June 2, 2012

A nostalgic look at Burbank

Burbank City Hall

Burbank City Hall

Here is a movie about Burbank which was recently posted on YouTube. It was filmed in 1952 and those of us who have been in Burbank recently will hardly recognize the city in the video. The 34-minute film has that old “school movie” feel, but it’s fun to see that some of the old buildings have survived, like the Burbank City Hall on Olive Avenue.

Foster's Freeze on Glenoaks.

Foster’s Freeze on Glenoaks.

I was in Burbank just two weeks ago for my brother’s wedding, and as we drove along Glenoaks, I got all excited when I spotted Foster’s Freeze! I remember eating ice cream there every summer. One of my siblings, though, informed me that there are many Foster’s Freeze locations in California, in fact, the company has been a California tradition since the mid 1940s.

Soft serve ice cream cone from Foster's Freeze.

Soft serve ice cream cone from Foster’s Freeze.

But for someone like myself who has not lived in Burbank since high school graduation, it was nostalgic to see this old place, with many happy memories of soft serve cones, ice cream sundaes and milkshakes.

Posted by on June 2, 2012 in Burbank High School and tagged , , .

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June 1, 2012

John Muir Days

The Dillards frequently appeared on "The Andy Griffith Show."

The Dillards frequently appeared on “The Andy Griffith Show.”

In the last two days, two of our classmates have sent remembrances of John Muir Junior High School, one of the feeder schools for Burbank High.

The first came from Steve Raine, who reported the death of Doug Dillard on May 16, 2012 at the age of 75. If you, like me, didn’t remember who the Dillards were, they were a bluegrass group from Salem, Missouri, who gave evening performances in the Muir auditorium all three years that we were there 1962-1965. The group consisted of Doug Dillard, Rod Dillard, Dean Webb, Mitch Jayne, playing banjo, guitar, mandolin and double bass.

According to an obituary in the New York Times,Doug Dillard was a banjo virtuoso who helped to “introduce a generation of listeners to bluegrass and ended the decade as an early advocate of country-rock.” Steve remembers “They had a playful sense of humor, poking fun at themselves for their ‘Ozark roots’.  They were very popular with the Muir students.” One of Steve’s banjo teachers–Bill Knopf–has a music degree from UCLA.  When Doug (Dillard) produced a book, Bill was the one who provided the music tablature  Bill  has an article on Doug coming out in the July BANJO NEWSLETTER.

The other message came from Kenda Vaughan, who posted this photo of the John Muir directors and accompanists on her FaceBook page. Sitting at the piano is Cheryl Boyd and next to her is Linda Duffendack (BHS ’67). Marilyn Williams is on the far left, I’m next, and next to me is Kenda Vaughan. Anyone else recognize the other girls in the photo? I know that quite a few of us are still accompanying! The teachers at the bottom are Carroll Manning – with the glasses (orchestra) and Graham Young (chorus).

I do have one vivid memory of Mr. Manning scolding the pianists who were all assigned to play in the percussion section. He said we weren’t playing the bass drum forcefully enough!

The directors and accompanists of John Muir Junior High.

The directors and accompanists of John Muir Junior High.

Posted by on June 1, 2012 in Burbank High School and tagged , , , , , , .

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May 7, 2012

Laura Ziskin’s house for sale

Miss Bulldogs of the Month, 1968. Laura Ziskin is second from the left.

Miss Bulldogs of the Month, 1968. Laura Ziskin is second from the left.

Laura Ziskin (1950-2011)

Laura Ziskin (1950-2011)

On FaceBook today, Nancy Frisch Silverman wondered if anyone else saw the huge spread on our classmate Laura Ziskin‘s house in Sunday’s edition of the Los Angeles Times. You can click here to view a slideshow of this exquisite Santa Monica property, listed for $11.85 million. It features Edgar Brandt ironwork on the staircase, a backlit onyx fireplace in the living room, a breakfast area which looks onto the swimming pool and garden, a Baccarat crystal chandelier imported from the Opera House in Dresden, Germany, a hand-hammered brass tub in the master bath, and five fireplaces.

