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

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Greg Kareofelas (1962)

Here is a Historic Pic from the Joe Keehn collection. It reads "DAN BEST FLYING UNDER THE HIGHWAY BRIDGE AT KNIGHTS LANDING" Bridge was built in 1933, so sometime after that time is when this happened. My dad remembered this event. The bridge was raised slightly, so this had to be somewhat "official". Right now, the river is so high, that you would have to raise the bridge to fit a fishing boat under it :-)

Theresa Eve (1964)

Nice to see the various pictures around the Oroville Dam and the responses regarding the issues of excess water.  We are grateful nothing happened to all those people around the area. Do hope reconstruction will solve the issues at hand. 

Monte McCray (1966)

not to many people care about all this trump stuff anymore.Craig you should run for office

Monte McCray (1966)

I am tickled to death with him so far.

Joel Childers (1966)

Craig, seeing that you are so worried about the current administration and politics in general, I thought this deeply philosophical song might give you a different perspective.      https://youtu.be/qF4RCOcz9ow 

Joel Childers (1966)

Well that didn't work. You might have to go to You Tube and type it in.

Tom Barger (1965)

Joel,  I couldn't get the tune you posted, but my favorite concerning the present situation that's on YouTube is "the aliens came in business suits".   Check it out.

Gary Wegener (Wegener) (1966)

Ralph Aldrick Somero, Class of 1969, peacefully passed away Thursday, February 23, 2017 at Ashley Manor in Twin Falls, ID.   His obituary is in the In Memory section.

Joel Childers (1966)

Tom Barger --- "The aliens came..." is great. I highly recommend it to our fellow Wolves.

Monte McCray (1966)

Craig,All hail King Donald.

Monte McCray (1966)

When king donald completes his mission,There will be a meatloaf in everybodys pot.

Becky Knight (Tobitt) (1961)

Sorry I'm a bit behind but wanted to add to a couple of older conversations.

How sad to see the old pool close. I learned to swim in Madison at Crowder's Pool. Only thing there now is a cultivated field. The Woodland Pool was the other place to swim. The three Fitz "kids" were Phylis, Franklin and David, all super achievers at WHS and all taught swimming and diving. Phylis did her student teaching in PE at WHS. Because so many of us knew her from the Pool and as a councelor at the Girl Scout Camp Timber Tarn, we probably weren't the best behaved. She died of cancer many years ago and David (I think) was killed in a plane crash. 

How many remember having swiming as part of their PE class and have to hike over to the pool, change into your suit, swim, get out, get dressed and get back to the main campus for their next period?! And this was before the days of hair driers and girls wore dresses or skirts, NO PANTS or jeans.

I remember when Berryessa was a town. Before they started to fill the lake behind the dam, my mother took my borther and me for a drive in what was to become the lake bed. I remember thinking that this must be what an atomic bomb blast must look like. There were no trees, only stumps, no houses, only foundations - total desolation.

And being a country kid, I rode the bus to school for four years. In January of 1958, there were horrible floods. The morning ride to WHS was over Stevens' Bridge on Cache Creek, north of the Flier's Club. Our driver was Willie Blizzard, a CHP officer moonlighting as a bus driver. There were men patroling the levees of Cache Creek and keeping an eye on the bridge. Willie stopped our bus and talked for several minutes with the men and then preceeded to drive our bus over the bridge. Later in the day we found out that twenty minutes after our bus crossed, the bridge washed out!

Dan Ree (Ree) (1964)

Yes....Becky those were the glory days..Cache Creek was our favorite place to go...as was the Municiple Pool....I do remember going to the Pool during PE...Freezing out...Mr. Rowher...told us to hussle..as we froze until we got in...heated water felt good..then came the walk across to the Gym...not a great feeling.......Yes We had it great.......WE I guess are in the History Book of the way things were great.......Thanks for the memory brought out by your post.......

Paul Schattauer (1961)

Hi Becky

Cache Creek was part of the neighborhood if you lived in Yolo and being on Mr. Gordons swim team made the pool part of your day.  WHS was golden times if brief and disoreinting for a stranger.  Memories are still vivid.  I look here some and its nice to see someone from "61"

Vern Larson (1960)

Becky, It's good to see you on this site. I remember you as always being upbeat and smiling. It was impossible to be sad around you. You created a very positive influence whereever you went. 

Aileen Jull (Martinez) (1964)

Thanks Becky for the walk through memoryland.  I must congratulate you on your fantastic memory.  How the heck did you remember your bus driver's name?  Wow! I'm impressed.  What are you taking anyway?

Theresa Eve (1964)

Becky, 1958 Flood of Cashe Creek.  Boy I remember the day.  I wore a red and white checked skirt that day.  Dad was driving the Black VW and we left Woodland to get to Cacheville School in Yolo.  As we drove along we came upon a total ton of water, like a big lake across the road.  No warraning signs were posted as yet, and Dad had to stopped the car.  I was scared to death.  I had never seen a flood up close.  He said "We have to turn around and take the other road to school, there has been a levee break."   There were big concens for the town of Yolo. 

