Rancho Alamitos High School - Garden Grove

December 26, 2009
Kent W. Cartwright (class of '62) has been added to the directory.

December 30, 2009
What's new? Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a wonderful 2010! Dan Flanagan from the class of '59 has been included in our directory and he (as well as Bill and Don Moriarty - Thompson) so kindly provided us with a memorial to his brother Dennis Flanagan, who passed away in 2008. Dan also provided us with a list of other deceased classmates from the class of '59 that we have added to the "Classmates Gone" section.

Thank you Duane Peltier from the class of '59 for allowing us to use your beautiful arrangement of the Rancho Alamitos High Alma Mater. Check out the Alma Mater page to hear Duane's arrangement.

December 26, 2009
Kent W. Cartwright (class of '62) has been added to the directory.

December 19, 2009
Terry Johnson, class of '65, has been added to the directory and Danny Jantzen, class of '62, has been added to the Classmates Gone section. Danny passed away in 2002 of a heart attack.

December 13, 2009
What's new? Larry Rowe from the class of '63 has been added to the directory and Doug Beauchamp has a new email address. If you need the password for the online directory please email us.

December 2, 2009
Sadly we've been discovering more classmates that have passed on. If anyone knows of a deceased classmate and/or would like to add a tribute, please write us a note at info@rahs62.org. Classmates that have been recently added to our "Classmates Gone" section include: Dennis Flanagan '59, Bill Ormsby '59, Nancy Earney Lewis '61, John Ormsby '62, Garry Linder '63, Terry Hansen '64, Ruth Ann Zuidema '64, Paul Hale '64, Kenny Buys '65.

Many thanks to Larry Linder (RAHS and BGHS '63) for sharing his great pictures of his brother Garry!

November 22, 2009
Beverly Ross Dymond, RAHS '61, has been added to the directory. If you need the password for the online directory please email us.

November 15, 2009
Lois (Whitehead) Abner from the class of '65 has been added to our directory. Lois is Duane Whitehead's little sister. If you need the password for the online directory please email us.

November 13, 2009
Gerald Paland has added a brief bio to the "Classmates Now" section. Carol Winn Canfield, Donna Magnuson Tucker, and Carol Winik Mardell had a great time visiting with each other over lunch, but Carol says "Time went too quickly! We barely got started and Carol Winik had to make the 2 hour drive home!" Thanks for the picture, Carol!

November 11, 2009
ALL RANCHO ALUMNI are invited to attend Rancho's 52nd annual Homecoming Football Game Friday Nov. 13th 7pm @ BOLSA Stadium...it's against La Quinta. There is also a post-game get together being planned afterwards. For more information please contact Kenny Hedgepeth at rahs.alumni@gmail.com

Charlotte (Berg) Daugherty, class of '63, is the newest addition to the class directory. Charlotte's contact information can be found in the online version of the class directory at rahs62.org/directory/ (see the bottom of the menu at the right). If you need the username and password, email us at info@rahs62.org. Happy Birthday Charlotte, Joe Probst, Kay Dyer Newman, and Karen Biermann Dissmore.

November 11, 2009
I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free!

And I won't forget the men who died
To give that right to me!...Lee Greenwood


A great big thanks to all our veterans past and present for their bravery and service to our country!

November 7, 2009
Veteran's Day will be celebrated on November 11. Phil Foto writes: "Wed. 11/11 is Veterans Day, a day for remembering and for wishing all my veteran warrior friends a happy Veterans Day...we were hippie soldiers too...phil foto...then he hung up..."

Note: Phil shares some military memoirs here: Memoirs From Phil.

November 4, 2009
Phil Foto sent us a picture of some classmates taken at a party at his home in 1961. Can you help us identify some of these mystery classmates? To see the photo Click here.

With the help of Kay Lundgren, we are very happy to report we have found another missing classmate - Diane Snyder. Please help! If you are anxious to find someone in particular on the "missing list" and are willing to make the call, please let us know and we will try to give you some leads and/or phone numbers.

We have a new current, password protected online version of the class directory at rahs62.org/directory/ (see the bottom of the menu at the right). Email us at info@rahs62.org for username and password.