In my earlier post about Laura, I wrote that she was probably the biggest name in Hollywood from Burbank High’s Class of 1968. She was the executive producer of the hit movie, Pretty Woman, As Good as it Gets, and the Spider-Man series. When she died of breast cancer in 2011, another of our classmates, Donna Canzoneri Wray remembered that at the 10-year reunion, she spoke to Laura.  “I told her how proud we were of her accomplishments. Her comment was that everyone in this room is a huge success in their chosen field, but they are just not in the spotlight like she was. That may have been the only time I ever spoke to Laura, but I sure thought she was humble saying that and never forgot it.”

Nancy Frisch Silverman

Nancy Frisch Silverman

Other girls you may recognize in the photo above include Carole Freeman, Jean Gilbert, Phyllis Terry, Betsey Nash, Mindy Poe and Cheryl Boyd. 

By the way, Nancy Frisch Silverman is a speech/language specialist in Santa Ana and works for Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

Also, there is a FaceBook group called 1968 BHS “Girls” and if you haven’t already joined, there’s no time like the present! You might like to check out the members’ photos by clicking here.

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April 25, 2012

A voice from the past

Winners of the Burbank Women's Chorus music scholarships, 1968.

Winners of the Burbank Women’s Chorus music scholarships, 1968. L-R Brian Hill, Roberleigh Barnhart, and Kathy Au. Photo by Dallas E. Porter.

Last Christmas I was looking through some Christmas cards we had received, and I came across one from Brian Hill, postmarked New York. Do I know a Brian Hill? The only Brian Hill I could think of was a horn player with whom I had my picture taken 44 years ago. He and cellist Roberleigh Barnhart, both of Burroughs High School, and I were music scholarship recipients of the Burbank Women’s Chorus in 1968. The photo, along with a short article, appeared in the Burbank Daily Review newspaper, and I saved both in a scrapbook. Maybe you remember seeing the picture in the newspaper.

But I hadn’t heard from nor had any contact with Brian Hill in 44 years. The card contained an email address, so I wrote, asking if he were the same Brian Hill from Burbank. A month went by, and finally he confirmed that he was the one and the same. Apparently we had many musical friends in common, especially since Brian had worked at Oxford University Press, a prominent music publisher. Since I had gone to graduate school on the East Coast, we had many of the same colleagues. It just so happened that I was in Southern California last Christmas and picked up a box of memorabilia from my mother’s house in Burbank. A copy of this photo was in the box so the timing of hearing from Brian was serendipitous, to say the least!

Then about a month ago, Brian sent me a copy of his mother’s obituary. I was very surprised and delighted to learn that his mother had been influential in church and civic affairs in Burbank — and that she had been an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. That was where I had my first church job at age fifteen!

Brian Hill

Brian Hill

Reading further, I learned that among her survivors was Brian’s brother, Eric Hill, founder and president of Honolulu Realty. That name was very familiar to us because Eric advertises his services on those divider rods you use in the checkout line at the local Safeway grocery store. And for years we had gotten promotional post cards from Honolulu Realty, with Eric’s name displayed prominently. Then I realized that OMG, Brian Hill’s brother lives in the same condominium that we do! Isn’t it amazing that two people from Burbank, CA would end up living in the same building?! Granted, both Hill brothers were Burroughs not Burbank High grads, and the building we live in has 437 apartments (and about 1000 people!) but I am in awe, just the same.

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April 16, 2012

A funeral, then a wedding

Bach's B-Minor Mass was performed at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu on May 13-14, 2011.

Bach's B-Minor Mass was performed at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu on May 13-14, 2011. I played the organ with the orchestra.

As some of you know, I write two blogs: one about the goings-on from the Music Department of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu (Another Year of Insanity) and the other about Burbank High School Class of 1968. This will be the first (and maybe the one and only!) time that I will post the very same article to both blogs!

The last few days I have been in contact with a former organ student, Joey Fala, who will be substituting for me in May while I attend the wedding of my youngest brother, Rick (who, by the way, was a Burbank High grad, class of 1980.) My Honolulu friends saw Rick last May when he came with my mother to attend my husband’s “swan song” retirement concert, Bach’s monumental Mass in B Minor, an enormous undertaking in terms of people, musical and financial resources. Rick was our unofficial photographer and took over 500 pictures! If you look closely at the picture above, you can see me sitting at the small positiv organ in the center. The concert was a tremendous success on all accounts, and was the last time I saw my mother.

