High School Memories of 1973

 

What Have You Been Doing? - Please send us a few sentences about you and your life for the past 50 years and any memories you may have about Grant High School to reunion@grantclassof73.com and we will post them on this page.  Thanks.

 

Classmates:

Michael Kolber

 

Gloria Van Lydegraf

I am living, healthily and happily, in a small town in Oregon. After graduation from Grant, I joined the Air Force and was based in Northern California, where I raised two daughters. I got a degree in nutrition from Chico State and worked for the WIC Program for 27 years  before retiring and moving north. I recently became a master gardener, and volunteer with the American Red Cross.

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Debbie Hill Zahavi
I’m not in the yearbook I never made it to picture day any of the years I attended Grant which was all of 10th grade t(1970) to the 1st half of 11th grade, I then transferred to Polytechnic High and graduated 1973, I have attended most of the Grant reunions and will attend this year, with many of my lifetime friends I have kept throughout the years. I always have good memories of my time at Grant. I was a travel agent for many years and after 9-11 retired and went to animal training classes I became a certified animal trainer and volunteered at shelters to help dogs get adopted. I received many rewards and honors for my services in Ventura County. Nowadays I just Foster and have 3 rescue dogs of my own at my home in Thousand Oaks CA with my husband of 32 years, Doron Zahavi.  Both my sons are married and live nearby with my grandchildren.  Looking forward to seeing everyone!

 

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Laurie Green

After graduating from Grant, I attended Los Angeles Valley College for three years. I earned my Associate of Arts degree in Secretarial Science. I then worked in various clerical and secretarial positions for the Los Angeles Community College District at the administrative offices. I retired in December 2016 after 40 years.
 
I've spent my retirement years traveling both domestically and internationally. 
 
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion.

 

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Linda (Lindy) Pritchard (Rich)
Still doing hair after all these years! I am always grateful for the day I went to career day and met Mr. Barak. He guided me to a new program where I was bussed from Grant to West Valley everyday to go to beauty school. I was 16. And today, although I no longer physically live in California, I fly back to work for 5 days every 6 weeks. So semi-retired…
 
I sold my house at Malibou Lake almost 4 years ago (3 days before the Woolsey fire ravaged the area) and set out in our RV to travel this beautiful country (with a few trips to Europe in between since my husband is from there). It’s been an incredible journey, dictated by weather, government shutdowns, the pandemic, you can’t imagine the things that can change the course of our travels!
 
As I’m writing this, I’m in Asheville, No. Carolina. Definitely our favorite town so far. We were here 3 years ago. My clients always ask me if I settle somewhere, where would it be. Asheville definitely checks all our boxes. Great restaurants, a low key nightlife, rivers, lakes, lots of hiking and biking, fall foliage right now, an artsy, hippie vibe but also the largest house in the country so also kind of upscale. But the best part is the people. Everyone is really nice. The only bad thing is it's all the way across the country and far from my wonderful 33 year old son and my best friends.

 

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Gerald Miller
After college (UCLA), I spent three and a half years working as a Congressional aide on Capitol Hill, then returned to California, where I practiced law for the past 35+ years.  Some highlights of my legal career have been appearing three times before the California Supreme Court, and working on cases involving Monica Lewinsky, Johnnie Cochran, and the boy that sued Michael Jackson.

 

Your Update Here - send your update to reunion@grantclassof73.com and we will post it here

Check out the Valley Relics website for a great nostalgic trip to the San Fernando Valley of our youth and the Wikipedia page about Grant High School.

Cost of Living 1973

Yearly Inflation Rate - 6.16% 

Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average- 850 Average 

Cost of new house - $32,500

Average Income per year - $12,900

Minimum Wage - $1.60 per hour

Average Monthly Rent - $175

Cost of a Gallon of Gas - 36 cents 

New Ford Automobile - $4,157 

A Dozen Eggs - 45 cents 

Milk - $1.42 a Gallon

First Class Postage Stamp - $.08

Top News Stories of the Year

* Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), announce they will restrict flow of crude oil to countries supporting Israel on October 17th causing price of oil to increase by 200%

* Alaska Oil Pipeline bill is passed to allow construction of a pipeline to access oil from the North Slope of Alaska

* Roe v. Wade makes abortion a US constitutional right

* Chrysler and other US car makers close a number of plants affecting 100,000 workers

* US Troops withdrawn from Vietnam and U.S. involvement in Vietnam War ends with the signing of peace

* World Trade Center in New York becomes the tallest building in the world

* Watergate Hearings begin in the United States Senate and President Richard Nixon tells the nation , “I am not a crook.”

* Armed members of the American Indian Movement and their supporters seize the old town of Wounded Knee in South Dakota

* In a Tennis Match billed as the battle of the sexes Mrs Billy Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs

* Secretariat Wins Triple Crown first winner for 25 years

* The wide ranging Endangered Species Act of 1973 is signed into law to "protect species and the ecosystems upon which they depend."

* The Mississippi River reaches its peak level in St. Louis during a record 77-day flood.