Bobbie Bechtold (Ryan)

To Greg Cook, thanks for responding to Gordon Reed.  I will, also, but wanted to tell you how nice it is to see that you still have a great sense of humor.  We did not know each other well in school, but your sense of humor seems to have served you well.  Not what I might have expected from a Mortage Banker.  Yes, I went on your profile page to see what you have been up to.  Amazing how much you look like Sean Penn now.  Looking forward to seeing you live and in person at the reunion!
 

Michael Elliott

And then there are those of us who identify very strongly with Greg's "mugshot" photo!  We were practically neighbors in Mesa AZ with our kids attending the same elementary school and had no notion at all! I think I missed out on a few laughs not knowing you when we were in the same sandbox. 

Nancy Andersen (Madeira)

I think De Anne Mosher's comment was one of the best reasons for attending the reunion that I sent out in an

e-mail -

For those of you that haven’t registered for the Reunion Weekend as of yet, you may be wondering if it is going to be worth your time and money to attend.  You may be wondering if you will remember the classmates or that you will be remembered.  The answer to that is either yes, no or maybe, but what does that matter?  As DeAnne Mosher said "Please come!!!! How many 50 year reunions are you gong to have? My feelings are, yes I’m going to attend, it might not be that great, but it might be wonderful! If you don't go you will never know. If you do go and don't enjoy it, think how much fun it will be complaining about it!"

I personally haven't kept up with our classmates in the past 50 years and yet I am throughly enjoying reconnecting and in many cases connecting with people in our class.  I've enjoyed reading the varied life stories.  The 50th markes a milestone in our lives. We are the fortuate ones that have the possibility to attend.  Almost 100 classmates have passed away.  

To quote a Seals and Crots song -

We may never pass this way again

So I wanna laugh while the laughin' is easy

I wanna cry it makes it worthwile  

I may never pass this way again

So, I want to laugh while the laughing is easy and, as DeAnne said, if I don't have a good time, I'll have a lot of fun complaining about it.  With all the work that has gone into the planning, I'm thinking that it might be wonderful!

Barbara Bennett (White)

Thanks Gordon, for putting your concerns out there so we can all get to know each other better. I think our classmates who were motivated to do the hard work of bringing us all together had to feel a strong connection to old friends and to the school in order to put in the effort. I did see, as you noticed, many of them were in groups, clubs, or teams that helped them form friendship groups, maybe even groups that seemed, or were exclusive (cliques). I believe though, that their intention was not to idealize or celebrate thier old connections, but to create a gathering of survivors of 50 years of adulthood who started out as a bunch of teens in a suburban high school graduating at a paticularly transtional time in world and national history. I knew some people in high school, but have not kept any relationships going. Still, I am planning to attend in order to better understand the "culture" I started from and how that influenced my life as I grew older and to reflect on our shared history and how it influenced the extremely different paths we followed. I look forward to meeting you and everyone else at the gathering. I do hope you make the ride. 

Wes (Butch) Brown

Gordon

Many people were in your shoes back then, but we are all mature now, I hope, and meeting everyone on the same page in life will remove all those difficult memories.

The best thing to do is get back on the horse.

Darla Jean Sammons

Gordon , About 24yrs ago someone called me to come have drinks with a bunch of Savanna Rebels, I said I would love too.  WELL the Savanna Rebels Happy Hour was invented on a yearly basis. Cheryn Roff (class of 66)and I spent countless hours calling "old Classmates" , worked really hard the first 5 reunions. WHAT A BLAST!!!! I called all the people I could from 63/64/65, Cheryn called 66.  This has turned into a wonderful yearly reunion.  We all look forward to seeing each other every year, we lose some gain some.  The point is WE ARE ALL FRIENDS. The various years that show up is unbievable , we even have Buena Park, Anaheim High , Western,Magnolia show up as  WE ALL hung out at different places & different times.  All years come by, brothers, sisters cousins,neighbors that is how you find others you may want to fine, its amazing !!!!! Great stories that we either forgot or never knew . I get that you have to come alot of miles, I only come 265miles yearly to see my BUDDIES that I so cherish, as it just may be the last journey that I get to share with all of them. I am so excited every first Friday of October @ El Torito in Yorba Linda  that my drive to Orange county ( which I DO NOT care for, tooooooooo many cars ) listing to my 60's music gets me all excited about MY Great Friends from school. We keep this date every year so those that want to spread the word know that it is the same  week-end.  People work hard to get others togather , that is a fulfilled journey in all our lives & Seeing all of us connect . 