Kathy's mother (2nd from left, bottom) was sitting in the front row at the concert.

Kathy's mother (2nd from left, bottom) was sitting in the front row at the concert.

Rick had been living with my mother for the last nine years following a divorce. She often said to him, “”You will not find a wife until after I die.” He always thought it was a mean saying, and felt that she did not want him to be happy.  However, her saying ended up being quite prophetic. On June 29th after getting up and making breakfast, my mother fell in the kitchen and subsequently had a massive stroke, and died that evening.

Rick then spent 12-hour days notifying friends and relatives of her passing and memorial service, and other logistics. By the time he got to Forest Lawn, he was physically and emotionally spent. In the last hour of the viewing, a woman came to sign the guest book. Rick greeted her and showed her where a video of my mother’s life was playing. He didn’t know her name but recognized her from church, but never knew her name.  They made small talk, and Rick wrote down her phone number.

Rick & Sandra

After the funeral he spent a few days vacationing at Yellowstone, and upon his return, promptly gave her a call. They saw each other over the next few weeks going to museums, attending classical music concerts, seeing movies, going to Disneyland, and found they had a lot in common. You guessed it — they fell in love and will be married on May 19th! And so Carl and I will be attending their wedding in Burbank, CA that weekend. Rick and his bride will honeymoon first on Maui, then when Carl and I go to the Bachfest in Leipzig, Germany in the first week of June, the newlyweds will stay in our condo.

Isn’t that a great story?! It’s a story of life after death, hope after despair. May they live “happily ever after.”

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April 13, 2012

What goes around comes around

Miss Ohs fifth grade class from Thomas Jefferson School, 1960-1961.

Miss Ohs fifth grade class from Thomas Jefferson School, 1960-1961.

I’m talking about Roger Guggenheimer, who, when he saw Dennis Gray‘s photos of the fourth grade at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, had lots of happy memories to share. You see, Roger is himself an elementary school teacher in a small mountain community near Mount Shasta, CA. He teaches a 3rd/4th grade combination class and believes “learning should be fun, and humor keeps the students on their toes.”

Here are some memories Roger shared about Thomas Jefferson School: In kindergarten he was in Mrs. Ford’s class and he remembers the huge vegetable gardens they grew, loved nap time (who wouldn’t?!) and can still smell the Jergen’s hand lotion they used. Say, wasn’t Jergen’s factory in Burbank?

Roger Guggenheimer

Roger Guggenheimer

In third grade, Roger had his favorite and cutest teacher ever: Miss Hagen, who took the class to the Los Angeles Harbor on a field trip. Afterwards, they actually built boats. Each child was loaned a toolbox with saw, drill, bits, and hammer and they spent weeks building elaborate boats from real lumber, all carefully painted.

In Mrs. Joyce’s fourth grade class, Roger seems to recall that she left midyear and was replaced by Mrs. Adams. He used to secretly eat sunflower seeds during class, and spread the empty shells around the perimeter of the classroom. He also had a squirt gun disguised as a transistor radio and used to squirt girls across the room, looking in the other direction. You guessed it, eventually he got caught and the “gun” was confiscated.

In fifth grade, Roger had Mrs. Ohs whom he said could breathe smoke and fire if necessary, but was actually a very kind soul with a great sense of humor. He remembers working on elaborate social studies projects in her class. In the picture above, see if you can identify BHS ’68 grads Steve Raine, Rich Upstill, Jeff Helquist, Randy Rodman, Sue DenHammer, Laurie Eisenberg, Mark Beck, Floyd Moos, Roger Guggenheimer and Rich Bedigan.

Roger had his first male teacher in the sixth grade, Mr. Brodowy, who also had a great sense of humor. He remembers him driving a green 1960 Volkswagen, with surf racks on the top. Roger even remembers the class pooling their money together to buy him a birthday cake decorated with a wave and surfer.

Roger at Sierra Ski Ranch.

Roger at Sierra Ski Ranch.

