Nicholas Jon Behunin, BHS 1997

Nicholas Jon Behunin, BHS 1997

1979- 2024

Posted by myBurbank Sports on X in 2024

Very sad news to report. We have learned of the passing of former Burbank High pitcher Nick Behunin, who graduated in 1997. The left hander had several memorable performances against Burroughs. May he rest in peace.

Please join Celebration of Life for Nick Behunin, 8/21/24 Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills (Old North Church) 12:00 PM and The Castaway's restaurant Burbank to follow.

Burial was private at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

Find A Grave Memorial

Clara Isabel Castro, BHS 1997

Clara Isabel Castro, BHS 1997 - -1978 - 1995

Note: Clara Castro was listed on the old BHS/JBHS website as having passed away. I had no information on her until I found a In Memoriam page in the 1995 yearbook. It reads as follows:

Born November 4, 1978, in Medellin, Colombia, Clara Castro grew up trying her hardest each day to only be the best she could be. She was a loving sister, a respectable daughter and loyal friend.

Those who knew her saw past her petite physique, diabetes, asthma, and heart trouble. They saw her as a true friend, one who was honest and trustworthy; who put her close friends and family ahead of everything else.

Her death on Wednesday, February 8, 1995, touched the hearts of many. Several of those who knew her best, shed quite a few tears when they heard the sad, sad news.

But many want to be sure that although Clara is not with us in person, her memory will always remain.      Elishka Webb

O'Brien Hernan Reynoso, BHS 1997

O'Brien Hernan Reynoso, BHS 1997

O'Brien Hernan Reynoso, 33, born on October 14, 1979, in Lima, Peru passed away January 3, 2013. He resided in Burbank, California at the time of his passing. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California.

No other details at this time.

John D. Swanson, BHS 1997

John D. Swanson, BHS 1997


Rare cardiac disorder strikes three times in Burbank family
Jenna Bordelon, Burbank Leader, September 30, 2000


BURBANK -- More than a year has passed since 19-year-old John Swanson was found dead in his bedroom from a genetic disorder, but for his family the grief remains close to the surface. By all accounts, Swanson, a UC Santa Barbara student and Burbank High School graduate, was a healthy, happy boy with a penchant for sports and a dry sense of humor. On July 14 1999, Swanson told his parents he was going to take a nap before dinner. It was the last time they saw him alive.


Adding to the family's grief, it took six months before they found out they he died from a rare cardiac condition known as Long QT Syndrome. Since then, John's father, Blair, and his 16-year-old brother, Rick, have been diagnosed with the disorder.

"No one thinks a healthy son is going to die," Blair Swanson said, the pain of discussing his eldest son's passing straining his voice. "(Rick) is healthy, but we're also grieving John's death and we'll never get over the fact that the way that he died was so unusual."


With Long QT Syndrome, the first symptoms are usually a sudden loss of consciousness and death. This week was "National Long QT Week," which has prompted the Swansons to speak out about the devastating disorder. "It's hard to understand why this tragedy happened to us," mother Gun Maria Swanson said. "I have been in shock for a very long time and there is nothing that can prepare you for this."  Long QT Syndrome affects the heart, causing it to take longer than normal for the electrical rhythm to recharge. According to the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation, or SADS, when the abnormal rhythm occurs, the heart stops pumping blood to the brain. 

Gun Maria Swanson's wish is that more could be done at the high-school level by coaches and doctors who work with athletes. "I think when they do competitive sports they should go a little bit further and see if they would do a holter test or a treadmill," she said, referring to a procedure that monitors fluctuations in heart rhythm. "It could have saved John's life.


But former Burbank High School tennis coach Clyde Richards said the tests are too expensive for the $900 team budget. Like others close to John, he said he never saw any symptoms that would suggest the teenager was sick. "John hated to run but that was part of his makeup," he said. "The way he hated to run, he would have told me something." "I knew how hard he worked and how much he gave back to society, so it was a loss for all of us."


Ironically, John's death may have saved Rick's life. On April 20, doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center implanted a defibrillator in Rick's chest to monitor his electrical impulses. Rick, who, like his brother, plays on the Burbank High School varsity tennis team, said he has not let the implant stop him from enjoying life to the fullest. "I don't want to have any restrictions," he said. "He was kind of a mentor," Rick said of his brother. "I just followed his example and tried to do well in school." Rick said it has been a difficult year for his whole family. Poster-size pictures of his brother still adorn the house. "It goes both ways," he said. "It's kind of nice to see him, but sad at the same time."

Cesar Gonzalez, BHS 1997

Cesar Gonzalez, BHS 1997

WRECKAGE TESTAMENT TO DANGER REMNANTS OF FATAL CRASH DRIVE MESSAGE HOME TO KIDS.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer, Los Angeles Daily News, 2002

BURBANK - His voice will never be heard again, but Cesar Gonzalez's message speaks through the twisted steel that was once his sleek, black Pontiac Grand Prix .This is what could happen in a split second if you speed, the car reminds students at John Burrough's High School, where the wreckage is on display.

Gonzalez, a 23-year-old Burbank High School graduate with his sights set on a career in law enforcement, died last month when he lost control of his speeding car and slammed into a wall along San Fernando Road, police said..

``This kind of disturbs me a little bit,'' said 17-year-old senior Blade Banzali, who has been rebuilding a 1969 Chevy Nova and plans to race the car in a legal event in Palmdale. ``This shows that this doesn't just apply to rebel drivers. It applies to everyone.''

During lunchtime on a recent afternoon, as students munched on slices of pepperoni pizza, some paused to look at the car displayed at the front entrance of the school. A photograph of Gonzalez, along with a small biography, was posted nearby. Most students who stopped by said they know someone who participates in illegal drag race

For 15-year-old Cristina Rodriguez, who is learning how to drive, the image of the car made her shudder - she had been involved in an accident on the freeway last year, she said. ``I'm afraid to drive on freeways,'' she said. Her friend Leonela Donado, 16, said she couldn't believe the wreckage. ``Looking at it, I can't believe an actual person was once in there,'' she said. ``He was so young, that's the scary thing.''

Gonzalez was neither a racer, . nor irresponsible, but a young man who had spent much of his teen years enrolled in the Burbank Police Explorers Post, said officers who knew him. He dreamed of a career in law enforcement and had been working as a security guard at Universal Studios.

About 3 p.m. April 30, 2002 he was on his way to pick up a friend to give him a ride to work - one example of his commitment to his friends and family, said his youngest sister, Reyna Gonzalez, a senior at Burbank High. Reyna said she was the one who convinced her parents to donate her brother's vehicle to police. ``I want to see the car again,'' she said. ``Maybe it will help me deal with this.'' She said her brother would have approved. ``He wanted to do good,'' she said. ``He wanted to be a cop, to change the world and leave his mark.''