Classmates

Hello, Classmates! We've been here for 10 years now... We would love to have you update your profiles to include any changes during this time. For those of you just joining us, please include answers to the following questions:

1. What would you like to tell us about your life over the past 60 years? High points, unusual experiences, travel, career(s), jail time, family, passions, regrets, etc.?

2. What are your plans for the next years of your lives?

Select the "Add Your Profile" button below. Fill in the info (NOTE: PLEASE TYPE YOUR COMMENTS DIRECTLY INTO THE COMMENTS BOX. DO NOT CUT AND PASTE FROM ANOTHER WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM) and please upload your favorite "Now" photo. We will upload your "Then" photo from the yearbook for you when we receive your information.

We're looking forward to hearing from all of you!
 

Lorraine Fingerson-Cohen (Jensen)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: retired
Comment:  My family moved to Napa after graduation.  I worked for awhile for "Ma Bell".  We moved to Burlingame, "Ma Bell" liked me so much, I was able to transfer to there business office in San Mateo.  I did some traveling during my single years, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, Canada and the East Coast.  Took up skiing, that is were I met Wayne, on the Gold Coast chair lift at Squaw Valley.  Not once but four times.  Two years later we were married.  Three years later Wayne gave me an ultimatum.  Lets take a trip around the world or buy a house.  I had to think about this one for about a minute or two.  On Feb. 14, 1970, we left the Oakland Airport for our nine month adventure.  These are some of our stops; Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Manila, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Kenya, Egypt, Greece, and Germany.  When we arrived in Germany it was time to pickup our new Volkswagen Camper.  Toured all over Europe, Scotland, England, drove to the North Pole, by June we were in Helsinki boarding a train for Leningrad and Mosscow for an eight day adventure.  We came back to the U.S. on a cargo ship, staying with friends while we waited for our car to arrive.  



Driving across country was interesting, stopping to visit family and friends on the way.  Jobs were not easy to find in the 70's, Wayne went to Kaiser in Oakland, were he had been working before the trip. They had no jobs, but they gave him a desk and phone to help him look for a job.  One day his old boss had a job in Sunnyside, Utah, as controller of their coal mine.  Being eight months pregnant, we decided it was a good place to start over.  Our two beautiful children were born Heather in "71" and Eric in "73".  In "74" we moved to Napa, where Wayne was controller of Kaiser Steel. 



Enjoying tennis, skiing, camping, hiking, traveling, and having a good time with my family.  I opened New Horizons Montessori School, in Napa in "82", in "84" I opened one in Vallejo, in "87" I bought Hopper Creek Montessori School.  Busy time going to one then another working at times at all three in one day.



Wayne passed away in "97", after 29 years of marriage.  Eric and I needed to get away.  Mel, a very nice man was willing to help with my travel plans.  Eric wanted to go to Denmark to visit family, so we were gone about seven weeks on a very needed trip.  After we were home about a week my travel agent called to see how the trip went.  Little did I know then that three years later Mel would become my husband.  We have been married for almost twelve years.  Retiring last year from work but not from play.



Loving to travel, we have been on many cruises, camped on the North and South island of New Zealand, taken a train across South Africa, safaried in Kenya, Tanzania, drove across Uganda, gone on a mash (run) in Moszambique, Swaziland, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Tahiti, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bahamas, Mexico, Alaska, Canada, West Indies, Europe, Great Britten, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. This summer we will be traveling to Spain, England, Germany and Israel.



My daughter Heather, is a CAL graduate, living and working in England for the past seven years. Heather married Neil (doctor) in York, England in "09".  On Oct. 27, 2011, they gave me a beautiful Grandson Haiden.  My son Eric, single, has worked for my business, but is now enjoying life.  Stepson Bruce, is in the medical field, part time artist. He and Granddaughter Naomi (11) are moving to Berlin, in June to become a full time artist.  Stepson Craig is a doctor and Professor at UCSF and incharge of several clinics in Kenya.  His wife Elin is from Sweden, they have Granddaughter Shana (7) and Grandson Ari (5).



Life is good.

