Click here for a free download of Adobe Reader 9.1 to be able to read class update files in the archived class updates in blue below.
12/10 11/10 10/10 09/10 08/10 07/10 06/10 05/10 04/10 03/10 02/10 01/10
12/09 11/09 10/09 09/09 08/09 07/09 06/09 05/09 04/09 03/09 02/09 01/09
12/08 11/08 10/08 09/08 08/08 07/08 06/08 05/08 04/08 03/08 02/08 01/08
02/01/12 40th Reunion Committee Meeting: We'll be having our first reunion committee meeting on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at Cataldo's Pizza at White Lane and Stine Road. We'll get underway at 6:30 p.m. so you can roll by after work, enjoy some pizza with us, and help plan out our reunion. Plans now are to have the reunion on homecoming weekend in the Fall of 2012. We won't know what the exact dates are until the date of Homecoming is announced by the Kern High School District office later this Spring. So, we're asking you to be flexible and keep your calendar open weekends from late September through mid October 2012. We should be able to give you about 6 months advanced notice if you're buying plane tickets to get back to town. Otherwise, we'll see those of you who are local and want to help make this the party of the year, on the 23rd.
10/07/11 Facebook Updated Photos: We now have 28 current pictures of classmates posted on Facebook and we expect to double that number over the next two weeks. If you are already on Facebook, drop by our Facebook page and comment, post, a photo, or just let us know what we could do to improve the page. If you want to post your own current photo, a photo of your grandkids, or just some of your pictures from around your neck of the woods, we'd love to see them.
09/05/11 Time To Get Back To Work: Okay, summer is coming to an end and we are back in action here on the Class of 72' website. We were tied up through the spring and into the summer with the GOTB 2011. But now it's time to look ahead and start to think about updating these pages, getting some lunches and field trips kicking, and putting together a reunion committee. We're still planning a trip to the Reagan Museum for some time in the next two months, so stay tuned and make plans to join us, even if you were not a Ronald Reagan fan...
06/30/11 Services For Henry Forrest: Just returned from the memorial services for our classmate Henry Forrest. His son and daughter did a remarkable job of remembering him to all of us. There were many family and friends present and the weather cooperated in not letting it get searing hot today.
06/28/11
06/26/11 Happy To See You Again: It was great seeing so many people from the Class of 72' at our Gathering last weekend. I saw Steve Dake, Marlene Leary Baughman, Ron Newton, James Williams, Les Cho, Billy Owens, and Millie Collins. I'm sure I missed others and I apologize now for not listing you here if you were present. The highlight of the evening for many of us was seeing Mr. Don Burkett receive the SilverTips Alumni Network's Lifetime Achievement In Education Award. It was made all the more meaningful, because he taught so many of us from the Class of 72'. I would be remiss to forget to mention that Mr. Ken Randolph received the SilverTips Alumni Network's Lifetime Achievement In Community Service Award. Ken has been a fixture in the Arvin-Lamont Communities over the years, in addition to his work as an educator, and continues to serve the communities and the high school long after his formal retirement. I hope that each of you enjoyed yourself as much as I did. We hope to see you next year for our 40th Class Reunion as well.
Return To Top Of Page
03/19/11 Tell A Friend: We're counting on you to help us get the word out about The Gathering of The Bears coming on June 18th. Lot's of our friends are not on Facebook or don't use computers at all, so if those of us who are on Facebook and/or use computers don't let them know, they'll miss out. You can pass along the website, which is www.gatheringofthebears.org
03/09/11 We'll Miss You Leona: I read the obituary this week of Leona Edgerle and as I read it I picked up enough family names and survivors to realize it was our classmate Leona 'Barth' Edgerle. I've added her name to our class of 1972 memorial page and just wanted to share with each of you her passing. RIP Leona...
Return To Top Of Page
02/12/11 GOTB Planning Meeting: Our next Gathering of the Bears planning meeting is set for Thursday, February 17, 2011. This time we'll meet at Cataldo's Pizza on Fairfax on the East side of Bakersfield at 7 p.m. Cataldo's is in the shopping center at the coroner of Fairfax and Niles, West of the FoodMaxx. We need more people on the committee and we need more volunteers to help carry out this event, so if you want to help, be sure to be there...
Return To Top Of Page
01/24/11 GOTB Planning Meeting: Our next Gathering of the Bears planning meeting is set for Thursday, February 17, 2011. This time we'll meet at Cataldo's Pizza on Fairfax on the East side of Bakersfield at 7 p.m. We need more people on the committee and we need more volunteers to help carry out this event, so if you want to help, be sure to be there...
