PROSPECT PARK Class of 1957 -- GATS

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The GATS were a social club (gang) from Prospect Park Junior High School of the early 1950s.

Photo from left, front row: Bob Conlin, Dick Hughlett, Jack Cusick, Jim Bauer
                          back row : Denny Murtaugh, Philip Strohm, Warren Heiter.
    Dick had just said, "Everybody look serious."
There were others members from time to time, but the core group were the front row. The Conlin dog, "Daisy", was an honorary member.

Resting in peace. Phil, 1986 ; Warren, 1996 ; Jack, 1997

To an inquiry about the author of some books I had just bought that I had said were written by our gang leader in Jr. High School,
I responed, "Bob Conlin is still around but has moved or was reported to have moved several times. I am told he doesn't respond to email,
and I have never tried. He did his work in California at a State College winning repeated instructor of the year
awards, then in an argument with another instructor, he told that bitch to get out of my office and she filed a sexual (verbal)
harassment charge against him. This was at the beginning of the internet age so that incident shows up on web searches, not his
previous awards that were pre-everything-stays-forever days of online data. He was comfortably set approaching of retirement age and did so, moving to
Oregon and then Washington state. Dick Hughlett has talked with his sister, Nancy ?, who still lives in the Prospect area.

He transferred to the Jesuit school in Chester, St James, for his last three years of high school.
He and I were talking in study hall one day and for punishment the teacher assigned him to memorize the presidents of the
United States (there were fewer back then). He was soon talking again to another of our group and when told to recite the
presidents as assigned, he did so, then continued to list them backward. He went to the Jesuit school to better challenge his considerable intellect.

The GATS lost "Bob" to St.James when he changed his name on entering catholic school, but the World gained "Joe".

While there he set a goal to become the first American Pope, but then decided he did not like any of the requirements involving poverty, chastity, or obedience.

He went on to graduate from Villanova University (BA, 1961) and the University of Wisconsin (MA, 1962, PhD 1966). He started writing books with "American Anti-war Movements" (1968). Bob was not a hippy, but was a radical thinker.

His doctoral thesis was published as: "Big Bill Haywood and the Radical Union Movement" (1969) followed with "Bread and Roses, Studies the Wobblies" (1970). Each is still available and required reading on either subject.

He became a professor in the California State University system, USC at Chico, and became nationally known for his Jr College level history book "The American Past: A survey of American History" that has gone through at least ten printings.
Other of his works include:

American Radical Press, 1880-1960, edited with an introduction (1974) {2 vol}
At the Point of Production: The Local History of the IWW (1981)
The troubles, a jaundiced glance back at the movement of the sixties (1982)
Morrow Book of Quotations in American history (1984)
American Past: A Survey of American History (1984, 1898, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012,)
Our Land, Our Time: A History of the United States ... (five variations) (1985, 1986, 1991)
American Harvest: Readings in American History (1986)
Bacon, Beans and Galantines: Food and Foodways on the Western Mining Frontier (1987)
An American Harvest, Vol II 2001
Study Guide to the American Past (2009, 2014, 2016)

He was a Fulbright Professor in Rome and Salzburg and was twice Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Social History Centre at Warwick University, England. For nearly three decades, he taught one to four sections of United States history per term. He retired in 1995 after winning four awards for excellence in teaching. He is listed in the Directory of American Scholars since 1974 and in Contemporary Authors since 1975. {Some of this I didn't know.}

Married Martagne T. Dougherty in 1962. Desolved Aug 1972, each age 31.
    Married Deborah J. Molica in Butt, California on June 25, 1976. He was 36, she 25.

Chico State University. In 1887, the California Legislature approved the creation of the Northern Branch of the State Normal School. Chico, 90 miles north of Sacramento was chosen as the site of the new teachers college. The Chico Normal School opened its doors to 90 students in 1889. As the college grew, its name changed to reflect that growth. In 1972, we became California State University at Chico. The University has been rated a top-10 regional public university in the West by U.S. News and World Report since 1998, when the rankings began. Main campus 119 acres; Enrollment 16,437 (full-time equivalent, 2018)

1406 Bidwell Ave, Chico, CA is rustic overlooking the Big Chico Creek half a mile from the Chico campus.

Timeline/Residences
712 10th Avenue, Prospect Park,PA
Prospect Park Schools 1948?-1954
St James Catholic 1954-1957
Villanova 1957-61 (BA)
University of Wisconsin 1961-66 (MA, 1962; PhD 1966).
Marry MTD 1962
Chico State University 1967 -1995
Disolved MTD 1972
1406 Bidwell Ave, Chico, CA {1967-} 1973,74,75 {-1995}
Marry Debrah 1976
{? 130 Rambling Way, Springfield, PA, 1985 ??? 2 story residencial house near Smedley Park. Dubt if him, family member?}
Retire 1995 The initial retirement was to rural, seaside Brandon, ORegan.
PO Box 1265, 1371, Brandon, OR 1995 {at least 6 years}
They currently resides at: 838 Jewil Drive, Fox Island, WA 98333-9682;  Phone: 253 649 4160;   e-mail: dmconlin@hotmail.com
Fox Island is among the mass of islands South and West of Puget Sound, west of Tacoma, Washington.
Gig harbor development on Fox Island is of 1 acre homes. They have a neatly landscaped corner lot on Jewil Drive at 8th Lane extending to Kadmus Lane with walks curving among trees and shrubs. The house is 1,916 sf, 1-1/2 story, 3 BR, 2 bath with the property assessed at $460K

His Wikipedia listing

Created September 19, 2019
Updated : Sept 26, 2019
WebMaster
URL : http://www.manorweb.net/class57/profile.html