| home |

Burlingame High School
Class of 1955 Constituents

Constituents are those who have close affiliations with the Class of 1955
(at least their names have been on our address list for years)

click on name to select information

Ann Murison Newton

Peter Ueberroth

Kevin Monahan

Sandra Brandt Wild (*)

Joyce McConkey Williams

Betty Paterson Lasseter
IN MEMORIAM - JUNE 14, 2014 (see below)

Vickie Laughton Carder(*)


Bob Emmett (*)
Denise Figone Elliott
Gordon Flynn
Jim Harris
John Herbert (*)
Jim Howe (*)
Joe Lasseter


NORMAN BJARNE SORBY
September 6, 1936 - April 12, 2014

Norman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 6, 1936. He lived in Brookline until he was nine years-old, when his family relocated to the Bay Area of Northern California. Norman attended Burlingame High School, and then went to the College of San Mateo. While still a student, he was also the Assistant Director for Civil Defense for San Mateo County.

He enlisted in the Air Force in 1958, and was stationed at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY; Warren was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile base in the United States. He was transferred from Base Operations to the Missile Command, where he was involved with developing the Base as fully operational. He was sent to the 'think tank', RAND, in Southern California for extended training. On his return to Warren he was entrusted with the famous 'Red Phone', connecting the Base with the President.

Norm had the dubious distinction of being 'fired' from the Missile Center by President John F. Kennedy. Upon the, President's inspection of the Base, he met Norm; realizing that literally the fate of the country rested in a mere Sergeant's hands, he was horrified - "If an enlisted man screws up on that job there is a limit to how high we can hang him!" were his exact words.

Norm's immediate superior at Warren was a Colonel. Reluctant to lose Norm, he offered to have him sent to OCS, but by that time Norm had decided that he did not want a career in the Air Force, and went instead to Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico. He was assigned to Air Traffic Control, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Upon leaving the Air Force, Norm worked in Silicon Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula. He worked primarily for Philco Ford and United Technology, working on various rocket programs. He received Commendations from the British Government for his work on the British Communications Satellite, and from the United States Government for his participation in the Lunar Landing Module and the Mariner Mars programs.

In 1970 Norm decided to literally, 'go to the dogs'. The family moved to Petaluma, CA and opened a breeding and boarding kennel. Norman's Springset Gordon Setters are known world-wide for their hunting characteristics; they have been exported to 29 countries, and have amassed many National and International Awards. Norm has trained many other hunting enthusiasts to handle their dogs in hunting and field trial competition, and has judged field trials dedicated to all pointing breeds.

His contribution to the Gordon Setter breed has been exceptional. In the early 1960's most hunting writers dismissed the Gordon Setter as useless in the field. The standard comment would start with 'at one time the Gordon Setter was an outstanding bird dog but ... ' and the description went down-hill from there. Thanks to Norm's dedication and belief in the breed, the Gordon Setter today is an excellent competitor in a field once dominated by English Pointers and English Setters, not just in the United States, but world-wide. Both Norway and Russia have National Champions that are directly descended from Springset Gordons.

In 2006 the family relocated to Eagle Point, OR, where Norm's daughter, Laura Borges, continues on with the Springset Gordons. Raised with Gordons, Laura has inherited her father's talent with the dogs, and Norm had often said he was leaving the Gordons in good hands.

Norm is survived by his wife, Suzanne Sorby; brother Leonard Sorby; sister Virginia Van Gieson; his son, Scott Bjarn Sorby; daughter, Laura Sorby Borges; son Mark Andrew Sorby; 3 grandchildren, Heather, Cynthia and Brian Borges and 2 great-grandchildren.

We will miss him.



Bob Wrinkle
(*) graduated from Hillsborough Elememtary School
see updated Hillsborough School Page for 8th grade class photo

 

Ann Murison Newton

Many of you knew Ann Murison. She attended McKinley Elementary School and BHS in her Freshman and Sophomore years. Thanks to Barbara (Baumeister) Super we have photos of her dated 1953 and 1995. You can click on the link above to see them. We have begun to create a biography/obituary for Ann which is currently with the photos. We are asking those of you who knew Ann to send Grey additional information to add to what is already there.

| home | top of page |


Peter Ueberroth

We have 2nd grade and 6th grade class photos showing Peter attending Washington Elementary School. Peter then transferred to Roosevelt Elementary for his 7th and 8th grade years. He attended Burlingame High School in his freshman and sophomore years.

