THIS BLOG IS CONNIE'S AND HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL OR THE ALUMNI POW WOW LUNCHEON. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE HER OWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG IS TO SHARE NEWS WITH ALUMNI OF FULLERTON UNION HIGH SCHOOL, FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA. TO SEE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLASS OF '53, GO TO http://fuhs53.homestead.com/index.html
(YOU HAVE TO COPY THE URL ADDRESS OR TYPE IT-IT IS NOT A HOT LINK.)
MY PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS IS NOW CVANHORN@PACBELL.NET )
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
ART TAKIDO, FUHS 1952
Takido, Arthur "Art", of Huntington Beach, passed away Monday February 2, 2015 due to sudden cardiac arrest after his daily walk.
Art was born on December 9, 1934 and will be remembered always by his wife, Linda Lum Takido; daughters, Trisha (Geoffrey) Graves and Allison Takido; sister, Jeanne Tomita; his four grandchildren and many loving relatives and friends.
Art was an aerospace engineer by trade and a cool dude at heart. He was born in Fullerton, CA, served in the U.S. Army, attended Cal Tech and UCLA. At UCLA, he met Linda when she was the roommate of his sister. Linda and Art were married in July of 1964. Art was diagnosed with narcolepsy in his late thirties and discontinued work in the traditional sense after his diagnosis. He was an extraordinary supporter of Trisha and Allison in their schooling and sports. He always had a big smile to share with another friendly face about town.
A Celebration of Life in honor of Arthur Seiichi Takido will take place on Saturday February 21, 2015 at 10:30am at Mariners Church Chapel at 5001 Newport Coast Dr., Irvine. Casual/Aloha attire suggested.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in Art's name to: Stanford Center for Narcolepsy, P.O. Box 20466, Stanford, CA 94309.
Edward Armenta, 57, passed away due
to medical complications. Eddie was born in Los Angeles to Jesse and Adela
Armenta, one of 9 children. The family later moved to Orange County where Eddie
graduated from Fullerton Union High School, where he played football during
their championship season, in 1975. He attended Cal State Fullerton, where he
was involved in student government and the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity
(Vice-President). Eddie graduated CSUF with a degree in Business Admin/Marketing.
He later attended Whittier Law School. Eddie's career was spent in the business
form/software industry, where he excelled and held various management
positions. Eddie was about friends and family. In college, he worked a side job
as a DJ to help take care of his family. He was outgoing, funny and always up
for fun. He was immensely helpful to all who knew him, often going out of his
way for others. He loved music, dancing and practical jokes. He was always
laughing. If you knew Eddie, you can probably still hear his laugh. Eddie met
the love of his life and his perfect soul mate, Fran Pizzo, and they were
married in 1991. He raised her 3 children as his own. Eddie and Fran loved
movies and especially traveling, which they did extensively. They lived in Corona,
CA for many years until Eddie's health required them to move to Chandler, AZ so
he could be closer to the Mayo Clinic.
Eddie is survived by his wife, Fran; daughter, Janene Purdie (Ryan); sons,
Kevin (Jamie) and Travis; 6 grandkids, Gage, Summer, Samantha, Reece, Riley and
Decker; mother, Adela; brother, Carlos; sisters, Janie Lina, Rosie and Linda;
24 nephews, 17 nieces. He was preceded in death by his father and siblings,
Maggie, Mary and Edmundo. A Mass will be held Saturday, Feb. 21 at 11 a.m. at
St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Corona, CA, to be followed by a
celebration of Eddie's life at The Lake Center at Trilogy in Corona. All of us
lucky enough to have been part of Eddie's large circle of family and friends
are blessed with assurance that he loved us and for the great memories we have
to keep.
Published in
Orange County Register on Feb. 15, 2015 –(available until Feb 15,
2016)
William
DeWitt Lyon was born October 3, 1922 in Anaheim, CA to LeRoy and Mildred Lyon.
He passed away at his home in Fullerton on February 10, 2015. He trusted Jesus
Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 8.
He graduated from FUHS in 1939, Carnegie Inst. of Tech. in 1943 and Talbot
Theo. Seminary in 1958. He worked at North American Aviation (mostly
Autonetics) 1944-1959 (including a two-year military leave of absence in the U.S.
