Thursday, June 28, 2012

Don Agrati (Grady), BHS '62 Passed Away June 27, 2012



Received this sad news today from Jessi Trudeau, BHS '69. Please keep Don's family and friends in your prayers...

Dear Cathy,

I was very sad to see the news tonight that my brother Bill's friend, Don Agrati (Grady) had passed after a four-year struggle with cancer. Don and I had remained in touch over the years off and on after Bill's death. We had kept in much closer touch through Facebook and he had not once mentioned his illness. He was a cheerleader for me when our family was traumatized four years ago by a murder/suicide. When we were kids and some of Bill's friends took to teasing, Don was always a gentleman. I appreciated that. It was nice not having to defend myself all the time, know what I mean? He was always kind. I, for one will miss him. So, sadly, there's one more for the memorial page.

I hope this finds you well and happy.

Regards,
Jessi

--------------------
Alan Landros provided this obituary...


Don Louis Agrati
June 8, 1944 - June 27, 2012
Don Grady, of "My Three Sons" T.V. fame, died Wednesday at his home in Thousand Oaks under hospice care, after a four year battle with cancer. He was 68. He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Ginny, two children, Joey and Tessa, his mother, Mary Agrati, and a sister, Marilou Reichel. He is predeceased by his father, Lou Agrati, and sister, actress Lani O'Grady (Agrati), (best known as "Mary Bradford" on T.V.'s "Eight is Enough"), who died in 2001 at age 46.
Don Louis Agrati was born on June 8, 1944 in San Diego. Later Don and his family lived in Lafayette, CA in the Bay Area. Because Don played seven musical instruments, including clarinet, trumpet, accordion, guitar, bass, and drums, he was hired when he was 13 as a Mouseketeer on T.V.'s "The Mickey Mouse Club" where he sang and danced for several years. Don's "stage name" became "Don Grady". Appearing on "The Mickey Mouse Club" began when Don was in junior high school and continued during the beginning of high school until he left the show in 1960 at age 16 to co-star in "My Three Sons" with Fred MacMurray. Don played "Robbie Douglas", first the middle son, later becoming the oldest son, on the show from 1960 until 1972 when the show went off the air after 380 episodes. Besides being an actor and musician, Don was also a composer and songwriter for television, theater, and films. During his years on "My Three Sons", Don also made guest appearances on other T.V. shows including "The Rifleman" and "Wagon Train", and shows into the 1970's and 1980's. He had a band in the late 1960's, "The Yellow Balloon", where he was the drummer, which had a hit by the same name in 1967. As a songwriter Don wrote the theme song to "The Phil Donahue Show", and his compositions included songs in the movie, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", and the Herbie Hancock/Della Reese song, "Keep the Dream Alive". He also wrote music for the Blake Edward's film "Switch", and the Las Vegas show "EFX", which starred Michael Crawford of "Phamtom of the Opera" fame.
Don Agrati graduated from BHS in the class of 1962, during his years on "My Three Sons". His senior picture appears in the 1962 Ceralbus senior pictures.

------------------------


LA TIMES OBITUARY

Don Grady, ex-Mouseketeer and 'My Three Sons' star, dies at 68
'My Three Sons'
Don Grady, left, played Fred MacMurray's son on the popular family sitcom "My Three Sons."




Don Grady, who sang and danced as a Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club," played son Robbie on the long-running family sitcom "My Three Sons," and later became a composer and songwriter, died Wednesday. He was 68.

Grady died at his home in Thousand Oaks after a four-year battle with cancer, said his wife, Ginny.

A native of San Diego, Grady was born Don Agrati on June 8, 1944. His father, Lou, was in the Navy and later became a sausage maker. His mother, Mary, was a talent agent.

PHOTOS: Notable deaths of 2012

The family moved to Lafayette in the Bay Area, where Grady developed a talent for music and dancing. He told the Contra Costa Times that he took clarinet and accordion lessons and later taught himself bass, guitar and the trumpet.

His musical talents landed him an audition with Walt Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club" when he was in middle school. He sang and danced on the show for several years but left for a part on "My Three Sons" when he was 16.

