THE GALILEO OBSERVER - June/July, 2005

Through the gracious cooperation of Carla Fischer Harris (Class of 1952) and her husband, owners of Johnson’s Beach & Resort, a summer outing has been organized for ALL Galileo alumni, their families and friends in Guerneville on the Russian River. Come one and all and enjoy this day in the sun!

Galileo Alumni Families & Friends

Spend a Fun day with family & friends .

The Class of 1994 will hold its 10^th year reunion on Saturday, September 11^th at Galileo High School from 1 – 5 pm. Cost is $25 per adult, $5 per child (make checks payable to Galileo Alumni Association and send to Jenny Chan, Class of 1994 – 10 Year Reunion, 10090 Dougherty Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95034). For more information contact Jenny Chan at JennyChan204@earthlink.net or Mariaelena Barbosa at ipse312@yahoo.com or 650-291-1117.

The Galileo Alumni Association is proud to have assisted in the planning of this reunion by providing valuable advice and suggestions.

This annual dinner will be held on Saturday, September 18^th, at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club in San Francisco. The event is sold out every year so mark your calendars now. Five honorees will be selected for athletics and community service. For further information contact Rich Baptista, 9144 St. James Place, Windsor, CA 95492. Tel. 707-896-0328.

Come join us for an evening of dinner and dancing and catch up on the last two decades with former classmates!

Date: Saturday, September 25, 2004
Time: 6:30 – 11:30 pm
Place: Miyako Hotel
1625 Post Street, San Francisco

Cost: $75.00 per person
Room Rate: $99.00 per night
Parking: Available at the hotel

Please send checks by July 31, 2004
Payable to: Steve Bokura
151 Forest Knolls Drive
San Francisco, CA 94131
Please help us spread the word so we reach as many alumni as possible!

If you have any questions about the event, or have any high school memorabilia that you can loan us, please contact the reunion committee at: Galileo84reunion@yahoo.com

Galileo’s 60th Song and Yell Contest is scheduled for Friday, October 15, 2004 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM. In the last 2 years, many Galileo alumni served as judges and enjoyed the experience. This year alumni from the classes of 1944-45, 1954-55, 1964-65, 1974-75, 1984-85, & 1994-95 are being recruited. If interested, email Eugene Wing, Galileo ASB Advisor, at ishiwing@sbcglobal.net. Include your name, address, the year you graduated, student government offices held, sports played, and your current career. If selected, you will be notified by mail.

The classmates of the 50s are planning a Reno Reunion on May 4, 5 & 6, 2005, 3 days and 2 nights. ALL classes, family and friends are welcome. The committee is in the beginning stages of planning and negotiating for the best dollar amount with two hotels at this time. There will be a reception on the evening of Wednesday, May 4th. For Thursday, we hope to have a slot tournament and golf starting times available. Dinner and dancing will take place on Thursday evening. Departure will be on Friday, May 6th.

Tamara Lee Chan (1956)
Al Jeung
Alvin Joe (1956)
Dawson Lee (1956)
Jennie Lee (1955)
Kay Michelis (1953)
Cordy Surdyka (1953)
Ernie Russo (1953)

The committee plans to mail a SAVE THE DATE card in the near future. Further details will be forthcoming as they are available.

Merrill’s, the last of the native San Francisco pharmacy chain, is closing. Robert Edmonds (Class of 1951) was the Manager of this store on Market Street for many years. . .

We miss New Joe’s, The Pam Pam and Skipper Kent’s, three of the restaurants we haunted back in the “good old days”. . .

With all the class reunions going on, wouldn’t it be nice to have a reunion of former Pendulum and Telescope editors? Any of you out there who knows the whereabouts of any of them, please let us know. Bobbi McElroy (Class of 1950) and former editor of The Pendulum, where are you?

Regarding our question where they bury dead elephants in the May, 2004 issue, Lou Lucia (Class of 1953) writes that in the next paragraph we wrote about McDonald’s. There was no implication that the two had a connection, Lou; it was just bad positioning of two separate items. We hope we didn’t spoil his fast food appetite. . .

The trailer for the movie Catwoman, out in July, is sexy. It stars two of Hollywood’s most beautiful women, Halle Berry and Sharon Stone. . .

