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BHS Alumni ReunionsComing this Fall & Next FallDid you know you could schedule a tour ofthe school as part of your reunion? Mostreunions tour on Friday afternoon. LindaMcLaughlin conducts the tours. She isBHSAA’s 2014 Alumni of the Year, formerBHS teacher and she is Mrs. Beeman’s(Dean of Girls in the 1950’s and 1960’s)granddaughter. You can contact her atbhs turns100@burlingamealumni.org.We urge you to visit if you haven’trecently, especially if your BHS class ishaving a reunion in the upcoming year.2016 will represent reunion possibilities forthe following BHS classes:5 year for 201110 year for 200615 year for 200120 year for 199625 year for 199130 year for 198640 year for 197650 year for 1966And the big 60 year for the class of 1956!Have a reunion coming up? LauraHesselgren, Class of ’75 is the ReunionCommittee lead and can be reached atReunionAnnouncements@BurlingameAlumni.org to help you plan your next reunion.BURLINGAME Class of 1966 Theplanning for your 50th class reunioncontinues. Here is the proposed itineraryfortheOctober14thweekend:The Committee for the 50th Reunion ofBurlingame High School Class of 1966JIm Boswell, Cindy-Biggs Weiss, BarryFrazier, Betty Biglin-Stoddard, StevedeLaet, Nancy Chandler, Carol Daniels,FritzEricksen,DevlinHarless.Please continue to supply us with anyemails, phone numbers, or addresses ormissing classmates. t.net email us your intentions.The 50th Reunion Committee for theClass of 1968 has started planning agathering for the fall of 2018. Pleasecheck our Facebook page, BurlingameHigh School Class of 1968, forupdates. You can send your emailaddress to Melissa Kurtz via a FB privatemessage if you would like to receive ouremail notices directly.The BHS Class of 1956 has scheduledththeir 60 Reunion. Details as follows:thDate: Saturday September 17 2016Place: Poplar Creek Golf Course 1700Coyote Point Dr, San Mateo CA 94401Dress: CasualstCost: 65pp before July 1 , 75pp afterSend Check to: Gail (Anderson)Strickrod, put BHS reunion in memo spacethand mail to Gail at 805 E. 16 Avenue,San Mateo, CA 95502No Host Reception starts at 6:00pm withdinner to follow at 7:00pmthFriday, October 14 , with a Kick-offgathering at the MARRIOTT in Burlingamelobby bar from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Then offto the Burlingame varsity football game athome vs Hillsdale at 7:30pm kickoff.“What’s Going On?”An Alumni UpdateBy Dianne Knudsen ‘74th.Saturday, October 15 A Guided tour ofBurlingame High School is scheduled forthe afternoon is TBD. Golf at thePeninsula Country Club is still a TBD also.Champagne reception/Banquet dinner atPOPLAR GRILL, San Mateo 5:30-11:00.thSunday, October 16 , A Bay Cruise (SanFrancisco) option in the afternoonOur banquet on Saturday evening includesChampagne reception, sit-down dinner,local wines, live band, and no-host bar forthose looking more powerful libations. Toprovide Oldies but Goodies, atmosphere,and dancing, under consideration is "TheFuntouchables," a five-piece band with afemale vocalist. They play 60s - 70smusic. You can check out their website at:www.funtouchables.comCost for this monumental 50th reunioneveningis 150.00perperson.Please now indicate by return email yourWe want to know what you and yourclassmates have been up to, have doneor are doing now!! Please send yourstories to Dianne Knudsen at thefollowing; dknudsenalumni@gmail.com ormail them to Burlingame High SchoolAlumni Association, 1 Mangini Way,Burlingame, CA 94010 c/o DianneKnudsen or at the following Al Facchini, Class of 1948 is the featuredAlumni in our “Where Are They Now”segment and can be found on page 8 ofthis Newsletter.Herb Hart class of ’40 asked, pleaserecord the passing of my life-longclassmate. I knew him from grammarschool. His name: Lorne Chisholm classof ‘40. We learned to fly at Mills Field (SFInternational) in 1942, graduated as pilots,flew in WWII, and had a couple flightstogether as civilians in recent years.50’sBarbara Duncan Hewitt, class of '55wrote in to say: “My husband, JohnBasye, class of '55, was the brother of thelate Chuck Basye, class of '52” His obittells us: Charles Edmond Basye, M.D.,passed away on Friday, May 8 of naturalcauses. He battled multiple medicalproblems, but he lived each day to itsfullest until the very end. Charles wasborn in Kansas City, MO on August 28,1934. He graduated from BurlingameHigh School in Burlingame, California andthen attended Stanford University for hisundergraduateandMedicalDoctordegrees. Chuck will be greatly missed byfamily and friends, as well as countlesspatients and families. He took special joyin providing superior medical care for theentire family from cradle to grave, in thefine tradition of the town doctor. ForChuck’s complete obituary please go uary.aspx?pid 17484683860’sWendy Brainerd class of ’60 wrote: Forthose of you that didn't know, ourwonderful