Paul G. Williamson, BHS Vice Principal

Paul G. Williamson, BHS Vice Principal

Paul G. Williamson, 92, passed peacefully at his home in Fresno, California on April 15, 2011 of congestive heart failure.

Born on October 9, 1918 in Oxnard, California, he was the son of Grover and Mary Williamson. Paul excelled in school, sports, and also became an accomplished trumpet player. Paul married his beloved high school sweetheart, Ruth AlVerta Jaynes, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He entered the Navy, became an officer of a minesweeper, and saw action in Italy and southern France.

After obtaining his Masters degree from Cal, Paul began teaching in Burbank where he was promoted to Boys Vice-Principal at Burbank High School, and later became Principal at Jordan Junior High. Paul led through professionalism, commitment to innovative education, an unfailing sense of humor, and a positive outlook on life. Up until he died, many teachers, students, and parents kept in touch with him.

Not only was he an excellent tennis player, Paul was also a lifelong avid fisherman. He and AlVerta purchased land on the McKenzie River in Oregon and built a second home. Here Paul fished, made new friends, and created a bountiful garden. For many years, the happy couple traveled the world.

Paul was preceded in death by his older sister Carleen Howell, and, after 67 years of marriage, by AlVerta, who passed in December, 2009. He is survived by his daughter Sandra Alonzo, his son Gary, his son Jay, his son-in-law Mike, his daughter-in-law Bailey, and grandchildren Iris, Corey, Rhonda, Tony, Randy and Sean.

Pursuant to Paul’s request, his ashes will be spread during a private family ceremony.The family asks that you share your memories of Paul and AlVerta by signing the guestbook by at www.farewell.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to any hospice or local PTA

Published in Burbank Leader, April 26, 2011

To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer. Mohandas K. Gandhi

Paul G. Williamson, born October 9, 1918 in Oxnard, CA, beloved friend, father, and grandfather, was an inspiration to those who knew him. He passed away peacefully at his home in Fresno, CA, on April 15, 2011 of congestive heart failure. AlVerta, his loving wife of 67 years, preceded him in death on December 6, 2009.

Paul was a gifted story-teller, so it seems appropriate to include a few of his favorites here. Many tales involved the Williamson family farm in Higginsville, Missouri where Paul, his older sister Carleen, father Grover Williamson, and mother Mary Goodnight Williamson, lived periodically. Paul’s father had once been principal at Crissey Elementary School, the school Paul attended.

He loved wintertime, not so much for the snowball fights, but for the exciting rides to and from school on sleds pulled by Shetland ponies. When the kids reached their destination, the ponies were unharnessed, secured inside a school-owned barn, and fed hay at the school board’s expense.

The Williamson family resided in Oxnard during the infamous 1928 San Francisquito dam disaster when 450 people lost their lives. The fire department woke Paul’s neighborhood at 2 a.m. When he climbed out of bed, Paul asked, “Mother, where are we going?” His mother said, “Oh, just for a ride.” The Williamsons piled inside the car, and left Oxnard in a calm, single-file line of vehicles.

The next day, his father volunteered for the rescue crew and found a woman buried alive, vertically, in mud up to her neck. They immediately began to pull her out, but the woman started to scream, and insisted that they stop. Apparently she wasn’t wearing any clothes, and didn’t want to be hauled up naked. The men surrounded the area with blankets, and she agreed to be saved.

Both Paul and AlVerta graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. For several semesters, Paul worked as a dishwasher at the boarding house. One of his favorite stories was part of a friend’s tale that was told during a meal. The storyteller described an incident at his former boardinghouse, reenacting the scene while he spoke. He picked up a butterball and placed it inside a spoon, demonstrating how the year before, he’d flung a similar butterball across the dining room, accidentally hitting the headmistress in the eye. While Paul’s friend spoke, he released the butterball. It sailed across the room and hit their present headmistress smack in the middle of her glasses!

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Paul and AlVerta were married at her family home in Lopez Canyon, California, and Paul enlisted in the Navy. Before he was sent overseas, AlVerta traveled from port to port across the U.S. to be with him. Paul became an officer on a minesweeper and saw action in Italy and southern France.

