SAVE THIS DATE FOR THE NDHS CLASS OF 1957 - 50TH REUNION!

The Grand 50th Reunion of the Senior Class of 1957, Notre Dame High School Schedule
DATES WILL NOT CHANGE - Hours are as yet not fully settled on.


October 12, 2007 (Friday)
Notre Dame High School - Sherman Oaks, California
Cocktail party in the Brothers' House - 6-ish
Tour of Notre Dame High School
Football Game - (home game) * Game starts at 7:30pm.
times are not as yet pinned down
* NDHS will win this gave - Joe Whitter has it taken care of.

October 13, 2007 (Saturday)
Notre Dame High School
Mass (optional) in the afternoon
Cocktail party and reception - starts around 5 pm
(Fadale calls this a soiree)
Dinner - starts around 6:30 pm

JERRY FECHT WILL BE AT THE GREAT 50TH REUNION OF NDHS. JOIN HIM.

Here's the guy behind this NDHS Class of 1957 on-line journal.

Even though I have been consistantly voted the best looking guy of the NDHS Class of 1957, some of you might be shocked with how much I have changed. So, I've included a picture my wife Janne took of me in the Museum of Asian Art in San Francisco recently. The ancient artifacts are in the glass case.
In my retirement I am working to bring about a Museum of history and culture for the 1,800,000 residents of the San Fernando Valley. If you, your wives, significant others, kids etc. are interested in helping get the Museum going, let me know.
Jerry

PETE PUSATERI SENDS A CLASS TREASURE FROM HARBOR CITY, CALIFORNIA

Ok guys, let's get busy identifying these fellows.

Start with the top row: left to right
1) Richard Thesing, 2) John Stahl, 3) Chuck Eberley 4) ______________ 5) Mike Adams, 6) Dan Baedecker, 7) Gabe Bonnet and 8) Mike Arlotto

forth row - 4th from bottom left to right
1) ----, 2) *Gary Gierok, 3) Bud Pratte, D.D.S '58, 4) *Jerry Hess '58, 5) Frank Salerno, 6) Bob Laughlin, 7) Jim O'Hanlon, and 8) Fighting John DeCoster, 9) Pasquale Gabriel (Clas of '59)

middle row - 3rd from bottom - left to right
1) Pat Johnson, 2) Jim Conway, 3) Dan Luecke, 4) Phil Kridler, 5) Ron Delamare, 6) Rich Marrone, 7) Pete Psateri, 8) Dick Powers

second row: left to right:
1) Tony Kopay '59 _ 2) Tony Fadale, 3) Mike Tenk, 4) Bob Souza, 5) Jim Flynn, 6) Paul Maxwell, 7) Geroge Skall '59, and 8) Pat Smith.

front row - Yell Leaders: left to right
1) Bob Trinity 2) ____________ 3) Nick Fontin '59 - 4) Vince Fadale '59 (Tony's bro. soph)

Brother Joseph Everett CSC is the keeper/ err....... sponsor?

Chuck Eberley NDHS 57 later a RCMP (Mountie)








Out-take from larger photo - bottom guy is Paul Maxwell

RELIGION AND THE REUNION

Your religious practice, or non practice, is not an issue about coming to the great Reunion of the Class of 1957. So those of you who are Zen monks may relax and enjoy yourselves. All are welcome.
Detention slips will not be issued.

GEORGE GRABE WILL BE AT THE BIG NDHS CLASS OF 1957 REUNION.

The awesome
George Grabe

NDHS
Class of 1957












Retired and living in the Southern California mountain community of Big Bear, George Grabe and his wife are laying plans to join his classmates on their 50th reunion. George taught school for many years and ended his career as an educator as a high school councilor. He loves the idea that when it snows hard, he and his wife just enjoy and the view and put off errands until someone else clears the road.
George is active in several civic organizations in Big Bear. He like Walt Griffin is also a train aficionado.

THE GREAT WALT GRIFFIN WILL BE AT THE NDHS CLASS OF 1957 REUNION.

