Name: Larry Bach ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 19, 2006, 1:28 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Seal Beach, CA
E-mail
Message: Arriving at HHS in 1968, I felt senior square an almost sacred space where the exalted upper class gathered. Occasionally, I saw an intrepid but foolish acne blemished freshman attempt to run the gauntlet through senior square. These misguided underclassmen were almost always seized by the varsity letter jacketed guardians of senior class privelege and forthwith deposited upside down into the nearest trash can. The offender often emerged further humiliated by having stuck to his clothing and hair several of those little thin cardboard trays that had only minutes before held a tamale smothered with chili and beans. Just as amusing were the instances where other students, usually sophomores, grabbed a squeaking freshman and threw him into senior square to the peril awaiting him. By the time I became an exalted senior myself and had the privelege of entering this sacred ground, I was underwhelmed by my first experience of sitting on those guano stained, many-coated- slick-paint-peeling, splinter ridden benches. I had arrived, but arrived to nothing of any real importance. Some of the snobs still congregated there, but by then these folk most often held court in the cafeteria where I rarely tread. The last vist to senior square was near the end of the 1972 school year close to graduating from Hawthorne High. I decided to lay on top of one of the tables and crossed my arms behind my head where, relaxing, I enjoyed the warm sun on my face and breathing deep the spring air while watching white clouds scudding across the blue skies of Hawthorne. A Joni Mitchell song (Free Man in Paris?) played in my head (or did someone have a radio on?). Life was good at that moment. Senior square may go the way of all things, but the memories yet remain. Evoking memories of those times past while living in the present is one of the reasons I enjoy "Cougartown" so much.

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 19, 2006, 12:52 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Kona, HI
E-mail
Message: BAck in 72 when I was a freshman thebig thing was trying to put at least a foot in senior square. Back then it was like a castle that was guarded by whoever happened to be within its shorts walls. I remember on a dare trying to run through it. I got caught which at the time meant an immediate iverted dunk in a trash can. My brother who was the biggest man on campus finally paid off. Before anyone could actually pick me up someone said "That is Les Jones's brother" So they put me down. That was the only time being his brother helped me. Cause for the next four years every teacher I had would compare me to my brother who was like a 3.8 grade average student. So the thing I heard most from the teachers was "why can't you be more like your brother."

Name: Walter Holt ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 19, 2006, 12:00 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Surf City, CA
E-mail
Message: Just got caught up on feedback. For my 2 cents worth...I remember the 1st time I left Hawthorne as a young man going overseas in the Navy to see the world. Not knowing then I would be going off to war. When I returned things had changed, which were a sign of the times and things to come. I left again to go back east where the military sent me not to return for a very long time. When I came back home to California, at the time I no longer cared or thought of my home town or the people I knew in it until several years later when a business appointment brought me back to Hawthorne. Cruising around my old haunts at the time I too felt dismayed at how my home town and old Alma Mater had changed so different from when I was there in my youth. However the one joy I found was the home I had grown up in had not changed very much. The color and outside were almost the same. The Palos Verde rock planter my dad and I built was still there. Each rock my dad and I caringly selected and brought back from Palos Verdes in our station wagon to build it. It was then I started thinking of my old friends and the people I knew but could never find anything about them until several years later when Mo Trott e-mailed me on classmates about this wonderful site that has connected me with so many old and new friends. Now when I go back to good Old Hawthorne I don't look so much at how vastly different it looks to me now, for like Bob I too have changed. I go there now knowing I am going usually to get together with great people or sometimes I go just to reflect on my past experiences there. Also when I do go back to visit with my fellow Cougars we always come in contact with others who live there now and when we do they seem to enjoy who we are and why we are there too. So I guess we are "goodwill ambassadors" for our old home town. So Dean I know from whence you speak but maybe you will give Hawthorne another try and this post will help you see it from another point of view. Senior square....I vote that Ricki, if they make a space for another one, to write the inspiration from her post on it. Surf report: what surf, my gills are drying out.

Name: Don D. ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 19, 2006, 11:23 am - HHS Time
Class: 1975
City & State: South Bay
E-mail
Message: Subject: Senior Square, John, a small group of students from different classes violated Senior Square each morning for a prayer meeting, so the history and meaning of Senior Square was never a consideration for me.

