob took me and helped me learn to swim. Mr Campbell was the Vice
360478 - Principal, and coached all the sports programs. Rob and I played
360479 - football and were on the wrestling team. Mr Lawson was a frequent
360480 - referee of matches we had with other schools. We won every match, and
360481 - for some reason expected to win, without really knowing why.
360482 - Doubtless early training Mr Lawson and Mr Campbell provided in the
360483 - summer Recreation program gave us skills and confidence. Maybe
360484 - working at an early age for dad gave us strength and confidence as
360485 - well. In any case, we were certainly fortunate, and this carried
360486 - forward into high school.
360487 -
360488 -
360489 -
3605 -
SUBJECTS
Cupertino New High School Baby Boomers Excelled Young Idealistic Tea
4303 -
430401 - ..
430402 - Cupertino High New School Young Teachers Education High Priority
430403 -
430404 -
430405 - Diana continues...
430406 -
430407 - 8. A new high school had been built for us just two years before
430408 - we entered. Everything was new at Cupertino High and it was
430409 - the best. We were fortunate to live in a period when our
430410 - schools and we students were a very high priority in society.
430411 - In 1959, the Brown Governorship dynasty had begun. And, Edmund
430412 - was on our side. John F Kennedy was President during most of
430413 - our high school years and there was a feeling of promise in the
430414 - air.
430416 - ..
430417 - Education and especially math and science at Cupertino and other high
430418 - schools got priority in part because the Russians launched Sputnik,
430419 - the first satellite into outer space, on October 4, 1957. Our 1959
430420 - freshman class was the first to be taught "new math" in algebra class.
430421 - Joe Anderson, Albert, and a few others, sometimes Ed Greenberg joined
430422 - us, arriving in the cafeteria 30 - 40 minutes before the bell rang.
430423 - We compared notes on solving difficult math problems in homework the
430424 - night before. The most fun I had in all four years of high school was
430425 - occasionally coming up with a solution that nobody in our little group
430426 - could or had time to figure out.
430428 - ..
430429 - Decades, later Richard Popejoy, who was a year behind us at Cupertino,
430430 - invited me to attend the State High School wrestling tournament in
430431 - Stockton. In the 1980s Doctor Popejoy was a prominent dentist in
430432 - Cupertino, but he also volunteered his own time and money to coach the
430433 - wrestling team and assist students at CHS. I drove over Friday
430434 - afternoon and watched preliminary matches with Richard and others from
430435 - our era, who Richard had invited as well. That night at dinner, Mr
430436 - DeSelms said that he and Mr Lawson would attend the 2nd day of the
430437 - tournament. They wanted to have breakfast with me in the morning,
430438 - reported on 970307 1300. ref SDS 3 UY31
430440 - ..
430441 - It was wonderful meeting the next morning, and a nice surprise seeing
430442 - Mr Fernandez, our former principal at CHS, and Mr Campbell, Vice
430443 - Principal, football and wrestling coach at Cupertino Junion High when
430444 - Rob and I attended in 1957 and 1958, reported on 970308 0746.
430445 - ref SDS 4 0001 Took the occasion to thank these men who helped Rob
430446 - and me coming through the Cupertino school system. Mr Campbell
430447 - explained his career included being principal of Monte Vista Junior
430448 - High School. He approved a request to innovate education with "Team
430449 - Teaching" by removing common walls between some of the classrooms, so
430450 - that teachers and students could "collaborate" on learning projects.
430451 - ref SDS 4 O46I
430453 - ..
430454 - At that breakfast in 1997, Mr DeSelms asked me to explain early
430455 - attempts using "collaboration" to enhance learning at Cupertino High
430456 - School. It was great fun retelling for these very early mentors
430457 - experiences meeting in the high school cafeteria to share solutions on
430458 - math problems, ref SDS 4 4S6M, as discussed above. ref SDS 0 CO5O
430459 -
430470 -
430471 -
430472 -
430473 -
4305 -
SUBJECTS
High School Growing Up 4 Years Culture Shock Puberty Fashion Movies
5003 -
500401 - ..
500402 - Growing Up from Freshman to Seniors Rights of Passage with All the Trimmings
500403 -
500404 -
500405 - Diana continues...
500406 -
500407 - 9. As freshman we were in awe of the upper classmen; their cars,
500408 - their height. By the time we were juniors we were taller, had
500409 - our own driving licenses (a right of passage on your 16th
500410 - birthday), and some of us even had our own cars. This was the
500411 - era of beautiful automobiles and they came in a rainbow of
500412 - pastel colors; pink, turquoise and salmon. They had whitewall
500413 - tires and shiny chrome. The leather seats were tucked and
500414 - rolled. We polished them, loved them and strutted them to the
500415 - A&W while carhops roller- skated to our windows delivering
500416 - burgers and fries. It was the time to see and be seen. By
500417 - 1963 the cost of a new car was $3,200. The cost of gasoline
500418 - was 30 cents a gallon, which was a good thing because these big
500419 - automobiles were real gas-guzzlers. Do you recall driving into
500420 - the Shell station and having a uniformed attendant pump your
500421 - gas, check your tires and oil, clean your windows and all the
500422 - while you sat comfortably inside?
500424 - ..
