ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP

The semi-annual editions of Panther POSTSCRIPTS list all graduates who have purchased a LIFE MEMBERSHIP.
Members of the Class of 1955 have been tablulated and can be viewed by clicking on the link.

Members of the Board
Kiki Arnaudo'59, Bill Bardet'41, Tom Chase'57, Judy Falk Chiasson'59,Peter Cleveland'58, Bob Cisna, Naomi Ziff Cisna'51, Jo-Ellen Arnaudo Ellis '58, Valerie Peterson Fick'58, Ted Glasgow'53, Arlene (Borelli) Hipsher'55, Carl Kuhe'58 (co-president), Jan Cohn Martin'49, Mike McQueen'53 (co-president), Doc Scheppler'34, Suzanne Stebenne Sullivan'53, Sandy Singer Waterman'53, Dennis Zell'86

Photo (left) is Alumni Association Co-President Mike McQueen '53 hosting the first annual BHS Alumni/Faculty luncheon, November 8, 2003

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Click here to view Page 1 of the Fall / Winter 2007 Panther Postscripts, published by the Burlingame High School Alumni Association. Page 1 contains the Principal's Letter, a significant document this edition.

Page 1 is a .PDF file and requires that you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. Adobe Reader is free and can be downloaded from the Internet.

IN MEMORIAM

RICHARD "DICK" DUNBAR and ANGELA DUNBAR

Late of San Bruno and San Mateo County residents for over 50 years, passed away at their home on July 9, 2006. Loving parents of Lorraine Burciaga (her husband, Ray), David Dunbar (his wife, Constance), William Dunbar, and Kenneth Dunbar (his wife, Cris). Richard was the dear brother of Ellen ReMay; Angela was the dear sister of Joseph and Ray Pietrzak. Cherished grandparents of Lindsey, Kathryn, Steven, and Dennis. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Richard was born in New York City, age 74 years; and Angela was born in Dayton, Ohio, age 73 years.

Richard was retired as Postmaster for Burlingame and Daly City Post Offices. Richard and Angela were both very active members in the American Legion Post 409 in San Bruno, and both served in various capacities over the years including other activities such as "Avenue of Flags" at Golden Gate National Cemetery; Boys & Girls State; Past Commanders Club; Retired Postmasters; and Burlingame High School Alumni Association.

Memorial Services will take place on Tuesday, July 18th at 1:00 p.m. at the Chapel Of The Highlands, El Camino Real at 194 Millwood Drive in Millbrae. Interment will follow at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno.

Their family appreciates donations to The American Legion, San Bruno Post 409, 737 San Mateo Avenue, San Bruno, CA 94066. (650) 583- 1740.

(Ed. Dick and Angie were active supporters of the BHS Alumni Assn. They succumbed in a house fire.)

News from the Fall/Winter '06 Edition

Principal's Letter (Matt Biggar)

Greetings alumni. We have had a successful start to our school year. We started early on August 16th. For the first time, students will finish first semester before winter break. No more worrying about final exams or working to finish final projects during the winter holiday break for our students. We have over 1350 students again this year. We are piloting a seven period day this year. With the additional period during the day now, students can opt to take an elective class, an academic support class or have an open period in which they can do some of their homework. We also have an Academic Center that offers tutoring services during the seventh period and after school in our Library. With the seven period day, we have added some new courses to our curriculum such as Advanced Placement Art History, College Writing and new academic support classes. We are busy expanding options for our students at BHS.

We are in the last year of our facility modernization project. The expected completion date of our Main Building renovation is during the Spring semester. At that point, we will begin to orchestrate our move back into the building to be ready for the start of the 2006-07 school year. Returning to our Main Building will be an important moment in our school history. As you know, our historic Main Building opened when the school started in 1923. The building will have updated classrooms and office space, making it ready to take our school through many years of student learning in the twenty-first century. The historic exterior and feel of the building will remain. Our school community is eager to return to our Main Building.. It will help us reconnect to our school's wonderful history while inspiring the next level of academic excellence at Burlingame High.

We continue to experience success on the academic front. Our API, Academic Performance Index, rose for the fourth year in a row. This index is the statewide measure for school performance, based on students' performance in Math, Science, Social Science and English standard based exams (STAR testing program). Our score is now a 797, just 3 points shy of 800, the statewide standard for exemplary. This continued progress reflects the strong efforts of our staff and students.