The show, which aired from 1960 to 1972, was one of the longest-running family sitcoms of all time. It featured Fred MacMurray as the thoughtful, pipe-smoking widower Steve Douglas, who raised his boys as a single parent.

"I think we did a good show," Grady said in a 2001 interview on CBS' "The Early Show." "It was a clean show. It was a fun show."

The show's wholesome portrayal of American life is what helped it resonate with families who tuned in weekly for the latest trials and tribulations in the Douglas household, according to film historian Leonard Maltin.

"America loved this family," Maltin said of the show. "It represented stability and continuity."

When the series began, Grady was 16 and played the 14-year-old Robbie. His older brother Mike was played by Tim Considine, and his younger brother Chip was played by Stanley Livingston. When Considine left the show in 1965, he was replaced by Barry Livingston, Stanley Livingston’s real brother. Barry Livingston played Ernie Thompson, an orphan adopted by Steve Douglas.

"It’s a cliche, but Don was the guy we looked up to because he was our big brother," Barry Livingston said Wednesday night. "The lines blur when you’re working with them and living with them so many hours a day. Don was the oldest, so we were emulating him."

Grady also appeared in other television shows of the era, including the "Rifleman" and "Wagon Train."

He later began a new career as a composer and songwriter for television, theater and films.

"His passion was music," his wife, Ginny, said. "And it was because he played seven different musical instruments that he got onto the Mouseketeers show. TV was a sideline to all he ever wanted to do, which was play music."

Besides his wife of 26 years and his mother, Grady is survived by two children, Joey and Tessa, and a sister, Marilou Reichel. Another sister, actress Lani O’Grady, died of a drug overdose in 2001.

We’ll have more later at latimes.com/obits.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-don-grady-dies-at-68-robbie-on-my-three-sons-20120627,0,6588842.story
________

HERE IS THE LATER OBITUARY

Don Grady dies at 68; Mouseketeer, 'My Three Sons' star

Don Grady appeared on 'The Mickey Mouse Club' before playing Robbie on the popular family sitcom 'My Three Sons.' He later became a composer and songwriter.

Cast of "My Three Sons"
Don Grady, right, played Robbie on the long-running sitcom "My Three Sons," which also starred, from left, William Demarest, Barry Livingston, Stanley Livingston, Fred MacMurray and Tina Cole. In front is Tramp.






Don Grady, who sang and danced as a Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club," played son Robbie on the long-running family sitcom "My Three Sons," and later became a composer and songwriter, died Wednesday. He was 68.

Grady died at his home in Thousand Oaks after a four-year battle with cancer, said his wife, Ginny.

As a child in the Bay Area town of Lafayette, Grady developed a fondness for music and dancing. He told the Contra Costa Times in 2005 that he took clarinet and accordion lessons and later taught himself bass, guitar and the trumpet.

His musical talents landed him an audition with "The Mickey Mouse Club" when he was in middle school. He performed on the Disney show for several years but left for a part on "My Three Sons" when he was 16.

That show, which aired from 1960 to 1972, was one of the longest-running family sitcoms of all time. It featured Fred MacMurray as the thoughtful, pipe-smoking widower Steve Douglas, who raised his boys as a single parent at 837 Mill St. in a middle-class Midwestern home.

"I think we did a good show," Grady said in a 2001 interview on CBS' "The Early Show." "It was a clean show. It was a fun show."

The show's wholesome portrayal of American life is what helped it resonate with families who tuned in weekly for the latest trials and tribulations in the Douglas household, according to film historian Leonard Maltin.

"America loved this family," Maltin said of the show. "It represented stability and continuity."

When the series began, Grady played the 14-year-old Robbie. His older brother Mike was played by Tim Considine, and his younger brother Chip was played by Stanley Livingston. When Considine left the show in 1965, he was replaced by Barry Livingston, Stanley Livingston's brother. Barry Livingston played Ernie Thompson, an orphan adopted by Steve Douglas.

