Name: Jim Armour ~~~~~~~~~~
Sat-Apr 11, 2009, 10:41 am - HHS Time
Class: 1970
City & State: Acworth
E-mail
Message: Why Ginney Bunnies, of course! Or it could have been the long-eared cotton feathered hen....Not sure which.
Name: Jerry Miles ~~~~~~~~~~
Sat-Apr 11, 2009, 10:34 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Fair Oaks, CA
E-mail
Message: I received a bunny once for Easter that I tried to get to lay eggs. It never did though. I think it was little chicken. Happy Easter everybody.
Name: Stephanie Brito ~~~~~~~~~~
Sat-Apr 11, 2009, 10:33 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Hall
Class: 1961
City & State: RPV, CA
E-mail
Message: This thing about trees is amazing...needs to be recorded somehow as historical record. (Thank you AGAIN, John.) There are several stories that could be turned into wonderful children's literature. I would love to see others expanded and submitted to Daily Breeze. Does the Hawthorne branch of the Library have a local history section? What a wonderful collection of memories that speaks volumes of who we were, and, hopefully, who we still are. We are going up 405 today and I will be looking for those trees mentioned. I am so glad I took the time to go to Cougartown today. You all are wonderful and, Howard, I will on Monday send money to the Tree People in your name---you won't have to rake a leaf---because I admire you, too, so much for what you have done for all of us. Happy times!
Name: Jim Armour ~~~~~~~~~~
Sat-Apr 11, 2009, 10:04 am - HHS Time
Class: 1970
City & State: Acworth
E-mail
Message: Happy Easter to you John.....And may the Bunny eggs be with you :)
Name: Denny Unfried ~~~~~~~~~~
Sat-Apr 11, 2009, 8:58 am - HHS Time
Class: 1955
City & State: Del Aire
E-mail
Message: Memories that surface this time of year is of Easter Sunday of '55' when some HHS senior classmates and I went to Easter sunrise services at the Hollywood Bowl and it's always invigorating to be out when the sun comes up. My dad asked us to come by the house afterwards, so we did just that. ~Upon arriving he had baked a ham to perfection with pineapples et cetera. We then sat down to a feast of fried potatoes and a platter of scrambled eggs with biscuits. Every year on Easter when mother got home from church dad would also have an Easter lily waiting.
Name: Lee Roy Trujillo ~~~~~~~~~~
Fri-Apr 10, 2009, 8:28 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Los Angeles
E-mail
Message: I found a guy with my name that is no longer with us. I'm Lee Roy Trujillo, Emma's brother alive and quite well. Forgot when I graduated 1963-64?? Lets talk. Lee Roy
Name: Carole Ferruccio ~~~~~~~~~~
Fri-Apr 10, 2009, 8:15 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Anderson
Class: 1960
City & State: Lake Isabella, CA
E-mail
Message: Hey Doris Donaldson, what was your address on Eucalyptus? My family lived there from 1950 til 1980. Maybe you knew my brother Dave Anderson, class of 56 I think. We lived at 144 Eucalyptus. Small world, small town then.
Name: Michael M Kratz ~~~~~~~~~~
Fri-Apr 10, 2009, 2:07 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1971
City & State: Vegas
E-mail
Message: John, where is the Hawthorne WWI Memorial located now?
Name: Matt Peterson ~~~~~~~~~~
Fri-Apr 10, 2009, 1:42 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1974
City & State: EDH, CA
E-mail
Message: I remember the giant eucalyptus tree in our back yard. The previous owner had hooked up a rope about 50 feet up. The kids would climb up and grab on to the rope swing out to the yard and let go. Sometimes landing in the clothes line. How many people had clothes lines in there back yard? My dad cut down the rope because it wasn't safe. The tree was very old. We found lots of old bottles digging by it. Guess they used it for a garbage dump. Even found an old oil drum.
Name: Doris Donaldson ~~~~~~~~~~
Fri-Apr 10, 2009, 12:03 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: donaldson
Class: 1957
City & State: Twin Falls, Idaho
No E-mail
Message: Yes, Enza ... My Mother took a bunch of us kids to Palos Verdes, I would guess in the mid-50's, and we picked greens and MAN ALIVE! THEY WERE DELICIOUS! And I didn't like spinach in those days, so that was saying something. Of course growing up just after coming out of the Great Depression, one grew everything they could. Mama had a big garden but what I remember the most were her maters (tomatoes for you city folk). They were theee best! She also grew several kinds of melons, radishes, little green onions and HUGE beets. She was always participating in the local Garden Show and would invariably bring home some kind of ribbon for her veges. Ah yes, and we had chickens and rabbits. Did anyone eat rabbit back in the old days? And yes, fruit trees, although I don't remember what they were beside the peach trees. We had a gorgeous Pepper Tree and I've never seen one since. I built a darling rock garden near that tree as a small small child. When we moved from Washington Avenue, just across the street from Hawthorne Intermediate to Eucalyptus Avenue one block from HHS, I pleaded with my Mom to plant trees that would grow big and strong so that I could climb in them. ALWAYS loved to climb trees! At the new place, she planted Jacarandas (sp?) in the front which really messed up cars, but they sure were beautiful. In the back there was a huge tree and I don't even remember what kind ... but it was strong and big and I climbed the devil outta that tree. Great memories. I am smiling from ear-to-ear as I type. P.S. No John ... the pepper tree did NOT produce pepper! ha!