Bobbie Bechtold (Ryan)

Hi Gordon, I hope you have had a chance to read some of the comments from other class members as so many of us can relate to what you are reflecting on.  Nothing like a class reunion to send us on a trip down memory lane, whether those are good memories or not.  I can only speak for myself, but believe me I had as much anxiety and unsureness as the next person high school.  We were, after all, teenagers and we now know that comes with the territory. 

Now it is 50 years later, and we are meeting the adults those "kids" turned out to be.  I feel fortunate to have met many of them on this website, or during the year long search to find ALL of our class members.  We have had a lot of volunteers searching to find EVERYONE so that they have the opportunity to reconnect with others from our class.  Some volunteers offered to plan the reunion evening events, some offered to work on the website, some offered to plan a golf outing, and so on.  I read that you ride a Victory Vision.  Perhaps you would like to help plan a cross country ride out to Newport Beach for the reunion or plan a ride up up the California coast afterwards.  There are several others who ride who might like to join you.  All it takes is for someone to volunteer their time to make it happen.

Most of us hadn't even thought about high school until we realized our 50th Year Reunion was approaching.  Thanks go to Doug Bell and Bob MacKinnon for getting the reunion ball rolling more than a year ago.  And how blessed we are to still be here to celebrate this milestone!  Hope you will be there to celebrate with us.     

Bonnie Berko (Bann)

Hi all, 

I also felt kinda like Gordon.  I went to  the 10, 20 and 30 year reunions and  thought I was done with all that but reading everyones stories on this website has inspired me.  I hope that I get to talk to many of you at the Friday Nite and the Saturday parties.and hope to make some New, and New Old friends.  I am a little more outgoing than I was back then.

Come on to the Parties.  It will be fun.

Bonnie Berko Bann

Michael Elliott

Bonnie makes a really important point.  Like her, I was not brimming with confidence in those days and didn't feel I was particularly important in the social world of high school.  I do feel that I'm a completely different person now in that life seasons us and matures us like nothing else can.  I'm much more comfortable in my own skin than I was back then and couldn't be more excited about our reunion where we can welcome each other and share life experiences. We'll have the opportunity to reminisce and most importantly laugh together which will be priceless.

Karen Weckl ((Holupka) Mullinax)

Tom "Skip" Johnson

When I first saw the announcement about the reunion I said to myself "hell no".  I wasn't close to anybody "back then" and felt like an outsider (probably self imposed) in every class I took and every event I attended.    Confidence...0,  self image...0, communication skills...-10.  I have not seen any of our class since the day we graduated.  Like I said, "hell no".

This last March our tennis team was to play in a tournament in Surprise, AZ...a suburb of Phoenix.  I decided to take a chance and see if I could be comfortable with one of the grads.  And, of course, the closest grad to where we were playing was our "Reunion Mama", Bobbie Bechtold Ryan.  And I think I speak for every red blooded, non gay, insecure, uncool guy that went to Savanna when I say, Bobbi and several other women who are probably reading this piece, were featured quite prominently in our dreams but we could barely speak to them or look them in the eyes when we were physically close to them.

In the '70's I finally learned that taking risks often result in rewards far beyond what you think might occur.  So I contacted Bobbi using the "private message" methodology of class creator and to my great surpise she said that she actually remembered me and, inspite of that, she said that she would like to get together for a cup of coffee.  I received notification from an FBI friend, who in turn heard from an NSA friend of his, that Bobbi was checking up on me but the bribes I gave them were sufficient for them to tell Bobbi that they had nothing on me.

