Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 1999 10:47 AM Encina Update (siblings/search/sacramento room/yearbooks/kim tierney/christmas program/gerry kundert/basketball/store/whats new/books) ENCINA ALUMNI Hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family! For the next two weeks, I'll be unable to update the Encina website. We're doing some work on our house and the PC containing the website will be down for the duration. However, I'll still have email so you may not even notice that the class directories and bios are not up to date... SIBLINGS Lots of contacts over the Thanksgiving weekend. Thanks to those of you who spread the word to your siblings and friends! Caroline "Carrie" Schmidt 76 wrote: Mary Ann Schmidt 69 Barbara Schmidt 73 Cindy Schmidt 74 Caroline Schmidt 76 Donald Bright 75 wrote: Dennis Bright 63 Richard Philbin 64 (legal ward of Vern and Leona Bright) KIA on 2/2/66 in Tui Hoa, Viet Nam Dennis Bright 75 Ramona Bright 77 Melissa Burns 77 wrote: Melissa Burns 77 Thomas Burns 80 Teressa Buckalew 93 wrote: Teresa Buckalew 93 Charlie Buckalew 96 Teresa Buckalew 93 is in contact with: Marggi Miller 93 Sylvia Gutierrez 93 Teresa Buckalew 93 and Jeff Tobin 95 are married Jason Altstatt 92 wrote: Yvonne Altstatt 89 Jason Altstatt 92 Phillip Altstatt 96 ALUMNI SEARCH Do you know how to contact any of these folks? James Neil Smith 64 Steve Chase 73 Tom Schirle 73 SACRAMENTO ROOM Beth Drake 76 (beth_b11@hotmail.com) wrote: Hi Harlan, I went to the Sacramento public library today to check out the Encina yearbooks, and WOW, that place is cool! It's the "central" branch, which is across the street from Cesar Chavez park on 9th street between I and J. On the 2nd floor there is a special room called the Sacramento Room, and there is a guard there - you cannot check anything out and you have to lock your purse, etc. before they let you enter. (High security). It's filled with really neat old Sacramento stuff. I can't wait to go back! Anyway, for Encina yearbooks, they have 1965,66,67 and 1973 and 1974. That's all. It's a lot more than they have for some schools! The librarian there was very nice and she told me they really want people to donate (it's tax deductible!) their old yearbooks (or any other memorabilia). You can see that it will be very safe and taken care of there, and available for anyone to see. Perhaps you might want to add this to the Encina web site? Her name is Ruth Ellis, and her phone number is (916)264-2976. She mentioned calling all schools in the Sacramento area and asking them to donate their yearbooks to the library. She said the yearbooks are a very popular thing for people to look at. Anyway I found what I was looking for. In the 1966 yearbook both of my brothers are in it - who are now both dead. My oldest brother looks like a sweet, innocent angel in his photo - it made me cry - I'm sure at that age he WAS an angel. My own son is older than that now. But my other brother has the most horrible yearbook photo in there - both eyes shut - ha ha ha. I encourage you to go visit the Sacramento Room. I'm taking my husband there this Sunday - it's open from 1-5 p.m. Beth YEARBOOKS By the way, the main reason Beth Drake 76 went to the Sacramento Room was to find an Encina 66 yearbook. Beth was mistakenly told that Encina did not have a copy of the 66 yearbook. Heddy Crowder, Encina community liason, assures me that Encina has a copy of every yearbook. They are not for sale and may not leave the office, but you can make an appointment to look through the yearbooks. Encina also has some extra copies of some yearbooks available. I believe most of the years 1977 and later are available for purchase. Earlier years are sold out. KIM TIERNEY 78 Kim Tierney 78 (tierneyz@pacbell.net) wrote: Hi Harlan, Finally have a few moments to sit down and type. Wanted to pass on to everyone a few tidbits from my trip to Tokyo with the Kings. The Kings were there to play their first two regular season games against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I first want to thank the people who took the time to assist me on what to do and what to expect over there. For the most part, you were right on the money. I have never seen a cleaner city in my life. My two stat compatriots and I never saw any litter in the five days we were there. In fact, we didn't even see a garbage can on the streets for three days! The subway system was great and easy to use. It was also a heck of lot cheaper than a taxi. Taxi rides averaged around $30 one way, whereas the subway usually ran about $4 round trip!. We were able to visit a few temples, but ran into a problem when we tried to visit the Imperial Palace, where the emperor lives. After taking the subway for 30 minutes, and another hour walking up hills, we were refused entrance to the palace. Much to our chagrin, the palace is only open to the public two days a year! After much yelling at each other for not confirming with the concierge, we footed it over to the Tokyo Dome, where the basketball games were held. The two basketball games were pretty mediocre. There were four good quarters of basketball out of eight. The one thing that made it interesting for us stat guys was the silence. The fans were extremely quiet, no matter how hard the announcers and mascots tried to get them excited. It was quite