500425 - Yes, the A&W. There was a stand on Stevens Creek just a block from
500426 - the school. It was our first introduction into the social order
500427 - moving up from junior high to high school. Football tryouts started 2
500428 - weeks before classes began in the fall. After hot practices, everyone
500429 - went to A&W for a root beer to cool off and talk over who was doing
500430 - well, what about the new coaches, and other stuff. If you didn't have
500431 - a dime for a tall root beer, someone gave you a nickle for a short
500432 - glass. Our first year, we were just awstruck by it all, especially
500433 - how big the juniors and seniors were, as Diana notes.
500435 - ..
500436 - Recall buying chocolate covered donuts for a dime, and milk for a
500437 - nickle during the morning 15 minute recess. We could get a small
500438 - apple or cherry pie for 15 cents. After high school, I gave up the
500439 - pies, but to this day, still, on occasion, will get a chocolate
500440 - covered donut and small carton of milk, if available.
500442 - ..
500443 - Diana continues...
500444 -
500445 - 10. Movies ran for months and we saw them more than once. Lawrence
500446 - of Arabia won the Oscar for best picture. Gidget was one of
500447 - our favorites or any movie with Sandra Dee and James Darren.
500448 - Drive in movies were popular and if you didn't have enough
500449 - money for everyone's ticket someone road in the trunk. After
500450 - school we watched American Bandstand with Dick Clark and the
500451 - Mouseketeers or chatted with friends on our Princess phones.
500452 - Some of us had party lines with prefixes of Cherry or Alpine.
500453 - We were enthralled with Elvis and listening to "Rock n Roll."
500454 - The 60s was an era of good music. We loved the Everly
500455 - Brothers, The Drifters, Frankie Avalon, and Rickie Nelson. We
500456 - listened endlessly to our 45 records or the radio. Our
500457 - families watched "Leave it to Beaver", "The Ed Sullivan Show"
500458 - and "I Love Lucy". Our parents stayed up late to laugh with
500459 - Johnny Carson on his "Tonight Show".
500461 - ..
500462 - There was an explosion of great music during that time in the 50s and
500463 - 60s, along with everything else - technology, population, highways,
500464 - schools, shopping malls - everything got exponentially bigger and
500465 - seemngly better.
500467 - ..
500468 - Remember well, in the late 1950s, we lived on Dunbar in Garden Gate.
500469 - Our older sister, Kath, would be ironing, and listening to the radio
500470 - or playing Joan Baez albums. I loved her music, and still do, listed
500471 - in the record on 130310 1256. ref SDS 9 SS8M
500473 - ..
500474 - Diana continues...
500475 -
500476 - 11. We were fashionistas before it got its name. We shopped at
500477 - Hales, Sears and JC Penney's. Saddle shoes and bobby sox went
500478 - with full skirts, tight waists and sweater sets. Boys wore
500479 - trousers, letterman sweaters and loafers with white sox. It
500480 - was crew cuts for boys and curls for girls. Girls puffed
500481 - their hair with lots of "ratting" and hairspray. Boys slicked
500482 - theirs back with Brylcreem. Proms required a white sport coat
500483 - with a pink carnation. Girls were given wrist corsages that
500484 - adorned their long white gloves and party prom dresses.
500486 - ..
500487 - 12. At the library we used the card catalogue system instead of
500488 - going online to find books. Tests were copied off of
500489 - mimeograph machines. The blue ink smudged our hands, but the
500490 - fumes were worth the mess. Miss Ybarra taught Spanish and Mr
500491 - Friend taught humanities. We studied Latin and Chemistry. Ms
500492 - Tedesco taught typing on manual typewriters, and shorthand. We
500493 - had the first closed circuit TV on which to watch the moon
500494 - launch. We passed notes in class - not text messages. And we
500495 - signed yearbooks decades before Facebook took over.
500497 - ..
500498 - Wasn't there lore at CHS about a thing between Miss Ybarra and Mr
500499 - Friend?
500501 - ..
500502 - Coincidental that Diana mentions Ms Tedesco, who happened to attend
500503 - the Class Reunion today; Ms Tedesco's typing instruction was mentioned
500504 - above. ref SDS 0 XO4L
500505 -
500506 - [...below on 130928 1800 expanded on the story of Mr
500507 - Pittman recommending to a senior taking Ms Tedesco's typing
500508 - class, and how this provided critical skills for a
500509 - lifetime. ref SDS 0 LH6L
500510 -
500511 -
500512 -
500513 -
500514 -
500515 -
5006 -
SUBJECTS
Baby Boomers Benefit Price Peace Umbrells Freedom Advances Social Ag
5803 -
580401 - ..
580402 - Price of Peace Advances Social Agenda Righting Long Simmering Wrongs
580403 -
580404 -
580405 - Diana continues...
580406 -
580407 - 13. By 1963 Nixon had lost his run for Governor and "Pat" Brown was
580408 - re-elected. Our involvement in Viet Nam was heating up. The
580409 - Civil Rights Movement was also heating up. Peaceful marchers
580410 - in Birmingham, Alabama, had police dogs and fire hoses released
580411 - upon them. Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I have a
580412 - dream speech". This moved our consciousness forward. Some of
580413 - our classmates went to Viet Nam. Others of us went to college
580414 - where the Fall tuition at SJS was $78 per semester.
