Please email the webmaster with news of teachers and it will be posted.  Apologies for the loss of some stories... a computer glitch knocked some into the ether.

Teachers in the News

English and Journalism teacher Marshall Umpleby is now working on his third book, Tommie.  CLICK HERE for a link to a site about his work and to buy his first two books!

No Longer at the Chalkboard

Roberta Alpers - was a Teacher/Coach at BHS for 35 years (1960-1995). She coached many championship teams including 10 boys’ tennis team championships, 17 girls’ tennis team championships, and 11 regional team championships. She also coached a National Collegiate Singles and Doubles champion, Linda Gates (1981), who was at Stanford for 4 years. (Linda is in the SM County and BHS Athletic Halls of Fame.) Roberta was director of the California CCS Individual Tennis Tournament for 10 years, PAL Chairperson for 20 years, and CCS Representative. She was inducted into the San Francisco State University Hall of Fame in 1992. Roberta taught many other sports, as well as academic subjects, at BHS and was chosen Coach of the Year at BHS in 1992. The list of her accomplishments goes on and on! She and her husband, Arthur, raised a son and two foster daughters.

Reuben Beltran – Spanish teacher, and coach of Frosh/Soph Football, 30's Basketball, Tennis. Ruben Beltran Born Feb. 19, 1922. Died Jan 4, 2010. Ruben Beltran, longtime resident of Mountain View, California passed away peacefully on Monday Jan 4, 2010. Born in San Francisco, he proudly served his country as a member of the Marine Corp for 17 years attaining the rank of Captain. After his military career, he entered the University of California at Berkeley where he earned a Masters degree in Spanish Literature. After obtaining his teaching credentials, Ruben began teaching/coaching at Burlingame High School. His teaching/coaching career spanned nearly four decades and produced several championship basketball teams. Always an advocate of physical fitness, Ruben lived his life adhering to the principles instilled in him by the Marine Corp. He could often be seen jogging the streets of Mountain View accompanied by a faithful canine companion. He is survived by Emilia Krause, sister, Anita Korcykoski, Victoria Barnette, Linda Beltran and Leanne Fuller, daughters and son Brad Beltran.

Albert Biggs - Mathematics, and coach of Frosh-Soph Baseball, 10's/20's Basketball, Varsity Track (1905 - 1994)

Everett Brown - Shop - Everett "Joe" Brown taught mechanical drawing in addition to shop classes. He also was advisor to the play-by-play announcing crew at football games. He retired and during the early 1980s lived in Reno, NV.

Robert Fertig - Mathematics, Member of faculty in 1927 - IN MEMORIAM, b. Aug 1903 - d. Apr 1984 (SSDI*) Voted the favorite teacher in 1953.

Dorothy Fowler - Girls Physical Education Dorothy Fowler graduated from BHS in 1925; named alumna of the year in 1987; and inducted into the Burlingame High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1925 IN MEMORIAM, b. April 1907, d. April 1999 (SSDI*).

Elizabeth Glang - Spanish - (16 June 2008) The Burlingame Historical Society website Memories Page has a segment on a "Mrs. Glang" who was teaching French at BHS in 1965. The SSDI* lists an Elizabeth C. Glang, b.13 Aug 1910, d. 20 Nov 1995, last residence in Burlingame.

Florence Gulla - Spanish; IN MEMORIAM, Florence A. Gulla, b. Jan 1912, d. Jan 1997 (SSDI*)

