Pete Bergeron:  

Life Hello and may God bless you all, the many wonderful classmates, wherever you are now, from all schools attended. I am still alive and hanging in there, and hope you are too. I am doing life at home, retired, in Hesperia, CA, in a baselike setting, and kind of delinquent in keeping up this page to you. Here goes some more stuff, so you know what I am up to, by just offering an account of recent stuff in the life of a desert dude, who is getting ready to doff hat to you in the picture as a greeting. Some Memoirs of Some Stuff in Life Sorry, I am still kind of miffed and slow in some areas in the PC, but I just keep on making some little needed improvements each year, or in my case much needed here and there, in my earthy and incomplete writing style- something like Artemus Ward and his business letter, p. 606, from "Adventures in American Literature," 1961, Harcourt, New York. My life is still like a Sloppy Joe sandwitch every now and then, all slopped up, but still kind of neat. I never have talked much, written much, listened much or read that much, except when I need to, in various time periods. So, now with my scorecard cleared for lapses and whatnot I am ready to proceed with some modest confidence. I was born in East Los Angeles and spent first several years there, and recall many wonderful times, right off of Whittier Blvd. with family. 6/2005: The wife, Evelyn Joyce and I saw Arena Bowl XIX, from Las Vegas, on TV, at home, in '05. One cousin, Troy Bergeron, played in the game for The Georgia Force, 48 Colorado, 51 (6/2005). Some cousins attended the game. Dad and I were going to fly out of John Wayne Airport, Orange County, but he had done a lot that week and I suggested that he just stay at home, in Santa Ana, with Mom and watch it on TV. I sent him a Georgia Force cap for Father's Day in '05. 2005-08: And, in 2008, I spent time with Mom and Dad around Thanksgiving and Christmas '08. Time really flys by, and it is speeding up, now, that I am older, or I'm slowing down. Things that I have not accomplished in life I accept, and am just getting on with daily life, now. I really liked the Navy base and I wished I never left, but am so glad for all the wonderful memories. I still live in the desert, and I try to do my life just like when I was on the base, except as an old boy or old dude, now. My plans are to just stay at home and enjoy the desert weather, each year now, around the home, walking for health in the yard, lawn bowling in the yard, and doing some yard work, is about all, for a good life, combined with good-balanced meals- and, that is about all I can make of this life, besides responsibilities. I would still play marbles, but I am too old, now; but, lawn bowling is where it is at, real popular in Europe, and almost like rolling marbles, and just as healthy, with big marbles. 8/2005: Time rolls on, just like the Mississippi River and we are hopefully, growing old gracefully - at times anyway. The children are all grown. One is named Kristen, because I always liked that name, and one of our classmates back then, was named Kristen, whose relative was on the panel of "What's My Line?" on TV. Anyway, Kristen Bergeron once met Lucille Ball, by knocking on her home door, when she was a child, and later in life she went into TV, too. Kristen has won 10 Emmys in TV and in 2005 was runner-up Photojournalist of the Year in the U.S, in a now almost 20-year career. Kristen lives in Dallas. Another child, Colonel Wayne, Evelyn's son, is in the U.S. Air Force. And, the other 5 children and their spouses, and grandchildren are doing okay too. I live in Hesperia -not, that far from B Mountain, as the crow flies, but closer to Bell Mtn. with all its transmission beacons, where I have driven to the dump on the side of it several times, which is a good thing to do when you get too much worn out big stuff and dump stuff. If any of you want to contact me, feel free, since I am retired, now. I am trying to model my older life, like, when I was young, very youthful, as when on the base in the 1950's. I had some real wholesome years. I still ride a bicycle, besides drive a car and truck, and have baskets on my Sears 10-speed for groceries, whenever I get the urge to bike to the store. 9/2005: Talk about a storm with Hurricane Katrina; my sister lives close to New Orleans, in Folsom, and had many evacuated relatives at her and her husband's place - he is a medical specialist. Two other cousins have made room for many other cousins in Houma and Independence - many cousins have lost their homes in New Orleans and all their belongings, but, all survived. Chris went to Richmond from first to fifth grade and sometimes wonders what happened one of her girl friends there, named Gail Turner. If anybody knows just let me know at your earliest convenience. The relatives are resettled now, mostly on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. 