Photos from the Mau Mau at the Cloverleaf

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John Lennon - 75th Birthday

For some reason I woke up today singing the song "You're Going To Lose That Girl". It may be because today is John Lennon's birthday and he would have been 75 (born October 9, 1940 in Liverpool). That Beatles song, which John wrote and sang lead on, was from the 1965 album and film "Help". Although I was more of a Rolling Stones fan at the time, I later learned to love the Beatles' music.



1965 was a big year for the Beatles, Beatlemania was in full bloom, "Help" was recorded early in the year and they continued performing live, first touring Europe starting in June, and then continuing with their second US concert tour in the late Summer of '65, including legendary performances at Shea Stadium and the Hollywood Bowl. Unfortunately the screaming girls were so loud at these concerts that the Beatles could hardly hear themselves play. As they toured in the US and the rest of the world, the Fab Four had to hole up in hotel rooms for security, so they mostly went from airport to hotel to venue and what was once fun was not so fun any more. John wrote the song "Help" as an assignment for the movie, but without being conscious of it at the time, it was a summation of the pressure he was feeling from the incredible superstardom of his band.

"And now my life has changed in oh so many ways.
My independence seems to vanish in the haze"

In Memoriam - September 2015

We've received news that Jim Johnston passed away at home with his family at his side, on September 26, 2015 after a hard fought battle with cancer.

I remember Jim sat in front of me in home room class and we chatted occasionally. He had a very genuine and big smile and was always a gentleman. Jim excelled in swimming and competed on the Wilson High School swim team.

You can read more about Jim's life, including his love of boats and especially hydroplanes, which he worked on as a crew member, at his online obituary.

A lot of people have been asking for a list of our classmates who have passed away. So we've been planning to post the beautiful "In Memoriam" video that Dan Fiorino put together featuring all of those who have passed away in our class. This video was shown at the main 50th reunion event at the Fircrest Golf Club, but we wanted all alumni to be able to see it either again or for the first time.

Update: Dan has updated the video to include Jim Johnston. Dan knew Jim and had this to say about him:

Jim and I were friends at Wilson but I really got to know him when we both found ourselves in a cattle car headed to Fort Lewis for basic training in 1968. He and I made it through together and he went on to signal corp training and I went to Fort Knox to become an armored recon scout. He spent time in Viet Nam and I’m sure he saw action. I was hoping to see him at the reunion. He was a good man and a good friend.