The following bio was found on the website of the HWWilson Co. (www.hwwilson.com/currentbio/sprtbus.html#ueberroth)

UEBERROTH, PETER
(YOO-buhr-roth)
Sep. 2, 1937- Baseball commissioner.

Although he was a brilliant entrepreneur, the multimillionaire Peter V. Ueberroth was relatively unknown before he became president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee in 1979. His skillful management of the summer games--the first ever to be financed exclusively from private funds--netted a remarkable surplus of over $200 million for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and earned him the title of Man of the Year from both Time magazine and the Sporting News. Taking on another challenge after the Olympics, Ueberroth succeeded Bowie Kuhn as commissioner of baseball. His forceful style and business acumen have led many observers to predict that he will be baseball's most impressive commissioner since Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who originated the position in 1920.

Peter Victor Ueberroth was born in Evanston, Illinois on September 2, 1937, the son of Victor Ueberroth, an aluminum-siding salesman, and Laura (Larson) Ueberroth. His mother died when he was four, and after about a year his father remarried. He and his second wife, Nancy, an accountant, had a son six years later. During Peter's childhood, the Ueberroths lived in Madison, Wisconsin, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and Davenport, Iowa, but they finally settled in Burlingame in northern California. He became involved in baseball at an early age as a third baseman, catcher, and pitcher on American Legion and sandlot teams, but he insists that he was merely a mediocre player. Ueberroth continued his interest in sports at Fremont High School in Los Angeles, where he earned letters in baseball, football, and swimming, though sports were not his only extracurricular activity. By the time he entered high school, he was self-supporting, and in his sophomore year he moved out of his parents' home to live and work at Twelveacres, an orphanage for children from broken homes, where he earned $125 a month as its recreation director.

Copyright © 1996 by The H. W. Wilson Co.

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

The following biography of Peter is taken from his Ueberroth for Governor campaign website:

About Peter Ueberroth
Peter Ueberroth is a man committed to solve the problems that face California and to restore the State to its glory as the fifth largest economy in the world.

Peter has a proven track record of taking on a crisis and turning it into success.

The Olympic Games: Peter was named the 1984 TIME magazine's Man of the Year in recognition of his efforts to rescue the modern Olympic movement. At the time he joined the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, the group responsible for putting on the 1984 Olympic Games, it was going bankrupt. For the first time ever, as Peter promised, the Olympics did not run a deficit. In fact, Peter directed the most profitable Olympic Games in history. This global event required true vision and leadership that lead to countless hours of negotiation to achieve important bi-partisan cooperation. The 1984 Olympics left $222 million surplus that continues to fund youth and sports programs across the country to this day.

Major League Baseball: Peter served as the Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 - 1989. When he began this assignment, 22 of the League's
teams were losing money. At the end of his term, all of the baseball teams were profitable.

Council on California Competitiveness: In December 1991, Governor Pete Wilson asked Peter to chair a bi-partisan group of California’s business and labor leaders. The assignment was to produce in four months a blueprint for economic reform that would address the state’s recession, with a focus on ways to remove barriers to job creation. There were many different philosophies and interests on the Council, and under Peter’s leadership, they worked together united by their
concern for the people of California.

Rebuild Los Angeles: At the request of the Republican Governor, Pete Wilson, and the Democratic Mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, Peter led this organization created to develop job opportunities in Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 riots. There was a critical need to get increased corporate support in many of the impacted neighborhoods. It was Peter’s responsibility to approach businesses and get commitments for training, scholarship and investment programs that would increase employment.

In addition to these examples of successful crisis management, Peter has lead many business activities including the purchase of Pebble Beach and its
magnificent coastline from the Japanese corporation which previously owned it. He currently serves as the Co-Chairman of the Pebble Beach Company. He also
directed the team that successfully completed the national expansion of the Doubletree Hotel and Embassy Suites chains. Back in 1962, Peter created First
Travel Corporation and when he sold it in 1980, it was the second largest travel business, American Express being the only larger one, in North America.

His many awards include 1984 Man of the Year from TIME magazine and 1984 Man of the Year from SPORTING MAGAZINE. He is one of two Americans to receive the Olympics Order-Gold from the International Olympic Committee. In addition, he received the Sports Torch of Learning Award and Scopus Laureate award from the American Friends of Hebrew University.

Peter was a member of the Young President’s Organization for 22 years and served as its International President in 1981.

He has received honorary degrees from:
Notre Dame
Pepperdine
Ohio University
Holy Cross
Claremont-McKenna
Lafayette
Maryland
Loyola-Marymount
San Jose State
Monterey Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic
U.S.C.

