The JFK Family Reunion Blog

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It is with great pleasure… and means so very much to us, to share with you today…

two of our  most beloved faculty members,

who both remained at Kennedy for over 30 years,

and during that time, became ‘brothers’ in every sense of the word.

Their friendship was the perfect example of what ‘brotherhood’  means,

and their  bond… the very definition of  “FAMILY”

Mr. C and Coach Mayberry may or may not have had their own BUCKET LIST’s,

but as Coach Mayberry shared…they had MANY MANY FUN AND WONDERFUL adventures together,

supported each other through several of life’s changes,

…the joys and the sorrows…

until March of  2006,  during Mr. C’s final transition…

and Coach Mayberry would be  right there,  beside his dear friend,

holding his hand, and saying good-bye…

as Mr. C would ultimately take his Last Great Adventure on his own….

We are  truly honored to not only feature each man today,

(and their own unique and fascinating life journey’s)…

but to  CELEBRATE and pay tribute to  their deep and enduring friendship…

Mr. Clyde Arvil  Christensen

Oct. 29, 1930- March 10, 2006

Mr. Christensen, affectionately known as ‘MR. C’

came to John F. Kennedy High School mid way through the 67-68

school year as our Activities Director.

His penchant for  often wearing green or gold blazers,

his friendliness on campus, his exuberant laughter,

and playful, easy going nature,

immediately endeared him to the entire student body.

Always supportive, nurturing and understanding,  his was an IRISH HEART

through and through.

******************************

But BEFORE he was “OUR MR. C”…

his life had a very different tenor.

A fascinating insight into Mr. C’s life…

Taken in part, from his eulogy, delivered by his son on March 15, 2006…

“Dad was born in Springville, Utah, the third and last child

of Arvil Job and Maud Christensen

He had two sisters, Faye Catherine, (14 years his senior)

and Evelyn (7 years his senior.)

Dad said it was like having three mothers because they were always after him to do the right things.

Dad was raised in a log cabin that members of the Church built for them.

It had two bedrooms and a kitchen, and they went

without a bathroom or running water.

They had to go  to an out-house in the back yard to relieve themselves.

They bathed once a week on Saturday so they would be clean for the Sabbath.

During his early life, his Father helped his Grandfather on the farm.

Before the Depression, his Grandfather was quite wealthy with land,

but lost almost all of his wealth during the crash of 1929.

This had a profound effect on our Grandfather, because he had given up his goals to work on the farm.

Dad remembered his father to be a quiet, sullen man, and sadly never really got to know him.

Dad said you couldn’t make any noise when you ate and he learned to soak his cereal

so it wouldn’t make noise when he chewed.

But his Father did teach him how to fish and hunt.

Dad said he was out fishing the streams at the age of 7 and bringing fish home for the family.

He also was hunting alone  by the age of   11 and bringing in Pheasants, Quail and Ducks.

This meat helped sustain life during those difficult days.

Dad sad that hunting and fishing was serious business and wasn’t always fun
because they treated it like a job.

But as he grew older, he learned to love to hunt and fish.

His mother loved music and insisted that Dad learn to play the piano.

He became a very good pianist and played in church

and also later on, in his mission.

The family didn’t have a car, so Dad learned to run everywhere he went.

As things turned out, he was the fastest kid in the city.

Dad took to sports like a Duck takes to water!

He played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track.

Dad held many football and track records at Springville High, and when one of his nephews went to

Springville High, many years later,

there were many trophies and records that still had Dad’s name on it.

Dad received a scholarship to BYU for Football and Track.

He went to school for one year, before he was called on a Mission to serve in the Hawaiian Islands.

His family was so proud of  him because he was the first person in the family to serve a mission.

He quickly became the assistant to the Mission President because of his Leadership skills.

His job was to help set up branches and secure a spot to build a place to meet.

He helped bring entire families into the gospel…and had a lasting effect on these people,

because 45 years later, when his Grandson Joshua served the same mission

he ran into people who remembered his Grandfather in a  very fond way because of his example

and his love for the people.

Mission rules were not as strict back then and he had very fond memories of spear fishing with the natives

and hunting boars with a knife.

Missionaries went to many Luaus and he found this a great way to meet people and befriend them.

Dad had the opportunity to travel with Apostle Calley and was called on to speak at many conferences.

Dad became a very accomplished speaker at an early age, and enjoyed every opportunity to speak.

He served a  faithful mission and returned to Springville Utah, to go back to school.

He tried to go back and play Football, but he tore his hamstring and did not receive proper careand had to give up his scholarship.

He got a job at Geneva Steel.   He worked grave yard hours, then he would go to his classes,

then go home and study, get a few hours of sleep….and that is how he worked his way through school.

Even with this schedule, he was in Student Council and was very active on campus.

