Tuesday, June 14, 2016

What to do in San Diego!

The reunion committee is excited that so many people are coming to San Diego for our reunion! It's going to be a great time!

There's a ton of stuff to do in San Diego, whether you want to hang out at the beach, play a round of golf, go shopping, hit some museums, or see the sights.

Don't forget that the Harbor Cruise is planned for Saturday. The bus will leave from the front of the hotel starting at 10 am (we'll go in two shifts) and boarding time is 11:00 am. The cruise is two hours and lunch will be served.

If you're interested in golf, the hubsters of Debbie Gardecki Kropp and Kitty Mason Robinson are interested in a round on Friday morning. If you'd like to join them, contact Debbie.  There are a ton of great golf courses including the famous Torrey Pines, which is a public course right on the ocean in La Jolla.

On Sunday, a bunch of people are staying in town. Some are going to the Padres game Sunday afternoon. They play the NY Yankees and the game starts at 1 pm. If interested, contact Gigi.

The decommissioned aircraft carrier, the USS Midway, is now a museum and is docked near the hotel. General Admission is $20 but the USS Midway Museum is proud to welcome all active-duty and reservist personnel (with ID) aboard at no charge. In addition, they have a discounted $10 admission to retired military (with ID).  You can find discounted tickets here.

Monday night, July 4th, the USS Midway will be celebrating all day culminating in a great place to watch the fireworks display! Becky Moore Kluesner & Jennifer Jackson Clark will be watching the fireworks here that night!

Click here for more info and make sure you follow the guidelines for clear bags and what you can bring on board.

Here are some other great places to visit:

San Diego Zoo (in downtown San Diego)

Balboa Park - right by the San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido - about 35 miles northeast of downtown

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography - a small but great little museum next to the UCSD campus (Nina's alma mater!)

Old Town San Diego State Park - in downtown San Diego. A neat little place to visit with shops and a great restaurant with patio seating

Maritime Museum of San Diego including the Star of India, the world's oldest sailing ship - just a short walk away - check out their 4th of July celebrations

Shopping & Dining: Here are two nearby places with tons of shops and great restaurants

Seaport Village - just a quick hop on the Bay Shuttle from the hotel

Gaslamp District - in downtown San Diego

Beaches & Parks: 

Here's a guide to the beaches of San Diego. My favorites are Pacific Beach, La Jolla Shores and Moonlight Beach in Encinitas.

Harbor Island Park

Pacific Beach - just north of Harbor Island - a great stretch of beach with tons of good restaurants. PB is adjacent to Mission Beach which has a little funkier vibe and is home to Belmont Park and the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster.

La Jolla Cove - a fun place to go to see seals. You can rent a kayak here and check out the seals up close. Plus there are a bunch of great restaurants here as well.

Del Mar - the city of Del Mar is home to the Del Mar Racetrack and a fun place to visit.

Getting Around:

For the day of the Harbor Cruise, we have a shuttle bus service for attendees. It will meet in front of the hotel at 10:00 am and we'll take everyone over in two shifts for those who aren't already out and about. It will be handicap accessible.

The Port of San Diego Shuttle, formerly known as the Big Bay Shuttle, runs along the Embarcadero every 15 minutes from 10 am - 10 pm Fridays and Saturdays and 10 am - 8 pm the rest of the week. $3 will buy a rider an all day pass. The shuttles are equipped with wheelchair lifts.

You can catch the Coaster, a train that runs along the coastline, to go from Old Town to Oceanside. The Coaster connects with many other transit options including Amtrak and the San Diego Trolley. Click the link for a map of the San Diego Trolley routes.

We look forward to seeing everyone in San Diego!

The Reunion Committee - Gigi Hensley McCombe, Nina Pierce Baker, Teri Self Hamilton and Valerie Moore Andrews.










Thursday, June 9, 2016

Wagner Memories: Vicki Herndon Soto '76

What was your first impression of Clark and Wagner?
My first thought, since we had just left Minot A.F.B. in North Dakota, was that I was never going to get used to the heat. I slept for a whole week and a half. My mother threatened to take me to the hospital. My late brother, Stanley Jr., took to the humid atmosphere immediately. But then I noticed a gecko staring at me while I was sleeping and I stopped sleeping for 3 days! I had no summer clothes, so my first big task was nonstop shopping downtown and in Clarksville.

We moved to Clark in the middle of my 10th grade year but everyone greeted me at Wagner like they had known me for years. I couldn't remember anyone's name. In my first gym class I met a girl, Beverly Jones, who I’d met at a previous duty station and we became instant best friends. I also became friends with Gina and Bryan. And walked the halls with Joelette Celaya, who could hula like nobody!