580416 - ..
580417 - 14. In autumn our big social outing was going to the football game
580418 - where we watched quarterback Mike Burrows pass to Jim Jimenez
580419 - defended by Max Williams while our mascot "Dusty" ran up and
580420 - down the sidelines. We cheered ourselves hoarse, then wet our
580421 - dry throats with 15-cent cokes. Alexa, Kathy, Jeanie, Erin and
580422 - Lauren were our entertaining song girls. There was aquacade,
580423 - Saddy Hawkins dances and powder puff football games. And, of
580424 - course, the annual senior pranks and cutting class to go to the
580425 - beach.
580427 - ..
580428 - Mike was a great talent at quarterback. Injuries and other issues
580429 - opened opportunities for me our senior year, but the team likely
580430 - suffered, especially since Robby did not play that year in 1963. His
580431 - height, strong arm and natural speed would have been a better
580432 - replacement. As things worked out, it was thrilling to play with a
580433 - great group of guys on the varsity. We didn't see the cheerleaders
580434 - and song girls during games, but felt their energy from cheering in
580435 - the stands. We saw their talent during pre-game pep rallies that
580436 - lifted team spirits with determination to win for Cupertino High
580437 - School.
580438 -
580439 -
580440 -
580442 - ..
580443 - How Did 50 Years Pass So Quickly Bringing Hope and Aspirations for 50 More
580444 -
580445 -
580446 - Diana continues...
580447 -
580448 - 15. This was our life fifty years ago. Passing each other in the
580449 - hallways; hearing the banging of lockers being slammed shut,
580450 - racing to class before the last bell rang, dancing in the Wagon
580451 - Wheel. Where did the years fly? Our school used to be called
580452 - Cupertino. Now it is "Tino". What ever happened to Cuper?
580453 - What happened to tuck and roll and passing notes in class?
580454 - What happened to princess phones and fifteen-cent burgers?
580455 - What happened to carefree bike rides, and bobby socks and our
580456 - teenage idols? They are just memories now of a half-century
580457 - ago.
580459 - ..
580460 - 16. So, hail to Cupertino, the school we STILL love the best! And
580461 - to the esteemed graduating class of 1963, I say
580462 - congratulations. To have spent four years here we were truly
580463 - blessed. And we were part of the biggest boom to ever hit the
580464 - west.
580466 - ..
580467 - 17. Happy 50th reunion!
580469 - ..
580470 - This is a truly delightful rememberance Diana presents, showing how 4
580471 - years at CHS forged young adults who, over the next 50 years, built
580472 - the national highway system, invented the notion that "smaller is
580473 - better" using microprocessors, and then the Internet, and now the
580474 - ubiquitous cellphone. We landed on the moon, launched interstellar
580475 - missions, and a continuing space laboratory. Health care advances
580476 - extend life expectancy from 65 to over 100, and present thorny
580477 - political challenges grappling with the Malthusian dilemma that better
580478 - care over longer years requires more doctors, nurses, technicians,
580479 - tools, facilities, and lots of money. The nuclear umbrella that kept
580480 - the lid on international conflict shows signs of fissures that
580481 - threaten conflagration. So, there's still much work to do.
580483 - ..
580484 - Everyone stood and cheered to appreciate Diana's inspiring
580485 - "remencement" (her lovely word) honoring the 50th reunion for the
580486 - class of 1963.
580487 -
580488 -
580489 -
5805 -
SUBJECTS
Cupertino High School 50th Reunion Class 1963 Dinner Ed Greenberg En
6203 -
620401 - ..
620402 - Ed Greenberg Highlights Biographies from Past 50 Years
620403 -
620404 - Bill called Ed Greenberg to close program activities.
620406 - ..
620407 - Ed was terrific explaining how biographies, which Alexa distributed
620408 - last week on 130923 1108, ref SDS 13 Y25H, showed fascnating histories
620409 - of our classmates from 50 years ago. He mentioned earlier in the
620410 - evening how he was was working at the Improv theater in San Francisco
620411 - in 1968, and had just been called to the stage for a performance.
620412 - While walking to the stage, someone said he had an emergency telephone
620413 - call, so he took it quickly, only to learn of Joe Anderson's death
620414 - (see background above, ref SDS 0 HZ6J). He then had to somehow
620415 - compartmentalize this news and go on with the show to be funny and
620416 - entertaining for the audience.
620417 -
620418 - [On 140909 1428 received letter from Rob commending Ed
620419 - Greenberg's L4C comedy website and improv training
620420 - services. ref SDS 34 RQ6F
620422 - ..
620423 - [On 140909 1428 at 1707 review of L4C Internet website
620424 - presents Ed Greenberg's impressive biography performing and
620425 - teaching commedy, and training executives in the art of
620426 - using laughter for critical leadership skills, ref SDS 34
620427 - 583G; and explains background of L4C, ref SDS 34 Y46G,
620429 - ..
620430 - This evening Ed called on several former classmates to summarize their
620431 - intriguing biographies, as a tribute to all who graduated in our class
620432 - of 1963.
620433 -
620434 -
620435 -
620436 -
620437 -
6205 -
SUBJECTS
Cupertino High School 50th Reunion Committee Class 1963 Post-dinner
6603 -
660401 - ..
