In a weekend dedicated to old friends rekindling shared memories, it was as if 60 years passed in an instant. After extensive planning, many members of the Coronado High School Class of 1965, along with their spouses and partners, enjoyed a variety of events surrounding the Homecoming Game in Coronado and made it clear that they were the class of ’65 and still alive!
The USS Midway was the site of the first activity on Friday, September 26, for classmates, many of whom took the commuter ferry across the bay to meet classmate Steve Petit, who is a Midway docent. The trip must have brought back memories to classmates of countless trips on the car ferries that still plied the bay between Coronado and San Diego for the entirety of their tenure at the high school until the San Diego-Coronado Bridge opened in 1969.
Steve assembled the group on the hangar deck and recounted one of the stories that makes the USS Midway such a remarkable living museum. At the close of the Vietnam War, when thousands of civilians were being evacuated from Saigon, a South Vietnamese pilot with his spouse and five children was desperately seeking a way out of the country before the North Vietnamese took over the city. He was able to secure a plane, loaded his family aboard, and flew out to where the Midway was underway. He started circling the carrier and dropped a note indicating the amount of fuel he had and requesting that he be allowed to land. The deck was filled with helicopters, but the captain made the daring decision that the helicopters should be pushed over the side in order to save the pilot and his family. The pilot landed safely on the carrier, and he and his family made a new life for themselves in the U.S. Steve then took the group to the upper deck and provided a fascinating description of how planes can take off and land in such a limited space. Steve’s career as an American Airlines pilot provided a fascinating contrast between such activities with a passenger jet on a standard runway versus on a carrier under sometimes trying conditions.
With the Homecoming Parade and game right around the corner, the classmates got busy decorating their entries into the parade: a 1962 Chevy II convertible in mint condition and a golf cart covered with signs and pictures reminding all of bygone days at the Long Bar in Tijuana and in-jokes: “If found, please return to the Little Club”. Decorating and much pizza consumption took place near the home of beloved classmates who became teachers, Bill and Carol Lemei. The parade entry featured a banner that said “Class of ’65 and Still Alive,” featuring an image of the Tiki, which incidentally was dedicated initially at CHS during the freshman year of the class of ’65. Several classmates marched the parade route behind the banner, followed by the Chevy II and the golf cart, to the enthusiastic cheers of the onlookers, amazed at how spry they were!
The Homecoming Game took place that evening with the Home Team achieving a lopsided victory against Mar Vista of 63-7. Many from the Class of ‘65 were there to cheer them on and savor the victory along with the current students. The banner proclaiming Class of ’65 and Still Alive was prominently displayed in case anyone wondered who these enthusiastic fans were.
On Saturday, September 27, Peohe’s Restaurant was the setting for the next class get-together, where the class banner was prominently displayed for all to see near the restaurant entrance. As classmates enjoyed the view and each other’s company, the restaurant staff provided delicious hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, followed by a delightful luncheon. Videos and still pictures were featured on two computer screens, showing photos from high school days and from the last reunion ten years ago. The organizer, John Tato along with his wife, Barbara, were honored and thanked, along with the committee who planned the event.
As the group departed, everyone was already looking forward to the next reunion.
VOL. 115, NO. 41 – Oct. 8, 2025