A.C. “Bud Harrison” – American Government and Political Science - A.C. "Bud" Harrison 1930 - 2009 Resident of Burlingame "Bud" passed away peacefully in Burlingame, December 30th, with his beloved wife of 56 years, Dolores, at his side. Bud was born in San Francisco and resided in Burlingame for 48 years. Loving father of Chuck Harrison of Hayward; Mary Lusi of El Dorado Hills; Terry Harrison of Roseville; and Cheri Harrison of Concord. Proud grandfather of Michell Vlahos, Lt. Joshua Harrison, Milissa Gunter, Melanie Lusi, Jessica Harrison, and Mikayla Lusi; great grandfather of Christian Gunter. Bud attended the University of San Francisco where he received a B.S. in Political Science, Secondary Teaching Credential, and Masters in Education. Bud enjoyed teaching American Government and Political Science at the College of San Mateo, Capuchino High School, and Burlingame High School over his 33-year teaching career. He was always passionate about his teaching and admired by his students. Bud had an extensive political and community service career. He was appointed to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 1966. In 1974, he was elected to the Burlingame City Council where he loyally served the people of Burlingame for 12 years. He was honored to serve as Mayor of Burlingame in 1977-1978, 1992-1993, and 1995-1996. Prior to his election to the Burlingame City Council, he served on the Burlingame Planning Commission, Burlingame Library Board, and Burlingame Civil Service Commission. He further served on numerous San Mateo County and Regional Boards. In 1997, he was honored by the Burlingame Lions Club as Burlingame's Citizen of the Year, and was presented the President's Award by the Burlingame Chamber of Commerce. He was also San Mateo County Citizen of the Year and received the Outstanding Citizen Award from Shinnyoen of California in 1998.

Edward Hevey. Jr. - California History, Counseling, Member of faculty in 1927 - IN MEMORIAM, b. Feb 1898 - d. Mar 1980 (SSDI*) He was drafted into service during WWI when he was living in Rutland, Vermont, where he was born on August 19, 1897. A member of the U.S. Navy, he is buried at the Golden Gate Cemetery in San Bruno, Ca. Section C Site 707-A. He is listed as a registered Democrat in the California Voter Registrations list in 1944.  He had taught at BHS from 1923 to 1962. That would make him part of the original faculty.

Henry Clay Hinds - IN MEMORIAM b. 17 April 1918, d. 20 November 1987, age 69 years. Driver's Education, Frosh/Soph Football, Frosh/Soph Baseball - (June 2008) We have received a note from a Henry C. Hinds, namesake of his uncle, one of our teachers at BHS. Henry writes that his uncle was raised on the East Coast; indeed, his SSN was issued in the State of New York.  Henry, our teacher, graduated from Stanford in 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred a few months later, and Henry served for the duration. He stayed in the reserves and served again during the Korean War (1951-1953). We recall Mr. Hinds as a guy who made education fun. His widow still lives in Burlingame.

Fred Holmes -- Fred Roy Holmes, 80, ended his travels at home in Deer Park on September 12, 2009. While he died a mile from his birthplace, his curiosity and scholarly interests took him around the globe. He was born on June 21, 1929, in St. Helena Hospital, of Herman and Ilott Holmes, proud descendants of '49er pioneers of Knights Valley. He was raised in Knights Valley and Healdsburg, obtained a B.A. in industrial arts and an MA in history from San Jose State University, and served for 30 years as an innovative teacher and department head of social sciences at Burlingame High School. He also taught at Kansas State University and at Canada and San Mateo Colleges. An Army veteran, he was a vocal protester of unjust war from Vietnam to Iraq and an enthusiastic participant in countercultural and progressive movements and thought, including publication of a textbook, Prejudice and Discrimination. Electrified by travel in Asia, Europe, and South America, he (with his life-love and partner Ann Newton Holmes) was a student of South Asia, a Hindu temple specialist, and friend to many in the land of Rajasthan, India. He was the world authority on chattris, the evocative death monuments of the Rajputs, as well as author of works on Jodhpur's Umaid Bhawan palace (with Ann). He made a memorable impression roaming around archeological sites and was admired by princes and villagers alike, who knew him as Punkery Thakor or "Feather Chief" for the long plumes that adorned his leather hat. He was the creator of grand and quirky homes in Belmont, Woodside, and Deer Park, which he built and landscaped and where he was a loving, challenging, cranky, and inspiring husband and father. A discriminating wine drinker and collector of Asian artifacts, Fred's wide-ranging conversation and wit made him friends everywhere. At the end, he was able to view his varied illnesses philosophically and ironically, with gratitude for his adventurous life. Fred is survived by Ann, brothers Jack (Nora) and Oliver Wendell (Ella Mae) Holmes, sister Patricia Winkler, sons Keith, Brian, and Steve (Carlene Pavlos) Holmes, and countless friends and students, Fred's life was celebrated at his Deer Park home on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 from 2 to 5 p.m. Donations in lieu of flowers to the ACLU.Horace T. Keeler - Orientation, History, Driver’s Ed, Member of faculty in 1927 - IN MEMORIAM, b. Dec1898 - Apr 1971