Walt Griffin
visiting
Notre Dame High School
June 2007









You would think that the 19 years Walt Griffin spent as a Brother of Holy Cross would have mellowed him? It didn't.
Walt went on to Saint Edward's University in Austin, Texas after high school. There he learned how to rapidly write detention notes, an essential skill for a future CSC teacher.
Make sure you come to the reunion to visit with him. Today Walt is the resident model train expert at the

DAN ZERFAS IS COMING TO OUR NDHS CLASS OF 1957 REUNION. ARE YOU?

Dan Zerfas

Much younger than
he looks.
















Like most reunions, the great Reunion of the Class of 1957 will have DOORPRIZES! Yes, there will be incredible stuff, provided you guys come up with things. However, aside from the category of "Best Looking Classmate" which has already been chosen and accepted with my usual modesty, the traditional categories for prizes will be radically different from criteria used by other groups.

Some possiblities include: "best final resting place" (I have an artificial rock in Forest Lawn - beat that one!
Most exotic pet/s (now or in the past.) Most unique food allergy. Least degrees of separation from Rev. Jim Baker.
YOUR IDEAS FOR CATEGORIES ARE URGENTLY (actually not urgently but wanted soon) NEEDED.

Also wonderful prizes are needed! I am contributing my book of Shakerspearean Insults.

Our classmate Dan Zerfas will be awarding the prizes at our big dinner, (although this is likely the first time he knows about this.)
comment at the end of this posting, then scroll down and enter your thoughts
by pressing "Publish".

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOE POSITO - NDHS CLASS OF 1957

The following biography is taken sent to the "Phaetons', a San Fernando Car Club, and shared with the Alumni Office at Notre Dame High School.

"I graduated from Notre Dame in 1957 and enlisted in the Navy in 1958. After boot camp and submarine school in 1959, I served in San Diego, WESPAC and the Pacific on submarine duty until 1962.
After the Navy, I returned to my job at Vons Market, enrolled in an art class at night school and I became engaged to my Patricia, who I married. We met on a blind date.
In 1963 I was a full time student at Chouinard Art School, which later became Cal Institute of Arts in Valencia, (Disney sponsored). I had to drop out of art school to provide for my growing family, first Richard, then Trazi (Tersca) in 1967 and Ammer (Anne Marie) in 1970.
Our interest in the movie industry started with my Dad, who worked 30 years for 20th Century Fox. He worked on films including: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, "I was a Male War Bride" "The Black Beauty: "The Black Hornet" and other films. My son Ric had a picture with Bruce Lee when he was six years old.
After years in the Men and Boys Choir, my son Ric joined the Air Navy and flew A-6s and E-2Cs. He is now a school teacher in Cleveland. My daughter Trazi works in Private Investigation
In 1981, I retired from Vons at the age of 50 and joined in the Air National Guard and full time in 1988. I worked on WRSK (War Ready Spare Kit) for C-130s out of Point Magu, NAS. That duty took me across the US fighting forest fires, to Central and South America for humanitarian trips, and to Panama just prior to Noiriega's capture. I've been in Lima, Quito, Bogotá and drove across the Panama Canal. I got to visit Stonehenge, Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Saint James Park, Scotland Yard and Trafalgar Square, 221 Baker Street, and the Tower Bridge. I retired in 1998 as an E-7 Master Sergeant at 60.
Pat and I are enjoying my retirement. We have traveled to Greece, Switzerland and Germany. Next is to revisit Greece and Egypt."

ALEX BRYANT, LEADER OF MEN (WELL, ALMOST MEN)

A Natural Leader!














Born Alexander John Bryant, but more commonly known as Alexaton, von Nefer Kufu Lionhart, he was one of the great joys of being part of the Class of 1957. It was the Lionhart who discovered that we could buy drinks at Frank's Little Vienna, provided the patrons and Frank became sentimental over the old days in Europe.

