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Jim Andon
Highlights since 1975:
Married Jean Cawley (class of 77); 2 kids Kenny And Nicole; have 5 grandchildren 8 years to 26 years. Jean and I divorced in 1996.
After high school, worked at Climax and at Salida Salvage, moved to Pueblo in 1990; worked at Train as a certified welder for 8 years; moved to Denver where I met my second wife Pam; been married 27 years. From there we moved to Las Vegas in 1998 where I worked in the precast concrete industry as plant manager, was transferred to their plant in Sacramento, CA In 2017 for 5 years, then retired in 2022 and moved to Pahrump, NV, just outside of Las Vegas. Still love to hunt and fish
Favorite high school memories:
Couldn’t wait to graduate. Do have a lot of great memories of Salida.
Annette Barnes
Current data:
4220 Forrest Hill Rd. #A
Colo. Sp., CO 80907
719-694-8104 home
719-359-0167 cell
Not married
Son: Travis
Dog: Prince
Highlights since 1975:
Giving birth to Travis in 1985 watching him grow and joining the Marine Corp shortly after
9/11. 2004-2008 active duty 2009-2013 inactive duty. Travis is what makes my heart sing, I am so blessed.
My dad died in 2020 from cancer.
I retired in 2020, best thing ever. Have done some traveling and plan on more. I love being in the outdoors and spent years camping/rock hunting and hiking.
Worked 24 years in manufacturing for aerospace, computer, and gas/oil drilling industries. Duties included electronic assembly, inventory/production control, materials planning, government property control and supervision.
Worked 16 yrs in hospitality duties: Marriott Hotel restaurant purchasing, supervision. Log Cabin Court in Salida ,maintain motel and rent rooms. etc. I did it all! After 2 years Dad decided to sell the place. My last job was at Safeway in Salida and Colorado Spring working as a barista and supervisor in Starbucks also worked in the Deli, meat/seafood departments and other stores in COS. I liked working in manufacturing and hated retail.
I am trying to make money for my trip to Hawaii next year. Travis and I are taking a 7-day cruise to four islands. Check out my Facebook store! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550800746917
I am selling rock specimens, hand-made jewelry, and collectables. I personally prospected and cleaned the gems and minerals that I use for pendants.
Favorite high school memories:
A few nice friends other than that none really, only attended there one year, prior to Salida went 1 year in California and 2 years in Northglenn, Colorado. I hated school all my life.
Mary Cortese
Highlights since 1975:
I graduated from University of Colorado Boulder and received my Masters degree from the University of Oregon. I spent 26 years as Business Administrator at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Colorado Springs. I married the love of my life in 1984. We met in college and had a 9-year engagement because neither of us wanted to marry a student. I have a stepson named Eric and a step grandson named Adam. My husband and I have two daughters named Stefanie and Genevieve. I have three grand dogs. Stefanie has two dogs named Raava and Sokka and Genevieve has one dog named Yue.
The major issues I have faced have been health related. I was diagnosed with MS in 2002 and I was recently diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. It has been difficult but I have a good support system and that has made it easier. I am still here!
Favorite high school memories:
My favorite memory of high school is Mr. Held and his music program. I was in Select Choir and Treble Clef. There was the singing Christmas tree with all of us climbing that wooden structure to sing for an hour! Apparently, being a teenager meant not having any fear or sense. How did he talk us into getting on that wooden tree?
Judy (Entz) Prater
Current data:
Married
2 sons, 1 daughter and 2 granddaughters
1 dog, 2 cats and 2 tarantulas (yes, the 8 legged kind)
1719 N Ridge Rd
Derby, KS 67037
Highlights since 1975:
I moved back to Kansas in 1984, and walked out on a disastrous first marriage in 1988 with not much more than my 2 sons. Thank goodness for family and great friends! I was managing a video store at the time and in 1990 one of my customers set me up on a blind date with her son, which is how I met my soulmate. Bill and I were married in 1991. Our daughter came along a year later.
My career path led me into banking. I started with a small local bank as a new customer representative, but soon moved to bookkeeping. I was there until 2008, when I accepted the position of Debit Card Specialist with a larger, regional bank. When I retired at the end of 2023, I was a System Analyst in charge of the entire Online Banking platform and all related products. It was something I really enjoyed, but I'm enjoying retirement more. Bill retired at the same time I did from the aircraft industry. It's nice to have more time for our assorted hobbies now, and we're starting to plan some traveling as well.
