Hawthorne Feedback

Name: Sharon Leach ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 11, 2009, 4:46 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: Moore
Class: 1966
City & State: long beach
E-mail
Message: When we were kids, every Christmas, my father would tell the story of his little brother, Johnny. One Christmas when they were kids, Johnny kept eating everything in sight. He ate nuts, cookies, candy, etc. His mom kept telling him he would get a tummy ache. Anyway, the turkey was finally done and they all sat down to eat. They had a huge feast and Johnny kept stuffing himself. Finally, the pumpkin pie came out and Johnny wanted a great big piece. As he took the first bite of his pie and swallowed, he jumped from the table screaming, yelling, and running around the house. No one could catch him. Finally, my grandfather grabbed hold of him and found out his stomach was hard as a rock. They rushed him to the hospital and had his stomach pumped. Too many Christmas goodies!!! Years later my Uncle Johnny joined the Army and became a survivor of the Bataan Death March. He lived for three years in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines. He never spoke much of this time in this camp. It was an unwritten rule not to talk to Uncle Johnny about it. Years later, when I was in my fifties, I started to call and e-mail my uncle on all the holidays we celebrate our veterans. I thanked him for his service and hardships he went through during his service to our country. Once, when I was on the phone with him, I reminded him of that Christmas when he was a boy. He started to laugh and told me that Christmas kept him going those three years in the prison camp. He would feel his hunger pangs and remember that Christmas and pray to the Lord that he would spend another Christmas with his family. Thank you JB, for this website. A huge thanks to all of our military personnel. Also a special thanks to my military police granddaughter serving in Minot, ND. A MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL HHS COUGARS!!! Peace and Joy to the World

Name: Sharon Leach ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 11, 2009, 1:35 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Moore
Class: 1966
City & State: long beach
E-mail
Message: Happy birthday Diane Lay Smith. Hope it is a fun day for you.

Name: Betty Rodriguez ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 11, 2009, 11:59 am - HHS Time

Maiden: Kean
Class: 1969
City & State: Kingman, AZ
E-mail
Message: I remember the lead tinsel being gently laid across the pages of either LIFE magazine or the New Yorker. Remember what tinsel would do if you put it in your mouth?!? And I also remember the tree lot on Hawthorne Blvd. by the railroad tracks. We got a tree there every year, usually on Christmas Eve - sometimes they would give the trees away free. Merry Christmas to all!Betty

Name: Jim Frederick ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 10, 2009, 2:54 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1969
City & State: West Hills / Hanalie Hi.
E-mail
Message: ...... When i was in 3rd grade at Eucalyptus elementary school i will never forget this Christmas moment .... We were all eagerly waiting for Santa's arrival ! Oh how the suspense was building ! you could here his bells and his HO HO HO ! ! And we could hear all the kids in the preceding rooms ... At last ! ! In walks Santa Claus ! His suit was kinda worn , and something just seemed different ..... down each row of students desk handing out candy and small cheap toys . And when Santa got to my desk he leaned over and said "Merry Christmas Jimmy ! HO HO HO "... Wow i thought ! Santa really knows my name ! and as i looked into his eyes .... I noticed what so different ! " YOUR NOT SANTA CLAUS ! YOUR MY MOM ! " And my Mom leaned over and held her finger over her lips and went shhhh and said the real Santa couldn't make it , i,m feeling in for him.... Don't blow this for the other kids " ..You know some of you may remember our house at 527 120 th st,.,.... . My Dad made those tumble weed snow people and the classic plywood cut out Santa Claus holding a bottle of coke. Having to help put up the lights on our two story home was great fun! I wont forget the big year i was deemed able to climb that old wooden ladder all the way to the top ! I had to kinda lean backwards and put the light strand on a hook in the eve . My legs shaking and my Dad hollering out orders and my brother shaking the ladder to just mess with his little brother (cause that what big brothers do to their little bros..) Just then out flew a bird ! And scared the crap out of me ! My Dad and brother thought it was the funniest thing ! Last .. please remember what someone in the armed forces is going thru ... Being away at christmas is probably the worst ! Try to do something ! We help with a non profit group called "Operation Gratitude" Check it out on the web ..... The feeling of giving is so rewarding ! .... And hey be sure to check Paco's Christmas photo's ! send in yours ! .......... Peace Out, Good Vibrations and Aloha . . Jim . . . .

Name: Howard Paco Duran ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 10, 2009, 12:29 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest
E-mail
Message: I have a Christmas story, when Sharon and I lived in Newport. It was 1972, my kids were 5 and 2 years old. On Christmas eve both kids were so excited that we let them sleep us, not knowing that ol' Paco had a plan...I brought bells to bed with me and put them under the bed, the house we lived in had no attic, so if a cat ran across the roof you could hear it. I woke the kids about 5am, (I think I was more excited then they were) I told them that I heard Santa on the roof...I started to jingle,jingle..And told the kids to be quiet...They heard all sorts of stuff..Both of them were giggling, they even heard Rudolph. Me, I was still jingling those bells..When we got up, I had placed a piece of red satin on the the fireplace screen the night before I went to bed, I started laughing that Santa was in trouble for tearing his suit and Mrs. Claus was going to be so mad..Almost 40 years later the kids say that that was their most favorite Christmas..Mine too.