660402 - Paul and Eddie's Bar Reunion Committee Final Meeting
660403 -
660404 - Bill made some announcements, including that after the reunion
660405 - committee finishes cleaning up the Community Center, they will be
660406 - meeting a Paul and Eddie's bar up the street in Monte Vista for a
660407 - night cap drink, and invited anyone who has time to join them,
660408 - expected at 11pm.
660410 - ..
660411 - Amazingly, Paul and Eddie's is about the only place that remains from
660412 - 50 years ago - a bar in Monte Vista up the street from our house on
660413 - Stevens Creek and, at that time, on "the wrong side of the tracks." We
660414 - used to walk past Paul and Eddie's going to the bus stop for school.
660415 - Must have past Paul and Eddie's a thousand times walking, on our bikes
660416 - and later driving. Local lore was you had to "fight your way in" and
660417 - "fight your way out."
660419 - ..
660420 - There will also be a no host breakfast at a restaraunt in Saratoga
660421 - tomorrow morning, for those who wish to attend before leaving for
660422 - home near and far.
660423 -
660425 - ..
660426 - 75th Reunion Planning Placed in Doubt - Bill Refuses to Help
660427 -
660428 - Bill announced there is a lot of interest in doing another reunion.
660429 - He said emphatically that he will not attend the 75th reunion, because
660430 - it would have to be held in a convalescent home, and he hates those
660431 - places. What - we'll only be 93! As dad would say, "Just getting a
660432 - good start." Still, I'm personally with Bill on this issue.
660438 - ..
660439 - [On 140819 0941 at 2115 letter from Lex advises nothing
660440 - specific is occurring to plan another reunion for Class of
660441 - 1963; however, she is keeping the data base up todate,
660442 - which would facilitate planning in the event there is
660443 - interest to do another reunion. ref SDS 33 KH45
660445 - ..
660446 - [On 150611 1328 letter with copy to Bill and Lex discussing
660447 - another possible reunion event. ref SDS 36 8T9V
660449 - ..
660450 - [On 150613 0936 Lex responds she is not a candidate for
660451 - planning another CHS reunion. ref SDS 37 T94L
660452 -
660453 -
660454 -
660455 -
6605 -
SUBJECTS
Lucky Having Great Teachers Counselors Coaches at Cupertino High
7003 -
700401 - ..
700402 - Lucky Having Great Teachers Counselors Coaches at Cupertino High
700403 -
700404 - Bill then said, "Okay, Rod, you wanted to say a few words," discussed
700405 - earlier in the evening, per above. ref SDS 0 RG9K
700407 - ..
700408 - I did not know Diana Plapp in school. When Bill called me to speak, I
700409 - walked through the tables and past Bill at center stage, as he
700410 - extended the microphone, and went quickly to Diana, sitting next to
700411 - Jeannie Fiester on the side. Placed my hand on her shoulder and
700412 - asked, "What is your name, again?" - even though it was announced
700413 - several times during the program citing Diana's work the past year
700414 - with Alexa Hoffernan, Jeannie, and others setting up the reunion.
700416 - ..
700417 - She smiled and said "Diana."
700419 - ..
700420 - Thus armed, returned to center stage, and took the microphone from
700421 - Bill Lyon.
700422 -
700423 - 
700425 - ..
700426 - Commended Alexa and the reunion committee for tireless work the past
700427 - year finding and cajoling former classmates, who graduated in 1963, to
700428 - travel from around the world for this 50th reunion. What a difference
700429 - 50 years makes! As seniors in 1963, if told Cupertino High School
700430 - would be hosting a 50th class reunion we would have thought, "Gosh,
700431 - how could anyone who graduated in 1913, still be alive, much less
700432 - travel from around the world to come back to high school? Such old
700433 - fuddidies, as we saw in news reel films of that era could barely get
700434 - around."
700436 - ..
700437 - But, thanks to Alexa, here we are, and doing pretty darn well.
700438 - Actually, today, 50 years somehow just doesn't seem that long ago.
700440 - ..
700441 - What a treat to have Bill flying across the country from Connecticut
700442 - to be our emcee. Tonight, our memories are flooded with images of
700443 - Bill leading the senior class in 1963, with strength, purpose, and his
700444 - ever present dry, engaging, quick witted humor.
700446 - ..
700447 - I honestly don't remember Diana Plapp in school. Tonight, I am
700448 - grateful beyond words that she graduated with us, so that her talent
700449 - and charm warm our hearts again. Diana's excellent summary of
700450 - cultural evolution the past 70 years, noting the class of 1963, was
700451 - born into an uncertain world of 1945, fractured by war but determined
700452 - to build a lasting peace. This evening, with great wit and charm
700453 - Diana related to an aging audience how our parents and teachers
700454 - transformed children of 1945, into responsible citizens of 1963. With
700455 - fascinating narrative Diana cited passing fashion and fancy along with
700456 - critical change for creating a new world order, hopefully more stable
700457 - and fruitful. Diana was terrific. ref SDS 0 WM4G
700459 - ..
