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Dear Geoffrey,
Thanks for your Email. I remember those wonderful Turkey Day games. The stands
at Hughes Stadium would fill completely to capacity. It was hard to find
parking. It was great, just great, to sit in the stands with classmates around
you (Parents sat elsewhere, but they all came!).
The band played fight songs during the game and marched on the field at
half-time.
Get out some of the old yearbooks from the library, or wherever they are kept,
and look through them for photos of Turkey Day games. There will be some in each
book, I am sure. You'll see for yourself just how full the stadium was.
I have video, too, and photos from the game in 1964 when I was head songleader
and our 3-cheerleaders were all guys (imagine that!). They were very cool guys,
too: Ron and Robin Rivett (twins) and Rodney Wong. Our student body president
was the first black student elected to office, Phil Riles. He was a great
athelete, too, in basketball.
There was a cheering card section. I remember that the cheerleaders worked very
hard to get the entire section to turn their cards over at the right moment so
the other side of the stadium could read the message. Usually it was something
like, "Beat SAC."
My parents and most of my friends parents had graduated from Sac High. I suppose
their allegiance might have been divided, but they stood firmly behind their
kids and sat in our stands, with their friends, wearing red and white and
cheering on McClatchy.
My high school boyfriend, Wayne Sartori, played in the game. It was hard to lead
fight songs and watch him play at the same time.
We had a live turkey on a leash which we paraded around the infield. Yes, a live
turkey. Turkeys are very stupid. This one was cute, but also stupid. We took it
to school Friday before the game for the pep rally and left it, unattended, most
of the day in a small band practice room. It made a mess! I don't know why we
didn't get into more trouble with the teachers over that.
The turkey became a needy family's dinner later. We 5 songleaders added
Thanksgiving Dinner fixings to a bag and gave them the turkey, still alive, in a
box. I've always wondered if that family knew how to wring a turkey's neck!
Anyway, those are some memories of mine.
I think your project is great and about time! Everyone misses out if they don't
go to these fun, exciting, memory-building activities.
I live in Lake Oswego, Oregon now and our high school games against the local
rival, Lakeridge, are pretty much sold-out affairs.
Your request and original Email message has been passed along my classmates
E-mail list. I hope some of them will follow-up with you and will attend. As my
twin brother and I are not living in Calif., we won't be able to go. Had we been
living in Sacto,. though, we would be there, for sure.
I hope you do some great PR via the paper, TV, radio to promote your idea. There
are many alum who would, I am sure, turn out.
Sincere regards,
Janna Smith Brown
Class of '65
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