We arranged for a cup of coffee at one of the 10,000 Starbucks in Scottsdale.  I arrived, sat down and waited for her.  Bobbi arrived with a friend of hers (you know, if he's a pervert, too weird or has blood dripping from his teeth) then she would give Bobbi some kind of sign, like, screaming "run for your life".  After a few minutes, no bolting for the car or reaching for the pepper spray, Bobbi's friend departed and we just had a wonderful conversation about life...sad stuff, funny stuff, inspirational stuff.  A lot crammed into a short period of time and a lot more that could have been said.

I left saying I am definitely going to the reunion.  Some things won't change with me...I am not a "group" guy and my hearing problems have always made it difficult for me to have conversations in groups but I am still going.  Someone posted earlier that we "matured".  Probably but to me that means I have gotten much older but, now, I am comfortable in my own skin and life is good.  Stories (good and bad), experiences (exciting, sad or tragic), relationships of all kinds, and lives lived long are what all of us are all about now. 

Having had a few telephone and cyber conversations with some others since March has only reinforced the decision to attend so, reluctant folks, you've been living life LARGE so please come and share your life with the rest of us.

Now for a personal note that none of you can read except Greg Cook.  Remember when we met?  We were 5 years old.  We were next store neighbors from 5 years old on...  The scar on my leg that I got after slicing it on a rusty nail or piece of broken class in your backyard still itches.  Does the broken arm that you got in my back yard from misjudging your jump off the 15 foot tall, oil field piple to the mattress still bother you?  Does the sound that turkeys make still remind you of the turkey farm in the middle of the orange groves behind our houses and how much fun it was to throw old, rotten fruit at the turkeys to make them run and, then, throw even more oranges at the doberman pinchers that guarded the turkeys?  Just asking.

Folks, let's get together to laugh, cry, mourn those who passed, rejoice to the fact that we're still breathing, dance (pant, sweat, sit down, take oxygen), drink a little, perhaps a lot (if you do, my wife and I are staying in one of the cottages, so "crash" there if driving or even walking presents a problem) and begin planning the next _ _ _ _ _ _ 50th year reunion. 

I'm exhausted.  Where's my Metamucil? Viagra? Nurse? Walker? .....AAAhhhh, NAP.

See you in September.  BRILLIANT IDEA...that could be the title of a song.

Skip, formerly known as Tom, Tommy, Baby Huey (yep, heard that one in h.s)

Michael Elliott

Skip,

What a wonderful, touching, funny, crazy testimony.  Your "then" picture (from the yearbook)  indicates a highly-conservative, middle of the road, serious-minded high school student.  The "now" photo with the amazing Jack Nicholson serial killer expression from behind the chair  is a real grabber.   Man, you have lived a life!

John Vash

Skip, aka Tom, your description of yourself in HS is far from what I remember.  I've always thought of you as outgoing & funny.   Looking forward to seeing you again.

Doug Bell

I have to agree with MIke.  If I remember correctly, you were part of the "Eagle Screech" group on the golf team -- hardly the shy, quiet type.  See you in Sept.

Patt Dragoo (Smith)

I really enjoyed reading your fabulous letter.  I laughed so hard that I had tears in my eyes.  You brightened my day.  I am looking forward to seeing you at the reunion.

Kathleen Daulton (Dacey)

I am still laughing at Skip's post and the after comments.  How do little boys survive?  I have 4 grandson's and it  is just amazing to me the risks they take.  Yikes!  Now that it is out there you guys need to resurrect the "Eagle Screech".  I can hardly wait to hear that one!!! 

Tom "Skip" Johnson

Hey guys, thanks!  I could definitely be funny and, yes, I could do the "eagle screech" but that is about as far as it went.  I maintained a very strong "I", as in introvert all the way through college.  I waited until my senior year of college before I took a freshman level speech class as a humanity requirement because I was so afraid of standing up in front of a group.

