July 23, 2013

Running every day — for 45 years!

Mark Covert, Class of 1968

Mark Covert, Class of 1968

This week our Burbank High Class of 1968 classmate, Mark Covert, will end his daily running streak after 16,437 days or 45 years! This is an impressive feat by his feet (and knees!) and an impressive dedication to the sport of running, something he learned to love at Burbank High. Mark will end his streak of running at least a mile a day because of a chronic foot injury, but wow— what a run!

Consider these highlights:
• He was the first runner to dross a finish line wearing Nike shoes (waffle version, no less)
• He ran the mile in 4:09
• He holds the National Junior College 6-mile record at 28:53
• He ran at Los Angeles Valley College, coached by Laszlo Tabori, the third man to break the four-minute barrier in the mile, in 1955
• He was the NCAA Division II cross-country champion while at Fullerton State
• He is in the Nike Sports Hall of Fame
• He is still coaching at Antelope Valley Junior College, and has been the Head Coach since 1990.

Mark Covert (Photo by Michael Owen Baker/L.A. Daily News)

Mark Covert (Photo by Michael Owen Baker/L.A. Daily News)

You can read further about Mark by clicking the following links:

Mark Covert to End Running Streak Tuesday (Los Angeles News)

Longest U.S. Running Streak to End at 45 years (Runner’s World)

Mark Covert (Wikipedia)

Congratulations, Mark!

Mark Covert, the U.S. record holder and No. 2 in the world for the longest streak of consecutive days having run at least 1 mile, will end the streak Tuesday, July 23, on the 45th anniversary of when it started. (Michael Owen Baker/L.A. Daily News)

Mark Covert, the U.S. record holder and No. 2 in the world for the longest streak of consecutive days having run at least 1 mile, will end the streak Tuesday, July 23, on the 45th anniversary of when it started. (Michael Owen Baker/L.A. Daily News)

Posted by on July 23, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , , , .

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July 8, 2013

Another classmate lost

Roger Golnick (1950-2013)

Roger Golnick (1950-2013)

Roger Golnick

Roger Golnick

Today we received the notice from Jeff Smith that Roger Golnick died on June 30th of cancer. According to his FaceBook page, he retired as a System Tech and was living in Prairie Village, Kansas. If any other classmates can fill in information about him, please Leave a Comment below.

Roger’s niece shared this obituary notice: Roger W. Golnick ’68 passed away on June 30 at Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, MO after a short battle with cancer. Roger moved to Southern California at the age of 5 from Tonawanda, NY and resided in Burbank on Naomi Street. He attended Providencia Elementary, Luther Burbank Junior High, and Burbank High School. He married his high school sweetheart in 1971, Henrietta Porter Golnick ’67. He worked for Pacific Bell/AT&T for 30 years. In 2006, after retiring they moved to Prairie Village, Kansas. He is survived by his wife, Henrietta, sister Lynn Golnick Sigafoose ‘684, nephews Ted Fukumoto ’86, Dan Fukumoto ’89 and Jacob Fukumoto ’03, five great nephews and one great niece.

Posted by on July 8, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , .

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July 5, 2013

RIP Wayne Schumacher 1950-2011

Wayne Schumacher

Wayne Schumacher

Jim Ranshaw just sent in another name for the memorial list, even though we are just posting it now. Wayne Schumacher died on August 6, 2011 of a genetic brain disorder. Apparently his father and grandfather died young as well. When Jim talked to his wife just before our 40th Class Reunion, she said he had been excited about coming to the 30th reunion but started having motor issues just prior. At first they had suspected multiple sclerosis, but then discovered the brain disorder. Wayne spent the last twelve years of his life in a convalescent hospital and did not recognize anyone, including his wife and sons.

It’s a reminder that life is precious — and we need to take the opportunity to reconnect with our roots whenever we can.

Have you made plans to come to the 45th Class Reunion on Sunday, October 13th, 6 pm, at the Castaway Restaurant? Here again is the address of where to send your check: (payable to BHS Class of ’68)

BHS Class of ’68
c/o Jim Ranshaw
1017 E. Fairmount Road
Burbank, CA  91501

Cost is $55 before August 1 and $60 after August 1.

