Taft, California Greetings from Pete Gianopulos, Class of 1942 The Taft Newsletter These articles are researched and written by Pete Gianopulos, a life-long resident of Taft, born in 1924. He was employed by Taft Union High School for 35 years as a teacher, counselor and as Director of Guidance. These articles began publication in 1994 for Taft's Midway Driller newspaper which began publication 100 years ago in 1910. Gianopulos can be reached at [email protected] or at 661-765-5384.

Attachment: Taft Girls Scouts House 319 Calvin Street. Historical Note: This comes from Larry Peahl's 53 page compilation of the "Chronology of History of Taft" from 1863 until 2009: 1932 -- A & L Food store opens at 513 Center Street. January 6, 1932 -- First television broadcast by W6XAH in Bakersfield received Pioneer Mercantile in Taft of a Walt Disney "Steamboat Willis" cartoon. First TV station in the West. January 9, 1932 -- Nicholas Kitchak named postmaster. March 25, 1932 -- Taft City School District is formed from Conley School District by a vote of 735 to 165. James Joyce is the superintendent. There are 1,683 students in six schools. March 28, 1932 -- Taft hosts the Kern Relays track meet. Herman Brix sets world records in the shot put records (52'-8 5/8")and the left-hand shot put. March 28, 1932 -- Taft High School defeats Livingston 5-4 for Valley baseball title. Remember When 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts According to Margaret Lee, a resident of Taft, the Girl Scouts will be celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2012. The Girl Scouts started in America in 1912 and began their existence in Taft in 1924. The Taft Council was the first Girl Scout Council in the San Joaquin Valley. Many girls have been girl scouts down though the years on the West Side. The Girl Scouts House is located at 323 Calvin Street. The first house burned down and the new house was built at 323 Calvin. In order to display the history of the girl Scouts in Taft, the committee is seeking articles, pictures and other memorabilia about the girl scout program on the West Side. Please contact Margaret Lee if such items are available. The committee would like to make copies for a display of the history of the Girl Scout on the West Side. Margaret Lee can be contacted at 661-763-1661 or at [email protected]. (NOTE: In the early days the Boy Scout Barracks was located on the South East corner of Fourth and Calvin Street in a building moved from 25-Hill to that location. It no longer exists.) From Trice Harvey of Bakersfield, California ALIENS ARE COMING TO EARTH TOMORROW. THEIR MISSION IS TO ABDUCT ALL GOOD LOOKING & SEXY "OLD" PEOPLE. I'M JUST MAILING YOU TO SAY GOODBYE.; FOR I HAVE TO GET BACK.. From Lawrence Hildebrand, Class of 1966, from Escondido, California Hi, Pete - I've been staying with a friend here in Oakhurst (near Bass Lake & not too far from Yosemite) for nearly 2 weeks and now have a story to pass along that may be of interest to you. Our next door neighbor here in the mobile home park is a WWII Navy veteran by the name of Mike Mitchell. Mike joined the Navy on Dec. 8, 1941, @ the ripe old age of 17. After training, he was stationed aboard the USS Morris (DD-417), a destroyer commissioned in 1940. [Note: read more about the Morris's incredible story here, here and here.] The Morris served everywhere from the Battle of Midway to Guadalcanal to Okinawa. Off Okinawa in '45, she was struck by a kamikaze plane that finally managed to knock her out of the war. Take a look @ the post- kamikaze photo of the Morris below: That "landing" in the upper right corner was where radar man Mike was standing when the Jap plane hit. But for the #2 gun turret shown in the photo, Mike would likely have joined his dead shipmates. The Morris crew saved the lives of more than 1,500 sailors picked up from sinking U.S. ships @ sea during her various campaigns. Mike has more stories than I have been able to listen to in my brief few days with him. Now for the REST of the story (with apologies to Paul Harvey): Some time in '44 or '45 (Mike couldn't remember the exact dates), the Morris anchored near Biak Island, Papua, New Guinea for some well-deserved R&R for her crew. I'm pretty sure that I recall you writing about Biak in your WWII remembrances published in your Taft Newsletter. Mike & his shipmates spent some time with Army troops there as they drank & relaxed a little. He recalls that 8 or so WACs were brought in to liven up the proceedings @ one point. Wouldn't it be something to learn that you & Mike were there @ the same time & place? Though I know the odds of that being true are slim, it could be a potential coincidence worth pursuing. Though Mike has had heart surgery & lost his wife of 65 years last November, he is as alert and witty as can be. As with so many of The Greatest Generation, he tells his harrowing "war stories" in a matter-of-fact manner and with great humility and self-deprecation. I have listened in awe the last few days. I would be more than happy to put you & Mike in touch with each other if you are interested. He has commented several times, "There ain't many of us left." He's right, of course. Perhaps his stories need to be captured while he can still tell them to someone. That's it for now, Pete. Richard Mixon, Gary Alexander, myself & several other '66-ers will be attending the TUHS Hall of Fame dinner April 30th. Hope to see you there. Lawrence Hildebrand Escondido, CA Sites to visit while in Taft for the Hall of Fame Dinner on April 30, 2011 There is many sites to see while in Taft and some of them are indicated here. The West Kern Oil Museum is the most the number one and most popular tourist attraction on the West Side on an eight acre location at Wood Street and