A Tale of Two (Great) Cities: New York City has its taxis and San Francisco has its cable cars. Both NYC taxi drivers and SF cable car operators are characters; they all have stories to tell. New York City is the media and financial capital of the world. It’s a great sports town. The Broadway shows and plays are tops. Regarding newspapers, New York City is the winner. It can be vicious in winter and blistering in the summer. Trouble with NYC, it has no hills. Its skyscrapers are its hills. If you stripped Manhattan of all its tall buildings it would be an empty lot. Not so with San Francisco, we’d still have our beloved hills with or without buildings. In 1849 the City showed promise, later to be fulfilled. Per capita SF has better restaurants than NYC. Its climate is more than tolerable although summer is like winter. Both are walking cities, but SF is more fitness friendly. Our views are unsurpassable. SF is “everybody’s favorite city”, and the romance of the Gold Rush and the Barbary Coast have carried through to the present day. And speaking of romance, I’ve never heard of anyone leaving his/her heart in New York City. . .

Alcatraz Adventure: Back in the late 50s I applied to the Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, for a job as a prison psychologist. My interview was to take place on Alcatraz Island so one Saturday morning I took the launch to the north side of the island where I went through the metal detectors and security check and was admitted to the main cell block. The warden was out of town so I was interviewed by the Assistant Warden. I had a brief physical examination by the prison physician and while waiting I was seated next to two blue-clad convicts. Walking back through the main cell block, several inmates stared at me through their cells, and I noticed that the cell block floor was highly polished. I asked the guard why and he said that in case of an escape it would be hard to run on the floor without slipping. He also said that the winds were so strong that guards had to wear heavy gear when outside for any length of time. On the way back, the doctor who had examined me was on the launch and when we arrived in San Francisco he got into his Mercedes Benz sports car and drove away. A few weeks later the Bureau of Prisons Director wrote me from Washington, D. C. that I was accepted and to fill out some further papers. In the meantime, I had taken a job with the San Francisco Examiner, and so I wrote him back saying that the newspaper job was more of what I wanted for my future. I never heard from him again. I’ve been back to Alcatraz a couple of times as a tourist after the prison closed for good, but it wasn’t the same as when the cell block was alive with inmates. . .

Ben Dito (Class of 1951) passed away in Napa on June 30th after suffering a series of physical setbacks.

Ben was very active at Galileo, serving on the Student Council, as Senior Class Treasurer, School Yell Leader, and on the baseball team. Well-liked by his classmates, he sparked the return to prominence of the annual Song and Yell Contest, helping to win it for the Sophomore class. Together with Paul Lamphere, Jim Dresser and Art Leones, he formed the singing group, “The Four Meatballs”, and performed at school assemblies.

After graduation, he attended USF, served in the U. S. Army at Camp Gordon, GA, married, moved back to California and had two daughters with his wife, Beth. Ben was a successful insurance salesman and retired from West Coast Life Insurance Company at age 40. He loved the 49ers, Giants and Warriors and followed them faithfully even in bad seasons. Later he started his own advertorial newsletter, Word of Mouth, in Sonoma County. During the last years of his life he resided at the Veterans Home in Yountville where he edited the monthly Grapevine. Services are tentatively scheduled for July 10th. Ben Dito was my best friend for 65 years.

Note: Ben wrote an article for the September, 2003 issue of The Observer entitled “It’s Fun Getting Well”. It can be seen in the newsletter archives at the Galileo website, www.galileoalumni.org.

I can think of nothing more appropriate than what you suggest about a Joan Lucchesi Award. I believe Joan would have had difficulty with this, and that, of course, is one of the reasons why such an award/honor is a super idea. Anything I can do to help move this along, please let me know. What a great idea!

Hi, I read with interest the short letter to the editor about my father, George Poppin. I emailed him just a moment ago to let him know he is still thought of. Teachers often wonder if their students remember them, and in Dad’s case, many students have. He’ll be 86 in August. I co-authored his autobiography. I put a dedication page to Jim Kearney, Dad’s best friend. Jim, as you know, passed away.

My daughter Nancy Posey sent me George Paxon's (Class of 1959) comments in the Galileo Newsletter. It was good to hear from him and I am responding to his comments to the Galileo Alumni. Please reply to this e-mail. Thanks. GJP

Dear loyal Lions, In March 1977 I bid Galileo High School a fond farewell and retired from teaching. Now after 27 years in retirement my wife Dottie and I are well including our three daughters, a son, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Retirement has been wonderful but I do miss my Galileo colleague and best friend James Kearney. We were great buddies at Galileo. We shared the victories and defeats of our Galileo Lions...several victories and many defeats on the gridiron of dear old Gal. I first met Jim when he was a very good quarterback at St. Ignatius High School and I was the head football coach at George Washington High in 1947. (After one year as assistant football coach of the Galloping Gaels at St. Mary' s College in Moraga, California under head coach Joe Verducci I found that college coaching was interfering with my family life and I returned to San Francisco).