Irony and perhaps God's weird sense of humor shoved me in front of hundreds of people when I was in the service.  I was a Personnel Psychologist in the army and had to give all of the battery of tests that were required of enlistees and draftees.  I definitely came out of my shell and once I had mastered/memorized all of the crappy speel that was part of the process, I started having some fun with it. 

But it wasn't until I got the "call" to ministry that I had to become somewhat of an extrovert...actually borderline.  Talk about making "silk toilet paper out of a sow's ass".  I did get that right, didn't I?

And, Doug, you'll be happy to know that after a 4 week, 10 hour a day Hebrew intensive course in seminary, I asked if I could lead the class in a "primal scream".  My Hebrew prof, who was Chinese, didn't know what that was but gave me permission.  All of us were exhausted, fried and more than ready for the class to be over no matter how we did on the test.  So, with gusto, estrogen/testosterone overload we became very primal.  It could be heard all over campus and the surrounding town...police showed up.

Well, that's it for now.  Thoroughly enjoying the "conversation".  "Talk" with you soon.

Linda Wonn (Carpenter)

Hi Skip,

I so enjoyed reading both of your letters and like Doug and Mike, I also remember you as somewhat of an extrovert in high school. I see you still have your wonderful sense of humor as well. See you in September.

Linda

Mike "Micah Ben-Yehudah" Gallegos

Gordon and Bonnie first. I remember both of you quite well.

As for you Gordon, I remember us always being alert enough to say "Hi!" when we passed; but like you, I had very few friends. I think I made a number of frenemies when I transferred to Savanna during our sophmore year. I made a statement that I hated California and wished I was back in Albuquerque (and yes, I finally learned how to spell it!); but, I know I thought about the way you were always groomed so well, and I wanted to be a lot like what I perceived you to be. So, you have one old (and I do mean old - LOL!!!) friend who will be looking forward to seeing you.

Bonnie, As Skip so aptly put it, yes, Bobbie, you - Bonnie, Karen, and any number of the "girls" (now very grown and wise women) were in my day dreams. Not just those of our class - there was Christina Prickett, her big "model" sister, and Teresa Tremarche. I even had a few crushes on some lower classmates. We boys as my wife just stated (I read her parts of Skips message) are not the only ones plagued with the problem of shyness. Apparently you gals have a bit of the virus. Fear not M'lady all is well in Camelot. Sir Skip, Michael and Gordon, to mention a few, shall be there to make us laugh and remember those times better and the friends (many and few that we loved). I have a number of those that I loved, who, on this space I have spoken to; and, a few that for some reason won't give me the time of day. I still want to see them and either give them a hearty handshake or gentlemanly hug. So, again, I say, M'Lady - fear not.

As for new friends and old, I always thought of skip as one of my good friends, until he went a golfing and I went a managing of Football and track. I tried out for baseball; but, Coach Stutz was a jerk to new comers and wouldn't even let me try out. What he didn't know, was that I had been drafted by the NY Yankees when I was in the ninth grade. However, due to his rejection I only ended up playing softball for eight years in the service semi pro leagues. All that aside, another new and I consider her a dear friend now, is our queen hostess - Bobbie. She has been quite patient to gather me into the fold of Bi-centennial members still with us. And when I think of our Computer master, Nancy, who, too, she was one of those day dreams, even though we WERE GOOD friends (and hopefully still are) in the classes we shared. Notice I have not mentioned the love of my life for many years. She shall remain in my dreams and hopefully I will "See (her) in September."

I am a senior now, not only as a classman, but as a citizen. So, I can say thanks to our Savanna website, I have made many new friends from old friends, and love each and every one that I have renewed those friendships with. And you hopefully, will be another.

Gordon Reed

I see lots of encouragement here and would like to thank you all. There are zero names in this thread that I recognize as people I actually knew in high school. I do remember the names Doug Bell, Bobbie Bechtold and Pam? Dragoo but not as folks I actually knew. To me they were names that I knew for one reason or another. I could not begin to tell you why. My closest friends in high school at Savannah were Ron Fugere and Paul Palermo. Paul was dating some girl called Claire but I don't think I ever knew her last name. She was in the school play so maybe some of you know who she was. Otherwise my really close friends were from Garden Grove and Newport Beach, including the woman I marrried in 1967 who was living in Costa Mesa with her divorced mother. She attended school in Newport.

