It was a good time to be alive in 1989. That’s when I graduated high school. I lived in Southern California. Who could ask for more? I lived during the best time, in the best country, in the best state, and everything was looking up! Our team, the Steelers, won the national championship in football the year before. Travis Barker graduated from FOHI a few years later. Sammy Hagar had attended back in the seventies.

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In the early nineties, I lived in the rural part of town. People rode by on horseback regularly. My neighbors raised pigs, chickens, and peacocks. I lived on Oleander Avenue, and a few guys from school moved in to my house. Back then, house parties were a “cool thing” and block parties were common. I kid you not when I say our house had some of the bigger parties Fontana has ever seen. My best friend lived further north on Oleander, and my girlfriend lived on Oleander on the flip end of the Ten Freeway. Fontana High’s entrance was on Citrus Avenue, but it’s back end was on Oleander. Oleander was a happening street!

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In no way were we alone, though. We were a brotherhood, and one of the guys lived on the north end on Ivy near Route 66, Foothill Boulevard. He had his own set of roommates, and we would nearly alternate throwing parties. His house was two-stories and had a swimming pool and jacuzzi. We were a wild bunch! It would be a regular thing for people to run off his balcony and jump into the pool. If his parties got too wild, it was no problem. My house was open. Even though I lived in the rural part of town, sometimes our parties got too big and they were broken up. No problem! Everyone rode over to the Ivy House.

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