'52

Please welcome..

New kid on the block...

Jane Nash Millett has taken over for Alice on the '52 page.

if you don't send her stuff to use she may just have to check

your police record for something, remember, she was with

the Monrovia PD 50 years, so if you did it.... she knows it.

From Jane 11-3-08

Hi Everyone,
The other night I couldn't sleep, I
was up and down and kept trying to get back to sleep. You all know
what I mean, right? My thoughts kept turning to what to write for the
web-site. Tom, my husband, would surely say “Your loosing sleep
over that! Well that's not really the case, because I have a “thing”
with my legs, growing up I called it the “Willies”. My father had
it, I'm not sure if my brother Jack inherited it or not. Now days
they have a name for it, it's called restless leg syndrome (RLS).
Well what ever you want to call “it”, it wakes me up and I get
“HOT” feet, something new, since I had chemo and radiation. That
is another story for another time. Well, as I was thinking, I started
writing notes about things that I remembered when I was growing up
and remember these are memories from a long time ago.
My cat, “Boxer”, named by my
grand children because he has great BIG paws because of extra toes on
each paw, hadn't been acting right and wasn't eating right or hardly
at all, so I told Tom, I think I better take the cat to the vet. Now
keep in mind, “Boxer” is getting old like me. We are growing
“old” together, and the cat is about 93 in human years, about 17
cat years. Well, $274.56 later, the cat is back home and were are
holding the cat down, forcing medicine down his throat so he will get
well. Where am I going with this you ask? Well remember when the cat
and dog ate what we ate. Mom would put the scraps and leftovers on a
plate and they were happy to eat what we eat. (No garbage disposals,
they were it) and I don't remember vet's, well like we know them
today. They had them for “farm” animals, horses and cows but
not for our pets. They either got well or died. That was life. By the
way, the cat is getting better and eating again. And we have aisles
of “special” foods for our pets, you name it, cat food, hamster
food, bird food, dog food, on and on, and it cost lots of money.
Heaven forbid, they ever eat anything were are eating. The vet would
say, “Your feeding them what!”, what do you want to do, kill the
dog”. Well you get the drift of where I'm going with this, as I'm
dumping food down the sink, because the cat won't touch it, at .50
cents a can.....................
The other night was Halloween, and
the kids came around with their cute costumes on and we gave them
candy. Well that triggered another memory. When I was growing up,
someone had gone to Hawaii and brought back a hula skirt and leis. I
loved that hula skirt and I wore it as a costume for Halloween. One
year around 1946 – 1947 I went over to a neighbors who had just
moved in the neighborhood, and did my usual “Trick or Treat”
thing. She looked at me and said, “aren't you too old to “trick
and treat” I was 12 but I had shot up to 5'9” and 140 lbs.
Anyway, her two girls, Joyce and “Dee” hadn't arrived from
Pennsylvania yet, but we became friends when they did get here and
remained so for a life time.
I wore that hula skirt when ever I
could. One year Clifton school had a float “bed of a truck” in
the Monrovia Day parade and we had a theme, Children of the world,
and I dressed as a hula girl and rode in the parade. My mother gave
“my” hula skirt to my niece many years later. I wanted it, there
were lots of memories about that skirt. Silly memories.
Remember what the fun thing to do
was “turn” on the fire hydrants on Halloween. The fire Department
always carried BIG wrenches to shut them off. I guess kids finally
out grew that and moved on to bigger and better things. I remember
the police and fire department were always trying to catch the kids
who were responsible. I know from time to time, we caught a few..
I only got a couple responses, two
e-mails from Class of 53, hey, I'll take anything I can get. I will
forward them to Gary, so I can share them with you. The other
response was from phone call from Ellie (Taylor) Shetron. We had a
great talk, she lives here in Glendora. She wants to help when we
have our next reunion. She would like several classes, like 1950 thru
1954 to come together. Some people like that idea and others don't
like it at all. Have found through the years that it is impossible
to please everyone and you just have to go for it.
Don't forget let me know what your
doing. Call or e-mail tmillettt@yahoo.com or 626 335-6271
As Always,
Jane (Nash) Millett
PS: we are folding the Wildcat News
letter and they will be in the mail soon.