an experience to finally hear the banter back and forth between the players, coaches, and referees. You could even hear the dribbling on the court. It was like dribbling in an empty gym. The best basketball highlight was the NBA reception that was held the night before the first game. The top brass from the NBA, the Japan delegation, and the two team organizations were there. Overall, a great experience. Once in a lifetime. Now, if the Kings could just win the NBA championship, I might be able to finagle my way to the McDonald's Championships next October. In Europe! On a sadder note, I want to make a few comments on the passing of the King's public address announcer, Fred Anderson. Fred passed away this past Monday night, November 22, after a long battle with leukemia and prostate cancer. Fred and I worked side by side for over 400 King's games. He was my partner, confidant, and my friend. When you work so closely with someone for so long, it's like a marriage. It was really erie sometimes how we could communicate without even talking. Quite honestly, Fred spoiled me. The man was a real professional. You don't realize how good a job someone does until they're gone. When the Sacramento Monarchs started up three years ago, Fred was not asked to announce. Instead, they asked a local radio DJ. It really wasn't the guys fault, but he just wasn't a basketball kinda of guy. He was terrible, and, he even called me Jim the whole season. For fun, I never corrected him. I wanted to wait and see how long it would take him to get it right. He finally did the next year. I guess what I want to pass on to everyone is this. You've heard it before, but I'm going to say it again. You never know when you say good bye to someone if you'll ever see them again. If it's a loved one, tell them you love them. If it's a close friend, convey in some way that you value their friendship. And, if it's a coworker, tell them how much you appreciate their work. As you read this, think of someone who you interact with on a frequent basis. Now stop and think what that person brings to your life. I never told Fred how much I valued him as an announcer, and a friend. Don't make the same mistake I did! Dr. Freud has spoken. Peace! CHRISTMAS PROGRAM Pati Price Rader 75 (raderhome@compaq.net) wrote: If anyone out there is looking for a wonderful Christmas program to attend with the family &/or friends, "an Evening In December" is playing at Memorial Auditorium this Th,Fr,Sa 7Pm & Sat ,Sun 3pm. nearly 9,000 tickets have already sold, but there are still great seats available. This is really a top notch presentation and is only $5.00 a ticket, see the Neighbors section of the Bee Thanksgiving for more info. Tickets are available at Bass, etc. or at the door too. Come early for the lobby singers, my 22 year old daughter may take you way back, I've been told that she looks just like me! This program has great signifigance for my family this year as I have been slowly recovering from a life changing illnes for 18 months. I never thought I would think clearly again, let alone sing, & well here I am, it is truly a blessing. If anyone comes, please let me know via email, or look for me afterwards, I'd love to see some friends from the past! Kate Grebitus is coming on Friday Rick Price & family on Sunday Patti Schrunk (a few times, her daughter is in it as well) Some other alumni too, but not sure exactly when Thanks A Bunch; Pati Price-Rader GERRY KUNDERT Chris Wicks 67 (cwicks@dgs.ca.gov) wrote: Below is a copy an article out of Thursday's Sac Bee regarding my old football coach Gerry Kundert. This may be of interest to all the football players who played for him through 1967. I noticed in a Homecoming '68 book that there was a new head coach, so he must have left to go to Mira Loma about then. He did not have much success at Encina, but it sounds like he did well after that. Prep Beat: Kundert's dilemma: What wing-T to see? By Joe Davidson Bee Staff Writer (Published Nov. 25, 1999) Football What's Gerry Kundert to do? The grizzled ex-coach who helped usher in the wing-T generation to Sacramento nearly 40 years ago at Mira Loma has basked in the retirement life. He jets up and down the freeway in a 1967 British classic Austin Healey Sprite, a convertible about the size of your traditional nose guard. Kundert attends practices of his one-time pupils and he prowls the sideline during games armed with his familiar game face. The Kundert products include Dave Humphers at Nevada Union and Mike Dimino and Terry Stark at Johnson, Mira Loma players from the 1970s who have installed the wing-T act into their programs with monstrous results. Here's the problem, one every mentor should have to face once in his lifetime. Where to go Saturday afternoon? Nevada Union visits Jesuit in one Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinal and Johnson plays host to Grant in the other. The games start at 1 p.m. The Austin Healey can motor, yes, but we're not talking a Corvette here. The regular season was simple. NU played night games on Friday and Johnson competed on Saturday afternoon. Kundert said he enjoys both squads because they remind him of his old units. They play hard and the athletes are eager to learn. "Gerry will find a way to see the games because football is what he's all about," Dimino said. "He's got a