Victor Mangini - 20s/30s/Varsity Track, Future Teachers of America advisor

Please excuse the lengthy number of obituaries for Vic Mangini that follow, here.  They were gathered from a variety of sources and had such good information in them about Vic Mangini, that we included all of them.

In January 1946, Victor Mangini became the Burlingame High School assistant football coach and head track coach. Vic served as Dean of Boys for the Class of 1955 and in 1958 became Vice Principal. His coaching years from 1946 to 1958 were legendary. In football, Burlingame topped San Mateo for 11 straight years. A high point in his track coaching was when his pole-vaulter became the first in Northern California to top 13' - 2". That would be Jess Undlin, Class of 1955. Upon retirement from coaching, Vic was named the City of Burlingame Citizen of the Year. From April 1970 through Nov 1987 Vic was on the Burlingame City Council, serving several terms as Mayor. In May 2001, the Burlingame City Council voted to name the circle street in front of Burlingame High School after him. The new high school address is now One Mangini Way. In June 2001, three Burlingame High School graduates and staff were inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame. They were Vic Mangini and Byron '44 and Bruce '45 Van Alstyne.

See also Alumni Assn News this website, Fall/Winter'01 Edition. "The Legend of Vic Mangini" by Dick Dunbar.

Victor Mangini, a four-time mayor of Burlingame and a popular history teacher and coach for whom the street in front of Burlingame High School is named, died of congestive heart failure on Feb. 4, 2007 at his home in Burlingame. He was 88. Known as "Mr. Burlingame" for his 20 years on the City Council and his 44 years at Burlingame High -- first as a teacher and coach, and later as an administrator and volunteer -- Mr. Mangini was the city's citizen of the year in 1957 and had been looking forward to celebrating Burlingame's 100th anniversary this summer. "He used to say, 'You won't get any medals for not being a murderer,' " said his daughter, Mariavittoria Mangini. "What he meant was there is a baseline level of service-oriented, positive citizenship that's just expected of people. And you shouldn't expect to be appreciated for it, any more than you should expect to be appreciated for getting up in the morning." Mr. Mangini was born in New York City and received a bachelor's degree from Manhattan College and a master's degree and teaching credential from Columbia University. Shortly after graduating from Columbia, Mr. Mangini joined the Army Air Forces and was assigned to the Presidio during World War II. He saw Burlingame for the first time when he got lost leading a caravan of military vehicles from Moffett Field to Mills Field. When he was discharged in 1946, Mr. Mangini decided to settle down there. Mr. Mangini served in the Air Force Reserve until 1978, when he retired as a colonel. He started teaching and coaching at Burlingame High soon after moving there, and soon after, met his first wife, Rina Sari, through mutual friends. The couple married after just six weeks. Rina Mangini died in 1975, after 27 years of marriage.
 

