Baron Corpuz:
CLASS OF 1978
San Jose High SchoolClass of 1978
San jose, CA
Baron's Story
I'm currently living in EUROPE, EINDHOVEN HOLLAND with my wife Cecile a Dutchy girl and 3 adult kids, Nadine ~ Benny and Lizzy. This will be my 2nd time living here in Holland the 1st time was from 1995 to 2005, then we moved to Santa Barbara Ca 2005 to 2015 now I'm back here in Holland once again! Here I will have small Vintage bicycle repair shop BICI and will also be selling vintage bicycle parts on my web shop at---.renaissance-cycle.com. so if your in need of parts for your old bicycle look me up!
I was supposed to graduate with the class of '77! I missed most of '75 this was due to my sister who was born with some major medical problems, after 3 days of being at Kaiser Santa Clara the doctors there decided to send her to Kaiser San Francisco, I guess they were better suited for her care, she was there for 6 months, my mom would visit her for those 6 months traveling there 6 days a week getting there she was using public transportation, that was brutal! Anyway we had a small business, so it was up to me for taking care of the shop. The following year I was back to school, '76/'77 was 2 great years for me! After missing most of '75 I was only shy 4 credits, in order the Graduate with the class of '77 I was going to need to do summer schooling! One day I was hanging out with some school mates and Victor Reyes was a bit upset, he said that he had to do another year! I thought to myself Geeze! Maybe I should just do another year as well, I was not going to be going to Collage 12 years of schooling was enough for me so one more year it's not going to kill me and I already have a great job already lined up for myself! The job offer was for being an buyer for JAPANESE KOI! This offer was when I'm ready he's ready! The job offer was made after my first dealing with the business owner of DUNCAN water gardens of Stockton Ca. Anyway I purchased 4 fish from his mixed selection ponds, they were juveniles he asked me so did you find anything I showed him and he said where did you find these fish, I told him 2 are from his $10.00 pond and 2 are from his $15.00 pond He the said THAT CAN'T BE! I then jumped up and down like a little kid and said! The wet concrete will NOT LIE! He went to take a LOOK! His eye balls were popping out of his head then turned to me and bowed to me, he looked at my dad and said WE MUST TALK! From roughly a thousand fish and he found these 4 fish! He was impressed. The offer was great offer, he wanted me to work for him BADLEY! Good money$$$ A Brand new never lived in 2 bedroom house was mine for free to live in, he would furnish with what ever I would need or wanted, all the food and drink I would need as well, use of the company car to go to San Jose along with all the gas as needed he then pulled up his index finger and said YOU WILL NOT HAVE SPEND 1 DIME! My dad then said why such an offer?? He said something like Baron has the gift!...The fish that Baron purchased today ARE SELECT KOI! Meaning these are SHOW QUALITY KOI Their VALUE IS MUCH HIGHER! Baron will work here at the farm for the 1st 2 years, then he will be traveling to JAPAN to Buy select KOI ONLY!....So to say doing another year not a big deal, '78 was going to be a GREAT YEAR! After thinking everything out I LOOKED AT VICTOR and said I'll be joining you! He looked at me with a puzzled look and said WHAT! YEP! I'll be joining you for another year! Biggest problem will be my grand mother coming over from HAWAII for my graduation! She was going to be pissed off!....AND YES! SHE WAS PISSED OFF!....Sadly to say! I didn't take the job! OH! At the same time as this job offer I also was offered a house on the BIG ISLAND of HAWAII!...It was a BRAND NEW NEVER LIVED IN HOUSE, It was a VA Assumable, my God father said no money down I'll just be needing a signature and it's yours you'll just need to take over the mortgage payments. I said I don't think so...because at the time Rock fever wasn't for me!
Summer before and the start to the crazy to be '78 School year! Mr. Andres oops!
