Name: John Baker () on Monday, March 12, 2001 at 08:42:14
E-Mail: jb1@cougartown.com
Class: 1962
City and State: Lomita, CA
Message: Thanks to Kathy Brooks for having a fun pizza party at her place on Sunday afternoon. We all had a fun time with the Karaoke machine, and even though I was clearly the best singer in the group, maybe we can get Robin something to clear up that Frankie Valli voice of his.
Thanks to Harbor City Harry for the math test too.....again yours truly was the clear winner of the Girl Scout Cookies.
Thank you both; Janet and I always have a great time at these functions.

Name: Dan Johnson () on Saturday, March 10, 2001 at 10:31:31
E-Mail: wch1ispink@aol.com
Maiden: Luckless Pedestrian
Class: 77
City and State: I can see by what you carry that you are from Barrytown
Message: Warren Lane is on 111th in Inglewood just east of Prarie. My sister graduated Morningside High 1969 along with Jim Photoglo (more prizes if you know who this guy is). The Steely Dan thing has blown up in the past 12 months. My daughter, AJA (named after the 1977 -- note the year -- classic Steely Dan album), turns one on Monday (3/12). Since she was born (1) Steely Dan has been elected to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame (ceremony 3/19, airs on VH1 on 3/21); (2) Steely Dan won three Grammys, including best album of the year; (3) Three Steely Dan tribute bands have sprouted in SoCal, including one from San Diego, The Steely Damned, that was mentioned by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen on their Two Against Nature DVD and another one, The Steely Fan Band, that opened for W1P on 3/3; (4) my wife and I have planned a trip to NY on 3/23 to celebrate the Dan's induction into the RnR HOF where The Steely Damned will play at Le Bar Bat with numerous sidemen who have played on Steely Dan records over the past 30 years (and the next morning we will hop a plane to Vegas for W1P at Pink E's -- talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous). Mr. Baker, you KNOW I suffer from TMI disease and the consequences of asking me a question!
So....you're a fan then?

Name: Dan Johnson () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 17:48:28
E-Mail: wch1ispink@aol.com
Class: 77
City and State: Babylon Sisters, Shake It, CA
Message: I know its not "old" and it's not even "Hawthorne but -- my family moved to Hawthorne in 1968 (prior to that I was a proud student at Warren Lane Elementary (free Which One's Pink? tickets to anyone who knows where that is). When I moved here, we lived on Gale Ave about 100 yards south of Imperial Highway. And about 1/2 mile to a mile west of us was Hank's Pizza. It was the best and for a long time in the 70s you got to watch the hookers along the north side of Imperial while you scarfed your pizza. Of course, the I-105 now stands where Hank's used to be -- but it will always be remembered.
Dan, I think that same Hanks is now on the SE corner of Rosecrans and Hawthorne Bl. I thought Hanks was the BEST Pizza in the area. OH!! Warren Lane is in Inglewood.
PS. what are all these Steely Dan references lately? One of my all time favorites.

Name: Alan Nelson () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 17:34:11
E-Mail: anelson@rraz.net
Class: '73
City and State: Parker, Az
Message: The tarantula story reminded me of one of my first trips out here to the River. I came out to stay with a friend who'd lived here for a few years, and stayed in his guest room. I didn't know it, but he had a pet tarantula that he'd rotate from room to room every few days to keep the bugs, flys and crickets under control. He didn't tell me about it, though. I woke up and saw that thing on the night stand and freaked out. (I share John's love for them) A quick smack with a hurache' sent him to spidey heaven. My friend wasn't too happy when I saw him later and said-"You should have seen the size of the spider I killed last night". The look on his face was priceless.
I'm with you Alan, if someone wants to leave their pet taratula in my room, it better be able to eat tennis shoes because I'm gonna darn well feed him one. I'd rather sleep with the flies and crickets.