October 14, 2009
Check out new bios from Mike Edgar and Fredda Sprouse Mifflin. Jan Glassburn Semsak updated her bio, Phil Foto updated his profile picture & Peggy McFadden Smith has a new email address.

We are sad to report that we have found three more deceased classmates: Mike Aaron, Steve Mojica, and Jim Bell.

October 12, 2009
George and Jan (Sorensen) Tonner just got back from their daughter Erin's fantastic wedding in Hawaii. It turned out more beautiful than expected and there was a great turnout. Pictures will be posted on Jan's page and on Facebook.

Kenny Hedgpeth is inviting ALL RANCHO ALUMNI Thursday Oct. 15th - to the annual cross town rival Football Game against GGHS @ BOLSA at 7pm. This is the 52 year of the annual football game between the two schools, and is one of the oldest continually played rivalries in OC football - the winner being awarded the Jack Jordan Memorial trophy.

September 2, 2009
Congratulations to Karen and Jack Hermann (class of '61) on their youngest daughter's recent wedding - what a beautiful bride she made - handsome dad too! You can see a photo on Jack's page (Jack also posted some photos on Facebook.)

Diana Pike Mokry had a lumpectomy recently and we are glad to hear that they got it all. She will be receiving radiation treatments for the next few weeks and would probably appreciate some positive thoughts and wishes sent her way.

On a sad note, Ronnie Guyer has informed us that Gail Caserta Connell, class of '63, was struck and killed by an automobile while crossing Beach Boulevard on August 13.

August 10 2009
What's new? Bill Curren added some pictures of His and Lois's visit with Rick Hain in Buenos Aires Argentina. To see the pictures, click here.

Check out great new bios from Dennis Kelly (class of '61), Phil Quigley, Donnie Pieper, Phil Foto (class of '60), Sharon Hammer, Doug Beauchamp, and Ken Gaulden.

Alice Judd Cather sent a big box of photos and memory books from various reunions throughout the years! These will be added to the website as time permits. To see the 25th reunion photos, click here. Many thanks Alice!

July 19 2009
What's new? Read the message and notes from Barrie Smith on the 50th Reunion think tank meeting. Check out new bios from Ginny Banks, Paul Bakeman, Jim Marcum, Duane Whitehead and Diana Pike.  Bob Iding and Scott Brown updated their bios with new photos.

Some classmates got together at the home of Chuck and Annette Sonntag in Northern California for fun and food and to celebrate Rich Ehrlich's birthday. See some photos of the event here: rahs62.org/saratogareunion.php.

July 13 2009
Larry Foreman and his wife Sandy took a month long driving tour through England, Scotland, and Wales. While in the UK they visited Peggy McFadden Smith. Click here to see photos and highlights of the trip.

July 3 2009
Happy Independence Day! For a special Independence Day egreeting click here: www.jacquielawson.com

July 3 2009
What's new? John Wordes, Golden West College's Coordinator Special Events and College Historian, has provided us with photos, news articles and press releases in honor of our RAHS foreign language and history teacher, Fred Garcia. (Thanks also to Walt Unger for contacting GWC.)

More old class photos have been added to the Memories section, and also to the Scrapbook section, thanks to Barbara Beard, Georgene Hurst, Annette Espen and Barrie Smith.

Also, check out new bios for Jim Wilson and Barbara Beard.

June 5 2009
What's new? In mid-April 2009, Barrie Smith and Walt Unger visited Scott Brown at his home in Grand Junction, Colorado, and recorded his story. Please see Scott Brown's very inspiring story here: rahs62.org/classmatesnow/scottbrown.html

Another new addition to our RAHS Class of 62 website is a section on the history of Garden Grove by Walt Unger. Please see: rahs62.org/gardengrove.php

Finally, we have added a "Memories Photo Album" here: rahs62.org/memories.php. We would love to have copies of any old photos of classmates you would like to share. Please email photos to: info@rahs62.org

May 25 2009
Happy Memorial Day in honor of those who have died in our nation's service!
Inspired by the poem "In Flander's Fields", in 1915 Moina Michael wrote the following poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.


April 23 2009
On April 8th, Walt Unger flew to Indianapolis to meet Barrie Smith and from there they began their journey to California, stopping to visit many classmates along the way. To view their "Cross Country Reunion" photo album and journal, please click here. You can also see some photos of their Penn Valley visit here.

