Helix High School Alumni
Official Site
Once a Scottie ... Always a Scottie
WHERE DID YOU FIND A HIGHLANDER?
This is a place to share stories of
interesting places you have run into an alumni or unusual experiences!
Please email to helixalumni@yahoo.com and we will share your story! (created 5/23/21)
In 2016 I was back in New York calling on accounts and was flying out of Newark NJ. I was on the Air Train and a flight attendant gets on the train. She lives in New York and just flew in from Switzerland. While chatting she asked where I was from. When I said San Diego, she said she is from La Mesa and grew up on 69th Street. It turns out we both went to Helix! and her name is Cathy Evans . She said her brother played basketball with Bill Walton. When we left each other you could hear a "Go Highlanders!" cheer on the train!
Chris Parks
At the end of a cruise to Alaska, my grandson and I spent several days in Seattle visiting Safeco Field and the EMP museum. While walking through the dimly lit basement viewing a collection of old movie props, a man stepped in front of us and asked if the Helix t-shirt my grandson was wearing was from Helix High School. The 3 of us stood speechless for what seemed like forever. I final managed to say “yes”. He then said he went to Helix and that he graduated in 1967. I remember looking down and thinking to myself…so did I. When I managed to speak the words, he said ,“I know.” I hope I didn’t sound weird when I asked, “Who are you?”. It was my classmate Dave Bareno. He had walked past us, noticed the Helix baseball gear my grandson was wearing, thought about it, turned around for a second look, saw the Scottie on the ball cap my grandson was wearing backwards, and had to ask. I’m so glad he did!
Candaus L Greene Class of 1967
June 2015
Some of you may have heard me ask over the years, "Whatever happened to Larry Keeton?" To no avail. (Others of you may say, well, you never asked me.)
Well, I've looked for Larry more than once, without luck.
With the advent of Facebook, LinkedIn and the like, in more recent years I thought I may find the guy. Still no luck. A few Larry Keetons out there, but none appearing to be him.
So, my millennial communications person at work just got back from a two-week vacation to Thailand. While part of a group on some excursion there, she notices a kid with a Chargers' hat on (of all things) and she asks if he's from San Diego. "No, I'm from Montana," he says, "but my dad is from there."
Conversation leads to the dad being from La Mesa before moving to Montana. She then says she works in La Mesa, and asks if he happens to know me.
Well, yeah.!!! There Larry is, with his family, visiting Thailand.
Small world.
No wonder I couldn't find him. Montana!? People living there don't want to be found.
All that and she still didn't get any contact info for him. But, now that I know he's from the same state as Ted Kaczynski, I was able to find Larry's LinkedIn account.
I'll try to coax him into the Facebook era.
submitted by Barry Jantz Class of 1977
(photo of Larry attached)
At a gas station on highway 16 (the way to Alaska) in Canada …saw a California license plate and started talking. He went to Helix in the 80’s, and was moving to Alaska. I was spending summers in Canada at the time.
I was in Orly (Paris) airport and ran into Coach Crawford! Small world!
I recently made a couple of purchases on eBay for Helix memorabilia and I found a Helix vs Mt Miguel 1957 Football Program...and it was sent from Ohio! The other purchase was a Letterman's jacket letter, and the sender, Alice, lives near Mission Viejo, which is 1.5 hrs from La Mesa. She sent a note saying her best friend lived on my street when she was a girl, which she often visited, and it might have been in my house! (I think it's down the street a few houses) She is an alumni from the '60's. For 69 years Scotties have spread out across this country! What's your story? Paula Novell Class of 1971
"Chance Meeting"
Not exactly, but it was a funny fellow- Highlander story. Chuck Couvrette lives here in Washington state and we met up years ago. We had some great times going over the yearbooks, meeting each other's families, etc., and discovered we were all soccer nuts. Chuck had organized an outing to see the Seattle Sounders ,and we bought tickets, then met him, and his group, up in Seattle. Bob and I, Chuck and Barb were all sitting next to each other and enjoying the game when Chuck introduces us to one of his soccer moms sitting on the other side of him. He goes through the explanation on how we knew each other and went to Helix High together, yada yada yada. The soccer mom just was AMAZED at how crazy it was - what were the CHANCES that we both went to a Sounders game IN SEATTLE , and not San Diego, and happened to run into each other.at the game? It was hysterical. I think Chuck set her straight - I was too busy laughing. It was really cute. "What are the chances ?" we kept saying!!