Name: Harry Plotkin () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 17:28:38
E-Mail: hcharry@pacbell.net
Class: 52/97
City and State: Harbor City, CA
Message: re: Marie Gardner's funeral services
Marie was a long time member of The Eastern Star and several people presented a very nice ritual honoring her. The minister ministered and several people from the audience spoke. I was in posession of an e-mail extolling Mrs. Gardner's virtues and her profound influence on a former student, Bob Melendrez. It was such a lovely tribute that I stood and read it. After the services I discovered that Bob Melendrez was present. My apologies, Bob, for reading what you could have said first hand. Jan Blomsterberg, another former student, and his wife, Judy, were also in attendance. What a nice tribute those former students paid to Marie Gardner. We'll all miss you, Marie.
Love to all,
HCH

Name: Betty () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 15:38:51
E-Mail: bettye@amgen.com
Maiden: Wright
Class: 74
City and State: Thousand Oaks, CA
Message: Hey Bob, I love the tarantula story. I'm still laughing. Thanks.

Name: Loretta Cuiper () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 15:27:21
E-Mail: LCuiper@aol.com
Maiden: Morelli
Class: 62
City and State: Hawthorne, Ca
Message: To answer Jim's question regarding why we had so many Mom and Pop's stores. One thing was Hawthorne was and is a large spread out town I believe during those years of the 40's and 50's, was a time when they were only 1 car families, the housewifes did not go out of their homes to work. One income was enough then, but they still had to budget, so when Friday night or Saturday came they would hop in the car with their family and do the marketing. They would buy for the week, but as always they would always run out of the simple things, such as bread, eggs, milk (if they did not have it delivered to their door). During these years it was a smart thing to own your business and at that time, to have a neighborhood store was very smart, and to live next door to your business was even greater. Hawthorne in those years only had a few per say Markets like we know them now, so to hop in a car as we do now was not possible, so it was our local neighborhood market who did great business during the week. During the earlier years, at any town, to own your own business and pass it on to your children was the thing to do, at that time, it was an important thing to have a family business and they were many many of them, now a days it is hard to have children follow in a family business, because we are in a different time. Things are easier in some ways, but then our lives are much more complicated. Now, I'm not sure if I'm totally right about this, but I feel this was their way of thinking back then. ALWAYS A COUG!
I can remember my grandmother walking from Safeway, pulling her two-wheeled basket full of groceries. Don't see those baskets much nowadays......

Name: Doris () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 15:19:26
Maiden: Donaldson
Class: '57
Message: YES PACO! I remember the oleomargarine we had to "massage" to make it yellow. How funny. To this day I call margarine ... "ole" and "oleo". People wonder what the heck I'm talking about.
And yes, John! I would never have thought of that ... the OK Grocery. How in the WORLD do you remember all this stuff???!!!
Happy weekend COUGARS and to all who are fortunate enough to make it, enjoy the Bob's Big Boy run!!! Wish I could be there.
Mama Coug!

Name: Donald Scheliga () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 13:56:30
E-Mail: des249@yahoo.com
Class: 62
City and State: W.Covina
Message: I don't recall if it has been mentioned before, but Shaws Marine has been in business since 1946. They no longer sell boats, nowadays just repairs. The store on 134th and Ramona was known as the "Little Store". Some of the owners were, Molly and Jim. When Jim Passed away the store was sold. Honey and Erin were there in the 50's along with a relative named, Sid. Molly re-married and lived on 131st across from the water tower (VFW) in the 60's. Molly and my Mom were friends and used to go to swimming classes at Inglewood High together in the evenings. When I got my license, I would volunteer to drive them. Any excuse to get behind the wheel.
Interesting Don, Thanks.....

Name: Paco () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 13:32:38
E-Mail: doo4usc@aol.com
Class: 61
Message: Does anyone remember "white oleo",at Roth's, it came in a plastic bag with a red color button inside, all you had to do was squeeze the bag and mix the oleo and button together to make yellow oleo...Gross. I remember squeezing bags for the arthritic older lady's for 2 cents a bag...
That was my job when I was about 5 years old......squeezing the bag and coloring the oleo. Great memory Howard

