3/1/09

At the new Muir web site, that encompasses all Muir grads, a June gathering is planned. http://gomustangs.ning.com/events/1st-annual-go-mustangs You can follow this to the web site if you’re interested.

Birthday greetings to the following: Ziac Gammoh, Linda Courtney, Kathryn Whittle, Dave Marconi, Peggy Nishimoto, Diane Estigoy, Carmen Girard (Figueroa), and Mike Geibel. Happy Birthday!

In light of our current economic status, my heart goes out to those who are losing jobs.
In light of our current education status, my heart goes out to the students and teachers.
In light of our current political status, my heart goes out to those who are suffering.
In light of the direction we are going, my heart is waiting to go out.

“Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer.” Muhammad Ali (1942 - ), "More Than a Hero"

2/8/09

Evidently there’s another Muir group that encompasses all Muir graduates at http://gomustangs.ning.com/
I signed up just to see what it was all about. You may want to check it out yourself.

Now, for some very sad news. Wanda Black passed away from cancer. Her funeral was on 1/10/09.
I still remember her when we were in HS and the many fun times we shared together. I will miss her terribly.

“Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at once exists and expires. “ -Charles Caleb Colton

There are a few of us who are reconnecting on Facebook. If you’re interested, my email contact for this is rfujihara@lbusd.k12.ca.us.

Birthday Greetings to Odette Kelly, Barbara Chestnut, and Timothy Taylor!!! Happy Birthday! I know, I know…just one more year before we all hit that big 6 number. Some sooner than later! Thank Teri O. for reminding me.

From Gregory Moore, who sent this for all you teachers out there!

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest. "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?" Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?" She paused for a second, then began... "Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?" She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table. I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life." Bonnie paused one last time and then continued. "Then, when people try to judge me by what I make. With me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?" His jaw dropped and he went silent.

Thank you Gregory for sharing.

“It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home.” -Carl Rowan

If you have any news you would like to share, please send me an email with the information. See ya next month!

1/3/09

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER: “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.”

A Happy New Year to everyone! I hope the New Year will bring new positive changes in your life that will forever be a part of you.

We have two short bios from Laura Holman and John Pollard for you to peruse. (Click on names to read.) Thank you to Laura and John for sharing! Anyone else out there willing to share a part of yourself? It’s always interesting to read where we have been, what we have gone through, where we are, and where we are going.

A few of us have joined Facebook.com as a way of staying in touch. Anyone else who is interested in joining and connecting can sign up for free. My email address for this is rfujihara@mac.com. Send me an invite from Facebook to join your network. Note: There are many options in Facebook that gives you complete control over how you receive email notifications.

January Birthday Greetings!
Kristin (Coleman) Richman, Eveline (Benesch) Newell, Jim Watkins, Joseph Vecchio, Nancy (Montgomery) White, Dennis & Ron Fujihara

Have a wonderful new year!

11/30/08

A man and wife were celebrating their 50-year anniversary, so the man bought his wife a $250 see-through nightgown. Later that night she was getting ready for bed and realized the nightgown was still in the box downstairs. Walking naked through the house, she passed her husband who said, "My word, for $250 they could've at least ironed it!"

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. An extra pound here and there, heh?

Diane Estigoy and Gloria Donaldson sent in some more reunion photos for us to view. Go to our home page and look for the link to the Reunion Photos. Home Page

Many have requested a video from the Muir Drum Corps at our 40th Reunion. I’m happy to report that I had a few video clips from the reunion, which my wife took with her digital camera. I had to learn how to transfer the video to my computer, change the video format so I could edit it, and then put into a flash player. The quality is a little low because of the lighting and it’s from a digital camera. Here is the link to the video: Video Link. The link is also available on the Reunion News page.

On a sad note, I received some disturbing information from Rainer Mueller concerning a fellow classmate, Terry Snaer. You can read the article here: Terry Snaer

Birthday Greetings: I have the following names as having a birthday in December: Whilhelmina Greer, John Pollard, Tom Davis, Janet Christmann, and James Coffin. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

If you have anything to report and would like to share with the rest of us, please email it to me. I’m still waiting for someone to write a short bio to share. I know many of you have many experiences worth sharing. I hope all of you will have a safe holiday season

“Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question.” Albert Camus

10/2/08

We had some new additions to our list. If you know anyone from our class who hasn’t filled out the Update Form yet, please encourage them to do so. I know some people missed out on the reunion because they never received any information. I plan to try and keep everyone updated through mailings. If you have a web page and want it posted in the directory or else where, please send me the information. Gregory Moore has a blog site worth visiting.

