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Yes, Mr. Morgan was a great music teacher. I had the good fortune of being a majorette, and one of the requirements was to take the music class. My sister and I tried to learn the french horn, but were so bad at it, we were asked to just pretend, if in a real concert. That was OK, as it tasted so bad, to play it, and it ruined the song if we did, and it scared me if I heard my TOOT-TOOT with all the other musical instruments. As I sat in band, day after day, I recall reading the novel "Gone with the Wind", and how the band music accompanied my reading. It made the story ever so more real! I was even disappointed when I actually saw the movie, because it could not come up to mustard with the musical background of the real life music that was being practiced by our Hawthorne High School Band. Truly great musicians, with a magnificent teacher. Thanks to you all, for such grand memories, of such a special time in my life.
Penny Upston, Majorette, 1960, 1961, 1962

Dr. Fred Morgan made more of an impression on me than I would have ever imagined! As Wayne Dickey said, Dr. Morgan greatly helped to mold my thoughts and ultimately my future, both in music and in my personal life.

I first met "Mr." Morgan when I was taking music lessons at Melody Music. One day he said I should join the HHS band. We talked about it a bit and he convinced me to join. And so I did and spent 4 years in the Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Orchestra. I met many good lifelong friends in the band. It was a very fulfilling experience as music became my number one passion.

Dr. Morgan was often thought to be a very strict teacher and many students that didn't know him well, thought he was too gruff. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Dr. Morgan really cared about the students. He would go out of his way to help anyone in trouble. I know, I was one. I remember Dr. Morgan searching me out on campus and asking me "why haven't you been going to your Algebra class?" I told him I was having trouble understanding it and I was too embarrassed to say so in class. So Dr. Morgan said he would talk to my teacher and square it with him, and he did, plus Dr. Morgan helped me every lunch period in his office with my Algebra...for weeks! He also counseled me often. He really helped me at a time that I really needed help. Thank you Dr. Morgan!

I made music my career, working with 'Randy Sparks and the New Christy Minstrels' and playing (drums & singing) and making records and appearances with Shirley Jones, Shawn Cassidy, Karen Black, Johnathan Winters, John Denver, Kin Vassey, Burl Ives and so many other notables. I've been lucky enough to have made many Disney movie soundtracks and have recorded many jingles, records and am now running my own record company producing young talented musicians and singers. And I thank Dr. Morgan for his belief in me and his major role in my success.

Thank you Dr. Morgan for your belief, your guidance, and your friendship! God bless you!

Ted Jolly HHS 69
twjolly@aol.com

Many of us, I am sure, based our own teaching on herenergetic/creative/inspiring style. She was also extremely devoted toher students. She went above and beyond the call of duty -- oftenphoning us to go over homework -- step by step until we truly understoodthe concepts. She made learning enjoyable, relevant, and long-lasting.

And, who can forget Halloween at HHS? We couldn't wait to see eachyear's costume! The big green brain on the outside of her head is mypersonal favorite!

So, after 35 years of amazing teaching, Mrs. Adkins is retiring. What aloss for Hawthorne High, but we, her students gained so very much andwill continue to pass it on to our students. Thanks again, Mrs.Adkins. May God continue to bless you because you have been such ablessing to so many others.

Debbie Hagopian Egland
Class of 1980

I remember the musicals we did each year, The Sound of Music, South Pacific,and the Flower Drum Song, are the ones Iremember the most.

We had a very talented group of people, and Mr. Wing encouraged them to dotheir best.

He made our class a time where it did not matter if you were with the "in"group or not. We wereall the same, we all had great potential, and it was so encouraging. Hemade music a greatpart of my life.

He exposed us to all levels of music, and the competitions were tremendous.I remember thetime we went to a competition, and we were probably the smallest choir inattendance. Wedid an acappella number. We were having difficulty in practice, as it was avery hard song tolearn. It was a magical moment when we sang the song. Everything wasabsolutely perfect,and you could hear a pin drop when we stopped. Then the applause came. Wewon in ourdivision and we so were proud of ourselves and Mr. Wing.

We performed at Disneyland (I believed we played more than we sang). Therewere high schoolchoirs from all over California and we all sang the Hallelujah Chorustogether.

Very fond memories of Acappella Choir, Mr. Wing, and the kids involved (whocould forget PennyMitchell's beautiful voice?). Lots of parties, come-as-you-are breakfasts(groan), and lots of activities.

Thank you Mr. Wing. It was a wonderful experience for me.

Kathleen Streltzoff Kinman HHS62

My parents naturally were concerned that I had a D so they set up a conference with him. Mr. Harvey simply said "Math doesn't come naturally to Peggy, but she sure tries hard to understand it, which is why she also got all R's." He knew understanding was there, somewhere, and he had the patience to persevere until the light bulb finally lit. Second semester was a bit better (I got a C+.....whooppee), and I went to summer school that following summer to make up the D grade.........and did so successfully.....in fact, I got an "A". The summer school teacher was another great and patient soul, Mr. Semonek (sp?). But thanks to Mr. Harvey's tutelage, everything fell into place that summer.

