THE GALILEO OBSERVER A Monthly Newsletter of the Galileo Alumni Association

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GALILEO:  The Early Years

(Adapted from www.galileosf.net/about/galileohistory)

On December 10, 1920, Major Joseph P. Nourse, who had been actively engaged in educational work in the city for many years, became the first principal of Galileo High School.  Throughout the summer, carpenters were busy converting the Red Cross Building, located on Fulton Street near the Civic Center.  On August 1, 1921, Galileo High School welcomed its student body into the remodeled facilities.  The ceremony of “breaking ground” for the new building occurred on November 4, 1921.  Dedication of the Van Ness Building took place on March 30, 1924.  At the same time, plans were underway for a new wing that would double the capacity of the school.

Back in the 1920’s, the Galileo High School building was considered an outstanding example of modern architecture.  Planned with the idea of housing one of the best educational institutions in the country, it was equipped to offer the highest type of academic curriculum in addition to training in commercial and technical branches.

Since the school year 1995-96, Galileo has transformed itself to the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology.  The new program provides students with five career pathways in biological science, environmental science, space science/aeronautics, computer science/engineering technology, and creative media technology.

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Who Was Principal When You Attended Galileo?

Here is a list of the 15 Principals of Galileo.  Who was Principal when you attended?

Major Joseph P. Nourse, 1922 – 1937

Fred W. Koch, 1937 – 1940

William A. Wieland, 1940 – 1944

Ras E. Johnson, 1945 – 1954

Dr. James C. Morena, 1955 – 1968

Walter J. Odone, Spring 1968

James W. Kearney, 1968 – 1973

Stanton H. Tong, 1973 – 1978

Calvin C. Haena, 1978 – 1980

Dr. Robert L. Harrington, 1980 – 1983

Jack C. Abad, 1983 – 1985

John P. Quinn, 1985 – 1996

Chiung-Sally Chou, 1996 – 1999

Richard A. Maggi, 1999 – 2002

Margaret Chiu, 2002 –

Ed. Note:  I am deeply indebted to Ms. Bettie Grinnell, Assistant to the Principal, for compiling this list and for the biographies that will appear starting with the March issue of The Observer.  Her indefatigable efforts are much appreciated.  Bettie came to Galileo in 1972 under the principalship of James Kearney and has served under nine different principals.

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Desperate Measures

 Larceny at Galileo

By Clara Dixon and Zachary Bernstein

Pendulum Staff/Freelancer

There have been a number of break-ins at Galileo this school year; at least three incidents have been reported.  Yet why would anyone want to break into our school?  Are there hidden treasures that we possess?  It is very doubtful since the stolen goods are always old computers and simple school materials.  Why then would thieves attempt to come back and continue to burglarize us?  It’s simple, these criminals have nothing better to do and they’re desperate.  Why else would anyone rob a school three or four times?

Both teachers and students are affected by these crimes.  Ms. Golata, Mr. Kaegi, Mr. Barrios, Ms. Juan, Mr. Huynh, and Ms. Olea have all had their rooms recently broken into.  Ms. Golata, the victim of a heinous crime, was “angry, outraged and shocked” at the incident.  The thieves stole a computer, a remote control, and attempted to take a DVD player but were unsuccessful in loosening the bolts.  Mr. Barrios comments, “It’s sad that students steal what is bought for them to use.  One of the reasons we are forced to use really crappy stuff is because the nice stuff is either stolen or vandalized.”  Just before Christmas break, a computer and the fundraising money from the junior class’ Christmas gram sale were stolen from his classroom.

How much is enough?  Teachers don’t seem surprised anymore about the robberies as more and more computers seem to disappear from their classrooms.  Ms. Golata commented, “At least when it is school property it can be replaced,” but when stealing gets personal it’s on a whole new level.  Mr. Kaegi was the first to experience this when his Dell laptop was stolen during lunch.  Mr. Huynh found the door to his room unhinged.  Three new computers, as well as his personally treasured #28 Galileo football jersey were lost during the holidays.  “Taking a computer is fine, but taking a jersey is unheard of.  It was from the days I played at Galileo.”

So what action has been taken to help prevent these crimes?  Talk of new security cameras and new locks have been well considered.  Yet, school property has taken the hardest hit:  doors that have been broken down are still not repaired and are patched up with measly blocks of wood, and computers that were stolen are not being replaced.  No drastic or significant improvements have been made to confront this problem, which seems highly unfortunate because once again these crimes hurt our school as a whole.  

Ed. Note:  It seems a full investigation should be made into the cause and prevention of these burglaries.  A teacher/student committee should be formed to deal with the matter. 

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Clash of the Brains:  Langley vs. Papa

By Clara Dixon

Pendulum Staff

We the People:  The Citizens and the Constitution is a high school competition that was held on December 12, 2003, at City Hall.  Students who competed in this competition were required to orally present current issues relating to the Constitution to a panel of judges.  The winner of the competition at City Hall will go on to compete in Oakland and eventually compete for the State title.

