Sidelines: It didn’t get much better than ’51

Don Cantrell

Newport Harbor High’s Class of 1951 is charting fun plans for its

50th anniversary Sept. 7-9. The grand day for the colorful banquet will

be at 6 p.m., Sept. 8, at the Balboa Pavilion in Balboa.

Two other days will feature happy events featuring a cruise to

Catalina Island, another cruise around the harbor and a trip to Harbor

High to visit Heritage Hall.

The Class of ’51 drew many honors in most sports, including a

co-championship in varsity basketball, but it also drew high accord in

the fall of ’51 when it contributed numerous football players to Orange

Coast College and helped win the school’s first-ever gridiron

championship in the Eastern Conference.

Chairwomen Norma Marshall Millett, (949) 673-9595, and Ann Gristy

Knipp, (949) 548-2678, will create a golf event if there is sufficient

interest.

The key Harbor grid mates were All-Sunset Leaguers Bill Wittman,

guard, and Glen Griffith, end. Second team all-leaguers included fullback

Larry McMasters, tackle Bob Woodhouse and center Bob Burdick. Halfbacks

Mel Smalley and Wayne Welty earned all-league honors as well.

Bob Scotland, Rolly Pulaski, Bill Gannon, Jack Meeks, Bill Schmidt,

Dick Veneman, Dick Jones and Roger Pfister performed as other fine

gridders.

Numerous Class of ’51 members had already played on the ’49 squad,

which finished 8-1.

The football team, under Coach Al Irwin, won six, lost three. The

pleasing wins came over Riverside, Oxnard, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange and

Huntington Beach. The losses were to Fullerton, Excelsior and St.

Anthony.

Coach Ralph Reed’s varsity track team enjoyed a third year of winning

all dual meets, but was nosed out in the all-league final meet by Santa

Ana.

Bob Norman’s high jump of 6-2 5/8 was one of the highest marks in the

CIF in 1950. Lloyd Swingle heaved the shot, 53-5, and his teammate, Bob

Van Drimlen, was only an inch behind. Bob Woodhouse clocked a 4:49.9 in

the mile.

Baseball and tennis had average seasons while the boys varsity swim

team enjoyed a school record in the 200-yard relay when Stan Agar, Bruce

Baird, Don Aarvold and Ed Johnson finished in 1:46.3.

The class is still looking for current addresses for the following

mates:

Diane Abbot Beck, Pauline Babbitt Estes, Beverly Barnes, Florence

Beaudry Luth, Robert Beckstrom, LuBelle Boice, Joe Brito, William

Buckner, Delores Ann Christensen Loring, Nancy Cole Graham, Eileen

Coleman, Delroy Cragg, Robert Crane, Barbara Crosby Knox, Ruth Dahnke,

Walt Doucett and Ron Engle.

Also, Eleanor Ferguson Armstrong, Connie Gammon Sides, Glen Griffith,

Robert Hancock, Carolyn Harrison Kuhn, Fred Harvey, Shirley Jean Hilt,

Richard Hunt, Geraldine Hurtado Gallagher, Don Jacobsen, Grace Johnson,

Robert Johnson, Charles Kepper, Virgil Khan, Joy Kurkel Hockersmith,

Ricard Lane, Robert Larson, George Lorton, Bill Mashburn and Betty

McCarthy Trimble.

Also, Charles McKinnon, Jr., Dan McGrew, Shirley Merrill Corley, Frank

Miller, Walter Mitchell, Charles Mobley, Ken Nelson, Sharon O’Connel,

Diane Parson, David Peterson, Jackie Phillip Lathrop, Suzie Pleger Lemos,

Ronald Quarry, JoAnne Queen Doucett, Mary Richardson.

Also, James Ritter, Florence Seeger, Don Southworth, Barbara Sprague

Jones, Lorraine Stillings Klein, Dennis Sullivan, Robert Van Drimlen,

Donald Walker, James Welty and Donald Woolever.

The known deceased ’51 classmates are:

Marlene Anderson Sturtevant, Warren Sturtevant, Clara Bennett Kemper,

Wayne Berry, Robert Buell, Mary Davis, Dale Coleman, Barbara Ellerbroek,

Evelyn Hatch, Shirley Herman Deluca, John Johnson, Norman LeGendre and

Gloria Lohman.

Also, Colleen McDermott, Larry McMasters, Shirley Mithoff, Mel Omerod,

Jane Norton Hofford. Ed Paull, Marilyn Snow, Lloyd Swingle, Ronald

Taylor, William Wittman, Ronald Weldon and Madeline Zerbe.