John Carleton Cowherd

I remember Val Zelle from Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF).  She always had long red manicured nails.  She was CVHS 64.  She came to our 45 th reunion.

Bruce Wilson

Well, speaking of La Bamba probably everybody reading this first heard it by Richard Steven Valenzuela (Pacoima Junior High School, maybe class of say 1956?). However, it's at least several hundred years old. Here's one of my favorite renditions, with harp and zapateado no less. I don't know if this woman is as attractive as Valerie Zelle, but I kinda like the way she looks and dances. It is rumoured that the pretty lady on violin under the big hat is Michele, but again she isn't saying one way or the other.  

Gotta be dedicated to the fab four h-h girls Virginia, Cheryl, Valerie and Michele. Especially the first who delighted in messing with my jr hi vibe by continually calling me Brucie!

Bruce Wilson

Say Frank, that "blab-off" switch is really something else. There were some very very smart computer scientists working on that problem as late as the middle 1970's and they never succeeded, though their goal was slightly differernt. They wanted to detect commericials without human intervention and tune them out.

I'm gonna have to check and see what the current status is,.

Anybody remember these? They're still around. I used to eat them at the Vogue Theatre. They are definitely not as good as the memory of them. Can anyone actually remember the titles of any movies they watched at the Vogue?  I know I saw The Great Escape at the South Bay Drive-In and Bonnie & Clyde at the Palm in IB.

.

Shayne Maree Schuller (Morgan Sledge)

That version was the bomb! I didn't know Michele played fiddle. Virginia said the school was closer to I.B. Only poca de gracia?

Frank Gregory

I used my ITranslate App, "A little grace"?

Karen Etsuko Tachiki (Savel)

Wondering if anyone out there in the reunion forum has ordered any of those reunion photos from the photographer and if your order has been processed and you are in possession of your ordered items? I placed an order online over two weeks ago and evidently my order has been misplaced and so far no ordered items. 

Treasa Struble (Skiles)

Hi Karen- It is my understanding that the items ordered will take about 6 weeks after all of the photos have been proofed and returned to the photographer.  Representatives from all three schools proofed the photos and addresses last Friday, (Oct 24) and Jacquie was to return them to the photographer this week. I know it seems like a long turn around time--and it is--but please be patient, the process moves on. 

Karen Etsuko Tachiki (Savel)

Thank you Treasa. I did finally get a call back from the company and they located my order and will be processing it. 

Madeline Bazzel (Hooper)

Happy Halloween everyone.  Enjoy the sights.

Bruce Wilson

Why yes Shayne, that version is the bomb(a) and that's plus two for you (not that anyone is counting). Marian (not Robinhood's). Unca poca is probably all that is ever required. "Too much of nothing", is another story altogether.

My Halloween included at 3 hour and 40 minute freeway drive to go 90 miles in addition to spending the day re-assembling the part of the roof I had removed because of SoCal's first storm in who knows how long.

I'm thinking that I got the  hipopótamo instead of the sugar.

I've been thinking of moving the content, or a portion thereof, of this forum to another location to enable it to live forever (like some of us think we are going to do). Any thoughts pro or con?

Bruce Wilson

Jim: Here's the car. I could see Butch driving it. Don't see many of these with a radical chop.

.

Here's some guy in the vicinity of the car, at a local monument.

Here's our grand-daughter. Ready for either sugar or hippo spell casting

Terry Lee Maple

That fine rendition of La Bamba really piqued my interest. In my journey to discover myself I looked into my Hispanic background in Ventura. My grandmother on my mother's side was one of three Salazar sisters. Her Lopez family roots were the easiest to trace. My wife diligently traced my ancestors to Father Serra's time. The documentatioin allowed me to become a member of Los Californianos, an interesting fraternity of native Californians. Several years ago, Addie and I attended a Lopez reunion in Ojai where we visited the Lopez adobe and met relatives that I never knew about. My mother had a tough childhood, separated from her mother and suffering through an abusive, alchoholic family on the gringo side (Arkies who were alchies). My father rescued her when she married at the age of fifteen. Although she didn't speak Spanish she prepared home-made Mexican meals that our family gobbled up with enthusiasm. Fortunately, my wife learned how to prepare all of it, and we raised our kids in Atlanta on tortillas, tacos, and enchiladas (nobody but me eats chorizo though). My mother's favorite song was La Paloma and I always request it when I am dining in Old Town and the Mariachi's pass my table. On reunion weekend, Addie and I walked around Old Town with Bob Beckwith who had never been there. We had a blast. One of my most compellilng fantasies is to be the owner of Old Town Mexican Cafe. For years and years, when working with colleagues at the San Diego Zoo, I routinely  met them at OTMC for an early breakfast (chorizo con huevos of course). My mother was astounded that women making tortillas was considered entertainment. And, speaking of PSA flight attendants, Mary Kelly (it was wonderful to see her radiant self at the reunion) was employed by PSA for many years, working one of my flights when I was in graduate school at UC Davis. I believe I was living in Davis, 1970-75, when Ms. Zelle was attending law school. I recall some nasty intramural football games with the law school, the Tort Feasers they called themselves. I played quarterback on a team known as the Academic Stud Service, undefeated in 1972.

