Chris Cullen, 1968
That’s what our Burbank High classmate Christine Cullen Bartlett said about turning 65 last year. Her daughter treated her and her Tri Delta friends to lunch at her favorite Mexican Restaurant, La Villa Kitchen, in San Dimas, CA. Chris writes, “We had a great time! 65 has been an odd age…it’s ‘the next box.’ In my head I feel only 28! LOL. ”
Chris Cullen Bartlett and her daughter Amy
Chris grew up with us, from Thomas Jefferson Elementary, to John Muir Junior High, and finally to Burbank High — but when I looked for her picture in the Ceralbus, I couldn’t find it. That’s because her family moved to Sacramento in her senior year and she graduated from Mira Loma High School. So even though she is technically one of the “X” graduates, she gets included in all the BHS class correspondence.
Chris with daughter Amy and son Mathew Bartlett.
She loved studying art at Cal State Northridge (drawing, painting, printmaking and woodworking) but it never became a career for her. She didn’t want it to become something that she “had” to do. So in past years she used her artistic ability to design patches for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts (sadly, no longer available). She enjoyed knowing that her designs could be worn by scouts everywhere.
Wooden folk art by Chris Cullen Bartlett
For several years she created and painted wood folk art and it became a small business. At the same time, she started cutting out wood patterns for other crafters. Chris says, “My children were little and this could all be done out of my garage. It was nice being a stay-at-home mom while they were young.”
These days, Chris crochets all the time, saying “there’s always one more person that I want to make an afghan for. Every November, I crochet a USA flag afghan for my church’s Christmas boutique raffle. I made a flag for Steve Hunt, class of ’68, and a very proud Army Veteran.
Here are just a few samples of Chris’ artwork. As people commented, “Such an impressive body of work and so diverse, Chris! Love it! . . . How nice! Very talented! . . . You’ve got a wonderful gift. . . Your art is a gift from the Lord. . . I’ve always been so impressed with your talent.”
2017 UPDATE:
Love, Christine Cullen Bartlett
Burbank High Class of 1968 
[…] “Still feel like 28 LOL” was a post I wrote about Chris on her turning 65. As you reread the post, you’ll learn that Chris unfortunately moved away in her senior year, but still kept in touch with her Burbank High classmates. […]