Mr. Mangini is well remembered in Burlingame as a mentor for generations of students passing through the high school. In 2002, the street in front of the school was named after him, and the school's address is now 1 Mangini Way. His son, Jerry Mangini, said his father collected scrapbooks filled with letters from former students -- from state senators to professional football players -- thanking him for his guidance. Among the pallbearers at his funeral was a 70-year-old former student and athlete who kept in touch with Mr. Mangini long after high school. "There are books and books and books of letters to him, saying things like, 'Dear Vic, if it wasn't for you straightening me out, I wouldn't have been All-State, love you forever, so-and-so state senator,' " Jerry Mangini said. When a group of parents and students threw a surprise party for Mr. Mangini decades ago, they gave him a lamp made out of a trophy his team had won. That lamp stayed as a centerpiece in the Mangini house until the day he died, Jerry Mangini said. "This man didn't talk the talk, he walked the walk. It's like the final report card for him was straight A's," Jerry Mangini said. "He was a remarkable guy." Mr. Mangini joined the City Council in the late 1950s at the urging of friends. A.C. "Bud" Harrison, also a teacher at Burlingame High School at the time, said the two ended up running for the same seat on the council. "And he beat me," said Harrison, who joined his friend on the City Council four years later. "He was dedicated to the city. He was certainly Mr. Burlingame, that's what everyone in town called him. He was always caring for the city and the kids."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/11/BAGKGO2O6I1.DTL#ixzz0cbxFVRKi

IN MEMORIAM. Victor Mangini, 04 February 2007, age 88 years

San Francisco Chronicle

A lasting love for Burlingame, by Heather Murtagh, San Mateo Daily Journal

Victor Mangini had a passion and love for all things Burlingame.

The 88-year-old left his mark all over the city by working with students at the high school in both academics and the athletic field, leading the City Council as mayor four times during his 20-year tenure and just getting to know those in the community. Burlingame lost this former Citizen of the Year when he died Sunday afternoon (February 4, 2007).

Despite his love for the suburban wonderland, Mangini began life in an urban metropolis on the other side of the continent. Mangini was born and raised in Manhattan’s East Side where his father was a waiter and his mother worked as a milk lady handing out pure milk to school children. He was one of five children.

Mangini received his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and his teaching credential and master’s degree from Columbia University. Shortly after Columbia, Mangini was called to serve in World War II. Mangini was assigned to the Presidio as a training officer for the Army Air Force after training. Mangini retired from the Air Force as a colonel after 37 years of service in 1978, said his daughter Mariavittoria Mangini.

Mangini was concerned that so many young people were leaving the area while he served in San Francisco, so he looked for a local place to stay. The father of a member of Mangini’s squadron was the first postmaster in Burlingame and encouraged Mangini to consider the Peninsula city.

Mangini was hired as a history teacher and coach in 1946. He would serve the school for 44 years as a teacher, a coach and an administrator. Sports played a part in Mangini’s life from an early stage. He played football at Manhattan College. Mangini played on a two semi-professional teams, one for football the other for baseball, said his son Martin Jerome “Jerry” Mangini. He was an Eastern Army All Star.

When Mangini began work at Burlingame High School, coaching was a part of the job description. He was assistant football coach and head track coach from the beginning. His coaching years were legendary. In football, Burlingame topped San Mateo for 11 years straight. He served as dean of boys for the class of 1955 and 1958 before becoming assistant principal in 1958.

His work inspired the title of Citizen of the Year in 1957 — the city’s 50th anniversary. This title made Mangini really excited about participating in the upcoming centennial event, said daughter Mariavittoria Mangini.

Mangini retired in 1980 but continued to volunteer with the English as a second language program for a while.

Mangini began his work in city affairs on the Parks and Recreation Commission. He was appointed to the City Council after the death of Councilman Eddie George — a position he held until 1989.

Mangini led a full family life as well. He met his future wife, Rina Sari, in 1948. The couple married later that year after dating for six weeks. They had two children together — Mariavittoria and Martin — and were married for 27 years. Rina lost a battle with breast cancer in 1975. Mangini remarried in 1976 to Grace Cecelia Mangini. Grace passed away in 2003. Mangini is survived by his two children and his brother George Mangini of Manhattan.

