Prompted by the well-organized YHS 50th reunion committee, various emails from Keith, Ed, and John, and encountering George in San Francisco, and a visit from Linda (see photo), I decided to find and "dust off" my YHS scrapbooks and put together this web page.
We had quite a time. Looking back on all this, a few things stand out for me:
Of course you have your own memories of first crush, first date, first kiss, second kiss, changing alliances, all-night graduation party, first big disagreement, off to college, letters, being homesick, and more.
I went away to college and returned to Yakima only a few short times. My extended family in Yakima is now all gone, and my close friends have scattered around the United States.
Working for Hewlett-Packard for 34 years with wonderful managers and friends, I again learned from them and from others the same important thing that Alicia wrote in my yearbook in 1956:
What great memories of all of you.
Mike Chambreau - June 2006
Technical notes:
* Last names are omitted from this web page to avoid having them spread all over the web even more.
* I no longer have the high-resolution negatives of these photos. The ones on this web page are lower-resolution scans from old prints, so the quality is not the very best. Feel free to copy or use them in any way you wish. I can make better scans of selected pictures.
* Check your 50-year-old "R-C Photo Labs" prints. Our original high-quality prints are still in very good shape, though you may see slight signs of yellowing, depending on your storage. This is a good time to copy and/or digitize these and other old photographs.
Class officers, Rally Squad, Cheer Squad, Majorettes, Drill Team, varsity football, Homecoming dances, basketball, ski team, ski club, Pep Club, Gold Y, baseball, track, tennis, girl's sports council, girls gym volleyball, girl's gym basketball, Pirate Lassies, after-school volleyball and basketball, ASB Council, Coordinating Council, Girl's League, Boy's League, Honor Society, Wigwam staff, Lolomi staff, Pirate Day, Junior-Senior Reception, Apple Blossom Festival, Service Art, Library Club, bookstore, Free Text, Cacophony Club, INR, Key Klickers, Circle Burners, infirmary, projection crew, make-up club, Cap and Gown, ushers, debate, stage crew, traffic control, public address crew, KC, Future Teachers, Photo Club, Distributive Education, Future Farmers, Madrigal, Junior Nonet, Boy's Quartet, Girl's Trio, Sophomore Nonet, Aeolian Singers, orchestra (large), band (large), clarinet quartet, saxophone quartet, trombone quartet, trumpet quartet, Tri-M, Thespians, Quill and Scroll, Latin Banquet, various plays and musicals ("Time out for Ginger", "Green Valley", "Fortune Teller", "Arsenic and Old Lace"), caroling, many assemblies in the auditorium for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Veteran's day, etc.
Not to forget the embarassingly-named introduction to psychology class named "Personal Adjustment". Other classes and teachers were great too --- I liked wood shop and metal shop, math class (much fun with a great teacher), and especially typing (me and Ed and 18 girls). Actually, in this day of keyboards, the typing class was the most useful class I have ever taken. As a senior, for college entrance, I took the English class, with all those crazy junior girls.
In addition, there were lots of other things going on:
Cruise the main street in your car, slumber parties, bowling leagues, many TACOY ("Teen Age Club of Yakima") dances, all-night graduation party ending at 7AM (Frank, Marcia, John, Jim, Jane, Marilyn, Carolyn, Ed, Mike...all in one car), Pep Club pool party, Rainbow installations, Jobie installations, other installation hi-jinks, dances at the country club, Demolay dance, drive to the ice cream drive-in near the high school, yearbook signing parties, caroling for Christmas, "TWIRP" week, listen to "The Chords" at our dances, listen to KUTI (AM radio), Mr. Oliver and Boy's Club, Boy's State, parking at "Lookout Point" (aptly named)....
Being a long-time friend, Eddie had LOTS to say...he filled up all the blank pages in my yearbook...and then added eight typewritten pages more!
"....You really took some rare shots of us. And you
also made it to various "all-girl" parties!
What a racket...."
Barbara P.
"....Be good and have fun."
Alicia H.
"It's been lots of fun in Mr. Ferrer's math 'class'
with all your jokes....."
Doug C.
"Pictures, pictures, pictures everywhere....."
Skippy S.
"How's my favorite photographer next to Edward?..."
Joan S.
"...I've enjoyed so much seeing your beaming face
in 'Personal Adjustment'...."
Lucy S.
"...I'll never forgive you for charging so much for
your pictures..."
Peggy R.
"Don't go to Stanford just to get rid of me."
Ed R.
The ones here on this web page are my own selection of other pictures. From this perspective.. 1) All of you were great photo subjects, 2) the picture of Barbara in her wedding dress is my all-time lifetime best-ever picture, and 3) Susan Spr. gets the "most photogenic" award...always smiling for the camera.
And thanks to Liggett T. for getting our original class picture and names:
