TRUE CONFESSIONS FROM WILLIAMS, FUHS '51

from Dave Williams, FUHS ‘51

Connie, ya spose the statute of limitations has passed? I confess, I am the one who set off the firecracker in studyhall and got away with it....... to some extent. It was quiet in studyhall that day, everyone's head bent to their task. I added about an 8" long fuse to a firecracker, stepped though the door to the typing room, lit the fuse, tossed it up on the balcony, and eased back through the door to my seat, next to that door. It took so long, I thought the fuse must have flamed out. So I jumped as high as any when it did go off.
Not too much later, Ms Pearce sat me at one corner of her desk, and Anson Worley at the other.
Love, Dave

What do you think your chances might be if you give me permission to post this confession? Give me the year you did this so you get proper credit.
Connie

LOL, it was probably 1949 or 1950, when Anson ('53) started FUHS in cahoots with me. He and I had ditched school at Washington Grammar in La Habra together so many times. And when he got to FUHS, we took up where we left off. Sure, post it if ya want. Maybe someone will remember how everybody jumped when that thing went off. I was a troublemaker in HS, no doubt. Had many other stories, but maybe another time. Wish I could remember what happened yesterday as well as I remember 60 years ago.

(Anson, Dave has squealed. But you don't have permission to beat him up Sat at the luncheon.)

TOUR OF FUHS CAMPUS

I just found the pictures on my web site from the class of 53's tour of the high school in 2003.

http://fuhs53.homestead.com/touroffuhscampus.html

See inside the clock tower and down in the catacombs.

This hot link is also on Facebook in the Fullerton High Alumni group.

SAMPLE OF WHAT IS ON FACEBOOK

This is an example of what you are missing by not joining “Fullerton High Alumni” and “Growing Up In Fullerton” groups on Facebook. See how to join in prior post. This first entry is in "Fullerton High Alumni" and is about a teacher.

John C. Hall 9:34am Feb 27
I remember one morning in maybe late '65, our PE class was having archery pratice on the front lawn in front of the old admimistration building when Mr Strange showed up holding an arrow in his hand waving his white handkerchief symbolically surrendering. Someone had managed to shoot his arrow over the administration building into the classroom area. Moments to remember:-)

Here is an experience that I, Connie, put in "Growing Up In Fullerton":

On my 77th birthday, I am thinking I’m lucky to have lived this long.
I just remembered another way that I almost got killed growing up in Fullerton (before the horse almost stepped on my head).
When Mother and I lived in a little house behind a store on Spadra a couple of blocks south of the train station, I would ride my bike up to the Melody Inn restaurant close to the corner of Spadra and Commonwealth where my mother was a waitress. One day during summer vacation before 7th grade, I was riding up to the restaurant (on the wrong side of the street where any halfway-intelligent kid knows to ride so they can keep an eye on coming cars) and as I crossed over the railroad tracks and passed the packing house across the street from the train station, a truck loaded with heavy wooden boxes filled to the brim with oranges started turning left out of the packing house and onto Spadra just behind me. It was packed at least 6 layers high with those boxes and, as it passed behind me and the driver got ahead of me, the top box at the back of the truck teetered and fell off of the truck and landed just in front of my bicycle. There were oranges everywhere. I was able to veer away from the box so I didn’t run into it and have an accident. I just pedaled like I had never done before. If it had landed on my head, that heavy and from that height, it would have killed me for sure.
Of course, I never told my mother. (I was setting a precedent for my horse accident experience that would come a couple of years later.) I always regretted leaving those beautiful oranges behind, but I knew that I had had a lucky break to just survive. (And how would I have explained where all of those oranges in my bike basket had come from?)
I wonder where the driver thought his cargo was. I hope that he got in trouble for not tying down those boxes.

Here's my horse story:

When I was in 7th or 8th grade in about 1948, I was helping my friend Janet Kerridge bring her 2 horses back from pasture in the west Malvern neighborhood to her house and stables on Nicholas. We had folded up the canvas horse blankets and made saddles out of them. When we were walking through an orange grove, the belt on the blanket that I was sitting on came loose and dangled down the horse’s side and spooked him. de and spooked him. He reared up and slid me off his side into the soft, plowed earth and I landed flat on my back right under him. When I opened my eyes, all I saw was his left hind hoof sailing close right across my eyes and over my head, barely missing it. Fortunately, I was safe before I knew I was in danger. I grew up in Fullerton amidst the beautiful orange groves and came close to dying there too. (I never told my mother because that would have been the end of my riding days.) Connie, FUHS '53He reared up and slid me off his side into the soft, plowed earth and I ended up flat on my back right under him. When I opened my eyes, all I saw was his left hind hoof sailing close right across my eyes and over my head, barely missing it. Fortunately, I was safe before I knew I was in danger. I grew up in Fullerton amidst the beautiful orange groves and came close to dying there too. (I never told my mother because that would have been the end of my riding days.)

