Date:  Fri Jul 13, 2001  6:20 pm
Subject:  Encina Update (forms/vacation/jones/wilkinson/kojima/videographer/scandalis/evans/crall/ballance/reunions/siblings/bios/idea/voice/homecoming/whats new)

 
 

ENCINA ALUMNI,

This week's update is sponsored by Elaine Salyer Starmer 71/72.

I've been on vacation the past few weeks. Some of you missed the
update and wrote asking where is was. I'm glad some folks noticed
the absence of the update <g>.


FORMS

Thanks to those of you who wrote pointing out that forms didn't
work. You were right. Our ISP learned of a security hole and
disabled the formmail script without notifying me. I've made a
temporary workaround and forms are working again.


MY SUMMER VACATION

I took the family to Florence, Venice, Paris and London for
16 days. This was one of our more eventful vacations and one we
will not soon forget. At times I felt I was in that vacation
movie with Chevy Chase.

I've never flown on British Airways. Our 747 had LCD screens
for each seat so I watched a couple movies going each way.
The coolest thing was the map which showed where you were
and had your airspeed, headwind, etc. Very nice airline except
that they left our luggage at Heathrow on the way to Italy.
We checked six bags with our friends; their three made it, our
three didn't. Not an auspicious start. The good news is they
found our bags and delivered them that night. We had a good
time at Lake Como and Florence. Arrived at Venice and while
wheeling our bags to the hotel, my son was bombed on the head
by a seagull. The kids spent the rest of the time in Venice
wearing hats and peering upwards looking for birds. Venice
is beautiful, one of my favorite cities. Except for the birds.

We used ATMs to get money with our ATM cards. The exchange rate
is good and it's not clear why you need traveler's checks anymore.
The exchange rate for traveler's checks was much worse than the
ATM plus you have to wait until day when the offices are open.

We took an overnight sleeper train from Venice to Rome. We ate
in the dining car, where the attendant spoke little English but
appeared to say that we paid for just the courses we ate.
He proceeded to serve us all the courses, even though the kids
left after the first two courses and billed us for complete
dinners. It's tough to argue when you don't speak the language.
That night, someone unlocked our compartment and stole the bag
I had at my feet against the window of my bunk. They relocked the
door and proceeded to rob another compartment. Unfortunately they
woke someone, put pulled the emergency stop and escaped from the
train somewhere in the French countryside. In Paris, we spent
a few hours with the police filing a report. No one spoke English
so we had to use one of those electronic handheld translators to
communicate. Fortunately, after half an hour or so, an English
speaking policeman showed up. We lost our plane and train tickets,
my wallet and credit cards, my digital camera and other odds and
ends. Everything was replaceable except for about 200 digital
pictures from Venice, where my son had celebrated his 10th birthday.
Sigh.

Paris was fun. Had some good food although it was hard trying to
avoid beef (mad cow) and pork and lamb (hoof and mouth). We ate a
lot of pasta and chicken. Second day in Paris, someone tried to rob
me on the Metro. As we got off a train, a good samaritan pointed
out my fanny pack was unzipped and pointed in the direction of
the culprit. My wife yelled thief but nobody ran as she hoped.
Fortunately, nothing appeared to be missing. My 10 year old
guarded his Gameboy with great zeal, walking with his hands
behind him holding the zippers of his backpack. On the Metro, my
boys kept trying to unzip my fanny pack to see if I was paying
attention. The same day, we were sitting in the plaza in front
of Notre Dame cathedral when there was a large plop. This time it
was my turn to be bombed on the shoulder by what appeared to be a
large bird sitting in the tree overhead. This was shortly before
we had reservations at a nice restaurant near the Sorbonne. This
was not a good day and the low point of the trip for me.

We took the Chunnel train to London, where we stayed near
Kensington Park. Originally we had reservations near the Kings
Cross station (of Harry Potter fame). But various Londoners
along the way told us it was either a red light district and/or
a hangout for drug addicts. Our travel agent moved us to a
pensione type hotel where our friend's bathroom didn't work,
my wife discovered ants in her granola, and there was no air
conditioning. Strangely enough, when you used the shower, water
came out the downspout onto the roof (and it wasn't raining).
On the plus side, we got into Wimbledon and saw the Lion King
play in the West End. We had given up on Wimbledon after
trying to get tickets on the net in advance. But an English couple
said there should be no problem the first week so we decided to go.
They reserve about 6000 tickets a day for people who queue up.
We stood in the longest line I've ever seen in my life. One official
told us we were about 3800th in one of the two lines to get in.
We experienced two rain delays, had strawberries and cream,
bought lots of souvenirs and even saw some tennis. I'd never
been to London before and it was fun to see all the places
I've only read about in books.

There's no place like home. Our friends said it was very
entertaining to travel with us.


