Claude Heavens:
CLASS OF 1969
Hobbs High SchoolClass of 1969
Hobbs, NM
Los Angeles Baptist Theological SeminaryClass of 1973
Newhall, CA
Claude's Story
After graduating from Hobbs High School ... I attended Los Angeles Baptist College where I received a B.A. degree in 1973 . It was an instant love for California and I decided to stay and make it home .
Life has truly been a blast ... I just wish it would slow down a bit . I have no idea where all the years have gone .
After college I had the opportunity to coach one of my early childhood loves ... as the off-campus J.V. Boys basketball coach and varsity assistant at one of the local high schools (Saugus High) for 6 years and be a part of bringing the school and this valley of 6 high schools its only Southern California Basketball Championship . What an achievement ... 21 years later Saugus High School is still the only local school to win a Southern California Basketball Championship .
My J.V. teams won 4 straight league titles ... it was a rewarding feeling to bring a championship mentality to a program and impact the lives of young men . It was gratifying to have former players (some that are now coaches themselves) and female stat keepers come back years later and thank you for being a positive influence in their young lives . In hindsight ... I found myself wishing that I had taken a career path as an educator and coach .
I currently have more than 28 years in at the U.S. Postal Service as a mailman and I'm thinking of retiring in the next couple of years as the rest of you baby boomers are probably seriously considering doing also .
For the past five years I have been trying to become the self-proclaimed " King of eBay " . I sell up front tickets to concerts , theatre and sporting events . You can find some of my listings at : stores.ebay.com/BeSeated-Tickets .
I spent some of my more interesting times back in the 80's and 90's . My now ex-wife worked in real estate ... she worked with a young lady who's husband played bass and sang baritone vocals for one of the " Original Jersey Boys " ( Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons) . I loved their music growing up as a teen in Hobbs . Suddenly I found myself spending concerts backstage meeting celebrity friends of Frankie Valli's and surprisingly got to meet the lady I had always considered the most beautiful and the sexiest woman walking the face of this planet ... Raquel Welch ... especially after seeing Raquel on the movie screen in 1967 in the movie " One Million Year B.C. " . What a sexy and beautiful Hollywood icon and my opinions of her were totally validated during the meeting (smile) . Equally beautiful was the late actress Natalie Wood ... what a wow factor ... she was absolutely stunning ... just breath-takingly beautiful . Speaking of celebrities ... one of the more funny stories ... is that I use to eat breakfast daily at this little hole in the wall 50's diner . A guy came in often and always took the same seat at the counter to the left of me ... and his face seemed oh so familiar . With heads buried in newspapers ... we rarely spoke to each other except for the usual hi , bye and nice weather comments . One day he introduces himself ... it turned out to be the now late , great Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (Del Shannon) whom had major hits with such songs as " Runaway " , " Handy Man " , " Keep Searchin (We'll Follow the Sun)" and " Stranger in Town " . Life kind of leaves you shaking your head when things like that happen ... because here I had grown up watching many of these individuals on American Bandstand , ShinDig and on the movie screen as a teen ... I never imagined in my wildest dreams that my future would place me at lunch counter or in a green room socializing with many of them .
Strange ... is being 8 years old watching great family TV programs like " Leave It To Beaver " ... then many decades later having Jerry Mathers " The Beaver " ... himself living on my postal route ... and being at his fr...Expand for more
ont door daily handing him scripts and other items . It left me feeling as if my life had gone in almost a complete circle . Once mail carriers discovered the Beaver was living on my mail route ... many would go to his door with items that did not need signatures ... state that they had run out of signature forms ... and ask him to sign a blank piece of paper . One carrier even asked if he would print " The Beaver " next to his signature ... know wonder " The Beaver " later had his then wife Rhonda sign all documents (smile) .
Even more strange ... is that after graduating from college ... I worked for the Dept. of Parks & Recreation ... running an organized men's basketball league . One of the players I befriended was a left-handed playing Detective Phil Vannatter (whom later became the lead detective in the O.J. Simpson murder trail) . A few years before the trial I'm also socializing in green rooms with well dressed attorney and father of Kim , Kourtney & Khole ... Robert Kardashian whom was a friend and one of the " Dream Team Attorneys " for O.J. Simpson ... strange indeed . That is one jury I never would have been allowed to serve on .
I also learned about the fighting spirit and the forgiving nature of man when trucker Reginald Denny ... whom was nearly beaten to death in the L.A. riots ... moved in with his relatives that lived on my postal route and he recovered from his injuries at their home . Our small chats at the mailbox would later expand to his engagement and pending marriage . Reginald was know longer this front page news story but a physical being ... and I never pulled for the physical and emotional healing of an individual more in my entire life .
Whom will I always treasure meeting ? It would be Roy Rogers , Dale Evans , Gene Autry and Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger) ... for their TV programs had always been a piece of my childhood fiber . I recall my uncles often talked of listening to the Lone Ranger when it was only a radio program (smile) ... so to meet the real Lone Ranger in person and in outfit was awesome ... it remains my most treasured meeting of anyone . Gene Autry's Melody Ranch was less than a mile up the rustic canyon from my college campus ... almost every television western was shot there ... it was great having a local Western Walk of Fame and being able to meet many of my childhood western idols after induction ceremonies .
The biggest surprise and one of the coolest things to take place in my life was to deliver a parcel to the ranch style home of legendary cowboy and western music star Tex Williams ... and meet him . I had no idea it was his home or he lived in the community ... when I told the lady answering the front door that her husband had the name of a famous Country recording and western television star . She smilingly invited me into her home ... when I saw all of the gold records on the wall and out walked Tex Williams from his office ... it was one of the only times I can recall my jaws dropping for anything . How cool ... meeting Tex Williams made me think of my hot summer job at Nothern Natural Gas in Hobbs ... where the workers listen to country music daily and I heard many Tex Williams songs .
With meeting legendary UCLA Bruins Coach John " The Wizard of Westwood " Wooden ... how could I not flashback to thoughts of Hobbs very own Ralph " Tip " Tasker . Their appearance , championships , details and preparation for the game wer all so parallel .
Like everyone else ... I've lived some very interesting times . Times that I might have never enjoyed or known had I remained in Hobbs . However the one thing I have always constantly felt ... is ... what a wonderful place to have grown up .
Despite it all , through the years I have discovered that family and childhood friendships make no other place seem quite like home (Hobbs) .
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