Every single day of this summer I was on my bicycle, pedal here and pedal there 2 to 3 time a week I was riding over the hill to SANTA CRUZ via HWY 9 once on the summit it was time for the crazy down hill run to SC passing through BOULDER CREEK, then to Felton where the road was very narrow From down town San Jose saddle time was about 2.5 hours by the end of the summer saddle time was roughly 2 hours! Once there, grab some food then make ready for the push home. During one of these rides I was on the down hill run going into SANTA CRUZ and I saw this old truck coming from the other direction, hey! that looks like Mr. Andres truck as it got closer, YES! It was his truck with him driving it, there was also a lady in there as well! I waved and yelled at him but his was LOOKING STONE COLD!... Ok! No big deal....Alright summer's over and it's time for the '78 school year, During the first or 2nd week of school I saw Mr, Andres in B-HALL he was with A lady, I said Hey! I saw you up on HWY 9! He said no it was NOT ME!...I said sure it was you, you were driving your old truck and there was a lady with you, At that time Fred Floresca said! Referring to the lady that was in B-HALL with Mr. Andres,>>>>>>>>>>That's Mrs. Andres! I said it wasn't her!.....You could see it in William Uchiyama eyes.....oops! Baron you blew it for Mr. Andres! Anyway Mr. Andres went one way and his wife the other! Uch and Fred gave me the eye,! Hell! I didn't know that his wife was also at SAN JOSE!....We all know what happened after that. This was the start to the beginning for the crazy '78 school year!
The pumpkin raids of '78! Sadies Hawkins dance was around the corner, so pumpkins was needed for the DECOR for the dance! Since there was about 60 plus guys wanting in, we decided to split into a groups one stayed close to home of which they got into a lot of trouble, since I wasn't there I'll leave it at that. The other group we were off to southern SJ! During our raid everything went down smoothly, our drivers we're waiting across the street behind the Toy R us store, when we had enough pumpkins we singled a car to come over then off it went with a load along with a few of the guys making their way back to SJ, I was with the last car leaving! Once we got back we learned of the happenings of the other raid and it wasn't looking very good! As we made a right turn onto 21st street there was a police car, it wash William Uchiyama he got pulled over with several others as we drove by WITH A CAR LOAD OF PUMKI...Expand for more
NS they were all staring at us the cops backs were at us and with UCH and the boys looking at us with eyeballs popping out of their heads you would think the cops would have had a LOOK SEE as well! I guess they must have known what was going on and didn't want to mess with it, UCH! He got busted with 1 pumpkin about the size of oversized Soft-ball! Next day we were back at school, during my 1st period class several guys stormed into may class and said BARON WE GOT A PROBLEM! Right in front of the whole class! They were telling me that the SHERIFF department is going to serve a search warrant for pumpkins! So who gave you this info! They said they THINK this info was passed onto they think to Mrs Corral from someone within the SHERIFFS department, then someone in the school office then passed this info on down the line. I told them well Dean is the President of EXCALIBER, go tell him, they said, we tried that! He said go and tell Baron! OK! I LOOKED at my teacher and said I GOTS TO GO!.....I'm needed elsewhere! So off we went with 15 or 20 other guys in tow! Job done! Pumpkins are now in a safe place so now we're ready for the SHERIFFS search! During Lunch break before the search was to happen. I was kicking back in the 50's wing and Principal HUFFMANN walked up to me and kicked my legs! I LOOKED AT HIM!...What's up with that!....He said! Corpuz did you take care of those pumpkins! I paused and said YEH! YEY! were good to go! He turned away and Said GGOD MAN! GOOD MAN! YIKES! THE WHOLE SCHOOL WAS IN ON THE PUMPKIN COVER-UP!...For sure we were all having good laugh! Then a bunch of other group who basically came up empty! They wanted to hit the PUMPKIN Patch that my group raided the night before, so we went for it! But something was fishy going on, we found a nice pile of pumpkins piled up nicely in the bushes! Of course the guys wanted to grab those, I then YELLED! LEAVE THEM! WE ARE NOT TOUCHING THEM! I looked across the field and about 3 to 4 hundred yards away there was several police cars parked in a parking lot! I'm sure this was a set-up! So we left empty handed. Then the next day! their talking to me about getting some hay! What am I! The YELLOW pages! I found a location but we'll be dealing with some dogs! So now we're going on a hey raid!...But I didn't mention the dogs to anybody, yet! As we're walking down the drive way I then said we got 2 to 3 minutes then the dogs will be coming! They said why didn't you tell us earlier about the dogs, I said if I did then non of you would be here right now! So lets get it on and get what we came for! Lets grab 10 and go! Soon after the dogs were on their way! So to say we were out of there REAL FAST! After this some of the guys were saying WE NEED SOME CORN STALKS! This raid was simple and easy! We just raided a road side fruit stand that had nicely bundled corn stalks for decoration! Riding party was small, just 3 of us, Julian Herrera, George Acosta and myself! As we were driving down the road there was only one other car on the road way, just so happens it was a police car! We came up on the side! The cop looked at us! Then turned and looked at our load! He gave me the HIGH eyebrow and I grinned back. He just waved us by! He knew what we were doing! I guess he wasn't interested with messing around with 3 guys with a load of corn stalks!