KEVIN CORY JONES 75

Dona Lyn Jones 73 wrote:
"I wanted to let you know my brother Kelvin Cory Jones K.C.
passed away June 24, 2001 peacefully at home. His father and
his son and friends where there with him. I did not make it
until after the fact and I now have brought his son Cory home
to live with me in Auburn. He is 10 and will be 11 in Aug. a
sweet kid and looks like KC with brown eyes. You can print
what ever you wish. He died of Cancer which was diagnosed last
Oct. he was 44 years old. He was a artist and woodworker and
left behind a lot of beautiful artwork. Thank you to all who
said prayers and lended support. Dona Lyn Jones"

You can write Dona at Donalyn@infostations.com


ROCKY WILKINSON 65

Chuck Long 65 forwarded me this obit from the July 6 Sacramento Bee:

A Loving Memory Of ROCKY WILKINSON You left us with the memory of
your love, Your thoughts, your Laughter and dreams. No one can take
away memories of our time together, The tender moments, the successes
we've shared, the road we walked side by side. You enter your new life
a wealthy person. Your roots and mine are forever entwined. - Anonymous G.
"Rocky" Wilkinson, Monterey resident and Executive of Baywood Cellars
died Thursday, June 21, 2001 of cancer. Born in Coalinga 1947, graduated
Encina High School, Sacramento, graduated Sacramento State, attended
college in Arizona and returned to Northern California. Rocky was a star
quarterback, entered many dart competitions, was an avid golfer and
fisherman. Rocky had a passion and vitality for life and greeted everyone
with a very special hearty welcome. Though his sunset has come, the clarity
and care with which he loved his family and life, speaks of the great gift
he gave us. Rocky is survived by his wife, Caroline Wilkinson, Monterey;
Father, Earl Wilkinson, Aptos; Mother, Patricia Toner, Rio Del Mar; Twin
Sister, Randyll Scurich, Aptos; Sister Nicki Sorensen, Santa Cruz; Brother,
Scott Wilkinson, Washington, Sister Lori Taylor, Santa Cruz. A celebration
of life is scheduled in September aboard and ocean vessel. The family wishes
to extend a very special thank you to Gail Brocco and Pamela Davis for
arriving on the scene like angels in an attempt to help revive Rocky.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to American Cancer Society.

Chuck Long 65 also wrote:

Dear Friends and Family.
Just a follow up to the death notice for Rocky Wilkinson; I visited with
his mother, wife and 3 sisters this last weekend in Rio Del Mar, and report
that the ladies are all trying so hard to be strong, but are all still
obviously stunned. Still, they are trying to arrange a scattering ceremony
in the Monterey Bay off the Cement Boat at Sea Cliff, where Rocky loved to
fish, for some time in September pending the availability of suitable
vessels or aircraft for the occasion. Rocky had married his beautiful
bride, Caroline Wilkinson, who we first met at the 35th reunion last August,
five days before he suddenly passed. His problem was apparently
misdiagnosed for the past year, and he was already on oxygen and heading for
the hospital with a sever breathing episode when he collapsed. He was
scheduled for chemotherapy, but had not had his first session yet. The
cancer in his lung was apparently a tumor, undiscovered, that eventually
grew to a sufficient size to restrict the lung sacs from receiving oxygen.
It had also metastasized to his hip, and Rocky suddenly succumbed to the
asphyxiation of the lung tumor. I would be happy to forward any messages you
send to his mother, Pat Toner, if you feel like it. Although is was so good
to see Rocky's family again after so many years, it was still sad because of
the circumstances. The toast given by his mother was, "Here's to Rocky," in
case you wish to raise a glass sometime too. Over and out, guys...
Chuck Long


CHRISTINE KOJIMA

Janet Russel Mason 79 wrote:

Hey, everyone, we're coming up on the date for the big bash
for Christine Kojima. Its a bring your own picnic, dessert
potluck. I'll have coolers with ice for people to put their drinks in.

There will be volleyball for those who would like to get a game
together. (no, there's no $100 a point stuff involved)

If you run into anyone who would like to attend, please give them
the info! We have plenty of room, and Chris would love a huge turn out.

Sat. July 14th 3-8 p.m.
Discovery Park (off I-5 and Richards Blvd.)
at the Alder Picnic Area

See you there. Please feel free to call me if you need additional info.
Janet
(916) 736-1132
ideasbydesign@home.com


VIDEOGRAPHER NEEDED

Hi Harlan!

We wondered of you were able to put out information to all the
Encina alumni regarding our need for a photographer/videographer
for the 76 reunion July 28? It's just 3 weeks away and we haven't
heard from anyone. I thought you might have been on vacation since
haven't seen an update in awhile. Any interested parties can contact
Matt or myself.

Thank you again!

