Today's Featured Biography

 
Gerald Holl

July 2013
Greetings classmates, from Berkeley CA. Jerry Holl here. I write in response to the heads-up regarding 1953's Sept. 23, 2022.

Work, family and distance have kept me from staying in touch with classmates. But the steady march of aging puts me in a place that now essentially says, Get with it, tie together some loose ends. Among these is reconnecting with high school friends and acquaintances. I'd enjoy hearing from classmates; email -- [email protected]

Meantime, this is a good time to set straight a somewhat related matter, this being that I'm actually a member of the RHS class of 1954. I was scratched from 1953 graduation when booted from Roosevelt in the final weeks of the school year for telling an overbearing auto shop teacher to "go pee up a rope" (except, I used a stronger imperative). In truth, the matter was moot anyway since academically I was a dud. Failing Mattie Crogan's English Lit class senior year was a prime example.

To complete the story: I made up the necessary credits in classes at old West High that summer and graduated Roosevelt with the class of 1954. I believe what follows is true. Of the 626 members of the 1953 class, when it came to scholarship, I brought up the rear, yep, the absolute bottom, this achieved by three years of academic indifference, neglected homework and viewing the high school years as a time for fun, games with the guys (like overnight poker at Har Carlson's) and chasing, dating and dancing with girls.

These diversions aside, I managed to move on and here, in brief order, are some stops made post RHS.

* After graduation, drafted into the army and assigned to Germany for 18 months (as were classmates Bill Mickelsen, Har Carlson and Lon Hanson)
* On discharge, enrolled at UofM General College under GI bill ($110 monthly), Transferred a year later to the Science, Literature & Arts Division and earned BA degree March 1960
* Following College, worked various jobs, including 1960 and 1961 winter seasons at Sun Valley, Idaho
* Moved to San Francisco and worked as an insurance claims adjuster,1962
* 1963--married Bonnie Heutmaker, a Washburn High grad, class of 1956, and who, too, had worked a ski season at Sun Valley
* 1967 decided to become a journalist and landed a slot as a reporter for the Napa Register, an afternoon daily belonging to the Scripps League of Newspapers; covered the
tumultuous 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago for Scripps
* Joined communications department of Del Monte Corporation, San Francisco, 1969
* Hired by UC Berkeley Alumni magazine as assistant editor, 1972
* 1978--took job as writer for Northern California Labor, publication of the San Francisco Labor Council; became editor in 1985
* Editor of Unity Magazine, publication of the California health care workers' union 1989 until retirement in 2006

There you have it, mainly career stuff. To close, a bit about my personal side. In February 2022, Bonnie and I celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary. For 49 years we've lived in Berkeley in the same old house, raised three kids there--Nick, a retired San Francisco firefighter/paramedic, Ben, a San Francisco lawyer and Winona, a Pilates instructor who lives in New Zealand. We have seven grandkids, the oldest, 28, a master’s graduate of London’s Manchester University; and the youngest born in 2012 in San Francisco.

Bonnie and I continue to have strong ties to Minnesota. Nearly every summer we spend time at a lovely Park Rapids (Dorset) lake property belonging to my sister and her husband. Since the early days of parenthood, I've maintained that one cannot put enough Minnesota into kids--such is the general decency, even manner and friendly state of mind of this special place.

My children and now their children carry many happy memories of carefree summers at Lake Belle Taine. Too, we love Minneapolis, especially during the sunny, free and easy days of summer when the city's beauty is in full bloom. Like nearly all families, ours has hit bumps along the road. By a very lopsided score, however, we've been blessed abundantly with familial love, joy, care, loyal friends and good luck. We are filled with gratitude by this good fortune.

That's my story. I may, or may not, see you at the Sept. 23 reunion. That's still to be decided. Meantime, best to all members of RHS class of 1953.

VIEW ALL BIOGRAPHIES