Name: Cindy Wernicke ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 7, 2009, 11:21 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Maxson
Class: 1963
City & State: Stagecoach, NV
E-mail
Message: Trees, man what a subject, I didn't realize how very important they were but they were. We had the most gigantic avocado tree in our back yard. It took up at least a quarter of our yard. One year when my sister and I were pretty young our dad gave us baskets which were filled with avocados, we were instructed to take them out in the neighborhood and sell them for a quarter each, if my memory serves me we sold them all and still had plenty for our family. My dad would keep track of how many we took off the tree, one year we had over 500. I used to climb in that tree all of the time. That tract must have been a farm before they built the houses because we also had beets growing next to the house and nobody planted them. I lived at 4840 W. 122st. That was a great neighborhood to grow up in. Cindy

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 7, 2009, 8:53 am - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Las Vegas
E-mail
Message: Trees! I was a tree climber as a kid. Holy Glen had some great trees. We used to play tag and hide and go seek and the trees were my home. I think I had climbed every tree in that park. There was a really big tree near the basketball court and a couple good ones that overlooked the ball field. Sometimes I would get in them and hide and throw olives (that grew on the tree) at passing cars.

Name: Petey Smith ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 7, 2009, 6:49 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Smith
Class: 1972
City & State: Oregon
E-mail
Message: Grandma Coleman's fig tree had the best figs ever! She lived on Osage in Inglewood. She also had this huge palm tree with enough fronds hanging down for about 5 kids to swing from at once, too much fun! Here in Oregon we just hug trees now. Peace Out

Name: Rick Weaver ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Apr 6, 2009, 10:53 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1973
City & State: Bedord, NH
E-mail
Message: Hi John, I have several trees from my youth that are as clear to me as yesterday. Both my Mother?s Parents and my Father?s Grandparents had great avocado trees. My grandparents lived on 142nd Street between Ocean Gate and Shoup. They had a wonderful avocado tree that supplied their entire neighborhood with beautiful avocados during the entire growing season. Side note: When I was very young, there was a part of their block that was undeveloped ? and if memory serves, the land housed a mushroom farm. Does anybody remember anything like that? It was on the north side of the block. My great-grandparents lived in Huntington Park on Flower Street. Their Avocado tree was HUGE! There were vertically positioned 2x4?s supporting the heavily laden branches all over their yard. We used to come home with tons of avocados that we would supply our neighborhood with as well. Hmm? I kinda feel like having some guacamole? Happy upcoming Easter Cougs!

Name: Tammy Nichols ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Apr 6, 2009, 9:08 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Levene
City & State: Long Beach CA
E-mail
Message: Trees? That is a funny and interesting subject. I have a post too. Haha. My Levene grandparents had a coral tree in their front yard. They lived on Washington, diagonal from HIS, about 4 houses from the corner. My grandma said kids used to jump over it when it was small so that caused it to have a short trunk and loooong, thick branches that us grandkids would spend so much time playing in that the bark was polished smooth. I might have a picture to provide a better visual to my possibly lacking description.

Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Apr 6, 2009, 8:44 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Spinnaker Cove, Ca
E-mail
Message: Hey, John Boy;All this talk about them trees sounds kinda fruity to me.

Name: Marilyn Ross ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Apr 6, 2009, 5:40 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Wisham
Class: 1956
City & State: Garden Grove, CA
No E-mail
Message: My family had a peach tree next to the front porch on Imperial Hwy. It had the best peaches ever. We could have a peach anytime our hearts desired. My mother would can peaches every year and I'm sure we had our share of peach pie. You just can't buy peaches like that anymore sweet and juicy. It was there when we moved in and my dad pruned a little but otherwise we just watered, nothing else. My husband and I can't grow a decent peach tree at all. We had a rose tree on the other side of the porch. It grew all over the porch roof and down the side. It was covered with pale pink roses all summer. Again we did no special care. These trees were very old and the peach tree died out before we moved but near the end of our tenure. Those trees hold a lot of great memories.