Bev Smiley


ALEXIS SCANDALIS GENUNG 70

Sacramento Bee, July 1, 2001, pg N1
By Marsha Hart, Neighbors Staff Writer

Artist makes colorful impression

Pristine white carpet covers the floor, a beautiful crystal chandelier
hangs from the ceiling and tubes of paint in various colors lie on a desk
beside a palette in Alexis Genung's Fair Oaks home. A canvas rests on an
easel with the beginning touches of paint that will transform the blank
white space into a still life of pears.
Finished oil paintings of landscapes, sunflowers, roses, ocean views and
portraits are hung or propped against the walls. The formal dining room and
living area of Genung's Fair Oaks home have become a studio where she
creates her images.
Genung said deciding what to do with her life was not a struggle. When
she was 5 years old, she knew what career she would
choose, she said. "I had gone to see a Disney film about a Dutch painter,"
Genung said. "I went home and asked my father to show me how to draw a face.
He drew a circle with the eyes and some curly hair. I must have done 20
variations on that, with a collar or different hair."
Genung was born in Sacramento, but her father was in the Air Force, so
her family traveled all over the world, she said. Genung said those travels,
coupled with her Greek heritage, have supplied her with ideas for the
canvas. "My family background is Greek, so I do a lot of Greek paintings,"
she said. Her oil painting "Prayer Over the Sea," which depicts a Greek
church on a seaside cliff, is one of her best-selling prints, Genung said.
"It has some kind of meaning for each individual," she said. "It is very
popular."
Her family eventually moved back to Sacramento, where Genung attended two
colleges, California State University, Sacramento, and the University of
California, Davis. At that time, she said, art training was free form,
encouraging a do-whatever-you-like style. Genung said that type of
instruction didn't stimulate her, so she left college and started teaching
herself to paint.
"You read and do, read and do," she said. "That's how I learned."
Genung said she taught herself watercolor, because she had a limited space
in which to paint, and watercolor wasn't as involved and the paints dried
faster than oils. Later, she delved into oils, her favorite medium. Oils are
fairly detailed, and require a great deal of layering, she said.
In 1998, she took a class at American River College taught by Gary
Pruner, her former art teacher at Encina High School. "He was very inspiring
to me as a high school art teacher," she said. "He is a great teacher and
does teach completely different. He is really into teaching the tools. You
always want to be learning."
Some of her landscapes were featured at the newly remodeled gallery in
the state Capitol this spring. Genung was the first artist invited to show
work in the remodeled gallery.
"I've started doing more portraits," she said. "I was mainly a floral and
landscape painter." Genung began painting professionally 11 years ago. "I
never gave up on it. That's really what I wanted to do with my life," she
said.
When Genung was starting out as an artist, she was commissioned by a Gold
River resident to do a couple of paintings. Her first clients are special,
she said. "I consider them my patrons," she said. "I didn't have any work to
show them to prove I could do it. They just believed I could."
One of those patrons was James Aubrey, a dentist and orthodontist in Elk
Grove. He has four of her paintings in his office, he said.
"I think she became a patient of mine probably 15 years ago, and I found out
right away she was an artist," Aubrey said. "As a matter of fact, I ended up
doing her daughter's braces in exchange for a watercolor that hangs in my
office."
Genung and her husband brought about 15 pieces for Aubrey to choose from,
and he chose one called "Honeymoon," he said. The original, which hangs in
his office, is of a stack of suitcases on a hardwood floor in front of an
open door. "It draws everybody in," Aubrey said. "It's a soothing picture. A
lot of people say they don't know if they're just arriving or just leaving."
Genung's work also is on permanent display at the restaurant in the
Capitol building. The works can be viewed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday in the Capitol Restaurant, on the lower level of the
building.
Two of her paintings ended up in a home belonging to now-divorcing
Hollywood couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. She said an interior designer
she knew in Los Angeles was furnishing their home, and presented two of her
paintings to the couple. They approved.
Her husband, Michael, helps market her works. "I'm really fortunate in
that way," she said. "His profession is marketing." Juggling the business
end of being a professional artist can make finding time for the studio a
challenge, Genung said. She said she spends a great deal of time framing her
paintings, having prints made and doing shows.
"I do five or six paintings a year and I need to do more," she said. "I'm
really working on setting myself weekly targets on how
many hours to be in this studio."
For examples of Genung's work, visit her Web site at
www.alexisgenung.com.


BRYAN EVANS 77/78

Bryan wrote:

Bug In Box is pleased to announce the latest animation project for Kurupt,
Latina, and Snoop Dog¹s song ³It¹s Over,² directed by Charles Infante has
begun airing on MTV. The video takes place at a Los Angeles 50¹s style
diner with an animated beginning and end.

The animation was produced using a combination of traditional and digital
methods to obtain the desired look and movement.

Bug In Box is an independent animation studio based in Studio City,
California, and has done projects most recently for the Walt Disney
Company and musician R. Kelly.


BRIAN CRALL 93

Brian Crall 93 wrote:
Colleen (wife) and I opened our production company October 2000 and one of
our first business ventures is a comedy show called: The Free Hooch Comedy
Troupe. It is an adult comedy show that is part Saturday Night Live, part
Groundlings, part Kids in the Hall, with a little bit of South Park humor.
We have assembled a brilliant cast of funny people. I would like to invite
all of the members of the Encina High School Alumni Association to the
shows. If you tell the door person (who will most likely be me or Colleen)
that you are a former Encina High School Student we will take $1 off the
price of admission. The show is fantastic! The web site has all the
information on the actors and the show. I would love to have the support of
the Association.

Here is all the information they will need:

Quarter Blue Productions Presents

The Free Hooch Comedy Troupe at the Ramada Inn Fulton Avenue Bar & Grill

2600 Auburn Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95821
Take the Fulton Avenue Exit off Business 80 (Capital City Freeway)

July 6, 13, 20, 27

Seating starts at 7:00PM
Two Show Times: 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM

$5 Cover charge at the door. 18 and Older. Must have valid ID
Adult Material
For More Information Call: (916) 446-6945

www.quarterblue.com/hooch


LANCE BALLANCE 85

Lance wrote:
"Just wanted to drop you to line to let the Encinians know about the latest
addition to the Ballance clan. Saturday morning, June 23rd, saw the arrival
of Allyn Rebecca Ballance to Lance & Brenda Ballance. She weighed in at
7lbs. 10oz., and looks like her mom (thank goodness...)"