Ms. Langley’s Honors American Democracy class and Papa’s AP Economics class proudly represented Galileo.  Both classes had time to prepare and held weekly classroom discussions on their assigned topics in preparation for the competition.  Topics ranged from current problems in society such as terrorism and the Patriot Act to writings of James Madison and the Federalists.  One weary student thought the four-month preparation was “a little too much to deal with.  Four months is a loooong time to prep for a competition.”

Students arrived at City Hall with tense nerves and sweaty index cards.  After a lengthy welcome, Leadership High School, Langley, and Papa’s classes were separated into individual rooms, and then the judging began.  After three long nerve-racking hours in a stuffy room, the students were released and they were relieved to exit the premises.  A student thought the competition was “better than doing a load of class work at school.”  Classes were scored as teams with Langley’s class placing second, following Leadership (the winner of the competition) and Papa’s class placing third. 

Did You Know?

The original school colors were gold and purple, but during World War II, in the 1940s, gold paint became very expensive so the colors were changed to purple and orange, but in 1994 the colors were changed back to purple and gold.  Purple is the royal color, the color of kings.  (And the Lion is the King of the Beasts.)

(From The Galileo Handbook)

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SPORTS HALL OF FAMERS (CONT.)

Emile Amy Fanfelle, Peter Fay, Mark Ferguson, Steve Filipas, John Finn, Bill Flanagan, Ken Flanagan, Paul Flores, Ray Forniciari, Rod Franz, Joe Gallagher, Herb Gee, Ray Gennette, Paul Giambra, Vince Gianni, Bob Gini, Dino Giovacchini, Chris Gray, Rudy Guice, Bruce Hale, Doris Ravizza Hale, Jake Hale, Nick Haloski, Lane Hawkins, John Hazen, Howard Hill, Doug Horn, Patty Elsener Homan, Milton Jang, Nate Janney, Ras Johnson, Tom Johnson, Washington Johnson, Winston Johnson, Gordon Jones, Don Kane, James Kearney, Grover Klemmer, Skip Konig, Laura Kryworuchenko, Kristine Lam, Lou Landini, George Lapin, Roy Lazzari, Bob Leipsic, Henry Lewis, Lawson Little, Dario Lodigiani, Terry Lofrano, Mario Lombardi, Connie Louie, Frank Lucchesi, Hank Luisetti, Henry Luke, George Lum, Dixie Mahy, Rich Manteuffel, Joe Marino, Gino Marionetti, Stanley Mark, Bob Mazeres, Jack McCaffrey, Ruckins McKinley, Jean Michaelis, Lou Micheli, Lou Michelucci, Burt Miller, Vince Moreci, Alan Mould, Harry Mould, Jack Mould, Robert Nicco, John Norris, Marc Oliver, Aldo Pasquinelli, Henry Paris, Ed Parker, Martin Passaglia, Seb Passanisi, Don Patton, Hal Petrocchi, Dolph Pippus, Jack Podesta, Mario Pompei, Wiley Price, Mel Pritchard, Lou Puccinelli, Frank Puglis, tony Ragusa, Reno Rapagnani, Al Ratto, Dino Restelli, Billy Russo, Vince Sanchez, Ray Sante, Guido Saveri, Rich Sbragia, Fred Scolari, Anastatia Scott, Otto Sempel, Fred Setting, Art Sheehan, O. J. Simpson, Greg Sinclair, Frank Slavich, Roy Smalley, Solon Sodelis, Eric Soderstrom, Roy Solari, Alex Speiller, Ken Spence, Carl Spirz, Ted Spirz, Carl Spitzer, Jerry Tamalier, Armen “Turk” Terzian, Norman Thompson, Leonard Tong, Richard Tong, Anthony Tornay, Frank Totaro, Vince Tringali, Romano Vincenzi, Bill Ward, Larry Weber, Guy Whitaker, George White, Walter Williams, Gemo Yagabosky. 

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Remember The Four Meatballs?

"THE FOUR MEATBALLS" -- Ben Dito, Paul Lamphere, Art Leones, and Jim Dresser

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A Day In The Life

Forty years ago a phenomenally successful and popular group of four singers arrived in the U. S.  The Beatles had been popular in their native England, but the storm of applause and fanatic appreciation that greeted them in the U. S. was unprecedented.  I happened to be attending a TIME-LIFE meeting at our headquarters in New York City when the Beatles were there.  On a rainy afternoon, I was sheltered under the awning of a Woolworth’s store on Broadway when all of a sudden four boys ran by me on the sidewalk.  One glance at them and I knew they were the Beatles although at the time I was not familiar with their music.  They were wearing Nehru suits and had their typical haircuts and they ran in single file.  Many years later I recalled that instant in The Big Apple when I had a brush with fame.

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My Oscar Picks

(not who will win, but who deserves to win)

Best film:  Mystic River    

 Best Director:  Clint Eastwood (Mystic River)

Best Actor:  Sean Penn (Mystic River)

Best Actress:  Charlize Theron (Monster)

Best Supporting Actor:  Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai)

Best Supporting Actress:  Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain)

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Through The Telescope. . .