Mangini was also headed the scholarship selection committee for the C. A. Buck Foundation encouraging Burlingame youth to pursue higher education for 55 years.

“He was Mr. Burlingame,” said Bud Harrison, a long-time friend and former mayor. “Even in his final couple of months we asked him if he wanted to go to a convalescent home. There’s one on the corner of Peninsula Avenue and El Camino Real. He would not hear of it. He said, ‘that’s not Burlingame.’”

His dedication to the city, citizens and youth didn’t go unnoticed. In 2001, the City Council voted to name the circle street in front of Burlingame High School after Mangini. The school was given a new address of 1 Mangini Way in June 2001.

One of former mayor Joe Galligan’s proudest moments was as mayor in 2001 when he presided of the dedication of Mangini Way. The event brought Mangini to tears.

The two knew each other for more than 50 years. Galligan attended summer school at Burlingame High School when Mangini was teaching there. Mangini called to offer Galligan support after hearing his announcement to run for City Council in 1997.

“[Mangini] received his last rights more than once, but always ended up going home,” Galligan said. “It kind of showed how much he loved life.”

In 2001, Mangini was inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame. “It was such a big honor. He was compelled to recognize the older guys who helped him and he had looked up to,” said his son. “He took up half the time allotted [for everyone to talk]. When he was finished someone said, ‘you can all wake up now.’ Anything Burlingame was his love and his passion. He was a father figure to so many people.”

His children are constantly recognized around town and told how much their father meant to the community. Jerry Mangini is being approached on the street by those who want to pay respects. Just after sharing a sad moment, the people begin to laugh, he said, as they remember his father.

“He was a neat guy,” he said. “He was the guy you wanted to sit next at lunch; that you wanted at your house to watch a ball game and have a beer; Or back you up in war. ... He was a hell of a guy.”

Beatrice Z. Maple - History - IN MEMORIAM, b. Jul 1901 - d. Jun 1997 (SSDI*)

Vera W. Maple - Clothing Classes, Member of faculty in 1927 - IN MEMORIAM, b. Nov 1896 - d. Feb 1987 (SSDI*)  Beatrice and Vera were sisters. Another reference lists Lois and Vera Maple as Home Ec teachers in 1927.

Allen McNitt - English, Drama, Term Plays - IN MEMORIAM, b. Jun 1907 - d. Nov 1984

Charles Mink - Physics, Football scoreboard operator. We spoke with Mr. Mink and his wife at the June 6, 2008 Burlingame Centennial Ball.

Ruth Schaub - School nurse, Future Nurses of America advisor

Michael Lawrence Short - Music, Orchestra. In 1969 Lawrence Short married Marilyn Dickman, BHS'55. In Marilyn's bio on this website, she talks about Lawrence and their life together. Lawrence died in 1997.

William Walsh - Chemistry, General Science, Mathematics - (September 2005) A note from Bill Walsh, Jr.: "Just a short note to let you know that last weekend 33 of us celebrated dad's 90th birthday on Bass Lake in the Sierras. We had a wonderful weekend with him, culminating in a dinner outside on the gazebo deck of the Pines Resort. Much wine, tribute and fun times were had by all. Earlier that day we rented a touring boat and located Miss Bundy and Mr. Fertig's estates (now somewhat subdivided) on the shores of the Lake. We also drove by the cabin dad built with hand tools in the 40's. Dad has continued on to the east coast for a 20-day cruise. He's probably half way up the climbing wall by now. His pace is somewhere between a Timex and the Energizer Bunny."

Herbert Woods - History - IN MEMORIAM - b. 09 Sept 1913, d. 05 Jun 1997, last residence Weaverville CA. Spouse Helen L. Woods (1916-2003) (SSDI*) In retirement, Mr. Woods devoted much time to the Trinity County Historical Society. How appropriate.