REUNIONS

If any of the classes have finalized more details, please let me know.

If you have siblings or friends from these classes, please let them
know their class is having a reunion so they don't miss it. This
especially applies to those who aren't online.


CLASS OF 61

Date: August 11, 2001
Location: River Cruise on the Mathew McKinley in Old Sacramento
Time: Boarding 6.30
Sailing: 7.00pm-10.00pm
Contact: John Russell at john_carolrussell@yahoo.com

CLASS OF 66

Saturday, September 15, 2001, from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Clubhouse at Swallow's Nest, off Garden Highway in Sacramento
Cost: $25
Contact: Kathy Cooper at Encina66@aol.com

CLASS OF 71

Date: Saturday, August 4, 2001
Location: Doubletree (original Red Lion Inn)
Time: 6:30PM
Contact: Mike Billings at Showzrd@aol.com
Laura Simons - 916-972-7077

CLASS OF 76

*** UPDATE ***

My fellow 76ers,

The class of 1976's 25th reunion will be Saturday, July 28th, at
Arden Hills Country Club. 6:00 p.m. to 11:00. Arden Hills is
located at 4600 Fair Oaks Blvd (corner of Mission behind the
nursery). Cost is $45 if RECEIVED by July 21st, $55 by July 27th,
and $60 at the door. Please mail your checks to Matt Shelton, P.O.
Box 6605430, Sacramento, 95866-0543. Please include some way of
contacting you. email would be preferred.
We have also planned an informal drop-in get together at the Sudwerk
Brewery and Grill on Friday the 27th. Hours: 7ish-closing. Located
at 1375 Exposition (corner of Point West Way). This is in their main
bar, which will be open to the general public as well. This is
supposed to be alumni only, but as we do not have a private room, you
can sneak your spouse in no problem (if you really, really want too).
Also, we have reserved the picnic area at Ashton Park for a family
picnic on Sunday the 29th at 10:30. Nothing will be provided. The
park is located on Ashton Dr. off of American River between Estates
and Saverign. The park has big and little kids playgrounds, two
tennis courts, basketball court, nice sidewalks for scooters, and
bathrooms.
Whew, any questions? email at sheltonmk@aol.com phone at 485-6436

Date: July 28, 2001
Place: Arden Hills
Contact: Matt Shelton at sheltonmk@aol.com

CLASS OF 81

Date: August 11, 2001
Place: Arden Hills Country Club
Contact: Melissa Tovar at melissatovar@aol.com

CLASS OF 86

Date: September 15th
Place: TBD
Time: approx 630-700pm
Dress: semi casual (no gowns or tuxes)
Contact: Kelly Dimmitt at CaliKel@hotmail.com

CLASS OF 91

CLASS OF 1991 REUNION
DATE: August 18th, 2001
LOCATION: Grapes Restaurant upstairs Banquet Hall
TIME: 5:30 P.M. Saturday Evening
PRICE PER PERSON: (To be determined)

Contact: Gina Baker Smith at ginabsmith@hotmail.com
My phone number is (916) 635-7958
If you are calling out of the area, you can call my
800 number at 1-800-496-2935 PIN# 17

Scott Bennett's e-mail is cjbennett@jps.net
Scott's phone number is (916) 480-0732


82 REUNION

Hi Everyone,
Well we had the first meeting and it went great.
We reminisced quite a bit about the good ole days. We
did managed to talk about the reunion. Currently Kevin
Anderson and Bruce Kerr are checking into halls. Once
we get a hall and have that date finalized then we can
proceed with the rest of the details.

I do have one question for everyone. Finding a
hall on a saturday might run into early May or
September and that would run into school days for you
out of towners that want to bring their kids. We
tentatively are planning on doing a picnic/barbeque
for the families on the second day of this event. So
if you could email me back and let me know if that is
going to be a problem or not would be great.

Our next meeting is going to be on July 12th at
applebee's for HAPPY HOUR. Yup I told you we are going
to try to make this fun. So I will update you then.

Thanks
Soames Funakoshi
alexusfr@yahoo.com


SIBLINGS

Jesse Guimbellot 83 wrote:
Lance Guimbellot 82
Jesse Guimbellot 83
Matt Guimbellot 85

Lori Poplawski 83 wrote:
Melody Poplawski 66
Brent Poplawski 70
Shane Poplawski 72
Lori Poplawski 83

Janice Gerber 64 wrote:
Janice Gerber 64
Richard Gerber 66

Steve Ball 62 is married to Janice Gerber 64

Dorian Gunn 96 wrote:
Travis Gunn 93
Dorian Gunn 96

Teresa Goodearle 86 wrote:
Andrea Goodearle 82
Teresa Goodearle 86

Thao Luc 95/96 wrote:
Hai Luc 94
Thao Luc 95/96

Donna Prewett 74 wrote:
Donna Prewett 74
James Prewett 76

Catherine Ramos 97 wrote:
Catherine Ramos 97
Mary Ramos 99

Jerry Hallstrom 66 wrote:
Jack Hallstrom 62
David Hallstrom 65
Jerry Hallstrom 66
Joyce Hallstrom 67

