Ground Rules

(By posting in this forum, you acknowledge that you have read and will abide by these rules.)

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful.  But be respectful.  The administrators reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.  Access and participation on this forum is not a right, it is a privilege and abuse may result in suspension or revocation of WHS60s site access at any time.  

 Posting involving politics or religion are prohibited as they typically and quickly become offensive/demeaning.    

We don't actively monitor the forum, but respond to complaints and take action as deemed appropriate.

V/R, Co-site Administrators Joan Lucchesi ('60) and Gary Wegener ('66)

Click the "Post Message" button to add your entry to the forum

(you always have the option to edit or delete your post). 

Orval Hughes (1964)

Bill &Kathys was a great place  I took my 1996 Chico high school tennis team there for lunch on the way to a tennis match  They appreciated the history and food since I bought!

Joel Childers (1966)

On Jan 3, 1966, the NFL Championship game was broadcast in color for the very first time. Who remembers the day in 1966 when the evening news introduced color tv to the world? Who had a color tv? Not my family. In 1966, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and The Beatles all had top hits from their respective innovative albums, Blonde on Blonde, Pet Sounds, and Revolver. In 1966, a Supreme Court decision established the Miranda rights. In 1966, the USSR became the first country to land a rocket on the moon.

Bernard Rocksvold (1965)

Jan. 1, 1966 arrived home on first leave after basic training and tech school, US Air Force. 

Theresa Eve (1964)

This was the phone we used.  

Bernard Rocksvold (1965)

I still own our families first phone number, and it is still active, however I never use it because of spam calls.

Theresa Eve (1964)

I have two slimline Pacific Bell, landline phones which I use at home; with an answering machine.  Have a cell also, but really like my hard working Pacific Bell phones.  Nice to know if the cell towers are down, I have a workable phone. 

Josefa Catalan (Matthews) (1962)

I remember our first phone number, before prefixes were added.  My mom had that number until she passed in 2010.  Who remembers the prefix name and when it went from numbers to the name?

Bill Means (1961)

Gee that's easy: MOHAWK 2-9173.

We had a phone since we moved back to Woodland in 1946.

Originally an operator would ask: "Number please".

Mom told me - little Billy - call your dad and make sure he'll be home at 6:00 for dinner - to get ME out of her kitchen.

Mom told me later in life I picked up the phone and asked to talk to MY DAD. The operator knew who I was and where my dad was and dad's secretary answered and the operator said: Billy is on tthe phone for his dad. Those were the days when everyone in Woodland knew everyone else and Woodland was perfect.

Back to the original question: With the Pac Bell operator in 1946 our number was 1405. Later when the dial phones were installed it was 9173 - the phone switch building was at Second and Lincoln NW corner and you could hear the relays clicking.

Later MOhawk was added and later 662 came into being. Then all pay phones were made xxx-9xxx ( oh come on - you do remember PAY phones don't you? )  the number 9 so all 662-9xxx phones were changed and ours is still 662-7173.

Yes, mine is on an answering machine, but if a person I know is calling I answser in on one of my Princess phones next to my TV chair.

I love all the history you 60-69 classmates come up with!   Go Wolves!

Theresa Eve (1964)

Love the phone history!  Our number was the Mohawk 662-8331.  Remeber it so clearly, always calling Mother when I moved to Sacramento, especially after Dad passed.  It was a daily routine to call Mother.  Miss those calls.  Those were the days!!  Thank you Bill and Josefa, great moments. Mother use to see your Mother Josefa at the farmers market, she would tell me she saw her.  

Janice Bell (Killian) (1966)

Mike Miller (1966)

Jeff Brown (1969)

Ron Blickle (1963)

Growing up (?) our phone number was 662-5267, which my mother kept even during moves, including her senior care facility.  When my younger brother (Rob) moved back from New Zealand after our mother died, he called the phone company and was able to get our old number assigned to him in his home.  Rob eventually moved back to New Zealand, so our old number is no longer in the family.  Back in our younger days, we knew everyone's phne numbers.  Now that we have all our numbers stored in our cell phones, I don't have to remember any numbers, which is blessing now that I am in my 80's and suffer from CRS!