At the teacher's entrance examination at Mssion High School in 1956 Jim was seated behind me. He kept nudging me and calling me Mr. Poppin. I thought to myself "What is this guy doing?" Lo and behold we were both assigned that Fall to Galileo High School's History department. Our principal was dear Dr. James Morena and what a friend he was to Jim and I. Dr. Morena was right there and always putting in a good word or two after each win or loss. Dear buddy Jim Kearney died a few years ago of Parkinson's disease. I could not attend his funeral for such was my grief for him. Life hasn't been quite the same since his death and he is missed by all of us.

Dottie and I frequently rainbow trout fished the mighty McKenzie River east of Eugene, Oregon. Am still growing prize winning roses in our garden of fifty rose bushes. We do our share of motor touring. Dottie is always the pilot and I am the co-pilot.

I do not see many of our former Lions but I know that they are out there. I know that they probably recognize me but I am usually lost if I do not see a name tag on their lapel. A "time warp" exists. My memory is quite good but I note that I have to squint a couple of times before I recognize any former students who were in their teens when I last saw them. Life goes on.

My weeky technical monitoring reports to nine international shortwave radio broadcasters ( Radio Australia, BBC-WS, China Radio International, Radio France International, Israel Radio, Italian Radio, Radio Ukraine, Voice of Russia and Voice of Turkey) keeps me busy and in contact with world events.

I would love to hear from you. Best wishes and kind regards. Go Lions!!! Lions..go get 'em!!

July 31 – KPIX Dance Party Reunion. Contact Manny Interiano, SalemRep@earthlink.net.

August – GAA Board of Directors Meeting. Date and location to be announced.

August 21 – Picnic – ALL alumni, families, and friends, Johnson’s Beach, Guerneville, Russian River.

September 11 – 10 Year Reunion, Class of 1994, Galileo High School, 1-5 pm.

September 25 – 20 Year Reunion, Class of 1984, Miyako Hotel, 6:30 – 11:30 pm

(Additional information on these and other events at www.galileoalumni.org.)

NOTE: Photos of the May 8^th Sports Hall of Fame dinner can be seen by visiting the GAA website, www.galileoalumni.org.

BACK ISSUES OF THE GALILEO OBSERVER CAN BE VIEWED AT WWW.GALILEOALUMNI.ORG.

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The Galileo Observer invites your letters, memories, inquiries and suggestions. All submissions are subject to editing. Send them by email to: editorgalileoobserver@yahoo.com, or by postal mail to: Galileo Observer, care of Galileo Alumni Association, 1150 Francisco Street, San Francisco, CA 94109.

GAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Jim Dresser (1951)
Vice President: Joe Scafidi (1950)
Secretary: Monica Parenti Kirkland (1953)
Treasurer: Augie Venezia (1953)

Directors
Mel Chiarenza (1953)
Frank Clima (1951)
Nina Pattini Clima (1950)
Diane Wall Cowart (1965)
Sisvan Der Harootunian (1951)
Kay Lazzari Michelis (1953)
Janet Sullivan Neilsen (1953)
Fred Setting (1950)
Cordy Porter Surdyka (1953)
Bernard Valdez (1949)

Committee Chairpersons
Public Relations: Cordy Porter Surdyka (1953)
Membership: Diane Wall Cowart (1965)
Database: Mel Chiarenza (1953)
By-laws: Monica Parenti Kirkland (1953)
Communications (Newsletter): Sisvan Der Harootunian (1951)
Webmaster: Vaughn Spurlin (1960)

FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION, VISIT THE GALILEO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WEBSITE, WWW.GALILEOALUMNI.ORG.

The Galileo Observer is a monthly publication of the Galileo Alumni Association, 1150 Francisco Street, San Francisco, CA 94109. Views expressed are strictly those of the Association and in no way reflect those of the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, its students or faculty. James Dresser, President; Sisvan Der Harootunian, Editor; Vaughn Spurlin, Production Manager/Website Director. Copyright 2004, Galileo Alumni Association.

Comments? Contact the Galileo Alumni webmaster
last updated 29May2004
© 2002, 2003, 2004 Galileo Academy of Science and Technology Alumni Association of San Francisco