Name: Jim Pasternak ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Jun 30, 2007, 7:55 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1968
City & State: South Kihei, Maui
E-mail
Message: Steve Fraser! Great to hear from you! Continued good luck in your return to health. No one would doubt you'll be back to 100% soon. Plan on coming to see us when you're up to traveling! Sincerely, Jim
PS. I got a lot of mileage out of your "popcorn caper" while you were 10-7.

Name: STEVE FRASER ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Jun 30, 2007, 2:20 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: laguna woods, ca
E-mail
Message: I would like to thank everyone for everything that you've done for me since my stroke. Thank you for all of the cards and emails. Everyone has been really wonderful. Even with everything that I have been through, I will still be at the reunion. Howie, the reunion is a better choice than 6th place at the cow milking contest. I am out of the hospital and living in a Transitional Rehab, for now. I am doing better every day and after I leave here, I will get to go home. I'll see all of you on the 21st. I'll wear my dancing shoes, look out all the divas....Again, thank you for all of your prayers and messages.

Name: Arno Portegies ~~~~~~~~~~ Sat-Jun 30, 2007, 7:57 am - HHS Time
Class: 1978
City & State: The Netherlands
E-mail
Message: My dad's first job after immigrating to the USA from Holland was at Mattel in 1963. We lived on 140th street close to Oceangate, so the Mattel building is etched in my memory. I was real lucky as a kid, I was on the kids test panel. Do you remember how you felt when your parents told you that you were going to Disneyland, well that was the same feeling I got when I heard that I could test some new toys at Mattel. I remember seeing those cool cars, but what really impressed me as a child were those orange tracks with connecting pieces and loops..... wow!!!! First setting the start of the track on the table so that the hot wheels got up some speed. A few years later those battery powered rollers that shot the cars off like a rocket. Great memories.

Name: Armand Vaquer ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Jun 29, 2007, 6:40 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Tarzana, CA
E-mail
Message: I attended Ken Huthmaker's memorial service today and met his sister Linda for the first time and one other Cougar gal (whose name escapes me right now). I guess this qualifies as a Cougar sighting. It was a nice tribute for Ken as it was well-attended. I also got to see some people I haven't seen in ages. If you couldn't attend, I've set up a memorial page for Ken at Findagrave.com. Just type in Kenneth Huthmaker at the non-famous section to get to it.

Name: Mary Ann Martin ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Jun 29, 2007, 5:54 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Walton
Class: 1961
City & State: Nashville AR
E-mail
Message: Continued get well wishes to our beloved Steve Fraser! Secondly, I worked in the purchasing departments in the mid-60's for both Mattel and NCR. High pressure business', IMO, but Mattel was more fun. Our hometown's getting ready for the annual Stand Up America program - lots of local talent, fireworks, emphasis on patriotism and John Michael Montgomery's the headliner. Everyone have a safe Fourth of July and remember why we celebrate.

Name: Sonia ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Jun 29, 2007, 7:57 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Gregory
Class: 1957
City & State: Mission Viejo, CA
E-mail
Message: Thanks David for sharing. NCR had a unique dress code in the early '60s. You would have made Bob Mathers really proud. Maybe I should have put you in for that big pay raise you requested. lol

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Jun 28, 2007, 2:09 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Kona Hi
E-mail
Message: I think me and my friends Mike Krstich and Richard Hawks were one of the first people ever to see Hot Wheels. We used to climb over the fence and dig through the trash cans on weekends. We found the Hot Wheels and thought they were really neat. There were just pieces and things but found some bodies.

Name: doris ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Jun 28, 2007, 1:39 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: donaldson
Class: 1957
City & State: Twin Falls, ID
No E-mail
Message: That good looking lady in the picture above is none other than HHS 1957's SONIA (GREGORY) FELDTMAN! Lookin' good girl!

Name: Jim Schroeder ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Jun 28, 2007, 9:11 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Oregon
E-mail
Message: Around 1973 Bill (Pie Boy) Cusac led me to Jim's Maintenance Inc owned by Jim Vigneau, a former mayor of Lawndale (with all the glory that that position holds). He had the janitoral contract for Mattel Toys Inc which was at the confluence of El Segundo Blvd and San Diego Fwy. Mattel was started in a garage by Ruth & Elliott Handler. They had a daughter, Barbie. I was fortunate to secure employment (prerequisite was a MENSA membership, partial lobotomy, and drug/alcohol dependency) and assigned to Mattel. It turned out to be a HHS alumni gathering. Tom Engle, Carl Hegg, Steve Stevenson, (Crazy) Craig Caldwell, Frankie Lee Martinez, Scott (Mini), Ricky, and Bruce Davidson among others jangled custodial keys during the swing shift after a day of hippy hijinx down at 26th Street. A fun place to work. We liberated many toys and Hot Wheels from certain destruction at the hands of some irresponsible child and found many aborted ideas in the trash cans of the (R&D)Research and Development (5th)floor. At least that's how I remember it. I guess the building is still there, but not the business? Anybody know anything about that? I was able to back out of the horse milking competition at the Jackson County Fair this year (I'm the defending 6th place finisher), so I will be able to make the 66 & 67 HHS reunion. I look forward to it with great alacrity. Hope my recuperating pal Steven Clifford Fraser will be there too.