Additionally, Newsweek Magazine has recently published their ranking of high schools across America. As in 2003, we are ranked in the top two-percent of high schools nationwide. This current ranking is based on the number of Advanced Placement tests taken by our students in 2004 divided by the number of graduating seniors in 2004. We rank at number 402 nationwide. Our ratio is 1.742, meaning that the equivalent of 1.742 tests were taken for every graduating senior. Students take Advanced Placement tests towards the end of their enrollment in Advanced Placement courses. These courses are very rigorous courses taught at the college level in the high school setting. We offer a wide variety of these courses to students.

Richard Herman Hanson '53
2005 Alumnus of the Year

The 2005 Burlingame High School Alumnus of the year is Richard Herman Hanson, class of 1953. See Alumnus of the Year Award page on this website.

Alumni Association Co-Presidents' News

It's finally taking shape, and the school is beginning to look like the school we all knew many years ago. The classrooms have all been enlarged, new windows put into place, lighting is new and improved as well as the heating and air conditioning. There is still work to be done and it will be next year before completion. There was a minor set back at the school in August. A fire broke out one afternoon the in northeast section of the school. Heat from a welding torch traveled up the wooden supports and ignited the attic. Ironically, it was when the workers were installing the sprinkler system.

It's a little early now, but the City of Burlingame has formed a committee for the 100th Anniversary as a city. Your Association has been approached to help with the festivities. Jo-Ellen Ellis will be our representative. The plan is to have a yearlong celebration beginning in 2007.

One hundred years ago, Anson Burlingame, who was the U.S. Ambassador to China, stopped by to visit his good friend William Ralston. He liked the area so much that on his return to Washington he purchased 100 acres from Ralston, who called it Burlingame. So for an overnight stay he got a city named for himself.

Many of you may have followed the career of Drew Shiller who graduated in June 2005. Not only did he carry a 4.19 G.P.A., but captained and started in all three major sports. He was picked as California Male Athlete of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports. He is the first ever San Mateo County athlete to earn such an award. Drew earned 10 varsity letters and was honored by the school, when all three of his numbers were retired in a surprise ceremony at the end of the year.

News from the Spring/Summer '05 Edition

Principal's Letter (Matt Biggar)
...We are in a schoolwide self study through 2005 at BHS. In this process we have noted a number of areas of progress for our students over the past three years. The percentage of our graduating seniors going directly to four-year colleges has increased from 51% in 2002 to 59% in 2004.

Our students in the class of 2006 are the first group of students required to pass the High School Exit Exam to earn a diploma in a California high school. Ninety-four percent of them passed this exam in their first attempt in March 2004, a remarkable achievement.

To prepare more students for advanced education and challenging careers, we are providing high-level academic courses for all of our students. For example, student enrollment in Biology has increased from 352 students (Fall 2003) to 446 students (Fall 2004). Student performance in Biology also improved during this time period, as students receiving grades C and above increased from 77% in Fall 2003 to 81% in Fall 2004.

Finally, the Academic Performance Index, or API, is the primary measure for school performance in the state of California. The API is based on student performance on the High School Exit Exam and California State Standards Tests. Our API has increased over the last three years by a total of 34 points to 779. The largest level for all schools is 800, which is considered exemplary.

Notes from BHS Alumni Association co-Presidents Mike McQueen'53 and Carl Kuhe
If you visit Burlingame High School soon, you will be asking yourself, "What is going on?" Looking at the back side of the main building you will see a throughly vacant and gutted structure - a building with no classrooms, no windows, no stairs, and no entrances. From the front you see a building with four columns standing tall and proud. School officials say construction will be done by December of this year. The Library and Math/Science/Music building are finished and in use. When all is completed you will see a beautiful new campus.

On Thursday, November 5, 2005 we will celebrate our third Burlingame "Bash" Alumni/Faculty luncheon at the San Mateo Elks Lodge on 20th Avenue. This year, Principal Matt Biggar will give a state-of-the-campus address on the progress of the reconstruction...Its a fun day and a great way to get together with old school chums...For $20 you get a great lunch and share wonderful memories....Spouses and guests are invited, too!

This Spring we will be awarding a scholarship and sponsoring several students to leadership seminars. We have participated in the Boys State program (Sacramento) sponsored by American Legion Post #409 in San Bruno. Last year, for the first time, we sent a girl to Girls State in Ontario. To qualify for the scholarship, the student must be the son or daughter, or grandchild, of a BHS graduate and be accepted to a four-year college. Finally, we are sponsoring three students who will participate in Leadership Seminars at Stanford University.

Italian Language
Burlingame High School is the only school in the area that teaches the Italian language, with two teachers and 350 students.

