Lincoln High School

Los Angeles, California
"Part B" for 2001:  January to July




 
 

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7/17/01:  This Weekend 7/20-21-22/01 at Lincoln Park- Community Carnival, Health Fair, Car Show,   Entertainment includes live bands on stage and more.... see Lincoln Park's website for more info.:  http://angelfire.com/ca4/lincolnpark/

7/17/01:  Local Changes- The Pasadena Blue Line construction is going on at full speed.  If you have been in the area for any time recently, you may have noticed the construction going on from Pasadena up to the Terminal Annex and Union Station area downtown.  The route follows the old Amtrak path that went from the Holly St. area in Old Town, crossing Pasadena Freeway on the overpass, and going into Highland Park behind the Figueroa St. businesses, and continuing next to Marmion Way to Lincoln Heights where it passes near the Lincoln Heights Jail (now housing the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts), and across the L.A. River on a new bridge built for it about 8 years ago, and into the "Cornfield" or area between Spring St. and North Broadway (by "Dogtown" for your local reference) and then up to the Terminal Annex area.
    The entire path is being worked on all at once, with lots of concrete used for overpasses and underpasses, and what looks to be tracks in a concrete channel instead of the regular railroad ties buried in dirt and rocks.  I believe it will resemble the subway but without the tunnels.  There seems to be something going on right at Figueroa St. and Pasadena Avenue- and underpass to avoid the traffic will likely appear, and the old Barbara Ann bakery building that was there for years was just torn down, possibly for a station.   There is a website for this project, http://www.la-pasblueline.org, which I have not checked, of course, and may give more precise information than mine which comes from just observations over the past few weeks.
 

    I hope to get some photos up soon in case to show the immensity of the work and where it is in relation to what some old timers recall from the past.  Many former Tigers don't live or travel in the area and would be surprised to see what's going on locally, so I want to do more of that on these pages (in words for those interested, and in photos for those more visually or graphically-oriented, or just don't like to read) for the distant alumni who may be homesick or for those less distant but who have fled to the suburbs, and, of course, for my own enlightenment.   r.g.

7/17/01- Lincoln Heights' ex-councilman Mike Hernandez hired by Councilman Nate Holden.
    Nate Holden last week announced he hired as "consultants," the ex-councilmen, Mike Hernandez whose district included Lincoln Heights, and Rudy Svorinich Jr. both of whom were forced out of office by term limits.  Svorinich and Hernandez, whose career included surviving a well-publicized drug bust (with kid gloves treatment by the Council members and courts which we should all be so lucky to get if this happened to any one of us) and a couple of recall efforts, was hired by Holden for several $950 a week each, retroactive to July 1st.)  Holden says that he wants to help out friends who are out of work.  Of course, none of the money paid is his money.  If this were private industry, would he do the same thing?  If so, he might be the one out of work as a reward for that management decision.  The expertise of these "consultants" is truly puzzling, as no special skills were demonstrated by either of them while councilmen.    Holden hired Svorinich, who, when told of this, said that he wasn't even looking for a job.  Both of the new hires were to enjoy some vacation time first and then show up for work, presumably well-rested.  These two men were aware of term-limits ending their jobs for many years but Holden acts like they got laid off suddenly and are going to be down-and-out without his aid.   The money could be used for about a hundred things better than this.
    Nate Holden is not new at this skill for applying public money to "essential" expenses.  For those of you not familiar with him, he was the one who chose an Expedition SUV at city expense for his official vehicle, at a price of $42,000, which was "necessary" since he had to transport many people often.  Did this guy ever hear of a van?  Other council members choose less expensive cars, with some going with older models, including a city motorpool car.  At least some elected officials give the appearance of being concerned about avoiding waste and conserving financial resources obtained through taxes.   Not Nate.  This is the kind of arrogance that so demonstrates why politicians make us doubt very much their real concern for anything but their own egos and personal greed.   And people vote for him.  IF you don't like this arrangement you can express your displeasure with this by writing  or sending an e-mail to  Nate Holden or to the other council members to put pressure on him.    mailto:holden@c10.ci.la.ca.us
Lincoln Heights' Council member is Ed Reyes, reyes@council.lacity.org
Maybe his position on this matter would be interesting to find out - the more people asking him, the more a real response might be revealed.
  For an informative bit of humorous/satirical commentary on Holden's efforts to help the unemployed, see Steve Lopez' column for July 13, 2001 in the L.A. Times, "Money for Nothing at City Hall and No Questions Asked."   Lopez is a talented writer and his other columns also show a very  different angle to a story.

