They refuse to go quietly into the night, these old pals from the class of 1957 at San Fernando High. They got together last weekend for a group 80th birthday party, and to open a time capsule thats been in the back of Joe DiFattas garage in Chatsworth since July 4th, 1976.
They all put in a few personal items that day, then jumped in Joes hot tub to celebrate the nations 200th birthday. It was the 70s and the San Fernando Valley was the reigning backyard pool and hot tub capitol of the country.
In so many ways, the class of 1957 was the face of the Valley when it was in its own teenage years after World War II brought so many returning G.I.s west.
Brass and full of opportunity – a place where you could buy a home cheap, get a decent paying job, and support your family on one paycheck a week.
They were all turning 37 in 1976, and well into their blue collar careers. Many of the guys joined the service out of high school to get the educational benefits. College wasnt a big deal to them, but trade school was.
They became printers and plumbers, landscape workers, cabinetmakers, and roofers earning a good living. Many married their high school sweethearts a few years behind them in school.
They filled that time capsule in 1976 with all the necessities of life at the time – a Playboy magazine, a couple of empty Coors beer cans, a pack of Kools, a bottle of Mateus wine, a Sears catalog, and a Bobs Big Boy menu offering a combo plate for $1.35. There were plenty of family photos and newspapers, too.
Joe made a date for everyone to meet back at his place again in 25 years on the 4th to open the capsule. They remained close through the 80s and 90s – going on family vacations together, and celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. They watched each others kids grow up, and have kids of their own.
Before they knew it, they were grandparents and the country was turning the page on a new century. Soon, it was July 4th, 2001, and they were heading back to Joes backyard to open their time capsule.
They were 62 now, and the hot tub was gone.
“Wheres my Kools?” Don Stout asked, rummaging through the capsule. “I know I put in a pack, but theyre not here.”
The case of the missing Kools was never solved, but the Playboy, Bobs Big Boy menu, and everything else Bob Bassett, Jackie Crivello, Ron Dean, Rudy Lujuno, Steve Boskovich, Jim Faragher, and Joe put in was there.
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