Good Bye 2007!!

and hello to 2008!! I really hope that everyone has a wonderful New Year!!

In reflecting back on 2007 I can only imagine what 2008 has in store for us! With a divorce completed after 18 years of marriage, myself and my daughter graduating with our AA degrees, my middle daughter getting a drivers license, New Friends and getting back with old friends, then ending the year with surgery, in a nut shell... it could only get better!!

So what is on the hopes and wishes list for you this next year? Can't wait to continue getting to know everyone again and hearing of the ups and downs life has to offer this next year! Maybe a reunion of some kind for all of us! That would be cool.... I know our family will see another High School graduation for my Sarah Rae, she will then leave for College... I will finish my BS degree and start my career in Social Work, my oldest will be moving to Missouri, and I see a move for me to someplace other then YAKIMA!!

Don't forget to post!!

Tami

I Never Stopped...

Hello Everyone,

I titled this "I never stopped..." because after graduating from Cal Poly, SLO, I became the band director at Helix H.S. in La Mesa (near San Diego) for 14 years.  I basically kept living the life of high school band all of that time, and believe me, I re-lived lots of Buena memories all the time.

Kind of funny, I received Rhonda's email while I was on a break judging the Arcadia Festival of Bands-- I was in between the band review and the field show.  I was judging drum majors, which was pretty much head trip in itself-- my first time judging at Arcadia and judging the caption that I won in 1985.  This after having my own band march through that same competition zone 14 times.  And that's the day Rhonda emails me.

I currently am the "Program Manager, K-12 Music" for the San Diego Unified School District, which basically means I supervise over 120 music teachers in San Diego.  I am still a band director one night a week at Grossmont Community College.  I like what I do and don't miss the crazy high school band director life style too much.  I judge almost every weekend in the fall, so I still get my fill of marching band.

Obviously, the Buena Band experience was pretty huge for me, as I made it a career.  I learned how to put a parade band together not in college, but at Buena.  So Dave Wheeler was a positive impact on my life.  I know that Tony Aviles asked for his contact info, and while I kept in touch with him up until maybe five years ago, I don't seem to have up to date information any longer.  If I've done my math correctly, he should have just turned 64.  Crazy, huh?  Many of us had Bob Barnum at Balboa-- he passed away only a couple of years ago.

It's been nice reading these posts, and now that the crazy holiday season is passing, maybe others like me will have the time to write something.  Thanks for Rhonda and Tami for getting this started.

Russ Sperling

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish all of you a Blessed Holiday Season! I pray that each of you are spending this week with Friends, Family, and all those you hold most dear, and that the Grace of God brings good health, happiness and love into your homes and hearts. I am thankful for the blessings that I enjoy, including that of Old Friends!

With Love,
Rhonda

The Good Old Days!

Hey Everyone,
Unfortunately, at the moment, I am going to have to keep this brief. Very busy time of year for me.

First, thanks to Tami and Rhonda for getting this together. This is cool. Definitely the band brings back lots and lots of fond memories.

So here's the Reader's Digest version of my life since High School:

1986 Oxnard College - Working at Heck Music
1987 Ventura College
1988 UCSB - Bus Econ Major (graduated with Degree in Poli Sci in 1991)
1989 Met and started dating Stacie Aichner (she was in Pops Choir)
1991 Married Stacie
1993 Oour son Cameron was born (he was named after Cameron Fry from Ferris Bueller - yes I'm a dork)
2001 Divorce - Cameron lives with me (with mom on weekends)
1996 - 2007 working in Art Department of harbor Freight Tools doing production graphics
2006 Joined a Rock & Roll band called The Esquires (Changed name in 2007 to The Tiger Town Aces)
2007 Started new carrier as a mail carrier for the USPS (decided to get off my ass and out from behind a desk)

I still play my sax and bass, I write mysteries (won awards, nothing published yet), hopefully soon.

Cameron plays sax (alto & baritone) at Balboa. He also plays bass guitar and will be doing Marching Band next year at Buena.

That's about it for now. I will be back on soon to contribute more and see how everyone is doing.

Later,

Raul "Pee Wee" Melendez

WOW Pictures

Kewl Rhonda you added pictures, yes they sure bring back the memories. I hope everyone is getting ready for the big Holiday coming up. I am hoping not to have to travel that week. I hate holiday travel, but then again I don't pay the airfares so oh well.

Merry Christmas to all and I hope you all have a great and prosperous New Year.

OK, OK, OK, I got the hint!!!

