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). 

Gail Smith (Maxwell) (1964)

To Harriet Shamshoian Giles - You know, that is an interesting question about my mother.  I do remember the name of your father very well and I know that she knew him but I'm not sure in what capacity.  She very well could have worked for the Housing Authority.  When I remember things about my mother's work, it is always that she had her own stenography business and was located in the lobby of the Woodland Hotel.  She was also the Executive Director for the Yolo County branch of the American Cancer Society.  Except for brief stints with the California Association for Mental Health  and the Arthritis Foundation, she worked for the American Cancer Society most of her life, ending up as the Regional Director of Fund Raising for the Central CA Area, based in Modesto.  Ironically, she had various cancers throughout her later life and ended up succumbing to the disease.  My brother died about six months ago and I have been going through old pictures.  I found these newspaper clippings of my Mom.  Check out the phone number in the first clipping!

Note regarding Mr. Thatcher - he was definitely a brilliant man, which is why I don't think he could relate to people like me who just didn't get it!  Thanks for the information about his personal life...he sounds like he was a very interesting man.  Does anyone know if he was married?

Theresa Eve (1964)

Gail Smith:  Nice to read about your Mother and all her accomplishments. She was a hard worker.   I never knew that the Hotel Woodland had a Stenographers Business.  How interesting.  I so enjoy reading about things which were happening around us in that time and that I knew nothing about.  Sorry to learn of your brother's passing.

John Eaton (1964)

Thanks, Robert.

Becky Zane (Ewert) (1964)

The people in the picture with Neil Zane are his sister Mary Zane Parrish and her husband Dennis Parrish.

Harriet Shamshoian (Giles) (1964)

Thank you, Gail, for the information about your Mother, Loretta. Her name is familar but I don't know where to check out the facts since The Housing Authority is no longer there on Lemen Ave. near Tafoya's Market.

Harriet Shamshoian Giles

Connie Waldeck (Beard) (1966)

Bottom right is Ed Richter's - class of 68 -  (38 or 39?) Chevy sedan.

Tim Tucker (1965)

Bottom right is a 1938 Chevrolet 4dr Sedan.

Gail Smith (Maxwell) (1964)

Teresa - thanks for your condolences on my brother's passing.  He was very young (my half brother)...only 51.  He was a quadriplegic but did very well until he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.

Harriet - did your Dad work for the Housing Authority?  Is he still alive?

Robert - thanks for the information on Mr. Thatcher's marriage, etc.  You are a fountain of information and I appreciate it!

Harriet Shamshoian (Giles) (1964)

Gail,

No, he died in 1988 when my only child was just two years old. She really has no memories of him. He was a true public servant but had his demons in the form of being an alcoholic. It was called a heavy social drinker in those days!!  My Mom died in 2004 at the age of 90.

Patricia Amack (Cannon) (1968)

Information regarding Dewayne Owens

Yes, he graduated with all you in the class of '65'. He is in the 65 ILEX. I still have his graduation picture as we dated off and on while I was in high school. His mom was a teacher, dad was not in the picture when we met my freshman year. Mrs. Owens was in Woodland for quite a few years even after Dewayne came home from Viet Nam. My mom used to see her once in awhile. I do not know where he moved. Could ask my mom.

G. Gilbert Yule (1966)

I was back in Woodland for the Scottish Highland Games a couple of weeks ago. I'd read here about the Corkwood Lounge's emminent demise so I stopped by and took a couple of farewell pictures. End of an era.

Theresa Eve (1964)

Thank  you for the last few pictures of the CorkWood Lounge.  That was one place to go for something to eat after the dances.  Another memory from Woodland fades away.

Patricia Amack (Cannon) (1968)

I do not live in the area. Are they tearing down the Corkwood or is it going out of business?