I didn't understand what pesos equated to, so I probably overpaid everybody for my new summer clothes. I could count in Spanish... but I couldn't calculate in English.

What surprised you the most about the Philippines? What did you like best about living there? The thing that surprised me the most were the red a
nts (I am allergic to those and to bees). I saw a cobra once on the wall next to our house! I couldn't believe how hot it was when it poured down rain...it was like taking a shower outside. I practically drowned trying to shoot baskets in it one day.


I almost ran into a carabao in high grass one afternoon in Clarksville...backed away slowly! I never
ran down that path again. I loved the food....especially Pancit. Fortunately, the heat and all the walking kept me as skinny as a rail, because I really did eat continuously. I learned to make fried rice with Spam and I snacked on Screaming Yellow Zonkers caramel popcorn, tuna fish and wheat thins from the Commissary.

Donald would testify that I would take 3 buses and walk across the base for some caramel corn. I was always on the Red bus! I saw most of y'all on the Red bus. I became obsessed with tropical fish, because we lived down the street from the tropical fish store. I bought and accidently killed fish every week. It was scandalous. I got into a taxi in Clarksville once and the guy had on racing gloves. And before I could yell “WAIT, let me out”, I found out why he was wearing those gloves! Donald Alexander, Antoine Holmes and I went to the Third Eye Disco once. That was exciting because I had never been in a Disco before and obviously they were off limits to minors. I was always amazed at how much time we spent at the airport....saying goodbye...checking out new arrivals...eating...goofing off...etc.

Did you really miss anything from the States and if so, what?
I can honestly say I didn't miss the States for a couple of years! I loved Clark. Twenty five cent Kung Fu movies!!!! (Did anyone else see Lady Kung Fu?) That says it all. I realized after a year into it, there was an island girl inside of me. But everybody kept talking about what we were missing from back home...so I got caught up in the hype about going back to “the world".

I was able to get a job when I went back...so maybe gainful employment. I did miss curling my hair...my hair was continuously doing a Chaka Khan thing. I missed concerts and stuff like that. I really wanted to see the Jackson 5...but never got to. Did see Earth, Wind & Fire when I got back though. I missed going to the malls too, because we hadn't seen one since we were stationed in Offutt (double decker malls in Omaha) two years before we went to Clark.

I really missed Clark after I left. It was a strange withdrawal. And of course, I had to readjust to the temperature change again when we hit Indianapolis. But to the good, I made friends with a Press reporter and I got in free to several concerts and received backstage passes. On the other side, I got held up at the first McDonalds I worked at on 38th street in Indianapolis. Consequently, I worked in the Mall between I.U. classes after that.

Who were your good buddies? 
 I had so many good friends, I couldn't name them. My last best buddies were Denise Young, Yolanda Fisherman and Dennis Splain. Dennis and I hung out most of the time (He saved me from bouncing off a Jeepney one night, I owed him my life :0) Everyone that was in a sport...everyone that was in a band...everyone that walked the halls! I just liked everybody.

The volleyball team was my crew by senior year. But there were a lot of interesting acquaintances. I had one friend named Mark Burch that I met in history class. He wrote stories that were like the Lord of the Rings! If anyone remembers his last name...let me know. Whenever there was the occasional riot at school, I couldn't pick a side. Because I was friends with everybody the situation usually caused me major heartache.

So I decided to become an ambassador of peace. That lasted for two weeks. Our school counselor made me a "Junior Counselor" for a semester. I didn't realize it was that obvious that I was concerned. I kept getting called out of class. It was like I was a secret agent because I wasn't supposed to divulge why I had to keep going to the office. Most of the time, the incident was just a miscommunication or a misunderstanding between injured parties.


Where did you hang out?
The bowling alley...best burgers in town! Y'all feel me on that, I know. Couldn't bowl worth a darn, but it was the hangout for my crew. And you know we had a huge bowling alley! Someone was always making prank calls to the Alley, so they would announce the funniest pages over the intercom. I also played a lot of racquetball and basketball at the base gym. My brother loved horses and had a pinto, which reared whenever I came close to it. So even though I went to the stables; I never once rode a horse. And even though I live in Louisville, KY, I still have not ridden a horse.

I loved to go on picnics at the park, because I'm a foodie! And you have to admit the parks on base were excellent. But twice I got caught in a torrential downpour. Each time I swore never to go back...but someone had food...so I did. Went swimming the next Christmas ‘cause I got a bomb suit from Santa! Had nothing to fill it out with at that time, but I had no trepidations about wearing it. So, the pool became my new hangout.