Alan Stroppini 66 is in contact with brothers:
Larry Armstrong 65
Leon Armstrong 66

Barbara Hardy 76 wrote:
Patricia Hardy 70
Kathy Hardy 71
Joanne Hardy 75
Barbara Hardy 76
Richard Hardy 77

Stacey Boss 80 wrote:
Stacey Boss 80
Amy Boss 82

Mike Clancy 65 wrote:
John Clancy 62
Mike Clancy 65
Lori Clancy 73

Bryan Duke 81 wrote:
Marcy Duke 80
Bryan Duke 81

Andrea Wages 99 wrote:
Chris Wages 96
Andrea Wages 99

Eric Brown 96 wrote:
Jason Arther Brown 93
Eric Brown 96


BIOS

ROBIN ELLETT 62

Occupation: Door & Window Sales

Bio: I actually didn't graduate from Encina. We moved to the San Francisco
area just before the start of my senior year. I graduated from Novato H.S.
in 1962. Married in 1963. Two children. Now, two Grandchildren. I'm
currently living in So. Calif.

Friends: I graduated 8th grade from Arden Elementary school. Best friends
were Roxanne, Pat Jones, Ruth Cook, etc. We had dreams of sailing to South
America. Later we tho't we'd buy a jeep and drive down.
High school.....we were to be the first graduating class of four years from
Encina High....our brand new very own school. Best friends.....so many;
Betty Emerson, Judy Queal, Sue Berg, Robin Evans, Cheryl, come to mind right
now. I was also active at Sierra Arden Congregational Church and had many
friends there too. Some went to El Camino H.S.. I've lost contact with
everyone but Betsy Piersons family.

Memorable_teachers: Mr Figenshoe [sp?] who taught biology & drivers ed. We
nick-named him Mr Fungus foot.

Favorite_memory: When we raised money for one of the boys who had been in a
hunting accident & lost his leg. The boys in shop also converted his car so
he could drive it with just one leg.


LORI POPLAWSKI 83

Occupation: Administrative Supervisor for a local CPA firm

Bio: Yikes! Where do I start?! Let's see... I got married married at 17 to
Jeff Moore and we're still going strong after 18 years (kinda proud of that
as not too many people can say that). I got pregnany my senior year and
didn't actually graduate from Encina (finished up at El Camino) although I
went there for my Freshman, Sophomore, & Junior years. We have two kids
too. When our daughter started kindergarden, I went to Heald Business
College. Eventually went to work for a local CPA firm (5 years) and then
then owners sold the practice so I went to work for another, substantially
larger, firm (been there 11+ years). In addition to my job with the
accounting firm, on the side I'm also a Branch Advisor for the Longaberger
Company (maker of handwoven baskets in Ohio) and have been doing that for
about 7 years now (love it).

Trivia: Our daughter and I had the same 2nd grade teacher.

Friends: I didn't socialize a lot with people from Encina (hung out with
people from Rio). My best friend was Jill Haney (she has since moved to
Texas, is divorced with two kids and seems to be very happy). As a
freshman, also hung out with Lisa Ball and Robin Durham (have no idea what
happened to them). Shared a locker with Kevin Wall... don't know what
happened to him either.

Hobbies: Yoga, camping, crafty things when I have the time (almost never!),
bunco.

Kids: Lindsey is currently 18 and still lives at home. She's going to
American River (second year) and wants to be a firefighter. Nicholas is 7
and goes to St. Ignatius. He loves soccer and basketball. (We also have 4
cats that are practically our kids too. *Ü*)

Grade_school: Thomas Edison

Grade_school_friends: (Can't remember any at the moment)

Junior_high: Jonas Salk

Junior_high_friends: At Jonas Salk -- Robin Durham, Jill Haney (plus others
from Rio including Jan Adams and Shawna West)

Memorable_teachers: Mr. Carey... only because I had him every year (because
of Choral - played piano)... Mr. Figensu (sp?) but only because of those
smelly dead cats in the back of the room! Ug.

Favorite_memory: To be honest with you, highschool is kind of a blur.
Progbably goofed off too much cause nothing in particular stands out.

Sibling_info: Melody Poplawski (sister), Brent Poplawski, Shane Poplawski.


DONNA PREWETT 74

Occupation: Self-employed

Bio: Got married six months after graduating. Had 2 sons, Aaron and Jeremy.
Mr. Right turned out to be Mr. Wrong, sooo....12 years later, out of the
blue, my Junior High sweetheart (Dan Peterson) calls me and we met the next
day. One year later, we married (July, 1985) and have been happily married
for 16 years now. Dan has a son, Dustin. Together we have, yet another son,
Sammy. .We lived in Santa Rosa and San Ramon for about 10 years and moved
back to Sacramento in 1995. I've held a few Executive Assistant positions
until about 1.5 years ago when I started my own business as a Fashion
Consultant. I work out of my home and I love it....I make as much money as I
want to and I can do it from home in my slippers!!! My husband, Dan, is a
Carpenter (Union guy). He works hard, makes a good living and bought me a
beautiful home!!!

Trivia: I don't know....maybe when I worked for the Federal Bureau of
Prisons and went to Glynco, Georgia for 3 weeks. I learned how to shoot a
.33 caliber, an M1 Carbene and a 12-gauge shotgun. Learned martial arts -
Aikido. (don't mess with me!) and worked at a Federal prison while living in
San Ramon....hated it. A little too rough for me!

