Our Early Years
Before high school...
This page will be developed to help us remember the years before high school...
Some of you have photos, including class photos, and we'll try to get them all up and in order and add ID's to the degree possible. Won't it be great if we can get kindergarten through eighth grade here? And maybe Brownies and Cub Scouts or 4-H or whatever else...
Oh, yes, baby pictures, too (yours, not your grandkids!)
Dig through your photos and watch this space as it develops!
Gus Arnold and Camp Earl Anna
In Memory
My Dad was the foreman of the building of the camp. After it was built, he stayed on as caretaker for over thirty years. I was his little helper all those years. And I have to tell you, those where the best years of my life. I was just like Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, and Jeremiah Johnson, when we lived up there. After I got my chores done, Mom would let me run wild in the mountains, hunting, exploring and learning to be a "mountain man". That's why I liked scouting so much, it was second nature for me.
During the winter when we lived in town, on the weekend, Dad and I would have to go up and check all the buildings to make sure the snow hadn't caved in a roof or broken any windows.Our biggest problem was vandals breaking in and starting fires and destroying stuff.
One weekend after a heavy snow Dad and I had to hike in to check things out. I was about 8 or 9 yrs old. We had to hike all the way from Poleline Rd. The road up the canyon to the Mt. Park, Lutge's Ranch and the camp had not been plowed and the snow was a couple of feet deep. Dad first wrapped my legs and torso clear up to my armpits with newspaper, then with heavy plastic, all this over my longjohns and levis and 5 buckle overshoes, I could hardly move but we started walking about 4 am. We made it to the camp about noon, then we had to check out all the buildings, work on some and shovel snow off several roofs. We started hiking out after dark and I could barely keep up with Dad because he had the same pace then that he had in the morning, He could walk day and night and never slow down. The only light we had was one big box candle that was made out of a big milk carton. I was lagging behind so Dad would stop every so often and wait for me to catch up, let me rest and then start out again.. Well, I noticed as he was waiting for me, he would hold the candle way up and look back past me while I was catching up and resting. He did this several times and when I asked what he was looking at, he would say,"oh, nothing". This went on for a couple of miles I guess, and when I harped at him what he was looking at he finally told me, he was watching a big mountain lion that was following us ! He said when we walked it would follow, when we stopped-- it would stop !
Well, after that I had NO trouble keeping up with him, in fact, I was putting my boot into his track almost before he had his boot out of it and I was on his back pocket like fur on a bear all the way down to our truck. Now, we both where pack'n iron but we didn't want to shoot if we didn't have to !! Dad said the cat must not have been hungry as it never made a run on us. More than likely it was just curious about us or the flickering light of the candle . From that time on I could keep up with Dad's pace with no trouble at all. We got home after daylight the next day and I slept for the rest of the weekend. And Dad, well, it was just another day and back to work for him as usual.
Note from Becky: Gus was known as a hard working man dedicated to his boys. My Mom knew both Pat and Gus well. Bill and I were 'best friends' and were together from the minute we woke up until our respective parents called us in for the night. We got into lots of mischief but we had lots of fun too. I can remember once my sister brought home a rooster Mr. Lantz had given her at the end of the school year. That thing chased Bill and I around all summer, pecking us on the back of our ankles and drawing blood. Finally, Mom had enough and the rooster ended up on the neighbor's dinner table.
Bill at camp
Camp Earl Anna Swimming Pool
Bill and his dad Gus
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Happy Birthday Ann Moore
More 6th Grade Camp Memories Thanks to Connie Carter Brown for sharing these precious photos of our younger years 
Ann Martinez foreground and Mike Mires left background After lunch. Remember what the building in the background was called?
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Carrie and David Guinn
Margo and Yvonne's Brownie Troop. Can you find them?
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Connie 12/25/52
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Karen Van Westen, Becky Markey, Janette Finley, Debbie Andrews
Greg Markey, Bobby Carter, Dennis Gary, Mike Mires
taken 1957
Andy Cortez
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Kindergarten
Does anyone have kindergarten pictures?
First Grade
Tehachapi Elementary School, First Grade, 1957-58
Mrs. Kelso
Becky Hamon, ?, Ken Perry, Andy Cortez, Brenda Thompson, Kenny Stout, Mary Jo Mason
?, Becky Markey, Eddie Mata, Debbie Anderson, Darlene Simes, Don Ward, Leonard Alvarez
David Guinn, ?, Dennis Gary, Mrs. Kelso, ?, ?, George Sanchez
Can we get the names of these cuties, top row, left to right, etc.
There must have been at least one more First Grade class -- and maybe someone has some of the country schools, too.
Second Grade
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Mrs. Beal
Nick Damian, ____, George Sanchez, ____, Dennis Gary, Ann Martinez, _____, _____, _____
____, Gary Burgeis, ____, Mike Mires, Phil Drain, Debbie Andrews, Ken Perry, ____, Frances Dominguez
Janet Finely, Dee Fitzgerald, ___, Bobby Carter, Mrs. Beal, ____, Don Ward, Becky Markey, Rick Teel
_______, _____, Janice Williams, Jimmy Williamson, Miriam Crowell, John Ary
Third Grade
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Susan Hale, Linda Thompson, ?, Lina Montanez, David Reed, Karen Van Westen, Margaret Reed
Carmen Hernandez, Dennis Gary, Billy Arnold, Darlene Grounds, Carrie Sue Guinn, ?, Henry ______
Janice Williams, Becky Markey, Ken Perry, John Church, George Sanchez, Margo Huff, Janet Finley
Donald Beeson, Don Ward, Mrs.___________, Larry Nash, Alan __________
Anyone remember this teacher's name?
Fourth Grade
Tehachapi Elementary School, Fourth Grade
Mr. Otto, 1960-61
Calvin Austin, Patty McBride, Tim Garrett, Kathy Dillard, Alan Padgett, Kathy Hawkins, David Reed
Bobby Delgado, Margie Hodges, _____, Ricky Teel, Darlene Sims, Frances Dominguez, _________
Becky Markey, Epifano Huzar, Lynn Freng, Mr. Otto, ______, Margo Huff, John Church
Debbie Andrews, Gary Burgeis, Janice Williams, Margaret Reed
Fifth Grade
Tehachapi Elementary School, Fifth Grade
Mr. Thorp, 1961-62
From left to right, top row: Darlene Grounds, Darlene Sims, Margie Hodges, David Reed, Becky Pena, __________, Bill Arnold; second row, John Lennert, Patti Baggs, Miriam Crowell, John Anderson (?), Donna Mathews, Ken Perry, Jacque Van Nortwick; third row, Tim Garrett, Diane Collier (Durr), Susan Dickinson, Bob Delgado, Margo Huff, Mickey Farley, Epifanio Huizar; bottom row, _________, Ricki Ann Collier, Marty Shelton (?), Mr. Thorpe, Ann Moore, John Ary, George Sanchez.
If you can fill in the missing blanks, or make any corrections, let us know.
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FIFTH GRADE - MR. LEWIS
Sixth Grade
Tehachapi Elementary School, Sixth Grade
Mrs. Oxford, 1962-63
Let's see if we can get these ID'd
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MR. ROGERS 6TH GRADE CLASS
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Tehachapi Junior High
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