Name: Ernie Nixon ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 10, 2009, 9:02 am - HHS Time

Class: 1963
City & State: Jacksonville Fla
E-mail
Message: Glasswax brings back a memory of when I was working at A&W. We were decorating the windows using the Glasswax stencils. There was one of a profile of Santa, so I made a stencil of a 32 roadster and I put Santa in the drivers seat. I wonder if anyone remembers it. Also, Glasswax was great for shining up my 57 Pontiac. Thanks for another memory brought back.

Name: Steve Fraser ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 10, 2009, 8:18 am - HHS Time

Class: 1966
City & State: Laguna Woods
No E-mail
Message: I remember decorating the tree with my little sisters, but when it came to the tinsel, stay back, Mom was in charge!! No flimsy cellophane tinsel, no sir. Good American lead. One strand at a time. After the New Years, the tinsel came off one strand at a time. Long before recycling was "vogue", she could get 3 or 4 years out of a package.I wish I still had Glass Wax, better than some of this garbage on the shelves.

Name: Terry Allen ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 10, 2009, 8:00 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Smith
Class: 1974
City & State: Salem Or
E-mail
Message: Christmas eve we always got to open 1 gift, it was always a night gown. My mom thought it was funny to hang our new Xmas panties on the tree. We always woke up to panties on the tree Xmas morn. One year my dad told me to go in the garage and get a hammer for him. I went to get the hammer and there were 2 red BOY'S Sears kind sting ray bikes. Well I gave him the hammer and went on to play. My mom said didn't you see the bikes? I was confused? Boys bikes... Yes we got boys bikes. One year we all went to my Aunts in Gardena and she invites the whole neighborhood. Well they put us kids in one room and brought in trays of red and green jello then left us alone. Wrong thing to do..Let the jello fights begin. Lets just say it was a long long ride home..Merry Christmas everyone.

Name: Jerry Miles ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Dec 9, 2009, 2:15 pm - HHS Time

Class: 1966
City & State: Fair Oaks, CA
E-mail
Message: Ok, so here is a real Hawthorne Christmas story. By the time I was in high school we had evolved to artificial aluminum trees with a color wheel. But when I was very young a real tree was always called for. I remember my favorite ornament was the one that looked like a candle and bubbled from its own heat. I recall also that several of our Santa displays were drinking Coke and I think one of them might have been smoking a Chesterfield. I also recollect well my favorite Christmas task of decorating the windows. Being a little tyke at the time I could not climb ladders and such but I could dip a sponge. At the time there was a very popular product called Glass Wax that provided free Christmas window stencils during that time of year. My job was to dip and dab them on, at least for the lower windows. I?m sure my mom came back later and corrected some of my creations but that did not diminish my Christmas spirit a bit. And being just soap I did not make too much of a mess. It is strange that way back then, unlike now when the stores bring out Santa about July, you never saw anything to do with Christmas until after Thanksgiving. But the season seemed to last forever with the shopping, get-togethers, parties, and church functions. These days with the crowds and political correctness it seems more of a time to try and ?get through? than to enjoy. But with that, I wish each and every Cougar out there the merriest Christmas of their life.

Name: Karen Clancy ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Dec 9, 2009, 2:15 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: Krumbach
Class: 1968
City & State: Hanford, CA
E-mail
Message: My mother was famous for re-using boxes. The Christmas of 1966 or 1967 I really wanted some white go-go boots. Well, apparently my mother found a boots box and put my present in there. I knew better than to look inside the box before it was wrapped, and I was so sure there were white go-go boots inside! Imagine my disappointment when I opened the box and found ??? (can't even remember what, but it wasn't boots).

Name: Peter Nelson ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Dec 9, 2009, 10:05 am - HHS Time

Class: 1957
City & State: Corona Ca
E-mail
Message:I used to come home for lunch. My grand mother would always make my lunch. My little brother Kurt my little sister Meredith always watched Sheriff John on 11. Sheriff John would say I will put another candle on the birthday cake and say just laugh and be happy. I lived at 4927 west 133 street right by the water tower. All of the Nelson kids; 4 brothers, 1 sister would climb the water tower. Question: Did anyone of you climb the water tower? My favorite Christmas song, Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley. My favorite song of all time Hey Jude by the Beatles. You all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year, class of 1957

Name: Wade Greasby ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Dec 9, 2009, 7:41 am - HHS Time

Class: 1973
City & State: Surf City, California
E-mail
Message: Some things need to be shared. Yesterday, Dec 8, 8AM to 11:30AM Big Bear was the place to be. Snow boarded my Cougar off. Beautiful runs, plenty of powder and speeds reaching Mach-9. What a rush....For those of you who enjoy snow boarding and are local inhabitants, get up to Bear. Mammoth is also happening. On my way there after the Christmas Holiday. My bro would say Colorado is going off, but that trip will have to wait until March. So being over 50 has it's positives. "Hope I die before I get old".

