Irwins celebrate 63 years

DON CANTRELL

June of 2005 is turning into a lofty, energized month for Al and Lois

Irwin of Newport Beach, capped by their 63rd wedding anniversary

today.

Irwin, a former athletic director at UC Irvine, has disclosed that

grandson Casey Maze and his wife welcomed a baby boy, Walker, into

the world “a few days before Father’s Day, June 19.”

It’s the Irwins’ second great grandson, the first coming via

granddaughter Carrie and husband Chris Hammond.

Casey is a one-time triathlon competitor and a 1992 graduate of Corona del Mar High.

Celebration energy was swirling through the air in May and June

when the Irwins enjoyed their annual spring vacation to Maui in

Hawaii.

One highlight for the one-time grid and swim coach was being able

to swim 40 minutes a day since a setback prevented him from walking

during his vacation.

But, happily, Irwin said top conditioning has returned and he is

able to drive and bike again. He said his wife took charge of the

driving while they were in Maui.

And it is fair to say that the 63rd anniversary will find many old

harbor area friends extending their personal best for them to have

another grand year.

The Irwins were married in Waukegan, Ill. In 1942 and spent their

first night thereafter in Oshkosh, Wis.

Life was unsettling in those days since WWII had opened and one of

Irwin’s early naval officer assignments was centered at the Great

Lakes Naval Training Center where he managed swimming classes in 12

large pools.

In time, he was reassigned to the South Pacific as a flight deck

officer aboard the U.S.S. Lexington.

One fond recall is that the Irwins first met at the College of the

Pacific bookstore where she was working in the late 1930s. And Irwin had a habit of asking if he could help carry her books after she was

clear.

It was amusing the way she recalled it, explaining, “I used to

wonder why he kept asking to carry my books.”

The Irwins had two daughters, the late Claudia and Marcia.

The Irwins were surprised upon their return from Hawaii to

discover that an old friend, John Johnson, former Harbor High biology

teacher, has plans to take the train from Santa Barbara to attend the

60th reunion of the Class of ‘45, to be held at the Balboa Pavilion

Sept. 14.

Johnson, now past 90, will find one of his three sons picking him

up at the train station to attend the reunion.

The Irwins look forward to the opportunity to visit Johnson during

the reunion.

It is a very special event, according to ’45 class president Jim

Douglas, since Johnson rarely ventures away from his residence in

Santa Barbara.

The ’45 class is quite meaningful to Johnson because it is the

first class he ever taught upon his arrival at Harbor High in the

early 1940s.

One of Johnson’s duties during Harbor High years was managing the

football ticket operation at Davidson Field.

He had one other close athletic tie in the early days since he and

one-time Harbor High coach Wendell Pickens grew up together in the

Anaheim-Fullerton area. Pickens coached a championship football team

in ’42 and a championship baseball team in ’48 at Newport.

One sad note in recent years was the passing of Johnson’s wife,

the former Ruth Daniell, who had been an outstanding math teacher and

had one school yearbook dedicated to her.

*

The Class of ’45 drew football raves in the fall of ’44 when its

grid team, coached by Les Miller, had a winning season. It lost a

narrow 7-6 verdict to Santa Ana before an astonished crowd of 6,500

at the Santa Ana Bowl.

Outstanding seniors on that team included Joe Muniz, Don Miller,

Rod MacMillian, Glynn Boies, Dick Freeman, Douglas, Dick Harper, Bill

Van Horn, Al Bishop, Bill Talstra and Don Vaughn.