"It's a cliche, but Don was the guy we looked up to because he was our big brother," Barry Livingston said Wednesday night. "The lines blur when you're working with them and living with them so many hours a day. Don was the oldest, so we were emulating him."

Grady also appeared in other television shows of the era, including "The Rifleman" and "Wagon Train."

A native of San Diego, Grady was born Don Agrati on June 8, 1944. His father, Lou, was in the Navy and later became a sausage maker. His mother, Mary, was a talent agent.

After "My Three Sons" ended, Grady continued with his enthusiasm for music and began a new career as a composer and songwriter for television, theater and films.

He wrote the theme song to Phil Donahue's talk show, and his compositions were featured in the children's TV series "The Kid-A-Littles" and the 1985 film "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

Grady also co-wrote "Keep the Dream Alive," which was recorded by Herbie Hancock, Della Reese and others for the Jazz to End Hunger project.

"His passion was music," his wife said. "TV was a sideline to all he ever wanted to do, which was play music."

Besides his wife, Grady is survived by his mother; two children, Joey and Tessa; and a sister, Marilou Reichel. Another sister, actress Lani O'Grady, died of a drug overdose in 2001.

robert.lopez@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-don-grady-20120628,0,7035373.story
--- end ---

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Donna Maiben Lamparter, BHS '64 (1946-2012)



Just received this sad news from Sallie Shelton Thomas (BHS '68)...
My sister-in-law, Mary Lou Struck Shelton, just called and asked me to to let you know that a classmate from BHS '64 died recently. Mary Lou read the following obit in the Mountain Democrat. Donna's maiden name was Maiben.

June 22, 2012 1946 — June 15, 2012

Donna Lamparter died June 15, 2012, after a two-year fight with cancer. She touched the lives of many, teaching grades 1st through 12th. She is with the Lord now.

A celebration of Donna’s life will be private.

Steve Stromsoe, BHS '69, Passed Away 2005



Sad news for the Class of 1969...

Hi, My Daddy is Steve Stromsoe and he graduated @BHS in 1969. Unfortunately he passed away in 2005; during his memorial service I proudly displayed the senior graduate picture as seen here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/burbankhighblog/BHSClass1969#5445374179665115490

Because I had the original copy he had kept. In my Journey here to North Carolina where I am now, I lost that photo when my Luggage was mishandled. I never thought I'd see it again and recently I was browsing online when I found your site which ultimately led me to a copy of his yearbook... I wanted to tell you how thankful I am and how blessed I am to have been able to see that photo again.... If I would've known of his alumni and former friends growing up I would have invited them to attend his funeral without a doubt... this site would have most def. facilitated the process of creating an appropriate guest-list when I made his funeral arrangements BUT (I was 15 at the time) thanks to your site I have recently and successfully gotten in touch with a Susan Harris, a woman which knew my dad and his sister Shari since the tender age of 12; I went through the contact list for the alumni and emailed every single graduating Senior of BHS 69* and she was the only one who remembered... but it still made a world of a difference to me that someone remembered him from his class since high school is such a big part of.. EVERYONE's Youth.

Again... thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.. of making this networking/informational site possible! The time you've spent creating it is well worth it.

If you knew my Daddy I'd love to get to know you; I can be reached MichelleStromsoe@gmail.com to your earliest convenience!

<3

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

New Website for Retired PE Teacher, Carol Gregory LeBlanc



Carol Leblanc, formerly Carol Gregory, posted in Facebook her new website for us to all enjoy.

It says,"Dr Carol Le Blanc proudly announces the creation of her new (and first) web site… PieceFullMind.com… to integrate and inform both sides of your brain with practical, emotional, and spiritual activities, options and ideas for a more balanced life. With two spectacular professions as a base, Dr. Le Blanc is poised to leap into a third career combining her love of movement arts with clinical and intuitive healing knowledge. Add 18 years as a teacher, choreographer and tennis coach to 25 years as a doctor of chiropractic… and you get a unique combination of skills that she brings to her newest metamorphosis: A website to share her KEIPOV (knowledge, education, informative point of view)."

