Name: Dennis Shelley ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jan 25, 2012, 6:28 am - HHS Time
Class: 1967
City & State: Santa Teresa, NM

Message: Speaking of first time use of jock straps. When I was 8 years old and playing baseball with the aviation league the coach made me a catcher on the team. He told my dad in order for me to play I needed a cup and strap, I never had to wear one before? Our first game was on a Sunday afternoon. Before the game my brothers Ray, Frank, Tom and sister Joan and my parents had lunch. After I was finished, my dad told me to put my uniform on and get ready to go. When I finished dressing I came out to our dining room and you could hear a pin drop and then everyone burst out into laughter. My dad said" Dennis you need to put the cup inside your pants" Boy, I didn't live that down for years. I never saw my mom laugh so hard.

Name: Carl Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 8:27 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: Torrance, Ca

Message: I remember seeing and shopping at Bob Ketcham's Sporting Goods store but can't remember exactly where it was on the boulevard. Anybody know the cross street?

Name: Glenn Crist ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 7:16 pm - HHS Time
No E-mail
Message: Kathy Downer Peterson -- A Big Five now sits on the old Leuzinger property (pretty close to where the old farm house stood, I believe). I used to sit in their field (before Jose Sepulveda school and Del Aire park) and eat raw lima beans. And Ramo Wooldridge, later TRW, is now townhouses. Time marches on. But thanks to Cougartown, we still have or memories.

Name: Glenn Crist ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 7:00 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1964
City & State: Sonoma, CA

Message: O. K., I haven't seen mention yet of Mel's Sporting Goods, although, I'm sure if you were to Cougle it, it would "magically" appear. I know it's in Inglewood. What was the dividing line between the 'burbs anyway? Was it Century Boulevard? I argue, however, if we are talking South Bay history, here, it has to be included on the same page as Marilyn Monroe, Northrop's Flying Wing, the Beach Boys and all the rest. I bought my letter sweater at Mel's, which fit my 6'2", 145# frame back then, but what would now, probably not even serve as a lap robe. Mel's didn't have a fitting room, let alone an automatc weapons target range, I'm sure.

Name: Jerry Miles ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 6:28 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Fair Oaks
No E-mail
Message: I worked for Pacific Telephone at the Inglewood Central office during the early 1970's and I visited Big 5 many times. It was located at 301 Market (at Nutwood). Google Maps says it is still there.

Name: Kathy Downer ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 4:16 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Peterson
Class: 1970
City & State: Marietta, Ohio

Message: John- If AB+S was the name of the sporting goods store in Inglewood, then what was the Big Five?

Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 11:42 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Palm desert, Ca

Message: Hey, Jim; I think I bought mine J/S at a sporting goods store in Inglewood, on the S/W corner of Hawthorne Bl. & Arbor Vita, don't remember the name of the sporting goods store, but they also had everything sports wise and supplied a lot of the schools in Centinell Valley School District. Jorge

Name: Jerry Miles ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 11:05 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Fair Oaks
No E-mail
Message: Jock Strap is not PC? How did we let this happen? But JB, I'll have to admit I don't remember jock fitting rooms either. Maybe they were manufactured for the later Cougs. I heard they were rather shy. But what will come next? Cup sizes? Extra credit. Who remembers which coach would sometimes refer (jokingly of course) to some students jock straps as make believe ballroom? For extra extra credit? banana hammock (now that probably is not even close to being PC?haha).

Name: Doris Donaldson ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 10:26 am - HHS Time
Maiden: donaldson
Class: 1957
City & State: Twin Falls, Idaho
No E-mail
Message: HOLY MOLY! WALTER HOLT is alive and well and living in MARYLAND, of all places!! What an adjustment for a Southern California beach bum boy! Why ... that's almost as bad as Idaho, fercryinoutloud! Walter ... it's sooo good to have you back and read your words again! And Jimmy! LOVED your story about your first jock strap experience; I AM STILL LAUGHING! "[SNAP!] Yup Jimmy boy, you're good to go!" hahahaha I love "boy stories" cuz as a girl, I just never thought of such experiences and they are soooo funny. More "boy stories" guys, please, but of course printable for this forum. hehehe I'm laughing already! Can't wait!