Name: Baxter Dodd ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 19, 2006, 1:40 am - HHS Time
Class: 1957
City & State: Riverside, CA
E-mail
Message: Senior square is an important patch of land. It says, ?I?ve arrived!, I?ve made it! I have stayed the course for 11 years and have earned the right to enter this small, special patch of concrete and landscaping strategically located on this great earth.? I noticed when seniors walked into that space their demeanor changed, the conversations were lifted to higher levels. They spoke of science, poetry, politics, world events, literature and of course, organized, professional sports. So let?s take a serious, realistic look at the project. First of all, there are budgets to consider, i.e. alumni donations, bake sales, car washes, etc. Second, we will be running head long into the elite PC crowd. I can hear them now, (in sarcastic tones) ?What makes you think that one group of people can be favored over the whole by designating an area where not just every one can go? I don?t care how long or how hard you worked to earn this so-called right, you have to share it with the underlings, blah, blah, blah.? When I think of these people, I visualize senior square resembling an IFC Fighting Championship Cage where PC people can challenge any member of the varsity wrestling team to a ?discussion.? Hmmm? maybe not. But seriously, I can visualize it as a tall hedge shaped into a maze that surrounds the mysterious center that only current seniors are privileged to see. Similar to special gardens in Europe. Just think of the legends it will inspire over time. Tales of missing freshmen who ventured past the first opening, Ghosts of alumni who were seen entering the maze shortly after graduating never to exit. Hmmm? this may require some thought...I know what, how about locating it on the roof of one of the newer buildings where it won?t require additional land. Install an elevator and give keys only to seniors. Maybe someone has already suggested that. I wonder if you can see if the surf is up from the top of one of the buildings. --- Baxter

Name: Bonnie Cozby ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Apr 19, 2006, 12:18 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Simmons
Class: 1971
City & State: Ocean Park, WA
E-mail
Message: This past fall/winter, Charlie & I spent a little over three months at my Mom's home on 141st Street in Holly Glen. Since we have been back over the years to both our homes (he lived on 133rd between Oceangate & the freeway)we were a bit used to the changes time has brought. I still feel the same when I walk around Holly Glen...peaceful and secure. The playing fields are a little more run down and the park has diminished in size, but the new walking path along the freeway is lovely and the old magnolias are still beautiful. Some of the over-building of the original homes seem out-of-place but there are still plenty of birds and other critters that call it home. I remember the eucalyptus trees lining Rosecrans and going crawdad hunting in the stream near the Aviation & Rosecrans intersection...you can still catch their scent on the breeze.

Name: Wade Greasby ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 11:27 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Whereisthou
Class: 1973
City & State: Surf City, Ca
E-mail
Message: Just a note, where is this '68-'74 reunion taking place and when is it? I have heard this posted two or three times. Need the info. Dean, great post on Holly Glen. I myself have driven down some of the old streets I lived on growing up in Hawthorne. 148th and Prairie, 129th and Washington, 136th and Jefferson, and 130th and Ramona. All of these have changed significantly. Washington Street School, and Hawthorne Intermediate, have also gone to the high fence and security camera look. Plus the apartment build up has taken away the faces of many homes where we could roam. The streets are not quite anymore. I can remember as a youngster riding horses from Cordary and 139th down to Crenshaw and then all the way to the top of PV and back in one full day. Or even down Rosecrans to El Porto and along the beach to El Segundo. This was about 1958,59. There use to be big Eucalyptus Trees lining the sides of Rosecrans and Compton Aves. Kids had B-B Guns, 22's, and Sling shots. There was the old gun club down on Rosecrans and Aviation area. You could always hear the sounds of Shot Guns going off. People were shooting skeet and trap back in there!! The A&W on Thursday Nights after POP WARNER practice and Friday nights when everyone would cruise. As Bob said it is buried in there now, but in the hearts and minds of us who grew up in Hawthorne, the City of Good Neighbors, will prosper and live on despite the transition that has taken shape.

Name: Chris Knight ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 11:12 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Fall
Class: 1971
City & State: Boyne City, MI
E-mail
Message: Hi, I'm not sure if my two cents on Senior Square will be appreciated or not. I remember T.P.ing the square with a group of other students (see pages 72 and 73 in the '69 El Molino) when I was a Sophomore. I remember the square as an under- classman, as being off limits and almost a dare to step into or cut through.
As a senior there were not many students that used it because of the nasty olives from the trees that would get all over the benches and tables. They would stain your shoes and clothing if you happened to sit down on something without looking first. In addition to that, the sea gulls flying over the lunch area weren't particular about what or who was under them when they dropped their little white bombs!
Sitting and eating lunch in Senior Square wasn't a pleasant experience. It always seemed that the same "click" of students settled in and if you didn't "qualify" you weren't welcomed even if you were a fellow senior. When there are hundreds of students in the same class the square could only handle a tiny number of them anyway. I don't know what it was like for students in the years following 1971 but I can only assume that the class sizes got even bigger. With property values being what they are out in California all available space has to be put to the best use. A Senior Square that only a small number of students might use most likely doesn't qualify anymore for being a good use of available land!
Chris

Name: Dawn Moffett ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 10:05 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Koch
Class: 1978
City & State: Simi Valley, CA.
E-mail
Message: Hi Cougs, I am very saddened to hear that Senior Square is no longer a part of HHS! I remember waiting three long years for my chance to walk through, sit in, and hang out in the square. I believe that if Senior Square has lost its place in tradition it is up to us to let the current students know what it is all about and bring back that special part of HHS. I have been on many High School Campuses and never seen anything like Senior Square, it was unique, it was ours, and it should not be forgotten. I hope they find a place for a new Senior Square and hopefully current students will learn from us how great it is to have this kind of a tradition.

