Name: Jim Frederick ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 4:20 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: West Hills Ca,/ Hanalei HI,

Message: Yes Judy! I remember the Tiki's!! Not only the ones most everyone wore , but also the ones carved out pf palm trees. I mean LARGE! My brother Louis had carved a few with a chain saw. And our mom had them set up around the yard. Our yard was like a jungle. They were a big item then. You would see them in surf shops / restaurant's and car lots. I think the craze was due to surfing just catching on and the book "KON TIKI". And also because Hawaii had just become a state in 1959. The Hawaiian thing was HOT! I was 6 years younger than my brother. But many times he would take me along to the beach and i got to hang out with the "Big Guys" LOL! And they all took turns teaching me how to surf! I would wax boards or try to carry them: TRY" because the boards were so big it was tough for a little guy six years younger. Heck! one time they straped me to the surf rack and drove around with me straped to the top of the car or woody! Dang how crazy that must of looked LOL! And i still have one of my brothers smaller Tiki's! It's in sad shape now. And i was going to chuck it in the trash. And my wife said "You can't throw that out! , Louis made that! " ... She's right , Because Louis has gone to the big Kahuna in the sky. And i don't have much of anything left to me from Louis but this old worn Tiki. I really should try to restore it! Besides 26th, st, I hung out at Manhatan Beach pier. Me and my best friend Ricky Yama (RIP) would hitch hike or hop the train! Our parents would give us bus money , but we spent it on a R.C. Cola and Those Hostes pies in a bag. God how loved those pies! And last .. Has anyone seen how much some of those old boards are going for today ?!! MEGA BUCKS $$$!! I saw a Jacobs 10'2" here in Hanalei Kauai at a surf shop for $6,500!!! It was beautiful!! Surfs up gotta go! LOL! Aloha and Mahalo!

Name: Eric Larson ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 4:03 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1970
City & State: Redlands, CA

Message: Kudos to Steve and Jerry for knowing what D&W stood for. It was the beach (jetty) just north of where Imperial dead ended at the ocean.

Name: Jim Schroeder ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 3:00 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Central Point, Oregon

Message: Twas the summer of '66. Hobart, Stevenson, & Mazzotta rented a place a few houses down from Highland on 26th St. I was there most of the time, but actually paid no rent. The rent was an outlandish $125 monthly. We all four worked at LAX at the Valet parking booth. We "borrowed" a wheel chair from the airport and would shoot the stairs down to the beach. Red Mountain was $1.49 a gallon. Those things add up to a super summer. Then in February of '67 (the 20th to be exact) we entered the Army as draftees. The party was over for a while. And though Hobart is no longer with us, Steve, Terry & I were partying together at Mazzotta's daughter's wedding two weeks ago on the Oregon coast. You can take the boy out of (or away from) Two-Six, but you can't take the 26 out of the boy. I do think that the abundance of "free parking" was a factor at 26th. Made it easy.

Name: Steve Fraser ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 1:46 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Laguna Woods
No E-mail
Message: Dockweiler State Beach, kiddies...

Name: Jerry Miles ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 1:34 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Fair Oaks, CA
No E-mail
Message: Although we hit them all, Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, ElPorto, Malibu, etc., my group called El Porto home. But Ithink my very first day of surfing on my own board startedat Marine but we quickly drifted to 26th Street. By the wayit was called D&W because surfers were too lazy to sayDockweiler Beach...haha

Name: El Rojo ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 12:21 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: JACOBSEN
Class: 1960
City & State: Kuna, ID

Message: Everybody's rememberance of 26th st might be a little different. I remember most of us in my Frosh year, 56, would go to El Porto. But there were alot of upper classmen that kind of ran the beach, if you know what I mean. Hazings at that time were very normal. I think our class just looked for a place that was out of the way and we could be comfortable. In my Soph year, 57 we started a regular parade down there to 26th. We actually had a group of us known as the "Sophmore Soches" that congregated there. It kind of became our spot. Many many good days and nights spent down at 26th! There is a story in feedback where I and my brother and Cal K and I believe Paul Penn, although it could have been Jim Hoel, removed the 26th street post on highland one night. It was placed by mine and my brothers bedroom door. We had a room out behind the house only to be found by the Manhattan Beach PD a little later and our parents questions. But that's another story in itself. Thats about as early as I can pin it down but boy what memories! MAY THE COUGAR BE WITH YOU.Jake N Jude

Name: Eric Larson ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 10:52 am - HHS Time
Class: 1970
City & State: Redlands, CA

