Home Page - Highland High School - Albuquerque - Class of 1960

View NE from top of Bank (© James Hodges)

Albuquerque from top of Bank (© James Hodges)
  Home Page Contact Us Page to send change of address Name Directories (including Obituary Notices and List of names of deceased) Friends of Highland 1st Saturday Ladies Lunch Bunch  Reunions Classmate Submitted Photos Other HHS Classes Classmate Stories Hornets Sports Page Links Archives HHS Site Plan Your Comments  
 
 

Please join our Facebook Group:  www.facebook.com/groups/highlandhigh1960/

 

This is the Home Page of the Highland High Class of 1960.  This site was established in the late 1990s to assist in organizing the 40th Reunion that was held in 2000.  Several Reunions later, we hope that you find the site continues to be relevant. 

As always, if you have something to contribute, such as an idea for new content, or if you would like to see something you wrote or photographed be added to the site, please let us know.  Going forward the site will be monitored and maintained by a group of HHS people.  There is no single email address to which you can write or complain, so please use the Contact Us Page to get in touch.  If you find a content error or a link error, please let us know right away.  We aren't perfect, but we are doing our best.



A "delayed" 60th Reunion occurred on September 25, 2021
Details and photos will be posted as they become available.

Please, if you can, help us build a Reunion web page here by sending

 photos or anything else of interest that is suitable for posting.

Send to: wredak@gmail.com

 

I'm still desperately looking for someone to take over the maintenance of this web site. 
If you know of someone who might do this, please let me know soon.  (9/26/2021)

Thanks,
Bill Redak
wredak@gmail.com

 

 

55th Reunion

 

 
        
    Robert Figge Al Kaplan
 
             
    The following photos are from John and Becky Pappas        
          
  		   
          
    		   
          
   
           
  
          
    The following photos are from Pam Asbury-Smith
           
    
        
       
     
   
        
         
       
      
     
  
     
              
           
            
                
    
          
    Highland Principal         
              
    The Reunion is also occasionally being discussed on our new Facebook Group page.  Please consider joining Facebook and our entertaining and sometimes heart warming group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/highlandhigh1960/  
              
   

Al Kaplan (Tennis Coach)

  
    Comments written by Bob Carroll, Class of 1961, about the recent passing of one of our favorite teachers at Highland, Al Kaplan:
Al Kaplan, who taught and coached many of us while we attended Highland passed away April 6, 2021 at age 93 following a fall about a week earlier where he broke a collarbone and two ribs.

He taught 45 years for the Albuquerque public schools teaching economics, history, sociology, physical education, driver education, biology, and general science.

He coached tennis, sophomore football, and soccer teams at Highland and was active in football scouting of upcoming opponents and as timer at home basketball games.  Former Highland and UNM track coach Hugh Hackett said Al Kaplan had the best winning percentage of any coach at Highland as his sophomore football, tennis and soccer teams lost few games with many undefeated seasons.  He met with team members almost daily all year long and was a great motivator who encouraged many young athletes to make all state by convincing them they could do it when they were just beginning a sport.  He also was a sponsor of the Highland ski club. He always was thrilled hearing from former students.

He helped several students get into the NM Air National Guard and military academies.  He retired a Lt. Colonel from the NM Air National Guard after severing active duty serving in the Army occupational force in Japan following World War II, and two tours in Vietnam and Korea when his  NM Air  National Guard unit was called to active duty.

In 2007 we held a tennis team reunion in honor of Coach Kaplan and we ended up with former football, soccer, and even many female students speaking on how much they appreciated how Al took a personal interest in them in their sports and school activities encouraging them to succeed in school and future endeavors.

Al drove his car till he fell about a week before his passing and was mentally sharp till his death.  His nurses at the  VA hospital in his final days were amazed how active he was on the phone negotiating the sell of a property he owned in Colorado and asking them how the U. of Connecticut women’s basketball team was doing in the NCAA tournament as he was an avid fan having grown up in Connecticut and earning a master’s degree from the school. He also was a huge fan of Lobo sports having season tickets for football and basketball while not missing a game or leaving early regardless of weather or the score.

He is survived by 3 children and 6 grandkids.  Condolences can be sent to Max Kaplan, 7515 Jackrabbit St., Albuquerque,    NM 87113.
 

They're Back!

Women's brunch group at O'Niell's Pub, March, 2015. Counter clockwise from back: Kay Wentworth Ward, Carole Thelin-Bonda, Janice Sell Sanchez, Kay Smith Hunt, Mary Coulter Kennedy, Donna McNama McBroom, Sue Steed, Pat DeVore Howard, Lynn Kloepfer Seaman, Eleanor Kelly Cooley, and Judith Jermark.

