David Dawson:
CLASS OF 1974
Glendora High SchoolClass of 1974
Glendora, CA
David's Story
A shout out to all my fellow Class of 1974 Glendora High School Tartans! I cannot believe our 50-year anniversary is just about 2 years away. Seriously, where has the time gone? Let me play my timeline backwards for you. That way, you can stop reading the moment it gets too boring.
I write to you from Escondido, CA, where I and my wife Molly now reside. My "now" picture was taken last year at Petco Park, attending a Padres game. Go Padres!! We ended up in Escondido in 2016, after 24-years in San Luis Obispo, where we raised our three kids, Patrick (now 41), Kevin (almost 37) and Christine (34).
I am in regular contact with Dave Guild, the drum major of the Glendora HS Marching Band and a member of our wedding party. Molly and I have hosted another bandmate Mark Klaus and his wife Marsha at our home in Escondido. We all also attended the wake of bandmate Mike Crandell in 2019.
Patrick and his wife Marcelle have 2 kids (Adelyn 13) and Amelia (10). Christine and her husband Paul have 1 child (Ivy Jane 18 months). And Kevin, who on an over-under bet I had him at a strong under at ever getting married, is now recently engaged to Ayanna Butler. "Never bet against me" says Kevin. OK, then, I'd say the market is looking up for more Dawson grandkids. Funny how one's priorities change as you get to a certain age.
We moved to San Luis Obispo in early 1990 to be close to Molly's dad, John Finn. Little did we know those were the last nine months of John's life, with a sudden stroke taking him from us. John was just 63. This gave us an important life lesson, which is one should not postpone happiness. That's why we are in Escondido, to soak up every last moment we can with our kids and grandkids. Both of my parents also passed away during our time living on the Central Coast.
Known as MeeMaw and PopPop (as named by Adelyn or Addy for short), Molly and I are sensitive to the fact grandparents have a "use by" expiration date, before said grandkids get into their teenage years and move on to live their lives. You know, the "pull my finger" joke doesn't work forever.
San Luis Obispo was a wonderful small town in which to raise the kids. We still have de...Expand for more
ar friends living there we see from time to time. Molly ended up running the Parent's Club at the Old Mission School. I served on the Board of Regents at Mission College Prep and started a motorcycle club called Coast-Riders, which is still running today.
During our Central Coast life, I found myself on the 14th floor of Trade Center #1 for a sales meeting when the bomb went off in February 1993. I can give you the gory details at our 50th reunion, if you care to hear them. Sorry, no "what a blast" jokes. For a moment there, I thought I had bought the farm, as the saying goes.
I got my private pilot's license in 1992, a near life-long dream for me. I started the training in Santa Monica, not far away from where we lived in Hancock Park since the early 1980's. All 3 of our kids were born in the Los Angeles area. Ironically, Kevin was born the day our business, Data Based Marketing, became official in 1985. Molly and I still operate it, now called Data Based Marketing of California, Inc.
I ended up working at a credit union in the early 1980's. Boy, that was a tough time to find work. That was about a year after I graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. I put myself through school primarily from working at Muscolino Inventory Service in Arcadia. Classmate Ken Culp helped me land that job, BTW. Thank you, Ken!
Molly and I have been married since 1978. We were living in Monrovia and during these early years Molly's mom Lucy passed away at age 53. Again, another life lesson to not postpone happiness.
I met Molly at a fraternity party at Loyola Marymount University. If you have ever seen the popular TV show Happy Days, then you know something about Molly. She and her 4 brothers and 2 other sisters lived in the home that was used by the show as the outside backdrop to the opening and closing credits. It is located at 565 North Cahuenga Blvd, just two miles away from Paramount Studios.
The real Happy Days story for Molly Finn and her family is much more impactful than the fictional television show. Truth is truly more powerful than fiction. Molly and all her siblings were adopted by John and Lucy. Who does that?
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