Audrey Watson
My regular hairdresser cancelled & referred me to another lady in her salon up here in Murrieta, CA. It turns out, her husband graduated from Helix two years before me, was on the varsity football team with my brother, & I also knew her husband. Small world.
I was in an ice cream shop in Idaho City and the younger sister of a fellow grad was in the shop, also.
Bill Murphy
On the Glamisdunes.com page where everyone has a user name people were talking about where they went to school. Come to find out I knew one of them and another went to school with us but was a freshman on our senior year.
I started an internship at Samsung in South Korea in a group of about 20 other interns from around the world. In my same internship group was another Highlander! He had graduated a few years before me so we had never met before. What are the chances!!?? Julie Brown
I live in a high-rise near Balboa Park and just found out that the manager of the building I've known for 10 years went to Helix!
One of the musicians in a Celtic rock band played the bagpipes at Helix! Another more traditional Celtic musician graduated from Helix. I work at an independent senior community, and one of my residents was the 2nd graduating class...he graduated with Dennis Hopper.
Also, one of my residents was neighbors with one of my Helix teachers, who she made cards for (that my teacher gave out) with Scottie dogs on them in 1998, and I still have mine!! ) San Diego gets smaller every day.
Sylvia Smasal​​
Several years ago, I was visiting family on the Oregon coast and dropped into a surf shop.....turns out the owner graduated in 1971, 2 years after me. The remarkable thing was the second floor was a gun store......reminded me of the opening scene of the movie "Top Secret" and the "skeet surfing" surfing sequence.....
Shortly after I moved to Lake Havasu I was standing on our house boat in the channel and another boat passed by ,and the couple stood up yelling "Helix 1976! "
We went to Hawaii /Kona several years ago, and ran into Tracy Finlayson in the grocery store! She had a twin, Valerie .
​I taught here in North County with a woman who had been a Helix cheerleader about five years before I attended Helix. A few years after I met her, we were in a hotel in West Yellowstone, Montana, enjoying the breakfast buffet, when I heard "Kay!". She was there with her family. It was Jan Campbell, class of 1968
Kay Guy
I was vacationing in New Orleans 3 years ago, while in a shop on Bourbon Street 2 women saw us buying a San Diego Chargers bead necklace. That started a conversation about La Mesa and Helix. The young woman ended up being Highlanders too many years after me. Small world!
Linda Barber
I have 2 Highlanders that live on the next street from me, and I don't live in La Mesa!
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(Note: Several times while doing alumni research I have seen alumni living a couple of houses away from each other in El Cajon and a several of other places, yet they didn't know it! Paula)
In 2012 we were in a small town in Missouri called Crystal City for my husband’s family reunion. We went to these huge caves that had been converted from silica sand excavation to a social venue with bars, music, volleyball, frisbee golf, etc. We met the owner who grew up in La Mesa on Bob St. and was a 1972 graduate of Helix High! His name is Tom Kerr!
I apologize in advance! This is long!
I was in the process of a divorce in San Diego , and making plans to move with my 10 yr old son, to Florence Alabama, in the summer of 2009. In September of that same year, someone named Mike Russell messaged me on Facebook. I wasn’t sure who he was at first, because I’d known him as Jim Russell. We chatted for a couple of months casually, and on a phone call I asked where he lived. He said, “Tupelo, Ms.” We laughed because it was only 89 miles from where I was moving to! So, in mid- June 2010, we finally moved to my aunt’s in Alabama.
