Carson High School Football Reunion Picnic ..It’s Happening July 2nd! By Gina Smith, Editor CSCN
Carson/South Bay Community News took time out to speak with Al Washington, alumni of Carson High School and why he's coordinated this incredible event.
CSCN: Al, thanks for taking the time to speak with CSCN. You're coordinating the 1st Annual Carson High School Football Reunion Picnic. Tell us about it. AW: We are calling the event “Gathering of Champions”. We have invited classes from 1963-present. Cheerleaders, banner girls, football players, coaches, teachers, classmates, statisticians, managers and fans!!! Those in attendance will enjoy delicious bbq, a live DJ, Polynesian dancers, and a salute to Coach Vollnogle, Coach Pacheco, Coach D’Amore, Coach Ordonez, Coach Irvin, and Coach Suekawa, while raising money to support the band, pep units and football team. CSCN: My son attended Carson High School for a while, but he played basketball. Tell us about your experiences at Carson HS back then. AW: Well, in 1982, our basketball team led by Eldridge Hudson, won both the L.A . City and California State Championships respectively. My playing days consisted of a short basketball stint as a 10th grader, where we lost to Manual Arts at the L.A. Sports Arena. I also played Bee football as a Freshman and participated on the Varsity football team as a Junior and Senior. Our class of 1983 won the Los Angeles City Football Championship. That was a special team, and we worked hard as a unit to bring the Championship back to Carson High, having not won a title since 1972.
What has the response been to your efforts to pull the athletic alumni together for this event? CSCN:
AW: The response has been OVERWHELMING!!! I have fielded calls from Guam, Hawaii, Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas to name a few!!! Donations have been coming in steadily. Carson High has such a rich tradition that spans almost 5 decades. Our pep units and athletic teams have always flourished and continue to excel year in and year out. The community is excited about the event. We want to generate a lot enthusiasm that will hopefully translate into success for the students academically, school spirit wise, and athletically at the beginning and throughout the 2011-2012 academic school year. CSCN: Tell us about your athletic career and life after CHS. AW: After high school, I attended Long Beach City College and the University of Southern California. I played in the Arena Football League one season, and my playing days were cut short as the result of a few knee surgeries. I decided to go back to school where I earned my Masters Degree in Education, and have been teaching in the Clark County School District in the area of Special Education-English Language Arts. It is rewarding and challenging interacting with parents and students on a daily basis.
CSCN: What would you like people to take away from this event? AW: Our objective was to bring everybody together to have some fun, re-connect, and ultimately share Carson High School’s rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence with today’s generation. It is a tradition that should not and cannot be taken for granted. Also, our hope is that CHS alumni will find a way to give back to the school that has provided us with so many fond memories and stimulating conversation via volunteering, tutoring, participating in fundraisers, coaching, mentoring etc,. With the budget cuts that are affecting LAUSD , everybody is going to have to pitch- in order to meet the high expectations that have been set over the years both academically and athletically. As a team, WE CAN GET IT DONE! CSCN: Are there any other events in the works? AW: We are currently discussing future events geared towards ensuring the success of the Carson High School student-body and community as a whole.
CSCN: We'd love to do a series of historical articles on the alumni of Carson HS, then and now. Are you game? AW: That would be wonderful!! Personally, I know a great number of Carson High School Alumni that are excelling in their personal lives, careers, and in the community. What an excellent idea to share success stories, while providing invaluable history lessons of past and current Colt leaders. CSCN: How would our readers contact you for more information? AW: I can be contacted via email at aew536@interact.ccsd.net, or on the following Facebook pages. Donations can be sent via paypal.com. Enter the following email: aew536@interact.ccsd.net and follow the prompts. We appreciate it!!! CSCN: Thanks for taking the time to share with us.