Gregory Fischbach

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Venture Capital - Media and Technology
Comment:  

Kathy Flett (Kollenbaum)

Then Then
Comment: I married my high school sweetheart and have been married for 47 years. We have three children and seven grandchildren with the eighth on the way. We thoroughly enjoy our children and grandchildren (all local) and spend as much time as possible with our family. After 40 years in business in the bay area, Dave retired in 2006. Our travels have taken us to many places but we still love coming home to Moraga.  



My plans for the next 50 years are to enjoy life and spoil my grandchildren. 

Evie Florian Hernbal (Lederer)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: Retired
Comment: I was happily married for 25 years to Terry Florian and widowed suddenly at 45. We had three sons and lived in San Jose until transferred to Seattle, where we lived for 36 years. When my youngest started school so did I, majoring in business at the University of Washington.  I now have six grandchildren.  My oldest son lives in LA, my middle son lives in Texarkana, TX and my youngest lives in Roy, UT.  My oldest grandson now attends the Univ of TX in Austin.



Eventually I developed my own PR firm and was involved in numerous community activities including Rotary, VP of Chamber of Commerce Board, State Centennial Committee and board member of Boys and Girls Club.   



Two years after my husband died, my mother suddenly died, five months later my father died and my nest was empty. All of a sudden the person I used to be didn't exist anymore. I decided to stop working and just travel. Soon I realized I still had to come home to me, that traveling didn't fill that big empty hole inside.   



I went to Israel — a country I love — and I joined the Israeli Army as a volunteer. I wore the uniform (no Uzi though), lived on the base and I loved it. I was never in harm's way but I felt like I was doing something worthwhile and it kept me from feeling sorry for myself.  



Eventually I came back to Washington state and was the Marketing Director of the Bellevue Philharmonic but felt I no longer wanted to work full time, so, I freelanced and started winding down towards retirement. Around that time I was treated for breast cancer with six months chemo followed by six weeks of daily radiation.   



During the years after my husband's death I dated various men (including my oncologist when treatment was over) but no one ever touched my heart. I figured I'd blown my wad on my husband and would never love again.   



But then one day I was going through an old box of pictures and found one of a boy I met in Switzerland, Fredi Hernbal, when we were both 19. His mother and mine grew-up together in Vienna, but when Hitler came my parents fled to Oakland and his mother escaped to Basel, Switzerland. On the back of Fredi's picture he had written in German: ‘I will never forget you.’



Here it was, 43 years later and I was wondering whatever happened to him. I Googled him and found he was an architect in Basel. With no thought of romance, I contacted him. I gave him my maiden name and reminded him of the circumstances by which we met. He answered that he was sorry but he didn't know who I was! He forgot me!!!!! I didn't answer him.   



A few weeks later he wrote that his mother, who is still alive, reminded him who I was and he said, ‘Now I remember you, I was so much in love with you.’ That started a correspondence, eventually meetings in NY and Seattle. I then realized why I hadn't loved before — my heart was waiting for him.    



I went to Basel for three months to make sure I could live there and that Fredi and I were more than just a romance. It's still a romance and we are also happily married. I have never regretted moving to such a beautiful country and even though my family is spread out, I can always hop on a plane and go to my other ‘home.’         



What about the next 50?  To live happily ever after . . . la-di-da 

Dale Fogh

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired
Comment: 1) After spending two years in junior college studying accounting I entered the Air Force in October 1961. Looking at my background, they decided to place me in Military Personnel instead of Accounting and Finance. I spent the next 28 years working at all levels from base to command, doing many interesting projects, helping develop new systems and changing Air Force wide policies. I served at Naha AB Okinawa; Holloman AFB, NM; Hamilton AFB, CA; Ent AFB, CO; Cam Rahn AB, Vietnam; back to Ent, Luke AFB, AZ; Lajes Field Azores; Mc Chord AFB, WA; and Castle AFB, CA. 



In 1966 I met and married my first wife Anneliese, who passed away in 1985. In 1986, I met Janet who became my wife in 1989. We have two great kids, Sheila (18), who is entering UC Davis and Gene (16) who will be a junior in high school.  

