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Miguel Michel (1966)
Since some folks are posting some of the memories that they have of Woodland, I thought I would share some of mine. Hope I don't bore you.
Although I was born in Woodland at the old county hospital, I did not grow up in Woodland the first part of my childhood. When I was very small my parents took me and my sister Celia to live with my grandparents in Mexico.
When we (my sister and I) were old enough to start school, we returned to California where my sister and I started school outside of Winters. We started school at Buckeye Elementary. It was a one room school house and we had kids from first grade to 8th grade attending. Only one family from that school that I recall attended school in Woodland. I remember Flip and Joe Carandall.
The next school that I attended was in Madison for one year before "graduating" to the school in Esparto. From Esparto we moved to the Wookland area when I was in the 7th or 8th grade.
Since we lived in the outkirts of Woodland I attended school at Willow Springs Elementary. There I met a few kids that I would later see at WHS. Some of the kids that I rememger from there are Mike Lee, Kathy McGillacudy (sp), Jerry Jiminez, the Betencourt kids and the Zuniga kids ( Butch, Patty, Loreta and Ted).
When my father finally bought a house in Woodland on 3rd and Cross street. I then attended Harriet Lee where I reconnected with Bob Cantrell whom I had known from Esparto. From what I understand Wilma Torres also went to school in Esparto but I do not remember her from Esparto. Alvin Gersalia (sp) was another kid that I had met in Esparto. I recall that Alvin and Willie (Francisco) Lopez were always getting into fights. I reconnected with Alvin years after we graduated form WHS and he told me that he and Willie had ultimately burried the hatchet and became friends.
I recall walking to Harriet Lee from 708 3rd street when it was raining and getting to school very wet. Bob Cantrell had to ride his bike to school and he would also be very wet. Funny that I never thought about getting a raincoat.
I have many memories of WHS. I will mention just a few, so as not to make this message too long. I rememer French class Freshman year with Mr. Hefner and Connie Logue being in that class with me. We had to learn skits that we then had to do in front of the rest of the class. The skits came from a book that was meant for adults. One phrase that I remember was "avez vous le cigarettes Americans?". I think Ruth Linford was also in this class as was Bob Cantrell. I became friends with Janeth Nishamura, June Sakata, Steve Takimoto, Ron Damsen, Maurice Richter, Bill Fong and John Armus. I rememmber playing football in the rain with these guys.
Bob Cantrell invited me to go fishing up at Lake Tahoe. We didn't get to go fishing however because of rain but we did get to camp out. Mike Murray was the only other person that ever invited me to stay overnight at his parents house. I think the occasion was that we were going to try and walk/run 50 miles as part of president Kennedy's fitness program. We didn't make it. I think Manuel Arteche was one of only ones that made it.
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