On April 3 Chuck and Nita Hardin hosted a golf tournament and BBQ for Azusa High Class of ’61 golfers and guests. The tournament was held at the El Dorado Park Golf Course in Long Beach, California. Afterward, the tired and hungry golfers and non-golfers enjoyed some delicious Naples’ BBQ ribs at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club where Chuck and Nita are members. It was also Hank Garcia’s birthday, so Nita baked him a yummy cake.

Dave Hartley introduced his new bride, Betty, to the group and she ended up getting an award for the longest drive, ladies’ division. Quite an impressive introduction. Way to go, Betty!

All of the golfers had a good time. The weather was cool and dry– a perfect day for golf– and the course was both beautiful and challenging.

Tournament winners are as follows:

Winning team: Joey Martinez (captain), Bob O’Connor, Kathy Eby and Jim Jernigan.
Longest drive, men: Jim Jernigan
Longest drive, ladies: Betty Hartley
Closest to pin: Dave Hartley

Winning Team – Joe Martinez (captain), Bob O’Connor, Kathy Eby and Jim Jernigan

Longest Drive, Men – Jim Jernigan

Longest Drive, Ladies – Betty Hartley and Closest to Pin – Dave Hartley

Team 1 – Joe Martinez, Bob O’Connor, Jim Jernigan, Kathy Eby

Team 2 – Betty Hartley, Louis Mason, Hank Garcia, Dick Bessire, Jeff Eby

Team 3 – Dave Hartley, Butch Lightfoot, Frank Perez, Chuck Hardin, Rich McDowell

AHS Class of 1961 Golfers – El Dorado Park Golf Course, Long Beach, CA – 4/3/2017

Hank Garcia with his birthday cake

Golf Tournament BBQ – Alamitos Bay Yacht Club – Long Beach, CA – April 3, 2017

Thanks to Chuck Hardin and Richard Montes for the great photos.

NEWS: Richard Rubio had to back out of the tournament early due to a nasty virus that landed him in the hospital. He’s now undergoing rehab therapy and hopes to soon be back on the golf course. We wish him a speedy recovery.

The next golf tournament will probably take place in the fall. The golf course location and host(s) are yet to be determined.

On May 3-5  Butch & Mary Lightfoot hosted our Kiowa semi-annual golf tournament and get-together at their home in Arizona. Judging from Butch’s comments below, everyone had a good time.

Here’s what Butch had to say:

1st Place – L-R Dave Hartley, Richard Montes, Bob O’Connor, Jeff Eby

2nd Place – L-R Tom Roberts, Kathy Eby, Butch Lightfoot

Kiowa Golf Get-together Attendees and Spouses

Long Drive & Closest to the Pin – L-R Bob O’Connor and Richard Rubio

Losers – L-R Joe Martinez, Richard McDowell, ,Chuck Hardin, Fred Aguirre

More Losers – L-R Frank Perez, Richard Rubio, Roger Whiteley, Hank Garcia

Party Time at the Lightfoots

New photos of the Paso Robles Golf Tournament that took place in May have been uploaded for your viewing pleasure. A special thank you to Carol Justice Roberts who provided the photos. Click here to see the photos.

Azusa High Class of 1961 golfers (and guests) group shot
Paso Robles, California – May 2013

The May golf tournament hosted by Sue Weatherwax Maxwell and her husband, Tom Maxwell (class of 1960), was a huge success. The golfers enjoyed playing on the challenging course while the non-golfers enjoyed wine tasting at some of the numerous wineries in Paso Robles. Dinner and an awards ceremony was held at the golf course following the tournament. Here are photos of the winning teams:

Third Place L-R: Tom Maxwell, Guy Weatherwax, Dave Hartley’s brother-in-law and Joe Martinez

Second Place L-R: Fred Aguirre, Hank Garcia, Chuck Hardin and Dave Hartley

First Place Winners L-R: Roger Whiteley, Tom Roberts, Jim Jernigan and Richard Montes

Photos courtesy of Chuck Hardin. More photos will be posted soon.

Bob O’Connor wants to remind classmates that the upcoming golf get-together in Palm Desert is not just for golfers. This activity is for all Azusa High Class of ’61. Non-golfers are invited and encouraged to attend the gathering on Saturday, May 22 and the Sunday BBQ following the tournament on the 23rd. The get-togethers are always a lot of fun and a good way to reconnect with classmates.

Bob is asking non-golfers to RSVP and donate $15 for an individual or $25 per couple. The reason he is asking for an RSVP and donation is because during a previous tournament weekend the host almost ran out of food.

Please mail your checks to Bob O’Connor, 26342 Mirar Vista Dr., Mission Viejo, CA 92692. You can reach Bob at (949) 364-0792.

For information about the tournament and directions to the golf course visit our website at http://www.azusahighschool1961.com/Pages/events.html

The Class of  ’61 Spring Golf Tournament is still being held at Shadow Ridge Golf Course in Palm Desert, however the location of the hospitality house has changed because the first location is no longer available. The bad news is that the new location is not within walking distance to Paseo Drive– it’s about two miles away. The good news is that the new location is only about a mile from Shadow Ridge. Another change is that the BBQ will now take place on Sunday after the tournament rather than Monday. Also, some of the early arrivals plan to get together on Saturday at the hospitality house for chips and dips, so be sure to bring your favorite golf stories.