He dated many girls but found one that he wanted….her name was Loretta Grimwood.

After graduation from BYU they married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 23, 1955.

He was hired to teach and coach at Pleasant Grove High.

His football team won the league Championship and the track team did very well in State.

Dad’s first child was born on Feb. 28, 1956, on the same day as Grandpa Christensen.

He was named Franklin Jay Christensen and Dad was  very proud to have a son.

Mom, having been raised in California, during her High School days, wanted to move back to California.

So Dad applied at West  Torrance High and was hired to teach and coach football.

He won two league Football Championships.

It was during this time he received his Masters degree from USC.

He then accepted a job to teach at Western High in Orange County.

We had an addition to the family around this time, a daughter, Catherine Ann.

Dad was  so proud….he now had a beautiful daughter now.

Dad then accepted a job in Vernal, Utah to be the Principal at the Junior High School.

Dad expressed many times that those were his favorite years.

He would work and then go hunting, and bring home Game…

and during the summer he began his passion of 40 years, and learned to play golf,

and he became very good.

We then moved back to California where he became Activities Director for Kennedy High School.

This is where he found his “home’ as far as work.

He ran all activities and was the biggest cheerleader on campus,

and was known for years for raising School Spirit with his enthusiasm.

He developed many friends during this era.

Just to name a few…Coach John Mayberry, Tom Wallace, Bill Meine, Coach John Hangartner,

and Frank Montalbano.

He worked for Kennedy either FULL or PART TIME for over thirty years,

and considered JFK as “my school”.

MR. ‘C’  had 4 children, (3 sons,  Franklin Jay,  David Russell and John Clyde,

and his daugher  Catherine Ann)

and several grandchildren,  that he was supremely proud of.

His three youngest children would all go on to become FIGHTING IRISH,

and graduate from his beloved JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH.

A few alumni shared some of their fond  memories of Mr. C….

Cheryl Clark Schaeffer  1970

“He would never accept any of my resignations as Head Cheerleader.  One day i wanted to leave so badly, that he gave me an “off campus” pass so i could go to the beach. The only condition was that I was to bring back some sand for him.  I did bring back the sand in a glass jar with  with a shell or two in it.

When I went back to visit around 20 years later…he still had the sand keepsake on his shelf of doo=dads from students.

Mr. C had a great sense of humor and never treated me like a kid…He helped me alot in my senior year.   RIP, Mr. C! “

Mark Rozelle  1970

“Every year when the student council was elected, they were kidnapped in their pajamas and taken to breakfast.  That’s how they learned they had won the election.

When we were seniors, we told Mr. C the breakfast would be a certain day, but it was actually the previous day. We kidnapped him as well.  He wore these shiny satin pajamas.  It was so funny.

He tenaciously fought for people he believed in.  He trusted us as  mature, responsible people.”

Robin Sekiguchi 1972

Mr. C once told me, as I was crying in his office about some of the squad….I was crying because a few of my cheerleaders were giving me  a hard time. And he said:

“Robin, being the ‘head’ of anything is not the favorite position, as you are telling the girls to do things that they may not want to do. But that is what a ‘leader’ does….they LEAD”

Mr. Christensen died one week before St. Patrick’s day, and on the back of his

Memorial Program, were the beautiful words of  The Irish Blessing.

Becky Tsujioka Ishii  (71) shared this very moving detail about the service….

“At Mr. C’s funeral, he was buried with a Kelly green piece of cloth

along with his traditonal Mormon White clothing…”

It’s touching  to imagine….that perhaps this piece of cloth,

was lovingly placed over Mr. C’s ‘Irish Heart’…

.

Mr. John (Coach)  Mayberry

We knew him as Mr. Mayberry in the early days of JFK, as a Counselor, and later, a Coach.

But perhaps the true ‘title’  for this Devoted and Beloved member of the Fighting Irish staff

was best summed up, when he was eventually given the moniker of

“MR. KENNEDY”.

Because he was a counselor  for a class other than our own,

our personal interactions with Mr. Mayberry were limited during our Kennedy years.

However, his jovial and fun loving nature was always on display in our  assemblies

and ALL Spirit Week Events!

(little did we know at the time, that HE was the usually the MASTERMIND behind most of the

assemblies BEST skits as well as the student games!)

What we came to learn was that his loyalty and caring nature,  extended far beyond his own peers.

Sonny Mallari (67) would share with us,

that in the absence of his own father, when he was in school,

Mr. Mayberry would accompany him to every FATHER/SON function…

and they remain very close to this day.

His personal biography sheds light on what might have informed his own actions in later years…

and in the truest measure of a man…

…we discovered through others, that Coach Mayberry had been…and continues to be,

a mentor, a ‘father’, a ‘brother’ and a FRIEND to so  many.