700460 - Remembering great accomplishments cited by Diana, we pause this
700461 - evening to appreciate our luck attending Cupertino High School
700462 - graduating in 1963, the first 4-year class. As Diana notes, Cupertino
700463 - was a new school, when we arrived as freshman in 1959.
700465 - ..
700466 - During a breakfast meeting in March, 1997, with Mr DeSelms, Mr
700467 - Fernandez, Mr Campbell, and Mr Lawson, cited above, ref SDS 0 KT5H, Mr
700468 - DeSelms noted that teachers, counselors, and coaches assigned to
700469 - Cupertino High School were young, idealistic and anxious to try new
700470 - ideas in education, reported on 970308 0746. ref SDS 4 2958 Just 2
700471 - years ago, an article in the Cupertino Courier made the same point,
700472 - reported on 110514 1815. ref SDS 8 T05I Mr DeSelms, still very young
700473 - at heart is with us this evening...
700475 - ..
700476 - 
700478 - ..
700479 - [On 160109 1600 Mr DeSelms attended CHS wrestling
700480 - tournament and along with Richard Popejoy, presented an
700481 - award to me for contributing to CHS wrestling. ref SDS 38
700482 - SS8L
700484 - ..
700485 - Only luck brought Rob and me to Cupertino in 1959. We could have just
700486 - as well been assigned to Fremont, where our older sister, Kathleen,
700487 - attended 4 years and graduated in 1960. Most of our classmates at
700488 - Cupertino Junior High went to either Los Altos High School or to
700489 - Fremont. Our freshman year in 1959, mom and dad moved the family from
700490 - Garden Gate located down the street here on Stelling, to around the
700491 - corner on Stevens Creek. Our house, was about where the Cupertino
700492 - Community Center would be built 25 years later, and where, here
700493 - tonight on this very spot, we, the class of 1963, celebrate our 50th
700494 - reunion. I may be standing right about where our family of 10,
700495 - gathered at the kitchen table half-a-century ago. At that time in
700496 - 1959, this location happened to be on the edge of the new district for
700497 - Cupertino High School. If we had moved just another mile up the road,
700498 - Rob and I would be celebrating the 50th class reunion for Fremont...
700499 - booooo!
700501 - ..
700502 - The following year district lines changed. Our younger sister,
700503 - Stephanie, was assigned to Fremont, but luckily Rob and I were allowed
700504 - to continue at Cupertino. Yes, we were very lucky.
700506 - ..
700507 - As Mr DeSelms notes, all of us were lucky. Living in the United
700508 - States at the end of World War provided an umbrella of relative peace,
700509 - where families could grow, dream, invent, build and prosper. Living
700510 - in California at a time of economic expansion, as Diana so eloquently
700511 - presented, ref SDS 0 WK6I, we passed from youth to adults through 4
700512 - years at a brand new school. Yes, we were very lucky.
700525 - ..
700526 - Yesterday, I drove to the school arriving about noon. Walked once
700527 - again among students; saw the Quad, classrooms, the library. Went
700528 - into the locker room, and the Exercise room, where we trained, looked
700529 - into the main gym, where we had matches and tournaments, reported on
700530 - 130927 1300. ref SDS 16 RY56 Hoped to have lunch in the cafeteria,
700531 - but it is under renovation, so missed out having Fish Sticks on
700532 - Fridays, and with tarter sauce. Darn!
700534 - ..
700535 - It was fun driving around town remembering the roads and streets, but
700536 - somewhat strange finding everything has changed. Even the Burger Pit
700537 - is now something else. Of course change and progress are inevitable.
700538 - I couldn't help hoping though that at least one thing has not changed
700539 - at Cupertino High School. I am sure you will agree, that the luckiest
700540 - thing for all of us was that we had great teachers, counselors, and
700541 - coaches. I just hope the students of today, our grandchildren, are as
700542 - lucky as we were.
700544 - ..
700545 - High school is a sort of factory that transforms 8th grade children of
700546 - 14, into pubescent citizens of the world at age 18, ready to work,
700547 - vote, and raise families. Transformation is aided by the dedication
700548 - of teachers, counselors, and coaches. I asked Bill on arrival this
700549 - evening to let me say a few words giving thanks for my personal good
700550 - fortune joining all of you as classmates during 4 years at Cupertino
700551 - High School 50 years ago.
700553 - ..
700554 - Earlier this evening, Jeanie Feister advised that we are lucky to be
700555 - joined by three representatives from the administration in 1963.
700556 - Jeanie pointed out Mr DeSelms, a counselor, Ms Tedesco, who headed the
700557 - Business Department, and Mr Hill, the Head Football Coach our freshman
700558 - and sophmore years, are seated together across the room. I was
700559 - surprised, however, that no one from the current administration joined
700560 - them to underscore the purpose of high school - turning out good
700561 - citizens. Cross-generational communication remains the most powerful
700562 - lesson of history and the first duty of education, more commonly
700563 - called transferring "experience" and "knowledge."
700564 -
700565 -
7006 -
SUBJECTS
Cupertino High School 50th Reunion Class 1963 Dinner Rod Welch Addre
7603 -
760401 - ..
760402 - Football Fosters Passion Persistance Rise Above Limitations
760403 -
760404 - All of us here tonight have personal stories of teachers, counselors
760405 - and coaches helping us navigate sometimes troubled waters growing up
760406 - into adulthood. Two stories illustrate this critical role of
760407 - educators, who helped launch me on graduating from high school and
760408 - have impacted my life to the present day.