Friends: Best friends were Donna McManus, Randi Lee Sanford and Suzanne
McGee.

Hobbies: I love to decorate my house. I sew and do various crafts. I love to
cook. I love hostessing parties from start to finish - the decorating, the
cooking, etc.

Kids: Aaron is 25. Lives on his own, works full-time and is going to school
to become a Radio broadcaster. Jeremy is 23, lives on his own. Interned the
last year for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries and is currently in India on a
missions trip for a month. When he returns, he'll be attending Stanislaus
State University to get his BA in teaching. Dustin is 23 and graduated from
Heald Business College last spring and works for Earthlink. Sammy is 14,
lives at home, of course, and will attend Kit Carson Middle School. He has
aspirations of being a movie director (watch out Steven Spielberg!)

Grade_school: John Muir in Modesto, CA

Grade_school_friends: None

Junior_high: Howe Avenue

Junior_high_friends: I can't remember!

Memorable_teachers: Mrs. Kojima - she made learning German fun!

Favorite_memory: Having a danish and coffee at the home economics "cafe".

Heard_about_website_from: Randi Lee Sanford


JAMIE OLDHAM 93

Occupation: Sexy man

Bio: Stuff

Trivia: I've won three california titles for bullriding, been engaged twice
and then finally found good sex and love this year.

Friends: John and Andy Pearson, Slater Mason, my home girl Teresa, and have
lost contact with anyone and everyone else.

Hobbies: Rodeo, EMT stuff, firefighting, long walks on the beach, robbing
the craddle, and staying buff.

Kids: NONE!

Grade_school: Greer Elementary

Grade_school_friends: The ones that stayed with me unto High School.

Junior_high: Jonas Salk Middle School

Junior_high_friends: The ones that followed my ass to Jr. High and the ones
that stayed true along the way.

Memorable_teachers: Miss. Woo - For teaching me the wonders and importance
of television that still get me in trouble with my women to this day.
Coach Tavelero - For exquisitly explaining Sex Ed, and why men chase women
and spend insane amounts of money for a little pleasure.

Favorite_memory: Turtle Pies and "Recycle it baby."

Heard_about_website_from: My home girl Teresa

marital_status: Taken but not yet chained.

number_children: NONE!

Comments: "WORD TO YOUR MOTHER!"


CATHERINE RAMOS 97

Occupation: Full time student at CSUS as Biological Conservation and
Environmental Science Major

Bio: Studying hard to graduate via schedule with my BS degree. I am a CSUS
Senior and will graduate soon hopefully with honors when I start my
biological research. Spending free-time with my Bio-gals, my sweet puppies,
and family. I've been involved in doing summer bird counts with "Doc", my
bio prof. I will also celebrate my 8th yr anniversary with ANDREW this
coming month.

Friends: Jackie, Cam, and Sarbina. All but one contacts me once a semester.

Hobbies: Bird Watching and spending weekends all over N.Calif with friends
and Andrew. Hiking, and mountain biking.

Kids: NO KIDS!!!And I will never have them, ever!

Junior_high_friends: Naleeni and Mike

Memorable_teachers: Mr. Luchini, Mrs. Johnson, and of course.......Mr.
Brodnasky for his inspirations in BIOLOGY.

Favorite_memory: LOTS of memories some of which I'd rather forget (love and
telephone does not work)

Story: I am having the time of my life, and it will only get better!

Sibling_info: Mary Ramos

Alumni_in_contact: Cam Truong


GOOD IDEA

When you get those pre-approved letters in the mail
for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages
and junk like that, some of them come with postage paid
return envelopes, right?

Well, why not get rid of some of your other junk
mail and put it in these cool little envelopes!

Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to
American Express. Or a pizza coupon to Citibank.

If you didn't get anything else that day, then just
send them their application back! Just make sure
your name isn't on anything you send them. Heck, you can send it back
empty if you want to just to keep 'em guessing!

Let's turn this into a chain letter! Eventually, the
banks and credit card companies will begin getting
all their crap back in the mail.

Let's let them know what it's like to get junk mail,
and best of all... THEY'RE paying for it! Twice!

Let's help keep our postal service busy since they say
e-mail is cutting into their business, and that's
why they need to increase postage again!


VOICE PORTALS

JUL 12, 2001
A Final Internet Freebie on the Phone
By DAVID POGUE
EFORE the Internet bubble burst, the dot-com era was really getting to be a
lot of fun. By giving up a little personal information you could get
Internet service, toothpaste or even dog food, all of it free. And now,
almost all of it's gone, nothing more than a crazy fad that we'll describe
to our grandchildren with a bittersweet chuckle. Psychiatrists had better
gear up for a new class of mental affliction: Dot- Com Consumer Bereavement.

But like a trailing fireworks spark that refuses to go out, one peculiar
Internet freebie is hanging on and even thriving: the voice portal. You're
forgiven if you've never heard of it — but not if you fail to exploit it
from now on.

A voice portal is an information service that you reach by dialing a
toll-free number. At the other end, a chipper automated voice greets you and
offers you a broad range of free services, which you summon just by saying
their names. Some of these are the usual glop you find on Web portals like
MSN.com or Yahoo (news/quote): stock quotes, news, sports scores, soap opera
summaries, horoscopes and so on.

