Jerry L. McWilliams, BHS 1966

Jerry L McWilliams died on April 20, 2018 in Spokane WA. He was born on January 11, 1948 in Glendale CA to Woodrow W. McWilliams and Ruth Z McWilliams. Jerry died of heart failure after a brief illness.

He was raised in Burbank, CA where he graduated from Burbank High School in 1966. Following graduation, he enlisted in the US Navy, serving as an Aviation Electronics Technician in San Diego, Japan and Vietnam.

He moved to Spokane from southern California in 1973 to follow his parents who had retired here earlier. He worked as a carpenter at Apollo Boats for six months prior to employment in the U S Postal Service. He served as a mail handler/letter carrier for 34 of his 38 years of federal service
He married Jackie Carter McWilliams on May 24, 1975 at Hillyard Baptist Church. They have made their home in the North Indian Trail neighborhood for 43 years. They were charter members of Fairwood Community Baptist Church in 1976.

A friend referred to Jerry as a ‘Renaissance Man’. He began riding motorcycles as a teenage and completed nine rides from Mexico to Canada over Labor Day holidays in the 1990’s with the Southern California Motorcycles Association’s Three Flags Classic. Sailing, skiing, scuba diving and photography were hobbies pursued with passion. He visited National Parks and other wilderness areas, and delighted in trips to the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, the last of which was to Carlsbad, CA. Formula One Race Cars were his favorites. Creativity and humor were his gifts to friends and family.

Survivors include his wife, Jackie McWilliams, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Paul and Linda Carter, Spokane, WA; Nephew Jason Evans, Ephrata, WA; Nieces Kelli Crough, Fresno, CA; Suzi Carter Megney, Mead WA; Kami English, Mill Creek WA; Jan Carter, Fairfield, WA; Jill Marie Carter, Spokane WA, and their immediate and extended families.

A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, May 2, 2018, 2:00 pm at Bethany Presbyterian Church, 2607 South Ray, Spokane, WA.

Memorial Contributions may be made to Glacier National Park Conservancy, PO Box 2749, Columbia Falls, MT 59912 or Bethany Presbyterian Church, 2607 South Ray, Spokane, WA 99223.

Published in Spokesman-Review on Apr. 25, 2018

Ted Gregory Olson, BHS 1973

Ted Olson, age 59 of Seneca, Illinois, passed away Saturday May 31, 2014 at Morris Hospital.

Born March 26, 1955 in Glendale, California, Ted is a son of Betty Olson of Seneca and the late Leroy Olson. He was raised and educated in Burbank, California and worked as a Machinist. 

Ted loved cars, especially working on muscle cars and was a fan of drag racing. He will be remembered for his enjoyment of spending time with his nieces and nephews.

Survivors include his mother Betty of Seneca and seven brothers and sisters, including Kathie Jackson of Seneca, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Ted was preceded in death by his father.

Services will be private, and burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Morris, Illinois.

Eileen Duke Peterson, BHS 1948

Published in The Burbank Leader on Feb. 17, 2018

September 18, 1929 - February 9, 2018 

Mom was born in Long Beach, Calif. on September 18, 1929. She lived in Burbank for 82 years. She passed away in Kearns, Utah on February 9, 2018. 

Eileen married Vreeland S. Peterson May 12, 1952. He preceded her in death on December 13, 1990. Eileen had 3 children: Julie Tamayo, Denise Kidder and Arnold Peterson (deceased). She has 8 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild. She will be greatly missed.

Funeral services will be held Monday, February 19 at the LDS church, 136 N. Sunset Canyon Dr., Burbank. Viewing 9:30-10:30 a.m., funeral service at 11:00. Burial to follow at Glen Haven Memorial Park.

Robert E. “Bob” Dye, BHS 1957

Robert E. “Bob” Dye, February 18, 1939 to March 9, 2018 

Bob Dye was born to Walter E. Dye and Lanell M. (Preston) Dye on February 18, 1939 in Los Angeles, CA. He passed away just after his 79th birth-day at home in Payson.

Bob graduated from Burbank High School, Burbank, CA, class of 1957, where he participated in foot-ball and track. He attended University of Utah and worked at Sperry Engineering, Utah prior to marrying Nancy Stein in June of 1959. On returning to CA in early 1961 they had three children. Three years after his divorce from Nancy he married Shirley (Sutton-DeLamater) who came with two children. At marriage in July of 1975, both Bob and Shirley had custody of their children ages 3-13, so they had a blended family with five kids and interesting times ahead.