Name: Ricki Farrell ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 7:54 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Valencia
Class: 1961
City & State: Tucson, AZ
E-mail
Message: I?ve been thinking about the senior square issue for two days now and I feel a need to comment. When I was a student at HHS during the late 50?s and early 60?s there seemed to be a reverence about it. Even as an underclassman, with no one around, I wouldn?t dare to step foot on senior square.
When I became a senior it was a real honor to walk into the square. I remember eating lunch with my friends there everyday. I don?t know why or when the tradition faded but it?s sad and very telling of the last few generations of teenagers. There are far more activities and forms of entertainment off campus now than when I was a kid. School is no longer the center of our kids? lives. I believe that the art academy where I taught brought together many students, much like what Clayton Williams did for us at Hawthorne High. I know that I did my best to model our program after his because I know how much it afforded me. Senior square allowed for all of us to gather at lunch like at a family meal and the art department fed us our self worth and a place to do what we loved doing. The latter is the inherent quality offered in well-organized fine arts and athletic programs. However, how many students are not involved in these programs? I made a lot of new friends my senior year most of which were developed in senior square.
While reading Feedback I?ve learned a lot about what many of you 50?s and 60?s Cougars did off campus but many of us knew nothing about that world. There was no text messaging, chat or Email and I was so naïve.
By the way, I hated the teacher?s lounge but it?s very important for those teachers who do not have their own classroom.

Name: Don D. ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 7:29 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1975
City & State: South Bay
E-mail
Message: Subject: Class of 75 memory books
Class of 75, the reunion company mentioned that a reason for the delay in the delivery of our memory books is that they were unable to identify all classmembers.
Please review the following link and provide identification information if possible: Class of 75 Memory Book

Name: Jessie ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 5:23 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Corral
Class: 1974
City & State: LA
E-mail
Message: Well I sorta had a Cougar sighting...I just started a new job...when reading the employee address I saw that our VP of Finance lives in Hawthorne. She told me her husband is from Hawthorne and went to HHS! I have yet to meet him. But in case anyone out there wants to know...his name is Rob Romero. He and the pals he hung out with at school still all hang out together.

Name: Neil ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 3:17 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1971
City & State: crestview fl
E-mail
Message: For my 2 cents worth---the idea of razing Senior Square in order to build a lounge for the teachers, is un-thinkable! Of course the teachers feel they are entitled ti a grand lounge , I wish I had a lounge where I worked, gee wouldn't that be nice, if we all could ploy under a portion of the establishment where we work so we could all "LOUNGE"(at work)!!!- If there was to be a permanent sculpture on campus to raise the Consciousness & stimulate the students -- BRONZE -On a high pedistal -A large volume (Book) on which is set a classic Globe, a telescope, a firstbaseman's mit, master combination lock & a bunson burner. - or something similar to this which would charge the youth to contemplate their 4 years with vision & courage...And there should be an inscription... Perhaps the words to Brian Wilson's Be True To Your School ---- This is my 2 cents I will supply a rendering if you wish....

Name: Dale Hahlbeck Jr. ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 2:53 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1975
City & State: CORONA CA
E-mail
Message: Cougs, just relocate the Beach Boys Memorial to Senior Square like I read before kill 2 birds with one stone.
Hey is it ok for a couple of '75ers to crash the 68-74 reunion?? Hell I won't make it anyway but just in case all the planets are aligned. I might just be able to attend..OK??
Got plans to crash the 76 reunion so might as well crash two reunions with one ahh er EL MOLINO!!
H1 OUT!!

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Tue-Apr 18, 2006, 10:23 am - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Kona, HI
E-mail
Message: Yes I was her paperboy if she lived there. Sheryl Foster ived on that street and the Wilsons (Rocky) lived across the street. The Waters lived down the street. I can't belive I forgot about 6th grade camp up in the Malibu Canyon. That was so much fun. Singing Kumbuyya(?). I Had MIss Findlater in 4th Grade, Miss Kilgore in 5th grade and Mr. Weiss in 6th grade at Peter Burnett. I had Miss Burnam in 3rd grade at Don Smith. She had bought a brand new GTO and she took us out in the parking lot to see it. It awesome. We also had Olympics between Don Smith and Cabrillo. Ihad Miss Sparling in 2nd Grade at Cabrillo. SHe was really pretty. I had Mr. Brunton in 7th and Miss Putnam in 8th grade. She was the hottest teacher I ever had. Remember Miss Bell at Peter Burnett. She was model material and a skiier. She was married to a Rams football player for awhile.