Name: Bob Melendrez () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 13:00:38
E-Mail: Strongheart@pacificwest.com
Class: 1971
City and State: Redondo Beach, CA
Message: Can you all stand one more 'bike story'? During jr. high, I had a Herald Examiner paper route. Many Cougar guys were "paper-boys" back then. Names that come to mind are Charlie and Rick Cozby, John Printz, Ed Ruhman among others. One day while pedaling through my route on my "work-bike" (a J.C. Higgins middleweight), I saw a group of kids looking down at something in a driveway up ahead of me. As I approached, I saw that one of the kids had a broomstick. I swung across the street to deliver a paper, then back toward the driveway where the kids were. As I was preparing to throw a paper to the house next door, the kid with the broom stumbled and brushed up against the saddlebags filled with newspapers. The broom fell to the ground at my feet. As I began to make my way down the street, I felt something on my neck and shoulder. I glanced over and saw legs moving on my shoulder! I reached over and tried to brush whatever it was off of me. Turns out it's the biggest tarantula I'd ever seen! PANIC! I drove my bike off the curb, and crashed into the street with newspapers flying everywhere. Picking myself off the ground, I yanked my shirt off and threw it as far as I could. Of course all the kids were laughing hysterically, except the broomstick guy. He was looking for my shirt to see if his tarantula was okay! We exchanged some heated words; I picked up my bike and papers and continued my route, shirtless! To this day I'm not a big fan of those eight-legged hairy beasts... Happy Friday, Cougs!!!
You could run me off a cliff with a tarantula. I HATE those spiders, and I know they're basically docile. By the time the guy would've gotten to MY shirt, I would have made spider puree with my tennis shoes. Great story Bob, Thanks.

Name: Dennis Campbell () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 11:29:01
E-Mail: Campbell901@cs.com
Class: 61
City and State: Mission Viejo
Message: Hey you guys got me thinking about the old days; hear's one for you. Well we all liked to race back in the good old days right! Well I just got my drivers license and of course that meant I should drive to school right, I only lived about 50 yards from the Football field Sundale & Broadway and we all know that's one long walk for anyone that's just got their drive license ha, so I got the keys to the 1955 VW and drove to school for the first time hey as luck would have it, I was late that day, there was just too much traffic the Boulevard & Imperial. I don't know what I was thinking I left for school 2hrs before school started I need to cruise around the South Bay just like everyone else did that drove a car to school. Hey I had my wings now no need to ride that old bike anymore. {The one that I rode through the tunnel at LAX the day of the grand opening “O” nightmare for sure} I've got it made, hey I must go by 26th street and see if everything is Ok make sense to me, you never no what you might miss. I started thinking on the way down to the beach gees I need a parking pass to bring this old VW on campus, and all of sudden that old VW stopped running. Well I opened the front hood, stuck my hand into the gas tank and you're right, there no gas {Back in the old days you could put you’re head in the tank almost and if ran out of gas you just switch to the reserve tank and on you would go. Now I'm in big trouble. I'm on Rosecrans along side the Standard Oil tank farm and I'm out of gas I didn't know I was running on the reserve tank. I have some lunch money .75 cents so for sure I can buy some gas. I just need to get to a gas station. I looked up and who comes riding by but an old friend, Phil Heald LHS guy and later on a Hawthorne Policeman for over 30 years. Gees it sure was nice to see someone I knew. I jumped on the back of his old Triumph motorcycle and went to the nearest gas station. I bought .25 cents worth of gas and left .50 cents deposit for the gas can. I'm back in business .25 cents = 1 gallon of gas, hey I knew I was good for 35 miles at least so I'd better get my tail back to school and come back after school and pick up my deposit for that gas can. Gees I'm smart.
I arrive at school and knowing I didn't have a parking pass, I'd better find a place hide this little car so I drove east on El Segundo to the back road that ran next to the old lumber yard later to be the Big T supermarket.
I was going to see old Doc Holiday, the Auto Shop teacher; I called him Coach. Well as luck would have it I'm on the back road heading for the Auto shop when I was met by a car coming from the other way, I stopped and the other car stopped and we looked at each other. The guy in the other car yells out, "you want to race?" “O” yeah, me in my first race, yes I'm big time now, so the guy turns his car around so we face the same way the engines start revving up and a way we go. Man, I'm headed down the back road past the auto shop, coming up on the wood shop and on our way passed the gym / locker room well I got to tell you I had just lost my first race to and old 29 Ford driven by Chester class of 58/59. I never got my money back for the gas can deposit.
Later Cougs
Dennis, Sounds pretty scary, a VW and a Model A Ford in a race on the back road of HHS. You two had to be pushing 22 MPH when you shut it down up around the swimming pool area.

