David Griffith:  

I plan to edit as new thoughts come to mind - my old 286 type processor is very, very, slow these days. Update 8-6-12. Issue: Senior "Whing-Ding" and Nancy Hart. Update 9-27-12. Issue: Other student cars I remember at BHS. Update 12-9-12. Issue: Correct some found typos and add info for clarification. Update 1 -1-18: 2014 - We spent three months touring Europe, 8-20-16 we were blessed with our first grandchild at our young age of 71, and in 2017 we spent four months continuing our history & sociology lesson in Europe. Where to begin? I guess the best place to start is by saying that I owe some dedicated high school teachers for a pretty great life. A little reading , writing, and arithmetic (with some fun science thrown in) at BHS sure provided me with a nice, strong, foundation for the last 49 plus years. Of course it took a long time for some of that foundation to solidify. I personally thank the following BHS teachers for their dedication, hard work, and putting up with me as I was frequented invited to sit at the front of the class so they could keep an eye on me - and it was for good reasons: English - Mr. Shealor, Mrs. Doe, Mr. Hutchings, and Mr. Ringler. They had their hands full trying to get through to this hard headed, wise cracking, country boy (half Okie). I remember Mr. Hutchings saying, "When arguing with an idiot, make sure he is not similarly occupied". I haven't always followed his admonition, but I try. Mr. Ringler gave us, what must have been, a very tough test near the end of our senior year, and because of some strange shift in the cosmos, I received the highest grade "B" given on the test. Everyone else did lousy no "C's", a few "D's", and the rest were "F's". Guess what? He threw the results of the test out and decided to retest at a later date. I was pissed! However, knowing Mr. Ringler, I am sure he took that single shining performance on my part into account when giving me my final grade. I did OK, especially for me in an English class. Math/Science/Mechanical Drawing - Miss McLean, Mr. Koegler, Mr. Nystrom, Mr. Kirkpatrick, Mr. Lang, Mr. Goodban. Loved geometry (Koegler), forces, vectors, and still enjoy their applications in the shop, sailing, and everyday life. Mr. Kirkpatrick (LCDR Navy Reserve) loved explosions. That is probably how he lost his hair, and I am sure it helped cause some of Mr. Lang's (Physics and Department Chair) grey hair. Kirkpatrick exploded everything from natural gas in gallon paint cans to hydrogen in soap bubbles and tape wrapped coke bottles. He even dropped a chunk of potassium (K) in a beaker filled with water that resulted in an explosion that shot flames almost to the ceiling of the science lecture room. Mr. Lang was there in seconds and he was greeted with a four foot layer smoke hugging the ceiling. It was spectacular! Mr. Kirkpatrick (Chemistry) also declared that Lorraine Gardner had the sweetest mouth in the class based on litmus tests. She was a sweet, and beautiful, young lady! Mr. Goodban (Mechanical Drawing) had extreme difficulty seeing so he used his fingernail to help judge line quality on drawings. Do not think for a single minute that his assessment was incorrect, because I tried to convince him otherwise, and I know he was right. Mr. Goodban showed me that there is more than one way to assess an issue and still come to the correct conclusion. On the wall behind his desk he had a framed, freehand, house drawing in gold ink, by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was amazingly beautiful. Spanish - Miss Burk and Mrs. Chenoweth. - . I must thank them a lot as they helped make several of our vacations (even our Honeymoon) to Mexico, and Central America absolutely wonderful. I still study Spanish before, during, and after our trips south; and, my Spanish/English dictionary has severely frayed corners. I remember the first day of Spanish when Jim Dalley came into Mrs. Chenoweth's class a little late and sat down. Mrs. Chenoweth asked, "Senior Dally, que hora es (What time is it)?" to which Jim promptly replied with a straight face, "Tengo quince anos (I am 15 years old)." Everyone laughed and the class seemed to always have a light hearted and fun tone thereafter. Jim had her class the year, or the semester, before and he seemed to be one of her great frustrations. It was great having Jim in the class because it kept me well below her radar: and, I was able to keep my seat in the middle of the class. I will have to give Jim a call to see if he can attend the reunion. Admin and Football/PE - Fred Robinson, Ken Robesky, and Earl Sargent. Fred Robinson and Ken Robesky for their supporting roles to make sure I received needed medical treatment for a broken nose (baseball in P.E.) and an injured leg in football. The nose healed after being set by the doctor (although not as straight as it once was), and the knee is a little quirky as I get older. Mr. Sargent would always say, "Spit on it" when someone would get hurt and start bleeding. He was so consistent that most of us in his PE class, or football, picked up on the phrase. He was really a nice guy. Kate Nikkel reminded me of our fantastic all night Senior Party - the "Whing -Ding". There must be pictures somewhere in an archive. I thought the party had the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, the Kingston Trio, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. K8 - maybe there was something in that punch because records show that Al Anthony was the MC and the groups were: the Illusions, the Ivy Clansmen, the Cherry Creek Singers, and that 1962 upstart group, the Beach Boys. The four groups rotated throughout the night between BHS, South High, North High, and Garces High, so that one of the groups was at every school for most of the night. It was awesome. The all night party included a buffet dinner and the whole thing cost $1.00 per ticket. What a great time, and I still have the table cloth that we wrote notes to our dates on all night. Guys - do not tell the girls what a "cheap" date they used to be. Some time around 5 a.m. my date and I decided to take that new Highway 58...Expand for more