I've been in the field of high school education now for 18 years and involved with student leadership for 12, and each time I hear students talk about their 'favorites', I fondly remember, and thank, Mr. Harvey. He made me realize that everyone learns at a different pace and level, and if you continue to believe in kids and be patient, they'll eventually prove to you, and themselves, they can succeed.

Thank you, Mr. Harvey!

Fondly,
Peggy Conlon Ouellet
Class of 1966

This is a dedication for my wonderful teacher, Ms. Leda Griffin. Some of you knew Ms. Griffin as a fellow student/friend from the class of 1969. I knew her as my teacher. My name is Sandra Perales and I was blessed and honored to be in Ms. Griffin's "1983-1984" 8th grade class. I was 13 years old and had the life of a child you only hear about in the news. But for 7 hours everyday, I left that life at home and I sat in the grandness of her classroom in room 11. Ms. Griffin was the kind of teacher you never forget about. The kind that took the time to ask you if you were okay. The one who noticed that you just weren't yourself today and asked you if you wanted to talk about it. She always made you feel special and welcome in her classroom... no matter what was going on in her life. In her presence at Hawthorne Intermediate, you were always number one and as I saw many of her former students come back to visit her, I too would come back one day. As a 22 year old young woman, I wrote her a letter telling her of my life. We spoke by phone the following year and she laughed as she told me how she had been carrying my letter in her purse for all that time. I told her I hoped to see her again and she happily agreed. Sadly, Ms. Griffin was taken from us two years later and I never got the chance to go back. Anyone who is someone significant in my life gets the privelege of hearing the wonderful story of my teacher. Ms. Griffin believed in me and helped me become who I am today. I am grateful for having had her in my life, for having faith in me and overall for just being the wonderful person she was. And just like those former students came back to see her, I too go back... but only in my dreams.

I love you, Ms. Griffin....
Sandra Perales

When I reflect on the four years that I spent at Hawthorne High, the one teacher that easily stands out in my mind is Mr. Claypool. During my elementary school years, I was constantly getting in trouble with the Nuns at Holy Joe's for drawing futuristic buildings on my notebooks and folders, (instead of taking notes in lecture like I should have been doing.) When I finally got to high school I had a meeting with my counselor, Mr. Kyllonen, and based on my bad habit, (that I confessed to him,) he suggested that I take Drafting for an elective in my Freshman year. I remember this drafting class was the most exciting and challenging subject I had ever attempted. I ended up taking drafting every semester all four years that I went to Hawthorne. I think Mr. Claypool was bothered by me at first, because I was always finishing my assignments early and then bugging him for harder projects. He was constantly looking through his advanced drafting books, trying to find more complex things for me to draw, (probably just to shut me up.) I truely believe though, that he really cared about me, mainly because of his constant encouragement to push myself harder at my new found love. He wasn't an architect, but you could tell that he enjoyed designing & drafting house plans. When I told him I wanted to be an architect someday, he loaned me a book on Frank Lloyd Wright and told me to read it. After I read the book, I remember being amazed at what one man could accomplish in a lifetime. It inspired me to work even harder on my drafting assignments.

Most of his students remember him as this real cool guy that would give us challenging drafting projects and play the radio during classtime. We would listen to 93KHJ on the AM Dial and hear Robert W. Morgan or the Real Don SteelE spin the great hits of the 50's, 60's & early 70's. Everyone liked him because he would do things that he really didn't have to do. He used to say that "going to school and learning should be fun." Mr. Claypool once took our class on a field trip to an architect's office so we could all see what it was like to live in their world. He got me my first job doing a set of architectural drawings for a small addition to a house near school. I remember in our senior year, myself along with some of his other advanced students would come back to school at night, after dinner. Mr. Claypool would be there and was working on drafting some drawings for a house that he had designed. My buddies and I would marvel at his beautiful drawings. We would work on our own projects and would stay and draw sometimes until late into the evening. I saw Mr. Claypool every day for four years and really did not want to leave that classroom at the end of my senior year. When graduation came on the last day of school I asked him for some advice, he told me to get a higher education and then go out and make a difference in this world. From Hawthorne High I went on to get an A.A. And B.S. Degree in architecture from El Camino and USC Respectively. I then got my teaching credentials from UCLA and received a masters degree in education from Long Beach.

I am now completing my 25th year teaching architecture at El Camino College. I have designed the program that we have so the lab is open for students to draw until ten every night and all day Saturdays. I loan students books from my library collection to encourage and inspire them. I play cool music in the lab to try and make it a relaxing environment to be in, because school should be fun. I get my best students various jobs, working for architects all around the South Bay area. I take my students on field trips every month to architects' offices and other notable architectural landmarks here in LA,(and all around the world for that matter on our study abroad programs.) I can honestly say that John Claypool had a huge influence on my life and now I try and pass that same wonderful influence on to my students...

Mike Stallings
Class of 1974