Mike was my best friend in 4th grade. He was a good guy then, but later on something happened to him and he got a little crazy and wild. I was saddened to hear he became bitter and angry as an adult. I wish life had gone better for him. He'll always be my little pal.
Sorry to learn of OBs death and passing. I met Mike in Dublin in the 5th Grade Ms. Nevins Class ,we had class in Mr. Hardy's 6th Grade at the portable school across from Safeway in San Ramon Village. Hiway 21 was still there, then.We attended junior high at Fallon School and graduated in 1966. I attended Amador in 1966, 1st semester and then moved to Sacramento to Del Campo High School.
In the 8th grade Mike was a drummer in the "Town Squire" with Charlie Murphy on lead guitar and Archie Johnson lead singer and bass with Donnie Wells and rhythm guitar with Dave . Mike Stanton sang in the band and the regulars who hung around the band were Pat & Danny Greenwood, Carol Mason, etc..
The band with Mike on the drums won the battle of the bands at the Alameda County Fair in 1966, they beat out a pro-like black group that probably should have won, but the voting was by applause and the Town Squire had a deafening applause victory.
The use of marijuana was barely detectable when I left Amador High in Feb. 1967, but when I arrived at Del Campo High School there was weed for sale prevalently , with LSD and amphetamines as easily obtained. Haight Ashbury was an occassional pitstop for marijuana etc. for many of those times.
The point is when I left Dublin in 1967, drug usage was almost non existant, except for the worst drug, alcohol, that the the jam sessions of the Town Squire and friends were inundated in. When drugs came through those that engaged them either seemed to tolerate them or become damaged by their effects, LSD claimed the minds of many during its run. I would speculate that Mike and the band probaby were exposed to the drug culprits.
Here is to Mike O'brien and hoping that he is in the sunny green fields of Elysium another warrior of life now moved on.
You bring up a lot of memories with those names. The garage band years! As you probably know, Charlie, Archie and Mike Stanton all went on to careers as pro musicians. I'm still in touch with Mike and he's still doing gigs in So Cal. and is a retired actor as well. Still crazy after all these years. Charlie died some years back and I saw him not too long before that. He looked like he'd lived a hard life, but was still playing in a band and invited me to one of his gigs. Never made it. Found out later from his brother that he'd passed. I didn't know Archie as well, but Mike tells me he's in very poor health. All three were/are gifted musicians. And yes, drugs were prevalent. Part of the times and culture. Just what it is/was.
I also knew all those guys, including Mike O'Brien (or as we affectionately called him, O B) from grade school days.I never knew the negative Mike, but then again, lost touch after high school. I heard he'd died many years ago, but really can't say exactly when. It's sad and fairly disconcerting that we are increasingly referring to our peers in the past tense. Let's hope we're present tense for a while longer, eh?
After I left Dublin in 1967, I never tried to make contact with anyone again from the former days. I heard that Mike Chapman, joined the marines and was down under in Da Nang, when I called his parents in 1968, hopefully he was successful in an unsucessful war. We were getting in shape to join the marines before I left Dublin, take our rifles in the mountains above San Ramon and sighted in our rifles and played a few war games. Mike was good friend and I have always meant to look him up, but have always had to many things to do.
Regarding focusing on the present and those of us still living the dream, that is definitely part of the focus but now at age 63 (hopefully we can live to 120 with the tech going the way it is), time is moving quick.
I heard that Coach Murphy, Charlie's older brother dies in Pleasanton in 1976, this was through an investigative website I was using to pursue debtiors for property management.
My long term memory is pretty bad but I do remember a cute, little, freckle faced gnome named Mike O'brien. Now, here is where it gets fuzzy. Was Mike friends with a dude named Doug Meredith?? He was a Canadian, if memory serves, which usually doesn't. I believe I heard some time back that Doug had died. I believe he was adopted. But as I've said, memory does not serve me well. As for myself, I left Amador the summer of 1968. I left school for the most prevalent reason at the time. Girl meets boy at Halloween dance at the fair grounds in 1967. Girl and boy fall in love. Girl gets pregnant in April of 1968 and promptly walks into the office at Amador to tell Miss Winter, I quit. Never did marry Dale Thorson, but had two children with him and lived together for 27 years. We are still friends. Dale never dated anyone after me. I had a few casual relationships. But nothing can really compare with your first, real, true love. I was a Sunolian. Grew up there. We raised our boy there. I am a Nana to two wonderful, talented, beautiful, kind grandaughters. And life is okay. It sucks getting old, but I'm a believer, my Redeemer lives and I know when I leave this world, I will be lovingly welcomed into the house of the Lord. No cult, just Christiãn. So, please, if anyone out there knows if OB, was friends with Doug Meredith, and have information on Doug, could you please let me know at: kayyhthorson@gmail.com. Thank you for your time. Peace out, Kay Yvonne-Hope Thorson (some of my f
friends called me,"Fred". It was a silly, childish nickname that came about. It's kind of a long story.)