Tuni Gravink (House) (1964)

I am sad too see that the Corkwood is shutting down. That has been there since i can remember. It was the "New " bowling alley after the one out at the fairgrounds. That is where i learned to bowl first, then over too the new bowling alley. My dad and his brother Tom, would always bowl there. Sometimes i got to bowl with them, and it was fun. Of course, they couldn't understand a "lefties" way of bowling.  Many of us used to go there on Friday and Saturday nights,and some Sunday afternoons, and order that huge plate of french fries, and a cherry coke. That is when a dollar could get you both of those. We would sit there and talk, and to us we felt; we had solved the problems of the world, but we really had not begun to understand the world and its' problems yet. But i remember many of the students being there and doing the same thing. It was fun, it was safe, and the waitresses and staff got to know most of us pretty well, on a first name basis. 

It is sad when times move forward, and businesses are forced either to relocate or in this case shut down, because people who grew up with them, feel a part of their life's history is being taken away, and it is in a way. Change is hard to accept sometimes,  but at the same time it is sometimes good. In this case it is sad. It is a part of the town and always has been.

Maybe there is a way someone could help them, maybe and attorney would assist, or get a petition going. I am not sure what would have to be done at this point. Tuni

Greg Kareofelas (1962)

A little More on the Corkwood Thread

When My sister and I asked Mom, "Where would you like to go for Mother's Day Dinner Tonight?", we already knew what the answer would be!  "The Corkwood", of course. It is where I would meet Mom and Dad thru out the years to celebrate Birthdays, Anniversaries and many other special occasions, the food was always good and it was just so "familiar". How long have we been doing that? For a very long time. If memory serves me well, that is where I went for "Junior Prom Dinner". In my Junior year, my car could not be trusted to go all the way to Sacramento, so the Corkwood worked out perfect for a "good dinner to impress a date".

The Parking lot of the Corkwood is firmly burned into my memory as that is where the letter from the Draft Board told me to be, and be on time! -  A bus wouldl take me to the Oakland Induction Center at 6:30 AM, 6 Sep 1967. How many others from Woodland and the surrounding area met a similar bus and took that journey to Oakland from that parking lot?

Maybe it was this sentimental feeling, but I lingered a bit, while walking out after dinner tonight and I noticed a Full Page Ad from the daily Democrat, dated September 25, 1975 advertising the Corkwood and Bowling Alley hanging on the wall of the entryway.

I took a quick pic, I posted the pic in three sections, maybe someone recognizes a familiar face from that ad. I know it is a pretty bad image - yellowing newsprint, but feel free to click and download the image, to make it bigger

Joan Richter (Lucchesi) (1960)

Loved the old Democrat picture that you posted. The picture of the woman on the top right is Maxine Hilliker. Her husband Jim and my dad Jack Richter were the directors of the Sacramento Bowling Association in charge of Woodhaven Lanes.  They probaby did that for 30 years or more. Before that they were at the "old" bowling ally which was on (now) East Main Street in the quonset hut.  Later it was the Bee Line busines. Part of their job was to inspect the ally when a 300 game was bowled then present a ring to the bowler when appoved by the American Bowling Asso. Ed Anderson received many of those rings from Woodhaven. Wish I could see the picture better. If anyone knows another people, please post the names.

Harriet Shamshoian (Giles) (1964)

What a kick to see phone numbers without area codes and then the old Mohawk prefix. Thank you for these memory jogs. 

Harrriet Shamshoian Giles
 

Greg Kareofelas (1962)

Hi Joan

I posted the pic in three parts, just put the cursor on the section you would like to see bigger, right click, save as, dowload to your pix and look at it bigger. Does that make sense?

cheers, greg

Joel Childers (1966)

The Corkwood Restaurant was a big client of my Grandfathers produce service. They always ordered top quality US #1 baker potatoes and a crate of quality fish. That stuff was heavy for a 12 year old. Wow; I forgot about the old bowling alley out by the fairgrounds. Pop was in a bowling league and would drive us out there in the '52 Plymouth. Brian and I were about 4 and 5 years old...too young to bowl, but we ran around the place annoying the bowlers. Pop used to umpire American Legion & Pony League baseball games over at the park by the water tower and Little League parks. And he would take us to see the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League before the Giants and A's moved west. We saw the 49ers play in Kezar Stadium. Do you remember driving to the Bay Area before the Interstate was built? There were those two huge hills and Pop would have to downshift to 2nd gear on the big one. In the summer of '78, Dave, Brian and I bought 4 tickets to a Giants game at Candlestick Park to take Pop to a baseball game on Father's Day. He died of a heart attack, at 52, a few days before the game. We went anyway. He would have wanted it. 