After retiring from active duty in 1989, I went to work for the Air Force in civil service working in the Family Support Center. I was in on the ground floor helping develop the Air Force’s family separation programs as Operation Desert Shield/Storm commenced.



When the closure of Castle AFB was announced, I relocated to Travis AFB, CA where I continued to work in the Family Support Center, helping members and families until 2005 when I fully retired. Now I just try to keep up with the wife, kids, cat, and the house.  My only regret was that I lost track of Coralie (now fixed).  



2) Watching my kids graduate from college, marry, and have many grandkids. 

Eleanor Fong (Wong)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: retired
Comment: It has been a good life. I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Phil Fong, for 47 years.



We have a son and a daughter. They are both married to terrrific spouses. We have five wonderful grandchildren. Guess what, they even live nearby. Our family is our pride and joy.



I returned to work after my youngest started  first grade. I worked for the US Attorney's office in San Francisco. I then went on to work at Social Security Adm. I retired from Social Security after 30 years of combined service. I was a claims representative determining eligibility of individuals when I retired. I found my career fulfilling because it enabled me to help others. My husband retired from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory after more than 30 years of service.



We both love to travel. We have traveled overseas several times. One of the most memorable trips was returning to my family's roots in China. We were able to visit with close relatives from my parents' village. It made me realize how courageous my parents were to leave their families to come to a new country.   We have traveled cross-country twice. Our first trip was to visit our son and his family in Iowa while he was doing a fellowship in micro vascular surgery at the University of Iowa. That trip made us realize how much we missed by flying to places. In 2007, we opted for another cross-country trip. The trip took 7 weeks and over 10,000 miles but we saw our beautiful country with its national parks, lakes, Oregon, Washington DC, New York, Niagara Falls, Vermont, New Mexico, New England area, etc.  With our kids and their families, we went to Alaska last year and Hawaii this summer.  



I enjoy long walks and hiking the great outdoors. I love being a part of our grandchildren's lives. My hobbies continue to be cooking, baking, sewing, hiking, doing crafts of all types, music  and enjoying the great outdoors with our grandchildren. Our oldest grandson just became an Eagle Scout.



Goals for the next fifty years: I just started Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). I understand it is a 7 year course of study. I look forward to the challenge. I look forward to being a part of our grandchildren's lives and watching them grow. I will stop to smell the roses and appreciate everyday. I will enjoy and appreciate the opportunities of times spent with family and friends. I would like to be of service to others and live a life that honors God. I will continue with my hobbies and continue to find new and interesting things to do.   

gary fong

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired School Counselor
Comment: After Oakland High, I went to Cal, studied German and Russian, and graduated in 1963. In the fall of that year I entered military service with the U.S. Army in Germany, where initially I was a tank platoon leader with 5 tanks and 19 soldiers along the Iron Curtain. At 21, I felt like an "old" guy among my privates who were 17 and 18 years old, but also young compared to my platoon sergeant who was 39.  Later in my tour of duty, I became a combat intelligence officer and was responsible for radar surveillance across the border into East Germany and Czechoslovakia. One evening while on border duty, one of my troopers accidentally escorted me a half kilometer into Czechoslovakia thinking that he was showing me our radar positions.  We realized his error when we saw the Czech watchtowers with their armed soldiers behind rather than in front of us, so we quietly tip-toed back to the good guys' side without causing an international incident.



After completing my time in the Army, I returned to school to work on a teaching credential, and it was during that period that I met Shirley, a Fremont High graduate and my wife-to-be, who was also studying to become a teacher.  I student-taught at Pacific High in San Leandro and received a real teaching position at Bancroft Jr. High in the San Leandro school district, where Shirley and I spent our entire time in education, she as an elementary school teacher. While teaching, I continued going to school, earned another degree, and became a school counselor in the mid-1970's. I came to learn that being a school counselor was the perfect work for me, as predicted by the Kuder Aptitude Test we all took in our senior year social studies class. Remember answering questions, poking holes into that booklet and then counting the holes to come up with a score that determined what you might become? I didn't understand until later why the Kuder didn't project the initial career I thought while I was at Oakland High I would pursue, but thinking back to what that test actually profiled, counseling was the work I was destined to do and love.



