PLHS
Pointer Association
Point Loma High School
Alumni eUpdate News
January
2013
Happy 2013 Pointers!
Time flies between eUpdates and there is always a lot of news and information.
We have done some updating to the website so when you visit the site again,
click Refresh to be sure are seeing the most current content and links.
Note that the email for Alumni info is pointers@plhsalumni.org.
IN THIS EDITION:
- The current list of Reunion plans is included. Let me
know if you have information about a reunion not listed here.
- Two fun events are coming up that may be of interest to
baseball fans (Feb 16) and joggers (Feb. 3rd).
- We have received a number of interesting historical and
personal PLHS stories from alums that are included in our Alumni News.
Anyone remember the Qwiigs? Mr. Shank? S.D. Sockers? (Keep those stories coming!)
- And for the first time in two years we are asking for
your support to help us continue our 37 year committment of providing Alumni scholarships for graduating seniors.
~Kim Melhorn Jessop '73
Pointer
Association Alumni Director
Reminder:
Please be sure your contact information is current in our Alumni online directory. It is free, secure, and is very helpful to your Reunion
chair when planning the next class event. Go to Registration Page.
If you have never been to the online directory before, you will need a Registration code. Go to the Registration page, click "What is This?"
and then click "Submit this Form."
Spirit of the Pointer Scholarship fund
Since the mid
1970’s the PLHS Alumni Association has awarded scholarships to college-bound
PLHS seniors to assist them in furthering their educational goals. To date over
$60,000 in scholarships have been awarded.
In 2010, with funds
raised through the Pointer dog sculpture project, we set up the “Spirit of the
Pointer Scholarship." Students apply for the scholarship with an essay:
“What it means to be a Pointer.” (The essays are wonderful.) Presentation of
the scholarship at the annual awards ceremony in June reminds PLHS grads that
the Pointer family includes over 38,000 alums, with 80+ years of history and
accomplishments, and a decades-long legacy of giving back.
We have not asked for donations since 2010 and now we need your help to build
back up the Spirit of the Pointer Scholarship fund. 100% of your tax deductable
donation goes to this Alumni-funded scholarship program. (Be sure your check
says "Spirit of the Pointer Scholarship" on it.)
Donate by mail: (Check payable to ‘PLHS
PA/Spirit of the Pointer Scholarship’)
Pointer Association
1220 Rosecrans St. #247
San Diego, CA 92106
Or donate online at: Spirit
of the Pointer Scholarship
Reunions
(Check www.plhsalumni.org/reunions.html often for updates)
1953 60th! September 20-21, 2013
Deanie Stevens draystevens@cox.net
1963 Vicki Fay Vaughn bellab345@cox.net
1973 40th! Plans are being made. Watch for email and Facebook updates.
Facebook: Point
Loma High School Class of 1973
1983 30th! July 19-21, 2013
1988 25th! August 10-11, 2013
Facebook: Point
Loma High School Class of 1988
1993 Nothing yet. Stay tuned.
2003 Plans are being made.
1969 Planning already starting for 45th in 2014.
Facebook: Point Loma High School Class of 1969
Events and Activities of interest to Alumni:
Feb. 3. 2013 PLHS
Hungry Dog Dash
8am at Liberty Station
2nd annual fun/fundraiser 5k.
Students, Staff, Family, Kids, Dogs, Community welcome!
plhshungrydogs@gmail.com
Feb. 16, 2013 Alumni Baseball Game
1pm at Dana School David Wells Field
Alumni (coached by David Wells) vs PLHS Varsity.
After party (for those over 21) at The Reunion on Voltaire St.
TBD Alumni
Softball game
At press time we did not have
information about this event.....but will send it as soon as we do.
Alumni News
Stories
and news you send to us to share with your fellow Pointers.....
We were saddened by the loss of Pointer Dan McKinnon. Read more about
this amazing man in the feature article from the SD Union Tribune: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/26/navy-pilot-became-radio-and-airline-executive/
___________________________________
Qwiigs of PLHS 1938-1961: Surf-Happy
Boys Enter Their Golden Years (article from LA Times July 1988.)
And along those same lines, a story
from Lauren Nakamura ’62: In 1960 or '61, surfing was somewhat of a
new past time in Southern California for 'surfing' and the new sporting trend
quickly caught on . . . Ocean Beach and all points South (Baja) and up the
Coast (Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, San Onofre,
etc. on up the coast as well as Hawaii). It inspired #1 movies, music and
songs. In fact Linda
Benson (a past Point Loma student) was
hired to play the part of Sandra Dee for in the water surf scenes in "Gidget" . Linda moved from
Point Loma moving somewhere up the coast.
