Wes Reed Sings the News ... I recently had the pleasure of picking Wes & Gail Reed up at the Sacramento Airport and taking them to lunch on the Delta. Wes was in Sacramento for a Choir Competition which I attended with my twin boys. I asked Wes and Gail if they would mind sharing their background with fellow alumni;
Wes and Gail met at the University of Redlands in the fall of 1954 when Wes was a senior and Gail was a sophomore. They married in the summer of 1955 following Wes' Graduation. From 1956 to 1957, Wes taught Junior High and in 1957 enlisted in the Army but was discharged in order to care for his mother who was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 1958.
From 1958 - 1959, Wes taught 5th Grade in Redlands and in 1961, a friend phoned Wes and told him about the new high school opening in Whittier. Wes applied as the Instrumental Director but was appointed as La Serna's first Choir Director. During the same year, Wes became the Choir Director at the Sheppard of the Hills Church in Whittier along with joining the Whittier Choraliars and sang Barber Shop from 1961 to 1968.
In 1962, Wes and Gail gave birth to their first son, Steven who resides in Huntington Beach with his wife and three children; Kelsey (13), Emma (11), and Brian (8). Steven teaches Science and is the A.P. Director at Whittier High School. Wes left La Serna from 1967 to 1968 and earned his Masters at Cal State Long Beach and returned to La Serna that fall and taught Choir from 1968 to 1969. From 1969 to 1973, Wes taught Choir at Long Beach State and Wes and Gail gave birth to their second child, Dan in 1968; Dan lives in Silverlake and is a successful Film Editor and travels the world.
In 1969, Wes became the Choir Director at United Methodist Church in Whittier and from 1969 to 1973, directed the Long Beach Congressional Church Choir which consisted of over 100 members and a full orchestra. From 1973 to 1974, Wes taught Music at Santa Fe High and in 1974, Mel Locke phoned Wes and asked that he consider returning to La Serna as the Choir Director which he did. Wes also coached Freshman Football and successfully recruited players to join the Choir. Prior to Wes' retirement from La Serna in 1982, he also taught English and Special Ed Consumer Math which he thoroughly enjoyed.
In 1974, Wes rejoined the Choraliars and continued to sing Barber Shop until 2005 when the Brea Gaslight Chorus was formed. Wes' Career Highlights include: being able to sing with two former Hilltoppers; Vern Brock and John Gaston who are both 1989 La Serna Graduates, attending Travis Rodgers' (Choir Director and former student) Annual Napa High Holiday Concert Series (two nights), being a Adjudicate (1969-1973); judged high school and college choir competitions, and having former Cal State Long Beach student, Jo-Michael Scheibe head the USC Music and Choir Department. Wes and Gail are looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, July 24, 2010 at the La Serna Alumni Fundraiser at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon!
Gene and I have been long-time friends so when it came to raising money for our 30th Reunion, I asked Gene if he would be willing to help out; Gene placed a half-page ad, donated a Blake's Place BBQ Gift Basket, and invited me to have lunch at Blake's Place Cafe in Anaheim. I thoroughly enjoyed my BBQ Pork Sandwich and Blake's BBQ Sauce was one of the best that I have ever tasted.
Gene settled in Anaheim Hills in 1991 and has been married to his wife, Sandy for the past 20-years. They have a 14-year-old son, Blake who they named their business after. Blake is a freshman at Esperanza High School in Yorba Linda where he plays football and Varsity Lacrosse. They also have a 6-year-old Chocolate Lab named "Mattie."
Gene settled in Anaheim Hills in 1991 and has been married to his wife, Sandy for the past 20-years. They have a 14-year-old son, Blake who they named their business after. Blake is a freshman at Esperanza High School in Yorba Linda where he plays football and Varsity Lacrosse. They also have a 6-year-old Chocolate Lab named "Mattie."
Blake's Place Cafe' & Catering Specializes in real pit smoked BBQ and opened in 1996 when Blake was 6-months old. They can smoke up to 3500 pounds at a time and are located in North East Anaheim. Blake's Place has a great reputation for serving tasty pit smoked barbecue in his Cafe' and at catered events. This year's largest catered event was for 5,000 people! He's been regularly featured on TV, Newspapers, and in Magazines since opening. They started out as a small Cafe' and now have close to a 10,000 square foot facility and all employees and customers are treated like family.
Most weekdays, you will find Gene working at Blake's Place until it's time for him to coach; he has spent the last several years coaching baseball and football and is currently coaching Esperanza's Lacrosse Team. Gene also serves as a Specialized Service Bureau Sergeant for San Bernadino's County Sheriff's Department, is an avid Oakland Raiders fan, and turned the big 50 this year. Gene's favorite food is sushi even though he is in the BBQ business, and relaxes by playing Blackjack in Vegas; courtesy jets, suites, meals, and COCKTAILS! Check out Blake's Place Facebook page or go to www.blakesplacebbq.com and place your order today ... Yum!!!
Please help Karen Amende (1973) Provide Powerful Cu
rriculum to Students with Learning Disabilities at La Serna High School!
rriculum to Students with Learning Disabilities at La Serna High School!I would like to invite all Lancer Alumni to help at-risk students by supporting the distribution of the innovative new Learning To Connect (LTC) curriculum. LTC is an multi-media program for teaching reasoning skills to students with mild to moderate learning disabilities (ADD, Autism, Dyslexia, Language Delays, and Cognitive Development Delays).
The LTC approach centers on a symbolic framework that guides students through collaborative investigations in science and language arts, and then enables them to write strong persuasive essays. Standards-based content for these projects is presented in eight award-winning documentary films. These films also provide excellent models of investigative and persuasive reasoning in professional science communities and in our democratic justice system.
The Learning To Connect program was met with rave reviews by student teachers in the courses I taught at San Francisco State University. The program is evidence-based and was demonstrated in my Master's Thesis at UC Berkeley. To view a three-minute video on the program, please go to http://www.matrixmel.com/ and click on the IDEA logo.
By contributing $10.00 or more toward the "Learning To Connect Kit" (which costs $450.00), you can help ensure that La Serna High School receives their LTC Kit. Any excess funds will be credited to other Whittier Schools. Parent groups may also sponsor their children's School by going to the LTC Sponsor Website and designating a Beneficiary. Contributions by credit card may be made at http://www.LTC-Acess.com/ It's great to still be in touch!!! On behalf of Parents, Teachers, and Kids At-risk, Thank you! Karen Amende, MA, MBA, Director Learning To Connect, Inc.
La Serna Alumni, Faculty, Family & Friends Fundraiser; Saturday, July 24, 2010 - 2:00 pm at Cook's Corner ...Please join fellow La Serna Alumni, Faculty, Family & Friends for an outdoor fun-filled event. We will be charging a $10.00 cash cover per person and children under 12 are FREE!
We have reserved the outdoor picnic area which can accomodate up to 500 people and everyone will be responsible for purchasing their own Food & Beverages which are reasonably priced and tasty!
Cooks Corner is such a casual and fun place that it reminds me of a "Western Hussongs; " You can't help but to put on your finest cowboy boots, let your hair down, and have some down-to-earth good ol' fun! We look forward to seeing you and having a great time!
The Venue is as follows:
2:00 pm: La Serna Alumni Fundraiser Begins
3:00 to 3:30 pm: Wes Reed & The Brea Gaslight Chorus Performs (26 members)
4:00 to 6:30: The La Serna Alumni Band, The HEAT Performs
with Christine Gaines on Vocals
with Christine Gaines on Vocals
Donate a Raffle & Promote your Business: falanow@comcast.net