Name: joseph mailander ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Apr 6, 2009, 4:03 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1975
City & State: los angeles ca
E-mail
Message: Hello John and I LOVE YOU MAAANNN especially this time of year, spring time, in which I have so much love to share. The other day I related to yet another lovely and amazing Coug from my class, Sharon Nelson, about how you and I grewup in the very same house, but did so ten years apart. This time of year when our own tree here in the inner city is laden with green apricots, some of which will make it into ten-inch holiday tarts, and some of which will keep the squirrels fed through early summer. I think back so fondly to the pad on Birch with the great apricot tree in the back and the sunny bay window along the long driveway. We left that home before I got to high school but were in it long enough to secure it as my most precious home in childhood. What a wonderful thing to be tethered through acquaintances and over the decades by means not only of new media but also by the same anchoring fruit tree! (Which is now, alas, gone, but it should be, as apricot trees only have a lifespan of a little less than a human one). If your legion of readers have special memories of other trees of Hawthorne, I'd be very glad to read them at this bursting and verdant time of year. Again I LOVE YOU MAAANNN and peace and boat drinks through the springtime and always.

Name: Mel Bentley ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Apr 4, 2009, 10:40 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: ventura,ca
E-mail
Message: Hi Cougars, I was just reading through and saw the STUDEBAKER thread and just thought I'd add this. I had a 53 Stude (the Raymond Lowey designed one). I had just come to HHS in 1960 and a female classmate (who shall remain nameless) more or less asked me out. Well being new in town and all, the only place I could think to go was the Centinela Drive In ( HHS hangout???). Needless to say the movie is long forgotten but that night still lives. When later I asked "soooooo why me? She said, "I just love your car". Well I figured that was just as good as having a great personality or being smart or good looking in my book. Ah life was so much simpler then. PS there is more to the story but I will wait till the next reunion------ which reminds me is it too early to start talking about it? Do we have a date and location?

Name: Kim Caesar ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Apr 4, 2009, 6:06 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: August
Class: 1979
City & State: Lakewood, CO
E-mail
Message: Cougar Sighting! Jeanette (Nimrichter) Mounts (79) and I shared some great stories and laughs over lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in Park Meadows, Colorado last Friday. We actually live about 20 minutes from each other. We were Homecoming Princesses together in fall of 1978. We looked through our 1979 El Molino and are looking forward to attending the 30 year Reunion later this year.

Name: Jim Armour ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Apr 4, 2009, 10:41 am - HHS Time
Class: 1970
City & State: Acworth
E-mail
Message: Hey Cougar Family, I was reminiscing about Easter with a colleague the other day and attempting to provoke those same feelings that made Easters past so special. I realized that it was, in part, due to being a child and seeing the world through a childs eyes, but there was always other ingredients that seemed to be present. I was remembering the Easter Egg hunts of the late 1950's ... I do remember the grass still being wet from the previous night of rain, on several occasions. That was when you saved your Easter basket for the next year or so. They were made to last, and looked "natural", like the ole basket your grand mother would go out and gather eggs from the hen house with. The only thing I did not like about Easter was the suit pants, white shirt, dress shoes (I hated those shoes, and tie that my mother always made me wear to Church that morning. We hid the same eggs over and over, when we got home from church... Those were the eggs that me, my sister and, sometimes, my older brothers, decorated the night before with colored dyes and other artistic implements to fancy up the eggs with. We did not have plastic eggs...Then when the day drew to a end...... those eggs.... Well, I know to this day; I am not too fond of egg salad : )After discussing, at length, the Easters we both had as kids, the ingredient that I was trying to remember became very clear. My family, doing things together, always made any holiday special and unique. That was it, family. Happy Easter!

Name: Joe Lamonica ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Apr 4, 2009, 8:22 am - HHS Time
Class: 1971
City & State: Placentia CA
E-mail
Message: Hi to all Cougars. This is my 1st time using feedback but I do look at it at least once a week. Unfortunately I regret having to use it this way. I recently lost my job. I have been in the automotive bus. since leaving Hawthorne High. I have run some of the biggest serv. dept. in L.A. porsche, audi, toyota, nissan, and I would like to know if any of you Cougars could help me find a job. This ex-Cougar and my family would be in your debt forever. This is very hard for me to do. I am very sorry if I am depressing anyone. Maybe my next sign on will have better news. Still love all you Cougars. I will keep you posted.