Greetings Jane!

I worked for the Monrovia Fire Dept. in 196l. Capt. Ted Tarwater was my Training Officer then. Chief Fritzjafbecker (SP) was the Monrovia Fire Chief. We worked out of that old Fire Station on Lemon St. in Monrovia and had only two Active Fire Engines. We had a big Coast Pumper, a Seagrave Pumper, a Ford Pickup we called "the Fish Wagon", a World War Two Ambulance, two Reserve Pumpers in the Reserve Garage, and the Chief's car. We slept upstairs and had a slide in that olf Fire House. Charlie broke his ankle on it one evening when the Fire Bell called us to respond! Eventually we acquired a new Crown Pumper like L.A. County used. Maybe you remember 196l if you worked for the Monrovia PD? That was the year the "Malibu Fire" did a lot of damage to homes along the Coast near Santa Monica? Capt. George K. drove the Coast Pumper to Malibu with his crew to man the L. A. County Fire Station on PCH. "Little George" eventually became Chief of the Monrovia Fire Dapt. Remember Firemen Caputo and Birdsong? Big guys & big eaters! HA! That Fire Dept. had a good crew! I'll always remember them!

I only worked for Monrovia less than one year and left to work the rest of my working days with Southern California Edison that gave me my Retirement in 1996. Our son, a UCLA a Biology MCD Graduate, Class of 196l, now a Family Practice Doctor for Kaiser Permanente HMO, Fairfield, CA, must have liked helping people as he became a EMT 1A with MEDI VAC driving a Cardiac Unit, Ford F 350 out of Good Samaritan Hospital, L.A. before he trained to become a Doctor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. He lives in Davis, same City as Class of 53 Mary Ann Lewis Holtz. Our son is married, has two kids, 8 & 10, and lives near UC Davis Campus. We live in Vacaville, CA. near Travis AFB, half way between S.F. and Sacramento, CA.

Good Luck being Editor of the MAD Class of 1952. R. Plimpton, MAD Class of 1953.

Greetings Again,

A correction is in order. Our son Tim graduated from UCLA in 199l as a Biology MCD Major. Sorry! If you post the E mail on your web., please make the correction on it! Thanks! R. Plimpton, MAD Class of '53.

P.S. Did you work with Pat Fortner's Mom? She and her family lived on the corner of Santa Anita Ave. and Naomi Ave., Arcadia. She once worked for Anokia Girls School on Foothill Blvd., Arcadia, CA. Her husband was a Realtor as I remember? Pat Fortner, her daughter, graduated from MAD in '53.

1953 Donald Lewis Law

Ok Jane I was brought up in Arcadia at 871 Palo Alto on the corner of Golden West and Palo Alto.

I us to race up double drive in a model T modified with a race engine of that year in which you had to grind your own cams. Chief Kahill told me one time that if I kept it up I would be killed. So I told him to give us a place to run and he suggested the fair grounds which later became the Pomona drag strip. So I am still love and have raced sprints for 4 years and later flew a F-102A jet for the USAF and now I am making fuel for the future called Alcohol (Ethanol) of which all gas engines can run on with out any add gas. Also I have patented the process and also make biodiesel which diesels can use. I have done many things in my life and the list is long but I still love racing and all the wild things. I have been married to my wife for 52 years and now live in Post Falls, ID. I met my wife bovill, ID when I was a pilot at Geiger Field which is the main airport in Spokane WA of which is just 30 minutes away since I live in the pan handle of Idaho.Have a good day and by the way I have travled 26 countries since I left MAD.

