Stan "Cal" Sumner
(Fiesta Hat King)
Job Title -
Current Location - San Antonio, TX
Telephone -
After Freshman year I began to shake off my shyness. I became involved with student government, and the art department. Both venues developed into a good time for me at Radford. In retrospect things are really rosy for
me; although, the truth be known I had a bad emotional time adjusting to teen life. I was one of those people who were forty before their time. Most of my close friends were in the class of '62 and '63. As I have stated, Cyndi J Lee
(Class of '63 Web Master) and I were very close. Our time together was very important to me and I treasure every memory. Including her portrait featuring a bush named 'Stan' featured in a Ram Page. My close relationship with Ram Page photographers allowed me access to several photos of Cricket
Mowat and Bernadette Becoy (deceased), who I fell in love with while attending 8th grade at
Alaiamanu Int. down the street from Radford. Well I digress...
June 1963 we left Hickam for Randolph High School at Randolph AFB. I graduated June 1964 and entered San Antonio College in the Fall. By 1966 I had failed so miserably I had to enter the Navy. My maternal family is Navy, going way back. In 1968 I was going to Nam just like almost everyone. My uncle got wind and pulled strings, and at the last moment I found myself on the USS Arlington formally the USS Sipan. A converted aircraft carrier. I spent my days in Relay off the coast of Nam. My last duty was south of Honolulu, Apollo '8 with the Yorktown. I spent a wild summer in San Francisco and headed back to SA. I entered Nursing at SAC and the summer of 1973 went to Austin and Texas MHMR. After a intense study program I graduated from Texas and went back to work for MHMR. 1983 found me exhausted from all the drugs sex and rock and roll of Austin and the Disco '70s. 1983 I returned to SA to help with a father who was dying. I stayed to help out my mom,and have been home since. 1983 I became a member of a theater group who resurrected a defunct Fiesta production and hollowed through 1991 the centennial of Fiesta San Antonio. In 1993 I founded the "Fiesta Hat Social Club" not a theater production. In 1995 I was elected the Fiesta Hat King and continue in this vain. I've returned to Hawaii several times. (1968, 1970, 1995) My Barbra passed away Sep.14th 2007. I have five grandchildren and soon will become a great-grandfather. Cricket's mom and sister moved out of the hood when their father died, and now live across town. We've only talked on the phone. Bob Moore my good bud has not responded from a recent e-mail. I ran into Gary Moore about eight years ago on a neighborhood walk, but he disappeared before we could get together. In 1976 I went to Houston to see my sweetie Bet. She stopped her show to talk, we mulled over the 63 yearbook, and she began to banter like she does and left me in the dirt. We talked briefly in 1983 in Austin. I spoke with her east coast rep. about two years ago. There is a lot more to this story, all printable…
Yes, I'm 2nd on the right next to Gary Moore my exceptional bud that year. He went on
that year '63 to star with Bet in the year end production featured on page 151.
After I had by-pass surgery spring '99 I ran into him watering his lawn in the hood. He had been there years in his dad's home. He said he had seen me at the store but couldn't bring himself to talk? He didn't look well himself... He lamented how Bet had refused to see him
and wanted to know how I managed such a feat. Evidently by this date she had grown weary
with old school chums and instructed her publicist to screen all request for 'meet & greet.
As I told him, Bette and I had a friendly
& professional knowledge of each other. By '62 we both had established our reputations
- she in speech and I in art. Both of us had a side role in government.
Spring '63 someone produced the 'Green Paper' ,unauthorized, Dr. Mann was furious. His first
suspect was Bet. He told her that she would not graduate if she didn't come up with the author, thus thwarting her manifest destiny.
She came to me, first, during 4th period. Apparently I was on her short list. Well, the talk turned to a very heated scene and disrupted four or five
classes. The cat was out of the bag...No way to hide the incident.
The final outcome was she asked me to take the fall. I did, basically because I was leaving Radford, and had nothing to loose.
After I graduated from Randolph Cyndi wrote telling me the true author. She wanted me to write Bette and tell her, but I felt why? By '65 she was on her way and most likely didn't care.
Later, '76 she and I had a good laugh when I stood with her in Houston in front of her audience of 5,000 and revealed our secrets...
My favorite picture is on pp. 75 of the '63 yearbook, it's the class government with all the 'Big Wigs'...