Other services can be life savers for the traveler: up-to-the-minute flight
arrival and departure information, traffic reports for specific roads,
wake-up calls, a MovieFone-like directory and, believe it or not, spoken
turn-by-turn driving directions from anywhere to anywhere. (As you clutch
your cell phone to your ear while driving, you can make the voice pause
until you're ready for the next direction.) Some services can even read your
e-mail to you. Compared with the cost and hassle of getting your laptop or
palmtop outfitted with wireless Internet access, voice portals represent a
pretty sweet deal.

Occasionally (but not always), you may hear a short advertisement before you
get the goods; fortunately, most of the time, the worst it gets is, "News
headlines, sponsored by Preparation H," or whatever. That's because
voice-portal companies don't make their money by selling advertising. Their
real business is setting up voice-controlled services for other companies,
especially cell-phone companies. The free services reviewed here, in other
words, are simply showpieces. They're intended to demonstrate both how
refined voice-recognition technology has become and, when they are done
well, what a hit they can be with consumers. (Some attract millions of calls
a week.)

But who cares about the motives? Free is free. As you'll see in the
following sample transcript, you never have to sit through long menus of
options; if you can choke back your innate sense of etiquette, you can
interrupt the automated voice in mid-sentence. On the 800-555-TELL portal (a
service of Tellme Networks), you can even cut short most of the
advertisements:

Woman's voice: "Hi there. This is 1-800-555-TELL! Here are all the
categories you can choose from. When you hear the one you want, just say it.
Stock quotes. News. Sports — "

You: "Weather."

She: "Weather. Got it. When you're done there, say, `Main Menu.' "

Man's voice: "Weather. Brought to you by home-store.com. Say a city and
state, say a ZIP code, or hang on while I get your local weather for New
York, New York."

You: "Cleveland, Ohio."

Man: "Cleveland, Ohio. At 4:56 p.m., it's cloudy and it's 67 degrees. For
today, showers — "

You: "Main menu."

She: "For your free credit report — "

You: "Lottery."

She: "O.K., lottery. When you're done there, say `Main Menu.' "

He: "Lottery. Here are Saturday's lottery results for New York. Say `Stop'
to choose a different state. The winning numbers for Pick 3 were: 0, 2 and
2. The — "

You: "Darn it!"

He: "Hmm. I didn't get that. Please say one of our categories, or say `Main
Menu.' "

Not only is Tellme's speech recognizer almost goof-proof, but the
instantaneousness of the responses to your commands is excellent; frankly,
the Tellme voice robots are a lot quicker on the uptake than some of the
human call-center representatives you've probably encountered.

800-555-TELL also offers a goodie that may make you think you're still
living in the dot-com bubble days: free long-distance phone calls. When you
say "phone booth," the host invites you to make a free "two minute" call
anywhere in the country. You actually get about a minute and 40 seconds
(including a 20-second warning) before you're disconnected; you can make
only one call a day per outgoing phone number; and this freebie doesn't work
from pay phones.

Otherwise, the possibilities are endless: You can notify someone that you're
running late, wish someone in Montana a happy birthday, or nag your ex in
Hawaii to return those Billy Joel CD's.

800-555-TELL's other standout feature is its taxi referral system. When you
say "taxi" and your city and state, the system connects you to a local cab
company to arrange a pickup (another free call). I can remember at least one
rainy, miserable late-night episode in a strange city when that feature
might have come in handy.

BeVocal (800-4-BVOCAL) is another such service, tailored to travelers. In
addition to the usual news, sports, etc., BeVocal offers excellent flight
information (all airlines) and a different kind of free-calling feature
called Business Finder. It's like a national, living Yellow Pages; you just
say the city, state, and name (or kind) of the company you want. BeVocal not
only tells you which branch is closest, but offers to connect you with that
business for a free 10- minute call. If you're stuck in a strange city,
there is no more efficient way to locate the nearest bank, FedEx
(news/quote) box or all-night dentist.

Every voice portal reviewed here also has a Web page where you can plug in
more personal information in exchange for greater convenience when using the
service; for example, when you say "Driving directions," the service will
already know your home address. But BeVocal carries this feature to a new
level; on the Web page, for example, you can specify which stocks you follow
(for when you say "Stocks"), which roads you travel ("Traffic") and so on.

Hey Anita (800-44-ANITA) lacks the free-call goodies, but its flight-
tracking feature is remarkable ("United Airlines Flight No. 1 is currently
in flight. It's scheduled to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport at
6:37 p.m. It is currently in flight at 35,000 feet at 549 miles per hour.")

And Hey Anita offers two unique features: First, if you have a Yahoo e-mail
account, you can manage your e-mail by voice. A surprisingly good
synthesized voice reads back each message. (When you compose or reply to a
message, your spoken message is sent as an attached sound file.)

Second, the Hey Anita Web page lets you build an address book. When you call
in from the road, you can speak somebody's name; Anita provides the phone
number or other information. It's a sensational idea, but Anita, for all her
likable qualities, doesn't offer any means of importing your address book
from, say, Outlook or a palmtop. Typing them in manually is almost too much
effort to be worthwhile.