Highway 33. There are 13 buildings full of artifacts from our oil industry -- still the largest oil producing oil field in the lower United States surpassed only by Alaska. The latest attraction is the Oilworker's Monument dedicated during our most recent Taft Oildorado celebration for Taft's 100th birthday, The replica of Sutter's Fort -- The Historic Fort on 10th Street. The historic Fort was built by adobe bricks on the site and completed and dedicated about 1941. At the northwest corner of 10th and Ash Street is the entrance to what was at one time the location of the Standard Oil 11-C Camp on which that company had all of its shops and about 70 homes for its employees, including a swimming pool, tennis courts, a bunk house for single e,employees and cook house where delicious meals were served. The grand daddy of all the world's Gushers, is he site of the Lakeview Gusher between Taft and Maricopa. Travel about four miles on Highway 33 toward Maricopa and take a left turn at Cadet Road, proceed east about 1 quarter mile and take a right turn on the old Maricopa -Taft Highway. The site of the Gusher is about a half of a mile south, just off the old highway to Maricopa. If you proceed east on Cadet Road, for about one mile you will see the Federal prison, holding about 3,000 prisoners, from all over the USA. The prison is operated by the Management Training Corporation. There is no admittance to the prison, You can only drive by for look at modern prison operated by a private business and not by the government. The Buena Vista Pumping Plant which pumps up water from the California Aqueduct over the Buena Vista Hills is located about four miles east of Taft. Take Garner Field Road to the road the road to the left as you cross over the bridge at the Aqueduct and follow that road to the pumping plant over-look on the north side of the BV Hills. It's a short drive to the West Side District Cemetery on Cedar Street, east of Taft and to seethe beautifully manicured, very well groomed, grounds and beautiful flowers over many graves. At 5th and San Emidio Street is the campus of Taft Union High School and its well-kept buildings. As you enter the main building at that entrance is the high school Hall of Fame with the pictures and plaques of the inductees to the Hall of Fame on the wall to the left of the entrance. That where the induction ceremony will start on April 30th. Further west at the end of the entrance hall is a large display case with many items of the history of Taft Union High School that the district will be celebrating its 100th birthday this fall. This display case the many things that have occurred during its history since it began operation. . I always feel nostalgic when entering the main building because that was where I attended my four years of high school and two year at Taft Junior College during the time the the two district shared the buildings on the same campus, the 35 years as a teacher, 33 years as a counselor and 17 years as the Director of Guidance. The counseling room where my office was located is through the doors on each side of that large book case. Driving west on San Emidio Street is the Martin Memorial Stadium, named after Marian Martin, student body president and captain of the high school football team. He died from accident outside of Santa Maria while on the bus bringing the football team home after a game when the bus was struck by a fast moving car that didn't negotiate a turn and hit the bus in the side where Martin was seated behind the driver. He died later in the hospital. A memorial service was held in the school auditorium. The school was let out on the day of the funeral so the student body and staff could attend Martin's funeral held in Bakersfield. He is buried at the Union Cemetery in Bakersfield. The Bakersfield football team attended as a body to Martin's funeral bringing flowers to the funeral ceremony/ Further north from the high school campus is the newly remolded Taft College campus which was constructed after the two districts separated. Further west on San Emidio Street from the stadium is the all weather track and the Mickey Roling Softball Complex. Across 10th Street is the high school soccer fields and the Monty Reedy Baseball Stadium and further west, another baseball diamond. Going west toward McKittrick about four miles or so, there is a road to the left off of Hwy 33 toward Gravity Hill. If you drive about one mile or two south and drive up a hill, you will find the location of Gravity Hill just south of that hill, where the road starts a ownward direction. This is Gravity Hill. If you stop atl e bottom of that incline, facing south, put you car in neutral, your car will back up the hill. At McKittrick is where Mike and Annie's Penny Bar is located in the McKittrick Hotel and Cafe. It is open everyday except on Sunday. That's where you can see the million or so pennies that have been glued to the floor, the ceiling, around and on top of the bar, the pool table on the walls and the rest rooms. The Penny Bar has received much publicity on radio, TV , the newspapers from all over the country and even CNN. It is worth a stop to view that site. See the Carrizo Plain National Monument by driving out on Hwy. 58 toward the coast from just about a half mile south of McKittrick. There are many sites to see on the Plain, such as Soda Lake, Winslow's Creek on the north side of the valley, lt's original located on the San Andreas Fault line. The creek bed along the fault over many years has been turned 90 degrees from its direction downward toward Soda Lake . You can also see the famous Painted Rock with its Indian paintings, south of Sods Lake. This will give you some idea of things to see on the West Side and around Taft. Have a good visit.