July 4th my family, including my parents had a party at my aunt’s, and I invited him up. My son fell in love with him instantly! I on the other hand felt 89 miles was still too much of a long distance relationship. On the phone I told him we’d be friends, but we were both too busy for all that! My son was very sad and said “Mom, I want to live where Mike lives!” So I told him We’d go down there, and if I could find a house to rent, we’d move down there! We went down there, but there were zero houses for rent! The day before we were going back to my aunts, I took a note to put on the door of a house 4 doors from Mike, asking if the house was for rent, but before I got to the door, the landlord walked out and said it was! It was small and about $100 higher than I wanted to pay! He said he had a bigger one 2 doors up and it was $100 cheaper. It was perfect, and when I saw the treehouse in the backyard (my son wanted one), I knew it was home! Over the next year and a half I had Mike to dinner, he helped me with my son, and we lived 6 houses apart! Then, Thanksgiving 2011, he proposed in front of his family! We were married on St. Patrick’s Day, 2012, and paid homage to our Alma mater, by using elements of the Scottish and Irish. traditions, in our wedding. We have since reconnected with many Scotties, over the years!
Brenda Lunsford Russell
I found a Highlander when Devere Crooks and I were both deployed to the UK.
This was more of a case of finding time to "run into" each other. We ended up getting together for lunch in London the day before I moved back to Northern Virginia. This was after living about 20 miles apart in the UK for almost 2 years.
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I also found a Highlander in my apartment pool in Northern Virginia. He was visiting a relative.
At the American Legion's Boys State leadership program held at Sacramento State in 2017, I saw Bill Smelko (he was Helix's delegate in 1970) who was on the program staff. I was a volunteer staff member that year.
I had an alumni contact me to say they were on vacation and stopped for dinner at a restaurant in some place, like Wyoming. They overheard the conversation at the next table and after a few minutes they could tell the guy was a Helix alumni! He was very proud of his former city and Helix High school! The two ended up talking and he gave her his name and year, and said to say hello to everyone! Random! (The more specific information, however, has been misplaced in my brain!) Paula
My parents and my brother were on an Alaskan cruise. On one of the land tours, they boarded the bus, and the driver and my brother had gone to Helix together.
I was flying home from NYC and two of the flight attendants were friends of mine from Helix!
David Moye
I work for TSA at the New Orleans Airport and as I was checking a passenger's carry on bag and she was asking me questions ,and I mentioned I was from San Diego. We talked more and we discovered we both were Highlanders!
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Ten years ago I was living in Pasadena, CA and I ran into a classmate and a good friend of mine who was in the U.S. Air Force at that time.
I was at the first High School PTA meeting for my son’s high school in Tulare, CA (Central Valley). The town has two high schools. The man next to me asked if I’d gone to Tulare Union or Tulare Western . I replied , “Neither, I went to high school in La Mesa”, and explained it was in SD country. He replied , “Did you go to Helix?” Surprised I said, “Yes!” He asked me what year . “76” I replied. He said, “Did you know the Drum Major?” to which I replied, “ I know who he is but don’t really know him.” He said, that’s my brother! I found out the man I speaking to was a teacher at my son’s school. It seemed so strange to be attending an event for my son’s High School and meet someone from mine.
Anna Lindsey aka Lesley-Anne Lindsey
I was living in Germany and sent my husband to pick up a bike for our son. He was talking to the guy and found out he went to Helix and knew me. Come to find out we even went to elementary school together AND Helix!
I had just finished basic training at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio 1973. Wearing my civilian clothes waiting for a bus ride to tech school with my duffel bag, and my old Helix letterman jacket on top of it when some guy walks up and says, "Who went to Helix?" I said I did. I looked at his uniform name tag "De Jong" Gary de Jong, class of '71 and a graphic arts legend. I was class of '72 and was also a graphic arts student. I never knew him in school but we were in the same tech school class. We're still in touch with each other to this day.
Michael H Matheny
While sitting in a hotel bar on the island of Kauai, HI, killing time until I needed to leave for the airport, I started a conversation with a guy doing the same. Turned out he was from Oceanside. During the conversation, a woman who that overheard us talking about home mentioned that she was from San Diego also. Conversation went something like this: Were you born in San Diego? Yes. La Mesa. I was too. Born in 1948. Did you go to school in La Mesa. Yes. Helix High School. What year did you graduate? 1967 Suddenly she recognizes me. Bronce! It’s me Joyce Jackson. Turns out we had just spent a week at the same hotel!