Once, when members of the Atonic League joined Alex in singing the beloved "Tanta Anna", in Frank's, the world famous opera star Lawrence Melchior bought us a round of drinks - we were about 17, I think. But, students were more mature in those days. Alex shed tears out of the honor of it all, and Frank's wife was moved and gave us all free chocolate cake.

The great Leo Whitaker discovered Von Hindenberg Park in Glendale, and we learned that we could buy beer in the park and sing songs from the Student Prince. One Sunday afternoon, we heard a splendid speech in German by United States Senator Thomas Keakle (sp.). We cheered wildly, though no one knew much German. A Lutheran minister bought us a round of Falstaff beers. (Years later, at USC) I registered Republican to vote for Senator Keakle in the primaries.

Alex became a bankrupsy judge in Arizona. He was married and had two daughters, I believe.
We once went to see the great singer, Eartha Kitt. She was stunned when we sang the Uska Dara with her backstage. When she asked how we learned the Turkish song, we explained that we were children of the god Aton. She seemed satisfied with our answer. I don't think she knew much Turkish.
Jerry Fecht

I'LL BE AT THE BIG 50TH REUNION OF THE CLASS OF 1957!

Tony Fadale will be at our big 50th Reunion,
will you?














Now that the last episode of the Sopranos is over, Tony "The Enforcer" Fadale is spending his relentless energy organizing our 50th Reunion. Tony doesn't want anybody to feel any undue pressure about showing up at the reunion, but he would like to remind you all that he has an extensive family in New Jersey.

COLORADO KEEPS MIKE SARFF BUSY IN MAY AND JUNE

Iinside of Mike's cozy home.




May was a super busy month. I finished the barnwqood at the barn dinning area abd ut was si effectuve that i decided to do the same at the south east corner. We get a lot of blowing snow from that side.

Wild asparagus started coming up. We can pick a couple of pounds every four days until we give up and let it go to seed

Finished trimming the windosw inside and out at the south east corner of the barn.

Finished trimming the 130 trees on the property.

I started new job at lumber co 3 days a week. pay ok but great material discounts so i have decided to add a garage to the barn and turn the shop into marcia's craft room. (i've been run out)

The renters moved out. We had new renters in three days after posting a glyer at the post office, gas station and market. Raised rent from 585 including water, trash and dish to 645 and added satalite hook up. their 6 horses will add another 90 for a total of 735.

Since the house was free for a week, I painted two bedrooms, fixed broken tile in the kitchen and added a dinning room deck and started painting the exterior.

Finished planting the garden. The spinach, peas, onions and lettuce that I planted in Apr are just about ready for picking, even after being frozen and snowed on sevaearal times.

June will be mow mow mow after I get the fix it parts for the mower Mike Sarff

Sun, 1 Jul 2007 16:18:56 -0600

Finished painting west side of house. Installed new railing at the front porch and started painting north side of house.

Installed windows at the s west corner of the barn and trimmed inside and out with barnwood.

Had guests, Bill and Elaina Lee from teaching life and Maury and Kathy Mc Chesney from our ski shop life. Off diet for eight days and we each gained three pounds. Went to Telluride and did tourist things. Bill and I demolished more of the old barn so he could have pieces for his work benches. Maury helped with the trimming of the windows.

Went to a friends to help him finish putting the canvas top on his barn but his cow had twins and she wouldn't feed them so while phil spent hours relieving the udder pressure Marcia and Maury fed the calves.

It is not good when a water feature forms next to the leach field. Drained water feature and area behind barn. Now have two rivulets draining to the canyon. Trenched for the garage footings while I had a tractor here.

The free irrigation was finally turned off and we can start drying out. Maybe even have less bugs.

Finished forming for concrete and placed ledgers and four buttress prior to pouring concrete.

Cemented rock steps to the laundry facility. Outside kitchen the next project Ye all come, I need more design help for the ultimate barn


Mike Sarff

BROTHER RICHARD DALY - IS THIS GUY A TEXAN?

