The Chinese Graveyard

This morning I had a text from Priscilla Pryor Garrett wondering how many of us remember "the Chinese Graveyard".  In the course of the last week it seems that the Express News had published an article about the cemetery whose actual name is Loma China.  If you have a subscription to The Express News you can read the article here.  If you don't subscribe, there is another online article about the cemetery at Ghost City Tours. 

Whenever a group of my teenage friends were out cruising around the Harlandale area 60 years or so ago, it seems there was always someone who wanted to go to the Chinese Graveyard.  Personally, I was afraid of the dark so I was never the one who suggested a visit there but there was always someone who did.  Anytime a group was loaded in Bob Gill's car, it seems as though we always ended up there.

Some seem to remember a visit when David Young fell into a grave, but I didn't see that, probably because I would never get out of the car and prowl around the cemetery at night.

For those of you who remember childhood visits to Loma China, I just thought you would enjoy a trip down memory lane.  The two articles with links above also include lots of photographs.

Another Little Birthday Celebration

Since we've had very little news or information in a while, I thought I would share a few photos from the little "socially distant" birthday party for Bonnie Hannan Dugi in September.

Bonnie 

A few little trinkets

                     

Bonnie and daughter Adana

And a few more old Harlandale friends were there too, some of whom didn't get in any pictures, but here are John & Shirley.

John & Shirley Moore May

I won't say how old Bonnie was on this birthday, but if you went to Harlandale with us and graduated in 1963, I'm sure you can work it out.

Fun With Old HHS Friends in 2019

This morning I had a little note from Anita Roberts. Thoughts of when we will be able to leave our safe spots and have a little get together with old friends was mentioned but who knows when that will be possible. I told Anita I'm definitely hoping Covid-19 will be behind us by 2021 so maybe we will be able to enjoy the Parade of Lanterns again.

Last year, we accidentally discovered that San Antonio now has a Parade of Lanterns on the river with floats of sculpted lanterns in the oriental style. It is part of a local celebration of the Chinese New Year that began about five years ago. Mary Nutt, Bonnie Dugi and I decided to have dinner on the patio of the Mexican Manhattan downtown on a fairly quiet section of the river and enjoy the parade.

We had a wonderful evening thanks to fairly mild weather and heaters on the patio.

We were joined by Bonnie's daughter Adana and granddaughter Cheyenne. At the end of the evening everyone was in agreement that it was an excellent outing and we would be ready to sit on the Mexican Manhattan's patio again next year for the 2021 parade.

We'll just have to hope that this pandemic is under control by early 2021 and we can do this again with a few more old freinds. All the while keeping our fingers crossed that the masses don't discover this great event and it remains an uncrowded, peaceful evening on the San Antonio River.

R.I.P. our old friend Tina Girouard

Priscilla Pryor Garrett let me know this week that Tina Girouard passed away at her home in Louisiana in April, 2020. Tina may not have been a part of the Class of 1963 but was just a year younger and memories of Harlandale High School as well as Terrell Wells Jr. High are filled with Tina's presence.

The following is a brief biography of Tina from her obituary online at McCann-Healey Funeral Home.

TINA'S OBITUARY

Cynthia “Tina” Marie Girouard passed away on April 21, 2020 at her home in Cecilia, Louisiana. She was 73 years old. Tina was born in DeQuincy, Louisiana and was educated at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. A distinguished multi-disciplinary artist, she is internationally recognized for installation works, performances, video/film and static works made of traditional as well as non-traditional media such as wallpaper, fabric, sequins. There's another photo of Tina I borrowed from her obituary -

The New York Times has also published a more in-depth article in honor of Tina's passing. See Tina Girouard, Experimental Artist in the 1970s SoHo.