Message: First off a big thank you to the many Cougars who have purchased tickets to the “Social Event “ of the season. The 1970-1973 Multi-Class reunion is shaping up with only days to go. Ticket orders will be accepted if postmarked by 20 August 2011. Second is my tie-in between JB’s map project and 26th street. The guys I hung out with that lived in Sector 1, would frequent D&W. This is because we started surfing before we started attending HHS and D&W was the closest beach where our parents would drop us off. Because there was hardly ever a parking problem at D&W or crowds I guess we just kept going there. After we started HHS and heard about the great 26th street we would visit more to be part of the events out of the water than the surfing. D&W had the drawback of the hike down the hill/cliff (difficult with a 9+ foot board) and crossing the vast stretch of lava hot sand in the summer. My memories of winter are huddling around a fire while the late Richard Greedus (69) would be shaking so bad that he would spill half of the coffee we would bring along to warm up. Those were the days before full length wetsuits and leashes. Another surfing brother from Sector 1 was the late Craig Foster (69). His dad was a fire chief or captain at the Marina Del Ray station and would sometimes cruse down the coast in the county fireboat. His dad and the guys on the boat thought it was fun to drive up to us as we waited in the lineup and blast us off our boards with the wash from the jet drive. I remember pooling our money for gas to get a round trip to the beach (I think the minimum we needed was $1.75) and included a stop at the new 7-11 (in El Segundo near Main & Imperial) for a brand new treat called a Slurpie. Anyone know where D&W is or how it got the name?

Name: Judy Degrazia ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 8:06 am - HHS Time
No E-mail
Message: In 1960, I figured that 26th Street was the perfect choice because it had a free parking (as mentioned) ..and for those of us under-classmen, the bus stopped just up the street on Highland. I remember taking the bus there (before boys drove us down) and freezing my buns off just to watch the boys surf at 7am, then roasting in the afternoon sun, walking a mile and back forth a burger,(because someone said the stand up the way had the "best") and then taking the bus home. All this and I never got my hair wet or out of place. Not an easy thing to do. Oh, and we never wore shoes. Funny the things you'll do when you want them bad enough. Does anyone ever think of the wooden Tiki God (with red sequin eyes)worn around the neck and later replaced with gold St. Christopher medals. Another sign of "going steady." The gal with the best St. Chistopher medal won the "he loved me best" contest.

Name: Danny Webb ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 7:49 am - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: St. Paul, Minn.

Message: I was out West for a week, earlier this month, to visit the folks, who still live at the same house, Section 1, on the "Inglewood" side of 120th. There is not a whole lot left of that part of the original sub-division. It still seems to be a nice neighborhood, being isolated from urban life by a huge, meandering block wall (The Del Aire Curtain?). It was also great to the the HHS campus without the perimeter fence, once again.

Name: Ron Reinholdson ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 7:20 am - HHS Time
Class: 1965
City & State: Claremont, CA

Message: The parking lot. 26th Street has a free parking lot just a short walk up from The Strand.

Name: Betty Rodriguez ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 18, 2011, 6:34 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Kean
Class: 1969
City & State: Kingman, AZ

Message: Great idea, Carl. I remember going down there with my sister('66). I knew so many people from that class and then just continued going all thru high school. I also remember hanging at 33rd St. Chet Glenn had an apartment down there and all the guys who surfed hung out there. I knew his sister Kathy, so I was there once in a while. One summer I took my dads camera to 26th St. and took candid pictures all morning. This was in 1967, I believe. My dad developed all the pics, and put together a nice book for Bill Cusac - who was in Vietnam at the time. It was a great pictorial. As a younger child I always went to Hermosa Beach - used to love Stubbs Pub! And the Biltmore!

Name: Carl Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 17, 2011, 8:50 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: Torrance, CA

Message: Gary Bickers has apparently read my mind. Being retired in the South Bay we enjoy bike rides along the beach several times a week. Every time I pedal by 26th street I wonder: How did 26th street become Hawthorne High’s “official beach”? When did it start? Who were the first students to start going there? Why 26th street and not somewhere else, like El Porto? Was it the convenience of the adjacent parking lot? What about today? Do Hawthorne kids still go there? I was going to wait until the “where did you live” exercise ran its course, but since Gary opened the door, I thought I’d jump in and pose these questions now. It would be fun to hear the history of this HHS institution, having been part of it in the late sixties. Hopefully some of the late 50’s early-60’s alumni will share some memories.

Name: Dennis Kilroy ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 17, 2011, 4:05 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1977
City & State: OC CA

Message: Ok John looking forward to Cruise Night! Sorry I missed the Multi-class. Hopefully some of the 70's people are all rested up and will make it out. See everyone soon.