Bob was a mechanical engineer whose favorite job was working on deep space satellite dishes for Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, CA in the 1960s and 70s. Later jobs included work on auto accessories and jet aircraft cockpit redesign, until his retirement in 2003. Bob loved hunting, camping, dirt bike riding, and running, and was an Assistant Scout Master with a very active Boy Scout troop for 9 years.

Bob and Shirley moved to Payson July 2005 and Bob loved driving his Jeep, but health issues prevented him from taking many long off-road trips after awhile.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years Shirley Dye, and five children: Debbie (Dye) and Jim McTear of Bend, OR.; Gary Dye of Chandler, AZ; Jeannie (DeLamater) Price of Scottsdale, AZ; Carrie (Dye) and Mark Turnbull of Mesa, AZ and Christy (DeLamater) and Tyler Elliott of Gilbert, AZ. Bob also leaves 13 grand-children and four (almost six) great-grandchildren. He will be greatly missed. Services will be held Saturday, March 24th, 11:00 a.m. at Ponderosa Bible Church, 1800 N. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 85541, Reception to follow.

Published in the paysonroundup.com, Payson, AZ, Mar 16, 2018

Franklin Tyler Brandon, BHS 1964

Burbank Daily Review, June 1969

Ex-Mayor's Son Killed in Burglary

The 23-year-old son of former Mayor Robert Brandon was shot and killed by Burbank police early this morning as he apparently attempted to burglarize a local bar. The dead man, Frank Brandon, was shot inside the Brew Mistress Bar at 3813 W. Magnolia. 

Brandon was ordered to halt by police who were outside the building, but instead turned away from where he was standing at the front window. Police Investigator Robert Jacobs, who was stationed outside in the front of the bar, then fired his shotgun at Brandon, according to Assistant Chief of Police Robert Loranger.

Brandon, who Loranger said was killed instantly, was struck in the left chest by three shotgun pellets. Another pellet struck his left hand. He was not armed. The shooting occurred at 3 a.m. after police were called to investigate noises in the area of the bar.

A resident near the bar had called police to report noises in the area. Meanwhile, an alarm inside the bar sounded. When police arrived, two officers covered the front of the bar, while two more went to the rear.

At the back of the bar, police found a door to a rest room had been kicked open. Wooden planks that had been used to seal off the the door, which was not in use, were scattered on the ground. Police then ordered the man inside to come out with his hands up.

Officers said the man came to the rest room, said something to police, and then turned and ran to the front of the bar, where he apparently tried to break out through the front window. Investigator Jacobs, a 12-year veteran of the Burbank Police Force, reportedly saw Brandon at the front window, ordered him to surrender and then fired when Brandon turned away from the glass.

Police said they were not sure whether Brandon was currently living at the family's home at 515 Via Providencia. Former Mayer Brandon was active in community service for 18 years. He served as a city councilman for eight years before being defeated in his bid for a third term in 1967. He and his wife, Ione, also have a daughter. Shortly after the shooting Burbank Police Chief Rex Andrews and City Manager Joseph Baker were called to the scene.
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May Have Sought Jacket

Burbank Daily Review, June 1969

Statements by the bar employees indicate that Frank Brandon, who was killed by police early Thursday morning, may have broken into the bar to retrieve his jacket and car keys. The 23-year-old son of Dr. Robert Brandon, former mayor of Burbank, was killed by a blast from a police shotgun in the Brew Mistress Bar, 3813 W. Magnolia, about an hour after the closing time.

Waitress Dale Mead'Ors said when she and another waitress locked up at 2 a.m., Brandon told them he did not want to take his jacket with him. The jacket was then placed in a back room of the bar, where Miss Mead'Ors said he could retrieve it at a later date, since he was a regular customer at the establishment. Outside Brandon said something about his car keys, Miss Mead'Ors recalled, but said she could not understand him as he continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"I thought about it after I got home," said Miss Mead'Ors, "but I didn't even know if he actually had a car. I had only seen him walking." After he was shot it was learned he had retrieved his jacket but not taken any money. "There was at least $200 that could have been taken from the bar that wasn't touched," according to Tom Graybar, also an employee of the bar.

Police surrounded the bar after a nearby resident reported noises in the area and a burglary alarm inside the establishment had sounded. After investigating officers found a rear door kicked in, they ordered Brandon to come out with his hands up. He said something to police and ran to the front of the bar where he was shot as he turned away from a picture window by officer Robert Jacobs.

Dr. Brandon, although saying it was "regrettable they had to fire," said police "did what they felt they had to do." "There must have been a better way to handle the situation, however," he added. "They heard a noise, Firing a shotgun should not be the way to get rid of a noise." An inquest on the death will be held in the county coroner's office at 10 a.m. June 23.
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OBIT

Frank Brandon

Funeral services will be held Monday for Franklin Brandon of 515 Via Providencia who died Thursday at the age of 23. A native of Memphis, Tennessee , he had lived in Burbank for 18 years. He was a painter.

