Initial Post with Input from a number of Classmates

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Greetings Dons and Madonnas,

In an email to Joel Pelzner I wrote:

Subject: Aragon Celebrates #45 at Burlingame Brew Pub...

Chrissy, (my wife of 16 years), and I attended along with 50 + or - other Aragon grads from the class of '63. I'm sorry you couldn't attend. The affair occupied one-half of the pool room at the Station House Brewery. Roey Berman handed out name tags and collected $20/head for the buffet consisting of shish kabobs, barbequed chicken wings, pasta and salad among other tasty items. I knew most of the guests only by the familiarity of their names which should have been written in black magic marker. Seemed as though everyone was squinting at each other from the neck down.

But who could miss Brice Pearson strolling through the door for his first reunion ever. I introduced myself and he didn't recognize my name or presence/membership on the championship varsity basketball team that marked the coming of age of Aragon sports. Straight from Idaho, Brice later offered a toast to a class brought together once again. Oh well, Mark Jorgenson remembered me and also my next door neighbor Arjuna Laisne who has taken over the varsity coaching job at Aragon at the young age of 26. Arjuna, like Mark, was all county and the driving force behind a 27 game winning streak for Hillsdale several years ago. I reminisced with Mark about the shot he made from the top of the key with no time left on the clock to beat Hillsdale at Hillsdale--one of the vicarious highlights of my sport's career as a team member and as a spectator from the bench. Aragon went on to post season play in the Stanford Tournament and lost by just 2 point to St. Elizabeths the eventual winner. Mark was accompanied by Diane his wife of many decades and perennial reunion attendees. I continue to attend the very spirited home and away rivalry between the Knights and the Dons.

I was one of the few that was pried away from Hillsdale to fill out the sophomore roster at Aragon. Initially making friends was a challenge but sports combined with mutual classes closed the gap quickly. In addition to your (Joel's) friendship associated with basketball, I formed that high school bond most closely with Bill Trudgian, Dick Radez, Phil Abrams and Allen Bennett who together also formed the core of our poker group. (Mark participated too in these diversions which sometimes included liquid refreshments of the restricted to minors variety). I wasn't surprised by their absence and knew in advance that Phil would be involved with Gary Tobin's son's wedding.

(Most of you) would remember Dana Williams and Cliff Glidden. I had interesting conversations with each of them. Bob Bazell's name came up as one who had not attended an Aragon reunion. As NBC News' Chief Science and Health Correspondent who could not have seen him on TV. After the 40th reunion I visited Mark Skolnick in Salt Lake City as part of our vacation in Utah. He gave me the royal tour of Myriad and Theradoc two companies he founded years ago. In my estimation he has been the most successful of our class. Google him and you'll see why. I was disappointed that he would not attend as rsvp'ed.

Since the last reunion I had gotten to know Joyce Ferguson. Chrissy and I had visited her at her Berkeley hills home and attended a folk concert where she played bass. She is an expert English gardener and accomplished photographer. Several people took pictures last night but I would bet that Joyce's have the best composition.

Nancy Feldstein was very recognizable and I had an extended conversation with her interesting husband. They met at UCSF Medical Center probably as the result of his being a doctor there. Steve is a New Yorker, trained at Mass General Hospital and formerly practiced delivering babies from complicated pregnancies. Ultimately, the pressure he experienced from having to make split second decisions in the operating room forced him to retire. I'm convinced that stress is the number one detractor from our health. Now he plays saxophone and clarinet for musicals staged up and down the peninsula.

A topic of conversation was the financial crisis and the recent drop in value of '401k' retirement accounts; several mentioned their responsibilities in taking care of their aging parents now in their late eighties and some in their early nineties. Not much mention was made of the election.
Several classmates brought their significant others. I approached one who turned out to be Jan Garrett's husband. They live near Davis and he is an environmental scientist working on a variety of issues including the health of the 'delta'. It wasn't too long before Jan and Peggy Paul joined us. I knew Jan would be taken off guard when I mentioned, "I was disappointed that I was too late in asking you to go the Junior Prom." I was politely turned down by Marty Stevens and Pat Richards who also had dates with guys from San Mateo HS. Can't say that I didn't try to go to the Junior Prom.

