Where have you been all these years…the last time I saw you, you were walking in the surf.

How can I contact you

Hi Lisa. Yes I was.....I started in the Fall of '79 but I was never a permanent teacher. 1982 was my last year teaching. Were you at Taft then?

@TaftHigh74 Yes! I remember you and had a crush on you, but you were a good man and told me never to call you by your first name :)

@@LisaLisaLisa1 Thank you, Lisa, I'm flattered ❤ I'm also glad I acted professionally 😂. I wasn't that much older than students at that point( I was around 25) and there were a lot of pretty girls at Taft. Temptation was everywhere! 😎

Thank you, Norma. It's so nice to hear from a former teacher since so few of you are still with us.😢 Anne Newman and Saul Rowen post on the Taft Facebook pages sometimes. If you're on Facebook you should check in. I know people would love to hear from you. I was in the Class of '74. I wasn't in any of your classes, but my best friend Mike Albarian was. I've created over 20 videos about Taft over the last few years. Here's where you can find them: kzbin.info/aero/PL9KAk4jiIZP4K80GQQwuNt9QwqgHBaygn Here's the link to the Class of '74 page-- facebook.com/groups/tafthighclassof1974 Stop by and say Hi! Bill

I remember you as Miss Kurkjian. I had her for English (pretty sure - or was it social studies. . I felt, for some bizarre reason, you seemed to think I held promise. Turns out I did become a writer (who knew?!) . I hope you're a fan of Ruthless People, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and My Cousin Vinny - all of which I wrote. (though Scoundrels was a remake, so I only take partial credit for that one). I remember you drove a red Corvette (or did you have the Blue one?) Such a pleasure to see you here.

@@dalelauner1965 Based on the date you were in one of my first classes right out of college and it probably was English. Loved Ruthless People and My Cousin Vinny. They were both hilarious and original. Congrats on a fruitful career. And, I had the red Corvette.

Yes, and many other productions- kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5ioYYFjpsyCqpI

I'm glad you liked it, Mark. The '73 teams (Varsity/JV) did play Locke in the preseason in '73 and also in '74. As you probably remember, the final 2-1 playoff loss vs Monroe in '73 was played at Balboa Park. 4 games were going on at the same time. One of the other games was Kennedy vs the Smith/Murray Locke team. (Kennedy won 4-3) So, 3 future Hall of Fame Players were playing on that day at the same park. There were a number of other future MLB players also playing that day. Here's an article about it: sabr.org/journal/article/baseball-at-sepulveda-dam-one-afternoon-three-hall-of-famers/

Of course I remember the playoff game. It was a tough loss. Coach O was pissed off and told us so during the short, but uncomfortable bus ride home. I especially remember the game at Locke early in the season. While we were on the bus ready to go home, someone from Locke, maybe just a student, or a fan, or an opposing player, hopped on the bus, stood at the front, and just talked shit to us. I can’t tell you whether we won or lost, I just remember the bus incident. @@TaftHigh74

There are multiple sources that support that. Ice Cube and Easy E were bussed to Taft from Compton and South Central, but Easy E dropped out in 10th grade. Links: sanfernandovalleyblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/bttf-27b-straight-outta-west-sfv-did.html hothiphopnews.com/celebrities/eazy-e-forgotten-rapper/ hiphopsh.wordpress.com/artists/eazy-e/

@@TaftHigh74 Hmmm, interesting. I obviously knew that Cube did that bus ride into Taft but had no idea about E.

I graduated from Taft in 1973. I went there for one year. I know one person from the video. I went to Birmingham for a 10th and 11th grade. I knew several people at the 50th reunion.

Yes she was. She missed a lot of school when they were shooting, but she was a member of the Class of '74

One of the first things I thought of when I heard about the modernization is that the kids going to Taft now would have to suffer through the construction but won't be able to enjoy the final result. That must really suck. I'm sorry that you're one of those kids. And yes, Taft was a special place to be in the 60's and 70's.

If you are on facebook you could join the Taft Class of '73 page. facebook.com/groups/194218350708819

Class of '94 here. Mr. Paley was one of my favorite teachers. Amazing to see him as a young man here

There is no report that I have found that says Janet Jackson went to Taft. She is listed as having gone to Portola Jr. High and then something called Valley Professional School. She graduated in 1984. I'm pretty sure if she had been at Taft, people would have remembered.

@@TaftHigh74 Well that’s who I heard it from, people. Was just a rumor then. Cheers.

Mr Vadetsky was pretty cool!

There were very few Blacks at Taft in the 70's, especially the early-mid 70's. That changed in the 80's when busing began. Taft's geographical area (Woodland Hills/Tarzana) was probably 85-90% White in the 70's.

As I remember it, a girl named Claudia Williams is the first black lady to attend Taft. Fact-check me. She graduated in 72.