Roger, I can’t believe what an incredible memory you have! Like Dennis Gray, Roger is a world traveler and loves adventure. On his Facebook page he says “From bicycling San Juan Islands, Sunshine coast and Vancouver island, to 6 months of vagabonding in Europe and North Africa, it’s been a gas! Moving through my life, I discovered Scuba and the Carribean–especially Cozumel, MX. I loved the healthy reefs and the wondefully warm people of Cozumel. After 5 trips, I can’t wait to go back again, soon! Flash: Returning to dive Cozumel summer 2012!”

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April 12, 2012

Happy days at Thomas Jefferson

Mrs. Joyce's fourth grade class, Thomas Jefferson School, 1959-60.

Mrs. Joyce's fourth grade class, Thomas Jefferson School, 1959-60. Click photo to see an enlarged view.

Dennis Gray, 1968

Dennis Gray, 1968

When Dennis Gray posted this photo from Thomas Jefferson School on FaceBook recently, I thought at first that he was another of our BHS “X” graduates — I went to my Ceralbus and couldn’t find his picture among the 1968 seniors. I recognized the names of other people in the picture, though: Roger Guggenheimer, Kay Hoadley, Sam Bellomo, Laurie Eisenberg, Mike Dispensiero, Melody Valesquez, Carol Stephenson, Traci Higgins, Roland Bleitz, Bob Elliot, Gary Hanson, Debbie Myers, Sue DenHammer, and Michelle Bro — all Burbank High School ’68 grads. Dennis said he “spaced out the appointment to have my Senior Picture taken” for the Ceralbus and had the photo taken on the left as a replacement. Doesn’t he look like a movie star?!

Dennis said his family kept all these pictures and he recently posted his kindergarten through sixth grade photos on his FaceBook page, causing quite a buzz. Dennis says he’s “going crazy watching these beautiful little girls grow cuter and cuter over these years. I remember every face.”

Dennis attended Los Angeles Valley College, worked as a sound editor at NBC Universal and now does production editing for television shows, Harry’s Law and Raising Hope. He and his wife Linda have two daughters, Callie and Erin. In 2008 they took their ultimate family vacation and visited England, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. He and his daughter Callie climbed the Matterhorn on that trip. In 1983 Dennis and his wife, Linda, went to Africa and crossed the Sahara Desert by car, traveling from Colmar, France to Lome, Togo, staying two months. He says “that trip changed our view of traveling.”

Sounds just fabulous, Dennis, and thanks for sharing!

Dennis and his wife at Stonehenge.

Dennis and his wife at Stonehenge.

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April 12, 2012

“Beautiful Downtown Burbank”

My family frequently went shopping at the BurCal department store.

My family frequently went shopping at the BurCal department store.

For years and years, when I told people that my hometown was Burbank, California, I always got a smile back, along with the reply, “Beautiful Downtown Burbank!” When I told anyone that I graduated from Burbank High School, I got the same reaction, “Beautiful Downtown Burbank, right?!”

Announcer Gary Owens

Announcer Gary Owens

Well, it’s been exactly 44 years since that phrase was coined in a show called “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” Hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, the show had its premiere in 1968 and was broadcast on NBC, one of those buildings you always drove past on Alameda Avenue. It was Gary Owens who was the announcer for Laugh In, and coined the phrase. Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show frequently joked about being broadcast from “Beautiful Downtown Burbank.”

I think it was meant to be a joke — of course when we graduated from Burbank High, the downtown area was pretty ugly, nothing worth remembering. When I heard the phrase “downtown Burbank,” I thought it referred to that retail area on San Fernando Road that at one time became the Golden Mall. Now — there was an experiment gone bad. The city planners decided to convert the area to a pedestrian mall and discovered that people were unwilling to get out of their cars. Consequently no one went shopping there anymore! The area was reopened to traffic in 1989.

Today the phrase “Beautiful Downtown Burbank” is a service mark owned by the Burbank Chamber of Commerce. I found out this information from our classmate, Roger Guggenheimer, who turned me on to a website all about Burbank, written by Burbank High grads Wes Clark and Mike McDaniel.

Did you know that NBC is leaving Burbank and will be moving to Universal City? Watch the YouTube clip below.

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April 7, 2012

Emerson School days

Mrs. Perry's kindergarten class, Emerson School, 1956.