Name: Marilyn Ross ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Apr 3, 2009, 6:43 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Wisham
Class: 1956
City & State: Garden Grove, CA
E-mail
Message: Vickie Hare asked about John Sciortino. I couldn't E-mail her so I had to post here. I did not know John but I did know of his sister Juanita Sciortino. I am pretty sure it's his sister not positive. I remember she had a brother. I knew her at York Ave. Did not hang around in high school. She only appears in freshman and sophmore years. I can send Vickie a photo of Juanita if she wants. Just E-mail me. It's not much but maybe a start. I couldn't find his photo anywhere in the yearbooks either.

Name: Chris Prewitt ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Apr 3, 2009, 5:26 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1967
City & State: Fullerton, CA
E-mail
Message: Announced today is Olivia Arias' husband George is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. See http://www.nme.com/news/george-harrison/43880. The public is welcome to attend April 14 at 11:30am PST.

Name: Howard Paco Duran ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Apr 3, 2009, 10:00 am - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest
E-mail
Message: Send me your Easter pics..I already have a few.

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Apr 3, 2009, 7:10 am - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Las Vegas
E-mail
Message: Just got an email from my friend Kurt Morlock that was a press release about a fellow friend and Cougar, Craig Bodkin. It appears Craig is co-starring along with Lou Diamond Phillips, Cloris Leachman and other in a TV show on the Hallmark channel tomorrow night (April 4) at 9pm eastern time. The show is called "Love Takes Wings" a Western which Craig plays the Sheriff. So make sure you watch it. Proud of you Craig, a fellow 76er

Name: John Baker ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Apr 3, 2009, 6:56 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Lomita, CA
E-mail
Message: Cougar Sighting, Last night we had our Class of 62 reunion meeting at the Olive Garden in Manhattan. I was looking through our 30 year reunion memory book with a Cougar on the front and our waiter said, "Hey, I went to Hawthorne High too". He was Class of 007's Jose Leon. Nice to meet you last night, Jose. We had a great time with some great service and please add yourself to our Alumni List.

Name: Ron Reinholdson ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Apr 2, 2009, 9:02 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1965
City & State: Claremont, CA
E-mail
Message: Speaking of Studebakers, do any Cougars actually own one. Oh yea. Wait. I do. A '41 Champion coupe. A project if ever there was one. A good year or two before completion. Anybody know where I can get a driver's side grill for it?

Name: Howard Paco Duran ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Apr 2, 2009, 6:22 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest
E-mail
Message: Jim,can ya tell us a little about the grandkid?

Name: Jim Sloey ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Apr 2, 2009, 3:28 pm - HHS Time
E-mail
Message: Tom a million apologies the Mets were in St Pete until 1987.

Name: Jim Sloey ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Apr 2, 2009, 8:06 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: solvang
E-mail
Message: Pretty good Tom but the Yankees make their spring training in St. Petersburg the Mets in Port St. Lucie. Other than it was an April Fools gag the person who portrayed Sidd could not even get the ball to the plate a mere 60 feet 6 inches. Sidd had found the "perfect pitch." Did I mention I am going to be a Grandpa-twice?

Name: Tom Nadal ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Apr 2, 2009, 12:39 am - HHS Time
Class: 1977
City & State: The OC
No E-mail
Message: In its April 1985 edition, Sports Illustrated published an article by George Plimpton that described an incredible rookie baseball player who was training at the Mets camp in St. Petersburg, Florida. The player was named Sidd Finch (Sidd being short for Siddhartha, the Indian mystic in Hermann Hesse?s book of the same name). He could reportedly pitch a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. The fastest previous recorded speed for a pitch was 103 mph. Sidd Finch. On April 8, they declared that Finch had held a press conference in which he said that he had lost the accuracy needed to throw his fastball and would therefore not be pursuing a career with the Mets. This was a classic April Fool's Joke.

Name: Jim Sloey ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 1, 2009, 8:43 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: solvang
E-mail
Message: Well it's time to end the march madness and start baseball again. Trivia time on this most of fitting days, who was Sid Finch and why was his career cut short? Did I mention I am going to be a grandfather? Well my #2 son [birth order they are all #1] and his wife are expecting a baby a month after #1 and his wife-yup another Sloey Boy!