POW WOW NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

If you haven't been looking at the 2012 Pow Wow blog because you aren't coming to the luncheon on March 3, please click on http://2012alumnipowwowluncheon.blogspot.com/ and read the information there. There won't be a 2013 Pow Wow blog if there is no volunteer to create and maintain it. We also need volunteers for classes that don't have a rep. It isn't fair for a volunteer who already contacts his own class to be asked to cover the classes without a rep too. That's a big job. (I think that if a class can't find even one person who cares enough about his class to send out emails and a few letters, that class can just figure out another way to get the news. I have no patience with people who let others do all the work and they just come to the party. A class could rotate the job or have a committee that divides up the mailing list.)
Also, the treasurer and I have been processing reservation forms that sometimes come to us on small scraps of paper and are very difficult to handle and not lose. When your printer doesn't work,  please print your information on an 8 X 11 size sheet of paper. Have some pity.

HOW TO GET ADDED TO THE FULLERTON HIGH ALUMNI GROUP ON FACEBOOK

From John Hall, FUHS ’69, creator of “Fullerton High Alumni” and “Growing Up In Fullerton” groups on Facebook.


Facebook doesn't make it easy to invite friends, but they sure make it easy to add them. You could just ask your friends if you could add them to the group and mention how easy it is to leave the group if they wish. At the top right there is a drop down menu for them to leave the group. On the right, below our group's description, there is a "Who else should be in this group?" Just start typing in your friend's name and you should get your friend and other friends who have similar spelling. I started the group by adding 141 of my friends who grew up in Fullerton.

To check out the Facebook "Fullerton High Alumni" group, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/184587744965754/

If you want me to add you to the Fullerton High Alumni group, email me and I’ll try. I assume you have to be a member of Facebook so that when I type your name, it finds your info so it can add you to the group. (I guess I would have to add you separately to the Growing Up in Fullerton group if you wanted to belong to both groups.) Hopefully, you can figure out for yourself how to join the groups. Give it a try. (I wasn’t smart enough to figure it out for myself and John added me.)
Connie
CVANHORN@PACBELL.NET

Two messages on 2/9/2012 from John C. Hall, FUHS 1969:


Hi Connie, I just saw your FUHS Blog of helping everyone get to my groups. I think the easiest way is just tell them to just go to Facebook search and enter the names of the groups. Of course that's if they are already on Facebook. Thank you so much Connie. You are a community leader!!
Oh, I forgot, I now have five facebook groups. "Growing Up In Fullerton". "Fullerton High Alumni", "Ladera Visa Jr High Alumni", "Jimmy Smith's Swim Club Alumni" and the one I was asked to Admin this morning, "Raymond Elementary Alumni". I'm done now except for maybe "Fell Off My Horse And Lived"

(I suggested he add that last one when 3 of us wrote stories about our falls off of horses. I encouraged other people to send in their horse stories, but no one else has yet. Do you think that all of the others who fell off died? Naaaaah.)

Here is a comment that I added to John's "Fullerton High Alumni" group to help alumni keep in touch:

There is an existing directory of FUHS alumni e-mail addresses (many that are, unfortunately, not current) on an FUHS website that you should go to and copy/paste those of your friends. It is no longer being maintained by its web master and could disappear. I hope that Kurt will keep it and someday start to update it again, but he doesn’t answer any e-mails now.


The site also has links to class web pages and blogs and a guestbook that still works because it records automatically. You might find a friend’s current e-mail address there, but you might have to read all 135 pages to find it.
Click on: http://www.fuhsalumnionline.com/index.htm  and notice the choices at the top of that main page.

HIGH SCHOOL REUNION DREAM DATES

I don't know if Donna is an FUHS alum and some of you might get in trouble if you tried some of the suggestions in the following article, but it's fun to read.

Hi Connie,

We posted an article, "10 Dream Dates for High School Reunions”
(http://www.topdatingsites.com/blog/2012/10-dream-dates-for-high-school-reunions/ ), and I thought that you or your readers might find it appealing. If you find something interesting or similar, please let me know.
Thanks for your time!
Donna Cullen

NEW FUHS WEB SITE USED BY HIGH SCHOOL

There is a new web site for FUHS.

Go to http://www.fullertonhigh.org/

and check it out  (click on “Alumni” for alum news)

It will eventually have an e-mail directory that each person can log into and update on his own.

Don't forget Kurt's site. It still has good links, etc. However, he isn't updating any information at the present.

http://www.fuhsalumnionline.com/index.htm

LOIS SHELL, FUHS 1928, 100TH BIRTHDAY!