A proud graduate of Fremont High School, Peter attended San Jose State University
on an athletic scholarship in water polo and earned a degree in business. Peter and his
wife, Ginny, have four children and seven grandchildren. They live in Laguna Beach.

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

September 3, 2003 Walnut Creek: The Contra Times, Channel 2 News, and KQED will broadcast from Walnut Creek's Dean Lesher Center for the Arts, the first debate among the leading contenders for the California Governor Recall Election in October. This morning's Contra Costa Times featured a full page ad in which appeared large photos of those candidates who have accepted an invitation to participate. The photo to the left is the picture of Peter that appeared. Photo is the property of the Contra Costa Times and is used with permission.

 

 

 

 

Photo from ESPN Internet article dated 20 May 2005.
As Chairman of the United States Olympic Committee, Peter and New York state officials are "jawing" over building a stadium in New York City to insure that the City will be a viable candidate for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games.

.

.

 .

.

Gleaned from the Internet, August 22, 2007
http://www.golfbusiness.com/pageview.asp?doc=1555
Golf Business Magazine, 291 Seven Farms Dr.,Charleston SC 29492

Man On A Mission

By Dan Gleason

With common leadership principles, Peter Ueberroth has achieved uncommon success in multiple industries–including golf.

Not surprisingly, Ueberroth had confidence in his tried-and-true leadership philosophy and management style that had worked for him in all of those other ventures. No doubt these talents and experiences proved helpful as he orchestrated what has been called golf’s “deal of the century” and returned the crown jewel of American golf to American owners.

“Peter is a very smart man and a great leader,” says Arnold Palmer, who, along with Ueberroth, Clint Eastwood and Ueberroth’s longtime friend and business associate, Dick Ferris, was a driving force behind the purchase of Pebble Beach. “But he also has a particular knack for doing the right thing at exactly the right time.”

Others who know Ueberroth confirm his uncanny instincts for making sound decisions. Perhaps that’s one skill that cannot be taught. But one business secret that can be shared and instilled in others is the talent Ueberroth considers to be his No. 1 asset. “The primary skill I have is to be able to associate myself with terrific people,” he says.

Ueberroth firmly believes business people in any industry—including golf—who surround themselves with quality employees and plug the right people into the right slots can overcome an onslaught of other deficiencies. “Eagles soar in direct relationship to the people with whom they fly,” he says.

A Product Of His Environment

To a degree, Ueberroth’s operating principles seem plucked from a management manual. In truth, however, the roots of that philosophy can be traced to his formative years.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Ueberroth’s family moved frequently when he was young. He attended seven different grammar schools before the family finally settled in northern California. At age 16, he moved out of his home and went to work in an orphanage because he felt it was “the right thing to do.” He later graduated from high school and with some help from a water polo scholarship, paid his own way through college at San Jose State.

While not a “traditional” childhood, Ueberroth views it as a time of learning, experiences that have served him well in the professional world. “No matter where I went, people were much the same everywhere: There were some you could trust and some you couldn’t. There were people who worked hard and people who did not. That’s equally true whether it’s in everyday life or corporate America.”

Along the way, Ueberroth made acquaintances and forged alliances with key people who have helped him transition into other ventures. Take Dick Ferris, for example. Ueberroth first met Ferris in the early 1960s when Ferris was a hotelier in Alaska and Ueberroth owned First Travel Company. The two joined forces and entered the hotel business together when they purchased Guest Quarters, and later Doubletree, then Embassy Suites and Red Lion, all of which they eventually sold to the Hilton Corporation. Ferris remains a partner in multiple ongoing projects and businesses with Ueberroth.

When Ueberroth was hired in 1979 to organize the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Ferris was CEO of United Airlines, which became the first big sponsor of the event. And when the opportunity came along to buy Pebble Beach, the first person Ueberroth called was Ferris, who by then was chairman of the PGA Tour Policy Board. Ferris, in turn, contacted Palmer, and Palmer said, “Yes.” Ueberroth’s next move was to contact “the only celebrity I could count as a friend,” Clint Eastwood. Besides being a Carmel resident and celebrated actor and director, Ueberroth notes that Eastwood is “one of Hollywood’s sharpest businessmen.”

The other person Ueberroth contacted directly was Bill Perocchi, who has been a partner with Ueberroth since 1990, when Perocchi was CFO of Guest Quarters hotels (which later became Doubletree, added Embassy Suites, and eventually sold to Hilton). Ueberroth obtained Perocchi’s buy-in and eventually commissioned him to serve as CEO of Pebble Beach, a position Perocchi maintains to this day.