Obituary of Barbara Bailey Blake

Barbara Bailey attended Terrell Wells Junior High in addition to Harlandale High School. Her 2017 obituary was only recently discovered by Shirley Moore May. The following is that obituary as published by Sunset Funeral Home:

Barbara Blake, age 72, went to be with the Lord on October 21, 2017 in San Antonio, TX. She was born on August 6, 1945 in Corpus Christi, TX to Charles & LaVerne Kunce. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend who will be dearly missed. With the exception of a few years as an office administrator, most of her life was dedicated to her family and especially her grandchildren. She loved “those girls” as she often referred to them. They were the light of her life.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and LaVerne Kunce and her son Dennis Blake.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Charlie Blake; daughter, Tracy Kosub; granddaughters Sierra and Allison Kosub; sister Janet Bailey (Kenneth) Waco, Tx; brother Dale Kunce (Diana), numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

Barbara's funeral service was held on Monday, October 30, 2017 at Sunset Funeral Home Chapel with interment at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Final blast from Terrell Wells

I've finally come to the end of the Terrell Wells photos contributed by Jackie Wright and here they are:

If anyone out there has a trove of school photos from other Harlandale School District junior highs, we'd love to post them here.

Another Departed Classmate - Keith Moore

The obituary of Keith Moore as published on the website of Sunset Northwest Funeral Home of San Antonio.

Michael Keith Moore of San Antonio passed away on Sunday, August 26, 2018, at the age of 73 surrounded by his loved ones. Michael was born on February 4, 1945 in San Antonio, TX where he lived his whole life. Michael is survived by his wife, Deborah of 44 years; their two children, Chad Moore and wife, Laura of Karnes City, TX and Jennifer Moore of San Antonio, TX; grandchildren, Kortney, Kori, and Mason (Chad) and Everly Scarlett (Jennifer); siblings James Moore (Cathey) and Gayle Bilir; brother-in-law Randall Hartley (Teri); and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Michael was predeceased by his parents, Elliott Elias and Katherine Lilly (Roach) Moore.

After graduating from Harlandale High School, he joined the United States Marine Corps and received a medal in recognition of Good Conduct. Upon Michael’s return home, he was drafted into the United States Army where he was stationed with the 135th ATM in Vietnam. Michael was a helicopter gunner while he was in Vietnam. He received multiple medals for expert marksmanship, a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal.

Michael was an amazing and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He loved spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Michael’s wife and children always looked to him for guidance and support for even the smallest of help in solving problems. He was their hero, protector, biggest fan, and supporter. Michael’s greatest enjoyment was his grandchildren, from teaching Kortney, Kori, and Mason to swim, watching them play sports, and teaching Kortney and Kori how to drive in school parking lots or empty backroads. One of his greatest joys the last two years was watching his youngest granddaughter, Everly Scarlett grow. All he wanted was to be able to sit on the back porch to watch her play as he did with his three oldest grandchildren.

Michael will be lovingly remembered for enjoying so many things in life. He loved singing old country and western music, especially Johnny Cash. He enjoyed watching NASCAR, the Dallas Cowboys, and college football, most especially the Longhorns and Aggies. He was an avid FOX News watcher. He enjoyed good food and his favorite sweet treat was strawberry iced donuts from Shipley’s. Keith's memorial service was held on September 8, 2018 at Talley Road Baptist Church in San Antonio.

Passing of Alvin Moore

Sorry we're a little late in reporting this, but the passing of several of our classmates over the last couple of years has just come to our attention. I'm going to begin with the most recent which is that of Alvin Moore who passed away here in San Antonio in February. The following is his obituary as published by Mission Park Funeral Chapels on their website.

Obituary for Alvin R. Moore

Alvin R. Moore age 75 of San Antonio passed peacefully on Monday, February 3, 2020. He was born October 17, 1944 in San Antonio to Johnnie and Elsie Moore. Al is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Bob Moore. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Vicky; his daughters, Kristi Moore and her significant other, Luis Gonzalez, and Heather Holden and her husband, Josh; and in-laws, nieces and nephews.

Al was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Southwest Texas State University where he met his wife, Vicky. They married shortly after they both graduated. He began work as a Claims Adjuster for State Farm Insurance and retired as a Claims Supervisor at Farmers Insurance. Al was a very loving husband and father who enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He loved to travel, particularly in the mountains of Colorado. Al enjoyed his work and he was a Dallas Cowboys football fan.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at the Fred J. Tips Chapel at Mission Burial Park North with interment at that cemetery.