At Point Loma, surfers would wake up early in the morning when "the surf's
up" . . . and then came to school. (they were not
late for school, but many times came to school with wet hair after a shower). Mr Giddings, the principal was accommodating to their life style by
approving their attire of bermudas and hawaiian shirts "as long as they tucked their shirts
in and wore shoes" when they came to school.
________________________________
Proud Pointer Soccer star: Waad Hirmez ’81 played soccer for PLHS, went to the CIF championship V La Jolla and lost in the
finals. He was selected as CIF player of the year in 1981 and drafted to the
San Diego Sockers pro team 11 days after graduation
from PLHS . Played professionally
from 1981 – 1996. Won 8 championships as a pro. Says Waad "Soccer players gave
the pride of PLHS the exposure that it deserves for producing professional
players in the media and TV. It was always mentioned that I was a
product of Point Loma and it made me proud every time I heard it."
__________________________________
Former Teacher Paul Shank’s Archives:
From Miles Warren ’87: Last
spring, before she passed, Nancy Shank called me while cleaning out her garage.
She had every picture that her husband, Paul, had taken while teaching for two
generations at PL. For those that don't know, Paul Shank was a Science teacher,
Key Club advisor and yearbook photographer. He taught freshman science to many
of us and our parents before retiring shortly after my graduation. Paul and
Nancy Shank had no children and spent the last sixty years on the point
dedicating their lives to the community in the form of service, volunteering
their time wherever needed.
I am now the proud ambassador of Mr.
Shank's 40+year chronicle of life at PLHS. Sporting events,
activities and people around campus. There are thousands of photographs.
Some will be familiar as they were the originals for the yearbook, but most
have never been seen publicly before. The treasures here are seemingly endless.
He does have most of them categorized and separated by event and year. I
recognized people from my class immediately as they were right on top! This
collection needs to be scanned, identified and posted for all to see. There are
far too many photos for one guy to make sense of, but together I am sure we can
preserve this treasure for the ages.
Anyone interested in undertaking or helping with this
project is welcome to contact Kim at the Alumni
office and she will put you in touch with Miles.
________________________________
Richard Isham ‘57 has written a novel, The Court’s
Expert. It is available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble (BN.com)
________________________________
John Freeman (’69) is proud to announce that he has joined New York Life as a
registered agent, specializing in life insurance, annuities and long-term care.
His office is located in UTC.
Previously, John was a popular columnist
and sportswriter with the Union-Tribune. He also spent five years in the
1980s as a writer/editor with the New York Yankees and the National Basketball
Association in New York.
Despite all that, he regards his
stint as sports editor of The Pointer as his greatest career
achievement. As chairman of the Class of ’69 Reunion Committee, he’s looking
forward to his 45th in two years.
To reach John at New York Life, call
him directly at (619) 274-2779 or email freemanj@ft.newyorklife.com
__________________________________
Happy to see that class of 86 Noah Tafolla's show 'Wonderland' is back on TV Mon-Fri at noon and and 1pm, UTTV Cox channel 114. Noah is a great ambassador
of San Diego with his historical insights and Dining Out segments. Check out
some of his prior shows at Wonderland. Watch the video history of PLHS he did for the 85th Gala event several years ago: PLHS History
In Memoriam
Jeremy
H. Evans ‘49
Carl
Leon Yeary ‘49
Nancy
Whitcomb ‘49
Jack Wasko ‘64
Terry
Silva ‘65
Fernando
Suarez ‘67
Gary
“Dick” Dietz ‘56
Dick
Dray ‘56
Wilma
“Billi” Johnson Kowal ‘46
Ivy
“Poppy” O’Sullivan Ball ‘47
Melvin
J. Shanley ‘91
Lucianne Cherry Bulliet ‘57
Glenn
Scherer ‘69
Helen
Robinson Carlson ‘52
Willamay Beck Graham ‘52
Sydney
Shank ‘58
Dan
McKinnon ‘52
Donald
P. Dias ‘52
Peter
Paul Diaz ‘43
Harry
M. Dort ‘40
Leigh
E. Coppock ‘57
Ralph
Riley Jr. ‘56
Karen Cheverton Wright ‘65
Barbara
Neville Castelli ‘61
Manuel
Puente ‘51
Charlotte Lester '49
Jackie Lewis Sutherland '49
Alyce Rosa McMenomy '47
Jan Kelly Soli '72
Maurice Souza '40s (did not grad)
Ron Fuller '54
Once a Pointer, Always a Pointer!
Online Community Administration Office
at Harris Connect
1511 Route 22
Suite C25
Brewster, NY 10509
http://www.pointerassociation.org
