Bob Lyon:
CLASS OF 1969
Garden Grove High SchoolClass of 1969
Garden grove, CA
Bob's Story
Greetings! Unlike the majority of my fellow alumni, my 4 years at Garden Grove just sucked! I enjoyed the teachers, P.E., students, and even the homework. Unfortunately, my father did not allow me to have any friends, was overly abusive, and strict. And friends included male and female. I was also not allowed to date either. I was shy and awkward at best. I had to come right home from school, and "hit the books". I was not allowed to be "cool" like John Abbey, Earl Stillson, Bob White, Timmy Neal, Don Clurman or Brian Brewer, our resident hippies/surfers in 1967-1968. I had very little time to socialize with the kids at school. I hung around, when I could, with Timmy Neal, Gary Parker, Steve "The Stroker" Hutchinson, Stan Weber, Bill Gates, Bruce "Irv" Fink, Rod "The Roach" Rodarte, and Tom Puff, who was sadly killed in Vietnam in 1971, at the tender age of 20! ;-( Just because I did not date, did not mean that I did not have "secret" crushes on the following girls: Monica Peek, Cheryda Loadholtz, Lydia Martinez, Sue "The Body" Domries, Candy Faught-deceased, Pat Kelly, Linda Seest Breen,Leah Hopper,Renee Dehart,Linda Buzzer-deceased,Chris Archer-Class of 1970,Carol Gates-since grade school at Crosby!,Kathy Roche-same as Carol, and Maureen Manley. To me, they were ALL so beautiful,classy, and with the exception of Candy, Linda Buzzer, and Linda Seest Breen, I never said a word to the others. I had zero confidence, and felt like a dork around them. :-( When I got out of high school, I wanted the following: 1.Go to college and make as much $ as was possible, so that I could retire early. 2.Grow out my hair; become a wild and rebellious "hippie",and never have anything more to do with my abusive and insane father. 3. Start to travel, and catch waves all over the globe. 4. Date and mate as many ladies, as was humanly possible. Oh yeah!!! ;-) Well, good or bad, ALL 4 dreams and goals were accomplished. Some of the dreams, came with a heavy price.... Out of high school, I went to college to become a teacher and avoid Vietnam. Started working out in 1969, at Santa Ana Junior College, and went from a skinny,but strong, 135 pounds, to well over 200 pounds of powerful, experienced, well conditioned, street fighting muscle, and cocky confidence. My father used to beat my brother and I up. On a weekly basis.This activity went on for years and years. He "stole" my childhood, teen years, spirit, and confidence, with each beating. I had to rebuild and somehow get them back. And, all through junior high,at Walton, and high school, Doug Scheel, the All League/County football player, and CIF STUD Wrestler, used to push me down into my locker, in front of his jock friends, and also harass me to give him the answers to the history tests, in Coach Kennan's class. If I did not give him the answers, he would hit me in the back of my head, OUCH!, arm, and then yell at me. How that big, for the era, dumb, dope, ever got into the University of Arkansas, is beyond me! I used to call him Doug The Thug. But not in front of him, of course. At least not yet. I was not ready (big or experienced enough) to "pay" Doug back, for all of the hurt, humiliation, and pain that he had caused me, in my young life, the past 6 years. By 1970, I was ready. Now, it would be MY turn! Fortunately or unfortunately, our paths have never crossed since 1969. So, between my violent homelife and Doug, I had no peace. ZERO! I was a ticking time bomb and a train wreck, ready to happen. And it did! I swore that I would NEVER be picked on again. By ANYBODY. Especially by my father, or a football jock like Doug! Let's brawl, was my motto. And I did. For years. If anybody gave my friends or I a problem during that period of my life, it was "lights out" for them! I would strike first, and ask questions later. The ocean was my escape, refuge, and mantra. It still is. I LOVE to catch waves, so I started to travel all over Mexico, Costa Rica, and then Hawaii. My work career consisted of 10 years of heavy construction, masonry, concrete slabs, building custom homes in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, warehouse work, Kraft Foods, Canon Camera, and then for the past 25 years, I worked for the Southern Californi...Expand for more