Photo from Burbank High yearbook


2009 Post on Carol
http://bhsclass67.blogspot.com/2009/07/mrs-carol-greggory-le-blanc.html

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

This Is Your Life... Bobby Darin (1959)








1973... Last Performance... love this song...


This is from a TV special recorded 9 months before Bobby Darin's death at age 37.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Frank's is Back!



Just received the news that Frank's is back in business - thanks Don for the update!

Frank's Restaurant is RE-OPENING!!!!!! Join us!

It’s true.

This Friday, June 15th, Frank’s Restaurant is opening up again — ready for this? Under OLD management.



Jose Lopez agreed to run the restaurant on behalf of the owners of the building. The owners agreed to invest in making the restaurant a nicer place to visit.

A few changes – mostly for the better --- such as a fresh coat of paint, some new equipment and many cosmetic upgrades.

But mostly, it’s the same Frank’s you enjoyed in the past. Most of the kitchen and server staff are returning. Some may return later.

With only a few exceptions, the prices are the same.

The food quality? Better than ever!



The hours have changed, slightly. Now Frank’s will be open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch --- from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., except for Fridays and Saturdays when it will stay open for dinner --- 7 a.m. till 9 p.m.



So Jose, the staff and the owners invite you to come on in.

It’s still at 914 West Olive Avenue .



Come on back and enjoy this Burbank landmark.

Sincerely,
Don Ray
Jose Lopez’s friend.

(818) 237-3728

Click here for my sometimes silly and sometimes awesome blog:
http://donrayadventures.blogspot.com

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Sean Coen, BHS Grad Elected Judge

"Congratulations to Burbank High grad Sean Coen, son of Superior Court Judge Ron Coen and Sandi Uribe (also BHS grads) for his election to Superior Court Office 3!!! Wow, two Judge Coens!!"
Jennifer Dale Schatz, BHS '66

About Sean CoenThe Coen Family

Sean Coen grew up around the criminal justice system. Born and raised in Southern California, Sean accompanied his father, then a Deputy District Attorney with Los Angeles County, to the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center downtown. There, Sean had his first opportunities to watch attorneys engaged in criminal litigation.

After graduating from Burbank High School, Sean Coen studied at the University of Oregon, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Sean then pursued a law degree at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he graduated in the top third of his class.

Sean knew that he wanted to be a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. In 1999, he volunteered for the office as a law clerk and was then hired as a Senior Law Clerk in January of 2000. Just five months later, Sean Coen was hired as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County in April 2000. Over the course of his career, Sean has tried 116 jury trials, 101 of which have been felonies.

Sean Coen has always been surrounded by people in the legal profession and law enforcement. His father, Ronald S. Coen, was a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County for 11 years. His father was then appointed as a Los Angeles County Judge. Sean’s stepfather, Gil Uribe, is a former Los Angeles Police Detective. In the course of his stepfather’s 31-year career with LAPD, Gil served as a Gang Homicide Detective with the North Hollywood Division.

Lisa Coen, Sean’s wife of nine years, is also a Deputy District Attorney with Los Angeles County. In addition to his love for the courtroom, Sean also takes great joy in spending time with his family. Together, Sean and Lisa are kept quite active raising their four children, Justin 8, Jacqueline 6, Jolie 4, and James 10 months.

Road Kings Celebrate 60 Years June 10, 2012





And here's a great recent article from the Burbank Leader...


Burb's Eye View: Road Kings go from hellraisers to fundraisers

June 05, 2012

It’s Saturday night and the lot behind Bob’s Big Boy restaurant on Riverside is once again taken over by the hot rods of The Road Kings.

The parking spaces are resplendent with steel, rubber and chrome. The meet-up is part reunion and part history lesson for the hundred or so roadsters gathering at the place where the sport of drag racing grew up.

Though 60 years after the Road Kings were founded, the boys aren’t lobbing spitballs over the diner booths at each other.