During my working days, I also picked up some side jobs from time to time, In the late 1990's I cross-stitched cover models for a designer - somewhere out there are some out-of-print books with my name in them. And after Lisa went off to college, I was a bartender at the historic Orpheum theater in Wichita for about 5 years - it was a volunteer position, but I got to see a lot of great shows without having to buy a ticket. I left that when my arthritis started to get the best of me.
My sons both live in Texas and both are married. Shaun has followed my footsteps and is in banking. He and his wife made me a grandmother for the first time when Madilynn arrived in 2014. Russell is an HVAC tech; he and his wife have no children. Our daughter, Lisa, lives in Denver and is the Broadway Operations Manager at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. We get out to Denver from time to time to see a show with her. She married about a year ago and became the "other mother" to David's daughter, Alice - and she's officially my other granddaughter. I'd hoped for a house full of grandkids but it just wasn't meant to be.
The picture with the "Wicked" poster is a particularly fond memory. In 2009, I took her to see Wicked on its first tour when it stopped in Wichita, and that was when she made the decision to pursue a theater management career. It was quite special to see it with her again - this time at a theater where she's part of the management team.
Favorite high school memories:
I would say some of my fondest memories are of band-marching at football games when it was SO cold, the bus trips and keeping Mr. Buller on his toes. And-of course cruising F Street and hanging out at the East-West Club on the weekends. Pete knew we were all underage but he didn't seem to care. Life was so much simpler then!
Denise (Gleason) Bell
Current data:
722 Terra View Circle
Fort Collins, CO 80525
dabell_57@comcast.net
979 -218-0078
Married
Four children: Tiffany, Abby, Todd and Gregg
Grandchildren: 16 (9 girls, 7 boys)
Highlights since 1975:
Married Rex Bell in March 1976. We will celebrate 50 years of marriage in March of next year.
Having our four children and watching them grow into beautiful adults.
Being blessed with our 16 grandchildren, from ages 21-1. We’ve had the great pleasure of traveling both abroad and domestically. We love discovering this wonderful world we live in.
Traveling to various parts of the world; Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, France, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mexico, Panama as well as various destinations in the US.
Rex worked very hard so that I could be a stay at home mom (working part-time once and a while) and then later a stay at home grandma. We spent the first half of our married life on the western slope in Gunnison, Grand Junction, Rifle and Steamboat Springs, and then 22 years ago we relocated to Fort Collins. Our four children all live in Fort Collins also and our grandchildren. Our kids and grandkids are very sports oriented so you might imagine we spend a lot of time on bleachers bouncing from one gym or field to another. I’ve been blessed to watch our grandchildren grow up and spend a lot of time with them. In my free time, I volunteer at our Church, St. John XXIII. Rex and I like to camp (glamp), ride bikes, and boat. I’m also blessed to live very close to five of my siblings (within 10 miles) the other three are 60 miles away in the Denver area. We all enjoy getting together a few times a year.
Favorite high school memories:
I’d have to say my favorite and life changing memory of high school was dating Rex Bell. But remembering our state football wins and being part of the pom-pom team, the singing Christmas tree, Spartan Sparkles, being constantly harassed by Rod Padilla and Mike Shearer, cruisin’ F, working in the office with Mr. Ophus and Mrs. Giles, getting French fries at Post’s grocers also make the list. What great memories, I hadn’t thought about them for awhile. God has been so good to us and we couldn’t have done it without HIM!
Lee Graf
Current data:
7951 S Langdale Circle
Aurora, CO 80016
303-913-6263
Married
2 children Ben and Kevin no grandchildren
Highlights since 1975:
I received my Doctor of Optometry in 1987 from Pacific University in Oregon. I have been in private practice since then in Aurora, Colorado. I remarried in 1994. Melanie is from east Tennessee and I have to always brush up on my "Southern" when we go back there. We have two great boys Ben and Kevin. I was flash frozen into retirement in the fall of 2024 when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
We have been fortunate and travelled to many wonderful destinations in the US and around the world. We still have the family property on B Street and love to come back to Salida whenever we can. Well, me more than the rest of my family.
Favorite high school memories:
Winning the state football championship has to be the leader. Being a part of the team also taught me about life to come and how to hold myself when things were tough or good. I loved the pep rallies, band and parades.
I still can't stand Herb Gifford for telling me in 9th grade I would never amount to much since my parents never went to college. He almost single handedly ruined by academic career before it had even started