I have seen information that the school, Savannah, included a large number of "minority" students but as a new arrival in the US I was not aware of the minority status of most people. To me they were just people. As a new immigrant I felt like a minority since I had almost nothing in common with the people I met. To me Mexican meant somebody from Mexico, not somebody with brown skin and a first peoples, american indian, appearance. That means that anyone I knew back then may well have had a mexican heritage and I would have been completely unaware of it. Just class me as one of god's innocents in that respect. When my first wife showed me a picture of her obviously black father before we married, it also did not occur to me that there was anything wrong with us marrying. I have since learned that by US standards I should have been appalled that she was misleading me by pretending to be just another girl, but I was in love.

I may yet decide to take the 3 days bike ride to California to attend the 50th. It might be possible, even for an introvert like me, to enjoy that reunion. Linda, if you are out there, do you know who I am? I still have fond memories of her as a fellow student but know very little about you as a person.

Gordon Reed

I just watched the California girls and the When I grow up to be a man videos. By the time they got to me at the back of the alphabet it was no longer that song but so be it. There were many pictues and/or photos there that triggered a memory for me. I have no idea if it was the high school picture or the name that did it for me but I think I knew these names. Bob Lanphar, Mike Sheldrake, Dan Stites, John Vash, Judye Piest, Diana Snowden and Linda Wonn. For the ladies, I paid no attention to your married names so please do not be offended.

Will Bailey

Does anyone know what happened to my favorite teacher Mr. Szarek. He was so instrumental

in how my life went. I'd love to know about him.

Will Bailey

DeAnne Mosher

I too, thoroughly enjoyed Skips letters.  We have all been through so much.  Wonderful, sad, tragic, happy but that is what life is about.  The journey to become who we are now.  Everyone has their story and I am anxious to hear everyones.  I know there won't be enouigh time at the reunion to cach up, so this forum is a great start.Sincerely,  DeAnne Mosher,Friedlund, Strehle, Mosher.  Peace.

Mike "Micah Ben-Yehudah" Gallegos

This is especially for my new friend - Gordon. I didn't know you were an immigrant. I would have sat down to pick your brain and become more of a friend then. Where were you from? I am always interested in knowing more about our fellow students history. My curiosity for things new would have made us best friends early on. I'll bet you have some very interesting stories of your youth to tell us all. I do hope you will come to the reunion. It, the school, the students, the school history, and the reunion, all are a part of you and I. All of it belongs to you and is part of your heritage. You are a REBEL - UURAAAH. Please do decide to go. Micah (Mike)

Gordon Reed

Mike, it is simple. I arrived in the US from Canada. I found that I had many things in common with US students but also that in some areas we were worlds apart. I did not understand, and really today have difficulty with, prejudices. Where I come from, the only blatant prejudice was against french speaking people. Sounds wierd doesn't it? What I really do not understand, even today, is all the rest of the ways that Americans split up. In Canada you either spoke english or you were an outsider. In the US you are either white or something else. Even today I am not sure what that means. My first wife was not white by some people's standards. She had a father that would be classed by most as black based on his skin color, but other than a minor tan she was as white as most of us are. Her skin that never saw any sun was a light tan and was actually quite appealing to me. I have since learned that her skin color was not acceptable in mainstream america. I simply did not see it as her husband and as much as several years after our divorce I would have gladly accepted her back as my wife. She divorced me even while I continued to absolutely adore her. Just color me as one of the innocents of the time.

All things are local. Do you understand that? Every thing we do as people depends more on our prejudices and our experiences than on our well constructed values. Think about it. If you and I traded places would we each accept the things the other person thinks are quite natural? Could you see the enormous appeal I felt for my first wife or would you hold back even a smallest bit? My bet is that if you are honest with yourself you will realize that we are very different people.