Patricia Ann Prickett

I still don't remember anyone named Zelle - will have to look her up in my old yearbook.  But Terry, great story about your discovery of family history!  It's interesting how important all of that becomes as we get older - as if we want to put it all in order and set the record straight for our kids.  I know I have been immersed in researching my father's time as a prisoner of war for the past several years.  It is an enriching journey.

Beatrice Price (Ericksen)

Hi All:

Valle Zelle went to Chula Vista Jurior High.  She was a very pretty dark hair gal with peaches and cream complexion.  She was very nice and had the best hair.  She never put it in rollers or pin curls, but it always looked lovely.  I wonder what happened to her.

Corinne McCall

Hi Terry - 

I enjoyed reading your post about your California "roots" - very interesting! I have also have roots here as a 4th generation native Californian.  Not so deep as yours - but my ancestors were early California pioneers.  My paternal granddfather, Thaddeus D. (T. D.) McCall pioneered the Imperial Valley where he sat on the City Council, and as a grapefruit rancher, he assisted in bringing water to the Valley. T.D. was also an inventor and had a patent on the pressure cooker amoung other things.

My dad, was "blue collar".  John McCall was always the  adventurer - and hitched a ride on a freight train (at age 15) to Texas for some exploration. (talk about hitch hiking stories...)  He later worked at digging the All American Canal as a young man in Imperial.  During WWII, dad escaped the draft because he had so many children (6) and instead he worked in civil projects in San Diego.  After the war he went to work in the San Diego tuna fleet as the chief engineer of a bait boat/tuna boat.  He was the only non-Portugese on the SD Tuna fleet - and they called him a "honkie".  He served as chief engineer on several boats during his career, and he retired as Chief Port Engineer for Ocean Fisheries, one of the largest SD fishing fleets

At one point he borrowed money to buy his own tuna clipper - the "Magellan" which burned and sank in South America on his first voyage on it.  I was in the 6th grade at Hilltop Dr Elementary the year that he and his crew were rescued from the the burning ship by the coast guard. It was front page news on the SD Tribune.  He spent many years after repaying the debt for the "Magellan".  

My dad was one of the finest men that I ever knew. He was a great soul.  

PS:

I enjoyed seeing you and meeting your lovely wife at the reunion mixer.  She is a very classy lady - and you, - you make us all proud Terry.  Again, I loved your story of your Hispanic roots!!

 Love and best wishes, Corinne

Shayne Maree Schuller (Morgan Sledge)

Terry and Corinne's posts were a reminder of our deep roots in the fertile soil of our hometown, literally. I remember riding my bike through the farms that peppered our town, a Garden of Eden. We lived on the fruit from our trees in our backyards in the summer (and tuna fish sandwiches) and went barefoot until we went back to school.

My Aunt Patty's father had the first gas station in Chula Vista, near where the Chula Vista Florist was on E and Landis.

George Bracey Gillow

NEW MAYOR OF CHULA VISTA--MARY SALAS

Mary Salas is the new mayor of Chula Vista.  Here are the results with 100% of precincts reporting:

• Mary Salas = 52.2%
• Jerry Rindone 47.8%

Mary Salas becomes the fifth woman mayor of Chula Vista. The others were:

• Eleanor Anderson was the first in 1965 to 1966
• Gayle McCandliss was elected in 1990. (During the election in 1990 she found out she had colon cancer that had spread to the liver.  She was sworn in as mayor in December 1990 and sadly died in January 1991)
• Shirley Horton 1994-2004
• Cheryl Cox 2006-2014 (Cheryl Willett when she graduated from HHS in 1966)

Mary Salas and Shirley Horton also served in the California State Assembly.