Posted by on July 5, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , .

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June 18, 2013

BHS’68 Mini-reunion in Colorado

Jodi TIllotson, 1968

Jodi Tillotson, 1968

Jodi Tillotson Huddleston sent us this information on a mini-reunion of Burbank High Class of 1968 grads in Arvada, Colorado:

Saturday, June 29th
1:00 pm

Old Neighborhood Restaurant
7923 Allison Way
Arvada, CO

near 80th and Wadsworth.

Lorene Foreman Branson and Betty Kesling Costa are organizing this event. RSVP to Lorene at lorenebranson@q.com.

Jodi Tillotson Huddleston

Jodi Tillotson Huddleston

A number of you have written in to complain about the 45th Class Reunion being held on Sunday, October 13, 2013. Here’s what Roger Guggenheimer wrote: I’d love to attend. However, when initial planning was in the works, did anyone take in to account that having this event on a Sunday night could/would create a hardship on those of us that are still employed in the work force full time? If this event was held just one day earlier, I wouldn’t be in this position.  At this point, if I am to go I’ll have to fly out the next day, which is a work day for me. My home and workplace are both 4 hours drive from the nearest airport. Although I am entitled to the time off, I have to make extensive preparations for someone to take my place (at work). I realize the date is set, but I think it would be a worthwhile consideration next time (to have it on a Saturday)

Here’s what I wrote back to Roger: I’m told by Jim Ranshaw that the Reunion Committee really did consider Saturday, but apparently the price would have been substantially higher so they decided to go with Sunday, thinking that the lower price would be more attractive than the day of the week.

If you are able to attend the 45th Class Reunion on Sunday, October 13th at the Castaway Restaurant, please send your checks for $55 to:

BHS Class of ’68

c/o Jim Ranshaw
1017 E. Fairmount Road
Burbank, CA  91501
$60 after August 1st

Posted by on June 18, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , , , .

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June 7, 2013

John Thomas, 1950-2013

John Thomas, 1950-2013

John Thomas, 1950-2013

John Thomas and wife, Sallie Shelton Thomas were married nearly 44 years.

John Thomas and wife, Sallie Shelton Thomas were married nearly 44 years.

John Thomas, 63, of Burbank passed away from cancer on Tuesday, June 4, 2013. John was born January 7, 1950 in Mercer, PA. He moved with his family to Burbank in 1956. He attended Emerson, John Muir and graduated Burbank High School with the Class of 1968. It was at Burbank High School where he met classmate, Sallie Shelton Thomas, and they were married in September 1969.

In addition to his wife, Sallie, he is survived by sons Kory of Ojai, CA and Toby of San Francisco, CA. He leaves behind his siblings, Linda Mays of Greenville, PA, Lee of Stanwood, WA, Raymond of Escondido, CA, Patrick of Sun Valley, Howard of Oak View, CA, Mildred Elliott of Maiden NC and May Pierce of Palo Verde, CA.

John worked at Lockheed for over 38 years and retired in 2007. After retirement, John was able to spend more time doing his favorite activities – fishing and camping across the United States, restoring a 1965 Ford Mustang and lovingly remodeling the family residence in Burbank, CA that he and Sallie purchased in 1975 and have called home for over 38 years. He was a man who could build or repair anything and was always finding unique and perfect solutions to everything he did.

A vocational arts scholarship for a graduating student of Burbank High School will be established in his name. Donations may be made to the Sr. Bulldog Foundation, PO Box 2092, Burbank, CA 91507.

John and Sallie at the Moana Surfrider Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, January 2010.

John and Sallie at the Moana Surfrider Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, January 2010.

His family and friends will miss John for his quiet dignity, his talents and his thoughtfulness. A celebration of life will be held, Saturday, June 15, 2013 at the family residence.

Sallie tells us that she and John met at graduation and were married just under 44 years. We extend our deepest sympathy to Sallie and to her family in their time of loss.

Somewhere beyond this worldly existence is a place where the waters are clear, the seas are calm and the fish are always biting.

Posted by on June 7, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , .

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June 3, 2013

45th Class Reunion update

We'll be at the Castaway Restaurant.

We’ll be at the Castaway Restaurant.