They no longer look over their shoulders from behind the wheels of their Model Ts, searching for the all-too-familiar blink of the Burbank P.D. (in recent years, a former chief of police even joined the crew). The Road Kings are not the outlaws they once were. But you can’t take away their history and their impact on motorsports. Both are tied to the history of Burbank.


And consider this: The city is 100 years old, and the Road Kings’ reign has lasted for more than half the city’s lifetime. The Kings have gone from gearhead kids in drag races to Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees and philanthropists who have earned $400,000 for Burbank charities.

The hellraisers have become fundraisers.

This Sunday, the Road Kings will celebrate their 60th anniversary in Johnny Carson Park with a display of about 700 hot rods and dragsters. The event begins at 8 a.m. and lasts until 2 p.m. Though many of their original members still live in Burbank, Road Kings from all over the country are here now preparing for the weekend.

“We’re going to put on a show that nobody will ever forget,” said Jimmy Miles, the group’s historian. “It’s not like playing tennis, you know. It’s a little more aggressive.”

The Road Kings first met Nov. 17, 1952. They would continue to meet every Sunday, tinkering with dragsters and coming up with new ways to build chassis and engines, whatever would let them go a little faster than the next guy.

Several of them turned pro. One was Tommy Ivo, a successful TV and film actor who joined the group in 1955. He says he was bitten by the acting bug until a bigger bug bit — and this one could shoot flames when it growled.

His favorite car was the Barnstormer, a dragster that runs on nitro methane (safer than its chemical cousin, nitroglycerin, but nearly as potent). Ivo was the first racer to travel the quarter-mile in 7 seconds, and the first to hit 190 miles per hour in the quarter-mile.

The Barnstormer is still his favorite, and he’ll have it at the park this weekend.

“These cars were like Robocop outfits to put on — and I was 115 pounds, soaking wet,” Ivo said.

The Kings often found themselves on the other side of the law — and their parents.

Bob Muravez’s father wanted him to take over at the family business and quit racing, so he did — as Bob Muravez. Thus Floyd Lippencotte Jr. was born — an alias with which Muravez would sneakily crack Top Gas records that still stand today because the racing category was eliminated in the early 1970s.

“We were a bunch of guinea pigs. We were breaking barriers,” Muravez said.

The technology they were developing came largely from salvaged parts from World War II. In 1960, Muravez was the first driver to test out a drag chute — it was taken from a drop parachute used to deliver Jeeps from airplanes during the war. Once deployed, it almost pulled the back of the car off and left two spots on Muravez’s goggles.


“I think it jerked me so hard my eyeballs popped out,” he said.

The Kings who did go pro have mostly retired. They’re looking for new members who have street rods from 1972 or earlier, and they have to be modified.

“It can’t just be Grandma’s grocery-getter,” Miles said.

The Internet has helped the club connect with race fans all over the world who marvel at the skill needed not only to operate the machines, but to build them. This Sunday, they’ll join in the reunion of the Burbank speed demons who still love to make things go fast.

“Talk about a time machine — this is as close as you get,” Ivo said. “And we’re not looking over our shoulder to see who’s keeping their eye on us.”


By Bryan Mahoney
Bryan is a recent transplant from the East Coast. When he’s not revving the engine in his grocery-getter, he can be reached at 818NewGuy@gmail.com and on Twitter@818NewGuy.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Looking Back at Burbank


1962 Greetings from Burbank


1940 - Union Air Terminal


1933


Lockheed


1966 - Portable Flight Control Center used because tower was destroyed by fire


1930 - Burbank Parade photo by Paul Wolfe


Burbank parade with 1949 Mercury


Burbank on Parade Carnival


1964 - Fire Verdugo Hills


1962 - Mudslide


Joe Jordan's flooded home


1924 - Train Wreck


1968 - Airplane Crash


NBC


Studio Motel


1950's Olive Manor


City Hall in Beautiful Downtown Burbank

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Travels with Ed Haywood, BHS '66

What a FAB video!!

Check out Ed Haywood's Great Adventure... a motorcycle journey from Santa Fe, New Mexico to the Darien Gap @ Yaviza, Panama.



Thanks Ed :)