Happy Holidays to All,

Where does one start, hmm. OK, just like everybody else I graduated from our school. Went to college and never finished. Got married moved to Washington State, had a really cool son, moved back to California for a short bit. Started my computer career with Virgin Games (yes the same as Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines and so on). Moved to Michigan, worked for HP in technical services, got divorced, then remarried and added 3 really awesome kids and then had a beautiful little girl to the crew, yup that is 5 kids. Oldest is 16, then two at 15, one at 13 and the youngest and probably why there was not a sixth she is 10.

I am currently working for a company that provides services to airlines as the Manager of Information Systems, I fly all over the country and manage way to many people and work way to many hours but I absolutely love what I am doing. Our companies premise is helping others and I get to help many many people at the airport when i am not playing with computer stuff. Managing systems at 14 different airports throughout this awesome country of ours is sometimes a very crazy life. Thank God for Frequent Flyer miles.

It is really cool that Rhonda and Tami have put this much effort into this blog and I am truly grateful for your efforts and yes even though Rhonda got the tiger out and Tami gives the coolest encouragement got me to write something, so thank you!!

Where is Dave ?

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Dave Wheeler or have any contact info? I emailed Michelle Wheeler and she and her father have not talked for a long time and she has no contact info for him. She says he is somewhere in CO. I really liked the guy as he was a great mentor to me during those years.

Intriguing to have the past catch up…..

Certainly interesting to see a few names on the email list that I recognize. It has been quite a few years since I have thought about high school.

My name is Ben B. Yaspelkis III. Following graduation from high school (1984) I received a B.S. in Sports Medicine from Pepperdine University in 1988. I then completed my M.S. (1990) and Ph.D. (1995) in Exercise Science at the University of Texas at Austin in Exercise Science. I was awarded a Howard Hughes Institute Post-doctoral Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Philadelphia, PA) for 1995-1996. I then accepted a tenure track position at California State University Northridge (CSUN) in 1996. I currently serve as Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Exercise Physiology and Biochemistry Laboratories at CSUN. I am a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, hold memberships in the American Diabetes Association and American Physiological Society, and served as the 2006-2007 President of the Southwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. My laboratory has been extremely active the past 12 years investigating insulin action and carbohydrate metabolism in skeletal muscle. We have published over 40 research articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and have collaborated with research groups in the United States, Australia, Canada and Europe. If interested in our body of work simply Google my last name.

I met my wife Suzanne in Austin, Texas and we were married in 1996. We currently reside in Moorpark, CA. We have two children, Ben IV (5 years old) and Stasja (5 months old).

Never enough time...

Whew, I find it hard to believe that it has been over twenty years since my time at BHS! Thank you very much Rhonda and Tami for taking the initiative to start the blog; I hope it becomes a well-used tool for all to reconnect.

I have been wanting to post since recieving the invite, waiting for that "perfect" block of time but now I see that I will never have it so I will just post a quickly so you all don't think I was blowing it off...

I am class of '88 and think of my time with the Buena band as some of the best ever. I cherish my memories of the friends and times spent in rehersals, games, parades, and competitions. Rhonda (and Michelle Wheeler!), I will forever remember my freshman year and being lucky enough to be in the sit in front of you for my very first parade and having to change into uniforms...WOW!

Those of us in my class had to live through director transition from Dave Wheeler to Tony Martone which of course was difficult. Tony was wonderful but like most of you, I had a special affinity towards Mr. Wheeler. Great memories!

Briefly about me. After graduation, I went to Azusa Pacific University on music scholarship. Worked in law enforcement. Married in 1994 to a wonderful woman named Holly. We have three terrific and beautiful kids: Gunnar (11), Emily (5), and Malayna (4). In 2000, I graduated from law school in Virginia. We now live in Fort Worth, TX and absolutely love it. We think it one of the best kept secrets in America (even though it seems lots of Californians have heard...)

Again, thanks ladies for starting the blog and I look forward to reading more!

Chris

O.k... so where does the time go!

Wow... this has been awesome to see people come around! How fun!

This is always a crazy time for me as it is the end of the first quarter of school so I am frantic getting final papers written (queen of procrastination, still! shut up Rhonda!) studying for finals and trying to maintain some kind of order around the house!

I really hope that everyones holiday was wonderful!! Mine was.... well... different. It was the first since my divorce and that always adds a twist to things, but also my oldest daughter decided to spend it with her boyfriends family instead of ours. That is a long story in itself, but it was just very different. Not sure I'm ready for my kids to be so grown up!