Greg Kareofelas (1962)

I can't remember if our number ever was a "4 number", but it had the "2 prefix" when I got this "dogtag" with our street address, phone number, and name in the second grade? Mom and dad had this numberr until they moved to the ranch at Knights Landing in 1983. I had a "land line" here in Davis up unti a few months ago when I was told that they were going to drop keeping the  copper wires alive. That phone wire also carried the DSL for the computer, so I had to swap to cable and dropped the land line, but still have the original wall phone.

Joel Childers (1966)

Some cities had the two letter prefix followed by 5 numbers as early as the 1930s! There was no set date when all phones changed from 5 to 7 digits, but it all took place in the 1950s. When I was very young, the rotary phone in the kitched had the phone number printed in the center. It was168. With our new phone it became 2-7168. I don't believe it was ever 4 digits. who came up with the names? MOhawk should have been in New York. We should have been YO for Yolo.

Burke Fong (1967)

JoAnn Kergel (Wirth) (1965)

Telephone Madness-try sharing a country line with 5 other parties.  For years we a two rings on our phone.  One was for us and the other for another house.  One long, one short.  Can't remember exactly when that went away but it was very exciting to only have a ring that you knew was ours.  Party line went away about the time I finished WHS.  A private line at last.  Our # was 662-4576 and it had existed in one form or another sincw 1941.  After my mother died in 2010 I canceled the servce.  Learned later that I could have made it my cell number.

Jean Duncan (Miller) (1968)

My dad worked for the phone company for many years; first as a lineman, then installing phones in customers' homes, then in the switch room, which was responsible for that clicking noise referred to in a previous post.  He retired sometime around 1972-73, I think.  I worked as an operator in Woodland during the summers of 1969 & 1970, and part time while attending Chico State.  It was an interesting job - never dull.  Back then you had to use the operator to make long distance calls.  There were a lot of weirdos making calls late at night!  We were supposed to answer "operator, how can I help you".  One day we decided to see if people actually heard us so we would substitute operator with other words, like alligator.  No one ever noticed!  The scariest times for me were answering 911 calls.  We had to get the caller's phone number and address before connecting them to the police or fire department in case we were disconnected before they got to talk to the proper authorities.  Most people were panicky and didn't want to take the time to give us the information needed.  Then we had to physically dial the police or fire department since there was no short cut to connect them.  It was nerve wracking for me.  But despite those 'scary' times, I enjoyed my days with Ma Bell.

Janice Bell (Killian) (1966)

Bill Means (1961)

phones again.

Remember only ATT did the long distance service - which was very expensive per minute - and I believe once a quarter they had a special on Sundays that for a 3 minute call ( after 6PM ) anywhere in the country the price was very low - maybe $0.25 cents. Amazing how fast the parents talked and Tom and I were offered a "HI" on the last one second.

Cell phones have changed that!

Jeff Brown  - No I didn't work for Pac Bell back then, but for my last job I had the "pleasure" of monthly auditing 250 phone bills across the USA & Canada. Not fun.

Burke Fong (1967)

Theresa Eve (1964)

Here is Sandi Humphrey Smith, Class of 1964 with Lady at Christmas 2025.  She and her husband Bobby live in Alabama  Great picture Sandi!  Love your Christmas Tree and Lady.  

Theresa Eve (1964)

Burke Fong, quite a history with Pacific Bell.  Nice that you found Andrea after high school years.  Love reading the history of your life.  

Theresa Eve (1964)

A very lovely service in Honor of Marilee. Condolences to all her family and friends.   

Greg Kareofelas (1962)

Some of us remember the Porter Theatre on College Street