Name: Dan Johnson () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 11:12:15
E-Mail: wch1ispink@aol.com
Class: 77
City and State: Steely Dan,, CA
Message: Keith, are you kidding me? To quote Jim Rome, it was EPIC. Dude's in full pads, you're in street clothes, the stands were abuzz, man we just fell about the place -- a very memorable event. Almost as memorable as Robert Rael kicking me in the back of the head for throwing a penny on the basketball floor during a drill team performance at an assembly -- the ultimate in "peer" discipline. Which One's Pink? at Pink E's in Vegas 3/24 -- the ultimate in absurd "dives" whose patrons haven't left 1983

Name: Doris () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 10:06:57
E-Mail: raydori@micron.net
Maiden: Donaldson
Class: '57
Message: Does anyone remember a subsidiary of Northrop called NORTRONICS? I worked there in 1959 for a 9-month stint in the Plant Department. I was the Plant Dept secretary and one of my duties was to reproduce blueprints. WHEW! Temperatures in the 90's and the smell of blueprints being reproduced in a little corner of a tin building! What fine working conditions! Another mom and pop store was on El Segundo almost adjacent to Washington Avenue, the first street east of Hawthorne Blvd where the east end of Washington Elementary bordered. What was the name of that store, John?
Nortronics division of Northrop was the division Dad worked for for the last 15 years of his tenure. The building he worked in was between Crenshaw and VanNess on 120th St.
The store you're referring to was on Cedar Av. and El Segundo, and was called OK Grocery. It was owned by the Boll family. The Hawthorne High kids from that family were Karen HHS61, Dale HHS62, and Clinton (HHS64, I think). Great place to buy candy after a hard day at Intermediate.

Name: Jeanne Carrillo () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 09:53:00
E-Mail: jcarrillo@universalcare.com
Maiden: Burk
Class: 69
City and State: Carlsbad, CA
Message: Seeing all the memories of the great Hawthorne places brings back good memories. I haven't read all the pages in feedback but a couple places come to my mind. Anitas Dress shop on the corner of Hawthorne Blvd and Broadway. I used to buy pants, blouses for 4.99.. what a deal. One time I took my Dad's car (had no license yet) and went to buy something to wear out on the following Friday night. I backed out of the parking space and BAM.. hit a lady in a car. I was so scared. I asked her to wait there and I would go get my Dad and he would talk to her. Well, Dad was pretty PEE OH'D at me but made arrangements with the lady to fix her car, I got sent to my room and grounded that weekend so I couldn't wear the new outfit I bought. Those were the days! Keep the memories coming.

Name: Judy DeGrazia Blomsterberg () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 09:10:08
E-Mail: JUDYWUDY@att.net
Maiden: formerSundaleresident...
Class: 64
City and State: Torrance, CA
Message: Well, Jody Halberg..another Sundale alumni finally checked into feedback. Sundale & 118th St. to Imperial was loaded with kids that attended public school & St. Joe's. Like all the Hawthornes--the Barkleys & around the corner were the Beebe clan, Bill & Carol Trenkle .. & I'm still waiting for Phil (WOW) Christiana to get brave and enter the feedback page...& we never hear from Colleen Trott or Terry O'Ryan anymore either. Where's Gene Gutierrez and Dan Pearce, Francie Trott and Don Dye..How about Johnny Nix. (I think Johnny's afraid that I'll come after him for taunting me back then) Tonight, Bill & Bob Jensen are taking us on a vintage car cruise to Bob's Big Boy for another great blast from the past.. I also remember that along with the hamburger, they served a great salad with their BBB'S dressing..and the waitresses all had to wear their hair "up" and had brown uniforms with a white blouse with a Peter Pan collar.. their hair could not touch the collar. They had a very strict dress code. (everyone had a friend that was a BBB'S waitress) Now, back to sitting by my mailbox waiting for my PROM NITE tickets to arrive. Mo Trott.. you ain't goin' anywhere kid...if anyone knows Hawthorne, it's "YOU!" Judy Wudy Cruisin' thru Bob's