760410 - ..
760411 - The football team starts tryouts and practice 2 weeks before school
760412 - starts in September. Prospective players get physical exams to assess
760413 - readiness to compete. Minimum requirements in those days were 5 feet
760414 - tall and 100 pounds. When I stepped on the scales, the height guage
760415 - showed 4' 10" and 97 pounds (reported previously commenting on an
760416 - article published by Cupertino on Mr Hill's career, shown on 110514
760417 - 1815. ref SDS 8 TY3G). Mr Hill asked if I was sure about trying out
760418 - for the football team? The other kids are much bigger; could I
760419 - compete; what about getting hurt? Tried making a joke about "The
760420 - bigger they are, the harder they fall. I will try not to hurt
760421 - anyone." Pleaded that growth over the summer, indicated in a month I
760422 - would meet the minimums. I just wanted a chance to compete. Mr Hill
760423 - put his arm on my shoulder. The scale guage jumped up. He told the
760424 - assistant: "Put Rod down for 5' and 100 pounds." Yes, I was lucky
760425 - that Mr Hill gave me a chance.
760427 - ..
760428 - This was prophetic.
760430 - ..
760431 - Four months later, I had to lose 5 pounds to make the 103 pound weight
760432 - class for the wrestling team.
760434 - ..
760435 - Fours years later, at 152 pounds, I had grown over 50% from the 9th
760436 - grade. Playing quarterback for the varsity football team my senior
760437 - year was a dream come true. So, I am grateful to take this moment
760438 - thanking Coach Hill for rewarding passion and persistance to compete.
760440 - ..
760441 - Last week, I finally conquered Half Dome in Yosemite. I tried and
760442 - failed 20 years ago to make this 17 mile hike through rugged, steep
760443 - terraine, like climbing a ladder a mile high. In 1994, the challenge
760444 - was too big - an aging body would not hold up. What a change 20 years
760445 - makes. Yes, last week was exhilarating to finally reach the top of
760446 - Half Dome at age 68, after training for a year hiking 11 miles a day,
760447 - reported on 130918 0620. ref SDS 12 0001
760449 - ..
760450 - Again, thank you Coach Hill for a helping hand encouraging persistance
760451 - to succeed at Cupertino High School 50 years ago. Yes, I was lucky.
760452 -
760453 -
760454 -
760455 -
7605 -
SUBJECTS
Cupertino High School 50th Reunion Class 1963 Dinner Rod Welch Addre
8403 -
840401 - ..
840402 - Typing Life Saving Skills Transform Information into Knowledge
840403 -
840404 - Speaking of "encouragement," everyone remembers Mr Pittman. He was a
840405 - peripatetic, bundle of energy, who imbued us to strive beyond the
840406 - horizon of young lives. The 2nd semester of my senior year in 1963,
840407 - Mr Pittman said, "Rod, you should take a typing class." Actually, I
840408 - never knew what Mr Pittman's job was. I never had him in class and
840409 - never saw him teach a class. He coached the freshman football team
840410 - our first year in 1959. He helped Mr Useldinger with the wrestling
840411 - team. I think he was a counselor, but not for the senior class in
840412 - 1963. So, he had no official standing; but, thankfully that did not
840413 - deter Mr Pittman. He took an interest in me, as I am sure he did for
840414 - many of you.
840416 - ..
840417 - Still, I resisted enrolling in typing class, because this seemed like
840418 - secretarial work. I wanted to be a contractor, not a typist. Mr
840419 - Pittman was adament, and so I signed up for Ms Tedesco's class.
840421 - ..
840422 - The last day of the semester, Ms Tedesco asked me to stay after class.
840423 - After everyone left, she told me I had failed typing, however, she
840424 - gave me a C. Mr Pittman or Mr Fernandez may have intervened.
840425 - Possibly Ms Tedesco simply did not want to fail a popular figure on
840426 - campus, who had A's and B's in everything else. Ms Tedesco was very
840427 - kind, wishing me good luck in life. That was the last time I saw her
840428 - until tonight.
840429 -
840430 - [...above on 130928 1800 Diana Plapp's cogent and
840431 - compelling "remencement" cites Ms Tedesco teaching typing
840432 - and shorthand class. ref SDS 0 WL96
840434 - ..
840435 - Tonight, thanks to Jeanie Fiester (see above, ref SDS 0 XO4L), it was
840436 - a great treat to hug Ms Tedesco and thank her for starting me off with
840437 - admittedly limited typing skills, but which played a critical role in
840438 - my life, and continue to bring me "luck" to the present day (see this
840439 - record).
840441 - ..
840442 - Yes, I've been very lucky, due to Mr Pittman and Ms Tedesco.
840444 - ..
840445 - In 1967, I was drafted into the army for the Vietnam buildup, while
840446 - attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. It's a great
840447 - pleasure to publicly thank Mr Useldinger for arranging a scholarship
840448 - in 1965. Rob and I and many others were fortunate that Mr Useldinger
840449 - brought the first State championship to Cupertino High School in 1962,
840450 - his third year coaching the wrestling team. He remains a lifelong
840451 - mentor and friend for 50 years.