LET'S FIND BERT FALVO

I have never known anyone before, or after, Bert Falvo who could play the piano like he did. I think he was about 16, when a bunch of us went to his home after school, and watched in awe as he played any song you could sing to him. He play Scott Joplin, before I had ever heard of him. He could imitate piano rolls and make the instument sing like an organ.

I heard that Bert entered a monastery after high school, then in later years was working as a nurse in hospices for people dieing from AIDS.

Jerry Fecht

NDHS GRADS OF 1957 JOIN THE HOLY CROSS ORDER

The most generous class ever at NDHS was the class of '57, those willing to test vocations. (Note they had not yet earned their cinctures)
I'll give you Fr. Mike Adams, Bro. Richard Daley CSC. & Bill Crawford "58. You've heard from some of the others already. Have fun subtracting hair & adding beards. Art McCulloch

Identification begins: left to right Porch of St. Joseph's Noviciate, Rolling Prairie, Indiana August 1958
Back Row
1) Stephen Walsh*, 2) Dan Zerfas, 3) Norm West, 4) Charles Martinez 5) Ed Heller 6) Michael Adams 7) Tony Fadale

Middle Row 1) David Rice* 2) Terrence Hill 3) Fred Dunn 4) Mike Dudley 5) Tom Tremer, 6) Frank Servedio 7) Richard Daly

Front Row 1) John Crowe, 2) Herb Perkins*, 3) Bill McKie 4) Mike Boyd, 5) Tom Bronchetti 6) Bill Crawford.

next to Bill Crawford both class of '58.

* Steven Walsh is from St. Anthony's in Long Beach. In 2007 he remains a Brother and was President of St. Edward University, Austin, Texas.

Front Row 1 John Crowe now at Rancho San Antonio, Chatsworth
2 Herb Perkins, St. Anthony's HS, Long Beach

From the NDHS class of 1958: Bill McKie, Mike Boyd and Bill Crawford

CAELIUS JUSER, THE TRUE LIFE ADVENTURE - NDHS SKIT 1956

The stage in the auditorium/basketball gym at Notre Dame had four heavy wooden Greek pillars.
When the Atonic League was working on an idea for a skit, before the big football game with Mount Carmel or Saint Anthony, Bob Colona (I think he was a sophmore while we were juniors), invited us to meet in the recreation room at Bob Hope's house in Toluca Lake.
There we created the true story of Caelius Juser, the real emperor of the Romans.
I entered from the front door, dressed in rags and carrying a shepard;s staff, calling out "repent!" "Repent!"
Brother Robert glared at me, but the guys went wild.

I am sure Alex Bryant played the part of Caelius.
When the band of Senators approached him with foul murder on their minds (years before Tony Soprano), Alex shouted "What has brought you out on such a dark and fearful night, pizza?"

Bob Colona, the son of Bob Hope's USO troop's Jerry Colona, went on to found the Rhode Island Shakespear Company.
Jerry Fecht