I knew that Peggy had been friends with Carol Gillespie who was a classmate of mine in fifth grade at Beresford Park Elementary. On one of my few high school dates, Carol and I along with a couple from HIllsdale went to see Ray Charles at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. (That was the summer when Georgia on My Mind and Hit the Road Jack were smash hits). It was an experience being ten percent of the audience then where it is ninety nine percent at most events I attend now. According to Peggy, Carol has been a corporate lawyer.

I approached Ginger MacDougall and she quickly mentioned that she had been a dental patient of my father's. Of our parents, only her mother survives in good health. She proudly takes no medications. Even though I didn't know her too well, there was much to talk about. She has two sons, one married who teaches English in Japan. Sadly her husband died last year at the age of 64 from a heart attack after the doctors thought they had everything under control. She lives in Turlock. Several of the attendees were living in the San Joaquin Valley.

So Joel, all in all it was quite a satisfying evening. Sorry I missed you on this one but I'm already looking forward to the next one! ~~~~~~~~

Returning to the "Remember when" thread:

To Gene: I have a very limited collection of autographed baseballs. My prize is a Joe DiMaggio which my Dad got at a San Francisco Seals game prior to the Giants coming West. I remember listening to Dodger Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 Series against the Yankees on the way to Disneyland and Willie May's over the shoulder catch of Vic Wertz's liner in the 1954 Series against the Indians. What a great choice of locales to vacation, Carmel and Point Reyes. It's hard to beat the California coast for scenery.

To Mark, Gene, John and Sherry: My first experience with snow was at the age of 7 on a toboggan near Donner Pass. The first time I saw falling snow was Thanksgiving 1963 in Boston. The first experience I had shoveling snow was the following day. I skied for the first time at Flagstaff's Arizona Snowbowl. An Air Force buddy of mine convinced me to give it a try. After about 2 hours on the beginner's/bunny slope practicing snowplows, I reluctantly followed him to the T-Bar Lift. I wasn't used to stepping in front of moving objects and like a three year old anticipating his first step onto an escalator, found myself rising quickly in altitude. Yes, I fell many times before getting to the bottom of that 'intermediate slope' where I suffered the discomfort of wet jeans. But probably more pertinent to this experiment in balance and uncontrolled motion, I returned to do it again ...and again.

To Mark: Remember that summer expedition to Yosemite with your sister and a few of her Berkeley friends. No one could recall whether the ham we picked up at the corner grocery store for sandwiches had been cooked or not. To be perfectly safe from the perceived risk of trichinosis, there was a vomiting behind the pines. That was the summer when madras was all the rage.

To Marcia: There was another very bright and talented Cohn that followed a few classes behind us. Did you know Susan? We have become friends with Susan and her brother Michael who married one of Chrissy's best friends, a Capuchino grad and classmate of celebrity Suzanne Somers. Thanks for your very interesting and well written family history. Whoever said that correspondence is a lost art?

To all: The National Parks are a great American resource. By all means take advantage of them. We do.

Recommend reading:

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don't arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: "they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky."

Thanks for inviting me to 'join the party' Mark. Sometimes the best things in life include memories from the past.

Your turn.

Pass the popcorn.

John St. Peter laserlefty@aol.com
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John, I too am a paper-route veteran although I retired early, and I think triumphantly, when we moved from Salinas to San Mateo. I came to think of myself as strong in middle relief, pitching fold-and-tucked copies of the "Salinas Californian" so that they exploded against the front doors of customers. This may be the genesis of my collection of autographed baseballs of great pitchers, the prized one being Johnny Podres from the '55 Dodger World Series victories--finally--over the Yankees. I thought perhaps the Tigers would contact me, given their troubles last summer, but Spring Training has opened and so far they haven't contacted me. Maybe I need an agent. Well, at least I bought a new mitt last summer...and a pitch-back. The sight of a 63-year-old adult throwing a baseball to a pitch-back may have the quality of the pathetic for some, but to me it's an aesthetic experience.

Our Spring Break starts this Saturday and Jeri and I are off to Carmel and Point Lobos. We've had so much snow and gray in Ann Arbor that we're ready for anything that even borders on sunshine. Best, Gene (Laskowski)
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Hello all, My original message has generated quite a response. Great to hear from Mark. When he didn't respond initially I wondered whether I had his corect email. I'm writing this message from Estes Park Co where Jeanne and I are enjoying a winter vacation. We've been coming to the Rockies for a snow fix for four years, since snow is so scarce in DC area. Today we were treking in the falling snow on snow shoes, of course, in the Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park at about 9500 ft. Interesting that Mark brought up the high school snow trips and so many responded. Somehow, I was never part of those trips. I don't remember how they were organized. Frankly, I probably couldn't afford them in those days.