Coach created this CHARMING  ’collage’ of pictures  from his youth to present day,

for us to share….of his life, from 1931-2010!

(click on it, to see the detail, of his descriptives)

JOHN E. DICK MAYBERRY

1931

“Born in Peach Creek, West Virginia at home.

Moved to Ohio (Greasy Ridge) on my  Grandfather’s Brother’s farm-shortly after that

my Dad and his Brother decided to uproot me

and we headed to California in a MODEL T FORD!

It was the spring of 1932, the same time the Lindberg baby was kidnapped

so they were stopped many times for questioning.

After arriving in California, I spent most of my time living with my Dad, my Aunt,

and even a boarding school.

Spent alot of time at the movies and hanging out at 20th Century Fox Studio (Aunt worked there).

This went on until I was about 5 1/2…when my dad thought I would be better

with my Aunt and Uncle, back on the farm in Ohio.

I worked on the farm, and went to school for the next 6 years.

My train ride from CA to W.VA was very interesting and educational…

I traveled by MYSELF each time (from 6 thru 12 years of age).

School was a one room school house- 1 teacher, about 20 kids, grades 1-12.

After first grade, they moved us to a 2 story school….2 grades per room.

Never missed a day of school during these 6 years.

I was pretty active…a MARBLE CHAMP, runner up in spelling bee, and did well in track.

At the end of 6th grade, I returned to CA, to live with my Dad.

7th grade was interesting…I started at Horace Mann (Beverly HIlls)

and ended up moving to Willard  Jr. High, at Berkley, and then Berkley High.

I was not a very good student 7-12 grade, but with the help of some great teachers…I made it!

Sports helped, most of the way…and I graduated in 1949.

The day after graduation, my  Dad told me we were driving back east again.

He had remarried and I now had a ‘step family’.

After arriving back in Ohio, my Dad thought it would be better for me to stay

and live with my Aunt an Uncle, who raised me on the farm.

I tried to enroll in college, but was turned down, because of my H.S. grades.

I did get into a business school and didn’t do bad…

got  a degree in Executive business, accounting and shorthand.

A new part of my life started.

I had a visitor one day on the farm…my real Mother came to see me.

I had never seen her… not even a picture!   She convinced me to move to a place called

Beech Bottom, W.VA. to live with her.

I did, but most of the time, I lived with my Aunt (mom’s sister)

Met alot of my new Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins…I was older than one of my Uncles!

During this time, I had lots of jobs, but ended up working in the coal mines and steel mills.

It was hard to find a job because I was 1A n the draft…but because of my baseball skills, they hired me.

They belonged to a semi pro league.

Then my favorite uncle came along…

“We want YOU, SAM!”

It was Uncle Sam, and I was drafted by the army.

****************************

Another new part of my life began!

I had 2+ years in the army from South Carolina to Texas, Washington to Japan,

and finished up in Korea.

I was there for 2 winters and also the night the TRUCE was signed.

I played on championship football and cross country teams while in Korea.

Returned to the States in 1954, and went back to W.VA to work in the coal mines….

while playing baseball.

An umpire asked me what i was gong to do….he encouraged me to go to college

and helped me get a football scholarship at Marshall College –

this was the start of the path which got me where I am today.

Four years in college saved me.  In my freshman year, I played football…

but I was in a serious car wreck going home from school after the game,

which changed my lifestyle.

I was out of school from Thanksgiving to February, but my teachers were great,

sent work home,  and I made it thru the semester.

No more football, but I kept my scholarship.

Got involved in alot of school activities, Varsity baseball and cross country,

as well as student council, and was VP of my TKE fraternity.

My senior year of  college was outstanding…One of my Professors asked me to apply for

Graduate Assistant…it was late in the year, but I did.

The lab school on campus asked me if  I’d like to teach for them…they had an opening in

Boys and Girls P.E.  (grade 7-12) $100.00/mo!

I took the job as long as I could still stay in sports and my school activities.

They said yes, so I taught full time P.E., went to night school, and between sports, student council

and VP fraternity duties, and other clubs, i maintained a 3.5 GPA.

Then at the end of the year, I got a graduate assistant assignment.

I was accepted  at Ohio University as a swimming coach,

and freshman baseball coach.  Taught P.E. and did Counseling.

Took one year and my summer writing my thesis

and graduated in the 1960 class.

Was unable to stay at Ohio U, because you could only be a grad assistant for one year,

but they helped me get a job in the Cincinnati Public School System.

My first year teaching in high school:  (Woodward High 1960-1964)

health and drivers ed, varsity coach cross country, QB football assistant, assistant varsity

and head JV basketball coach, head baseball coach.

Great experience!

California – was traveling around the country, interviewing people for teaching positions.