It’s time to find out who can come to the 45th Reunion of Burbank High’s Class of 1968 . . . and unfortunately, the costs have changed.

so here are the important details.
Date: Sunday, October 13, 2013
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: Castaway Restaurant, Mountain View Room
Before August 1st: Cost $55
After August 1st: Cost $60
Send checks to: (payable to BHS Class of ’68)
BHS Class of ’68
c/o Jim Ranshaw
1017 E. Fairmount Road
Burbank, CA  91501
If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve obviously found our blog. In case you would like to see a list of previous posts, you can click this link:
Something new: At the very top, you will see a link titled “45th Reunion Guest List.” We’ll post your names here as the checks come in.
Even if you are unable to attend, we’d still love to hear from you! Send us a message about what you’ve done for the last 45 years, and of course, we love pictures! Now’s your chance to brag about that new grandchild, retirement, or whatever!
Thanks again to the Reunion Committee: John and Donna Canzoneri Wray, Stephanie Llewellyn, Tom and Annette Dinolfo Bennett,  Patti “Trish” Molloy Vosper, Sallie Shelton Thomas, Jim Ranshaw and Michelle Bro Paul.
The view from the Castaway Restaurant.

The view from the Castaway Restaurant.

Posted by on June 3, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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May 6, 2013

Save the Date!

The Burbank High School Bulldog

The Burbank High School Bulldog

Can you believe it has been five years since our last reunion and  forty-five years since we all walked across the stage of the Starlight Bowl as the Class of 1968 of Burbank High School?! Let’s celebrate!

The Reunion Committee has been hard at work to plan a 45th Reunion at the Castaway Restaurant, Mountain View Room, on Sunday, October 13th, 2013 at 6:30 pm. Thanks are in order to the Reunion Committee which consists of John and Donna Canzoneri Wray, Stephanie Llewellyn, Tom and Annette Dinolfo Bennett,  Trish Vosper, and Michelle Bro Paul.

This will be a night of renewing friendships, reminiscing about fond memories and trying to recognize familiar faces!

Go right now and circle the date on your calendar, put it in your phone or whatever you need to do to save the date. Now’s your chance to see who has kept their figures since high school, or their hairlines, in the case of you guys. Who has the most grandchildren? Who has been married the longest? Who has come the farthest? Who still lives in Burbank? What happened to________?

Hope to see YOU in October!

Posted by on May 6, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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February 4, 2013

Amelia Earhart and Burbank

Amelia Earhart in Burbank. Photo from the Matson Navigation Company archives.

Amelia Earhart photo from the Matson Navigation Company archives.

Plaque at the Portal of the Folded Wings, Burbank

Plaque at the Portal of the Folded Wings, Burbank

Chances are, you probably never heard of a connection between Amelia Earhart (the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic who disappeared on July 2, 1937) and Burbank. Yes, the same city of Burbank we grew up in, in Southern California. I never had connected the name of Amelia Earhart with Burbank, CA, either, until this past weekend when I took an out-of-town guest to the Pacific Aviation Museum here in Honolulu. Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Honolulu to Oakland, CA  on January 11, 1935.

As I looked over the display, I found a photograph titled “Amelia Earhart Burbank Airport – December 22, 1934.” Further research revealed that Amelia Earhart married George P. Putnam on February 7, 1931. Theirs was a progressive marriage at the time, since she kept her maiden name and believed in equal responsibilities for both. According to Wikipedia, she “referred to her marriage as a ‘partnership’ with ‘dual control.’ ” In a letter she wrote to her husband on the day of her wedding, she said, “I want you to understand I shall not hold you to any medieval code of faithfulness to me nor shall I consider myself bound to you similarly.”

See "Lockheed" on the side of the plane?

See “Lockheed” on the side of the plane?

They decided to move to the West Coast and in fact bought a house at 10042 Valley Spring Lane, near the clubhouse of the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake, which as you know, is adjacent to Burbank. They bought a house here because she believed “the best aircraft in the world were being designed and built nearby at the Lockheed plant in Burbank.” If you’d like to see official photographs of Amelia Earhart in Burbank, click here.

