Wheatland Union High School Class of 1966

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Wheatland Union High School Class of 1966 - IN MEMORY OF Sharon French

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Body:	<i>ODE TO DAVID by Steve Bopp July 2, 2005 Let me begin by passing on the condolences from our classmates who could not be physically present today but are in mind and spirit: Sister Gloria Broumas, Butch and Rick Milami, Sandy Pitts, Sharon and Connie French, John Palmer, Sharon Parisio, Linda Staplecamp, Cary Hopking, Diana Wagner, Sue Westfall, Jackie and Kathy Pryor, Lindy Eisenhart, Steve and Diane Walczak, Edna Hayes, and I'm sure many others who were unable to attend for various reasons. David and I go back to 1959 when I moved onto Mesa Street in Wheatland. He and his cousin John Mangrum owned Mesa Street and it didn't take them long to confront the 'new boy'. It started with a physical contest consisting of throwing rocks and balls and running around the block as well as sprints from one house to another. There were no ribbons passed out that day but a lifelong friendship was begun. Along with the much younger Bobby Kearney, we were real 'Opies' and Wheatland was our Mayberry. Warm nights were spent in our yard(s) staring up at the stars and sharing our dreams for the future. In the day we went sparrow hunting with our BB guns and hiked to dry creek to gig the ever present carp. When it was too hot or we didn't have the energy we stayed home and threw rocks at the passing trains or bombarded the 'hobo house' which was located at the end of Mesa Street long before Danny Dearth, Roger Davis and Neil Macdonald lived there. Our local heroes were the likes of Beaver Swanson and Richard Peardon; and, we spent the half-times having our own games, honing the skills that one day might make us one of Coach Torres stars. Many a Friday night after the game, we could be found perched on the window sills of the 'old' Wheatland High School auditorium watching the sock hop and asking ourselves how/why boys danced with girls. We had no worries; we had no Viet Nam and no drugs to coax us from the basic 'good life' we experienced in a small town environment. I remember us in a very daring moment when we sneaked into the Hobo House and stole a wooden tabletop that stayed on my house as a basketball backboard until my family moved. During one of our highly contested games, David and I engaged in our one and only fight. He always gave me credit for winning, but I knew otherwise. I moved to Beale AFB for my 7th grade but returned the next year. David had grown bigger than everyone else, except maybe John Akins and Clifton Chilcoat. We were still at the old elementary school then and David made his mark as a budding football player. Already Coach Torres was aware of him. We began to notice girls in a different 'light' then and Sharon French became the fantasy of our dreams. Summers visiting the East Nicholas or Swetzer's pool became our own Ridgemont High' experience. The older guys had graduated high school and our local heroes became guys like Neil Weeks, Carter Hill, Tommy Dobbins, Mike Coontz, Ron Cody and Barry Barnes. They had the cool cars, hung out 'til midnight and had girlfriends. We couldn't wait to cross the threshold and get into HIGH SCHOOL ourselves. We were excited to mix with the 'unknown' Beale kids that we kept hearing so much about. We were getting to old now (in our own minds) to lay out in the grass; David and I moved to his father Georges's blue pickup camper or the 18-wheeler he parked behind my house when he returned from his long hauls. Later nights were permitted and now we spent our days and nights becoming the best pool players in town (again in our own minds). In those days David stayed up late, slept in late and was well known for eating steak (which Ruth always made sure was available) and washing it down with alka seltzer. Still today I blame my own fondness for alka seltzer on David. For the most part, David, Bud Mangrum, Bobby Kearney and I were inseparable. Except of course, when Bobby's dad made him come home or Bud spent the night watching TV with his parents. Dave and I spent much more time together than the other two. There wasn't much we didn't share or know about each other. Before I moved up to become a bagboy at Wheatland Food Market, David and I got a job raking brush at his grandfather's farm in East Nicholas. We spend many afternoons and weekends but it came to an abrupt halt when the farmhands completed our work in a mere 2 days. We were devastated. But, the bonding we did lasted forever. David taught me to drive a tractor and I told him everything I knew about girls. I DEFINITELY GOT THE BETTER OF THAT DEAL! Then the Milamis moved to town and our lives changed drastically. We began to hang out at Milamis house and listened nightly to some of the best garage band music around. We were groupies, roadies and critics all in one. Jack and Ruby's was owned by Bub Sullivan's parents by then and it was still our favorite hangout but Friday nights were dedicated to the Milamis where we all used their telephone to further our romantic interests. Those girls would probably still faint today if they knew how many guys helped arrange and discussed every date. As time passed we forged friendships with the Beale guys like Gary Seiler, Rick Pooler, John Pooler, Bob Rathbun and Jack Sipple. Gary and Rick even moved into Wheatland eventually. It was during this period that David and I began our love for motorcycles; we already were lost causes when it came to cars. Turning sixteen was another milestone. Although David was the youngest of us (not counting the kid Bobby Kearney of course) but Ruth made sure he was the first to have a car - her car! It was a big white Mercury and it's a wonder we didn't wear the motor and mufflers out just starting and gunning it, never leaving the driveway! There were many other cars and motorcycles in David's life and I think you could divide his life into segments or chapters related to each of them. There would be a chapter on his first real car, the 4 door yellow '57 Chevy and the '56 Chevy Bel Air he bought from Richard Peardon (Bobby and I are still jealous). Then there was the chapter when he had the turquoise '58 Chevy Bel Air which he and Norma used in attempting to make Jasper Lane a 4-way intersection one night. Oh so many trips to Jasper Lane, Beale Capeheart housing and Camp Far West. There's just so many stories I'd like to share with you but I'm sure you all have you own special stories about/with David. For being so quiet, unassuming and shy (at least in those days) David touched so many people in different ways. His list of girlfriends was the only thing that outnumbered his cars. But of course we all know NOTHING was more important for David than his eventual LOVE and MARRIAGE to NORMA who bore him two great children: David Jr. and Jackie (named after Jackie Pryor, Bobby Kearney's wife). While I only saw David a few times after leaving Wheatland in 1967, we did keep our friendship and were able to get together. There were a lot of phone calls and we spoke about our friends who passed before us, like Terry Milami and Jack Sipple. We never forgot the GOOD YEARS and said how happy and proud we were to have been raised in Wheatland at that time. We agreed that no matter how long it was between visits, we would always be FRIENDS we knew we could call each other on any occasion and get the help we needed I always knew that I could return to Wheatland and David would be waiting for me at Bill's Place, Red Hill or the Silver Dollar. He didn't care where I'd been or what I was doing, only that I was back! Today I am back! I should be saying HELLO to David NOT GOODBYE................. GOD BLESS YOU DAVID FARMER! FROM STEVE BOPP </i> *
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