January 2, 2012

Regnal Hall, Music Man

Mr. Hall's former students got together at the reception and sang the Burbank High Alma Mater and a barbershop song.

Mr. Hall's former students got together at the reception following the memorial service and sang the Burbank High Alma Mater and a barbershop song.

Mr. Regnal Hall taught music in Burbank for 30 years at Jordan Junior High (1952-1957) and at Burbank High (1957-1982).

Mr. Regnal Hall taught music in Burbank for 30 years at Jordan Junior High (1952-1957) and at Burbank High (1957-1983).

It was just about a year ago that I flew in from Hawaii to play the organ for the memorial service of our beloved choral music teacher, Regnal Hall (1926-2010). I cannot tell you the great influence he had on my life, especially since I have made music my career. I wrote a blog post about him at the time of his passing, but I thought I’d share some photos from the memorial service. (By the way, I’m sorry that I didn’t see any members of the class of 1968 there.)

Kathy Au Crosier plays the organ at Regnal Hall's memorial service.

Kathy Au Crosier plays the organ at Regnal Hall's memorial service.

From the Centennial book, “Regnal Hall began teaching at Burbank High in 1957. Loved and respected by many, Hall had two yearbooks dedicated to him.” From the period 1965 to 1973 there was always an Au girl involved in the music department at Burbank High, as my sisters Margo Au Ewing (class of 1970) and Doris Au MacDonald (class of 1973) also worked with Mr. Regnal Hall as accompanists and singers in the choirs.

Regnal Hall citation from the city of Burbank.

Regnal Hall citation from the city of Burbank.

The interviewer for the Centennial book mixed up the quotes from myself and my sister Doris, so now I’m going to take the opportunity to set the record straight. This is what I said: “Mr. Hall had high standards, but he was open to new things. Most of the students he worked with were not musically literate so he worked on helping them learn to breathe and read music. He even had us lie down on our backs and breathe to teach us the proper way of breathing, from our diaphragms. (There was much laughter as students watched stomachs rise and fall as they breathed in and out.)”  Unfortunately, my name was also mispelled drastically (see p. 105).

Mr. Regnal Hall, the Music Man

Mr. Regnal Hall, the Music Man

Here’s what my sister Doris said: “He was an innovator in the show choir genre before any schools had show choirs. Songs such as ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ by Peter, Paul and Mary, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ by Simon and Garfunkel and many songs by Bob Dylan were performed.” When Mr. Hall instituted barbershop singing in 1972, he put Doris and three of her classmates into a quartet and they performed many times at schools, antique car shows, Women’s group meetings, Rotary, and the like.

After retiring from Burbank High in 1983, he worked for the Walt Disney Company until 1990. For nearly four decades he directed church choirs and composed sacred music.

The music program at Burbank High is now nationally recognized for its show choirs and was in fact ranked number one in the country in 2009 and 2010.

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January 2, 2012

A celebrity in our class

Laura Ziskin was Girls League Vice-President at Burbank High.

Laura Ziskin was Girls League Vice-President at Burbank High.

If you look at the Wikipedia entry for Burbank High School, you’ll learn that our school is considered the “flagship public high school of the City of Burbank, California.” Look a little further and you’ll see that listed under “Notable Alumni” is someone in our class of 1968, Laura Ziskin, who passed away on June 12th, 2011 after a seven-year battle with breast cancer.

I must confess that until our 30th class reunion, I didn’t know how important Laura was to the film industry and was in fact a trailblazer among women film producers. That summer of 1998, a special issue of Newsweek was published, and was called “The 100 Best Movies: A Century on Screen.” Near the back was an interview with “Four Powerful Hollywood Insiders.” Was I ever surprised to learn that Laura was the producer of the hit movie, “Pretty Woman,” starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and was the president of Twentieth Century Fox 2000 since 1994.

Laura Ziskin was one of Hollywood's most successful film producers.

Laura Ziskin was one of Hollywood's most successful film producers.

In spite of her illness, she remained one of the busiest movie producers, including the “Spider-Man” series, “What About Bob,” “Hero,” To Die For” and “As Good as it Gets.” She also was the executive producer of the Oscarcast in 2002, the first time a woman took charge of the live telecast, and again in 2007. Both shows were nominated for numerous Emmy Awards.

Her illness led her to fight for StandUp2Cancer,  a charity which she launched to forward the cause of cancer research. She also was active with Americans for a Safe Future, the National Council of Jewish Women and Education First.

I went back to my Ceralbus to see Laura’s signature with the message, “Kathy, Guess you’re gonna put this 4 year French background to use this summer. Well, good luck. Your talent ensures your success. Laura Ziskin”

You can read her obituary in Variety by clicking here.