friend, David Slate class of‘60, passed away in January. His wifeJoan and their family had a lovely tributefor him in Tiburon. David was on our 55thReunion committee. He was the only maleand his input was well received. All of the"girls" on the committee were having ahard time trying to decide what to put onthe invitations under what to wear. Shouldit be dressy cocktail, casual, etc.? Davidwas quiet and just listened then said, "How about clothes optional!" And that iswhat we put on the invitation! He had agreat sense of humor and was truly agentleman and great human being. He willbe so missed. For his story go y.aspx?pid 17723408270’sCreighton Fung class of ’77 remindseveryone for the Class of ’77 and anyoneelse that would like to join up to meet.There will be a get together at theSteelhead Brewing Co on California Driveacross from Royal Donut Shop. Time isth6:30pm and the date is Saturday May 7 .Come meet up with BHS Alums. Andclassmates.

“Going to the MoviesIn Burlingame”Here’s some shared memories from ouralumni of their times at these theater’s.Rick Sherrod, Class of ’73 writes: “Iremember seeing Clint Eastwood flicksand Bond movies with the Jacobson’s”Glenn Mendelson, Class of ’73 writes: “Iremember going to the Burlingame FoxTheater as often as I could. It was atreasure for us as kids. I really miss it.”BHS RemembersThe Fox TheatreThe Encore TheatreShirley Morse, Class of ’68 writes: “Ihave so many memories of the FoxTheater as well as the Drive-In. As youngkids, the Fox had a summer movie serieswith films such as Francis the TalkingMule. All the kids in my neighborhoodwould walk uptown, stop at the SmokeShop on the corner and buy candy, thengo to the show. Great fun because it wasduring the day and we could all go withoutan adult along. Such freedom! I was sosad when they closed the Fox.”This majestic theater opened on October12, 1926. It was grand in style and grace.It was first known as the PeninsulaTheater and lit up downtown Burlingamewith a 3,500-bulb marquee. The ticketbooth stood alone in the middle of thecovered marquee reminiscent of the day. Itwas absolutely beautiful. The architectureoutside was stunning. But the real beautywas found on the inside.The majestic staircase drew you up to thebalcony. It had a concession counter forit’s time that made every kid envious withthe smell of fresh popcorn emanatingthroughoutthehugelobbyentrysummoning you to rush to see what otherdelights awaited your salivating mouth.It was truly an event to go to the movies asa kid growing up in this town. It wasrenamed Fox Burlingame Theatre onAugust 16, 1954. It only had 1 screen andhad a seating capacity of 1,808. It closed20 years later in 1974 and was finallydestroyed in 1975. It was replaced by ashopping mall called Crosby Commons.Derek Barton, Class of ’70 writes: “Iremember in grade school, walking upBurlingame Avenue with Bob Jacobsonand Mike Morales going to the FoxTheatre. It was 50 cents to see a movie. Iwould throw a handful of those small redhot candies off the balcony and it soundedlike hail on the back of those metal seats.”Dianne Ragozzino Class of ’74 writes:“I Loved going to the Fox Theater when Iwas little! 50 cents to get in, 75 cents to sitin the Loges! I remember the dramaticstaircase, everything decked out in whatlooked like red velvet! Buying charmsuckers, sugar daddies and flicks at thesnack bar, seeing 101 Dalmatians! I alsoremember senior year, sneaking in to see"The Way We Were” with Rusty”.Located on California Drive it was awonderful quaint theater, seating 300 withred carpets, a mural of the daytime sky onthe celling, and angels looking down fromtheir perches high above the floor. Theoutside of this theater gave no indicationof what was on the inside. It closed in1972. For years this theater lay dormantwhile a man known as ‘The Rev’ workedinside restoring this old structure forchurch use. The Marquee would havemessages posted by The Rev. Themessages were always positive andupbeat and always inspirational.Frank Holloran, Class of ’68 writes: “Mysister and I walked to the Fox Theatre onBurlingameAvemanySaturdayafternoons. The movie I remember is "TheBlob" because it scared me so much! Wecould get into the show and buy a box ofcandy for less than 50 cents. We wereabout 12 & 14 years old. In 1964!”Patty Barrett-Mugge, Class of ’82:“Balcony of The Fox, "1000 LeaguesUnder The Sea", and The Great Gatsbywith Robert Redford thinking that wasreally a cool movie at The Hyatt”Todd Fry, Class of ’74 writes: “I was acrossing guard at McKinley School. Ourreward was to go and see RobinsonCaruso on Mars at the Fox. Kermit (thecop) worked the door.”Despite its adornments, one thing thistheater lacked was luck. The city ofBurlingame deemed it unsafe andcondemned the Encore saying it would notsurvive an earthquake. Despite itssupposedly flimsy construction, it took thecity a full three days to demolish the bldg.