JOHN HEAPHY MADE JERRY FECHT HOMESICK TODAY

John Heaphy made me really lonesome today, when he wrote me, " one of my fondest memories at NDHS was the mornings that your Dad would drive us to school."
My dad was a simple, hard workingman. I got him to write his history just before he died. He wrote about chopping the timber on the Olympic Peninsula to make WWI airplanes, holding the first truck driver's license in Missouri , working as a cowboy in Montana, and being a rough neck on the oil rigs. He ended the little book by saying, "I never did anything important in my life, but I was born in age of horses and buggies, and lived to watch men walk on the moon."
He was generous to a fault. Once he gave this French Canadian kid Chenel LaBelle, his last five bucks. Years later that kid, then a man, hired him to work at General Concrete on Oxnard in Van Nuys. Since my pop was up in years, his friend (then, the foreman of the company) had my dad water down the concrete blocks. The Mexican guys, who loved him and plied him with hot peppers, called him "Aqua Bill".
Bill Fecht went to Mass as often as he could, sometimes two or three times a week. One time he won the 50-50 raffle at Saint Catherine of Sienna Church in Reseda. My mom and I were in the car waiting for him. He left the sacristy beaming. My mom said, "Oh my god, he's given the money away!" When he got in our old Chevy, my mother said how much we needed the money. His answer was, "I didn't enter the raffle for the money. I did it to help the school. Besides, it is God's money."
My mom was a "practical nurse" at Valley Receiving Hospital. She worked very hard. She was a convert to the Catholic Church, having been a "hook and eye" Dunker, before she met my dad. She followed the Church's rules down to the dots and commas. I used to torment her with her only doubt about being a Christian …. the story of Mary and
Martha, and how Martha complained that she was doing all the work, and Mary was sitting around listening to Jesus. "Mary has chosen the better way." It pissed my mother off, since she worked so very hard.
I would loaf around with my cat Frauzer and tell her, "I have chosen the better way."
They took Frauzer with them to Lake Stevens, Washington. Dad lived out his days growing things on his hillside terrace and sharing things with him neighbors.
They are buried in the GAR Cemetery in Snohomish, Washington.
Every time I hear the Quaker hymn, "Tis a joy to be simple," I think of them.

JOHN AND ELEANOR HEAPHY

"Eleanor & I in Hong Kong 2006 - Not as thin as the basketball picture!"

DECEASED CLASSMATES

Reseda Park in the 1950s.

Please list deceased classmates in the "comments" place at the end of this posting. Just click on the comments. There is a little box for you to leave messages in. Or, , or e-mail names to Jerry Fecht
jerry@anchoreducation.com

Tom Archer died in 1957 during his senior year at NDHS
Tom was killed in an automobile accident
Bob Bold USN - source: John Heaphy
Bob was killed in the Viet Nam war.
Alex Bryant source Jerry Fecht
Alex was a bankrupsy judge in Arizona
Joseph DiLuccia source: NDHS
Jim Flynn source: NDHS
Jimmy died young of a heart attack
Tom Gagnie source: NDHS
Phil Grayson source: NDHS
Steve Kingsford source: NDHS
John M. Lawson source: Susan Lawson -
John died from complications from Alzheimer's disease
Jay McDonald source: NDHS
Bob Meyer - source: John Heaphy - grad of the Catholic University of America
Richard Muller source: NDHS
George Rice source: NDHS
Bill Robertson source: NDHS
John Rossman source: NDHS
Ralph Ruiz source: NDHS
Tony Salas source: NDHS - possibly in air plane crash
Tom Schmidt source: NDHS
John Slavin source: NDHS
Phil Stoermer source: NDHS
Tom Tremer source: NDHS
Bill Westmyer source: Jerry Fecht - Bill was a retired police officer - Pierce College
Bill died from complicatons from diabetes
Barry Wilkoff source: NDHS
Dale Wyman source: NDHS
John Zwolinski source: NDHS - John pulled Bill Souza & Jerry Fecht of a burning car.


Thanks to Katie Feeney NDHS Alumni office

TIM JACKSON MAKES CONTACT WITH NDHS 1957

In response to an email, Tim Jackson made these comments:
"I have checked out the blog, call it up every couple of
days to see what is new. There are some pix of people now. I find that i have
to look at the arches yearbook when there are new postings.

I checked to see if there was an email address for Jim Bruder, i think
his family owned a chevy dealership back then. You don't have anything
on him do you.

I am always amazed at how many people remain local and seem to stay in
touch.

Bob's is not there still, is it??? Will be checking the blog for new
entries. Tim

WHERE WERE YOU, LAST FRIDAY, MAY 1956?

"CRUISE NIGHT" - postcard in the collection of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley
Reproduced with the permission of the California artist Kent Bash

In about two hours from when this image would have been a reality, our classmate Tim Jackson would be turning his car radio to Radio KGIL to listen to "Dreams", the closing song from Lucky Lager "Dance Time".