AudioPoint (888-38-AUDIO) would have been extremely impressive a few years
ago, or even a few paragraphs ago. Unfortunately, its menu is strictly basic
fare: business, traffic, weather, sports, news, entertainment and
horoscopes; worse, this is the only service that had trouble understanding
my crisp, accent-neutral Ohio speech. AudioPoint has many superior rivals —
in other words, the audio is here, but there's not much point.

There are other voice portals, by the way, but they charge a fee — for
example, $10 per month for Telsurf (reads back your e-mail), $20 for
InternetSpeech (reads the text of any Web page), $5 for America Online
(reads back AOL mail). But the free portals are the undiscovered gems of the
post-Internet-bubble era. Here, at last, is the consumer-technology product
whose slogan could be, "Go leave home without it."


HOMECOMING 2001

We have received OFFICIAL permission to hold the Homecoming 2001
party at El Camino HS again this year. The pregame party will
start at 5pm same as last year and the postgame party will end
at 1130pm. If you are interested in helping on the homecoming
committee let me know. Last year we had a great group of volunteers!

Coming...Homecoming 2001 on Friday, October 5, 2001:
http://www.encinahighschool.com/homecoming/homecoming2001.htm

For those of you who wonder what the heck a homecoming party is...

For information about the homecoming party, including pictures:
http://www.encinahighschool.com/homecoming/homecoming2000.htm

If you missed the description of the homecoming party see:
http://www.encinahighschool.com/archives/email/001027.txt

WHAT'S NEW

7/8/01: Joan Hamlin 69, Carol Hamlin 67, Aileen Hamlin 70, Stacey Boss 80,
David Kung 89, Jerry Burks 71 update

7/7/01: Caroline Johnson 71/72 update, Clifford Wasley 76, Carolyn Dankman
73 update, Carmela Martinez 82, Larry Armstrong 65, Patricia Hardy 70, Kathy
Hardy 71, Joanne Hardy 75, Richard Hardy 77

7/6/01: Leon Armstrong 66, Mike Macaulay 69 update, Robert Paul 66, Cam
Godecke 68, Dorian Gunn 96, Travis Gunn 93, Kenneth Taylor 77, LaMont Price
92 update, Mary Mackintosh 85, Robert Lenzi 69, Simone Kroeger 88 update,
Pam Haney 85 update, Rick Jefferson 95, Linden Welch 70, Chris Hill 82
update, Teresa Goodearle 86, Andrea Goodearle 82, Brandy Biehl 86 bio, Thao
Luc 95/96 bio, Donna Prewett 74/bio, Jamie Oldham 93 bio, Catherine Ramos 97
bio, Mary Ramos 99, Cam Truong 97, Marleen Edwards 82 update, Jim Summers
78, Tim Schott 82, Mark Zoeller 80 update, Bryan Duke 81, Robin Ellett 62
bio, Shawn Tomlin 89/bio, David Smith 64, Oscar Hontiveros 64, Gerald
Hallstrom 66, Jack Hallstrom 62, David Hallstrom 65, Joyce Hallstrom 67,
Renee Farlow 99 update, Jon Wroten 74, Mark Finlay 74, Jim Ayers 66

7/5/01: Katherine Matranga 76, Michael Smith 66, Susan Epperson 62, Lori
Poplawski 83/bio, Derek Schujahn 91 update, John Angella 76, Steve Ball 62,
Janice Gerber 64, Richard Gerber 66, Annalisa Lorta 90, Bianca Williams 94
update, Mike Inglis 61, Colin Mack 85, Glenn Hopper 68

classmates.com: Giles Nadey 61, Larry Afzal 62, Michael Clancy 65, Shirley
Heiman 66, Milo Minnis 66, Steve Lozar 67, Dave Bonti 67, Judy Taylor 68,
Joan Hamlin 69, Philip Warner 71, Donna Prewett 74, Kathleen Clark 76,
Stacey Boss 80, Wendi Anderson 82, Juli McReynolds 83, Krisada Shaw 84,
David Kung 89, Natalie Scharp 94, Ray Gutierrez 94, Patricia Arquette 97,
Elizabeth Huerta 99, Lisbeth Leal 99, Sergio Mondragon-Lopez 00, Richard
Parkison 00, Shannon Lay 01

6/15/01: Leon Armstrong 66, Michelle Harvey 91 bio, Damian Barham 96,
Cherish Barham 98, Legend Barham 00, Jesse Guimbellot 83, Lance Guimbello5
82, Matt Guimbellot 85, Jackie Cummings 68, Joan Cummings 70, Jim Ayers 66,
Jodi Pannell 86 update, Mike Dunn 96

classmates.com: Christy Zahn 65, Sharon Hawkins 66, Richard Harris 69, Gina
Pettit 87, Adonis Villanueva 93, Christy Blowers 94, Le Lammypoo 00, Walter
Childs 00

6/14/01: Loretta Smith 70 update, John Kasnick 65, Denisha Booth 89/bio,
Dick White 66, Karolinn Williams 63/bio, Carol Rodrigues 61


Don't forget to submit your contact information or bio:
contact: www.encinahighschool.com/directory/submit_contact.htm
bio: www.encinahighschool.com/submit_bio.htm


Harlan Lau '73
Encina webmaster
www.encinahighschool.com
harlan@rambus.com