Name: Ricki Farrell ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 2, 2012, 9:22 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Valencia
Class: 1961
City & State: Oro Valley, AZ

Message: You are right JB: I remember being taught the Alma Mater, the school motto and several other important facts the first week of school when I was a ninth grader. Furthermore it was part of the English I curriculum. I think that maybe someone, who can write, should compose a manual with that info plus mention some of the names that made the school and its reputation what it is today. Every time that I mention a well known name my husband sits in disbelief that there is yet another Cougar whose name he knows. Athletes, teachers, a slew of artists who have truly been successful in their fields are but a few examples.

Name: Chris Prewitt ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Aug 2, 2012, 8:54 am - HHS Time
Class: 1967
City & State: Fullerton, CA

Message: I went over to the wikipedia for HHS as Steve Gantt mentioned and I only found one female mentioned, Olivia Arias. I am sure that there are some others from Hawthorne or HHS like: Mary Akor, Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cherbak. Let's hear more about the ladies.

Name: Jill Jaynes ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 1, 2012, 8:41 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: McFarlane
Class: 1977
City & State: Mission Viejo, CA

Message: It's unfortunate that Nyman Hall is being torn down. I have a memory I'd like to share. I was a Freshman, and I hung out with the drama club. They were doing their production of Wizard of Oz. During rehearsal one night, I stepped out to do something, as I was heading back in, someone came barreling out through the swinging double doors, just as I was coming in. The edge of the door caught my face, and I went flying. The impact of the door, cut me around my eyebrow. I still have the scar, and the guy who swung the door in my face, I ended up being his girlfriend. The boyfriend didn't last, but the scar will be with me forever! At least until I decide to Botox!

Name: Matt Peterson ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 1, 2012, 1:32 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1974
City & State: EDH, CA

Message: St. Joseph's Class of 1970 is having a reunion. The schedule is FRIDAY AUGUST 24: 1pm Lunch at Chips, 2:30 pm- Tour of St. Joseph (All St. Joes alumni welcome) 4:30- Watermans-Hermosa Pier SATURDAY AUGUST 25 4:30-Main Reunion Party Acapulco Restaurant in San Pedro SUNDAY AUGUST 26th 11am-Picnic at the beach 26th Street Beach in Manhattan Beach To RSVP and for more information contact Mike Stallings at architex4u@cox.net

Name: Matt Peterson ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 1, 2012, 1:30 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: EDH, CA
No E-mail
Message: Sorry to hear that Nyman Hall may be torn down. Lots of great memories there. Didn't we donate money about 10 years ago to renovate it? I think for the money donation you could have a memorial plaque put on a chair or something like that. What's going to happen to those plaques?

Name: Steve Gantt ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Aug 1, 2012, 1:29 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1965
City & State: Orem, Utah

Message: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_High_School_(Hawthorne,_California) is a nice write up about HHS including our professional athletes.

Name: Armand Vaquer ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 7:53 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Tarzana, Karloffornia

Message: Dennis Littlejohn was a catcher for the San Francisco Giants back in the 1980s. He went to Dana Intermediate and at least one year at HHS before moving on to (I think) North Torrance High. I saw him one time after he moved to Torrance at a party at my cousin's.

Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 6:07 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Spinnaker Coves, Ca

Message: John Boy, Most people or a lot of people think Cinco De Mayo is a celebration of ......

Name: Peter Nelson ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 3:44 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1957
City & State: corona ca.

