Del Valle High School Class of 1965
50 year reunion
Shared Quotes and Stories From Classmates
Bruce Black's all-time favorite part of DVHS was listening to our Student Body President, Scott Smith, welcome the incoming Freshman Class on the first day of school. Scott said in his welcoming address: “When I became a freshman here at Del Valle High School almost four years ago, I was told that there would be a lot of Wine, Women, and Song! But let me tell you freshman, I have not heard a lot of singing here at Del Valle in the past four years!” Even that Freshman Class cracked up! Scotty, I love ya man!
Beau Melgreen: "My Dad watched me dive off of a train Trestle on the Feather River when I was 16! He actually told me not to drive off, so I went up to the top in the morning when my parents were sleeping. He came out of the tent and saw me dive off of the bridge, Yep I got in trouble! It was awesome! I was on the diving team in high school so I did know what I was doing! Sometimes you just have to do what you gotta do! I remember dedicating our new pool at Del Valle high school with Kim Rowley! We did synchronized one and a half sumersault dive for the dedication ceremony! I was on the high dive Kim on the low dive. Fun day!"
Harriett Webb Alameda shared an embarrassing moment: "I was running in gym class to line up and only had socks on my feet. I ended up sliding the entire length of the wood floor on my knees in front of both the girls AND boys classes. The embarrassment was worse than the wood burns on my knees."
Judy Hart Gaston writes about the school strike regarding President Kennedy. “At the end of the lunch hour the cheerleaders went around telling everyone not to go to class. Well like a dummy, I didn’t ask why, I actually thought it was going to be a rally. Well I heard someone say, “sit down strike” at the same time the tardy bell rang, and next thing I knew we were being herded into the cafeteria, being given tardy slips and being told this would reflect on our citizenship grade. And even though I tried to explain to my parents I didn’t know what it was, I still got into major trouble, and when it was written up in the paper, omg I was grounded forever. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time but I took my punishment, and that was my worse memory of high school. We can blame it all on the upper classmen.”
Judi Sategna Greenan has two special memory of Del Valle. One is dressing up at Halloween along with friends & crashing a stag party at Bill Main’s house. The other is pouring Ivory Snow Flakes into the fountains at Rossmoor.
Twyla Turner Shields' fondest memories: in gym class I remember struggling with the hurdles. Since I was short and had a hard time jumping that high, I would push them over and walk over them. I did not make the track team!
Jeff Franklin said "I really enjoyed DV. I especially enjoyed the Swim Team and felt honored to break most of Ron Clark's school records my Senior Year!"
Tracy Howe relates a funny story. "The funniest experience I had at DV was after I returned from being away in a Canadian school in grade 10. I was asked what it was like to eat whale meat and live in an igloo. To this day I wondered if it was ignorance or humor that prompted that question/statement. I also had been asked whether I adopted out the illegitimate child. No, I had not left Del Valle because of a pregnancy either. I came back in grade 11 with pierced ears and was called into the office about my bad example and how it would affect other students. I gave Miss Riley a good talking to before heading out the door feeling really good about my independent thinking."
Gael Purdum Dahse tells that her favorite memory from high school is Pom Pom and Mrs. Bachelor's 4th period class! "She hung my girdle from the fan one day because I had left it changing after class! (Mrs. Bachelor was ruthless!) Can't believe we used to wear those things!!"
Donna Mueller Brethauer reminisces, “I remember being too shy in high school to befriend most of you…” and “having a hopeless sophomore crush on senior varsity baseball letterman Terry Nemlowill, who unexpectedly returned the sentiment…” “And especially the morning in chemistry class when Mr. Geertson stirred endless cubes of sugar into his coffee, straight-faced, one cube after another, catapulting us all to a firm grasp of solubility and saturation. Great lesson!”
Donna also recalls “Historic Times.” “Our sit down strike in March 1962 after the district denied us excused absences to hear Kennedy—one of the most inspirational orators of our time--speak in Berkeley”. “And, in November 1963, in chemistry class, I remember the voice that came over the PA system, delivering the devastating news of the assassination in Dallas. Who’d have imagined that we would hear this kind of news two more times before graduating college?”