The Link to the web page for L.A. City Council members is http://www.lacity.org/council.htm  - Feel free to express yourself to any or all of them.

 7/6/01:   A bit of Lincoln Football history adorns the interior of the MacDonald's restaurant located on North Broadway in Lincoln Heights between Eastlake Avenue and Hancock Street, just 2 blocks from the school.  This franchise is owned by a LHS grad who has on display some fine poster-sized blow ups of photos of Tiger football action of the past- 60's and 70's - framed with  engraved captions describing each photo.  Among the named players are Robert Uno, Julio Rodriguez and football great, Kenny Washington (watching the game, not playing in it).  This is definitely worth viewing- and, on Fridays and Mondays, the Big Macs, large drinks, and large fries are a deal, each just 99 cents. 

 Why did Antonio Villaraigosa lose this election after coming out so strongly in the primary?  The negative ad campaign had much influence.  There was no response in kind by the Villaraigosa camp, and this was viewed by many as a serious mistake.

  The Pardon Request Letter.  The fact that he sent a letter on behalf of the convicted drug dealer asking the Clinton Administration to consider him for a presidential pardon was important.  Jim Hahn's own supporters, state senator Richard Polanco and congresswoman Maxine Waters were among those who sent very similar letters, but little was done to bring out that fact to voters as the election neared.  The fact that Villaraigosa initially denied that he wrote such a letter hurt.  The letter was sent out many years earlier,  and the candidate at that time did not do his homework to see if what Mr. Vignali, father of the convicted dealer, was accurate in what he told them.
  Secondly, he might have dealt with the issue more directly.  Many thought he could not simply say "look at my track record,"  "I have been tough on crime."   He asked that we move on to the issues, and this was considered to be an evasion of the issue.  He did not clearly admit he made an error in how this was handled, or he did not say that enough where I could have heard it.  Many talk show callers said that they thought he was not honest, and that he was not tough on crime.  Some said that they voted for Hahn because "he was the lesser of two evils."

    Was he really a "Latino" candidate?  The fact that Villaraigosa was a latino stirred fears in some voters that he would represent the latinos and not the rest of the city's population.  Interestingly, the Villaraigosa candidacy was based on the concept that he was the candidate for ALL the people.  Many viewed him as the "Latino" candidate, a viewpoint especially held by some latinos..  One thing that was brought out in the analysis of the election was that Villaraigosa might have been dealt with this more strongly by coming out to clearly annnounce that if any voter was selecting him just because he was latino, he is rejecting that vote; that he is not a candidate solely for the latinos.  The talk show calls showed that many latinos and non-latinos thought he was running as an ethnic candidate.

    Position on Public Education.  Oh yes, a problem- Villaraigosa lived in Mt. Washington, had his younger kids enrolled in Nightingale Middle School in Cypress Park, and then moved them to a private school in Pasadena.  He was asked why he did this if he was such a strong supporter of public education.  He replied that he was not going to sacrifice his children.   I don't know what teachers felt about that.  His own wife is a teacher in the LAUSD, and some talk show callers said who would know better about the state of the schools but someone on the inside.   This position seemed to say he had no faith in the system or the teachers he said he supported.   This probably did not help him get votes, taking an apparently hypocrical position, you know, "actions speak louder than words." and whatever else you want to apply to this.    {Insert here the observation:  Parents can be somewhat irrational when it comes to their own kids, so this might have been forgiven with some repair work on it by the candidate.)

   Went to law school, but not a lawyer   Some people thought he was not smart enough because he took the bar
exam 4 times and did not pass it.  This is a bogus contention.  Personally speaking, the bar exam is a 3 day exam that
comes 2 times a year which is unforgiving if an error is made in allocating time to apply to the test sections, if an
area is not fully studied, etc.  This is not so much a test where you flunk, but one where a weak area or more can hurt
your point requirements.  Most of the areas of study required will never again be needed by most attorneys in real
life.   Enough of this.  The intelligence of the candidate is not related to the bar exam passing.