Dr. Donald Lewis Law

10-21-08 From Jane

Hi everyone, I'm not sure how this is going to go. I started an hour ago and I'm depressed already. I'm not the most computer savvy person in the world, you know how it is with us older folks, we have to keep asking our grand children how to do something.
I learn something and then they turn around a change it and I can't find it any more. I print something and it doesn't print the full message, etc. Very frustrating.................
Well I thank those of you who do read the web site and sent messages of encouragement.
At least Tom keeps up with it, he goes to classes and they have meetings to help you when you don't know what your doing.
I attended the Alumni Committee meeting at the Community Center in Monrovia. I was happy that I knew so many of them. Bob Humble was there, and Marilyn normally attends.
They are checking on the all class reunion at the high school for
next May. There is a great deal of construction going on and we
aren't certain if the space that we normally use will be available by May, there will be more info on this. I also found out that there is an all class reunion picnic (potluck) that is held at Santa Anita Park every October. I had been planning on going and then I read that it had come and gone. I did talk to Bob and Marilyn Humble, who are active in these events and they said there were only about 20 people who showed up. They decided to form a committee and advertise it better. I never knew they had one.
Bob and Marilyn are being honored this year in the Christmas Parade in Covina. Bob asked Tom if he would drive them in the parade in Tom's 1914 Ford depot hack. It is great for parades because it is so open and you can see who is sitting in the car.

I talked with Bob Costarella the other day. He and his wife Pam love to travel. He loves Africa and of course as most of you know he loves to hunt. They flew for 11 hours to Frankfort, Germany, then another flight for 11 ½ hrs. to Johannesburg, Africa, and another two hour drive to Kruger. (forgive
my spelling) They had their own personal chef who prepared wonderful meals. There were 18 people in each group. They got to see many wild animals including lions, leopards, giraffes and a elephant with two calves, hippopotamus and many many more. The entertainment consisted of Zoolies dancing.

I had heard that Valerie Badger passed away. She lived here in Glendora. Marilyn Humble went to a memorial service they had for her. Bob recalled having a wonderful conversation with her at the one and only reunion that she attended.
Thank you to Kathi Henry, Frank Jerome, Norine (Foley) Wallace, Wanda Sue (Childress) Parrott and Kitty (Armstrong) Kelly for letting me know you are out there.
I talked with Pat Van Wormer the other day, I'm not sure what class he was in and I think he went into the Navy before graduating. He lived in Monrovia and Arcadia. He worked at Monrovia Police Dept. with me and he and Marlow Crawford
both came to work for the city of Monrovia back in the early 50's. He loves to talk and he remembered that he lived a few houses away from Alice (Parker) Browne. He remembers Alice's father out on the porch smoking a cigar and her mother at the door with her hand on her hip and an apron on. I was in Star Duster's with him in high school. It was a club for tall kids.
Monrovia has changed a lot. They recently tore down the old PE depot down town at Myrtle and Olive, where we would catch the “Red” car to Los Angeles. I think we all
remember riding the street car to Los Angeles and going to Clifton's cafeteria. They are saving the train depot for the Metro line. I hope I live long enough to see it happen.
Don't forget to let me know if you have some memories or pictures you want to share. You might enjoy going to the museum. Monrovia converted the old city plunge into a museum. It has a wonderful display about Monrovia High school or as we knew it MAD. Young people can't believe it was segregated back then (the plunge).. The museum also has many displays that will bring
back memories of years gone by.
Keep in touch,
Jane (Nash) Millett

Below letter from Wanda Sue Parrott

Jane:
A couple of questions:
1. How did the reunion go last year? The 55th?
2. Alice made a remark recently about four more obituaries of our classmates to be added to the page, but nothing more was said. Do you know who died?
Also, If you want something that might be interesting for classmates to look at, Al made a very short video of me doing a poetry reading on National Public Radio earlier this month. It's less than two minutes long and is running on You Tube. If you know how to put such a link onto the page, I am sure he would send the thing to you. He put it up on my website. Take a look, if you can get it, by clicking here: you cannot miss me, as I should appear in a box at the right of the contents list. Just click on the doodad in the center, if necessary, and then turn on your sound. It is the Springfield in Missouri to which I refer, as I was in the Springfield affiliate of NPR, KSMU-
FM. See link at the bottom of this e-mail.