Theresa Eve (1964)

Joel:  Good memories you presented.  I did not realize your father was so young when he passed.  I just remember you living on 3rd Street, the house with a basement and polo table.  It seems like a century ago, probably was.  It seems everyone went to the Corkwood Lounge.  It was about the only big place to get something to eat late at night.  I remember the old bowling alley, not really too fancy at all.  I also recall that the Cinderella Motel was about the only Motel in town.  (It did have a swimming pool.) Thank you for your story.

Gail Smith (Maxwell) (1964)

Harriet - I thought I had posted this a few days ago but evidently I did something wrong because it didn't show up in the forum.  I have been sick for the past few days so I blame it on that, not my technical expertise--HAH!  I wanted to tell you that I was sorry to hear about your father's passing away so early.  My mom died in 1991, which I felt was way too early, so I know how you feel.  My kids were older so she did have a relationship with them but she never knew her great grandchildren and I am sad for that.  Your mother certainly lived a good long life so that is great.  I hope you got the picture I posted on your profile.  What a remarkable coincendence that when I started looking through my mother's scrapbooks, the first thing I came across was a picture of your dad and my mom working at the Housing Authority!  I spent the day going down Memory Lane, with all her pictures and newspaper articles.  Being a child at the time, I had no idea she was the first woman to ever serve on the board of the Chamber of Commerce!  I knew she was busy and always running around but never quite understood it all.  Now I do.

Don Murdoch (1962)

For those of you concerned about the bowling alley, worry no longer  The bowling alley in now open and has been for about a month.  So is the Corkwood Lounge.  The Corkwood Restaurant is also open but cannot be accessed from the bowling alley or the lounge.  Apparently the owner of the bowling alley is at odds with the owner of the restaurant and won't allow the door connecting the two to be open.  It is always locked so if you want to access the restaurant from the bowling complex, you must go outside and use the front door to the restaurant.  Why can't we all just get along.  Now, if they would reopen the A&W, we could go cruisin'.  

A couple of you have talked of a bowling alley near the fairgrounds.  I recall no such bowling alley.  The only bowling alley in town was on E. Main St., as Joan mentioned, in a quanset hut. It later became B-Line Service after the move to Woodhaven Lanes.  It had 10 lanes and a small restaurant, with several pinball machines.  I believe Mel Landers owned the operation.  I bowled in a junior league there in 1956-57.  

Doyle Phillips (1961)

Don,   wasn't there a bowling alley out on East Main and also a roller skating rink?  I believe they had the Pan American Dances in one of them.  I know there was a Bowling Alley on West Main.  My dad and brother played in League games in the 50's.   I use to roller skate somewhere out on East Main.  It was not to far from the Market that had the real tall great dane.  Moore Body Shop was also out there close by. 

We always cruised from the A&W down to the Bowling Alley most of the evening then go into the Hong Kong for weiners and rice and a soda. Was it a Pepsi or Coke? 

Joel Childers (1966)

Theresa Eve... Our basement was the neighborhood headquarters of the Kool Kat's Klub. I don't remember you being a member, but someone obviously let you in since you know of the pool table down there. (LOL). OK, we did have the Kool Kat's Klub as kids, but I'm sure it disbanded well before you-know-who met you-know-who. 

Theresa Eve (1964)

Joel:  As you know, I was not part of that club you had.  It was just by chance I was in the basement where the pool table was.  It was not for very long.  I think David was playing pool with one of the brothers.  That's all she wrote and this tale is told out!  Funny the things we remember!! I never was good at pool.