BHS Athletic Hall of Fame
Prior to the 77th Little Big Game, eight former athletes and a soccer team were inducted into the Hall of Fame. They were:
C.E. "Swede" Righter (deceased): coached football, track, and swimming, and taught history
Frank Carillo'41 (deceased): lettered in football, basketball, and baseball
Peter Fena'41: four years varsity football
Keith Sperry'47 (deceased): football
Jack Mills'49: four years golf, team captain, never lost a match
Eliot Downing'51 (deceased): football
Benson Lloyd'51: track and football
Steve Connolly'68: basketball
Soccer Team: First Central Coast Section champion team at BHS. 1996-1997.

San Mateo Times Annual Sports Hall of Fame
On June 23, 2005, twins Ed and Dick Hansen'53 (both deceased) will be honored for their outstanding dedication to teaching and coaching in their community. Also being inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame is Mark Walen'83, and Clyde Devine'30.

News from the Fall/Winter '04 Edition

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE. BHS Principal, Matt Biggar, reports that the two new classroom buildings were ready for school opening in September. The new facilities include state-of-the-art science labs, math rooms, music room, and a fabulous library. The Alumni Association and a host of other groups and individuals worked hand-in-hand to make the library a thing of functionality and beauty. Phase 2 of construction is renovation of the old Main Building. Student enrollment is about 1350.

Principal Biggar also reports that academic performance continues to improve. The last rating was 780 on the Academic Performance Index, an increase of 7 points over last year. The past three years have shown increases and the school's goal is 800, the minimum for exemplary schools.

ALUMNI ASSN SCHOLARSHIP. The first BHS Alumni Scholarship of $1000 was awarded to Daniel Clark Rogers, Class of 2004.

ALUMNI/RETIRED FACULTY LUNCHEON. The second annual luncheon will again be held at the San Mateo Elks Club, Saturday Nov. 6, 2004.

LIFE MEMBERSHIPS. 515 Life Memberships in the BHS Alumni Assn have been issued, including 63 since the last issue of Panther Postscripts. The Class of 1955 has 25 Life Members, an increase of 3 over the last report.

News from the Spring/Summer '04 Edition

BHS Principal Matt Biggar is predicting the new Library and Math/Science/Music buildings will be ready for the Fall semester, 2004.

The Alumni Association is looking for a 'rep' from each class to be liaison between the Assn and their class. Contact Jan Martin at the BHS Alumni Association, One Mangini Way, Burlingame CA 94010

Life Memberships: 452 life memberships have been paid with 99 added since the last newsletter.

Boys and Girls State Program: BHS sends a delgate to each. The Alumni Assn now funds sending an additional delegate to each.

Alumni and Retired Faculty Luncheon. Last year's first Luncheon was a big success. The second will be held November 6, 2004 at the Elks Club in San Mateo.

Burlingame Intermediate School is 50 years old this year.A celebration will be held May 1, 2004.

Nominiations are being received for the BHS Sports Hall of Fame. The 2004 Hall of Fame 'presentations and pancake breakfast' will be held at 9 am at BHS preceding the Little Big Game on November 11, 2004. The 2004 Little Big Game will be at San Mateo; kickoff at 11 AM.

Golf Tournament: The BHS Athletic Booster Club and the BHS Alumni Assn will jointly sponsor a golf tournament at Green Hills Country Club on October 11, 2004.

Jim Edwards '69 has been named the 2003 Alumnus of the Year. He is a Captain in the Burlingame Fire Department. Jim is a baseball guy and has supported the construction and maintenance of the varsity and frosh/soph diamonds. He installed the new electronic sign board at the entrance to the football field. He and his wife ran the snack bar from 1995 until 2000. He worked with sports boosters to get new scoreboards installed in the main gym. The list of his efforts goes on and on.

Carl Kuhe and Mike McQueen continue as Co-Presidents of the Association.

Grace Mangini, wife of Vic Mangini, passed away in August '03.

Construction and remodeling of campus buildings continues. The new Library and Music/Science/Math buildings are to be ready for the 2004-2005 school year, and when they are ready for occupancy, the entire main building will be renovated.

Forty reels of 19 mm films created from 1930 to 1957 were discovered in a classroom cabinet. The films have been sorted into decades (30s, 40s, 50s) and have been copied to VHS tapes. They are available from the Alumni Association, $15 each, or $10 for "Live" (life) Members. : )

News from the Spring/Summer '03 Edition

Burlingame High School Sports Hall of Fame - New Inductees

Howard Stern '32 - all sports
George Trolesi '40 - football
Bill Offield '49 - baseball
Gus Suhr '50 - baseball
Dr. Richard Van Der Beets '50 - track
Jim Van Der Beets '52 - track
Pam Truscott White '66 - swimming
Ernest Sheppler '72 - baseball
David Steil '74 - track
1957 Basket Ball Team that went to the NorCal Championship (lost to champion Poly High of San Francisco)

BHS Christmas Ornament - a replica of BHS is available at John Chiapelone's Burlingame Garden Center, $65. Call (650) 3443539.