I won lst Place in the Missouri State Poetry Society Contest announced last Sat. for a narrative poem. I will copy it below for you. My thought is that classmates might find it more interesting than just a blurb saying I am still alive and writing.

The poem will follow, if I can get it to copy. Feel free to use it, or feel free to reject it--but do enjoy the story it tells.

The website to click on for the video is www.amykitchenerfdn.org

I hope you enjoy editing the 1952 class page, and that you are better on a computer than I am!

Love,
Sue
(known here as Wanda)
___________________________________________________________________________
Wanda Sue Parrott

Springfield, Missouri

won 1^st Place in poet's choice category of 2008 Missouri State Poetry Society's summer contest

THE SUMMER OF 1945

Grundle's grocery closed at four throughout the last year of the war,

until, in August forty-five, his missing son was found alive

imprisoned in a German camp. Gus Grundle lit an old oil lamp

and hung it on his market's door, attracting folks into the store.

They celebrated, shared his mood, and gobbled every crumb of food

that ration stamps had rendered rare. They gorged on all; left none to spare:

butter, sugar, chocolate, ham, horsemeat burgers, cans of Spam.

A second telegram soon came containing Grundle's son's full name.

The War Department said that he'd died tragically while being freed.

The Russian tanks rolled through barbed wire and mowed John down in friendly fire.

When Grundle got the grisly news, he stripped to boxer shorts and shoes,

Then pulling up his argyle socks, Gus Grundle marched a dozen blocks.

He reached the ocean's rocky shore. He meant to drown, but then before

the grocer joined his son in death, a messenger--near out of breath--

brought Gus another telegram with new regards from Uncle Sam.

WE REGRET, the message said, INFORMING YOU YOUR SON IS DEAD.

"Jim's with the Allies, safe and sound!" Gus Grundle grimaced, "Homeward bound?

He'll be arriving here this week!" The old man turned his other cheek

and, resurrecting grocer's mood, Gus billed the folks who ate his food.

Hi everyone,

As you all know, Alice has ask for someone to take over the Class of 1952 website, so I sent her an e-mail and told her I would like to give it a try. I am a novice at tackling a project like this, so bare with me. It will be a trial and error thing, but I mostly need your help because without you and your input this won’t work. I need you to provide me with information. Let me know about your trips, what you are doing now, and if you want to, remind us of what you did in years gone by. Let me know, either by e-mail or a phone call. I love to talk with people that have the same memories of Monrovia that I do. I love to tell the young kids about what it was like growing up in Monrovia. I have wonderful memories and I’m sure many of you do too. So please share. If you have pictures you want posted, send them to me. I know when I’m working on our class reunions, I love getting on the phone and talking with all of you.

So, now let me introduce myself , I’m Jane (Nash) Millett , Class of 1952. I recently retired (July 2007) after 50 years at the Monrovia Police Department. I have worked with Alice and Bob Costarella on all our class reunions since 1977, which I enjoy very much. I am married to Tom Millett, who comes from Maine. We will be celebrating our 50^th anniversary next August. We have one son, Craig, and I had two sons from a previous marriage. My brother, Jack Nash is from the 1954 class and still lives in Monrovia with his wife Sally (Luckinbill), who also graduated from MAD, not sure which year, I think 1958. My mother and father both graduated from Monrovia high school. As you can tell, my history goes way back. We lived in El Monte for 37 years where Tom worked on the Police Department for 30years, then moved to Glendora. I can be reached at tmillettt@yahoo.com (yes, three “t”s), or at 626-335-6271.

O.K., now that I’ve laid out my life before you, feed me with info on you, and make the class of 1952 the forefront of information.