 On The Line -- Issue 684 -- April 25, 2008  Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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On The Line -- Issue 684 -- April 25, 2008 Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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It is always good to hear from an old friend, especially one who has not been in touch except through Christmas cards in years, so it was a pleasant surprise over the weekend to get a call from Dean Twist at his home in Lucerne.
Dean, it will be remembered, was a teacher a San Benito High School for 25 years from the late 1960s. He taught English and for awhile was adviser to the staff the school's newspaper, The Baler. He arrived in town about the same time as Mike Sullens, Gary Van Gerpen, Jill Clark and Jim Allen. They formed close friendships and Dean said that Sullens and Allen have visited him, Sullens from Hollister, and Allen from Oregon. Returning from vacation to his Wisconsin home one summer in the 1970s, he brought with him his wife, the former Joy Tyrol, who acknowledged that she had a crush on him since she was a girl. She fit right into the social life here and made many, many friends. They were among the first members of the congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church and widened their circle of friends there. In the meantime, they became parents of David Twist, who shares his father's middle name of Wesley. He was born in September of 1975, and brought much joy to his parents. They dutifully went to his school events, cheered him on the soccer team, and taught him all the basics of a decent life. Dean, with the help of a number of his friends, converted an abandoned school on Highway 25 into a comfortable home. He took pride in his handiwork and stinted no time or labor into making it as comfortable as possible. Dean retired from teaching and became a handyman around town. His knowledge of carpentry, electricity and plumbing were assets and he charged fees that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Then tragedy struck. One day Joy Twist suffered a sudden heart attack that proved fatal. Dean and their son bore up bravely under the blow but an essential part of their life was gone forever. Friends and relatives tried to console them but the loss of a wife and mother takes time to be bearable. Every room, every corner of their home held memories that at times were almost overwhelming. But life goes on. Dean eventually sold the house that he had lovingly converted and where mother, son and father had lived so happily. He went back to Wisconsin to visit family members for awhile before returning to Hollister. He moved away about seven or eight years ago and had lived in several places before settling in Lucerne. During the weekend telephone conversation he inquired about a number of old friends with whom he has lost touch. Dean was surprised when he learned that The Free Lance ceased to be a daily newspaper earlier this year when it turned into a semi-weekly. He was pleased to learn that Mark Paxton, a former student of his who had been the newspaper's editor is now the publisher of The Pinnacle. Dean knows quite a bit about history and in his youth served on the Roger Taney, a Coast Guard ship named after the mid-19th Century Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Taney had been among those ships that came under Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. As a matter of fact, it was the last of those ships still in active service until it was decommissioned years after Dean had served on it. It was a great conversation and stirred many memories. On Wednesday, April 23, Bill Coburn and I had coffee together at the Starbucks' coffee shop near Nob Hill. He is a native Hollister resident who returned to his hometown after years away. Much of his career has been given over to aerospace and he is a former member of the Apollo team that helped put men on the moon. He holds a number of patents for his inventions in the field, and is a former practicing magician. Much of the conversation Wednesday was about popular songs of the early 1940s (we're both in our 70s) and some current books. Bill is a well-read man and speaks intelligently on many subjects. After a bit, Larry and Margaret Rebecchi came in. They had not met Coburn so introductions were made and they sat down at the next table. Margaret was among the moving forces in arranging a mass citizenship ceremony at Veterans' Memorial Building some years back. She and a number of other persons looked for people who had lived in the United States for year without taking out citizenship papers. They persuaded them to do so, then helped them learn facts about the United States and its government. When the ceremony was conducted by Representative Sam Farr, he acknowledged her leadership in "opening broader vistas to many residents than they had previously enjoyed." She characteristically downplayed her contribution and gave much credit to others on the committee. Larry Rebechhi noted that a close friend, Monsignor Thomas Morgan, a retired priest and former pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Tres Pinos, will turn 99 in August. Since leaving San Benito County some years back after assisting in clerical duties at Sacred Heart Church, he has resided at a nursing home in Los Banos. The Rebecchis often visit him and also keep touch by telephone. "His birthday is going to be a big affair because so many people love him," Margaret said. On the following day I ran across Ruth Erickson while shopping in Save Mart, formerly Albertson's, when a smiling lady suddenly embraced me. It was Kathy Gotchal, formerly Kathy Colon, whom I had not seen for several years. The two ladies did not know each other so I introduced them and the conversation turned into reminiscences of the early days of The Pinnacle two decades ago. Kathy is not much different from what she had been except she seems to have more dimples. She still smiles as much as she had. |
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