Terry Naylor, Class of ’57 writes: “Irecall going to the Encore on Californianear Broadway to watch the serials eachSaturday in the 1950's. It cost a quarter toget in, and we brought our own snacks.There was always a cartoon first. Themovie was usually a western or that preStar Wars thriller, Flash Gordon! Eachepisode left off with an exciting cliffhanger, to assure that we would return thefollowing Saturday to see what happenedto our heroes.”Joan Russell, Class of ’74 writes:“English class field trip to see Romeo andJuliet at the Encore”The Hyatt CinemaThe Hyatt Music Theatre was builtoriginally as a “live theatre in the round”venue. It became the Hyatt CinemaTheatre on March 29, 1966. It was an“Ultramodern” theater shaped like a bigspiked salad bowl with a marquee outfront. It screened the roadshow versions ofmovies in the mid-1960’s. It later becamea triplex and was closed in 2008.pickup truck up the ramp backwards so mygirlfriend and I could lay in the back withsleeping bags and watch Joe Cocker inMad Dogs and Englishmen. Didn't watchmuch of the movie though.Dianne Ragozzino Knudsen, Class of’74 writes: “I remember going to the Hyattwith my sister to see the re-release of"Gone With The Wind" on that hugescreen! My best friend (Rusty) would makeit a challenge to see how many he couldsneak into the Hyatt Cinema. I think hesnuck in 14 of us in to see Jaws one time.I ended up marrying that crazy guy”Nadine Panos, Class of ’75 writes: “Ihad a tool kit in the trunk of my little BMW2002 back in my high school days. Onnights my friends & I were bored, we'd godown to the Hyatt theater, park aroundback & slyly wrench open the side doorwith a screwdriver, then run back to thecar to: 1) return the screwdriver 2) makesure no one was on to us. Then, when thecoast was clear, we would sneak in thedoor & nonchalantly walk right into thetheater. We must've seen "YoungFrankenstein" and "Tommy" ten timesbefore quitting our prankster ways. Wenever got caught, though! And, I willalways remember those movies, and thattheater, fondly!The Burlingame Drive-in TheaterDavid Steil, Class of ’74 writes: “One ofmany.sneakingfriendsintotheBurlingame Drive In by hiding them in thetrunk of the car, along with plenty ofrefreshments. And ahhh yes, forgetting toremove the speaker from the window as Ipulled away and struggled to see throughthe steamy windows. Great Times!”Anonymous, Class of ’74 writes: “Wewere at the drive in and were so high wecouldn’t figure out why the speaker wasn’tworking until half way through the moviewe realized it was the heater and it wasn’teven attached. The movie was The InLaws.”Lisa Hom Class of ’77 writes:“It was always a treat to go to the drive-in.My parents would pile us in the stationwagon with blankets, pillows and snacks.No seatbelts required! They took us to seeall the James Bond movies and others thatcame out. These were fun family nights forme. We would pull out the newspaper tocheck the listings. I was sad when thebillboard was destroyed in a big windstorm(don't remember the year) and not rebuilt.Always enjoyed being able to see whatwas playing when I drove by the signwhen it was on 101”.Barbara O’Connor, Class of writes:“Grease was the movie I saw at the drivein. But I remember taking the truck with myfriend Vince and putting lawn chairs in theback and sleeping bags to stay warm. Idishonestly remember hiding underblankets in my parents station wagon toget into the drive-in free”Christine Colladay, Class of ‘75 writes:“My best memory was going to see JAWSat the Hyatt Theater in Burlingame. I wentwith the Crosby kids and we got the bestseats in the house! That was cool!”Rusty Knudsen Class of ’74 writes:“Who can forget the many times we’dsneak into the Hyatt. My friends and Iwould wait for my mom to open the backdoor and we would sneak in. Our recordwas 28 people for one showing”A four-screen drive-in built around acentral concession stand. It seemed morethan likely that the reason the wallpaper inthe concession booth was on upside downwas because somebody had mis-installedit in the initial construction