David Crockett:
CLASS OF 1965
George Washington High SchoolClass of 1965
San francisco, CA
David's Story
It seems to me that my life really began for me when I moved to San Francisco to live with my sister in 1962. We lived on Russian Hill at first, but when school started we moved to 7th Ave. and Balboa and I enrolled at GWHS. I had gone to Jr. High at Le Conte Jr. High in Hollywood, and SF was a whole new and wonderful world for me. It was like living in a dream. Clean air, beautiful weather and scenery, and cable cars and buses for $.15 ($.05 with a bus card). Of course I did my best to avoid paying any fare on the cable cars, and I often got away with it. I used to love to ride them downtown and go shopping. The Emporium, City of Paris (fantastic at Christmas) the White House, Cable Car Clothiers, etc.
My years at GWHS are a bit of blur to me now. I think they were sort a blur to me back then too. I remember an English teacher, Mrs. Meister, who I liked, and Mr. Meder, the choir director. My sophomore year I spent just adjusting to my new environment. I think it was my junior year when I first developed a small group of friends that included Sandy Goldeen, Reid Forsythe, Emil Guzman, Jim Gutierrez (I think) and a guy named Pete who used to drive a big sky-blue Chrysler. I also remember Bart Wexler and Marty Gold, who I think had a Goya guitar that I was very envious of. I remember going to the dances at the "Y" and at the JCC. I didn't have much luck with the girls. Katy Perlman gave me a chance(but dumped me quickly) as did Lynn Arana (who I took to the prom) and Stephanie Batanides (who's grad night I ruined by getting sick). There was also a beautiful tall, slender chinese girl I remember making out with at the beach. It irks me that I can't remember her name. She was very nice.
One stand-out experience from my GWHS years was the time when JFK had challenged everyone to get physically fit. We students organized a march from GWHS to the park in Belmont. It was about a 50-mile round-trip hike but it felt like 1,000 by the time we got back. I wore sweat pants, and my thighs (and certain other unmentionable areas)had rubbed themselves raw before it was over. Yikes! I'll never forget it.
My senior year was chaotic. By that time I had left home and I was a full blown non-conformist (Beatnik I thought) and fledgling folk singer seeking adventure in the greatest city in the world. My group of friends narrowed down to K. Stephen Wells (class of '65)and some of the people I met at the SF Folk Music Club.
After high school, I worked for the City at the SF Child Psychiatric Clinic as a clerk-stenographer. Then, along with many of my hip contemporaries, I worked at the SF Post Offi...Expand for more
ce. I carried mail out of the Marina Sta., the Main Office downtown (7th St.near Market), and Sta. O (on Sutter between Polk and Van Ness). At night I haunted the coffee houses of North Beach and the Haight-Ashbury singing traditional and modern "folk" songs and old blues tunes along with a smattering of Dylan and the Beatles. The only places I specifically recall names of were The Coffee Gallery, Coffee & Confusion (upper Grant Ave.), The Drinking Gourd (Union St.) John Barleycorn (Russian Hill) and The Lion's Share in San Anselmo. There were several others that are just a vague recollection now.
Just before we landed on the moon, I quit the P.O. and enrolled at the College of Marin in Kentfield to study music. At first I worked at the Kaleidoscope Gallery in Sausalito until it was bought out by Walter Keane Galleries and I was let go. Then I just studied, sang and did odd jobs for a year. I lived with my girlfriend Riki Boyles in a nice apartment on Francis St. in San Rafael, thanks to the great tips she got working as a waitress at Barnaby Conrad's restaurant in The City.
In 1970 I moved back to the city and worked at the Clift Hotel in the Redwood Room for awhile before going back to the Post Office. I had to have full time employment so I could pay my rent and my child support payments, but that's a whole other story.
When the draft lottery numbers were pulled in 1971, mine was number 8. I decided the best way to stay out of the Vietnam jungle was to join the Air Force, which I did. I received my draft notice during the second week of basic training. The Air Force trained me in electronics and avionics maintenance and I ultimately parlayed that into a career in telecommunications. I spent 1972-1974 stationed in Udorn, Thailand working on the F-4 aircraft. It was there that I met the woman who is my wife today. Her name is Praiwan, and she is a lovely person.
For the past 33 years I have been working in the telecommunications industry. For the past 13 years I have been responsible for all telecom services and infrastructure for the County of Imperial. I try to stay busy making music and I play semi-professionally with two groups: one is a blues band called One Way Out, and the other is an accoustic group that does folk, light rock and some gospel. Great vocals and vocal harmony. I also dust off my Irish repertoire on St. Patrick's day and keep 'em singing at the local corned-beef and cabbage feed.
Together, my wife and I raised four children and we have eight grand children. The oldest is now 21, and the youngest is 12. (Hey, that can't be! I'm only 39!) They're all great.
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