Name: Bob And Karen Fraser ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 17, 2011, 1:58 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1960
City & State: Hawthorne, Ca
No E-mail
Message: Hello friends! We were having a late breakfast with some friends this morning when our good buddy, Bill Shultz, Class of 1963, announced he is running for Hawthorne City Council! We think this is great, one of our own fellow Cougars is in there. So, come on, you Cougartown Hawthorne voters- hope you will come out and support Bill. Also plan to see you at the VFW on Sunday to support them at the monthly breakfast.

Name: Esther Ostermann ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 17, 2011, 6:10 am - HHS Time
Maiden: quintanilla
Class: 1970
City & State: escondido

Message: Why not add the address by last names only. Would this solve the problem of too many hits on the same address by different family members? Just a thought

Name: Vicky Aliabadi ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Aug 16, 2011, 11:53 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Baur
Class: 1976
City & State: santa monica

Message: John – Thank you for the B-day wishes. Actually I feel special that I don’t have to share my B-day with anyone. By the way, wasn’t your Birthday last week. In case I am correct, Happy Belated Birthday to you…

Name: Clark Millman ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Aug 16, 2011, 9:45 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Manhattan Beach,CA

Message: Gary triggered a good memory of mine of 26th Street...It was the Spring of 1982 and I was coaching the pole vaulters on the HHS track team. I was a senior at USC so i was only 6 years older than my senior jumpers and we hung out and did alot together. One night we all decided to go "ice blocking". Lots of young folks I'm sure have no idea what that is..We went to one of the huge old ice machines at some market and got ice blocks for everyone (myself, Jason Wymond'82, Margaret Devine'82 and assorted others), threw towels in my camaro and headed for 26th Street. We were all rookies but learned fast. We put the blocks at the top of the grassy hill at 26th, put our towels on top and sat on them and slid down the hill full speed. At the bottom we would fall off and the blocks would shoot into the street threatening passing cars. It was great being young and crazy!

Name: Susan King ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Aug 16, 2011, 9:38 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Bierman
Class: 1974
City & State: Thousand Oaks, CA

Message: So John - I have another question about the address program. The Bierman 3, Steve, Susan and Sharon, classes 71, 74 and 76, lived at 5 different addresses in Hawthorne over the years. How do we do that? Do each of us list all 5? We surely want to be counted!!

Name: Gary Bickers ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Aug 16, 2011, 6:28 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1963
City & State: pve cal
No E-mail
Message: Enough addresses; lets talk about the beach. There are plenty of 26th street stories but the one I love is an eight year period of one of the founders of 26th street, Bill Brown. I think Bill was a '61. So Bill came to the beach with a Tshirt and surf board riding a bike. Bill met a girl and came to the beach in a car with towels, chairs and a surf board. Bill got married and now you can add a cooler and some in-laws. Bill had kids so now add a station wagon with additional kid stuff including a playpen. The last stage of this transition was the whole family, kid's stuff, food, chairs, towels and a surf board all in a station wagon with Bill just behind; riding on his old bike wearing an old Tshirt. The circle of life.

Name: Jill Jaynes ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Aug 16, 2011, 3:14 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: McFarlane
Class: 1977
City & State: Mission Viejo, CA

Message: It looks as if all the well behaved kids lived in Sector 7, I'm talking 129th Street!

Name: Jan Blomsterberg ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Aug 16, 2011, 12:38 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1963
City & State: Torrance, CA

Message: Sidney...just a reminder that this Sunday, Aug 21, is the monthly VFW breakfast, beginning at 9am. Last month we had a great turnout and hope that we have another this Sunday. I apologize to any and all who had to wait at any length for their breakfast. I can only manage four egg pans at at time and when most people show up at nine, well, the orders start to back up. Not sure if Tilly and I will be at Cruise Night since we have to get up so early the next morning. Maybe we can make a brief visit. Thanks, John-boy. Janny

Name: Dean Morris ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Aug 16, 2011, 12:09 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Vallejo, CA

Message: Dear Lisa, I am sorry Tim Fye has passed on at such an early age. I am sure he was a hero to some who lived a life full of bad breaks and was simply "misunderstood", etc. etc. However, like Will Rogers, I knew very few people from Hawthorne I did not see the good in or eventually come to like. My guess is Tim's Dad or Mom did not give him what he needed and probably abused him. That is exactly what Tim Fye did to others; he beat up anyone he could as a first resort. I do remember he was a good baseballer and it was too bad he never found a Father Flanagan to take him in and teach him to fly right. Anyway, I did not run with a bunch of angels as you suggest. Maybe I should never have mentioned him, but like anytown USA, we had good and bad apples and that, as they say, is the rest of the story. PS RIP TF