huge heart." Funny Dimino mentions that because in the Mira Loma heyday, compassion wasn't the word the Matador players always used in describing Kundert and right-hand man Don Brown. The Kundert-Brown show produced many a befuddled defense and 16 league championships. Brown, now retired in Pollock Pines, was as gruff as they come. "He was real tough," Dimino said. "If he walked by you in the halls and said, "Hi,' you ran up to your friends and told them, "Guess what? Brown said hello!' You were that excited. If he tried to spill coffee on you or kicked you in the butt, it was like a hug." The foundation of the Matadors dynasty was commitment. That included practices well into the dark. Kundert ran the defense and he'd work the poor lads into the ground while the offensive players drove away, honked their horns and waved. Dimino and Stark were lucky. In the mid 1970s, Brown's son, Bobby, was a star defensive player. So when coach Brown came by an hour or so later to pick him up, Kundert would call it a day. One of Mira Loma's victims in 1972 was Cordova. In the Lancer secondary that season was a heady and hard-nosed sort named George Harper. Now the defensive coordinator at Jesuit, Harper says he grows nauseous thinking of the Mira Loma Machine and how it had teams running in circles in an attempt to find the ball carrier. Humphers and Oakmont coach Bob Vukajlovich say that an efficient wing-T can have defenders spinning wildly like "three blind dogs in a meat house." "Mira Loma was the trend setter to the wing," Harper said. "I remember having no idea what I was doing." BASKETBALL Deborah Young wrote: November 27, 1999, was the start of the 1999-2000 Basketball Season. Our first game was with the Number 1 ranked team in California - Tamalpais from the Bay Area. The final score was not a victory for Encina, but our team played a very good game! Encina 43 and Tamalpais 79. Our top players were: A.D. Smoots with 17 points, 3 Defensive Rebounds; Julian Jefferson with 7 points; Kwesi Brydie with 5 points, 6 Steals, and 3 Assists; Neil Young with 12 Blocks, and 3 Forced Turnovers. Our next game is Tuesday, November 30, 1999, against Kennendy High School, at Encina. Outcome to follow on 12/1/99. STORE Many thanks to all of you who ordered from amazon.com last week. A total of 10 items were ordered, resulting in a commission of $13.30. Remember, amazon.com doesn't just sell books, they also sell music, videos, electronics, software, toys, videogames and home improvement supplies. AMAZON.COM: $10 off any purchase of $25 or more. After hitting "Proceed to checkout", indicate payment by gift certificate and enter "AMZNPRESENT2" in order form to redeeem the certificate. Limit one per customer. Expires 12/21/99. CDNOW: everything is on sale for up to 30% off, with free shipping when you buy three or more items (through December 14th). Gateway SpotShop.com: get $20 off PC peripherals, accessories and software until Friday, December 3rd (tomorrow). Spend at least $149 and Gateway will take off $20. When you get to check out: 1. click on "choose a discount program" 2. select "instant rebate coupon" 3. in the validation number field, enter KM331 WHAT'S NEW For those of you having reunions next year, be on the look out for "found" classmates in the what's new list. 11/30/99: Donald Bright 75 bio, Melissa Burns 77, Tom Burns 80, Margie Hyland 73 update, Dave Fischer 79 update, Lisa Smitley 80, Charla Meacham 69 update, Cathy Samoville 64, Norma Branson 76 update 11/28/99: Manuel Mejia 95, Arby Davis 91/bio, Sonja Labosky 80, Jason Altstatt 92, Cindy Pawlowski 76, Don Bright 75, Dennis Bright 63, Richard Philbin 64, Ramona Bright 77 11/26/99: Tom Messner 86, Lynsey Paulo 86 bio, Teresa Buckalew 93/bio, Charlie Buckalew 96, Marggi Miller 93, Sylvia Gutierrez 93, Jeff Tobin 95/bio, Terri Shaw 82, Marleen Edwards 82, Carol Brox 65, Karen Schoenborn 76, Brian Pearson 75, Suzanne Hutchins 73, Bill Hutchins 75, John Russell 61 update, Carol Mills 61 update 11/25/99: Richard Francis 85 update, Chris Heimburg 73/bio, Dan Findley 65 update, Caroline Schmidt 76, Mary Ann Schmidt 69, Barbara Schmidt 73, Cindy Schmidt 74, George Hackman 83, Patience Thoreson 65 11/23/99: Karen Pearce 88 update, Brandy Walls 92 update, Cynthia Webber 82/bio, Larry Bettencourt 73/bio, Jay Davis 85, Lee Pratt 61 bio BOOKS My oldest son is in third grade and I've been discovering some great children's books I missed. His book report this week is on "Indian in the Cupboard" by Lynne Reid Banks (made into movie). We also read the sequels "Return of the Indian" and "Secret of the Indian". A boy discovers a magical key which allows people to transport themselves back and forth in time, resulting in many exciting adventures. Another great series is the "Narnia Chronicles" by CS Lewis. His last book report was on the "Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", which was the first book in the series of seven. Children discover a magical wardrobe which is the entrance to Narnia, a world populated by all manner of mythical creatures like witches, fairies, elves, talking animals. I'm currently reading "Anne of Green Gables", which is a wonderful book which I'll have him read next. Highly recommended. A real tear jerker. Have a good weekend! Harlan Lau 73 Encina webmaster www.encinahighschool.com harlan@rambus.com