No news is good news, so they say. Got some news? Let us know and we'll put some right here.
Let's face it, since the demise of The Trojan Trumpeteer, it is hard to find a quality source of news.
Want to see a bunch of old Trojan Trumpeteers in their entirety? Just visit www.trojantrumpeteer.com.
But, to fill the void, we must satisfy ourselves with the more mundane news outlets. Some are listed below.
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MORE
NEWS!
New news? No. Old news. Really old news. How old do you ask? How about over 54 years old! You'll really get a kick out of this. It's an article from the March, 1960 edition of Ladies Home Journal. Actually, it's more like an "exposé" of the wild teenagers at Catalina High School, aka "Blueblood High." Give it a look. Click Here.
Nate Foster's wife Heather points out a poster with classmate Hal Landon's photo in Southern California. The star of stage, screen and TV is also a well known acting instructor.
2011 GIRLS BRUNCH AT THE ARIZONA INN
Pam Morris Samuels writes:
Here are photos from the CHS Girl's Brunch which we had this morning (Dec. 10, 2011) at Arizona Inn. We did a fun gift exchange, shared stories, expressed our highlights of the past year and laughed a lot.
L TO R: Marjorie, Jeanne, Amy (Jeanne's daughter) Gloria, Judy Randall, Judi Winn, JoAnn Branham Back row: Pam and Tee.
(Karen Wilkison joined us too late for group shot but is in one of the single shots)
See the rest of the photos by clicking HERE.
CLASS
OF
Catalina High School, Tucson, Arizona, USA
FOUR CHS 1959 FRIENDS GET TOGETHER
standing L/R: Sally Van Orsdol, Deanna (DD) Webb (and honorary alumnus, Pipka)
seated L/R: Carol Johnson, Nancy Howell
Unfortunately, shortly after this, Sally Van Orsdol passed away. And, Nancy left us in 2014.
Willie Clay Visits Tucson
Willie Clay couldn't make it to our 50th reunion, but he was in Tucson recently. Pam invited him to a small get-together at her house that included a few of his old friends from CHS.
He currently lives in Illinois.
(Right: Willie and Pam)
Class of '59 Makes Donation to CHS Foundation
Vice-President Emily Kittle Morrison accepts check on behalf of Foundation
The Class of 1959 closed out its checking account and made a donation of the balance, $2839.59 to the Catalina High School Foundation.
Established in 2007, the Foundation offers scholarships books, and basic life tools for needy qualified students.
When we graduated, CHS was referred to as the "Blueblood High School, where all the rich kids went," That's all changed. Now it is a magnet school and many students are from third-world countries. Most learn English as a second language.
We are grateful for our education at CHS and hope to pass it on to those less fortunate...hence, our gift.
For more information, visit their website:
Jay Kittle and Jim Sakrison Are Honored at YMCA Centennial Celebration
Several distinguished people with connections to our CHS class of 1959 were honored at the YMCA Centennial dinner on Oct. 29, 2014, at the Westin La Paloma.
Jay Kittle, our class president, and James M. Sakrison, student body president, were named to the Hall of Fame, a list of more than 100 people and groups who played key roles in building the YMCA of Southern Arizona since 1914.
In the audience to honor Jay and Jim were Ray Lindstrom (who was himself inaugurated into the Arizona Broadcasting Hall of Fame recently) and Renee; Thelma (Tee) Taylor, Jay’s wife Barbara, Ford Burkhart and Carolyn Niethammer (as Y members and supporters); and Wallis Downer-Joyner and Frank Balesteros.
In addition, Jim’s father, John “Jack” Sakrison, was on the List of 100 as was Robert S. Svob, who has many connections to Catalina, including his children who attended.
Conrad Joyner, former husband of Wallis (Jacobus) Downer-Joyner (in the class behind ours), was on the list as was Marion R. “Dick” Clausen, father of Monte Clausen in our class.
At the event, the Y was celebrating 100 years of strengthening the community of Tucson. The YMCA of Southern Arizona Hall of Fame was created to honor “the people, groups and organizations that have helped to shape us into the Y we are proud to call ourselves today.”
Three cheers for Jay and Jim and all the others.
If you’d like to peruse the whole list of honorees (it’s a fascinating group, with lots of big names in Tucson history and ties to CHS), check it out at:
Jay
Kittle
CHS CLASSMATES GET TOGETHER IN SCOTTSDALE
Recently, Myna Meissner Stroth and Judy Johnson Roberts got together for coffee at a restaurant in Scottsdale.