Message: Baseball player Mike Scott lived in Hawthorne, Mike Scott won the cy young award as the National League best pitcher in 1986 The Hawthorne high product went 18-10 in 1986. Fred Dryer was another outstanding Hawthorne-born football player. Dryer played at El Camino College and San Diego State. He was drafted in 1969 in the first round by the New York Giants. He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for the 1972 season and became a Ram fixture at defensive end for a decade. He was named All-pro in 1973, 1974, and 1975. Dryer is a member of the College football hall of fame and holds the pro record for most safeties in a game, two. Dryer was a Lawndale high product

Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 3:05 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Spinnaker Coves, Ca

Message: Hey, John Boy, I bet the current HHS'ers all know who "Snoop Dog" is, and why "Cinco De Mayo" is celibrated. Jorge

Name: Gary Bickers ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 2:26 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1963
City & State: PVE CAL

Message: Regarding Cougars in the Olympics. Seems like we had a 400 meters guy in the 80s. He was part of those great track teams HHS has for about 8 years. I seem to think the guy went to UCLA then the Olympics,

Name: Jim Schroeder ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 11:59 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Central Point, Oregon

Message: Hawthorne High School has produced some Pro Football & Baseball players. Any Olympic participants? Jim Thorpe doesn't count, but anyone? Anyone? How about a pro Basketballer? Anyone?

Name: Jim Frederick ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 11:32 am - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: West Hills Ca,
No E-mail
Message: When I came out to celebrate Hawthorne's "Good Neighbor Day" I drove around and had noticed what is happening at HHS! I forgot to mention it in my last post. It really took me by surprise! Im all over tradition! and it's sad to see buildings come and go... But hopefully some names will remain. That's where the letter writing campaign can be useful. As for renaming a building after something to do with the Beach Boys would be fine. But what if some kind of disaster had happened ? And many buildings would be rebuilt .... Im sure these buildings being torn down will give way for better education and recharge the students pride in HHS .. If your all for keeping the names to buildings then write to the school district .... or show up at a meeting and voice your concerns of tradition etc, Hopefully the newer generations will have a new "charge" of excitement to further their education and pride of HHS! I would imagine in another 50 or 60 years the same thing will happen. Hopefully they will still remember who we were and who the Beach Boys were. But in our culture I doubt it. JB perhaps you can put the add, here on CT as to where we all can write. Maybe they will consider our thoughts?! Thank you ....

Name: Noreen Culley ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 9:08 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Crotty
Class: 1972
City & State: Westchester, CA

Message: If you are going to start renaming/naming buildings at HHS, I think something should be named after Al Jardine too. I have seen his pictures on CT many times attending Hawthorne functions. He hasn't forgotten Hawthorne and Hawthorne shouldn't forget him.

Name: Armand Vaquer ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 7:34 am - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Tarzana, Karloffornia

Message: If Nyman Hall is demolished, where would the "occupying" ghost go?

Name: Richard Of ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 6:47 am - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: LongBeach
No E-mail
Message: Sorry not to agree with most, but the Nyman Hall of our time has out lived its usefulness , and to some while we were in attendance. The stage did not have enough area to present most musicals on, there was hardly any backstage area to store props etc. for scene changes, and the electric, lighting, and sound systems were way insufficient. While on the AV staff, I worked many of projectors (how many remember 'You are There'), of which the sound system was bad for even that (but who cared?). I would hope that they take a functional design approach, and have the band room, choir room, piano practice rooms, & theater class room all in the same building as the new theater. Hauling all those drums and sound equipment to the boys gym for concerts sucked (Nyman Hall was too small, in both the stage area, and for the large sound, as the walls and ceiling vibrated). I do agree with JB1 that a new state of the art theater should be named after Mr. Nyman. The 'Brian Wilson Band Room'? Nah, never heard of the guy (just kidding). The Wilson Brothers Performing Arts Center, hum, has possibilities.

Name: Loren Rector ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Jul 31, 2012, 6:08 am - HHS Time
Class: 1956
City & State: Okeechobee, Fl.