It has all blossomed like that—the fruits of Ueberroth’s “people tree”—and it continues to produce a bountiful harvest to this day.

In fact, two partners in The Contrarian Group, a Newport, California-based management and investment company that Ueberroth chairs, were gleaned from other ventures. The late Joel Rubenstein had been one of the first five people that Ueberroth hired when he organized the Olympics. Rubenstein later joined Ueberroth as a marketing executive when he took the helm of MLB. Tina Fields also served under Ueberroth’s baseball regime, working in the league’s West Coast office and scouting bureau.

Through the years, Fields has remained loyal to Ueberroth and, obviously, has shared in his achievements. She’s also seen, first-hand, what drives the man’s success and believes his greatest skill—treating others fairly—is a valuable tool for all business people, especially course operators.

“When you do that (treat people fairly), they respond in kind,” Fields adds. “If you don’t do that, you don’t keep good people. Golf is a people business and to get loyalty from people, you must treat them fairly.”

Fields also points to Ueberroth’s what-you-see-is-what-you-get personality as another imitable leadership quality. “There are no pretenses with this man,” she says. “I’ve known him for 20 years, and because he’s fair with people and doesn’t waiver, people trust him. There’s a great lesson to be learned there.”

More Than Meets the Eye

Despite his self-effacing persona, Ueberroth is a shrewd businessman and a savvy marketer. A critical thinker who dreams big but keeps his feet firmly on terra firma, Ueberroth analyzes every risk before pressing forward. He commands respect when he enters a room—exactly what you’d expect from the person Time magazine honored as its “Man of the Year” in 1984—yet it’s in a quiet, understated way.

While he has never liked being the high-profile, glossy figure who steps out front, Ueberroth’s friends and business associates admit that he likes to be in control—which, in his case, is a good thing. He trusts the people he puts into various positions to help manage his businesses, but he maintains regular contact to stay abreast of progress, to provide advice and to get ideas from others.

“Peter doesn’t believe in absentee ownership,” Fields emphasizes, especially important with an operation as complex as Pebble Beach. Golf operations, or businesses of any kind, don’t usually do well when owners are out of touch or try to manage totally in absentia. As Fields puts it, “Peter believes that you can’t just buy something and leave it alone or in the hands of caretakers. Even if the management is capable, they may need your feedback.”

Beyond those simple and fundamental theories of management, Ueberroth melds his own leadership imperatives. Those include being a good teacher, creatively energizing others, encouraging ongoing education and, perhaps most importantly, leading by example.

Ueberroth’s leadership skills not only made him a wealthy and successful businessman, they also proved integral in delivering a $250 million surplus to the City of Los Angeles in the wake of the 1984 Olympic Games. That surplus is particularly impressive in light of the fact that the City of Montreal just recently finished paying off the debt it incurred while hosting the 1976 Olympics.

What’s more, when he stepped down as Commissioner of Baseball in 1989, Ueberroth left the game was in better shape than he’d found it. Not only did he successfully navigate a drug scandal during his reign, he was responsible for raising the limit that commissioners could fine owners, from $5,000 to $250,000. And, miracle of miracles, Ueberroth even convinced the owners of the Chicago Cubs to install lights at Wrigley Field, a move that helped save the stadium. Quite simply, he left baseball with a reputation of being a good caretaker of the game.

Therein lies another parallel between Ueberroth’s past business successes and his current capacity as co-chairman of Pebble Beach (he shares co-chairman responsibilities with Ferris). The single-most important thing about his group’s purchase of Pebble Beach, he says, is that people from all over America, as well as their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, will be able to play Pebble Beach and enjoy the Del Monte Forest without any major changes. Like the good people Ueberroth has met on his journey through life, he declares that Pebble Beach and the Del Monte Forest “remain a keeper” for all to enjoy.

“We are dedicated to preserving Pebble Beach and the surrounding environment for the future,” Ueberroth says. “While most businesses have an exit strategy, this one doesn’t—and that’s by design.”

Dan Gleason is an Arizona-based freelance writer.

(end-man on a mission)

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

The 25th anniversary of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games led to a flurry of articles about events leading up to and surrounding that celebration. A portion of one article from the Orange County Register newspaper is displayed below.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Reunion celebrates '84 Olympic Games

Ueberroth joins star-studded group for a 25th-anniversary dinner at the Coliseum.

.

By SCOTT M. REID
The Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES – It was one of those nights when you never knew who you might bump into.eter Ueberroth was standing beneath the entrance of the Coliseum on Saturday, the Olympic cauldron high above him, when he turned around to find Rafer Johnson. "I remember you," Ueberroth said laughing, shaking his old friend's hand. Twenty-five years earlier, just above the spot where he and Ueberroth stood, Johnson lighted the Olympic flame to open the 1984 Olympic Games.

