Carol Smith:  

I was born on December 9, 1956, at Encino Hospital. My brother Chris and I attended Our Lady of Grace church and school. My father was an Irish-Catholic, table-bangin' Democrat but my non-Catholic mama took us to church and school. My mom took Catechism classes because she wanted to be a Scottish-Catholic, table bangin' Closet Republican and she almost made it until she asked Father Johnson, "Do you mean that my main job is to have twenty kids to contribute to the Catholic church?" She didn't like the answer and subsequent lecture she got so by the time I was 7 we were done being Catholic. By age 8, my parents divorced and my brother Chris and I began our second and non-parochial school. Altogether, we attended six different primary schools . Chris attended two different junior highs. I spent my entire sixth grade at Sherman Oaks Elementary, the longest time at one school. My mother and I moved to Brentwood and I spent 8th and 9th grades at Paul Revere Junior High - the longest I would attend one school and I really loved that school! All my closest friends went to Pali High and I went to Uni. I played alto sax in John MacGruder's music classes and that was the best part of Uni. I hated high school and came very close to dropping out. I went to Birmingham for a minute or two then moved up to San Luis Obispo and away from my mom and I graduated with honors in 1974. I had to play sax for the graduation ceremony and I fulfilled all social and academic requirements, then threw all my stuff in my mom's trunk and left San Luis Obispo that same day. I drove straight home to Brentwood and never looked back. I loved college and went to several. I earned my Bachelor's and Master's degrees from CSUN. Durin...Expand for more