Night Driving in L.A.

It has been over 2 years since I last drove through the San Fernando Valley and L.A.. I miss grabbing my keys and music to disappear for a few hours into the hills and canyons. I must have spent half of the 1970's just driving and playing music. Sometimes I would drop off my date and drive for an hour or so afterward. Usually I started on Victory Blvd. coming back from the West Valley, through the Sepulveda basin into the hills and sometimes L.A.

I had my music with me so there was no rush to get home. I remember driving through the basin to the sounds of Jeff Beck playing "Diamond Dust" as I watched the lights glitter on the Hollywood Hills. Other times the mood was somber and I would go in search of Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town". Seger's "Night Moves" was a constant companion as was "Katmandu" which played whenever I wanted to just get out of town. Other times "Free Bird" would propel me faster than I should be going, even at that late hour.

Here in Cleveland there are really no places you can just stretch out on the road unless you go to the countryside. It's an odd thing to miss given the traffic situation in L.A. You'll notice I didn't say I miss day time driving.

This picture is from the LP "Late For the Sky" by Jackson Browne. I have passed many places like this in L.A.. Curiously enough the picture is a composite of 2 pictures. The sky in the picture was taken in Ohio. I can imagine driving around all night in that car blasting tunes and just getting lost.

"I swear I'll drive all night just to buy you some shoes - And to taste your tender charms - And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms"- Drive All Night by Bruce Springsteen.

Hazeltine Ave. Elementary School & The Cuban Missile Crisis

Here is another class picture from October 1962. You might remember October 1962 being the month of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I do remember those days of the early 1960's full of drop drills and air raid sirens. You would not suspect the cold war tensions in the air by looking at these young innocent faces. I do look a little disheveled in my picture. Perhaps I partied too hard over the New York Yankees beating the Giants in the World Series.

My Hazeltine friend Bob Walance have been swapping e-mails of certain school memories. One thing I recalled was the fairs we used to have at school. My days were filled with trying to toss a ping pong ball into a glass which held a goldfish. I know other things went on at the fair but neither Bob or I can recall anything else. If anyone remembers we would love to hear your memories.

Robert Fulton Jr. High School 1969

The collage above is from the June 1969 A-9 Graduating Class yearbook.

1969 Class Officers and Council

The Behind the Scene Crews

More Behind the Scene Helpers

Last but not least our faculty. I should have taken a picture of Mr. TeMaat, the Boy's VP since he was so...memorable. I remember years ago watching a BBC documentary on Marilyn Monroe in which Pete Dye's name was mentioned. As I recall he was married to someone with money. If anyone remembers that documentary or if the information is right I would love to know. I also remember one of our teachers had a Dune Buggie but I forget who it was. That was pretty cool at the time.

Before I posted this I check out classmates.com to see if any of my fellow "Elysians" were on there. A few were but I only found one picture of someone I knew. The photo's above are taken with my camera and not my scanner so the quality is poor, but good enough to spark a few good memories. Going through the book I spotted many girls who I had crushes on at the time. One in particular but she can remain a mystery.

P.S. I just received an e-mail from my friend Bob Walance and he sent some scans of the 1986 Fulton yearbook. In it was a picture of someone special who I forgot. Tammy Francis was one of my teachers at Fulton. Her husband was also a member of my Dad's Masonic Lodge. She was friends with my Mom and I used to run into Tammy when I went to Lodge events with my Mom. Truth be told when she was my teacher I had a crush on her. I'm sure I was not alone.

Sahara Hotel Las Vegas

Here is a flyer from the Sahara Hotel. I'm not sure of the year but the buffet prices were great.

I saw one show at the Sahara Hotel. It was Nancy Wilson with The DoodleTown Pipers. I ticked my parents off by ordering a bowl of spaghetti. But it was a huge bowl and I was as happy as could be.







Here is a map of the Hotel which probably dates from the 1960's. I believe the two towers are still there but the old two story rooms on the perimeter have been removed.








Here is a listing of the popular shows around town. It appears to be from around 1966 or 1967. It was a few years past the original Rat Pack Days but still in their era.









Here is a cloth shoe cleaner from one of their rooms. Somewhere I still have some note paper, a pen and postcards from the Sahara Hotel. And the prize of my collection (Which is not much to start with) a Sahara Hotel ash tray. Ash trays are still legal to own right?

Rainbow & Demolay

Here is a Van Nuys Rainbow Assembly button from 1979. From the collection of Al Wilson.

Here is a newspaper article by Agnes Viola Dow of the Van Nuys Daily News about a Demolay Installation. Over the years Mrs. Dow wrote up almost all the articles about local Masonic related events.