6/2006: I see that Julie, or Juliana Newman, you must have been in my class many years. I still have my class pictures and I am not sure who you are, exactly, but almost, even though I know I square-danced with you and the rest of the girls. I was the guy with the sandpaper hands, since I spent lots of hours playing in the desert after school. Not, much happening; or too much to say much- Cousin Troy Bergeron is now with the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. Now, I am getting my Dad and myself an Atlanta Falcons Cap. Troy is a 22 year old rookie, after being Rookie of the Year in the AFL, with The Georgia Force- he scored 56 TDs in two years in Arena Football. Daughter Kristen, won some more National Journalism Awards in 2006. Sister Chris is doing well in Lousiana. Colonel Wayne, Eveyln's son, is now in Illinois after being Base Commander at McChord AFB in Seattle; she plans to go visit him soon. And, I am just being a local yokul dude around the residence in Hesperia. I hope all the rest of class is well, and other Richmond students from our time. 10/16/06: I decided going back to grad. school after a 30 years absence at Long Beach St- plan to start in 1/07, but did not. I stay healthy and I think I need some writing practice. 1/11/09: I graduated from Barstow College 12/08 taking online courses that were really good. School I had a real outdoors life on the Navy base and lots of good teachers, at Burroughs, Viewig and Richmond, from 1952-59 -and, all my classmates were real good. Teachers like Mrs. Price, Mrs. Dickenson, Mrs. Baker, Miss Runchey, Mrs. West and Mr. Stokes were good at developing our skills. I enjoyed baseball and camping. I served as an altar boy at the base Church and quansit hut, and at Saint Ann's in Ridgecrest and Inyoken. And,I loved the weekend matinees for 10 cents, admission. My sister and parents and myself lived in a base trailer, and two duplexes on Dewey Street and Michner St. Some of my spelling may be off, so please excuse my writing, like I excuse Artemus Ward- the 19th century writer on the Western Frontier. I applied to law school when 23, but did not get in, but one of my friends from the base graduated from Stanford law school, after Claremont Men's College - Robbie Johnson. Other friends that I recall are Frankie Gagliardi, Bruce Turner, Edmond Anderson, David Hoogerworff, Mike Curtis, Richie Snearly, Jimmie Carr, and, a whole bunch of other good classmates, the Olsen twins, Jimmy Stokes, Jack Pierce, Mark Ross, Russell Dember and Tom Allan; and, the girls were real neat, Joan Fisher, Kristen, Betty, and the rest, some of which I cannot remember their names, since it has been a while ago. I think we had a lot of pretty young ladies in our class back in those days. Now it is time to put some good learning to my wayout life, at times, to just life appreciation and thanksgiving, while I can still enjoy some of the California desert in Hesperia. The seven children of Evelyn and myself are all grown- in there mid-30's or older, now, and fifteen grandchildern are growing up with a few still in high school. I hope you and I keep having a good 4th of July and other days of the year, around any ill days that seem to arise at unexpected times, along the way. Last time I drove to Ridgecrest was in 1996, I saw the Drumond Medical Center. Dr. Drummond used to be my dad's doctor on the base. And, I stood on the Helicoper Medical Landing Platform, then I attended Mass at St. Annes in Ridgecrest. The new Church was being built in back of the old at that time in Ridgecrest. Rob Johnson and I used to be Altar boys there and at the base chapel. In between, and just being kids, I used to like crawling around in the foundation of the Base Chapel when it was being built - that was real fun stuff. He and his dad, Stan Johnson, USMC (R.I.P.) were into mountain climbing and both were in moutain rescue. Rob has been a lawyer in Alaska for well over 20 years; and his mom is retired from the base for several years. So, she is at times visited by her children Joyce who is a teacher in Alaska and Rob, the lawyer, who both graduated from Burroughs H.S. I graduated from the Burroughs H.S. Kindergarden in 1953. Guess what? I ran out of space on life updates so I will continue it here. The Johnson family were Green Bay Packers fans; and, my dad attended the first two Super Bowls in Pasadena watching the Packers. So, cousin Troy Bergeron played wide receiver in all four pre-season games with the Falcons, and the first time he ever touched a football in an NFL game was against The Packers in Green Bay; a 21 yard kickoff return. I thought that was more than quite a coincidence. I will try to give an update here and there, but you can try reaching me if you want at my address in Hesperia. I am under Roland Bergeron. I do not get on the computer very often, because I like you, grew up in the pre-PC computer age. Send me your address and I can send you a Christmas letter this year- an...Expand for more