Name: Bonnie Lou Cozby ~~~~~~~~~~
Fri-Apr 10, 2009, 6:55 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Simmons
Class: 1971
City & State: Ocean Park, WA
E-mail
Message: You have a dry wit about you, John.
Name: Rick Salisbury ~~~~~~~~~~
Fri-Apr 10, 2009, 6:05 am - HHS Time
Class: 1975
City & State: North Bend, Wa.
E-mail
Message: I remember the palm trees as a kid. I used to look under them on the grass, for pigeon eggs, on the way home from York school. Light blue eggs, that had little brown spots. Happy Easter everybody, have fun with the egg hunts!
Name: Claudia Smith ~~~~~~~~~~
Thu-Apr 9, 2009, 6:52 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Morrison
Class: 1977
City & State: piedmont, missouri
E-mail
Message: Hi everyone. It's been a while since I said anything but you were talking about trees. I miss the big palm trees in California. We have a lot of trees but not the palms here.
Name: Bonnie Lou Cozby ~~~~~~~~~~
Thu-Apr 9, 2009, 3:45 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Simmons
Class: 1971
City & State: Ocean Park, WA
E-mail
Message: 'Enza', my grandmother was from a small Basque town in the French Pyrenees and she too had an amazing garden (in Culver City). There was a spot off Sepulveda right as you came down the hill into the flats area before Marina Del Rey that was a great place to pick mushrooms (mid 50's to very early 60's era). This was the route we took from Hawthorne to her house. At the time, it was an air field for Hughes Aircraft...many times they would send a car out to shoo us away from picking our mushrooms because we were keeping a plane from landing. There was a place we picked water cress too...maybe the stream at Rosecrans & Aviation? Rick S., we have a small herd of deer that enjoy our property here on the peninsula...about 6, but no elk. They like to look in at me when I'm in the barn. We do have LOTS of black bear up here too and trees...lovely trees. Ed Strange ('69) just rescued more than 50 fir and pine saplings from being mowed over by a developer. They'll have homes soon. There was still lots of wildlife in the Holly Glen area two years ago...has that changed?
Name: Penny Prouty ~~~~~~~~~~
Thu-Apr 9, 2009, 1:05 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Prouty
Class: 1962
City & State: Torrance, CA
E-mail
Message: I am another one of you who loves trees.....I always have. In our backyard, an Evergreen Elm was planted when it was just a sprig.....my sister and I were ages 3 and 7 and we stood about as high as the little tree. By the time Kathy & I and the little tree were grown, the tree shaded and sheltered most of the yard. Our whole family dearly loved that tree...our tree "grew up with Kathy & I...through years of birthday parties, BBQ's, family gatherings, prom parties and I remember spending many beautiful mornings & afternoons, sitting on our chaise lounge, under the tree, inspired to write and dream, looking up through the tree's branches and new shiney leaves. After my sister and I had moved from home and my parents were preparing to move from Hawthorne to Torrance, I wrote a kind of poem about our tree. Sadly, after we moved, one of the first things the new owners did was to cut down our tree and cover the yard with cement. But that's life. Thanks to whoever gave us this great subject and thanks to everybody for sharing...I think it's told a lot about our growing up and who we are now.
Name: Konnie Smith ~~~~~~~~~~
Thu-Apr 9, 2009, 6:34 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Smith
Class: 1972
City & State: Oregon
E-mail
Message: John...Why don't you have photos for all Cougars? Do you need more year books scanned? I love seeing the pics.
Name: Lyn Neal ~~~~~~~~~~
Thu-Apr 9, 2009, 2:03 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Biggers
Class: 1966
City & State: Redding
E-mail
Message: It has been a loooooooooong time. I would love to get in touch with someone who might live up here in Northern Ca. or anywhere else, it would be fun to touch base on old times if anyone but a few would even remember me.
Name: Debbie Kilroy Beachler ~~~~~~~~~~
Wed-Apr 8, 2009, 9:29 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Kilroy
Class: 1971
City & State: The O.C.
E-mail
Message: Hi John, tree hugging aside, I have to agree with Petey and Judy (Ta-Ta) Blomsterberg -- it's time to save "Second Base". On May 9th I will be venturing into the inner city to participate in the Revlon Walk/Run for Breast Cancer (maybe I'll run into Mr. Mailander). For more info or to make a donation go to
my web page. In the tree dept, I wasn't that lucky growing up but my parents did have a 90 ft Palm tree which gave us all nitemares when the wind was blowing, you can still see it off the 405 freeway on 126th St. Thanks All!