  Villaraigosa's approach was not strong enough in facing the charges and depictions presented to the voters in the t.v. and radio ads, according to columnist Steve Lopez of the L.A. Times.  He should have "come out swinging" in responding to the ads.  Well, we won't know since he choose what he called the "high road" and did not fight back.  Many voters thought this meant he had no valid response to the attacks.

  What about MECHA?  There was a problem in the style taken by Villaraigosa in handling questions in the debate.  A question was posed directly concerning Villaraigosa's position in relation to MECHA, the latino student activist organization with chapters in many colleges and universities.   Villaraigosa was reportedly president of the MECHA chapter at UCLA for a time during his undergrad years there.   Included in the organizational objective of the group (in the by laws or constitution, renewed in about 1995) was the reclaiming of the southwest U.S. land for latinos as "Aztlan."  Villaraigosa sidestepped the question and went on with a long rambling blurb that was supposed to get around it.  He, as most politicians, clearly takes to heart the saying, " If you can't answer the question asked, just answer a different one."
  This left some doubt in the sincerity of the non-ethnic nature of his candidacy.  This hurt him on the point raised by question, and by having too much political double talk come out when a simple response would have been appreciated.
Where does all that leave us?
  So there it is.  Done for now.  Jim Hahn takes the reigns of the city as Mayor tomorrow.  He has some work ahead of him.  Although a non partisan office, the State Democratic body endorsed Villaraigosa, along with Gov. Davis, Mayor Riordon, many labor unions and on and on.  Hahn's strongest feature was that he was the late Kenny Hahn's son, and as County Supervisor, was generally well-respected.  Had he not had that father, he probably would not be mayor.  Many black voters were concerned about being left out in favor of concerns of the latino population should Villaraigosa be elected.  This is a strange but real idea that has existed for years among many minority groups, causing conflict between them.  The attitude hurts real progress, but that is the way many people interpret things and they act on that interpretation.    Good luck, Mayor Hahn, and good luck Antonio Villaraigosa-  we all came close to a very interesting and exciting future.

6/3/01:  IN A STORY ABOUT THE WISDOM OF VILLARAIGOSA'S CHOICE TO RUN AS A BROAD-BASE CANDIDATE, THE L.A. TIMES REPORTED SATURDAY THE LATINO VOTER TURNOUT IN APRIL WAS ONLY 21%

According to a story in the L.A. Times yesterday, the latino voter turnout in the April election was 21%. It was reported right after the election that the overall voter turnout was 40%. The article examined the fact that Villaraigosa has not campaigned on the basis of his ethnic background, but has kept his campaign direction toward the broad base support. Instead of running strictly for the latino vote, he is running as a candidate for all the people. This is reported by the Times to be costing him support from the latino community.

  My observation here is that there is a woefully abundant lack vision by those factions that want to withhold support from Villaraigosa because he has not courted them to the degree that they determine he should.  This is another example of how the latinos, and especially those of Mexican descent, watch as the world passes them by, fiercely resisting the opportunity that appears because some provincial agenda.  The point of the candidate's plan is that he is a man that appeals to all EQUALLY, and that ethnicity should not be the major consideration for the vote.  A strong showing at the polls on Tuesday by the latino voter is hoped for, which should  support Villaraigosa plan to surpass Hahn's votes. This may be difficult for the reasons stated above.  The latino community has been supported by Villaraigosa as an Assemblyman, and he should continue that as mayor.  It is possible.

    Villaraigosa's campaign managers hope for at least a 24% turnout by latino voters. That means that only 1 in ever 4 latino voters will actually vote.  Next is the question as to whether the vote will be for Villaraigosa.  The election outcome will surely turn on whether there are enough latino voters VOTING FOR Villaraigosa. The latino voters again represent what was called in the past, a sleeping giant. Ideally, all the latino and non-latino voters should cast their votes.  For those eligible voters failing to vote- don't complain later or say that your vote doesn't matter.  It matters, and in an election with a low-voter-turnout each vote has even more impact.  If you have access to the article appearing in the L.A. Times Saturday, I urge you to read it.  Many of the L.A. Times articles can be viewed right on the web- L.A. TIMES.COM
 