Navy) and served as a Christian missionary in Japan 1960-1989. After
returning to Fullerton in 1989, DeWitt served in Wilshire Ave. Com. Church,
Fullerton Sister City Assn. and Int'l Friendship Council of North OC.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) K. Lyon, of 71 years; 6 children:
Louise (Masao) Uenuma, Charlene (Ted) Wan, Joanne Lyon, Lawrence (Wendy) Lyon,
Virginia (Robert) Travis and Stephen Lyon; 11 grandchildren and 6
great-grandchildren. Viewing at McAulay & Wallace, Harbor Blvd., Fullerton,
Thurs., Feb. 12, 5-9pm; Funeral at Wilshire Ave. Community Church, Fullerton,
Fri. Feb. 13, 10am. McAulay & Wallace Mortuary
Published in
Orange County Register on Feb. 12, 2015 – (available until Feb 12,
2016)
Phyllis I. Miller, 88, a resident of
Fullerton and former pharmacist and owner of the Sunny Hills Pharmacy, died on
January 28, 2015 of natural causes. Born in Iowa to Floyd and Mary Miller, she
graduated from Fullerton Union High School in 1944 and later went on to obtain
her pharmacy degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She is
predeceased by her parents and brother, Ronald Miller; nieces, Jean Renee
Miller Thomas and Gail Miller. She is survived by her nephews, Dennis Miller of
San Diego and Tom Miller of Carlsbad; nieces, Stacey Miller, Melissa Fowers and
Sierra Diedrich. Private services were held on Tuesday, February 3, 2015. McAulay
& Wallace Mortuary
Published in
Orange County Register on Feb. 11, 2015 –(available until Feb 11,
2016)
Neally, Mary
Elizabeth Adams, FUHS 1941 in newspaper or 1942 in FUHS database
Mary Elizabeth Adams Neally, 90,
passed away on January 20, 2015 at Bethel Ridge Assisted Living Facility,
Fincastle, VA. She was born August 19, 1924, in Riverside, CA to Annie Pauline
Springstun and Frank Corbin Adams
Mary grew up in Riverside, CA. She graduated from Fullerton Union High School
in 1941.
Mary married John R. Neally, June 4, 1943. They were happily married for 57
years. They lived in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia from 1960 to 1970 and she worked for
IBM World Trade for 8 years, while living in Arabia.
Mary was a member of St.
Mark's United Methodist Church, Daleville, VA. She was also a member of the St.
Mark's United Methodist Women. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, reading and going
to wineries for concerts and tastings.
Mary is survived by her daughter, Mary Kathleen (Kathye) Dunsmore and her
husband, Jim; her daughter-in-law, Marilyn Neally; her sister-in-law, Grace
Adams; her grandchildren, Patrick Neally and wife, Michele, Sean Neally and
wife, Brenda, Colleen Neally, Jessica Weiner and husband, Jesse, Jonathan
Dunsmore, Juanita and Matt Arnold; and her great-grandchildren, Cameron Neally,
Logan Neally, Jillian Neally, Jerry King, Jordan Arnold; her nephew, Doug Adams
and wife, Jane and their children, Christopher and Pauline.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband, John R. Neally; her brother, Frank
Corbin Adams, Jr.; her son, Charles Patrick Neally; and her granddaughter,
Angela M. Cappellano.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 4:00 pm, Saturday, January 24,
2015, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Daleville, VA.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to St. Mark's
United Methodist Church.
Arrangements by Oakey's Funeral Service, Roanoke, VA, 540-977-3909
Published in
Orange County Register on Jan. 24, 2015
(Penny's message forwarded to Connie from Mikie, PowWow class rep for class of '58)
Hello
Everyone:
My little
booklet has just been launched on Amazon, and I wanted you to know in case
anyone asks where they can find it. Though my Amazon web page
indicates only two copies, several more are available. Perhaps it's their
way of making it sound scarce? Who knows? At any rate, it's fun to
have it listed. For those of you who have the original, stapled copies,
it is now a THIN paperback of 32 pages (even though Amazon says 25), which
makes it seem more like a book (sort of). I've been told it's a fun
read and full of adventure---and it's a true story!
For those of
you who are just hearing about it for the first time, the title is:
"Flirting
With Danger: Hiking the Grand Canyon the Wrong Way."
It's a memoir about my hiking the Grand Canyon
with three friends after graduating from high school in 1958, and we truly did
it the wrong way. In addition, one more short chapter has been
added, describing a follow-up hike in 2010.
Even though it was first published in 2008, it is new
to Amazon so no reviews have yet been received by them--therefore, if you
feel so inclined, feel free to express your thoughts on their site (www.Amazon.com), and you can do it anonymously! It
can be found from the search box by either entering
"Webster-Scholten" or the book title.