 

Folded Wings Shrine in Burbank

Folded Wings Shrine in Burbank

If you click here, you can read about the 75th anniversary of Earhart’s disappearance after an attempt to circumnavigate the globe and the launch of a new search.

I also found a picture of the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation and Museum which is located in Burbank at 10621 Victory Blvd, and is the burial site for 13 pioneers of aviation. It was built in 1924 as the entrance to Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery. That’s where the plaque memorializing Amelia Earhart is located.

I know we all studied Amelia Earhart in school, but all these Burbank connections are new to me! Does anyone remember hearing about the Burbank connection when we were in school?

Posted by on February 4, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

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February 1, 2013

Saying goodbye

Kathi Wagner and Steve Burns were 1968's Most Talented.

Kathi Wagner and Steve Burns were Class of 1968’s Most Talented.

We’ve all heard anecdotal evidence that the dying sometimes “wait” to be given permission to die or wait until a special event such as a birthday. And it is sometimes after a visit with a son or daughter, the person dies soon after.

Such was the case with our friend, Kathi Wagner, who died on January 28th, 2013. In a previous post, I told you that Kathi had lived a long time with cancer. Her sister, Karen wrote “I knew she was leaving but she held on.” As it turned out, Kathi gave birth to a son, Marcus Reed (her only child with first husband, Willie Reed) who was born on January 28, 1976, six months to the day of her own birthday. Karen says that Kathi held on for Marc to drive to Modesto where she was living with her second husband Jim Feldstein. She felt at peace after the three of them (with their loving dog) celebrated Marc’s birthday. Kathi died the next day at 7:20 pm.

Kathi was called by FIVE different names during her lifetime. She was born Kathleen Ann Wagner and her family called her Kathy. By high school, she went by Kathi, as we knew her. Later she changed her name to Kat, and then Kathleen. Finally she went by Kate.

Kate and Jim ran a trailer park in Modesto and rescued people’s kittens where she knew the stray mom had gotten killed. Before that, she worked for years as a branch manager at Glendale Federal in Burbank and later Alhambra, and apparently “was so good with figures.” She also got a contract after high school and was a dancer in the Bahamas and later in Las Vegas where she met her second husband, who was a truck driver at the time.

We offer our condolences to Kathi Wagner’s family, in their time of loss.

Kathi Wagner is right in the front row of this Drill Team photo.

Kathi Wagner is right in the front row of this Drill Team photo.

Posted by on February 1, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , , , , .

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January 31, 2013

RIP Kathi Wagner, 1950-2013

Kathi Wagner, 1950-2013

Kathi Wagner’s senior picture

Kathi Wagner, 1950-2013

Kathi Wagner, 1950-2013

Kathi Wagner passed away Monday night, January 28, 2013, from cancer, which she had battled for a long time. She was exactly 62 1/2 [born July 28, 1950]. Kathi was the oldest of four children in the Wagner family. Her sister, Karen Wagner, BHS ’70, still lives in Burbank. There was also their brother, John Wagner, and a younger sister, Lisa. They grew up in the 900 block of Delaware Road in Burbank. Kathi attended Emerson Elementary, John Muir, and BHS, graduating in 1968.

Cast list from Ask Any Girl.

Cast list from Ask Any Girl.

Kathi was very involved in school life while she was at BHS. She was a talented actress, and was the star of many of the plays during her three years in high school. She was the female lead/star in all of the productions during her senior year. She was also a dancer, and was in dance class with Mrs. Carol Gregory Le Blanc, and performed in “Dance Performance ’68”. She was voted “Most Talented” female, along with Steve Burns as “Most Talented” male, in the 1968 Ceralbus.

In our senior year, Kathi played “Lisa” in the production Ask Any Girl. Click on the photo to the left to see the entire cast list and lots of familiar names!

I found this recent photo from Karen Wagner‘s FaceBook page in which she commented, “the 918 E. Delaware Road kids all grown up.” Kathi is shown with her brother John, and sisters Karen and Lisa, and is tagged as Kate Wagner Reed Feldstein.

You are invited to write tributes to Kathi in the Comments section below.

Kathi is second from the left.

Kathi is second from the left.

Posted by on January 31, 2013 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , .

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