Many of the Galileo alumni who attended Flower Drum Song in Walnut Creek on January 24^th had dinner after the show at Della Sala.  I went with my brother and sister-in-law to McCovey’s, Willie McCovey’s new restaurant.  It was packed with early diners and the food was good.  The dining room and bar have more baseball and sports memorabilia, photos, uniforms, bats, etc. than you’ll ever see.  There are numerous television sets including 4 large screens strategically positioned for maximum viewing. 

Nice to see all the alumni at Ed Belasco’s stage production, including some old classmates, especially Pete Pompei whom I hadn’t seen in over 50 years!  Now if only Lou Raggio (Class of ’51) would show up. . .

Vince Gomez (1952) continues to play bass every Thursday night at Washington Square Bar & Grill in North Beach.  His partner, Dick Fregulia, is a dynamite pianist, specializing in Harry Warren tunes. 

Bill Dito and Tom Johnson, the latter a Galileo Sports Hall of Famer, are big movie buffs.  They see nearly all of ‘em.

Small World:  Dining recently at Sabella’s in West Portal, I met Chef Mike Sabella, son of Lucien (Lou) Sabella (Class of ’49) who lives on the PGA course in La Quinta.  They had a recent family reunion down there in the desert.

Speaking of the desert, I visited Paul and Janet Lamphere (Paul, Class of ’51) in their beautiful home on the PGA course, and we had dinner at the Sandbar, a local “in” restaurant where Arnold Palmer eats when visiting.  The Lampheres spend half their time in Palm Desert and the other half in Greenbrae.  Both are avid golfers.  Paul recently caddied for former Energy Secretary John Herrington at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. 

Ran into Joanna Woeber Gaskell at Little Joe’s new location on Van Ness and Filbert.  She and five ladies were celebrating a birthday.  Reminisced with Vince Moreci’s widow about Vince’s baseball playing days at Gal. 

Had dinner with my oldest friend, Ben Dito (Class of ’51), at Hurley’s in Yountville during Wild Game Month.  Day after, we watched the Super Bowl at the Silverado Resort, but we missed the infamous halftime show.  Ben is editor of The Grapevine, a Yountville newsletter.

Am always on the lookout for a good burger.  The five best burgers in San Francisco (not in order) are, in my opinion, Original Joe’s, Little Joe’s, Liverpool Lil’s, The Bullshead, and Johnny Rockets (makes the juiciest).

Old dictionaries never die, they just keep getting better.  I still use my 1947 Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary that has more useful information than many a newer one.  In fact, I consulted it several times while writing this newsletter. 

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Letters to the Editor

Glad to hear someone is listening—I have to make two corrections from my first email:  1) Roma Bakery was on the street one block south of Lombard Street (sic Chestnut Street); 2) The name of the owner was Frank Pescera, who was one of the 11 Men of Iron.  I wish I could give more information.  It was in the mid 50s that I worked at Roma Bakery.  The name Pope Illia sounds right for the coach, but I’m not sure.  I was very busy down at Ott’s Drive-in in my ’40 Buick with all the gang.  ---Richard Lopez

I have just started a Red Hat Society chapter and have invited three ladies whom I have known for over 60 years and they all said yes.  Galileans are the most fun people on this planet.  Saw my Queen of Vice the other night and she and I wore red hats and as usual were the hit of the night.  Last year on a cruise to Alaska Nina Patini Clima and I dressed up as hookers, everyone on the ship knew who we were and said we made the trip more fun for them.  As for the Red Hat Society, Sue Ellen of Fullerton, CA, took a friend for a birthday lunch and gave her a red hat to celebrate her 50 years.  That was almost 3 years ago, and now there are 18,000+ chapters in the U. S and the world.  Every chapter has a Queen Mum (that’s me) who starts the chapter and gives it a name (Babes “R” Us).  There is also a website where you can find all kinds of information and hats and clothing items.  Our full regalia consists of red hats and purple dresses, pants, shorts or whatever the event or time of the year calls for.  The idea came from the book, “When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple”.  Do you remember Rosemary D’Amico, Glorinda Spano and me, Dolores Rielli?  They used to call us the Suitchees (the three mice).  We three are all under 5 feet tall.  ---Dolores Rielli Enos (Class of ’51).  Ed. Note:  Dolores is married to Rusty Enos (Class of ’49).

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This is YOUR Newsletter

This is an invitation to all of you who read this publication to shake out the cobwebs of your memory and think of something that would interest your fellow alumni.  A memory of your school days, a reminiscence of one of your classmates, a story about your best friend or teacher, or an item about what you are doing now – any and all of these, subject to editing for space, will be published in this newsletter if you send them in.  We’d love to hear from you.  Send your written contributions by email to editorgalileoobserver@yahoo.com, or by regular post to Editor, The Galileo Observer, 1150 Francisco Street, San Francisco, CA 94109.