 
   
 

Range Cafe, Bernalillo. February 2015
Taylor, Gardenswartz, Rueckhaus, Schonberg, Redak, Ely

   
(If you meet with friends on a regular basis and would like to see your smiling faces here, just let us know.
As you can see, the publishing standards are extremely forgiving.)

50th Reunion Stuff  

Thanks for an outstanding job by our Reunion Committee, spearheaded by
Carole Thelin-Bonda, with the help of the 1st Saturday Ladies Lunch Bunch,
 together with Larry Williams, Kaye Smith Hunt, Marilyn Sasser, Gayle Morris Denslow,
 Ron Taylor, Bill Redak, Bill Winkler, Bob Singer and Pat Houser (and probably some others).

     
 
 
 
  Here are even more pictures
 (This link will take you to a page full of Reunion photos from the collection of John and Becky Pappas)
         
List of all who attended the 50th reunion
Classmate Comments about the 50th Reunion
 
 

Jim Korn's sister, Louise Waldron,
attended the 50th Reunion.

Here is Louise's story
 about her brother,
Jimmy.

 

Senior Stuff
(This section is under development.  Aren't we all?)

Medicare, Health Care, Consumer Issues, Legal Issues, Good Deals, Travel

(Suggestions as to what ought to go here are welcomed by the management.)

In the meantime, don't fall for the phone call scam that tells you that your grandson is in jail in Spain and needs money for bail and airfare.
         
Send us your old or new HHS related photos  (Use the Contact Us page)
 
1959-1960 Video / Slide Show - "Albuquerque and The Times"
This video is also available on You Tube
→  →  Click here or on any of the six photos below to start the slide show.  ←  ←
   
   
         

Central and Carlisle - 1969
This photograph was taken by a world famous photographer and artist, Ernst Haas. Haas worked for Life Magazine. If you look closely under the Travel Lodge sign, you will see that gas was only 34.9 cents per gallon.
 
Central and Carlisle - 2010
 
Central and Carlisle, 1964.  (Photo courtesy of Classmate Russ Hutchison, Nampa, ID)
 
 
For more great photos of this intersection, visit the Carlisle and Central Facebook Group
 
 

 

List of Classmate Birthdays

Birthday Music (for people born before September 1943)

Forever Young
Joan Baez

When Will I see You Again
The Three Degrees

A Couple More Years
Dr. Hook
For best results, we suggest you right click on one of these music links  Then use the drop down menu to instruct the browser to open the link in a "New Tab" or "New Window."  This will let you play the music in the background and keep you from moving away from this web site.

 

Other Stuff of Interest

Left Coast Reunion - 2004
Mission Inn, Riverside, California

 HHS Fight Song and Photos from 1959 and 1960 Peggy Sue - You Tube

Frank's Drive Inn

Left Coast Reunion - 2001
Irvine, California

Photos of previous meetings of the 1st Saturday Ladies Lunch Bunch.  (Also, info about joining for an occasional lunch.)

 American Pie - You Tube  Sandia Mountains photo collection

Monte Vista 5th Grade

 Highland Web Site Today (new)
Very Cool!		 Listen to Me Concert (new)
Buddy Holly  -PBS

Albuquerque Photos
(not yet active)

Bandelier 1st and 6th Grade

 Photoarchive of Historic Albuquerque Photos (new) Albuquerque Dukes (new)

Presley
"America the Beautiful"
Does anyone have an early class photo from Whittier Elementary School? Old Town (new) Time Clock Old Time Radio

Wilson Jr. High Baseball Team
(1957)

 Reserved Reserved What We Drove in the 50's & 60's

Wilson Jr. High Newsletter
(1954)  (new item)

 Reserved Reserved Burma Shave Memories
When you are in charge of this web site you can put Jefferson on top of Wilson.  For now it's Wilson first - as it has always been. Reserved Reserved   Reserved

Jefferson Jr. High Football

 Reserved Reserved Reserved

(Old Time Radio and NM Photos are provided by Fx, Sound & Magic)
"What We Drove in the 50's & 60's"is provided courtesy of "Old Blue Jackets"
 
 

Thanks in advance for your interest and support. 
Additions and Corrections:  If you have a personal addition or correction for anything on this web site, please write to furnish the correct information.
If you have any suggestions or would like to contribute your thoughts, time or talents, please contact us.

November, 2021