840452 -
840453 - [On 131108 0910 letter from Alexa (Lex) on reunion
840454 - committee commends the record, and will distribute to all
840455 - attendees, ref SDS 23 664I, on 50th class reunion for class
840456 - of 1963, shown on 130928 1800, ref SDS 0 0001; Lex and her
840457 - husband especially liked report on military service.
840458 - ref SDS 23 665K
840460 - ..
840461 - After months of Basic Training, and Advanced Individual Training (AIT)
840462 - to join the infrantry, at Fort Gordon, Georgia, I was assigned to
840463 - Officer Candidate School (OCS). The large buildup for Vietnam,
840464 - resulted in many OCS candidates being placed in temporary holdover
840465 - military units, waiting for space in overcrowded OCS training
840466 - facilities, I believe at Fort Benning, Georgia.
840468 - ..
840469 - Two of us selected to attend OCS after AIT, along with holdovers for
840470 - other reasons reported to the Company clerk at Brigade headquarters.
840471 - We lined up outside a window to get temporary assignments for a few
840472 - weeks, until orders were issued for, in my case, OCS at Fort Benning.
840473 - I was 3rd or 4th in line, and so heard others being asked seemingly
840474 - inoccuous questions. They were assigned to drive trucks and other
840475 - support duties. When my turn came, the Company Clerk asked if I could
840476 - type?
840478 - ..
840479 - I said - "Yes," without any inkling of what that simple utterance
840480 - would mean.
840482 - ..
840483 - The clerk said, "Okay, come in here." I walked around the building
840484 - and into the office of the 3rd Brigade Headquarters Detachment
840485 - Company at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
840487 - ..
840488 - For several weeks, I did no typing. Simply watched the Company Clerk
840489 - perform the work. To pass the time, I read Army regulations in large
840490 - books stored on several shelves in the office. This reading provided
840491 - insight on order and structure conducting daily business in the
840492 - military. Since the army has been in business for several hundred
840493 - years, they have formulated practices honed from long experience. I,
840494 - also, learned a simple scheduling technique that connected planning
840495 - with actions, which the current Company Clerk, my boss, claimed was
840496 - used by the FBI, his former assignement before being drafted himself,
840497 - a year earlier. In those first weeks reading regulations and just
840498 - observing, it became apparent that despite good policies and
840499 - procedures set out in manuals, limited time drives daily work toward
840500 - the path of least resistance: what seems fast and easy at the moment.
840501 - There is always disparity between "good management," i.e., what people
840502 - should be doing, and what is actually being done.
840504 - ..
840505 - Eventually, I was asked to type up the Morning Report. I learned that
840506 - it controlled the shipping status of everyone in the company, and
840507 - that, without notice to me, the Company Clerk had changed my status to
840508 - "Non-shippable," which explained why my orders for OCS had not been
840509 - cut. This was done simply by changing an entry in a very small box
840510 - from "S" to "N", as best I recall. I was struck then, and remain so
840511 - today, how momentous matters are influenced by very small events that
840512 - go unnoticed in the rush of daily work, often characterized as a
840513 - "hectic schedule."
840515 - ..
840516 - After about 4 weeks, the Company Clerk shipped out, and I had full
840517 - responsibility making assignments at the Window for new holdovers,
840518 - typing Morning Reports, along with a great many other documents,
840519 - including duty roster assignments, like KP and TDY orders.
840521 - ..
840522 - Some holdovers were soldiers pending review of Conscientious Objector
840523 - status, others awaited administrative disposition, or court martial
840524 - for various offenses, including murder. The Company Clerk was their
840525 - conduit for presenting evidence to support their cause. Having read
840526 - the regulations, I provided suggestions on getting evidence, and typed
840527 - up their stories, using skills imparted by Ms Tedesco 4 years earlier.
840528 - I wasn't required to do this. But, it was fun working sometimes 24/7
840529 - to gather evidence and then craft a "story" that accomplished the
840530 - hopes of desperate soldiers. Our partnership endeavors aligning
840531 - evidence and objectives with army regulations were often approved, and
840532 - provided powerful lessons for the future. Ms Tedesco would have been
840533 - proud that my typing improved with necessity and practice.
840535 - ..
840536 - Working extra time typing, also got me promoted several times, which
840537 - changed my military occupation speciality (MOS) from infrantry to
840538 - administration. This alone may have been a life saver. I eventually
840539 - wound up in Vietnam, doing administration for a Commanding General.
840541 - ..
840542 - Needless to say, military experience built confidence and leadership
840543 - skills, which later launched 3 businesses, set legal precedent,
840544 - advanced alphabet technology (see again POIMS, ref OF 1 3742), forged
840545 - a doctor/patient partnership model for health care, and defined an
840546 - "intelligence" role for the civilian sector. Alexa asked us to list
840547 - our best achievement, reported on 130902 0827. ref SDS 11 Y25H I did
840548 - not respond, because it's hard to say. I can say that over the past
840549 - 50 years, I got better at typing up the record. Certainly, being
840550 - Millie's "patient assisant" was fun and rewarding guiding medical
840551 - teams at Kaiser and UCSF, so that she enjoyed a life worth living for
840552 - nearly 10 years with stage 4 cancer. Doctor Johnson and Doctor Rugo
840553 - told us that's hard to do.