BHS Boys Golf Team - a gift from the Alumni Assn helped send the team to a prestigious golf tourney in Hawaii.

Varsity Football - if the varsity team wins the 2003 Little Big Game, they will tie the 1952 Varsity record of seven straight wins over San Mateo. The 1952 team included standouts Bob DeGrant, Hank Loumena, George Cantaloub, Ed and Dick Hansen, Dick Stein, Augie Tassen, and others.

BHS Alumni Golf Tournament - Friday June 27, 2003, Poplar Creek Golf Course (formerly Coyote Point). Call (650) 591-3194.

Alumni Association Financial Report - Last year the BHS Endowment Committee was merged with the Alumni Association. That merger, along with the sales of Lifetime Memberships have yielded combined assets of over $61,000. These funds support teacher requests, Little Big Game costs, the Sports Hall of Fame, and various awards.

Burlingame High School Has A New Principal
Burlingame High School's new principal is Matt Biggar. Before coming to BHS he worked as a teacher and administrator at Palo Alto High School for eight years. There he taught Economics and History for five years, and most recently served as Dean of Students and Assistant Principal for Instructional Services. Mr. Biggar replaces Gerald "Gerry" C. Arrigoni who has retired.

Campus Modernization Project
The campus modernization project has begun. Twelve temporary classrooms are now located on the field next to the tennis courts. They accommodate the classes moved from the Music Building and surrounding portable buildings that will be removed during the winter break. The Music Program is now located in the cafeteria building. Construction on the new library and math/science/music building will begin in the spring. The new Spanish-style buildings will create a pleasant quad-like area amongst the century-old redwood trees behind the main building. The project will eventually expand to modernizing the inside of the main building. The entire project will take four years. In the end, the beautiful historic appearance of the buildings will be preserved.

Endowment Committee and Alumni Association Merger
The BHS Endowment Committee (formerly known as the 50th Anniversary Committee has been merged with the BHS Alumni Association. The main purpose of the combined organization is to support the needs of Burlingame High School.

Mel Moore, Class of 1947, Alumnus of the Year - 2002
Captain Mel Moore, United States Navy (ret.) is this year's recipient of the Alumnus of the Year Award. See Alumnus of the Year Awards page on this website.

News from the Spring/Summer '02 Edition

But not Vic Mangini. Vic went on to success in the halls of Burlingame High and the council chambers of the City of Burlingame. His illustrious career was capped recently when he was inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame and simultaneously had the street in front of the high school named after him -- Mangini Way.

After graduation from Burlingame High I did not see Vic again until 1979. Some 30 years had elapsed. I joined the local Rotary Club where Vic had been an active member for many years. During those intervening years Vic's high school teams had won 8 League titles in track and field. A young protoge of his, Jesse Undlin ('55), became the first prep in Northern California to pole vault over 13 feet. Vic was also instrumental in having lights installed at the Burlingame Football field. He was one of only two coaches accepted into the Burlingame Block B Society and was a charter member of the BHS Sports Hall of Fame. Vic retired from Burlingame High in 1980. In addition to his work as a football and track coach, he served as a teacher, Dean of Boys and Vice Principal.

If you thought Vic would now take life easy, you are sadly mistaken. He has been active for many years in city politics. He became a member of the Burlingame City Council in 1970 and was elected Mayor in 1972 (the first of 4 separate occasions). Throughout the years Vic maintained a dream about the beautification of Burlingame. He was the driving force behind cleanup Airport Boulevard and turning it into a park-like setting with an esplanade running along the bay. All the while he helped build a City balanced by a strong retail community, hotel taxes and single and multi-family homes. Busy? Yes - but he still found time to serve as Chairman of the C.A. Buck Educational Foundation as well as complete 37 years in the Air Force Reserve where he retired with the rank of Colonel. Vic still resides in Burlingame with his wife, Grace.

Who is Vic Mangini? The answer is simple. He is "Mr. Burlingame".
(Ed. note: Vic was Dean of Men for the Class of 1955, and he attended the Sunday brunch at our 45th Reunion.)

A school bond measure passed in November 2000 earmarks about $30 million to BHS. Five major priorities: (1) ADA access; (2) demolish music building and replace with Science/Technology/Music Pavilion; (3) replace all windows, wiring, and water pipes; (4) rehab the main building; and (5) misc. infrastructure.

In year 2000 Newsweek ranked BHS number 186 out of the thousands of high schools in the United States.