  6/2/01- Saturday:  On Antonio Villaraigosa- a brief note from working with him at EEOC for seven years---
    One of the featured aspects of this mayoral candidate has been his history of getting people together from different viewpoints and getting results, most recently in the State Assembly.  The newspaper and magazinee articles about him bring out his earlier examples of defending the underdog and so on.  I just remembered an incident during our time at EEOC in the mid-80's which I think illustrates Antonio's genuineness of character.  When Antonio went to a conference (in Washington, D.C. most likely) a dispute arose between some of the other attendees- true to form, he tried to intervene and quell a situation rapidly heating up. It wound up with Antonio taking punch from one of these guys and it broke his jaw.  Now this did not happen while acting as a combatant but as an intervenor attempting to keep the peace.

  Coming back to the office with a wired jaw was not what we expected from this trip, but it shows that Antonio has a drive in him to get people with different views to come together, both then and now... only now the factions usually don't pose such a risk to physical safety.  A lot of guys in the office were of the opinion that we would not have gotten in the middle of the dispute in the first place, and let these guys go at it. Not Antonio.

    This desire and ability to bring results from opposing elements is what I think most distinguishes the candidates.  Mr. Hahn, as City Attorney, as a usual response, leans more to justifying his position to win cases, using legal arguments in an adversary position for the most part.  His is a job that usually has a fight -in the legal arena- which he is suppossed to win, and not come away losing it.  This goes for activities of the City Attorney at all the levels.  This is different approach from that of trying to bring people to work together, which is what what the mayor of L.A. should be able to do to move this city forward.  To put it bluntly, the City Attorney is used to coming down on people, first of all, and conciliating as a minor consideration in the scope of things.  Voting for Antonio is the best choice.

The candidates for mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Jim Hahn appeared on channel 7 last night at 8 p.m. for a final debate on the issues.  This was especially lively since there have been some controversial t.v. ads aired in the past week which open with a backround visual of some crack pipe handling and what looks like a grainy (hidden camera style) photo of Villaraigosa.  The language of the ad is correct- that he did send a letter to Clinton requesting a pardon for a convicted drug dealer named Vignali.  The pictures behind the ad are designed to create a connection between the candidate with the drugs, implying he approves of illicit drug use or worse. (This is a technique that really doesn't say something outright, but drops some very heavy hints to make you think that something is being said- it plays on people's emotions and sensitivities.  This and another t.v. ad boldly state their message: "The Most Dangerous Man in L.A." and  "Los Angeles Can't Trust Antonio Villarigosa."    Villaraigosa admitted that sending this letter was a mistake, that he was responding to a father's request for the son and that he should have examined what was represented to him, but did not.  He asks to be judged on what he has done overall as a legislator, authoring many bills in support of law and order.

    The debate included charges that Hahn has connections with the Indian gaming activiities who have spent money on behalf of Hahn with the attack ads..  This is interesting since they don't live in or near L.A. but still remember Villaraigosa as one of the legislators responsible for putting some restrictions on the Indian gaming activities, and now they are demonstrating  their displeasure by attacking Villaraigosa.  Hahn denies he knew or had any connection with this but the L.A. Times story says the Indian support was coordinated by a Hahn campaign member.   See the stories in the Times this week.By the way, State Sen. Richard Polanco, who endorsed Hahn, also sent a letter to the Cllinton Administation to request a pardon for Vignali, but nothing is said about that.
 

  Villaraigosa said that the Hahn ads attack him to create a climate of fear by distorting facts.  He said that Hahn wants voters to believe he is in favor of doing things that will hurt the safety  of the people of L.A.   Hahn denied that.  This campaign road is getting near the end and things are heating up.  Villaraigosa said Hahn is creating a climate of fear to promote his candidacy, and villifying Villaraigosa, which is not fair or accurate.

    The debate was lively if nothing else.  In the 60's, Tom Bradley ran for mayor against Sam Yorty.  There was a question of whether Bradley's race would hurt his chances;  were the voters of L.A. ready for a black man as mayor?  A Yorty campaign tactic used right before the election was to hire  groups of young black men to drive around San Fernando  Valley, among other places, and yell out, "Tom Bradley for mayor.  Black Power!"   Yorty won that election- the fear factor helped.
    The next time around, Bradley won.