840555 - ..
840556 - Actually, it's largely a matter of typing up the record aligning daily
840557 - work with objectives, requirements, and commitments, noted by Doctor
840558 - Rugo at UCSF on 090616 1245. ref SDS 7 EF3G
840560 - ..
840561 - Patting my hand this evening, I think Ms Tedesco feels redeemed for
840562 - having given me a hand those many years ago. ref SDS 0 XO4L
840563 -
840565 - ..
840566 - Richard Popejoy Leaderhip New Era Volunteerism Aids Education
840567 -
840568 - I would be remiss not to mention briefly the new era of "volunteerism"
840569 - that helps stem the tide of waining education budgets. How school
840570 - budgets can be "waining" that must be 400% higher than in our time, is
840571 - for another day. What is truly remarkable is how parents have stepped
840572 - up volunteering their own time and money to ensure important
840573 - dimensions of the high school experience continue for their children
840574 - and grandchildren. Our own Richard Popejoy exemplifies the rising
840575 - tide of volunteerism.
840576 -
840577 - [On 150611 1328 Suon Cheng, former CHS student who wrestled
840578 - under Richard's coaching during the 1980s, and comments on
840579 - this record for CHS class of 1963 50th reunion. ref SDS 35
840580 - FW51
840582 - ..
840583 - We all knew Richard as the galloping fullback on the football team,
840584 - who steamrolled opposing tacklers. Richard wrestled the same way,
840585 - pinning opponents in seconds with his torturous three-quarter nelson.
840586 - He and his friend Gary Bianchini dominated Cupertino Wrestling for
840587 - several years. Richard's involvement with the high school, however,
840588 - did not end when he graduated in 1964. After establishing a prominent
840589 - dental practice here in town, Doctor Popejoy made a living for his
840590 - family treating many of his former teachers, counselors and coaches,
840591 - along with students and families throughout the community. Some 10 -
840592 - 15 years after leaving high school, the wrestling program was
840593 - threatened with budget cuts. There was no money and no coach. I
840594 - don't know all of the details. I do know that Richard stepped up and
840595 - volunteered his own time to coach the team, and donated money to aid
840596 - our alma mater. His counsel and support for Cupertino High School,
840597 - and for individual students continues to epitomize the spirit of
840598 - community service.
840600 - ..
840601 - It was therefore a great honor on January 11, 1997, to attend the
840602 - Bianchini Wrestling tournament, ref SDS 2 0001, which Cupertino hosts
840603 - annually. It is a continuation of the tournament started in 1962, by
840604 - our coach, Ron Uselginger. The tournament in 1997 honored Doctor
840605 - Popejoy for his contributions to Cupertino Wrestling. I was asked to
840606 - introduce Richard, and recount his storied exploits for Cupertino
840607 - Wrestling. ref SDS 2 R461
840609 - ..
840610 - In closing, I just want to say thank you, on behalf of all of us, to
840611 - the teachers, counselors and coaches, along with all the volunteers,
840612 - who helped us become productive citizens raising families and
840613 - contributing to the world at large. We were all so very lucky.
840615 - ..
840616 - I see Bill grimacing at his watch, because I have exceeded the 1
840617 - minute requested earlier this evening, ref SDS 0 W369, so I better
840618 - hand the microphone back. Thanks for the memories.
840619 -
840620 -
840621 -
840622 -
8407 -
SUBJECTS
Cupertino High School 50th Reunion Class 1963 Dinner Concludes Plans
8803 -
880401 - ..
880402 - 50th Class Reunion Concludes Plans for Another Pending
880403 -
880404 - Bill shook hands and was kind saying that recognizing our teachers was
880405 - an appropriate close for the class reunion. I found Robby for a
880406 - reunion picture with Bill...
880407 -
880408 - 
880410 - ..
880411 - Several retired teachers offered thanks for highlighting what they
880412 - feel is the unsung role of educators. One woman hugged me with tears
880413 - in her eyes. So, glad I attended. Marsha would have done it better.
880414 - But, as usual, have to do the best we can with what we have.
880416 - ..
880417 - I asked Alexa about another event in 5 years. She smiled and said
880418 - that is a long time away. Thanked her again for outstanding
880419 - leadership pulling this gig off with such flair, energy, and planning
880420 - that makes a truly memorable reunion, evidenced by clamor for another.
880421 -
880422 - [On 230419 2153 received notice of 60th reunion in Sep
880423 - 2023. ref SDS 39 CT5F
880425 - ..
880426 - Sought out Diana again, and thanked her for a delightfully
880427 - entertaining summary of those early years, when we were all growing up
880428 - seperately in the 1950s, but sharing common experiences, ref SDS 0
880429 - WK6I, and then our time together at high school. ref SDS 0 WL60
880431 - ..
880432 - This evening, Kathy and I decided to take a "rain check" on the drink
880433 - at Paul and Eddie's, because we had a long drive home. Thus, my
880434 - record remains in tact of never having gone to Paul and Eddie's.
880435 - However, I've wondered all these years about the burning question:
880436 - Did mom and dad ever have a drink at Paul and Eddie's?
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