Name: Debbie ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 7:27 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Miles
Class: 1977
City & State: Del Aire, CA
E-mail
Message: My brother, Roy worked at Mattel as a young man also. He brought home a brown haired Barbie for me, and a blond one for my sister, Sheri. I was devastated when Sheri took both Barbie's to Kindergarten show and tell and mine came back headless. The young man shall remain nameless, I know he was just a little red blooded allergic to dolls boy. If I ever win the lottery, I'm gonna replace her. Not mint condition, not with hacked off hair, just a well loved Barbie. I took advantage of ancestry.com's trial offer. All my great grandparents were immigrants, but it's still fun to make a tree and branch out. It'll be funny to see which Cougars are distantly related and didn't know it!

Name: jakejude ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 6:33 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1960
City & State: IN Bliss, ID
E-mail
Message: Thanks JB. Although, we know it wasn't just for us...it was for all the Cougs, "For Your Love " was about as good as it gets for a song or for any honey hugger dance of any kind. Tanks MMAANN. MAY THE COUGAR BE WITH YOU! Jake N Jude.

Name: Dan Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 6:02 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1977
City & State: Sherman Oaks, Dude
E-mail
Message: So, how's this for a pseudo '77 Cougar event -- on August 4, EJ Curse (aka Ernie Curcio, class of '77) and his incredibly entertaining No Doubt tribute band called "No Duh" is playing at Vault 350 in Long Beach opening for my incredibly entertaining Pink Floyd tribute band "Which One's Pink?" I've been working for years trying to get these two bands together and this may be the one and only time it ever happens. And it's going down two weeks before the '77 30 year reunion. So, 70s Cougs and anyone else, here's a chance to witness your fellow 70s Cougars entertaining the masses well into the 21st Century.

Name: Mike Shay ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 11:37 am - HHS Time
My phone number was: OS6-9393
Class: 1961
City & State: Cerritos, CA
E-mail
Message: Wow; I haven't thought about N.C.R. for decades. Back in the early 60's I was working at Die Cast Products in Gardena. National Cash Register and Mattel Toys were two of our largest customers. We made all of the upper and lower enclosures for the PCMI micro film readers for NCR as well as a large percentage of the Creepy Crawler "Bug Molds" and "Hot Wheel" Chassis and Bodies for Mattel. We don't see too many "Made in the USA" toys anymore huh? Thanks for the memories. M.S.

Name: Karen Kuehl ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 11:15 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Graham
Class: 1959
City & State: Vista, CA
E-mail
Message: I know I might lose my Cougar Secret Decoder Ring for saying this, but Cougartown has not only brought me in touch with my HHS friends, but I've also reached "kids" from Leuzinger H.S. as well. Being a close-knit town as we were, the LHSers were such a great part of my young life, and I'm so very happy to have reconnected with them too. This could never have happened without Cougartown. We love YOU, MAAAAN, John Baker!! What a wonderful world you created for us just 10 years ago. How time flies when you're having fun!!

Name: Loretta Cuiper ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 10:28 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Morelli
Class: 1962
City & State: Hawthorne, Ca
E-mail
Message: Nice note Susan and Thank you for reminding all to please send their Cougar Dues. I knew it was due, but I let it slide, So sorry John. But it is in the mail for all of the Cuiper's. It's True John, without your brilliant idea nearly 10 years ago, we would not have this wonderful site! It's been said many tunes you are the KING OF COUGARTOWN. Thank You John. AWAYS A COUG.

Name: James Armour ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 10:03 am - HHS Time
Class: 1970
City & State: Atlanta, GA
E-mail
Message: And while you are sending in your dues, lets not forget e-Scrip. All of us here at Cougartown have shared some great memories relating to Hawthorne and Hawthorne High. By signing up for e-scrip, of which only 50 have so far, we can help future Cougs to have equally great memories of their Hawthorne experiences. Out of over 6200 that have registered with Cougartown, only 50 have signed up. ITS FREE, and can really help to share the wealth of memories and good fortunes that all of us have experienced by being part of this great group of Hawthorne alumni. As a teacher, I know first hand what it means to these kids when help comes from an unexpected source to enable their experiences to be enhanced and make them feel valued. Come and lets show them REAL hawthorne spirit.

Name: Susan King ~~~~~~~~~~ Wed-Jun 27, 2007, 8:50 am - HHS Time
Maiden: Bierman
Class: 1974
City & State: Thousand Oaks, CA
E-mail
Message: COUGARTOWN DUES: A history lesson....10 years ago John Baker had an idea that he would create a website to hold his (and our) memories of Hawthorne, a place to show and tell, to reconnect with old friends, a place to share. He had no idea at the time that it would become what it is today. Not only do folks find their old friends, but we make new ones, we "come home" daily, we renew our memories, we laugh, cry, enjoy. I found John and this site in 1998 and cannot imagine my life without my daily dip in the CT well. I think it was in 1999 that a few of us convinced John to begin a "dues" campaign; we knew he was covering the cost of this site, and we didn't want there to ever be a reason for this to fail. His commitment and love for all things Hawthorne will sustain it's content but we need to be certain that it never drains his bank account. PLEASE send your $10 per year donation now. June has officially become Cougartown Dues month (although your contributions can be sent year round). And nope, we're not sending you membership cards and little goodies for your money, we decided that the gifts you get here on the site are well worth the money you send. Dues are not required as anyone can visit here and put up your feet and sit a spell. Dues are rather an acknowledgement that good things happen here and that you enjoy your visits and it's your assurance that it'll be here every morning when you want to sign on. I suspect John would keep this site alive even if nobody helped, I just hope that we are a more grateful bunch than that. So Cougars (and others) it's time to renew. Use the PayPal option - it's EASY! And while you're at it, don't forget to post up and say hello. SOMEONE out there is hoping to meet up with you again! See you at the next event!