He is survived by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Robert F. Brandon of Burbank; one sister, Debra, of Burbank; and a grandfather, Charles Barher of Burlington, Iowa. Visitation will be held today and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. at the Fillbach-Bailey Funeral Chapel, 152 E. Palm.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the First Methodist Church, 700 N. Glenoaks. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

Richard Lee Speak, BHS 1956

Richard Lee Speak, BHS 1956

South Beach Bulletin, Washington, January 11, 2018

Richard Lee Speak, 79, of Wesport passed away on Dec. 25, 2017. He was born to Paul Richard Speak and Helen N. (Clark) Speak on Aug. 19, 1938, in Denver, Colorado.

Richard relocated to Burbank, California., graduating in 1956 from Burbank High School. On Sept. 13, 1957, he enlisted in the Air Force and spent one year in Korea. He was honorably discharged on Sept. 12, 1960.

Richard married Frances Oralene (Red) Speak in Reno, Nevada on April 29, 1979, they later moved to Westport. Richard was an electrician for the Sybron Company (MDT) for 30 years in Rochester, N.Y., retiring in 1994.

He was a 56 year member of the Elks Club in Federal Way, Wash. and Roseville, Calif., where he was a PER, exalted ruler, trustee and chairman of the board. He was also a lifetime member of the VFW Post #3057. Richard enjoyed bowling, traveling in his motorhome, fishing in the ocean and his dogs Rosie and Katie

Richard is survived by his wife Frances (Red) of Westport; sons John Brian Speak of Auburn, Calif. and Steve Howard Speak of Placerville, Calif.; step-sons James William Dudley of Sacramento, Calif. and Michael Elmo Dudley of North San Juan, Calif., and three grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Betty McWatters. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to PAWS of Grays Harbor or Harbor Rescue.

Art Christ Basso, BHS 1950

Art Basso was born in 1932 to Christiano Basso and Mary Sartori, in Burbank, CA., and passed away in his sleep on February 22, 2018. He was raised in the house at 501 East Cypress Ave (the duplexes now belonging to Emanuel Church), and attended George Washington & Emerson Elementary School, John Muir Junior High, Burbank High Senior High School (BHS). While at BHS (1947 – 1950) he ranked as an all-city football player, playing with friends, Pete Lipera, Paul Cameron, and John Julian, under the coaching of Les Bruckner. 

Art and his football crew, were some of the first football players to whitewash the letter “B” up on the Verdugo Mountains. In 2013, Burbank football claimed victory over rival Burroughs high school. Art’s grandson, Mack Maisner (a senior then at BHS) went up to the mountain with friends, dragging a blue tarp over the letter “B”, coming home and stating, “Grandpa Art will be proud of me”!



After high school, Art joined the United States Air Force and served as airplane mechanic, for four years, at: Grandview AFB Kansas City, MO., Lackland AFB San Antonio, TX., Chanute AFB Champagne, Il., and Ernest Harmon AFB Newfoundland, Canada. It was clear to him that he was passionate about working with hands, and upon returning home, he gained employment at Hydraulic Research, originally at 2321 N. Naomi St. Burbank. Shortly after, he married Marcia Corliss (North Hollywood High School 1953) and adopted her daughter, Patti (BHS 1975).  Soon to follow were sons, Chris (BHS 1980) and Ted (BHS 1985), with Hydraulic Research relocating to Valencia on Rye Canyon Road.

Art left Hydraulic Research when his hands-on engineering work converted to CADAM, to work in the entertainment industry, building mobile dressing rooms, and the housing for the generators on the tractor trailers that go on location.  

He also had a love for building and flying model airplanes at the Sepulveda Dam, and in the evenings would take his kids to the Burbank Airport to watch the last of the day’s landings and take-offs. His pride and joy was his house, that he almost single-handedly extended over 1000 sq.feet. 

After long tour of being single, he got remarried to Viola Garcia, whose daughter and son-in-law have a grandchild Zachery. Other grandchildren include Ted’s twin girls, Paige and Presley, and Patti’s two children Mallory (BHS 2011), and Mack (BHS 2014).

If any of us learned anything from Art, it was to be your best person every day, always put your best foot forward, work hard and honestly, and when you see something out of place, fix it without blame. He will be dearly missed by all that knew him, as he was always generous with his time to help others when they needed him.