Name: Jim Frederick ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 6:50 am - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: West Hills Ca,
No E-mail
Message: Aghhhhh Yes! , Bob Ketchmans sporting goods . As i recall he was the only sporting goods merchant that sold our gym shorts for HHS. And our jock straps! (athletic straps) Yes a time in a young mans life when your Dad takes you down to "Bob Ketchmans sporting goods to try on your first jock strap. It's sorta like a modern day ritual. You come home from school with your list of items you need to buy from "Bob". Bob had it all! Even Boy Scout uniforms! And all the cool fishing gear! But when it came time to try on that jock strap , WHOA! Bob would lead us over to where the jock straps were. In a box. "How do you put that on Dad ? I asked? " Dad would say ... " Oh just go in the dressing room and you will figure it out! and HURRY UP "!! So as you can imagine , it took awhile to figure out. And Dad is standing outside the curtain . "HOW YA DOING JIMMY ?! HURRY UP ! And now your wondering should i come out and let Dad see ? Like when you would for Mom at the clothing store. But this aint Mom and this is a jock strap! "HOW YA DOING ? !! " Yells Dad . My Dad really didn't want to be there anymore than i did. So i come out of the dressing room . With my jock strap on. And there's Bob! OK Kid! let's take look. (Take a look ?) "Aghh yes your gonna be fine kid! Ya gonna be playing football are ya ?" "Yes sir!" Then he pulls on my strap in the back and lets loose . S N A P! " Good to go kid"!! Then tells my Dad , " You know at this age he's gonna be back in no time , and will need a larger size , or he will get a bad jock itch" Jock itch ? i wonder ?? And sure enough , in just a couple of months .... I was back! (after my "itch" had started) And that's when you learn about "POWDER" Aghhhhhh! Now so many years latter , I see why Bob was doing so very well . Every kid in the centinela Valley had to come in and get his new and or larger jock strap! ( athletic Strap , to be PC ) And powder! So .... That's how i remember being entered into man hood ..HEY! I guess it's better than having to walk on hot coals or spend a few nights in the jungle alone and come back with a lion head . S N A P! Good to go kid! . . . ... PS ... I have two sons and when it came to get there "jock Straps" i gave them $20. bucks , And Said " Your gonna be fine kid ... Bob will help ya " ... Whos Bob Dad ? "Or who ever , Just hurry up!!"

Name: Walter Holt ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jan 24, 2012, 5:13 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Havre de Grace, MD

Message: LOL Tom if I were using fisherman's scale they would have been much larger. Of course I didn't mention the 42" Catfish I caught here, the 3 Salmon from 37" to 45" I caught up in NY or the 20lb Flounder in Ocean City, MD. Of course I got pics of everything but the flounder. Mighty fine eating those were. Sure John I miss Cali a tad and all of my Cougar friends.

Name: Neil Larson ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jan 23, 2012, 2:39 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1971
City & State: Crestview - Florida

Message: reference HELMS TRUCK - spotted this one over near where Bob Jensen used to live - that's all the help I will offer - photo taken 2009 January

Name: Tom Shelley ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jan 23, 2012, 1:05 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Beaumont, CA

Message: Hey Walter, those are some mighty fine catches. But come on man, you're using the "Fisherman Method" of measuring, right? (Hold the fish by the tail at your chest and hold one end of the tape measure in your mouth!!). Just ragging ya'. My grandson would be green with envy over those numbers. He fishes the Pacific Ocean and does pretty well. Stay warm in MD.

Name: Walter Holt ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jan 23, 2012, 11:44 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Land of Ravens along the bay

Message: Well I figured after lurking behind the scenes for the last 3 1/2 years it was time to check in to Cougarland. All's well here in MD, Cold, Foggy, Wet with a hint of snow right now. Traded in my Surfboards for more Camera and fishing equipment for which I use both frequently. Heck I'm even selling some of photos in a few of the local galleries. It is beautiful here along the Chesapeake Bay & Susquehanna River. Great Bass, and Stiper/Rock fishing around where I live. My personal record for a large mouth so far is 24" 8 1/4 lbs & Stiper so far is 36" 22Lbs, both caught from shore. Sure do miss meeting and going to the Cougar happenings though. Ciao for now Cougs!

Name: Marilyn Ross ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jan 23, 2012, 8:54 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Wisham
Class: 1956
No E-mail
Message: George Johnson said Amos and Andy could never be seen again. Actually some are on You Tube and you can buy videos of the old shows online. I have one. I always loved that show.

Name: Jim Sloey ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jan 23, 2012, 8:03 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: solvang

Message: Hey Richard do you have fat finger disease like me or were you just bragging when you spelled your last name?