The big news is that we did hear back from Western Culinary Institute for my other daughter and she has been officially accepted!! So my mom and I surprised her on Friday and took her to do a personal tour, meet one of the bakery chefs, spend time with the recruiter and just hang out. She thought she was getting a special treat by just being allowed in on the shopping trip mom and I do every year. Then when I drove past the exit we should have taken for shopping... she asked "Where are we going shopping?" When I said Portland... she just got really quite for a minute. You would have to know my daughter (oh wait you know Rhonda... yea being quite is a big thing there...... LOL... I love them both very much!) but she finally says.... "are we going to my school??????" Needless to say she was VERY surprised and VERY happy to do the tour and get all the things she did! Now just pray for good scholarships!

Please share with us any great Holiday traditions your family has developed and maybe can be shared by others! I know I would love to hear about them all since my family will be looking to make "new" traditions!

Take care and God Bless!
Tami

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hey Everyone!

It is awesome that so many of you have responded to this blog! Tami and I are thrilled! It's great to hear how well everyone is doing!

Hope you all have a Blessed Thanksgiving, enjoying food, family and friends! Stay safe!

Rhonda

Hello from Califonia

This is Quentin Green. I graduated in '85, but was not in the band my senior year. I played the trombone, and remember Jeff, and I think you as well Tony.

Since highschool, I went to San Diego State and got my BS in Finance. From there I went to Seminary to get my Master of Divinity, thinking I wanted to become a professor of Philosophy of Religion. Having just started a family, not wanting to pursue a Phd, I held random sales jobs for a while before starting with the California Dept. of Transportation in their Right of Way department (my brother has been doing that for many years, and encouraged me into it).

Since then I have left Caltrans, joined a private consulting firm and am in Sacramento working for the company, trying to build a new market for the company.

I've done the first wife thing, and am working towards a second :p.

I have a 16 year old son, and an 11 year old son. They are great boys, and live here in Sacramento. My oldest is dating a girl now, and boy does that bring back memories of my high-school days! Sort of freaks me out.

Well, that's a brief run-down. I lost contact with everyone since highschool. Without having been a member of classmates.com, I would never have heard from Rhonda, I'm sure. I used to hang out with Daniel Wilson, another trombone player in the band at that time, who graduated in '84? I was friends with his brother Alan Wilson as well, but we had a fairly dramatic fall-out at one point. Though time passes, I would like to track them down sometime.

If anyone know Ted McNeely, let me know. He wasn't in the band, but I was friends with him in school, worked with him after we graduated, and lost contact.

Nice to see the Blog, hope all are doing well. Happy Thanksgiving also!

hello there

What a blast from the past! I am Tony Aviles, I remember most of the names I see so far, good to see this blog stood up. I live up here in Washington state in a little place called Silverdale. I am stationed at a submarine base close by. I have been in the Navy for 22 years and am retiring from that in January.
I dont think there has been a better Buena band than when we were at the helm. It was a great time to be a part of that awesome unit and I made some life long friends. I saw Jeff Sherk last summer. Me and my family went down to Ventura to see some family, hooked up with Jeff who is an Air Force Officer stationed at LA AFB. We had a night out, had a few cold ones and caught up.
John Spoentgen is in Baton Rogue, LA, not sure what he is up to, haven't talked to him in awhile.
Hope to hear from you guys. Band was the most memorable time of high school for me.

Wet and Cold in the Northwest!!

Good Sunday Morning!!!

We are off to a good start with this blog site!! Thanks! Lets keep it up. If you know someone that we may have missed send us their email and we will forward them an invite!

Well its a wet and cold morning here in Washington... I love the snow and that is what I hold out for!! No snow yet but hope to see it really soon!! I hate just wet, rain and cold!! Can't exactly send the kids out to sled in the rain!

Well my Sarah found out on Friday that was in fact accepted to the Le Cordon Bleu Western Culinary Arts Academy for next fall!! We are all very excited for her... I am sooo NOT excited for that bill!! But we will be saying out prayers for good scholarships, financial aid and student loans!

I'm officially in my last two weeks of the quarter for school... I so need next month off ... we are off for a month for Winter break! Have a full quarter next quarter with 17 credits! But its a good time of year to do it since there is no band activities, no football, no baseball, and... hmmm I'm sure to be leaving something out! LOL

Well have a great day everyone... We are home cleanin this morning, running Sarah to work, then a college basketball game! I keep STATS for our local college team and we have a game today! I know just one more thing on my plate.... you know what happens when you find an open spot in your schedule... someone find something to fill it with!! I'm just not sure who actually found the open spot in MY schedule... next thing I knew I was doing this job! LOL!