Rex Toltschin
And Mr O'Brien, A Rose for you.William Charles Greeson
Mike was my best friend in 4th grade. He was a good guy then, but later on something happened to him and he got a little crazy and wild. I was saddened to hear he became bitter and angry as an adult. I wish life had gone better for him. He'll always be my little pal.
Nick Harris
Sorry to learn of OBs death and passing. I met Mike in Dublin in the 5th Grade Ms. Nevins Class ,we had class in Mr. Hardy's 6th Grade at the portable school across from Safeway in San Ramon Village. Hiway 21 was still there, then.We attended junior high at Fallon School and graduated in 1966. I attended Amador in 1966, 1st semester and then moved to Sacramento to Del Campo High School.
In the 8th grade Mike was a drummer in the "Town Squire" with Charlie Murphy on lead guitar and Archie Johnson lead singer and bass with Donnie Wells and rhythm guitar with Dave . Mike Stanton sang in the band and the regulars who hung around the band were Pat & Danny Greenwood, Carol Mason, etc..
The band with Mike on the drums won the battle of the bands at the Alameda County Fair in 1966, they beat out a pro-like black group that probably should have won, but the voting was by applause and the Town Squire had a deafening applause victory.
The use of marijuana was barely detectable when I left Amador High in Feb. 1967, but when I arrived at Del Campo High School there was weed for sale prevalently , with LSD and amphetamines as easily obtained. Haight Ashbury was an occassional pitstop for marijuana etc. for many of those times.
The point is when I left Dublin in 1967, drug usage was almost non existant, except for the worst drug, alcohol, that the the jam sessions of the Town Squire and friends were inundated in. When drugs came through those that engaged them either seemed to tolerate them or become damaged by their effects, LSD claimed the minds of many during its run. I would speculate that Mike and the band probaby were exposed to the drug culprits.
Here is to Mike O'brien and hoping that he is in the sunny green fields of Elysium another warrior of life now moved on.
Tony (Anthony David) Alvarez
Nick,
You bring up a lot of memories with those names. The garage band years! As you probably know, Charlie, Archie and Mike Stanton all went on to careers as pro musicians. I'm still in touch with Mike and he's still doing gigs in So Cal. and is a retired actor as well. Still crazy after all these years. Charlie died some years back and I saw him not too long before that. He looked like he'd lived a hard life, but was still playing in a band and invited me to one of his gigs. Never made it. Found out later from his brother that he'd passed. I didn't know Archie as well, but Mike tells me he's in very poor health. All three were/are gifted musicians. And yes, drugs were prevalent. Part of the times and culture. Just what it is/was.
I also knew all those guys, including Mike O'Brien (or as we affectionately called him, O B) from grade school days.I never knew the negative Mike, but then again, lost touch after high school. I heard he'd died many years ago, but really can't say exactly when. It's sad and fairly disconcerting that we are increasingly referring to our peers in the past tense. Let's hope we're present tense for a while longer, eh?
Tony Alvarez
Nick Harris
Tony etal,
After I left Dublin in 1967, I never tried to make contact with anyone again from the former days. I heard that Mike Chapman, joined the marines and was down under in Da Nang, when I called his parents in 1968, hopefully he was successful in an unsucessful war. We were getting in shape to join the marines before I left Dublin, take our rifles in the mountains above San Ramon and sighted in our rifles and played a few war games. Mike was good friend and I have always meant to look him up, but have always had to many things to do.
Regarding focusing on the present and those of us still living the dream, that is definitely part of the focus but now at age 63 (hopefully we can live to 120 with the tech going the way it is), time is moving quick.
I heard that Coach Murphy, Charlie's older brother dies in Pleasanton in 1976, this was through an investigative website I was using to pursue debtiors for property management.
Regarding the future .............?
Kay (Fred) Brooks (Thorson)
My long term memory is pretty bad but I do remember a cute, little, freckle faced gnome named Mike O'brien. Now, here is where it gets fuzzy. Was Mike friends with a dude named Doug Meredith?? He was a Canadian, if memory serves, which usually doesn't. I believe I heard some time back that Doug had died. I believe he was adopted. But as I've said, memory does not serve me well. As for myself, I left Amador the summer of 1968. I left school for the most prevalent reason at the time. Girl meets boy at Halloween dance at the fair grounds in 1967. Girl and boy fall in love. Girl gets pregnant in April of 1968 and promptly walks into the office at Amador to tell Miss Winter, I quit. Never did marry Dale Thorson, but had two children with him and lived together for 27 years. We are still friends. Dale never dated anyone after me. I had a few casual relationships. But nothing can really compare with your first, real, true love. I was a Sunolian. Grew up there. We raised our boy there. I am a Nana to two wonderful, talented, beautiful, kind grandaughters. And life is okay. It sucks getting old, but I'm a believer, my Redeemer lives and I know when I leave this world, I will be lovingly welcomed into the house of the Lord. No cult, just Christiãn. So, please, if anyone out there knows if OB, was friends with Doug Meredith, and have information on Doug, could you please let me know at: kayyhthorson@gmail.com. Thank you for your time. Peace out, Kay Yvonne-Hope Thorson (some of my f
friends called me,"Fred". It was a silly, childish nickname that came about. It's kind of a long story.)