I think it would be nice to highlight someone every month. If you send me a short bio of yourself on some things you have accomplished, learned, experienced, and/or places you’ve been and want to share it with everyone, I can post it on our web site and in this mailing. It was interesting talking with some of you on what you have been up to since Muir. Did you know that Carmen F. was once a firewoman? It would also be nice to share some of this at our next reunion.

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY GREETINGS: This month greetings go out to John Polk, Kathy Spangler, Gregory Moore, Emily Sato, and Michael Springer! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Got a birthday coming up and want it mentioned? When you filled out your update form, there was a place to enter your birth date. If you didn’t fill this in, then I don’t have it. Remedy: send it to me. Emily, how was your recent trip?

9/20/08

The following is a letter from Mr. Lloyd Dilbeck (pictured above left w/Ron Fujihara)

Thank you for the invitation, it would be fun seeing everyone after 40 years. We no longer live in the area and while we travel to Pasadena often we will not be there at the time of the reunion. I would however be interested in seeing a few photos of the event. If you could e-mail me some, I would appreciate seeing how the Class of '68 has matured. I am still into photography and retired a number of years ago from teaching here in Beaverton, Oregon. Below is a shot of me with my passion Model A Fords. One of which I had while I was at Muir. This will show what 40 years has done to me. Quite a change from my looks in the'68 Yearbook. I hope you all have a great time at the reunion and feel free to pass along my e-mail to anyone who is interested. I enjoy hearing from and about my former students.

My best to you all,

Lloyd (Lbeck31@earthlink.net)               

8/10/08

A 1968 John Muir Class Ring was found. The person who found it didn't indicate if it belongs to a man or a woman, but there were some identifying marks on the ring. Please contact me at admin@jmhs68.com if you think it may belong to you.

7/26/08

We have added a few more names to our Directory list. One change I made on the web site has been the addition of a new Photo page. You can upload your own photos now! I also added a Reflection page. If you filled out an Update form, then you should have received some reflection questions in an email for you to share with us. I just switched my computer system to a MAC and I have been learning how to transform my skills to fit the MAC. If you see any funny looking things going on, then you know why. What a wonderful system! If you haven't filled out an update form, then you should do so right away. It's one way of staying informed and up to date with new information. If you would like to contribute to our web site, you can send it to admin@jmhs68.com

6/23/08

Now, on a sad note: I received a list of alumni who have passed on and have updated the directory web site to reflect those losses. It saddens me to see who has left us so early. Some of them I knew, some I didn’t. I felt grief for those I knew and wondered why I didn’t get to know the ones I didn’t know. Upon reflection, it shows how much I didn’t know back then. I am looking forward to the reunion to re-acquaint myself with as many of you as possible. Yes, it will be fun to see everyone again, but it will be even better to make/re-new new associations. I am hoping to see as many of you as I can.

More pictures have been added! :>)

Any news you would like to report?

5/1/08

Earlier I asked for "after" pictures to place in the directory. Bruce Springer sent in a couple of "after" pictures of himself. Check it out in the "S" directory. Thanks for the cool pictures!

4/21/08

 If you filled out an Update Form already and your personal information has changed, please send an email to admin@jmhs68.com with the new changes. You do not need to fill out and send in the update form again.

Go to the Reunion Page to register for our 40th. Reunion!

8/8/07

A message forum was added to the web site. If you would like to access the message area, please fill out the Update Form. There is a place on the form to request the password.

8/4/07

Joyce M. got in touch with me and asked me if I could create a web page for our class. This will be a work in progress as there are some ambitious things I would like to do. Developing the directory will be the biggest challenge in trying to gather all the information and putting up all the pictures from the yearbook. Your help is needed for all of this! What would you like to see on this site? Would you like a blog page? Did you fill out the Update Form yet? Would you like to see information about our reunion? Do you want more information about everybody else? Please share any pictures or information you personally have with all of us so we can all try to remember what happened.
I can be contacted at: admin@jmhs68.com