Hy-Lo Drug

I found this partial newspaper ad on the back of something my Dad had cut out of the paper. Hy-Lo Drug was located in the shopping center at the southeast corner of Sherman Way and Sepulveda Blvd. Hy-Lo Drug became our destination of choice when we moved to Haskell Ave. in 1965.

As I recall the shopping center included a Food Giant Market, a Thom McAnn shoe store, an Oscar's Restaurant and Alfie's (Spelling?), a small coffee shop in between Hy-Lo and Food Giant. You could walk into Alfie's from Hy-Lo Drug. I probably ate the majority of my life time intake of French Fries there, as well as chocolate Coke's.

When we wanted a change we went to Oscar's where my Dad almost always ordered their Chili Size. Years later Oscar's went out of business and was taken over by a restaurant that featured red hamburger buns. I wish I could recall the name. It didn't last very long.

Over the years I remember a barber shop where my Dad got his haircut, as well as a Bank of America, and I think there was a bar at the end of the back section. Later Food Giant turned into Food King and a Wherehouse Record Store was built where Thom McAnn and Oscar's used to be. As far as I know the small ice cream stand is still out front near the sidewalk, and again I forget the name.

We moved away from the area in 1973 but I would still drive by and watch the changes over the years. My Dad would still drive to the Mobil Station on the Northwest corner to buy his gas from the station owner he knew. Van Nuys Demolay once had a car wash at the Shell Station at that corner, a newspaper photo which is on the Van Nuys Boomers Flickr Photo Site.

Radio Rat is Now a Jethawk

This past week the Lancaster JetHawks, the local class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox named our Radio Rat as their new General Manager. Congratulations Radio Rat.

In addition to his illustrious radio career in the High Desert, Radio Rat was the JetHawks stadium play by play announcer for many years. This career move from radio to baseball will allow Radio Rat to indulge his baseball passion. He was a star with our Van Nuys Demolay team in the Southern California Jurisdiction during the early 1970's as well as being a member of the Monroe High School Team.

When Radio Rat was with Clear Channel radio he was instrumental in raising his stations profile by getting Clear Channel to sponsor the JetHawks stadium. His marketing experience will help expand the teams exposure in the High Desert and beyond.

A few summers ago my wife and I and some friends attended a JetHawks game and it was a total blast. If you are anywhere in the greater Los Angeles area you should make it a point to attend a few games next season. The minor league experience at Clear Channel Stadium is great fun and a wonderful place to take your family. Check out their website for more information and keep an eye out for the 2009 season schedule.

As Radio Rat said when he sent me the e-mail telling me he had the job, "Play Ball"

Debra Winger at Monroe High School

My Hazeltine Ave. School friend Bob Walance just sent me this page from the 1972 Monroe High School yearbook he found online. Debra Winger is in the second row. This was news to me. I sent Radio Rat an e-mail because he went to Monroe. We never talked about it so I'm not sure he knew. The only Celebrity I recall from Radio Rats class was the former NFL quarterback Guy Benjamin. Benjamin went to Stanford after Monroe and than was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

Thanks again Bob for the update. I wonder who we will find next?

Builders Emporium Reseda 1977

In 1977 Radio Rat and I made an audio tape for a farewell party he was having, in Van Nuys, for a fellow employee who was moving on to a new job. We did a few comedy bits and then spent the afternoon calling people on the telephone for comments to include in the tape. We let them know they were being recorded and that is where it all fell apart. We decided to include the failed attempts on the tape as it happened and in the end it provided more laughs.


The audio file is now available at the Van Nuys Boomers Audio site. As I recall the music at the end of the clip is called "Cruising with the Fonz" from the TV show Happy Days.

Radio Rat Air Check

In the process of transferring my old cassette tapes to digital CD's I discovered quite a few old nuggets, embarrassing and otherwise. I will upload the good ones to the Van Nuys Boomers Audio site over the next few weeks.

Tonight I uploaded a radio station air check from 1983 of Radio Rat at the beginning of his career. Due to the poor condition of the tape I could only salvage a few parts. This particular air check begins with the stations (KMOR-FM 89.9) newscast followed by a commercial and Radiorat.

That is me behind the microphone at Radio Rat's station KAVL/KAVS in 1985. I would have put a picture of him up here by I didn't have one of him at the microphone. I have one of Phone Rat at the mic, but he hates the picture, even though he looks like a natural. I apparently was having a Johnny Fever (WKRP in Cincinnati) moment.