LOOKING BACK ...THE 1980'S

Having a little too much time on my hands recently,

I ran across an old photo album

from my first 10 years teaching at Whitney.

I was hired during the summer of 1980 and I was only 24 years old,

still wearing my hair in pigtails as you can plainly see in the photo above.  

I believe I remember 2 of these kids names,

Edward Chen and Koni Choi.

This was a Xmas fundraiser we had for several years to help support the Art Club.

The kids would meet in my room at lunch and after school to make Xmas related crafts to sell.

Wearing a Guatemalan huipil

 (that I can no longer get on but still hangs in my closest 

since I have high hopes to once again put it on),

here I am with an all-time favorite student Becky Carrillo.

I still have an incredible coil basket she gave to me when she graduated.

Since I haven't spoken with her in forever she didn't know how much I loved that basket

and taught with it as an outstanding example for all my years at Whitney.

I remember this students first name, Ricky,

and I want to say his last was Alvarez or Alvarado.

We had so much fun in the 1980's when it was ok to hug and dance with the kids,

before Political Correctness came onto the scene.

Math teacher Wes White and I chaperoning the Winter Formal Dance.

The kids adored him,

he made Math fun.

Sorry this is a bit blurry but note the outfit.

I was going thru Willy Nelson's Honeysuckle Rose Western Dancing era

where I had to buy a cowboy hat, boots, tight fitting skirts and western style shirts.

Line dancing was big back then, 

and on the weekends my cousin and I would go to a place next to Disneyland

called the Cowboy and dance our hearts out.

About the first 8 years at Whitney I had to share my room with an Adult School teacher 

who came in at night to teach Mold Pouring Ceramics.

So behind me you can see shelves and shelves of Molds that ran all the way around entire room.

There was not even one free wall to hang my students art.

We had to share 2 kilns between us for over a hundred kids and adults,

firing at different temps.  

It didn't go well and that's all I'll say about that.

Fortunately I complained enough that the molds were moved out of the room when she retired.

These were 3 random school pix from yearbooks in the early 1980's.

I feel so badly that I don't remember these 2 students names.

This was back when my classes were small 

and I had enough table looms so that each student had one to weave on.

Note the 1980's bangs!

And here I was fooling around with a clay whistle that I always taught with

 and a student took this silly picture.

I've always loved it!

And a special shout out to Edward Ho,

our very first Art Club President.

He was and still is a mover and a shaker.

Ed managed to talk our local motorcycle dealership into donating a scooter 

that we raffled off and I believe we raised over $800.

We have remained dear friends to this day.

For years he would come back to all my Open Houses 

and purchase Art Work from my students.

And I'd talk him up before he came

 so that the students would hope it would be their work he would purchase.

He had such a great eye, 

always scooping up the best and most expensive pieces and putting them in his Law Office

on display.

So many great memories.

If I find more pix from the 1980's this is where I will keep adding them to.