The Los Angeles Sports Council and the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games held a gala dinner at the Coliseum on Saturday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of those Games — and 16 days that defied critics and forever changed the Olympics. "The Olympic movement was dramatically changed by these Games," said Barry Sanders, outside counsel for the 1984 Games organizing committee.

The 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal ran up a 10-figure debt that would hang over Quebec for decades. Both Montreal and the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow were diminished by boycotts. The Olympics were such a lemon that when Los Angeles was awarded the 1984 Games in 1979, the only other city that had seriously pursued them was Tehran. But the Los Angeles Games turned a $223 million profit, relying on existing venues and an army of more than 50,000 volunteers and creating a sponsorship model that the International Olympic Committee would copy.. . . .

| home | top of page |


Kevin Monahan

| home | top of page |


Sandra Brandt Wild

| home | top of page |


Joyce McConkey Williams

Graduated from McKinley Elementary School


Joyce and Betty Paterson Lasseter

| home | top of page |


 Betty Paterson Lasseter


Joyce McConley Williams and Betty

Betty was in our freshman, sophomore, and junior year class pictures.
Betty is actually Elizabeth "Betty" Paterson Lasseter


(January 22, 2010) A note from Betty Paterson Lasseter, former wife of class constituent, Joe Lasseter, sends word that Joe died in January 2009.

Joe was in the Class of 1955 but did not graduate. He is shown in the Varsity Football group photo in our Year Book. The photo caption reads that Joe Lasseter and John Matthews made the All P.A.L.(Peninsula Athletic Leage) Team.

It appears that at the time of his passing, Joe was married to Shirley Fanning Lasseter, Mayor of Duluth GA (a suburb of Atlanta). She served as mayor from 1994 to 2007. Shirley is quoted as the proud mother of four, but we can't say that any were the product of her marriage to Joe. On the Internet there is an excess of information about Shirley Lasseter, but hardly a word was found about Joe.

The Social Security Death Index lists Joe as Joseph Wilson Lasseter; b. 05 Jan 1937; d. 27 Jan 2009; last residence Duluth GA.

IN MEMORIAM - JUNE 6, 2014
It is with deep sorrow that we regret to inform you of the passing of our loved one
Elizabeth "Betty" Paterson Lasseter on Wednesday June 4, 2014. Betty was greatly loved
and will be sorely missed. Our only blessing is that knowing that she is now at peace.
The Flaxmer and Lasseter Families
Elizabeth (Betty)Paterson Lasseter wants to be remembered by her classmates, class of 1955.

| home | top of page |


Vickie Laughton Carder

IN MEMORIAM
1937 - 2008

Vickie Carder

March 30, 1937 ~ June 21, 2008

PACIFIC GROVE – On Saturday, June 21, 2008, a bright and loving light was extinguished when Vickie Carder, passed away at age 71 in Monterey, CA of complications from a recent surgery. Her husband, Gerry, and children Geoff Laughton and Caroline Carder Robertson, were at her side.

Vickie was born on March 30, 1937 in San Mateo, CA, to the late William M. Laughton and Caroline E. Laughton, and was pre-deceased by her brother, William M. Laughton, Jr. Vickie graduated from Burlingame High School in 1955, and in 1958, with her first husband, had her son Geoff, now of Erie, CO.

In 1962, with Gerry, Vickie had Caroline, of Redwood City, CA. Vickie spent most of her years in Pacific Grove working as the office manager for Dr. Glenn Hudgens in Carmel Valley. Vickie was, before all things, capable of tremendous love. One could count on her sharp wit, intelligence, and her deep care for those around her.

Vickie also enjoyed a passion for bridge and music. Growing up around her mother's piano playing inspired her love of jazz and classical music, and led her to being an accomplished pianist in her own right. In her later years, she and Gerry became masterful square dancers, which led to many life-long friendships.

Her later passions remained her children and grandchildren, as well as a dubious addiction to Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Vickie was also the loving and proud grandmother of Marc William Laughton, of Erie, and Austin and Wyatt Robertson of Redwood City.

Vickie's generosity of heart and spirit, as well as her love for all of us, lives on, even as we all miss her so deeply already.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. at El Carmelo Cemetery in Pacific Grove on August 12, 2008. Contributions may be made in her name to the American Diabetes Association.

Published in the Monterey Herald from 6/24/2008 - 6/25/2008