Shirley and I lived in San Leandro from the beginning of our marriage in 1968 until 1996 when we moved to our home in San Ramon. Rent for our Pacific Avenue apartment in San Leandro was $90 a month, increasing to $105 by the time we moved into our first house in 1974. Our son was born in 1976, graduated from U.C. Davis, is married, lives 5 miles away in Dublin, and he and his wife brought us unbounded joy in 2008 with the birth of our granddaughter.  



I retired in 2003, Shirley in 2006, and we've enjoyed all the benefits of our new life. One of the many indicators that it was time to retire was that I was running into former students throughout the Bay Area who were in their 50's. One of our current activities, which began early in our marriage, is traveling, and a recent and favorite trip was to Central Europe where I was able to visit the countries that were on the other side of the Iron Curtain and my radar screens during those Army years. On Saturdays every fall, you can find me sitting in Cal's Memorial Stadium following my passion for Cal football dating back to my first game there when I was 8 years old.  I'm planning to spend all my future days walking, running, or playing tennis in the mornings, working on projects that I want or need to do, reading, napping, doing some volunteer work, getting in some traveling, and just enjoying life and friends.



I am so grateful that I attended the 50th year reunion of our January class in March, 2009, and spent time with friends from Oakland High as well as Roosevelt JHS.  Many friendships were re-newed and re-started. Shirley and I discussed the significance of that occasion, and it was a celebration of the years that we had all spent together in a very formative and important time of our lives.  I wish everyone well forever.  6-29-10  

 

Mary Fox (Zeno)

Then Then
Now Now
Comment: After high school I attended UC Berkeley, graduating in 1963 with a degree in political science. While working in the 60”s at the Department of social welfare in New York City, I met and married my husband, Morton Fox. Over the years we have lived in New York, San Francisco, Mendocino-Lake counties, and since 1982, Chico, CA. We have raised 3 sons and have 10 young grandchildren, 4 of whom live in Tokyo, but stay with us each summer.  



After raising our sons, I worked for 15 years in the field of social research, and each spring still work on a study for the University of Michigan’s Institute of Social Research. My husband and I are active volunteers at Chico’s homeless shelter and at our church. We also were caregivers for my parents, both of whom lived into their 90’s.   In the last decade, we’ve been able to travel overseas numerous times. My favorite trip was in 2007 to Sicily, where I visited my grandparents’ home region. The previous year we were away for six weeks, spending three weeks in Israel, traveling as well in Turkey, and ferrying about the beautiful Greek Isles.  



Living in a small college town has been perfect, and I hope to spend my remaining years here in Chico. I’ve been blessed with a long-lasting marriage and great health. Life is Good! 

Jack Frost

Then Then
Now Now
Comment: 1. Catherine and I just celebrated 40 years of marriage and of living in our Pinole home.  We have a daughter Anne who teaches middle school English and history. After OHS I studied electrical engineering at Berkeley and Stanford.  I worked as a software engineer on mainframe programs, control systems, PCs, scientific instruments, and medical data systems and devices.  I retired two years ago and am trying to learn how to manage time and Murphy's Law.  I rode motorcycles for 20 years, and still ride a motor scooter.  



2. Near term / Foreground:  Family / Friends time.  Pets.  Fitness dependent (swimming, hiking, cycling, Wally ball, boating).  Play and listen to music. Humor.  Reading.  Puzzles.  Cooking.   Long term / Background:  Volunteer.  Study music.  Post-season sports.  Electronics.  Organize shop and den.  Virtual travel. "It's just not all gonna get done."  

Jerry Giannini

Then Then
Comment: I was married for 30 years and am now divorced with two sons and one grandson. I joined the navy right after high school. I was a plumber for over 30 years and retired in 1999. I moved to Del Webb in Lincoln, California but now live in Williamsburg, Virginia.  



I plan to live a happy life in Williamsburg for the next 50 years.