Today on the Michael Jackson Show (KLAC 570 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) I heard Villaraigosa call in to be interviewed.  He said that he would not stoop to the same tactics that Hahn has used, that he would not get down to gutter level in this campaign.  He asked that voters look at his track record for the last 6 years of his public life and decide the matter.

  Unfortunately, this campaign brings out lots of people who want to judge simply on ethnic and racial issues.  There is a really outrageously anti-Mexico/Mexican website that has lots of whatever they can bring up to create fear of or hate for Villaraigosa, and the fear of the invasion of immigrants.  See  www.americanpatrol.com .
    On the other hand, there is a website,  www.latinola.com  that seems to go the other way POLITICALLY, i.e., if your latino, we are for you, if not latino, we aren't.   I think I am being generous with that description. The other parts of the website are varied and informative- especially the entertainment items.   See the letters, the commentary and stories and judge for yourself.

Rocky Delgadillo v. Mike Fuehr for City Attorney-
In this race, I would like to see Delgadillo get the vote;  Mike Fuehr has been councilman and a legal aid office director, but I see lots of problems with his ideas.  There has been a gun control topic raised, and he seems to eager to impose restrictions that go to the law abiding rather than strictly criminals.  His supporters the gun control- or more appropriately- gun banning groups.  The fact is that the law abiding citizen should have a right to protect him/herself at home if there is no legal reason for barring that, like being a felon, or mentally ill history.  Police usually will not be there instantly when you might want them... if that were true, then there might be some validity to more limitations created.
  There are other differences that I see, but I would like to have this outcome go to Delgadillo.
 

IT IS IRONIC THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE DO NOT BOTHER TO VOTE, AND THAT OTHERS WHO WISHED THEY COULD, ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE BASED ON STATUS OF NON-CITIZEN OR NOT OLD ENOUGH.  r.g.
  AN OLDER ARTICLE ON ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA'S BIOGRAPHY
 - http://www.berkeley.edu/news/magazine/summer_99/feature_antonio.html
TO VILLARAIGOSA STORY

5/26/01:  This is the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend. Memorial Day was established to honor the men and women who served in the armed forces for this country, especially those who have died in the line of duty, usually in wartime.  I reflect back on the The Vietnam War in particular since that is the war which was connected so closely to my time in high school.    This war cost the lives of over 50,000 Americans from the early 60's when it began with American "advisors" assisting the South Vietnam military, to 1969 when there were about 1/2 a million military troops serving there, and then up to April 1975 when the U.S. took its last people from the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, as the North Vietnamese tanks and soldiers were entering the city.  On my visits to LHS during Career Share Day, I  never fail to be amazed at the students' total lack of knowledge of that part of history.  (I inquire about a lot of things when I visit.)
        Fortunately, there were not any deaths in that war from our Class of '67 members who served in the military during that period.   I remember when I think of the costs of the war, the deaths of some former  Lincoln students, Juan Terrazas, Cl.of 1966, who was older than I was, and Sammy Gullart, who was younger.
    Juan was a nice guy, a local car club member (the Imperials if memory serves me correctly) and the boyfriend of a neighbor girl down the street from my house.  As he was an older student, he was a source of teenage wisdom and experience passed to me in our conversations during our class period.  We had ROTC rifle team.  It was hard to believe when I heard the sad news in summer of 1969 that this was the end of a young friend's life.  It made no sense, it was not fair, it just happened like that because that is what happens in war.
    Sammy was one of the guys, the younger part of our group which put on many of the memorable dances at the Lincoln Park Gym.  I did not hear about him until many years later.  He was killed in 1970.  Again, this is what happens in a war.  It does not have to make sense.
     Many classmates and close friends served in Vietnam and returned, some physically wounded and many more simply changed in other ways.  Regardless of how the war was viewed, just or unjust, declared or undeclared, each person served this country when called upon.  This is a time for remembrance and recognition of the people who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country and for those who survived that war; we should remember that they did not make that war.  It was controlled by the people that the voters elected to office.