and no one hadever bothered to fix it. As of 1999-2000 itwas in dire need of a paint job, and mostof the ticket booths were falling apart.Sound was broadcast on a local station,which you picked up on your car’s radio.Although lots of high school kids went tothe drive-in, the general theme here is nottoo many actually watched the movies.Alan Lancendorfer, Class of ’73 writes:“Going to see the movie "Grand Prix" inthe 60's with my dad at the Hyatt. It wasprojected in "Cinerama" mode on the bigcurved screen there. It felt like you wereright there at the races. Also, years latergoing to the drive inn and backing myDerek Barton, Class of ’70 writes: “InHigh School, One guy would drive throughwith 5 guys in the trunk. When we took ourdates, everyone parked in the very back.Some cars were not even facing thescreen; others didn't even have thespeaker on the window.”Patt Sheldon, Class of ‘66 writes: “I alsoremember seeing Ice Station Zebra on mybirthday in 1968 at the Hyatt with myfamily. It had been a very warm Nov. 1day, so I didn't even have a sweater andfroze watching the movie.”Hal Ramsey Class of ’73 writes: “Ha haha, I have many! But the best was going todrive in to see Animal House. Friendsasked (if) I liked it. No I didn't, well why? Iwent with a date. She and I never saw themovie.”Hanau Falcons, Class of ’80 writes:“Family night with a round table pizza.canstill remember my sister and I going in ourfootie PJs. Remember High School andhiding in the trunk to get in for free.”Siri Nelson writes: “Somehow my dadhad passes to the Hyatt. we used to gothere all the time. We were actually told togo to the drive in by a security guard thatcaught us parked out by Anza parking ona weekend night! He told us no one wouldbother us there. Then there was the nightwhen several girls and I saw some reallyscary movie at the drive in on a fairlydeserted Saturday night. We were soscared we wouldn't even leave the car togo to the bathroom. "Have you checkedthe children?" Still gives me chills.”

“But Did You Know?A BHS Teacher Alumni UpdateBy Rusty Knudsen ‘74Marshall UmplebyMost of us know Mr. Umpleby as a teacherat BHS. But Did You Know, he was aretired Naval Commander and fighter pilotprior to teaching? He flew F9-F8 Cougarson and off aircraft carriers.The Mr. Umpleby we know taught Englishat Burlingame High School in 3 differentdecades, the 60s, 70s and 80s. BDYK, helater became the principal at Mills HighSchool and joined the Millbrae Rotary Clubwhere he was a member for many years.during World War II. In the tragic aftermath ofan assassination of a Gestapo general, theboys are kidnapped by German soldiers andsent by troop train to the Eastern front.Realizing that they will most likely be killedsome of the teenagers manage to escape.During their perilous trip home, the boys arerescued by partisans, aided by sympatheticUkrainians, and brutalized by Nazis. Scarredand traumatized, the boys who survive theharrowing journey back to Czechoslovakia mustsearch for their loved ones and rebuild theirlives in war-ravaged Prague.Delayed StealThe students of the 60’s-70’s still refer totheir teacher’s as Mr. Ms. or Mrs. BDYKMr. Umpleby was also known as (Umps)by some of his students in the ‘80’s.Pete Fena class of 1974 writes: “It'sbeen 42 years since Sports in literature. Iloved having you as a teacher. I know youare up against it. You had an impact onmy life and I will never forget you. Your lifeand giving spirit literally helped thousandsof kids find their way in this world. Godbless you Mr. Umpleby. Job well done.”Mike Floyd class of 1980 writes: “Mr.Umpleby (we referred to him as "Umps" in1980) was one of my favorite teachers. Hemade Senior Literature really fun. Iremember looking forward to his lecturesand how Umps would make all thosefamous novels come alive. He loved itthat's a talent! He was truly my favoriteEnglish teacher at BHS. Umps, I hope youkeep eating ice cream or whatever it takesto feel better!”Kent Demas, Class of ’81 writes: “I'vebeen following his battle and he is dealingwith it with amazing grace and dignity. Avery