Name: Sharon MacDonald () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 07:32:58
E-Mail: rmac@genevaonline.com
Maiden: Badger
Class: 63
City and State: Burlington, Wisconsin
Message: The question may be "who in Cougartown did not work at Northrop at some time in their life?" I worked there one summer in the mid-60's as a file clerk in the non-production purchasing department. I recall that you had to be at least 18 to be employed because you had to have security clearance because of the goverment contracts they had. Remember filling out those little cards every year at school that asked if your parents worked somewhere with government contracts or were in the military?

Name: Jim Lambert () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 04:29:18
E-Mail: landdtax@aol.com
Class: 1962
City and State: Ojai
Message: To Don Scheliga: I remember the sandwich shop on the corner of Hawthorne Blvd. and Rosecrans. The corner is now occupied by a Chevron station. They had no indoor seating, but had a couple of picnic tables outside. I remember my dad, brother and I going there for lunch. They had this bowl full of hot peppers. Steve and dad would sit there waiting for our pastami sandwiches popping those things in their mouths like they were popcorn. To this day I cannot take hot peppers of any kind. Thanks for the memory.

Name: Tammy Tagami-Reeves () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 01:26:40
E-Mail: r2t2@msn.com
Class: 76
City and State: El Segundo, CA
Message: Hey Dale Hahlbeck...I was just catching up on the recent feedback pages and there you were talking about Hawthorne Parks and Rec. What fun we had making lanyards, hobo stew (yuk!), bulletin boards, and actually responding to "hey, coach!" I know I spent at least one summer "lifeguarding" as it were, at the wading pool listening to you sing every tune from Grease and the latest Commodore song. And yes, those powder blue shirts and really short shorts did give me the most hideous "farmer tan" ever. Holly Glen, Eucalyptus and Ramona were the best parks to work at; Zela Davis was the worst followed by Prairie (now Jim Thorpe) park. I can't believe that we actually got paid for playing with kids all day long.

Name: JIM SLOEY () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 01:01:21
E-Mail: keithmybrudderstillwantstodiscusshisfootball.com
Class: 66
City and State: redondo beach, ca
Message: As Curly Joe would say, Hey Mo let's publish yellow pages. Keith you forgot the little old guy in Big Bear who gave you wanted in circa 1984. Ray we always used "off" to keep the mosquitoes away whenever we slept on the roof. Try it. The problem with the off though is it didn't always keep us on the roof especially after we fell asleep, so we would nail our jammies to the shingles. Good luck Ray. Finally two questions, why did Hawthorne have so many neighborhood markets and how many still exist today? Mo?

Name: Glenn Crist () on Friday, March 9, 2001 at 00:58:00
E-Mail: gfcrist@sonic.net
Class: '64
Message: Sorry to use Cougartown for private mail but I sent Peggy Sarvis a message and got a MAILER-DAEMON saying that the recipient name is not recognized.
Peggy
Irene Perry lives in Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead and her married name is Belanger (she recently lost her husband). She's listed in ClassMates too, but when I sent her a message about CT, it was returned, too (do you think it might be me?).
Jim and Sandie (Tully) Perry live in Las Vegas. Try or and see it he can get a message to his sister. If you do get in touch, tell her I said hello and have her check out Cougartown. We were neighbors on 124th Street for years.
BTW, John, Jim's dad had a machine shop in Hawthorne and did a lot of automotive work, if I remember correctly. I doubt they are still in business.
Jims Dad and my dad were very good friends as my dad was a machine parts buyer for Northrop and Jim's dad made machine parts. That's actually how Jim and I became great friends. Jim and Sandie will be at the Prom in August.
Thanks for your help Glenn......