    The Vietnam Memorial, "the Wall," which was created to remember the war dead of Vietnam, is located in Washington, D.C.    By using the website created, a search can be made to find the names and much other information about each of those whose names appear on the Wall.
 The Vietnam War Memorial
 

    The election for 1st District Councilman was decided by approximately 20% of the eligible voters in the District.    How is that?  Well, the turnout was 40% of the registered voters, and just over half of them (20%+) voted for Reyes.   APATHY makes the difference.
  To have the right to vote and not use it is one of the characteristics that seems to plague the disadvantaged, the poor, the uneducated.  This component poses a strong element of support for the candidates that can mobilize the voters who would otherwise not vote.  But some people just don't care and will not leave home to vote, or even take advantage of the absentee ballot option so they wouldn't have to leave home.  So the few who vote have a much stronger voice in the outcome, making their votes more significant.

    Anyway, I hope Antonio wins.  He worked in the legal aid outreach office in the Aliso Pico Service Center with me in 1979 as the Community Representative, and when I began working  for the EEOC a few years later,  he was already there as an Investigator and a union rep.  He was a very energetic and vocal person back then, and he continues as such today.  I don't see him anymore except on t.v., but am glad for his success, although I did have some doubts when he went to the Assembly since he was so young.  Antonio was a Roosevelt and Garfield student, and, if I remember his biography correctly,  he relates he did not shine in the school environment at that time.
    James Hahn seems to be a fitting candidate as well, but he still seems to me to be part of the same old political fabric that we have seen in the past.  I think it is time for  a change.
    One of Antonio's talents is that he can get people to come together, to  compromise on issues and to make progress where there might otherwise be a stalemate or hostile feelings between the factions.
    The saving feature of this election is that we have two men who have enough going for them that the city will still be led by a competent person, regardless of the outcome.   This is a far cry from the Presidential election last year....  what a difference a few votes made in a certain state.    There, if your memory needs refreshing, the candidate, Gore, won the popular vote,  having the greatest number of votes overall cast for him.  Unfortunately for him, the Electoral vote  is the one that counts, and this quirky system gave the challenger, Bush, the election based on the number of electoral college votes in his favor.   That is an entirely different story that we will leave for others to examine.
 

REUNIONS.... more are planned and Information will be included here very shortly. Remember, I am the only one collecting the news.... and I am appreciative of the fact that I actually have people letting me know of the events in advance, which is a refreshing change from the past experience.

TIERRA Scholarship Fundraising CONCERT....Friday, April 27- (erroneously announced as Saturday, April 28th previously.)  This was an enjoyable event.  If there was a downside, it was that the auditorium was not filled..  (Weak Promotion?)  The guests began seating at 6:30 p.m. after the outdoor dinner event at 5:30 p.m.  The band turned in a fine performance and introduced some new songs to their show from the newly-released CD, "DOS MUNDOS - TWO WORLDS."   The band, led by Rudy Salas, W'67, unveiled the freshly received Proclamation of Tierra Day that they  were honored with by the City of Los Angeles.   The event was particularly enjoyable because the Senior Court was used as the location of the Pre-Concert Dinner, with the food prepared by Charlie's Trio on Huntington Drive.  The weather was just right, just approaching the evening, and it was an opportunity to see old friends and talk with members of the band.
    More events like this would be great.

Coming October 27th..... Parade, Health Fair, Homecoming Game....in that order, on the same SATURDAY.  Still being planned as to the details. (Still no lights on the field, so this will be a day game.)

Suggestion, CHECK LINCOLN PARK'S website- can be reached from the "LINKS" SECTION-   some real old photos showing the Zoo at Misson Road and Selig Place, and some shots of the street cars (electric) that were here before buses (Diesel, smokey, smog-makers).  You can see a view of North Broadway showing the bank that now houses Pollo Loco (across the street from what was Pax' and next door to what was the ("New") "Teen Club"  -  whew, that goes back a ways.  (Wolfe and Sons Furniture and Western Auto were on that strech of Broadway then.)

Finally, a thanks goes out to Krispy Kreme Donuts for coming through on the free coupon for a dozen donuts that was based on the George Lopez radio promotion in January. Did everbody else who entered get their coupon?  (I was just beginning to doubt them when I got mine.)

More photos on the way to being added to this site, a matter of time.
    Some nice presentation of the photos from the 20 year reunion for Cl. of 1979 can be seen on Alice Puente's website, http://home.earthlink.net/~agpassist/
5/25/01 r. guevara.