I'm on a shared computer and don't have much time. Picking up on a couple of comments, Nancy is back from France, a couple of weeks now I think. Sherry, I had a paper route, too! Hope you all are enjoying the memories. Just seeing your names brings back many for me.

John (Evans)
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And the list keeps growing!!! This is great!?

I do remember the ski trips, but along with Mark I remember the fun on the bus.? Skiing was always a challenge for me....I was much better at getting the hot chocolate!? And later on in life, there was no snow in the Dominican Republic although it does have the highest peak in the Greater Antilles (Pico Duarte at over 10,000 ft) and in Florida you can't even find a hill!? Does anyone remember making go-carts?? I know my father slaved away on mine!?

I'll also go along with you on the music(?) of today.....lyrics you can't understand and when you can, you wish you couldn't!? Thanks for the tip about jazz on KCSM.....my husband and I both like jazz.? Speaking of music, does everyone know about Gail and her drumming???? I am looking forward to meeting up with her this week while she visits Miami Beach!?

As for us getting into mischievous things.....who remembers sneaking into Hillsdale before a game and putting GO DONS messages in all their lockers!? And how about those study nights at the library (?)....mostly spent driving around in Dr. Mottrams VW beetle.....hey Nancy (we haven't heard from her.....I know she was in France, but I think she should be back by now.? And our Halloweens were filled with such pranks as water balloons, TPing houses, or writing on windows with soap and maybe a couple of eggs or tomatoes here and there.? Also remember the "jobs" we had....like the car washes.....think John C. was the only one I knew who had a paper route....we haven't heardfrom him either and I'm sure he has some goodies to share.??? Do high school kids still sign year books??I know I treasure my last "El Tesoro".

And the dancing classes and the spring and winter cotillions, and special places for dinners (like the Lanai) at the Villa Hotel.? Can anyone remember the theme of our junior prom?And no fair digging out the scrapbook from 1962!? Yikes, that was really a LONG time ago!!! Sherry (Hemming Garcia)
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Hey Mark, Thanks for the plug.? I will not add anyone to my distribution list, which already includes JSP and a number of other Aragon classmates, unless they send me an email indicating that they would like to be added.
Cheers,

Joel P

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Good to hear from you.

If you want to be on two great email lists from Aragon High that I've beenenjoying since our 40th reunion,

... ask John St. Peter to add you to his. He goes by Laserlefty@aol.com, adouble entendre, tennis lefty of some note, and more significantly John hasdiscovered a strong political left side. His stuff is great.

And Joel Pelzner, mostly humor, mostly hilarious, and some of it very jewish.

I'm adding Peggy Paul (now Sullivan) and Joyce Ferguson to the email list, as I've also been in touch with them.

I'd like to add a few "remember these" es.

First of all, be careful which banana slugs you salt, some of them may be UCSC alumni.

Do you remember wooden skis, leather boots, and bear claw bindings. In my junior year I bought my first epoxy skis, kneissel white stars, and the rear binding was a long leather strap called a long thong... I think a long thongis something very different today.

Do you remember ski trips to tahoe, as much fun in the bus as on the slopes.

Do you remember music in our day. Dance class. Close dancing to Johnny Mathes? Folk music and bluegrass. Later, the San Francisco rock scene: Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the HoldingCompany, Jefferson Airplane. Not to mention Jimmy Hendrix. Winterland. TheFillmore Auditorium. The pan handle and the haight.

Are you into satellite radio. It's great in the car. Anyone who likes bluegrass should try Xmradio bluegrass junction, channel 14. The disk jockeys are knowledgeable musicians, and the selections are great. Some classics and some new stuff with a high level of musicianship and is callednew grass.

Remember what we did to rebel. Today it's all about tatoos and protruding metal objects from places you would hardly think of piercing. And what a pharmacopia.

Remember when we thought our parents were out of touch for not understanding our music and how we said we would never be like that. Well, I can't stand most of the music that they're putting out now.

Pass the popcorn ! !

Your turn.

Mark Skolnick