01/02/1 Busy Year Ahead: Since our Class will be working with the SilverTips Alumni Network to put on The Gathering of The Bears (GOTB) as well as beginning to plan our own 40th Reunion for 2012, 2011 promises to be a very busy year. Our first planning meeting for the GOTB is set for Wednesday, January 18, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at Cataldo's Pizza. Cataldo's is located at 4200 Stine Road (SE Corner of Stine Road & White Lane). If you want to serve on the 40th Reunion Committee, drop me an email at farrellneeley@aol.com and I'll keep you in the loop. Otherwise, make plans to be with us as we have class luncheons and breakfasts in the coming months as we work to get and stay connected in 2011. Happy New Year!
Return To Top Of Page
12/30/10 Where Are They Now: We have an entire page devoted to where people were last known to be living. I wanted to offer an update for Eddie DeLaRosa since I ran into him here in Lamont a few days back. Eddie is back in town and living on Panama Road. He looked well and was in good spirits when I saw him. He asked about many of you and said he thinks of all his Arvin High School classmates as friends.
12/22/10 Class of 72' Holiday Luncheon: We'll be getting together next Wednesday, December 29, 2010 around noon at the Que Pasa Grill at 3100 Panama Lane in Bakersfield for lunch. Que Pasa is located just off Freeway 99 and lies West of the Freeway. If you go to Wible Road, you've driven too far West. Many of you joined us there before for lunch so you know already it's easy to find. Let your friends know so we can visit while many of you are in town visiting with family at this time of the year...
Return To Top Of Page
11/03/10 Locations & Email Page Now Restored: In the course of moving the website from one webhosting company to another, I lost the newest page of classmate locations and email addresses. I had put more work into that page and gathering those 623 names than any other page on the site. So you can imagine how happy I was thinking about having to go through all the year books again to gather the names and then go through address lists to rebuild the whole thing. I'm pleased to announce that I was able to recover the page today from my old computer, where I had stored a copy. The page is now back and available for you to scan, find out where people live, and if they have an email they're willing to share, it's listed as well. Thanks for your patience. If you want your email listed, drop me a line at farrellneeley@aol.com
Return To Top Of Page
10/31/10 Classmates At Alumni Golf Tournament: Several members of our class were at the Alumni Golf Tournament yesterday at Sycamore Canyon. IN attendance were Cyndi Blankenship, Charlie Roton, James Williams, Jeff Campbell, Mike Abapo, Andy Gonzaga, and Farrell Neeley. I you were there and I missed seeing you, my apologies. If you drop me a line at webmaster@silvertips.org we'll add you to the list. For those who didn't attend, you should make a point of coming out there next year even if you don't golf. You'll see lots of old Bears you know and you'll make friends with some new ones...
10/17/10 Class Breakfast: Our class breakfast is set for next Saturday, October 23, 2010 at the home of our classmate, Cyndi Blankenship. Cyndi and her husband, Jack Gallon, live at 1924 Cedar Street in Bakersfield. That's in the Westchester area and should be easy to find of 17th, 18th, 19th streets, etc. I'll post a time on Monday after I talk with Cyndi again.
10/10/10 We'll Miss You Jimmie: As most of you know by now there was a memorial service for Jimmie Langston on Saturday, October 2, 2010 in Bakersfield for Jimmie Langston. John Culbertson and I represented the Arvin High School Class of 1972 as best we could and offered our own memories of Jimmie. It was Jimmie's wish that she be cremated and her ashes scattered at one of her favorite places on the sea. In accordance with her final wishes, her family will be doing that shortly. We'll miss you Jimmie...
10/07/10 Website Move Completed: I finally finished moving our website, but appear to have lost at least one of the pages and will have to rebuild it. For the time being the format remains FrontPage 2003 and we hope to get converted over to Dreamweaver before year's end. As it is now, we will not be able to run a hit counter until the new hosting company figures out a work around for old software like this. I'll post the hits monthly so you have some clue as to where we are; when we made the move we were just shy of 10,000 in less than 3 years. That's pretty good for a small website dedicated to a single graduating class. Keep sending me your information and news and keep dropping by. farrellneeley@aol.com
Return To Top Of Page
09/26/10 Rebecca Mize Beck Continues Recuperation: Many of you already know that Rebecca had to undergo back surgery recently to fuse some disks in her spine. When I visited with her a few days back she was in pain but making steady progress and has since been allowed to return to her home to continue healing.
09/18/10 Jimmie Langston Loses Her Battle With Cancer: As many of you know by now, our Classmate Jimmie Langston, passed away early yesterday after battling a resurgence of the Cancer she'd beaten once before. Our hearts go out to her family and friends. The Arvin High School Class of 1972 is greatly diminished by her passing. RIP Jimmie...
09/14/10 Jimmie Langston Update: As many of you already know, Jimmie has terminal Cancer. We got word today from her Sister Diane that the Hospice staff feels Jimmie has less than a week left to live. The request is that all of us pray for her or send good thoughts her way so that these last few days pass quickly and peacefully.