Joel Childers (1966)

Thank you Becky Knight for your reminiscences. (Oooh, Crowders pool. Yikes the water was cold out there.) I imagine that memories (not politics) are what most of us visit this site for, although pictures of the "glory hole" in Berryessa are pretty cool too. I would love to see more participation here regarding the good old days. Come on gang, let's hear your favorite stories. Who was your favorite teacher? Did Mrs. Conger ever set you in the corner with your chewing gum stuck on your nose? Where did you hang out in the summer? What local businesses did you work for?  Back before the lottery and Indian casinos, people used to play the Irish Sweepstakes. My grandfather was a big dealer of Irish Sweepstakes tickets and a lot of people came by the house to "visit" with him, including, incidentally, a former mayor of Woodland. Selling those tickets was illegal but I think that the sale of Irish Sweepstakes tickets was the worst kept secret in town. Grandpa was a big gambler. He used to take the Grayhound bus to Reno or Tahoe often. The bus used to go down third street passed our house, and he would sit on the front porch and when the bus went by he'd yell in his Galveston drawl, "Dar goes duh Grayhound!" That would get him going. When he came home, he would toss a handful of silver dollars onto the kitchen floor to watch us boys fight for them. He always went to Harrah's Club and claimed to be a personnal friend of Bill Harrah.

Becky Knight (Tobitt) (1961)

Bee, that must have been down by Huff's on the curve just before the bridge over Cache Creek on old 99W. We came through there on the bus. When the driver open the bus door, the water started to come in and covered the first step!

Riding the bus was an adventure and education in itself. My cousins sat behind me, unscrewed the bolts holding the seat together and tossed them out the window.

Yes, that water was very cold at Crowders, especially when your swimming lesson was at 9 am. But we got to buy Pixie Sticks of sour grape when we got finished.

The old girls' gym was an interesting place. Miss Brandenberg used to threaten us under penalty of death not to slide down the banister of the stairs that went from the gym up-stairs down to the locker room. A friend who was two year ahead of me, Kathy Hopkins, decided to NOT follow the rules, slid down the big banister and proceeded to get a huge splinter in her backside! Fortunately for her, it was 6th period. She sort of stood on the bus home that night. I think that Miss Brandenberg found out but don't remember what the punishment was. I think that having a very sore butt she felt was punishment enough.. Kathy was one of those students you wanted to hug and kill at the same time. 

Vern and Bill, thank you for the kind words. Greatfully appreciated to be remembered so fondly. As to how I remember all the old names, I don't know. I can't remember the name of someone I met yesterday!

Vern Larson (1960)

Thank you Craig for those very kind words. You made my day!

And Becky, I've got to tell you how much I loved your braces! Not that braces are anything that a person would want to be remembered for, but the way you wore them was different. You smiled at everybody and it was as tho your smile was lined with diamonds . It really was beautiful to behold. 

Virginia Roath (Atkeison) (1966)

Thank you Becky and Joel for starting more memory recalling......

The "Muni" pool was the beginning of many wonderful times for me. It began taking swim lessons when I was tall enough to stand in the shallow end. (that was the rule then)  I had lessons from David Fitz, Mr Utley, Bob Gordon plus others.  My most embarassing moment was when I went off the high board the first time and belly flopped! My brother and I would ride our bikes on hot summer days (from Buckeye St.) to spend our afternoons staying cool at the pool!    After finishing lifesaving class, I was eager to be a teachers aid in the summers.  I was totally excited to get hired after graduation to be a lifeguard/swim instructor. (1966)  The pay at that time was $1.25/hr to guard and $1.50 to teach. (WOW!)  I worked every summer through college and after, eventually becoming pool manager of the Muni and then for both swim pools (year round) until 1978 when Prop 13 passed.

The Muni was a fun place to be with Sheldon Strong, the Fitz brothers, Patti Gay, Mr. Utley, Gary Forbes, Pat Tauzer, Bill Freeman, Buzz Evicci, Rick Larson, Bill Herms, Tooti Gear, Betsiy Bourne, Grace Hiddleson and many others  There was Aquacade (a show for the public) the staff put on for syncronize swiming and crazy antics and diving from the boys (mentioned above) and  I think Bob Gordon and Mr Utley did the commentary and announcing during the show.  Also, after the work hours, innertube water polo and other horseing around.  Of course, we had a swim team as well.  I remember Buzz and Rick always winning the backstroke events and Bill diving beautifully and precisely off the boards.

Yes, it was a grand time.

Don Murdoch (1962)

At the city pool in the late 50's, 3 songs were played over the loudspeaker all day long. I think it was the only 3 records they had.  One of the songs was "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation" by Marty Robbins. The 2nd one was the "William Tell Overture".  Does anyone remember the 3rd song?

Dan Ree (Ree) (1964)

Virginia.....did U teach First Aid in 1977?

Virginia Roath (Atkeison) (1966)

Yes, Dan....As part of my full time, year round job as pool manager, I taught CPR in the winter time to the sheriffs, city police and firemen and some first aid and water safety instructor classes at the Red Cross office and swim pool.

Dan Ree (Ree) (1964)

OK....I was going through some my past PD and other paper work and found an American Red Cross CPR card I was issed in 4/23/77 and signd by Virginia m. Roath.....Small World......