Rocket Man
Karen Grassle
Karen Ewing
Class reunions
40 years later
Brown Bag reunions
2002
Ventura High School Alumni Foundation
Be sure to vist the Blog, too
Links
Some are useful, some are just fun. Feel free to submit sites you'd like to see listed or let us know if a link doesn't work. We're trying to stay on top of them, but the Web changes every minute, so we can easily miss some. Enjoy -- and thanks for your help.
Useful
American Association of Retired Persons: Even if you're not a member, there are lots of helpful links to sites of special interest to, umm, people of our age. (It's officially called AARP now.)
Classmates.com: This is an attempt to get everyone who ever attended school so classmates looking for them can go to one location to find them. So far, the number of our classmates listed is small, but signing up is free. You have to pay if you want to be able to use the site's e-mail services, but it's free to look for names.
Computer Virus Myths Home Page: Almost everyone has received at least one urgent message, MOSTLY IN CAPS and with lots of !!!!!! about some new virus that will destroy our hard drives, kidnap our children and cause the end of the world. Before you panic and flood all your friends and acquaintances with a copy of the message, check here to see if it's true. Also covers lots of other computer myths about coming government actions,etc.
eBay: Looking to buy or sell? One of the first online auction houses.
Found Money Home Page: The people behind this site are all over radio and television talking about how many people have money just waiting for them in the form of forgotten bank accounts, tax refunds, etc. It doesn't cost you anything to look, and extra money is extra money.
Mozilla: If you want to replace your Internet Explorer or other Web browser, two free choices are Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox, both available for the popular operating systems. Get the details here.Social Security Administration: We all know about this one.
SeniorsSearch: A site designed with those 50 and over in mind. Information on sites aimed at this age group, bargains, etc. The sites immediately following are recommended by SeniorsSearch.
New Lifestyles Online: A complete guide to senior residences and care options, including a comprehensive list of all state-licensed nursing homes, assisted living and residential care facilities, and CCRCs as well as all Medicare-certified home health and hospice agencies for over 40 areas nationwide. All the information on the award-winning site is free.
OpenOffice.org: If you're looking for a free office suite that's compatabile with Microsoft Office, this is the place to go. There are versions for the Windows, Linux, Linux PPC, Mac OS X (X11) (1.0.3), Solaris: Sparc, and Intel systems.
Ventura County Computers: This Ventura computer store is the host for the venturahigh59.com domain name and is one of the two sites where a version of the Web page is maintained. Toby Scott, one of the partners, is the technical adviser for the Channel Islands PC Users Group (see link below). If you're in the market for a computer and live in the area, check here first. The other (VCNET) is listed under Ventura County links.
Ventura County Star: Formerly the Star-Free Press. Stories from all editions (Ventura County, Oxnard, Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks and Camarillo) are stored here. The new Web site is VenturaCountyStar.com.
Ventura County
Channel Islands National Park: The islands were there when we were in school. The National Park wasn't. If you've never been, or even if you have, check out the photos.
Channel Islands PC Users Group: John Weigle edits the newsletter, and the Web site has lots of useful links to help you solve your computer problems.
Corriganville: Ray "Crash" Corrigan starred in many Western movies and had a ranch in Santa Susana that was one of the state's first amusement parks. Many movies and TV shows were shot there, and the sets were open to the public, complete with gunfights and other attractions (even a post office). Corrigan sold to Bob Hope, the ranch was closed, and fires later destroyed the buildings. The land is now a park, and efforts are under way to restore some of its former glory. Check at this site to learn all about the glory days of one of my favorite Ventura County attractions.
Fillmore & Western Railway: Want to take a trip in an old rail car to see what is now called Heritage Valley (the Santa Paula-Fillmore-Piru area) or just to enjoy a special event on a train? This is the spot. You might also recognize some scenes from movies or TV shows.
Jungleland: I haven't found a site devoted only to Jungleland, a wild animal park that had many film and TV stars over the years (including Leo the Lion of MGM fame), but this one has some history. Another one, featuring columns by Rip Rense, tells the story of famed animal trainer Mabel Stark. You may remember that Jayne Mansfield's son was mauled at Jungleland before it closed. It's now the site of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.
Mission San Buenaventura: Without doubt, it's one of the county's most historic spots.
Rancho Camulos: This is one of several Web locations about the historic rancho, often said to be the source of the famed story "Ramona." Despite questions about the validty of that statement, it's still an interesting location.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum: The former president didn't have many ties to the county, but the site for his Presidential Library in Simi Valley was donated.
VCNET: This is the Internet Service Provider that was the first host of our page and the Ventura High School page. It was based in Camarillo but has been merged with IS West in Westlake Village. The URL for the class page remains the same, however. The link to the other host is above under Useful links.
FunDid you know there is another Ventura High School? It's in Ventura, Iowa. Click here for more information.
Decades of Prosperity -- The Fifties: Having trouble remembering the details of the '50s? Check here for everything from sports to the Mickey Mouse Club theme.
1450 The Boomer: In January 2001, radio station KVEN (1450 on the AM dial) changed its format from news-talk to rock 'n' roll. Program Director Lee Marshall, who ran the morning talk show after Dave and Bob moved to KVTA (1520 on the AM dial), said the talk shows on the Bush-Gore presidential election made him ashamed to be in talk radio and persuaded the KVEN management to change formats. The station, which had a long history of being the news-talk king in Ventura County, now calls itself "the heart and soul of rock and roll " and can be heard on the Internet through its Web site. You can also check out the KVTA programming on its Web site.
Walter Stiern Middle School Library (Bakersfield): The library compiled the Decades of Prosperity links above and has a lot of research links at this page. Far more than you might expect from what we called a junior high school.