Quite a bit different from Richman Elementary from 1958-1961. We played touch and flag football, basketball, over-hand softball with Baby Indoor balls, and Kickball, which was a blast. We had Tetherball and Foursquare, which were mostly for girls and squirrelly or sissy boys. At lunch-time, the principal or a 5th grade teacher would hit short fly balls to us boys, Maybe 20% of the boys played Pop Warner football, about 75% Little League baseball, and maybe 33% of us boys belonged to the Boys Club.

There was map-outline of the US on the blacktop showing all the borders and every state, but no names. We’d try to jump out on every state and name it. Ha ha. "California! Arizona! New Mexico! Texas! Uh,m Oklahoma! Uh .. Arkansas?" About 30’x18’.

My teachers were zinc-colored hair Anne Shigley 3rd grade .. jolly redheaded Virginia Sellers, 4th grade .. charming older Olga Piirto, 6th grade .. and thin, athletic Jane Leighton, 6th grade. Others will remember Mr. Baureiss 5th grade, and Mr. Clime, also 5th grade. The principal was Mr. Herbert Welch. I walked about 1.5 miles east from 1196 West Valencia Drive. 

About once every 3 weeks, they’ll wheel in a B&W TV set on an elevated cart and we’d all watch Mrs. Yvette Miller of the Pasadena Unified School District to teach us to speak Spanish. In 5th grade, we put on a 1-act play about a man who went into a restaurant. The idea revolved around wordplay. I had one only 1 line at the end, carrying a big 2-foot spoon: 

"AQUI esta la cuchara!” Rave reviews! Ha ha. We actually took a bus all the way to Pasadema, before all the freeways, to tape that play, It may still exist in a rusty film can in a dusty warehouse.

ACTORS: 

Gayle Keefer

Bobby Parada (waiter)

Donna Potts

Cathy Cogan

Overton Schmidt

Sandra Gess

and me. Maybe others.