Message: Amen to what you say about tradition and pride John. It's not like they are building a brand new school, it is still HHS. Might just as well throw away all the record books, trophies etc. Too bad the way values have changed today. Just my two cents worth. Loren Rector

Name: Tom Shelley ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jul 30, 2012, 11:33 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Beaumont, CA

Message: Chris, I agree with you 100%. kids should have every opportunity to acquire the best education available. And that means updating sound systems and learning tools. Those 300 year old universities that I referred to earlier didn't have electric lights or computer rooms when they were built. But they were able to bring their facility into the current century and still maintain the historical integrity of their campus. If todays students don't know who Wallace Nyman was then that is a failing of the present administration and teaching staff. Todays students should know who Mr. Nyman was because the school they now attend is a far better place because of Mr. N and the others that John mentioned. I've performed on that stage as has my brother Ray Shelley (class of '58) and although my kids didn't attend HHS, it does sadden me to think that Nyman Hall will be pounded into a pile of dust. I'm sure there are alumni out there who also have performed on that stage who's children or grandchildren are now attending HHS and who feel the same as I. I suppose this is all moot. Nyman Hall has already been scheduled for demolition and nothing we say here can change that. I just think it speaks to a larger issue. Kids today are not being taught the importance of their connection to the past. And I think that is a serious omission. OOPS! I have to go now. The soap box I was standing on just broke and I have to go put something on this bruise!!

Name: Mike Flatten ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jul 30, 2012, 9:04 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1964
City & State: garden grove, ca.

Message: happy birthday to leslie black. great to see you at our reunion.

Name: Chris Prewitt ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jul 30, 2012, 6:25 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1967
City & State: Fullerton, CA

Message: I have to agree with Linda Dill (maybe it's a c/o '67 thing) about the good that can come out of the renovation. As for Nyman Hall, what student today knows who Mr. Nyman was? To refurbish Nyman hall rather than renovate it just isn't practical. When HHS was built most of the houses still has black and white televisions. A new media center may catch them up to what is practical today. To bring the buildings up to the American's with Disabilities Act may cost more than rebuilding from the ground up. To me a fitting monument would be to add one of the Nyman Hall seats into the Hawthorne Museum.

Name: Howard Paco Duran ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jul 30, 2012, 3:24 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest

Message: I hated the guys at Pacific Surplus, Brian Tully and I almost lost our jobs because of them. Remember the other surplus store, on about 132nd and the blvd west side? Well, we found an old ration card in an old backpack, Pacific told us we could redeem them for $10 at the other surplus store.. So we went to the fountain at the Rexall, had lunch and a malt, not using our own money. After a few high fives, we went to redeem our ration certificate, they all got a big laugh, all except Brian and I. Brian and I were paperboys, he at Broadway and I worked at Safeway.

Name: Bob And Karen Fraser ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jul 30, 2012, 2:56 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1960
City & State: Hawthorne, ca
No E-mail
Message: Happy Birthday John Rout! You are truly such a wonderful friend who always indulges large groups of people invading your home. Seriously, you are one of the good guys all around and we are proud to call you friend. Have a terrific day. We love you! Also.. have to agree with Tom's approach to Nyman Hall. The Leuzinger Alumni had to go to court to stop them from tearing down parts of that campus. It may be too late for HHS unless a group steps up now or it will be gone forever and HHS will have "lost" who it is. How sad, especially as we celebrate opening a museum to preserve the citys' history.. HHS's story may go away.

Name: Tom Shelley ~~~~~~~~~~ Mon-Jul 30, 2012, 11:59 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Beaumont, CA

Message: Happy Birthday John Rout. I know you probably won't be able to duplicate your last couple of weeks in Hawaii, but try to have a fun day anyway. Thanks to you and Anne for all the fun times you have provided to your many friends. With due respect to those who are advocating to "Occupy" Nyman Hall I say leave the Occupying to the Hippies and "Walking Comic Books". We are adults and I believe an adult approach would involve a well written letter of concern to the appropriate people sighting the historical significance and wonderful memories that are held in that building. I find it interesting and a bit troubling that we have Universities in this country that have been in existence for hundreds of years and yet we want to tear down and rebuild our high schools after one generation of use. A docent who I was talking to at an historical site in England many years ago hit the nail on the head when she said, "in England (and I suspect in most of Europe) we revere our history, whereas in your country (America) you tear it down!" To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, I think our letter should include the line, "Mr.?, don't tear down this hall!".