Name: Jill Jaynes ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Dec 8, 2009, 5:12 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: McFarlane
Class: 1977
City & State: Mission Viejo, CA
E-mail
Message: Wow, Konnie Krislocks name keeps popping up everywhere. First there was Konnie with Patty Valencia, then Wade was going to run her off the road as she sported her SC clothing, and tomorrow I will be having dinner with her, as well as Sandra Bell & Vicki Barker. In the meantime, I saw Dan Johnson a few weeks ago at the Coach House, and last Saturday night I had dinner with Carolyn Daves. I have seen more Cougars this last month than I ever saw back in high school. Notice I did not use the word Cougar sighting? I know better, I think of them as Cougar stalkings!

Name: Bonnie Lou Cozby ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Dec 8, 2009, 1:14 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: Simmons
Class: 1971
City & State: Ocean Park
E-mail
Message: Christmas was always wonderful, but I remember the Christmas I was nine and all that I wanted was The Haunted House game (by Ideal). The game board was molded plastic that stood up...it looked like a haunted mansion and had doors that popped open and a jewel hidden away that was the prize. Whenever I mentioned the game my mother would say something like "why do want that? it's ugly...it's scary" and so on. I had no hopes of Santa bringing it, especially since I was clued in years earlier to the whole Santa secret and knew that the game did not fit into the gift category (read Barbie), that my assigned elf felt was appropriate for a nine year old girl. On Christmas Eve, as I tried to fall asleep and the appointed elf tried to finish wrapping duties only 10 feet away, I kept hearing a "whoooo" noise over and over. It couldn't be...but sure enough, on Christmas morning, there it was...Haunted House. Mom told she didn't know the owl would be so cute or that jewels were part of it. That rated right up there with the year I asked for and received Space Boots ( plastic shoes with springs that made you feel like you were walking on the moon - sorta). Many of you knew my mother, Yvonne (Bonnie) Simmons. I am sad to relay that she passed away November 6 after a long battle with Alzheimer's. One of my cherished memories of Mom was sitting on the back steps of our Holly Glenn home with four or more of neighborhood kids while Mom sliced fresh apples and pears for us and told silly stories. Christmas was always important to Mom and our front window could rival any of the top stores for beautiful decorations. Dad would be directed to line every edge of the roofline with lights and the waving, gold and white Santa would take his place in the window. Good memories...

Name: Wade Greasby ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Dec 8, 2009, 9:01 am - HHS Time

Class: 1973
City & State: Surf City, California
E-mail

Message: The other day I'm drivin' down PCH, Coast Highway here in the OC, and I spot this woman in a SC sweatshirt. Now when I see an SC anything I see red. Well the woman sporting this red car wipe, looks over smiles and realizes we know each other. We exchange hi's and go on our way... Typical SC people!! LOL. Konnie Krislock, my favorite teacher. She was on her way to lunch with some Cougar Alum's. Big Bear is 18" deeper and snow board ready. Off we go

Name: Jill Jaynes ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Dec 7, 2009, 3:26 pm - HHS Time

Maiden: McFarlane
Class: 1977
City & State: Mission Viejo, CA
E-mail
Message: Thank you to everyone who has forwarded me Tesas' email regarding Don Brokaw. I will make sure that Don hears from me. Wish the circumstances were different. The lesson here, reach out to people, for life is too short.

Name: Sharon Bierman Branigan ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Dec 7, 2009, 11:49 am - HHS Time

Maiden: Bierman
Class: 1976
City & State: San Clemente, CA
E-mail
Message: How's this for a fabulous Christmas gift - buy your loved one a Cougartown T-shirt that they can cherish and wear at all Cougartown events! They also encourage great Cougar sightings as you are identified as an HHS Cougar in a crowd! I'm up for a Bob's Big Boy run in Downey, let's set a date and see who shows up. Christmas memories: best gift- Honda 50 minibike (musta been 1969) Oh how I loved that bike. Every year dad would give us money to buy gifts for the family. One year Sue and I got each other hamsters- we lived in Oregon that year so it must've been 1966? Dad never complained but probably questioned his methods after that... Sue has a much better memory than I do so she'll probably remember the TRUE story but I do recall one of them ate wood and died. Don't remember what happened to the other one. One year, Sue and I agreed to open each other's gifts then wrap them back up and put them back under the tree. I went first, then Sue refused to open hers. I was skunked! Don't even remember what the gift was but it just wasn't the same on Christmas morning. Get your t-shirt orders in early - they go by priority mail the next biz day after I get the order from John so don't wait until the last minute!!!