Today's Member Letter

[SUSAN J. SILVESTRI]

Chris: 
Thanks for the update.  I was in the Graduation Class of 1954. (Not 56)  In 1956 I graduated from Los Angeles City College and went on to LA State and UCLA later on the GI Bill to get my BA. I recently got a reprint copy on E-bay of the 54/55 Yearbook Poinsettia it still had inscriptions & comments to someone named " Myron", HA HA . In it my Grad picture ii incorrectly under Class of 55 but I graduated in Summer of 1954. It is a bit confusing because  most of my friends graduated in 1953. In those days  the Korean war was just over  (1953). Almost all of us were drafted into the Army after Hi school but I went on to College first then enlisted  at the end of 1958. Retired from Army reserve 1995. I am still working as a Security Officer-for- Homeland Security, at Boeing Satellite near LAX. in El Segundo. At HH my club was the LOBO's  not very  popular with the school Vice Principal, Mr. Louis Foley.  He was a very kind man and became  a friend. ,He  came to HH in 1929  when my Mother Jean Lacy Murphy was there and also her  sister and two brothers all graduated from HH before WW2. So I was the 5th to graduate. I am proud of the fact that  very large framed photo and write up of  the Murphy clan is still displayed in the small Alumni Museum here. The reason for this is my Mother had her own TV show running on KNXT TV when I went to HH in the fifties.  My mother Jeannie Gray Mcdonald  ( married name) was founder of Radio and TV Women of Southern California and President and founder of the Los Angeles Chaptered of :"Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge ".
 
A few side notes:  I played varsity Football under coach Birnbaum.  My cute "steady" girl friend was Pat McElliott, Senior class  VP featured in the 1954 yearbook. Frank Mazzola was also my friend (class of 53 )and was acting in the James Dean film "Rebel Without a Cause"  he got the part as he claimed he was a Gang leader in the Athenians  who hung out at he Quad area  on the bench next to our club theLobos.  We boxed at the Hollywood YMCA, The American Legion fights and the Golden Gloves while none of the Athenians did. They were more of a social club made up of athletes  but Frank did get into fights all the time too. So Frank exaggerated his "Gang" experience a bit. He was  made an advisor on the film also, during filming he introduced me to Dean and the Director Nickolas Ray. Who knew at the time it would become a cult classic? This exact event was written up in Syd Field's (class of 54)  popular book now in it's 5th printing," SCREENPLAY ".  Syd went  on  to become the preeminent analyzer of American film scripts and is in demand all over the world as a speaker.  
Regards, Greg R. Stoner