April 22 2009
There is a rumor that Walt Unger is now a full fledged Medicare Beneficiary. Happy Birthday Walt! Go here for a birthday photo. Happy birthday also to Joy Arthur Facio who shares the same birthdate!

April 22 2009
The newly formed Alumni Association headed by Kenny Hedgpeth (RAHS class of '76) is putting on an "ALL ALUMNI PICNIC" on Saturday, the 2nd of May from 10AM to 4PM. The picnic will be held at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley (picnic shelter #15). For more information please click on the following link:
freepages.school-alumni.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rahs/picnic_info.htm

March 24 2009
Note from Ronnie Guyer, class of '60: "March 25th, 2009 America's nearly 100 still living Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients will be posthumeously honoring 9/11 lifesaver RICK RESCORLA at the Arlington National Cemetary. RICK served with us in the Battle of IA DRANG-1965, A battle brilliantly depicted in the Randall Wallace Motion Picture WE WERE SOLDIERS. For more, please see RICK's 9/11 Widow Susan Rescorla's website: rickrescorla.com."

March 22 2009 VAQ Sightings
Rick Hain reports that a couple of wandering Vaqueros were sighted near his home in Buenos Aires Argentina for about 2 1/2 hours sampling local cuisine and talking very fast! The Currens and Rick and Dory had a beautiful lunch while catching up on the last 47 years.

It has been reported that the wandering VAQs are now about 100 miles north of the Falkland Islands at this writing: 57 degrees West by 47 degrees south.

March 18 2009 Janet Buell in Press Conference!
Yesterday Janet (Bessa) Buell spoke at a press conference held to release the latest Orange County Grand Jury report on the subject of gang prevention and intervention (Janet is currently serving on the Orange County Grand Jury).

Today, a video of a portion of the press conference showed up on YouTube at the following URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQUtW1Y-ciI The entire report can be found at www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/gang-intervention/Gang-intervention.pdf.

Congratulations on a great report Janet!

March 17 2009 Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Lucky stars above you,
Sunshine on your way,
Many friends to love you,
Joy in work and play-
Laughter to outweigh each care,
In your heart a song-
And gladness waiting everywhere
All your whole life long!

Feb 14 2009
We are sad to report the loss of our classmate Diane Ward Ferguson. Diane passed away on Valentine's Day. A memorial service celebrating her life will take place at 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, February 28, 2009, in the Fairhaven Memorial Park Mortuary Chapel, 1702 Fairhaven Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92705 (Tel: 714-633-1442 or 1-800-653-2287) URL: www.fairhavenmemorial.com

Feb 14 2009 Happy Valentine's Day!
Grow old along with me,
The best is yet to be! ...Robert Browning

Feb 6 2009 Website Remodeling
"We" are gradually changing to a new format over the next few days so please bear with "us". If you have any problems please let the webmistress know ;-). Your bios and photos are appreciated...please keep them coming!

Feb 3 2009 Summer Vacation South of the Equator
Rick and Dory Hain celebrated their 42nd anniversary with a trip to Bariloche and Villa La Angostura. Happy Anniversary Rick and Dory! To see their vacation photos (click here).

Jan 27 Note from Barrie Who Is Currently Stationed in Indiana:
A Great Day To Be A Soldier
I woke up this morning to 5 inches of snow from a night time mid-western storm. My routine changes dramatically when I am activated. My day starts at 5 am. I am usually a night person, but Uncle Sam insists that a real day starts before day light and is done by 4 PM. I have enjoyed my time so far. We process troops both leaving and coming from War Zones. The moral is very high. Soldiers are feeling a real sense of accomplishment lately. They see much progress since the beginning of the war.

I was working out with a soldier in the gym and talking about the meaning of serving our country. He is a company commander and said that he has never been prouder to be a soldier and seeing the selfless dedication of his men. There are many things that trouble our country but the sense of mission in these young men and women is very inspiring to me.

Jan 9 Happy Birthday To You...
Happy Birthday To You... Happy Birthday Dear Janet...Happy Birthday To You!
Have a great day Janet (Bessa) Buell!