Prior to this launch, sales have been
ongoing throughout Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, and copies
have traveled as far as Canada, Australia, and who knows where else.
Hearing from people in such faraway places has been an exciting bonus.
Another bookseller also has one of the original,
stapled copies listed for sale on Amazon, but he has raised the price
exorbitantly. I'm keeping my listing at the original price of $7.95.
Tell your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and anyone else you think may be
interested either for themselves or to use as gifts.
And be sure to have yourselves a thrilling,
adventurous, and safe New Year.
MESSAGE FROM MIKIE ABOUT Virginia Moreno Thomas, FUHS 1958
Here is an article about Virginia Moreno Thomas from our class who
was honored by the Orange County Register as one of the influential people in 2014.
She was recognized by the Placentia City Council for her work in December 2014.
A longer article about her appeared in the Placentia News Times portion of the
Register. The cutest thing she said was that in high school she was once sent
to the principal’s office for speaking Spanish in class, but now they pay her
to speak Spanish.
Virginia
Thomas, 73, was awarded for 30 years of service to the Placentia Police
Department. COURTESY OF THE PLACENTIA
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Age:
74
Job: Volunteer, Placentia Police
Department
Bio: While growing up in
Fullerton, Thomas was discouraged from speaking Spanish in school. Since then,
she’s made a career of it. In 1984, while working as an interpreter at Orange
County Superior Court, she started volunteering as a language interpreter and
instructor with the Placentia Police Department. She’s since retired from the
courtroom job, but still contributes to the police force. She lives in
Placentia with her husband, a retired sheriff’s deputy.
Why she's an influencer: In
2014, Thomas
was honored for 30 years of service to the Placentia Police Department.
When she began volunteering, she helped authorities communicate with victims.
But she noticed a growing need for Spanish speakers among the officers, and
developed a Spanish curriculum for the department. She calls her classes
“Spanish for Law Enforcement.” Thomas has armed officers with common words,
phrases and slang. She also teaches officers about cultural differences and
sensitivities.
Biggest challenge: As the
department’s only Spanish speaking Latina volunteer, she sometimes gets called
late at night to help with a translation. After 30 years, she’s still happy to
help.
Work philosophy: “If one
person is helped, I will feel that I’ve done something.”
Thoughts on police interaction
with the community: When people know there will be someone at the police
department who will understand them, they feel more comfortable approaching
police officers. She has seen people more willing to report crimes and trust police.
Inspiration: She gets
motivation from police officers in the department who go out of their way to
help needy people.
Can’t do without: The
kindness of the many people she works with at the department.
What's next: She plans to
stay on as a volunteer at the department.
Virginia
Thomas, 73, was honored for 30 years of service to the Placentia Police
Department. COURTESY OF THE PLACENTIA
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Virginia Thomas has
worked under nine police chiefs since she joined the Placentia Police
Department’s Volunteer in Police program as an interpreter and language
instructor in 1984.
The Placentia resident was honored last
week for her 30 years of service to the department.
“I was very humbled about it,” Thomas, 73,
said. “I do whatever I have to do and whatever I can to help out the city.”
Thomas has spent between 16 and 25 hours a
month volunteering for the department. Over the years, she’s interviewed
victims, responded to 911 calls with officers and developed a Spanish
curriculum for the department.
Instead of holding long lectures on grammar
and composition, Thomas arms officers with common words, phrases and slang. She
calls her classes “Spanish for Law Enforcement.”
Thomas also emphasizes cultural
sensitivity. Topics include Mexican naming conventions and the significance of
holidays such as Dia de los Muertos.
Thomas began volunteering with the
department while working as a courtroom interpreter for the Orange County
Superior Court. She quickly noticed a growing need for Spanish speakers in law
enforcement.
“When I started, it was my main goal to
make sure that an officer had the same opportunity with a Spanish-speaking
person and an English-speaking person,” Thomas said.
She said she finds it ironic that many
looked down on her first language while she was growing up in the ’40s and
’50s; Thomas’ parents emigrated from Mexico to the United States before she was
born. The Fullerton native was even sent to the dean’s office once for speaking
Spanish in class.
Thomas began working at the North Justice
Center soon after she graduated.
“Now they were paying me the big bucks to
speak Spanish,” Thomas said.
Thomas currently helps catalog evidence in
the property department. She also volunteers at city events such as shred days
and drug take-back days.
She plans to continue volunteering with the
department.
“I believe what you put in is what you are
going to get out,” she said.