Mrs. Perry’s kindergarten class, Emerson School, 1956.

We heard from another “X” graduate — people we went to elementary school with but who graduated from another school — and this time it’s Jill Gipson, who posted the photo above on her FaceBook page. (Click the photo to enlarge it). Jill says that she remembers having to take naps on wooden cots in this class. She still has a clay snowman she made in Mrs. Perry’s class: “Big lump of clay painted white with blue eyes. After I became an adult and would still display it, every Chrismas my Mom would say, “Oh Jill, you’re not going to put that out again, are you?” Always loved that snowman!”

Jill Gipson

Jill Gipson

My first reaction when I saw this picture was, “Wow, look at the size of the class!” One teacher and thirty-nine children is unheard of these days. It’s obvious where I am in the photo — I’m on the far left in the front row, the only Asian in the whole class. These days, the classes in Burbank are much more racially diverse.

I’m wondering how many people you can identify. In the front row, third from the left is Nazira Thomas, next is Jeanette Gosling, then Kathy Wagner. Jill Gipson is in the front row, fifth from the right, and next to her is Barbara Weitbrecht. Next to Barbara is Karen Walther. On the far right, front row is Tenny Battles. Carole Aikin is right in the middle, second row, and I think that’s Steve Irey, in the back row, fourth from the left. Norm Sabin is here, too. Of course, a lot of these people became Burbank High grads, class of 1968.

Jill says that she is “very happily retired” and is the owner of custom Swarovski “blingwear” for dog lovers. You can view her designs by clicking here. She also appeared on the Bonnie Hunt Show, which you can watch below.

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March 31, 2012

The “X” Graduates

Thomas Jefferson School 6th Grade. Darlene Carothers is on the far right, first row.

Mrs. Tindell's class, Thomas Jefferson School 6th Grade, 1961. Darlene Carothers is on the far right, first row.

In “alumni speak,” there is a term “X graduates” which refers to people with whom you went to elementary and junior high schools but who graduated from different high schools. Such is the case with Darlene Carothers Lovell, who attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary and John Muir Junior High, but then moved to Orange County before getting a chance to go to Burbank High. She discovered this blog and found many familiar names and places. (Thomas Jefferson alumni, can you please identify yourselves in the picture above? Click the picture to see an enlarged view.)

Click to enlarge photo of the members of the Burbank Methodist Church.

Burbank Methodist Church members, 1962.

She sent along a number of photos of Burbank memories, and I was especially happy to see the one from the Burbank Methodist Church, located right across the street from Burbank High School (yes, it’s still there!) The photos were taken on Palm Sunday 1962, and wouldn’t you know it, Christians are celebrating Palm Sunday this very weekend. In the picture of the Youth Members are many youngsters who became Burbank High 1968 grads. Some of the names I recognize from our class include Kay Hoadley, Laurie Whitehead, Jan DeJaegher, Suzanne Schweitzer, Janet Ogle, Cynthia Redding, Rick Reynolds and Skip Johnston. (Click the photo to the left to enlarge it to read the complete list of names.) Say, wouldn’t it be great if any of those people wrote in to let us know they’re still alive and kicking?! Some of them have already contacted us, such as Jan DeJaegher (“Retired and loving it”) and Skip Johnston (“Wrong Wray!”)

Darlene Carothers Lovell

Darlene Carothers Lovell

Darlene also has memories of the Burbank Cotillion, a series of dance parties, which she remembers as a fun way to learn to dance, held at the Burbank Women’s Club. (Burbank residents, is this still here? I remember it being located on Olive Avenue, and I used to play the piano for fashion shows there.)

Today Darlene lives in Temecula Valley, California, with a Jack Russell terrier, enjoys cooking and works for the school district. She has two daughters, one son who currently resides in Burbank, and two grandsons. Her son moved to Burbank to take advantage of a great job opportunity, and Darlene couldn’t wait to take him to The Castaway Restaurant, where she celebrated her 12th birthday many years ago.

Ah yes, the Castaway — The restaurant is known as “The Jewel on the Hill” and has been a landmark in the Burbank area for over 40 years. Our class was there for our 40th reunion in 2008!

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