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January 2, 2012

The Burbank “B”

I always thought of the "B" as a symbol of Burbank High School.

I always thought of the "B" as a symbol of Burbank High School.

Even though I moved to Hawaii in 1973, I continued to return to Burbank several times a year to visit my parents. In the drive up Olive Avenue to their house, you couldn’t fail to notice the large “B” on the hillside. I was just in Burbank last week to help close up my mother’s house for sale, and the “B” looked especially prominent in one of those rare smog-free days.

According to the 2008 centennial book, “Burbank High School: The Blue and White Wave High,” the Burbank “B” was started in the the late 1920s by the boys of the Key Club, who carried up supplies to weed the area and paint the stones. I always thought of it as a symbol of Burbank High School (not just the city of Burbank), and I remember when we were in high school, the stones would get rearranged into an “H” by students from neighboring Hoover High School just prior to a football game. Also I vaguely remember students from our rival, John Burroughs High School, attempting to insert a “J” to the stones, but it never lasted very long. Does anyone else have those memories?

Apparently the “B” was well-maintained until the 1970s when it fell into disrepair. Nearly a decade went by until the early 1990s when the Key Club restored it and chalked the hillside. It no longer is built of painted white rocks and looks much more permanent.

Burbank High School 2008 Centennial Book

Burbank High School 2008 Centennial Book

By the way, if you are interested in purchasing the centennial book, you may click here to go to the Burbank High Centennial website. It is a hardbound coffee table style book that is filled with stories, memories, alumni profiles and 152 color pages. I would highly recommend it for your collection, and who knows, you may see your picture in there!

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January 2, 2012

The changing face of Burbank High School

The new face of Burbank High School.

The new face of Burbank High School (on Third Street)

Hey, when was the last time you drove past Burbank High School?

When we graduated from Burbank High School in 1968, there were only three grades: 10th, 11th and 12th. All that changed, though, in the 1990-1991 school year when 9th graders were admitted to the school and the old buildings were no longer adequate.

So in 1996, the city of Burbank passed a school bond for the rebuilding of Burbank High School. Phase I was completed in 2001 and 80 new classrooms had been built, along with the administration offices and a counseling center. By 2003 there was a new Performing Arts Center (including the Wolfson Auditorium, named for beloved drama teacher, Deanne Wolfson) and more than 100 classrooms with lighting and most importantly, air conditioning! I do remember that some of those old classrooms got awfully hot at the start of school.

But it wasn’t only the buildings that changed — the demographics did too. When I graduated from Burbank High, I think we were only one of three Chinese families in the city of Burbank.  When 9th graders came onto the campus, there was an increase in Russian, Armenian, Asian and Hispanic students. The centennial book states that as a result, “The English Language Development program grew from one classroom of Spanish speakers . . . to twelve classes taught to a multitude of foreign speakers by several teachers and aides.”

When I attended the opening concert of the Burbank High School Centennial Celebration, the diversity of the student population was immediately apparent.

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

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January 2, 2012

From the shyest girl in the class

This is what I looked like in 1968.

This is what I looked like in 1968.

A few days ago, Jim Ranshaw, who did a yeoman’s duty trying to track down all the Burbank High School Class of 1968 graduates for our 40th Class Reunion, sent me an email. He asked if I would be interested in taking over the class blog, since he is getting busier (in his retirement!) and doesn’t have the time anymore.

As some of you know, I have maintained a memorial blog (called “In Loving Memory”) for our class ever since our 40th Class Reunion, listing classmates who have passed on.  I have also written an almost daily blog for our church music program (called “Another Year of Insanity”) and you could call me hopelessly hooked on blogging!

I don't know how I got picked to be the shyest girl in the class!

I don't know how I got picked to be the shyest girl in the class!

The purpose of this blog, of course, is to reconnect with our classmates. “Whatever happened to . . . ?” In thinking about how to structure this blog, I have decided to leave Jim Ranshaw’s original blog intact, which you can find by clicking here  or by selecting “40th Class Reunion Blog” under Links on the top left hand side of the screen. You can also find a Burbank High School Class of 1968 page on FaceBook which was set up by Sallie Shelton Thomas.

I invite you all to send me information about yourself — what you’ve been up to in the last 44 years since high school graduation.  And I love “Before” and “After” pictures. (Presumably, all of us look better now!) Also, if you know of any classmates who have died, please send me any remembrances about their careers, news items or survivors.

Please contact us by using the form below. You can also access it from the top of the screen under “Contact Us.” I hope to hear from you!

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

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