Bye!
Tami

My name is Tracy (Johnsen) Bricher and I graduated in 1984. I am currently living in Gilbert AZ and I am in my last stretches of Nursing school. I have a year left and it has been a long hall. I work full time at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and I am moving into a new position as an RN extern in the ICU. I have 7 yes 7 childern. My oldest is Angela she is 22 she is from my first marriage and then the rest are from my second marriage. They are Brenda 17, Briana 15, Warren 13, Mitchell 9, Paul 6, and the baby Xavier which is almost 2. I don't have any kids in band. My 17 year old played the sax in 4th and 5th grade. I have children that love sports. They play basketball and baseball. I have fond memories of band but I do not ever want to relive those teenage years!!!! I have not kept in touch with many people from Ventura the only person I am in contact with is Sandy (Hunt) Dawson. I hope all is well with everyone.


Tracy

Heya

Well I am not really sure where to start...been a very hectic last 20 years...geesh...well any way...i live in Cedar Rapids Iowa I am an RN working at a local hospital in the oncology unit...I am married to a wonderful woman named Bridget ( second marriage....first one...well we wont go into that nightmare ) we have 1 son named peter...he is 4...but showing remarkable musical ability...specifically in rythym and organization...receiving Rhondas email flooded me with memories of those very looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong bus trips ( wink )...also remembering the train ride throughout the virgeinia countryside enroute to Washington DC...remember that trip folks...wow what a blast.....I have been thinking about all of you Buena Band nuts recently...and pulled out some old pics of band...If you remember my sister Carolyn Majors...keep her in your prayers...she is not doing well...she is suffering chronic renal failure and is on dialysis 5 times a week.....look foward to hearing from folks

WOW! This is going to be AWESOME!!

Hi gang!

Leave it to our Rhonda to get this up and going! But I can not wait to get re acquainted with everyone and have this great way to keep up on everyone and their life!

The best way to follow me on a regular basis is through myspace at www.myspace.com/pasoauntie and now through here! I am a single mom to 4 kids. I have two girls and two boys ages 21, 17, 12, and 5. They are Lisa, Sarah, A.J., and Cameron. In that order.... I am currently running my own day care business, once again, after spending 5 years working in the medical field as a unit clerk, Heart Monitor Tech and a Phlebotomist. I am also a full time student at Central Washington University working on my Multi Disciplinary BS degree minoring in Social Work. My oldest daughter is a college student as well working on her BA in Elementary Education, Sarah is a senior this year and it is looking like she will be attending Western Culinary Arts school next fall in Portland, A.J. is an avid football and baseball player in the 6th grade and Cameron is still figuring out just where he belongs, but currently enjoying his year of Kindergarten. All 4 kids are or have been involved with music from the early days of their life! Both girls play flute, A.J. is a drummer and Cameron changes day to day from drums to Sax, to Trumpet and then back to drums. He also is really liking the idea of being Drum Major one day! We currently live in Yakima Washington and no this is NOT where I will be staying. I imagine the next few years will give me some clear direction as to where I am really supposed to be but right now it looks like Spokane Washington is holding the best cards for me.

Both my girls have been in the local Marching band program and I have LOVED being on the side of band mom!!! What a thrill... not only do we get to watch with pride as our children compete but we know the thrill of competition first hand. This year Sarah's band marched 101 members on the field and they did very well. Competition is so different up here... but still just as exciting! Rhonda and I have had a blast calling and sharing our girls' success as they compete, often on the same day! It has brought back some awesome memories... some we can share with the girls... some best left back at BHS!! LOL!!

Well lets get this thing rolling!! I can not wait to catch up with everyone!

Tami

Me and Mine...

Ok....I'll do my best to keep this short enough to read in one sitting. :)

Let's see. I live in Tucson, AZ with my 2nd husband Scott Campbell. I have 2 daughters from my 1st marriage. The oldest is Samantha - 15, and the youngest is Sabrina - 13. Sammy is a sophomore, and Brina is an 8th grader. Our lives revolve around these 2 beauties, and it couldn't be more fun. They are amazing young women, and we are proud to call them ours

For those of you who don't know him, Scott and I were in a rock band together called "Ventura" back in the late 80's. Scott left Ventura, CA in the early 90's and went on the road as a professional guitar player and toured for over 7 years. We have been the best of friends since those early days, and after my 1st marriage ended, we connected in a more serious way, he came off the road, and we were married in '04.

I am a nurse in the ER, and I love my job. Just the right atmosphere for my personality. Scott gives guitar lessons, and we have a Top 40 duo, playing weddings, parties, and local bars whenever we get the chance.

Well, I better stop there for now.

Hope to hear from you all SOON!
Rhonda