Scott Bradley English, BHS 1973

Posted on Facebook from a friend and fellow classmate:

It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you of another of classmates passing. Long time friend and 1973 classmate Scott Bradley English passed away December 3, 2017 in Burlington, Washington. 

He had some health issues the last few years and passed away in his sleep. Scott was a great friend and enjoyed hanging out with many friends while in Burbank.

He had moved to Washington State in the mid 70's and as often happens, with our busy lives, we lose contact with each other. I know he is at peace now.

Carole Lynne Prescott Smith, BHS 1962

Carole Lynne Prescott Smith
October 10, 1944 – December 13, 2017

Carole Smith, 73, of San Marcos, CA, passed away Wednesday, December 13, 2017, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.  A loving wife, mother, and friend, she was always ready with a bright smile and kind word for everyone she met, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Born October 10, 1944, in Arcadia, CA, Carole was the daughter of the late Alfred C. and Doris Prescott and grew up in Burbank with her parents and sister Terri Prescott Collings and brother Randall Prescott.  She was active in the local YMCA and was named “Y Girl of the Year” in 1962.  In high school, she joined a group of friends called the “Chere Amies,” and she remained a part of this close-knit group over the next 50 years.  In 1962, she graduated from Burbank High School and went on to study Education at Cal State University Northridge and then Cal State Long Beach.

During college, she met Curtis Smith at a church group and the two were married March 13, 1965.  They recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. They had two daughters, Christine and Cynthia, and Carole became a full-time Mom to her girls.  The family moved to San Diego, CA in 1969, and Carole became an active volunteer at their schools, helped manage many years of softball teams, and made it to every single dance and musical performance.  Carole also volunteered with the Junior Women’s Club of San Diego, serving as President in the early 70’s, and was active in PEO. 

The family relocated to Valencia, CA, in 1979, where Carole took on a job as Attendance Clerk at William S. Hart High School and then at Saugus High during the 1980’s.  In 1991, Curt was transferred to Marietta, GA, with Lockheed Martin Corporation and so they moved to the South for seven years.  She enjoyed decorating their large home and gardening in the yard, and developed a love for country music.  In 1998, she and Curt moved back to California and eventually settled in San Marcos when he retired in 2000.  There she pursued her love for cooking and became a certified chef.

Over the years, Carole and Curt took many wonderful vacations together, especially enjoying cruises to Alaska, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and the Caribbean. She loved music and dancing, especially to oldies rock n’roll.  Her family was her greatest passion, and she loved living close to her daughters and doting on her five grandchildren.

Brad Harris, BHS 1950

Published in Variety Magizine, November 7, 2017

Brad Harris, Actor in Sword-and-Sandal Movies, Dies at 84

Brad Harris, best known for his work in sword-and-sandal movies, died after a short illness Tuesday in Santa Monica, his daughter Sabrina Calley confirmed. He was 84.

“He was just a really wonderful, loving, full of life man,” Calley told Variety. “He made friends wherever he went all over the world, and he will be greatly missed.”

The actor and stuntman worked in Europe for majority of his career, appearing in over 50 spy films and spaghetti Westerns in the 1960s, including “The Fury of Hercules,” “Pirates of the Mississippi,” “Black Eagle of Santa Fe,” “Kiss, Kiss, Kill, Kill,” “Spy Today, Die Tomorrow,” “Death Trip,” “The Mad Butcher” and “Supermen.” In addition to his movie work, he appeared on the small screen as Deputy Duffy in the soap opera “Falcon Crest” from 1984-1989.

Born in Idaho, Harris later moved to California and attended UCLA on an athletic scholarship where he studied economics. After sustaining injuries from football, he was advised to take up weightlifting, which then sparked an interest in bodybuilding.

Upon graduation, he secured work in the industry as a stand-in and stuntman. Harris got his start as a stuntman in Stanley Kubrick’s “Spartacus,” and later made his big-screen debut in the 1957 biographical film “Monkey on My Back.”

His first leading roles were in Gianfranco Parolini’s 1961 films “Goliath Against the Giants” and “Samson.” Parolini and Harris went on to work together on several titles written and directed by Parolini.

Later in his career, he served as an executive producer on several of his films including “King of Kong Island” and “The Mutations.” Harris worked with Tony Kendall and Parolini in the “Kommissar X” series, which his daughter said ranked among his favorite roles.

Harris married actress Olga Schoberova in 1967. They had a daughter, Sabrina, before they divorced in 1969. In 1971, Schoberova remarried studio executive and producer John Calley, who adopted Sabrina.

More recently, Harris owned a company, Modern Body Design Harris, where he invented and marketed fitness equipment. His daughter said her dad lived by his motto, “Stay fit. Have fun. Harm no one.”