Name: Terry Allen ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 8, 2009, 8:47 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Smith
Class: 1974
City & State: Salem,Or
E-mail
Message: Another So. Ca. fruit tree I dearly miss is, Guavas. Oh my gosh, so delish. Just another one of God's candy..Sweet
Name: Marilyn Ross ~~~~~~~~~~
Wed-Apr 8, 2009, 7:57 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Wisham
Class: 1956
City & State: Garden Grove, Ca
No E-mail
Message: Several people mentioned the Loquat tree. I was thinking that was what we had then it hit me, we had a kumquat tree. It is like very tiny oranges only you eat the whole fruit. I haven't had a Kumquat since then. We also had a fig tree. I loved them but never eat them anymore. They are messy to eat. We used to climb a peach tree in a vacant lot and eat green peaches. Somehow I never got sick on them.
Name: Laura Anderson ~~~~~~~~~~
Wed-Apr 8, 2009, 7:17 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Twitchell
Class: 1979
City & State: Hemet, CA
E-mail
Message: After Dan vacated said red house on Gale Ave, my family moved in and enjoyed the treehouse he spoke of. We had a very wicked water fight that included buckets from the treehouse....Never did have any avocados from the tree but it did produce lots of memories.
Name: Howard Paco Duran ~~~~~~~~~~
Wed-Apr 8, 2009, 7:15 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest
E-mail
Message: Dearest Cougars, I just changed my will and at the time of my death, my dear wife will place a pit of her choice,(do Weeping Willows have pits?) into my..I'm sorry to Petey, Dicky, Kelley and Cammie (Manhattan Tree section) for whatever miscomfort I've caused. I'm thinking why don't PS and Cabo have trees? I've included a pic of myself and my fav' in the background. Sorry,again "Paco Bunyan"
Name: Larry Biller ~~~~~~~~~~
Wed-Apr 8, 2009, 6:10 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1967
City & State: Portland,Oregon
E-mail
Message: I love trees. My sad tree experience was that when driving from L.A. to Portland we drove through the Humbolt redwoods AT NIGHT !! Couldn't see em but I've heard they're worth visiting (in the day time).
Name: Vincenza 'enza' Benvenuta Nicoia ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 8, 2009, 5:54 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1972
E-mail
Message: Denny Unfried...that was too funny..Family Trees.. w/fruits and a few nuts! Regarding my parents aka as, "The Farmers", I think they took the cake for the most mature fruit trees, and most bountiful of veggie gardens in Hawthorne. We had an orchard of trees in our backyard! Being from the "Old Country", and growing their fruits and veggies as a way of life/culture, not only did we have a summer/winter filled with: tomatoes, zuccini, fava beans, green beans, anise, bitter greens (of every variety), artichokes, obo squash (that grew up to 3ft long!) and every other variety of squash there could be, lettuce, and so many herbs!...BUSHES of rosemary/basil/oregano, mint, a bay leaf tree that stood taller than our roof! HOWEVER, the fruit trees that my mom and dad planted/grew were their claim to fame, and produced enough to open up our own fruit stand! Here's just a few: 2 plum trees, 1 peach, 3 fig, 2 loquat, 1 lemon (that later was grafted to a grapefruit & THEN back to a lemon..amazing!), 1 orange and 1 avacado. Whew! We had 9K sq. ft. of property, and my dad didn't waste ONE square inch. He had the foresight to plant 2 dozen or so of Italian Cypress trees bordering the brick walls that lined our triplex on Broadway/Freeman, and eventually gave us the COMPLETE privacy from the apartments that were built in the late 70's/80's. And, I was one of my mom's 'Sous Chefs'-she prepared EVERY MEAL EVERY DAY HER WHOLE LIFE..SHE HAD 8 KIDS!--(we only went out to eat ONE TIME MY WHOLE LIFE!... the opening of Sizzler on El Segundo....I digress) I get so jealous of all the stories of everyone going to all those cool restaurants in and around Hawthorne. I can still recall her calling out for me to pick some parsley/basil on a daily basis, "How much"?, I would call back in my broken Sicilan..."Duo Mani Per Favore"...(two handfuls please). BTW...did anyone else's family pick wild greens by the hillsides of Palos Verdes? Or, go to Point Fermin on the 'low tide' days to pick live Sea Urchins? (a real delicacy?), Go escargot picking in the Loyoly Marshlands? Olive picking and taking them home to cure/jar your own olives.. NO?? That's another looonnng story about my immigrant upbringing & the culture I was brought up in. :)) OH, OH, some of the 4 younger Nicocia clan friends might still remember my mom baking her own bread/pizza every Friday...coming home to hot out of the oven loaves with olive oil, fresh crushed oregano, and melted pecorino parmesan cheese...(the Sicilian version of garlic bread). The square, Sicilian pizza??, well that's a WHOLE other story....