During the war, his vessel was docked at Pier 90 in New York, waiting for orders to ship overseas. Paul loved to describe how the stateside admirals were most likely sitting around with their feet up, smoking cigars, when they decided that his ship should go out and sweep the local channel. Of course Paul’s crew followed orders, but they ran into so much ice their ship started to tilt, complications arose, and the gears suffered mechanical damage.

To complicate their predicament, thick fog rolled in. Even though the ship had recently been equipped with radar, at that time, no one on board had received the training to use it. They called for a rescue boat, but it couldn’t get through the ice and fog. Paul’s ship struggled through the night with one gear, and eventually made it back to harbor. While the engine underwent repairs, the crew had to be grounded. Because of the delay, Paul missed the Normandy invasion.

After the war, Paul obtained his Masters degree from Cal and began teaching for the Burbank Unified School District. For over twenty years, he and AlVerta lived on acreage in Lopez Canyon, CA which had been homesteaded by AlVerta’s grandfather.

They raised their three children, Sandy, Gary, and Jay amidst the sagebrush, oaks, coyotes, quail, and quite a few rattlesnakes. Now and then, the family was forced to evacuate their house because of forest fires. During one of these catastrophes, Paul rushed home from school to rescue Sandy’s horse, but was not allowed to pass through Lopez Canyon. He turned the car around and drove at breakneck speed to a neighboring canyon, then hiked in his suit and good shoes across the mountains. When he reached the house, Paul grabbed his most valued possession, a Benje trumpet. He threw a bridle on the horse, and rode bareback through smoke and ashes, past fire trucks and spectators. The horse never spooked, and carried him over three miles, all the way to the foot of the canyon.

Paul loved music and became an accomplished trumpet player on the treasured Benge trumpet given to him by his Aunt U. He played this trumpet in the Cal band and marched with them in the Rose Parade. In recent years, he sang with the Windham Choir, took up playing the harmonica, and volunteered to play taps at veteran’s funerals.

Eventually, Paul’s success as a teacher led him into administration. He served as assistant principal at Burbank High and principal at Jordan Junior High. He had a remarkable career, earning the love and respect of teachers, students, and parents. Paul led with professionalism, commitment to innovative education, an unfailing sense of humor, and a positive outlook on life.

Paul was an accomplished ocean and fresh water fisherman with many a tale to spin. As a young man, these stories often involved his Uncle Fred and fishing at a beach camp in Oceanside. The campsite remained set up all summer. When Paul fished at night, AlVerta usually slept in a blanket on the sand. Paul loved to dribble fish water on her face to wake her and show her the catch. There are too many fish stories to count, but one of Paul’s favorites happened during WWII when his ship was docked for the night near Staten Island. One of the guys on watch awakened Paul, and led him to shore where dozens of fish were swimming in the shallow water. The sailor handed Paul a stick, and told him to turn on his flashlight. When the flashlight was positioned properly, the fish would follow the beam. Paul claims he led fish to shore all night using the using a flashlight as a lure and a stick to urge them along. The cook prepared the catch the next day, and Paul swears those fish tasted pretty darned good.

Paul was an excellent tennis player and won numerous medals in the Senior Olympics. He was an avid sports fan and followed the Dodgers, Lakers, and his beloved Cal Bears. He and AlVerta enjoyed playing bridge. They traveled the world together and made lifelong friends.

Paul and Al Verta purchased land on the McKenzie River in Oregon and build a second home on the water. Here Paul fished, made new friends, and created bountiful vegetable, berry and dahlia gardens. The grandkids have wonderful memories of Oregon rafting and fishing adventures and the many Christmases they spent on the river. They and many other visitors were treated to blueberry pancakes, homemade pies, homegrown vegetables, and fresh trout.

Paul and Al Verta were preceded in death by Paul’s sister Carleen Howell. They are survived by their daughter Sandra Alonzo of Oakhurst, California, son Gary of Artesia, California, son Jay of Vashon, Washington, son-in-law Mike, daughter-in-law Bailey, grandchildren Iris, Corey, Rhonda, Tony, Randy and Sean.

Paul’s ashes will be spread during a private family ceremony in the same location where AlVerta’s were spread last year. In lieu of flowers the family asks that a contribution be made to the hospice of your choice or a local Parent Teacher Student Association.