Lois Shell recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
COURTESY OF JACK ALWEN

FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

FULLERTON – Longtime resident Lois Shell recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
The former elementary school teacher moved to town with her family in 1918 at the age of 7.
Her father, Arthur Shell, was in real estate first with Will and Howard Irwin and later with his own firm.
Spending her adolescent years in Fullerton's local schools, Shell eventually graduated from UCLA. For the next 40 years, she worked as a full-time teacher in Fullerton before retiring, though she continued to aid children in education as a tutor.
She has also been a strong supporter of St. Jude Medical Center, said nephew Jack Alwen.
In retirement, he said, she developed interests in reading, gardening and traveling around the world with her sister, Mildred.
"(She) believes her longevity is a result of very positive thinking and not allow negative thoughts to enter into her mind," Alwen said. "Also regular exercise

(Mike Johnson, class of 1958 Pow Wow rep, e-mailed this article.)



STANLEY CRAMER, FUHS 1943

Cramer, Stanley Edward,
passed away Saturday, January 7, 2012 at the age of 86 with his wife of 63 years, Esther, at his side. A native of North Orange County he was born in Fullerton on July 29, 1925 to Hattie and George Cramer.
Stan grew up in Fullerton and was captain of Fullerton High School's 1943 CIF Championship basketball team. He was also a star of the football team and the 220 runner on the track team.
Drafted upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent off to basic training in Mississippi. The Army sent him to the Ruhr in Germany as a sergeant and machine gun squad leader where he and his squad were involved in many intense battles.
At the end of the war, the Army assigned him to play football and basketball for the 407th Infantry division known as the Ozarks. In 1945 he was named Football Player of the Year for the European Theater of Operation.
After he was discharged from the Army, USC invited Stan to play football and basketball. He played freshman football and basketball and played left end on the varsity football squads of '47, '48, and '49 which included playing in the 1948 Rose Bowl Game. While at USC he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
Stan graduated from USC in 1950 with a Bachelor's degree and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree. He coached with Bob Blackman at Pasadena City College and he taught and coached at Whittier High School, California High School and Cerritos College. Mount San Antonio College hired Stan as head football coach of the Mounties and he coached there for a number of years. Eventually Stan moved into the counseling department at Mt. SAC and became the Dean of Guidance and Counseling at the junior college.
When not on the football field with his players or in the film room with his coaches preparing for a game, Stan could be found fishing in the Sierras or in Baja California. A committed Christian from his youth, he was very active in his church, La Habra Untied Methodist. He was involved in the La Habra Kiwanis as they raised funds to support local schools and students.
Stan and his wife, Esther traveled to all corners of the world and to every continent, but they always returned home to La Habra, and the friends they had acquired since childhood.
Stan is survived by his wife Esther, his daughters, Cynthia Freeman, Melinda (Ward) Ching, and Janet Buddle and their children, Bri and David Freeman, Christopher and Andrew Ching, Patrick Esguerra and Chanel Brooks.
A private family burial has already taken place at Rose Hills Memorial Park. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m Saturday, February 25, at La Habra United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Stan's name to The La Habra Historical Museum or the La Habra United Methodist Church.
Published in Orange County Register on January 29, 2012
Visit Guest Book  (will be available until January 28, 2013)

POW WOW 2012 ON MARCH 3, 2012

I don't know why I can't find the link to Pow Wow 2012 when I look at the list of my other blogs when I click on "View my complete profile". Here is the link to it:
http://2012alumnipowwowluncheon.blogspot.com/

Notice that the luncheon is early this year as that was the only date open to us in March.

HOW TO CONTACT POW WOW COMMITTEE

Many classes do not have a Pow Wow representative who contacts his class with information about Pow Wow luncheons, etc.
We usually are able to get news about the luncheons uploaded to the following web site (see a little farther down), but that site hasn't been up-dated since 7/25/2011 and I don't have any idea why as I can't get an answer from the web master. I can only hope that Kurt is OK. The information for the 2011 luncheon is still on the site. The three people listed in that 2011 article can be contacted if you need future news.

http://www.fuhsalumnionline.com/index.htm
When you get on that site, you click on "click here for more" to see the Pow Wow information.

At this time there is no way to get your e-mail address put on that alumni directory or changed if you have a new address.

The handout that you get at the luncheon always lists how to contact some members of the committee. We always advise you to save that page. Cut out that information and stick it on your refrigerator. (Also, you can always google Connie Stafford Van Horn. My e-mail address is on my blog.) If your class does not have even one person who thinks enough of his classmates to send out some letters or e-mails, you are on your own getting information unless a rep from another class takes pity on you and covers your class too.
Connie  CVANHORN@PACBELL.NET
Contact me if you want to be a rep or co-rep. I have the contact list for your class.

BETTY LOU (RENKIN) NICHOLS, FUHS 1940

Dave Williams, FUHS 1951, e-mailed:
There is a collection of Betty Lou's ceramics at the old La Habra Library, now a museum. Betty graduated from FUHS. She died a while back, but her ceramics live on as collectors’ items. The museum is open from noon to four on Saturdays. The collection will be on display now through March 31.