I took 4 different interviews at 4 different districts.

I chose Anaheim and was assigned to Western High as drivers training teacher.

The following year, Kennedy opened.

I liked it…John Hackett and Roy Taketa encouraged me to apply.

I make it as a DET teacher.

One day Mr. Mac called me into his office and told me my driving record was so bad at Western,

that he was making me a Counselor!

So here I am- I’ve taught D.E., P.E., The “A” team, while being a counselor,

spent 35 of the greatest  years as a member of the Kennedy Staff…(never absent).

Also coached basketball and in the summer, coached swimming

and ran the Rec. program at Los Coyotes.

I retired at JFK…went to N. Carolina and taught for 3 years…

went back to W. VA and subbed. then to N. CA.

Prior to deciding  that we would be doing a biographical profile on Coach Mayberry,

we had asked him to fill out the FACULTY Q/A.

we’d like to share parts of it with you…

*****************

Spouse/partner/children/grandchildren: 2 daughters Chrisa and Carey (Savanna graduates). 3 grandchildren   Cassidey, Joshua, Nolan. partner  Pat Irvine

Q:  Please tell us about your life today: Living in Berkley.  (went to high school in Berkley) Still teaching (sub) and doing basketball camps around the country. Go to Final Four every year for the past 32 years in a row.  Board member of a group called “HOOP HISTORIANS”  (we support basketball and work with youth) check us out http://www.hoophistorians.com/

SPECIAL MEMORIES:

- 2 trips to Ireland with the band-helping to put on the PEP assemblies.

- Playing the GREEN HORNET, Tinkerbell and others.

- Getting MAC to dress up and dance “Irish jig”

- The women teachers dressing up as football players

- The male teachers dressing up as drill team or cheerleaders

- Winning the CIF basketball title-being a counselor to a great group of JFK students

- Working with the best teachers and counselors in the district

I still like to wear GREEN…especially on Fridays.The school spirit at KENNEDY was great!!!

Becky also shared this really special insight into the DEEP AFFECTION

that Mr. C and Coach John Mayberry continued to have

for their beloved JFK High  School….

“I think the one thing that most of our alums wouldn’t know is that both of them really loved the school.

Being on staff at Kennedy, wasn’t just a job assignment….

Even after retirement, I’d see them at the football games on field, totally engrossed in the game….

it’s like being FAMILY… so even when Kami was a  cheerleader, I’d just smile inside with the memory of them, being at the games, cheering on the team too.

They loved the school…”

******************************************

Upper pic:  Mayberry, Mr. C.. Mr. Montalban and Coach Tom Wallace.

Lower pic:  Mayberry, Mr. MacPherson, Mr. C. , Rose MacPherson, Coach Tom Wallace.

Mr. Mayberry and Mr. C. at tram:  palm springs

Naomi, Robin and I had the pleasure of having lunch with Coach Mayberry

a few months ago, and he shared a multitude of wonderful stories about Kennedy,

Mr. Mac, and fellow faculty members….

but the most poignant, touching, and meaningful  thing of all,

was when he brought out  his “Notebook”…filled with pictures, the bio/eulogy,  and memories of his ‘beloved brother’…Mr.C.

He carries it with him ALWAYS…. just as he continues to carry his friend, in his heart.

In 2009, for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,  there was a 25th anniversary performance

of a song, written by Paul Simon and  released in January of 1970.

This  Simon and Garfunkel classic topped the charts for 6 weeks upon release,

and it was performed that evening, by the two men who made it famous.

**************

The beautiful lyrics, so perfectly express the type of friendship that existed between Mr. ‘C’ and the ‘Coach’.

“….When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you

I’ll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down….”

-paul simon-

******************

It seemed a fitting way to end this post….and we’d like to dedicate it to

Coach JOHN MAYBERRY, in honor of the memory of his ‘brother’,

and our friend….“Mr. C”…

“… our lives are streams flowing into the same river towards whatever heaven

lies in the mist beyond the falls.

Find the joy in your life,  my dear friend…

close your eyes and let the waters take you home….”

-adapted from The Bucket List-

(the Duck had a significant meaning  in their friendship, and Coach Mayberry shared that he and Mr. C would often send duck cards, or other such gifts)

“And so, coach…this one’s for you….’your dear friend…… has  found his way home’….”

-r g s-

Have you found Joy in your life?

Has your life brought Joy to others?

BOTH of these men, most assuredly,  can answer,  with a resounding

YES, to BOTH of those questions…

“aaah….yes, absolutely……YES, indeed…”

With deepest affection, and IRISH love,

reiko and debi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COACH MAYBERRY!!!

Coach John Mayberry…Sept. 26, 1931

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

~ by jFK Class of '70 Family Reunion on September 28, 2010.

Posted in Faculty Profiles