My favorite memories were bus trips to sporting events. We sang, tried to dance on a moving bus and went to Italian Village every chance we got. I also loved the big productions we had every year at Wagner. I met so many people during practice!

Who was your favorite teacher/class? 
I idolized Miss Munn and Mrs. Saddlemire. Miss Munn was such an inspiration for me in high school. I am forever grateful to her for teaching me how to speak and lecture in front of crowds. And I am constantly in front of them now. Plus, she was the one who inspired me to perform for the school Productions. Thank you, Dear, for giving me the confidence to leave my comfort zone. I asked her about DOD teachers before we graduated and I almost went into teaching. She really seemed to love it. Unfortunately my first student teaching experience was with 7th graders in Indianapolis! So I turned to Psychology and Programming.

Mrs. Saddlemire had more confidence in me than I did. And when someone is always rooting for you, it finally catches your attention. So, I finally started trying to grow up. She is one heck of a lady. I also admired Mrs. Schramm...and the way she could speak French so eloquently! Plus even while very pregnant, she was always smiling. Mrs. Commons taught me how to cook, bake and grocery shop! I was her assistant during senior year and she was a lot of fun. My least favorite class was Chemistry. Ask me later (maybe I will be over it by then), the little known secret of what happened to me in chemistry that made me hate it so much.

Did you have a part time job - what was it?
No, I didn't have a job anywhere...except for singing gigs every now and again. Our Rock/Soul band played the Golf Course, Coconut Grove, etc. Didn't get any money for it but decided it was good experience. Thank you Mr. Cole, it came in handy later in life. Y'all don't probably know this but Mr. Cole was a hep cat. :0) I really grew to like him a lot and respect his music knowledge. I even took a couple of music theory classes in college because of him.

Did you have a crush on anyone?
Donald Alexander was my first crush, during track season, and who I later married in the states. We have two grown daughters together. And we lived the Air Force life all over again for a period of years. Believe it or not, we are still close friends. I was also crazy about Donovan White (older stud muffin), but he was clueless about my adoration (I think). He just smiled and said hello to me in the hall. Later, I saw him at the San Francisco Reunion in 87! OMG...still had the flutter....

I called Yolanda Fisherman like I was in high school again to tell her he talked to me for about a half an hour in the lobby and gave me his address. But even she knew I was way too chicken to write to him even as a friend. Now that is what you call a high school crush! I flirted with Mark Eby on a daily basis because our lockers were right next to each other and he reminded me of Steve McQueen. I also idolized Antoine Holmes who was going with my best friend, had a crush on my mother, and was best friends with Donald. Antoine was deep even in high school. I also flirted with at least 100 other guys. I became friends with many of them later and their wives as well.

Have you become closer to a Wagnerite that you didn't know well in high school because of a reunion?
Yes, I have met many Wagnerites that I didn't know in High School. And now I wish I had met them in high school. But I feel blessed that I have finally met them now. And many of them are on Facebook. 

How did your experience living overseas change you?
It made me become the vacationer that I am today. And it made me more open to trying new foods and cultures. I wish I had taken more pictures of the flowers and the fire trees. I took a picture of one in Puerto Rico, but it wasn't the same. I wish I had learned how to make more of the food. And I wish I had gone to Makati one more time before we left. Over the years, I have met several people from Manila. So, I wish I had known more about the city before I went there. I would have been better prepared to explain what I did there.

Thank you to everyone that has connected to me in Facebook. It has been a real pleasure getting to know all of you a little bit better. Thank you also for embracing my current husband, Jorge Soto-Perez. He met so many of you at the 2006 Reunion in San Diego and he had such a good time. And I was so proud of how you invited him into your past. It made me love you guys even more. He grew up in Brooklyn and didn't have the relationships in high school that we share. He was mystified by our fondness of each other. And he met so many of you, it was like a quiz later on the plane, trying to figure out who he was talking about.

Recently, someone here in town asked me what high school I went to in Louisville. I said, "Actually, I went to a Department of Defense high school in Clark AB in the Philippine Islands." She said, "Oh, how awful for you, not to have any high school friends in the local area or any roots." I just chuckled and said, "I don't think there is a person in this city that had a better high school experience than I did! I wouldn't have traded it for any other place. It was so beyond the normal high school experience, I would have to write a book to tell you all of the wonderful stories!"

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

June 9th - is the deadline for the Discounted Hotel Rate!





Book your hotel room by  June 9th, to get the discounted hotel rate!!

This is a big discount ($149) from their regular rate, so make sure to get your reservations in NOW!





Sunday, June 5, 2016

T-shirt sale closes June 13th!! Buy yours now!!