Bronce Golden Class of 1967 May 2021
My mom was on the phone with Bath & Body Works customer service - I think their headquarters might be in Texas. The representative noticed my mom's address was in La Mesa, and commented that she grew up in La Mesa. It turned out she was a Highlander!
Jenn Hull Osborn
Class of '59 here in a little town on the Oregon coast. Just found out the nice guy who runs the FB page North County News graduated from Grossmont!
"Terri Williams , close, but nothing like HELIX!!!!"
I was at a country concert about 6 yrs ago, and who is sitting next to me?? Gail Schedine Hand. What a shock that was! We graduated in 1976 and had gone to school from elementary school up through high school together! Chris Torres
First time I met Bert Bartlett, I was working at a Mini Mart here in Humboldt County, CA. We did not have to wear uniforms, so I was always wearing my Charger gear. Bert came in with one of his grandsons and we got to talking. Turned out we were both Helix Alumni and I wrote down his info on a piece of paper. I came across that piece of paper last night, which is why I looked him up and was sad to find him deceased.
Several years later, I saw Bert at a different Mini Mart where I was working. As Bert was paying for his gas and snacks, I had to turn the pumps on for someone. When I saw who that someone was, I asked Bert if he could hang out for a few minutes because something very interesting was about to happen. When the guy who was pumping gas had stepped inside I said. "We are the only 3 people in the store right now. Every person in the store right now, is a Helix Alumni"! 800 miles North of Helix, we all end up in a Mini Mart together. The guy that pumped gas was Wade Sinnen, Class of 1979. Later that day, as I was changing shifts, I needed to read the pumps and I was waiting on a couple gals who were at the pumps and chatting. As the first one was leaving, she said, 'It sure is a small world". To the remaining gal, I said, "It really is a small world" and I told her the story about what happened earlier that day. She said, "No Way!!! I also graduated from Helix High". That was the last time I saw Bert so I never got the chance to tell him about the 4th Helix Alumni, in the store that day.
Lisa Sammaron
I woke up this morning. I don't know anyone in Greeley Colorado. Just moved here 60 days ago. Just me...I have subscribed to the Greeley newspaper. So, I check out. Then, I light up. Wow..Karl.
Karl, my buddy (he does not know that) only 50 minutes away from me. The impact of Helix. I tell you, you can go anywhere in the US, and you can see it. High school experience and football at Helix.
God I love Karl. He did a lot for me. I had memories flooding back through my brain this morning. He does not know this. I graduated from UCLA, and he was there too. Now, I am in Colorado, and he is in Boulder.
Karl is great dude. I might show up and visit him. That is what I was thinking. Surprise him, Karl Dorrell.
by Ron Gardner
I was singing at St James UMC on the campus of ORU in Tulsa in the early 80’s. A girl I kinda recognized came up after and asked if I’d gone to Helix. That’s where I knew her from! She was an upperclassman and I can’t remember her name. Small world !
I was on a train from Philly to Boston. Since I had just moved to PA I kept thinking I saw ppl I knew, only to find out I just wished they were someone I knew. The Scottie football player I saw on the train was actually a familiar face (to me, but not really me to him). In the moment I knew his first and last name from hearing it announced on the field. It was great to feel a little piece of home when so far away.
We toured the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde NP in 2019. We had to go down three ladders and stone stairs to get there and back. Very interesting place. Also had a surprise meeting someone I graduated from Helix High School with 47 years ago, Kathy Stauffer I believe! We were talking about where we were from which led to more questions and then laughter as we worked at McDonalds together too. People standing around us were enjoying our conversation too, grins and giggles!
submitted by Lynn Lowe France '71
One time when I was doing entertainment journalism, I ended up doing an interview with a singer, who was a former Helix student ,and the sister of one of my classmates!
David Moye
I was on a ferry in WA when I saw a kid with his family wearing a Helix letterman jacket, so I had to go and make sure it was actually a Helix jacket. Sure enough! The family was on vacay.
(Side note: I was wearing a Hoffer’s shirt, so was the dad!! Hoffer's is a Cigar Bar in La Mesa, owned by 1971 Alumni Phil and Roxanne De Turi Hoffman !)
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(Personally, I think both of them wearing a La Mesa shirt is astounding! Paula)
Photo: Inveraray Castle, Scotland