Shayne Maree Schuller (Morgan Sledge)

Is Jerry Rindone from CV? Did he oo to schools in CV?
 

George Bracey Gillow

Shayne,

Jerry Rindone grew up in Chula Vista where he lived on Guava until just a couple of years ago when he moved to Bonita.  He is the son of Joe Rindone, the Sweetwater Superintendent when we were in High School.

Jerry served 16 years on the Chula Vista City Council and was principal of Hilltop High School.

He is a 1964 graduate of Chula Vista High School. 

Jerry attended both events at the recent joint reunion.

Incidentally, you mentioned that your Aunt's family owned the first gas station in CV. What was the gas station called? Have you seen Peter Watry's books on Chula Vista history (listed on my message 480 of this Forum) and the 1929 movie of Chula Vista that I posted in message 432? I wonder if the gas station is shown in the books or the movie?

George Gillow

George Bracey Gillow

REMINISCE MAGAZINE

For those of you who enjoy reminiscing about life growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, I recommend Reminisce magazine.  It's articles are almost all submitted by readers.  And there are also lots of pictures of what we all remember from those days. 

It can be ordered from their website at www.reminisce.com.    The website also has a lot of great stuff. Lots of good positive reading that is a great get-away in this troubled world.

Michele Lynette Adney (Aldrich)

Reading some of the comments about growing up in Chula Vista brought back so many memories.  Shayne, I was just telling some ladies about how I used to lie under my grandma's apricot trees, reach up, pluck of a sweet, juicy apricot and eat it fresh from the tree.  And how, at my other grandma's, we would climb the fig tree, get all comfy and pick & eat the sweet figs.  Better than candy!!!  Here in Iowa, I see the apricots and get a craving but, YUCK!  There is absolutely NO comparison.  And forget about figs!  People here don't even know what a fresh fig tastes like. 

Terry, you mentioned chorizo!  I used to make chorizo con heuveos.  My husband & I loved them with hot tortillas.  Then we moved to Iowa.  Sigh!  Searched the stores for chorizo and got nothing but blank looks.  Finally found a little Mexican store in the heart of Waterloo and bought some.  Now, I can find it occasionally in our stores but it was a long time coming.  Okay, now you have my mouth watering and I guess I'll have to go try again to see if I can find some.  I think I know what will be for breakfast on Saturday!  LOL!

Bruce Wilson

Orale

yo no soy  marinaro

after all

Soy capitan

When I tried to attract some interest in this forum a ways back, I was hoping to see some of this sort of thing,

Whilst I was born in CV, we were living in Natl City and the relatives I identify most strongly with are from Finland.

s

Andie (Joan) Ault (Harvey)

About the Rindones:  I knew Jerry at CV Jr. High (I was there all three years), but knew him better because he lived next door to our best friends (on Guava), Susan and Christine, whose stepfather was Stan McMains of Standlee’s Cake Shop. Stan was the mayor of CV for a time. Jerry’s father Joe was one of the first three administrators hired by the Sweetwater UHSD, and one of the other two was my grandfather, Henry Wilson. Henry was the first principal of the National City Jr. High, and he and Joe remained fast friends until Henry’s death in 1976. After serving as Sweetwater’s superintendent, Joe became the superintendent of San Diego County Schools. The San Diego County Office of Education has a huge technology building called the Joseph Rindone Technology Center. Jerry’s brother Howard was an assistant principal at Castle Park HS, and their brother John was the superintendent of the Sweetwater district in the early ‘90s.

Shayne Maree Schuller (Morgan Sledge)

I thought it might be the same Jerry Rindone,  I think he even went to Rosebank Elementary School with all of us. I remember his father was Superintendent.

Even though he was my great uncle, we called him Grandpa Fender. Was his name his destiny? Fender's Garage.His brother, Leo, invented the electric guitar in his garage and sold the patent to RCA.

George Bracey Gillow

MORE ON RINDONE

There is information about Joe and Jerry Rindone in the book Chula Vista Centennial: A Century of People and Progress, 1911-2011 by Steven Schoenherr.  Some of it describes how Joe was a driving force in setting up Southwestern College.

Jerry's brother Howard recently retired as principal of Castle Park High School.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Jerry's other brother John died of cancer a number of years ago.

Guava Street where the Rindone's lived was the "Candy Cane Lane" at Christmas.  Here is a link to history of "Candy Cane Lane" by Jerry:  http://jerryrindone.com/category/about-chula-vista/   (This may not be around for much longer since it was part of his election website.)