Robert DeGrilla:  

Graduated San Francisco State with BA in Business. Served in USMC and the USA. Always been in commercial real estate. I've moved a lot: Walnut Creek, San Jose, Houston, Arlington Heights, Orange County, Dallas and now Orlando. Divorced. 3 kids and 8 grandchildren (5 in Orlando). It's been suggested that I elaborate on my post BHS academic successes. There were witnesses to all these events but I'm the only one who knows about all of them. For the time being I'm going to skip the stories of how I saved 6 lives (including mine) on two separate occasions as well as my final farewell to BHS (until I research the Statute of Limitations more). As some of you know, I entered Pacific University as Freshman in the fall of 1960. Pacific is/was a private liberal arts school and the oldest university west of the Mississippi. My first "recognition" in the frosh class was on a Saturday when the girls of the Judith Scott Walter Hall organized a "Leg Off" in front of their dorm for all freshman men. I didn't know about it but happened to be walking by as it was being organized and decided to join in. The judges were all the girls leaning out of their windows along with their neighbors from across the hall. As the "on-site" dorm member walked down the line (maybe 40 men?), judging was by volume of (if) any yells and/or cat calls. Somehow I was announced as the winner. Unfortunately there were no photos, a trophy, ring or even a wall plaque - just memories. That spring, I received another academic recognition. I was named "Kappa Kotten King" by the Kappa Delta Sorority during a school Christmas event. I did get a gift of engraved gold cuff links and a matching collar pin. During my second year, I excelled even more in "Social Studies". I was a member of Phi Beta Tau Fraternity as the Animal House on campus as most of the athletes and social guys were members. We had a Rush Party in a couple of weeks and I was the "Chair" of the social committee whose job was to get some entertainment for the party in general and the dance in particular. A friend and I were walking down "Main" street in Forest Grove one evening (maybe 4 blocks long) when I started to hear rock and roll music with a strong female voice. I followed the music to a vacated hardware store and inside was a singer and 3 musicians. We listened to them for a few minutes and then introduced ourselves. The singer seemed to be in charge. This was my discovery of Susan Aird. I asked if they would like to play for our Rush Party - no money - and they said yes. After the party Susan and I started dating. She was a senior at the local high school (a "townie") and wanted to be an entertainer. I left Pacific at the end of my sophomore year and it was 7 or 8 years later when my wife and I were watching Hee Haw which was the summer replacement for Laugh In and Buck Owens introduced a new member of the cast (I wasn't paying a lot of attention) and she began to sing. I knew that voice and looked up to see Susan Aird only now she was Susan Raye with a new hair style and appropriate clothes. I told my wife that I knew her but that's not her name. It seems that Buck Owen's manager heard her sing in a Portland Hotel and signed her to Hee Haw. She moved to Bakersfield and the rest is history. I was the first to discover Susan and Buck Owens was the second. This reminds me that I put a photo of Susan and how she looked when we dated on this site and no one has asked about who she is. I also put an off-camera photo of Reese W. and no one has spotted her either. Stay tuned for some more. It's 07/04/2019. Let me add before I begin the 2 stories that as a kid and young man, I had 20/13 vision. That means I could see clearly at 20 feet what 20/20 vision people could see at 13 feet. In short, my vision was about 1/3 better than the average person. There may be 2 or 3 "curious" people that inquired about my saving 6 lives while in college. Hre are the stories: (1) For Christmas my freshman year at Pacific I flew home for Christmas (with a return flight on Jan 2nd). The BHS graduate across the street was now a soph. at Pacific and as New Years got closer he came over and asked if I wanted to go back with him in a frat brother's car for the cost of gas split. I said sure and in a few days we were off. There were 4 of us in the car with plenty of room. My ne...Expand for more