The Class of 1967 - Dinner Gathering, Saturday, April 21, 2001 at PALERMO'S RISTORANTE ITALIANO on N. Vermont Ave., from 6 p.m.to 11 p.m., Fabulous buffet menu with lots of extras, all for $17.50 per person.  Advance sale, Ap. 15th deadline  More Info. at 1967 Gathering

3/21/01 (Revised 3/23/01):  TIERRA IN FUNDRAISING CONCERT AT LINCOLN H.S. ON FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2001.

  The veteran latino band, Tierra will  be performaing at Lincoln in the Auditorium for a fundraising event on Friday evening, April 27, 2001, at 6:30 p.m.  This group had formed around the Salas Brothers, Rudy and Steve Salas, a locally prominent singing duo in the early '60's.  As they  matured, and with the addition of more members, most from the Lincoln Heights and surrounding area,  this group became TIERRA, one of the pioneer latino bands, presenting a mixture of R&B, latino and rock, orignal compositions and their own treatment of existing songs.   Rudy Salas - Class of '67- leads the band now, which had continued to perform over the years to audiences around the country, which include the original base of fans and now, new generations of fans.  If you need more information about the band, check their website at www.tierramusic.com
    Earlier in the week, the L.A. City Council will have the band honored with a proclamation of "Tierra Day" which will give recognition to the band, pioneers in the performance and production of its unique blend of latino, rock and contemporary music.
    There will be a special afternoon performance at 3:30 p.m.for the students of LHS at a special student price of $3.00 in order to allow the LHS student body to share  in this event at a very reasonable price.  (There are supposed to be some tickets for this afternoon performance available to the general public at the door at 3:30 p.m. for $5.00 for whatever seats are left.)

 Tickets for Evening Concert Performance at 6:30 p.m.
    1.     $10.00 General Admission: Tickets on sale at the door at 6:30 p.m.

    2.   $15.00 Premium Tickets, which entitles you to:   5:30 p.m. inner which will be provided by "Charlie's Trio" of Alhambra/El Sereno (Huntington Dr. at Alhambra Rd.), AND Preferred/V.I.P Concert Seating for 6:30 p.m. performance,all for $15.00.
Advance sale - contact LHS for now:  (323) 225-0030.

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The 1948-1949-1950 reunion is all one group, to clear up what misunderstanding was expressed here earlier.  The reunion is to be held shortly in Laughlin, Nevada.   Call/ write/ email below for more info.

A NEW SEASON OF LATINO COMEDY SHOWCASE AT THE ICE HOUSE IS HERE.  On most Tuesday evenings, the Latino Comedy Showcase is being featured at the world-famous Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena.  Rudy Moreno, LHS Class of 1974, is scheduled frequently as the host of the evening which showcases an assortment of comics with the latino theme.  Check with the Ice House for dates and for reservations at (626) 577-1894.   Shows begin at 8 p.m.  the Location is 47 N. Mentor at Colorado Blvd.

2-15-01:  REUNION PLANNED '48-'49-'50. I am informed by the contacts at LHS that  there is a 50-year Reunion for the above-noted years.  The Contact person for more information is HERMIT30@msn.com    (There is another reunion with some overlap in years, it seems ... )
 The following was posted on this site earlier:

"Reunion planned for combined classes of 1949, 1950, and 1951 in May, 2001.  GEORGE MASI , W'49, has asked that all interested classmates contact him by e-mail at gmsm@aol.com"
  Is there going to be a conflict?
IF THERE IS ANY CHANGE OR MORE DETAILS, I WILL POST AS SOON AS I RECEIVE THEM, r.g.

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1-31-01:  Congratulations due to Luis Torres, S'68, for being "Reporter" on the 3-person team receiving a Golden Mike Award this month for radio broadcasting in the category of Best Live News Reporting.  Luis has been a long-time reporter at KNX-AM News Radio 1020.   KNX  won a total of  9 Golden Mike awards  this year for several categories of news broadcasting, dominating the news radio recipients for most of the past 30 years.