During this year I had a welding class with Mr. Dyke, most of the time I was welding part for his STREET CLEANERS, MR. AIR SWEEPER, I was doing piece work welding about 15 UNITS per hour, 15X at the rate of $1.00 per unit, 5 hours per week! Do the math and I had some good pocket money every day! He paid cash at the end of every class! One day he tossed a bunch of key at me within was $ 100.00 bill I said! What's this for! He SAID! GO and get TOGO's for the class! I said, I don't drive! He then said! Mr. Haake said you were his best driving student! So that's good enough for me! I said! But you don't understand! I don't have a drivers License! He said! If you don't go then you'll get an ( F ) for the day! I said OK! What am I going to drive! He pointed to his DUALLY CREW CAB! I said! You want me to DRIVE THAT! NO WAY I'll be finding a place to park that MONSTER! He then said take some boys with you, they can go and get TOGO's then you can drive the truck around the block a few times! He then said to the class! HEY! Anybody want's to go to TOGO's with Baron! You guys can drive around SJSU and whistle at the pretty girls! Before I knew it I had the whole class piled into the truck! I asked Larry! What if I get pulled over! He said! Tell the police that you STOLE the truck!...GREAT! I got no DRIVERS License diving a truck full of HORNEY teenagers with a huge truck of which I HAVE NEVER driven before!...This was going to be very interesting. So off we went! I think this was a test, soon after He said Baron you need to drive a load 2X sweepers to L.A! What! I told him! I still don't have a drivers License and you want me to drive that RIG to L.A! The RIG consisted of his DUALLY CREW CAB, 30ft plus trailer with 2 SWEEPERS! WOW! I said! What about the CHP weight inspection stations? He said just drive the 5 miles per hour limit, don't look at them and just drive through! Last of all! I told him I can't drive backwards with a trailer! I will have no knowledge of doing so! He said! Don't put yourself in that situation, just drive straight when making the drop double park in the roadway for the drop-off. Anyway I was very uneasy about doing this delivery at Larry shop I looked at Frank Larosa a S.J. fellow student! I don't know about this, then this guy David said I got my Drivers License I can drive the load! Frank and I looked at each other and SAID! Don't drive 154! We both knew what 154 was all about! Take 101 South! OK! I got out of this one! Oh well this was short lived, I got a call from FRANK! He said! David drove the load off the road and took it down a 100ft drop! I SAID! OH! S#&*! HE DROVE 154! Frank said! Yep!
The mid class Lou's Donut run! During class with Mr. Basquez every once in awhile David Harper and myself in the middle of class we would slip out of class for a Lou's donut run, one day Mr. Basquez said Baron, The next time you go for donuts, bring back donuts for the whole class, one day we slipped out of class for another donut run, David reminded me that we needed to bring back donuts back for the class, that we did! Donut holes! Mr. Basquez said, he said donuts, I said they are donuts, the donut holes!...From donuts!
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