 NOTE: The link below is inactive as the sale ended on June 13th. However, due to many requests for the t-shirts, we are going to have another sale soon to raise funds for the WHOA website. As soon as we have the new link for the second sale, we will post details. Keep your eyes peeled!

We've moved up the deadline to order your Wagner Alumni t-shirts so that they are printed and sent in time for folks coming to the reunion. Get your orders in now!!

  SALE ENDS JUNE 13th!  BUY YOUR SHIRTS NOW!!

We have a great selection of Wagner Alumni t-shirts that you can order online through Alympus Marketing. We have done business with this company in the past and all the t-shirts are of good quality! There is a selection of shirts for sale from regular tees to racer back to  long sleeve performance tees.

Click this link to access the Wagner Alumni t-shirts on the Alympus website.

http://www.alympusmarketing.com/wagner/

The prices are listed below and more details on each shirt are available by going to the site and clicking on each one. Sizes 2XL or larger are just a little more than the listed price. We also have a couple of 100% cotton options. All the shirts will be printed in one run for economy, so if you've already ordered yours, please be patient, it's coming!


 Every shirt is available with the logo on the left chest (smaller) or full front.
Shipping is via USPS and is a flat rate of $7.00.  When checking out, make sure you select the Wagner High Shipping Option, otherwise you won't get the shirt!! If you need your shirt shipped outside the US, please contact us.

The sale ends June 13, 2016 so get your orders in!!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Wagner Memories: Dana Williams '77

What was your first impression of Clark and Wagner? 
The first time we were stationed at Clark I was seven. It was my first airplane ride and I was sitting by the wing. When we started to take off and I saw the flaps move I screamed “the airplane is falling apart!” 

We had been living in Great Falls, Montana for 5 years when we got the orders so you can imagine my shock at the beautiful weather and lushness of the base. I loved it. I never, and still don’t, like cold weather. My second time at Clark I knew what to expect and was looking forward to being older and able to enjoy the many activities the base had to offer. 

What surprised you the most about the Philippines? What did you like best about living there? When we went back for the second tour, I was surprised by how “Americanized” the locals had become. My brother’s high school in Sacramento CA had some bad racial problems, so I was surprised by how well every one got along at Wagner. 

The year before we got to the PI, my Dad was sent to Thailand on a remote tour and my brother was already off to college in TX so for a year I did all the house work and yard work (my mother is crippled and my grandmother was old) so I must admit I loved having a house girl and yard boy. 

 I loved the weather and the scenery and how everyone seemed to accept each other. There was not any “you’re a freshman and I’m a junior so we can’t talk” attitude. And all the wonderful activities. It was great. 

Did you really miss anything from the States and if so, what? 
I missed milk. The reconstituted stuff was horrible and I would not drink it. I also missed fresh peaches. Someone, I think Mindy or Cindy Lawton went stateside once and brought back a dried peach pit. I was so envious. 

Who were your good buddies?  
Chrys Atwater lived next door to me and we were basketball cheerleaders together. We spent a lot of time in each other’s home. Her mom and my grandmother became very good friends. I also spent time with Ginny Navas, Jenette DeMeyer, Sharon and Doug Hetzel, Tammy Fennewald and Danny Grant. 

Where did you hang out? 
 I was all over the place. I leased two different horses (War Chief and Dixie) and was on the horse drill team so hung with the stable bums, I got certified and went to the scuba club, I spent a lot of time pre-developing skin cancer at the O’Club pool and was briefly on the swim team and water polo team and of course… Marlboro Park. 

Who was your favorite teacher/class? 
 Mrs. Sleight - Art

Did you have a part time job - what was it? 
I didn’t have a paying job but I was a candy-stripper at the hospital and pushed the book cart around to the rooms. I also spent a lot of time playing pool with the recovering patients. I was a big hit because I’m lousy at pool and they always won. 

Did you have a crush on anyone? 
True confessions time…. Doug Hetzel (those eyes) and BT Uptmor (that smile) were my big crushes but I was just a stable bum buddy to them. And like the rest of the girls, there was also Dake Vahovich and Bill Featherston (neither of which knew I existed). 

Have you become closer to a Wagnerite that you didn't know well in high school because of a reunion? 
I got to know Myrna, Lisa and Nina after the San Diego reunion and now exchange emails but the best thing about the reunion was getting in touch with those I had lost contact with like Chrys Atwater, Ginny Navas, Melinda De La Fuente and Carol Martin. Chrys and Melinda have both been out to visit me and I had such a great time with them. 

How did your experience living overseas affect you?  
I think anytime someone is exposed to a different culture it makes them a better person in that they become a more rounded and accepting person. 

I am so grateful that I got to go to the 2006 San Diego reunion and reconnected with everyone and am looking forward to this reunion!