Nothing like catching up and remember the great days at CHS!
1959 Classmate Ford Burkhart spoke at the CHS Foundation Spring Social. He recounted his life from his student days at Catalina and the University of Arizona to his work with the Peace Corps. and his progression to one of the top newspaper jobs in the country.
Ford spent time with the Associated Press, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times where he was an editor. He told the interested gathering of CHS'ers of encounters with world leaders and the stories he had covered. He was in New York City on the fateful 9-11. Ford is also a contributor to this site. To read some of his observations, click here.
FORD BURKHART SPEAKS AT CHS FOUNDATION EVENT
A group of CHS'ers get together with Ford at the conclusion of his talk.
Monte Clausen and Sam Briedis joined in the festivities at the twenty-seventh annual Poco Loco Alumni Club reunion in Las Vegas during the opening weekend of 2015 March Madness. Great fun rooting for the Wildcats!
(Webmaster note: We all remember the famous Poco Loco bar. Great place for a beer...and they never checked your age card! This joint is long gone...but not forgotten.)
SAM BRIEDIS, MONTE CLAUSEN MEET IN VEGAS
CHS COACH PRESTON "RITT" RITTENHOUSE PASSES AWAY.
A Reflection by Classmate Bob Vinyard
A sad day. Coach "Ritt" Preston Rittenhouse passed away today at 89 years old. He was an inspiration to me and was responsible for the gold medal I received in my senior year in gymnastics. As far as I remember our '59' gymnastics team won the first state championship that CHS ever won. Coach Rittenhouse really was not a gymnast but he went to great lengths to learn everything he could about the sport and spent hours gathering material and instructions about the sport to help us in improving our team. He took a personal interest in me and went to great lengths to help me improve my routine, even taking to me to an ASU basketball game in Tempe because the ASU gymnastics team was doing a halftime show and he wanted me to see a "back toss" on the parallel bars, so I could learn it. What a great man, and coach. Coach Rittenhouse, I will miss you. Bob Vinyard
DAVE GILES INDUCTED INTO THE
CHS HALL OF FAME
Didn't we all know he was destined for big things? Many of Dave's classmates were in attendance at the CHS Foundation Annual Meeting, Oct. 13, 2016 when the official induction took place.
Dave has spent 45 years devoted to making life better for mentally and emotionally handicapped people in our society. By founding and operating the Intermountain Centers For Human Development he revolutionized the way we treat those of us less fortunate.
We our proud of the work Dave has done and the CHS Foundation for acknowledging his achievement.
Photo of inductees below.
Classmate Hal Landon plays the role of Speaker John McCormack in the LBJ biopic All The Way on HBO.
CHS CELEBRATES 60TH ANNIVERSARY
The celebration took place over two days, Oct. 20, 21, 2017.
Friday night was the Hall of Fame Induction and official annual meeting of the Catalina High School Foundation at the Skyline Country Club. Paul Hazen from the class of 1959 was one of the inductees and was honored in absentia.
The inductees here are shown lined up after accepting their awards. Sandy Tanner Elers did her usual magnificent job presenting the new class of 2017.
Below is a look at our brand new high school, "Disneyland", on opening day in 1957.
On Saturday, tours of the school were provided by current class members. Above, Jean Meinhardt Rich, Ray Lindstrom, and Sue Daggett Black visit the new gym.
Later, attendees enjoyed lunch and conversation in one of our favorite places, the school cafeteria. Wow, what great memories!
Above, our own class of 59er, Pam Morris Samuels helps distribute the gourmet sandwiches to fellow alums.
It was a never to be forgotten weekend, especially for those of us who moved into the new high school on the first day. Long live CHS!
HONORING DAVE GILES!
He revolutionized the mental health field and founded Intermountain Centers for Human Development. He started with an idea and created a 37M yearly budget and 900 employee organization. Changing people‘s lives. In photo by plaque, the class of 59 members (L-R) Dave, Mike Nagle, Ray Lindstrom, Jim Sakrison, Jay Kittle, Paul Hazen. The ceremony was held Nov. 1, 2019
Our class movie star Hal Landon appears in HBO movie LBJ.
CLASS OF 59 MEMBERS NEWLY INDUCTED INTO CHS HALL OF FAME.
At a ceremony October 21, 2021, 3 members of our class were inducted into the CHS Foundation Hall of Fame. Shown below, Left to Right: Ray Lindstrom (entrepreneur), Tee Taylor (world champion skydiver), and Wayne Schumann (health management executive). The event was held at the high school and many members of the class were present to congratulate and support.