good man.”After retirement he moved to Ashland,Oregon, where he has enjoyed the 3season long Shakespeare festival. BDYKAs part of the OLLI program of selfenrichment classes for seniors, he hastaught Faulkner and his beloved Melville atSouthern Oregon University.Barbara Norton O'Connor. Class of ’83writes: “Mr. Umpleby was a wonderfulteacher. I couldn't wait to be in his class.He taught me how to write with passionand to take chance. His comments werealways positive. He found the right wordsto build a shy student's confidence. I amvery thankful to have been taught by him.He lets us into his life especially now.That's how special he is as a man. MayGod give you strength because he hasalready given you grace”Mr. Umpleby was a favorite among allgenerations of students, BDYK he alsohas published two books, On Falcon’sWings and Delayed Steal: BaseballStories, both available at amazon.com.On Falcon’s WingsBaseball is life, or so the saying goes. Inthis book, a man's relationship with hisfather coincides with the twists, turns, andsurprises experienced in the game ofbaseball. On his lifelong journey the manlearns the lessons his dad tries to teachhim on the diamond: discipline, obedience,loyalty, teamwork, curiosity, and respect.Steady and detailed as the game itself,Delayed Steal is a book for anyone whoonce sat in the stands as a kid, rooting forthe home team.thMr. Umpleby just celebrated his 80birthday this past January. He and his wifethMimi celebrated their 55weddinganniversary the end of March. They havetwo daughters, Sarah and Amy.On Falcon’s Wings is the heart-breaking storyof five teenagers in Prague, Czechoslovakia,BHS alumnus Kim Gold, served as Mr.Umpleby’s personal taxi service.Mr. Umpleby was diagnosed withMyelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), aprecursor to leukemia, four years ago, andweatheredthechemotreatmentsextremely well. On a brief trip to Seattle toinvestigate clinical trials for his leukemia,Prudence (Shepherd) Pigott, Class of'74 writes: “Dear Mr. Umpleby, I amsending you good wishes from the entireShepherd Family. You were such animportant part of my time at BHS. Iremember well how encouraging youwere, especially over those busy juniorand senior years. Thank you for writingmy college recs and for having my backwhen the deadlines piled up! You taughtme to write and how to think about andenjoy literature. I will always rememberyour Advanced Composition class - nobetter preparation for college! Mr. Ump,you made an important impact on my lifefor which I will always be grateful. Knowthat you are on my mind and in myprayers. With appreciation and devotion”Don Crosatto, Class of ’80 writes: “Oneof the best classes I ever had at any levelwas an AP English class on Existentialism.He made French Philosophical novelsfascinating. A great teacher.”

“Where are they now?”An Alumni UpdateBy Jeff Tateosian ‘74Upon graduating from BHS, Al signed withthe Boston Braves (soon to be theMilwaukee Braves). He started out in theCalifornia League and led the league instolen bases in 1951.Al FacchiniClass of 1948“Baseball been berry, berry good to me” the famous Saturday Night Live signaturephrase by character Chico Escuela reminds me of my godfather, Al Facchini.Baseball was his life.He playedprofessional ball with the MilwaukeeBraves alongside the likes of Hank Aaron,Warren Spahn, and other Hall of Famers.Al’s story is an inspiration to all past,present and future BHS athletes.He was raised in Burlingame and attendedWashington Elementary School. In 1946,Al entered Burlingame High School wherehe was a two-sport athlete and started forthe BHS baseball and basketball varsityteams each of his four years. Baseballwas always his love. During WWII, highschool baseball was suspended.

25 year for 1991 30 degrees.year for 1986 40 year for 1976 50 family and year for 1966 And the big 60 thyear for the class of 1956! Have a reunion coming up? Laura Hesselgren, Class of '75 is the Reunion Committee lead and can be reached at ReunionAnnouncements@BurlingameAlu mni.org to help you plan your next reunion.