Name: Richard Hansom ~~~~~~~~~~ Sun-Jan 22, 2012, 9:28 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1956
City & State: Simi Valley, Ca

Message: John, I don't see a Cruise Night on the events calender. Are we still looking at February or March

Name: Susan Adams ~~~~~~~~~~ Sun-Jan 22, 2012, 5:43 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Nelson
Class: 1969
City & State: Anderson, Calif.

Message: That toy Helms truck is sweeeet..I'm a toy collector, I'd buy one but its too pricey for my budget. And not just bread and doughnuts, don't forget the huge pull out drawer that was full of candy on his truck. One of our regular field trips at school (Cabrillo) was to the Helms Bakery where we would tour and everyone would get a little loaf of Helms bread and a cool little cardboard replica of the Helm's Bakery truck! Of course, that was in the day when school districts had $ for various field trips..

Name: Eugene Obillo ~~~~~~~~~~ Sun-Jan 22, 2012, 4:13 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Harbor City, Calif.

Message: The picture of Boston Store brings back so many good memories since I worked in the shoe department for ten years. I remember the fashions show and dinner every year for the employees at the Cockatoo Inn and the huge crowds the first day of the sale. I only have Great memories of Hawthorne and wish that some would be restored. By the way my wife Ely and I are looking forward to the birth of Our First grandchild , Brent and Marie have been married 15 years Kevin our eldest has a step daughter and they cannot have one of their own so we are in seventh heaven and to top it off we are believing it is a boy OBILLO!

Name: Peter Nelson ~~~~~~~~~~ Sun-Jan 22, 2012, 4:10 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1957
City & State: corona california

Message: A great picture of the Boston Store. I worked at the Boston store 1955 1956 1957 at Christmas time I made 50 cents an hour. The best donuts in the 50's were from the helms man Peter Nelson class of 1957

Name: Ron Dickson ~~~~~~~~~~ Sun-Jan 22, 2012, 11:16 am - HHS Time
Maiden: DICKSON
Class: 1967
City & State: NORCO

Message: More on the Helms truck stories, Jerry Miles suggested I post this link. The site belongs to the son in law of Pat Williams, class of `69`

Name: Vicky Alliabadi ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Jan 21, 2012, 11:21 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Baur
Class: 1976
City & State: SM

Message: I had gotten married on the SS Princess Louise..But the funny part was when I got divorced, I received a phone call from a friend about a month after my divorce was final and she told me that the SS Princess Louise had just made my divorce final when I asked what she meant by that she told me that the ship had sunk. A perfect ending to a not so perfect marriage. Too bad my ex was not onboard when she went down.

Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Jan 21, 2012, 11:00 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Palm desert, Ca

Message: Hey, JB, I guess Algonquin J. Calhoon, gave me the wrong info., I stand corrested. I did not think you could get them, however, I guess you can get just about anything on the internet except STD's & I'm not so sure about that. Jorge

Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Jan 21, 2012, 10:26 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Palm Desert, Ca

Message: Hey, C-town folks, In todays P/C invironment, do you think "Jonny Otis" would have been able to call those three big assed women who called themselves "The Three Tons Of Joy" on his show, I don't think so, NOT P/C. What about "Amos & Andy", undeniably the funiest show on TV at the time, the NAACP had the show taken off the air & the shows are archived, never to be seen again, Al Sharpton & Jessie Jackson said that the show was demeaning. Hey, so was "All in the Family", but it was funny & a hit. Jorge

Name: Alan Ibarra ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Jan 21, 2012, 9:35 am - HHS Time
Class: 1973
City & State: denver co

Message: I just renewed my membership. I'm sorry that I rarely contribute to Feedback but I really enjoy your website and read it quite often. This is a great place to visit to remember the past and remind us of our roots... all for the price of one small coke a month! Think about that... if you give up one small coke each month, you'll be healthier and probably live longer! WOW, what a site!!

Name: Jim Peppers ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Jan 20, 2012, 11:40 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Athens, Greece

Message: Hello Cougartown! I remember something that was pretty funny back in the old days. I don't recall the disk-jockey, but he dedicated Willy and the Hand Jive to all the guys without dates that night. Did you know that Johnny Otis was Greek? Had to throw that in. I didn't know that little tidbit until Stephanie Brito sent me the obit on him. Hope all of the PC correct and NOT are happy and healthy. I am of the NON PC correct persuasion. Yia Sas, Jim Peppers