Local Radio:  The Krispy Kreme donut giveaway offer has ended as of last Friday at the www.exposegeorge.com website which was created as a entry in the contest to best expose George Lopez as the new radio host on 92.3 MEGA FM.   (Word was that the company began to worry about how many free donuts they were going to have to give away due to the popularity of the website. )  The contest was extended for another week due to the heavy interest in participating.  Lopez has created a lot of publicity for his show which is one of the few radio outlets for English Speaking latino hosts.  He may not please everyone, but the Los Angeles latino population has reached such a high proportion that the station can get some good ratings from listeners in that category, even if others don't like the latino references he uses.  He is a comedian and has said that he does his work from what he sees around him in life, but some think he is racist and stereotyping latinos negatively.  In response to that, he says Richard Pryor portrayed what he saw as a black man, using derogatory racial references in his language and is considered a comic genius by many;  a contemporary comic, Chris Rock, uses race references liberally and he is a comic genius.  Comedian Paul Rodriguez also was criticized  and often had to defend his style of humor in the early years of his career.  Listen and judge for yourself.

Sad news in local radio-  DEIDRE O'DONOGHUE, longtime host of "Breakfast with the Beatles," currently on Sundays on KLSX-FM, died at the age of 52.   She had missed her show on Sunday the 21st, and worried colleagues had still had not heard from her later and called the police who found her dead in her apartment.  She appears to have died from natural causes, but an autopsy is being performed.  This show was something of an institution in L.A. radio, and Deidre O'Donahue had an encyclopedic knowledge of the Beatles and of their music,  always with something new to give to the listeners over the years, introducing the Beatles to a new generation of listeners, especially in the last few months with the release of the number one Beatle hits CD.  She died long before her time and she will be missed. (Ed. correction. 2-3-01)

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Many alumni are looking at their calendars and seeing that the 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 (or more) year reunion should fall in this year, 2001.   Please forward any announcements for posting on the website and any web pages that have been set up for a specific reunion can be linked from here.

Coming very soon.... Reunion planned for combined classes of 1949, 1950, and 1951 in May, 2001.  GEORGE MASI , W'49, has asked that all interested classmates contact him by e-mail at gmsm@aol.com

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Reunions - 1961 AND 1960 Classes, Summer & Winter   The word on this is that there is planned a combined 40 Year Reunion to take place in OCTOBER 2001 and if you are in these classes, Please Contact:
    E-mail Pat McBride Burescia at  patb@its.caltech.edu or Armando Chacon at  armie@ix.netcom.com , AND, if you are NOT in this group, but know of someone else who is, do let them know and pass the word around so others can help find the '60 and '61  people.

1/18/01:  Has anyone noticed the change in L.A. Radio recently?..... Since Jan. 2nd, Comedian George Lopez has taken over as host mornings 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on MEGA 92.3-FM.  (The station can be heard on the internet for those out of the L.A. area.)  He has brought some latino humor to the airwaves, and in a big way.  There is currently a contest to "Expose George" which will award $25,000 to the person who has done the best job to do something for publicizing the new show.   He is a stand-up comedian who spent his school years in San Fernando, with lots of the experiences many Lincoln Tigers have had, latino or not.  By the way, the www.exposegeorge.com site that a listener has set up is sponsored by Krispy Kreme donuts and you can get a coupon for a dozen donuts for registering there.  The coupons are to be sent out when the contest is done.   Try it and get some free donuts.

  Fellow comedian and Lincoln '74 grad RUDY MORENO will be continuing with the Ice House duties, hosting shows in February and performing at other venues as well.  See his website: http://www.comedy.com/rudymoreno for other local shows coming up.

Reunions:   Many persons have expressed interest on reunions for various class years and groups of years.   I will post information here as I receive it;  The Guestbook is one place to comment on what you would like to have happen.   There was a news letter sent out last year that asked for interest in Reunions by decades- the 50's (1950-1959, etc.), the 60's, 70's, and so on, but there was underwhelming response, according to what information I received at LHS, so the idea never got off the ground for any decade.  If things are changed or you were not contacted for your opinion before, you can use the Guestbook for voicing your views.  Some people do NOT want reunions, and that is fine for them, so, I suppose that these comments are directed to those LHS alumni who WANT a reunion...... The next big question is, "How do you make it happen?"    Well, first let's see what response this website can collect for further action.  E-mail or guestbook available, along with telephone as means of making your opinion heard.    [There was an AT-LARGE Reunion many years back for all LHS alumni, maybe ten years ago or so.   I did not hear about it until it passed, but the people who went felt good about it.]  Email R.G.

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[Previous years in Archives Pages- see first page for choices.]