a Gas Company. They are the 2nd largest natural gas utility in the country. Our "sister" utility is San Diego Gas and Electric. The Gas Company provided great opportunities to advance, and improve your position in life. Our territory goes from the Mexican border, all the way up to San Luis Obispo. I had found my niche! They were a great company to work for. Good pay and wonderful benefits! I purchased 3 homes in 9 years, invested heavily in company stock,Sempra, worked hundreds and hundreds of hours of overtime, and then retired in 2007, at the age of 55. I was married to a beautiful lady named Maggie Hender, fellow alumni of 1975, for 17 years. No kids. We divorced in 2004. :-( For the past 23 years, I have been living in the beautiful and quiet city of Fountain Valley. I am only 3 miles from Newport Beach, and Huntington Beach. I currently am dating, nothing serious, and I am still looking to remarry another time. The RADICAL and DARK life. Short version: In 1973, I grew my hair past my elbows, and for the next 11 years, became a crazy, partying, hippie, tough street fighter, drug user, dealer, and finally, a full blown smuggler, of the best Mexican, Humbolt County, Redding weed, and Rorer 714 Quaaludes, that were on the market, at that time. There were lots of "opportunities" in the 1970's and 1980's, to get ahead financially in that particular business. And, I took full advantage of my travel connections, shall we say. I am NOT proud of that era of my life, and in fact, quite ashamed of my actions, looking back. BUT, it did happen. We cannot "rewrite" history, can we? Also, I was heavily involved in rock 'n' roll. Over the years, I got to meet and hang out with: Quicksilver Messenger Service, Dick Dale, John Kay of Steppenwolf, Pat Travers, Foghat, Camel, The Tubes, John Mayall, and Blue Oyster Cult. We rocked, 'til we dropped, in those "daze"! In 1984, I met Maggie, cut my hair, and became a Christian, and started attending Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. I NEVER looked back. Now that I am retired, I work out, date, travel, attend Surfer's Chapel, and still catch waves. I live a simple and pure life now. Most of my druggy friends are, sadly, dead. :-( If you "dance" with the devil, he does not take IOU's for payment. I have always been honest, and do not believe in sugar coating the truth. God bless! Bob "Lapaka" Lyon (Mahalo and Aloha) p.s. Forgiveness, Closure, and Peace..... Due to my fighting background, I slowly became my worst nightmare. The very person that I hated in Doug Scheel! A bully! How sad. Through Maggie and Jesus, I learned to forgive my father, Doug, and ALL of the others who harmed or hurt me in one way or another. I had hurt MANY, and for me to forgive, I had to ask for forgiveness myself, because I was just as guilty, if not more so, than they were! So I tried to make amends. Some accepted my apology, and others did not. But at least I tried. Six months before my father suffered a fatal stroke in 1989, I forgave him, and saw a side of him that I had never seen before. It was a miracle revelation! By the age of 75, he had mellowed, and could carry on a rational conversation without yelling, screaming, cussing, or putting down someone! Especially me. Now I sleep in peace at night. I wrote this story with a purpose. Life does not always turn out the way we would like it to, as in our dreams. Not all of us can be pretty, handsome, become wealthy, or voted the Homecoming King or Queen! Some of us started out as "misfits" and "rejects". We didn't fit in. And maybe we still do not. Some of us came from poor families, who could not afford to clothe us in the latest cool fashions, or buy us a primo 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS 396 Coupe. Or have a hot looking boyfriend or girlfriend to be happy with. My dad said to me in 1967: "If you want your own car, then go get a job and buy your own." So for 4 years, I worked and saved up enough $ to buy a 1964 Chevy Van. Doing that made me strong, mentally, and independent. It doesn't matter how we start. What matters is how we end up, and the person that we become, from all of our years of experience, that life has taught us. NEVER give up hope, my fellow alumni brothers and sisters. Jesus loves you.
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