I just want to say that from working on the yearbook, I believe that Norman Kelley was better known to all of us as Skip Kelley. I remember Skip as a very nice person to be around - outgoing and serious about playing basketball I believe. I hope that others will comment. Mary Handy
Skip Kelley was such a great guy! We were in elementary school together and when we got to high school, we found that most of our classes were together. We shared homework. I would do the assignment for one class and he would do it for another and then we'd meet at school and switch papers. Hmmmm! He was also a great dancer. With his long legs he was a natural for the Bop. Loved to watch him dance.
I find it interesting that we have Skip listed as "Norman," which was certainly his given name, but not anything I ever heard him called by anyone, even his Mom. Mrs. Nordberg once called me "Earl," which is in fact my first name, but Skip was just Skip.
Skip was without question my best friend for many years, but I don't think that I was even close to being the only person who thought that. He was the best friend of a lot of folks. A person that everyone could relate to, and who always had time to listen to you---whether you were telling a joke or discussing serious problems. I know people in several different countries that thought he was a great guy and still talk about him. I simply never met anyone who didn't like Skip.
We played basketball together for a long time, of course, but after that stayed extremely close, talking all the time and traveling to Mexico, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, England, and extensively throughout the US. He did some other traveling, as well, and you can be sure that there are people in those countries that remember him fondly.
One favorite memory among many will be understood by any of the countless multitudes that were fortunate to have shared a drink with Skip. It sums him up attitudinally. We were in the Plaka in Athens when he held up his glass of Ouzo, looked at it, and said, "Well, it's not Grand Marnier, but for two weeks, I can make do." He could always make do with whatever situation.
Eventually, in 2008, the results of smoking too much for too long did him in. There was a memorial get-together at a local Sac hangout, and another friend said to me, "This place just isn't big enough." More than likely, no venue would have been big enough.
Actually I did call him Norman on occasion, "Norman The Great". Skip was a good friend and of the many memories one stands out. In our senior year I gave him a copy of Subways Are For Sleeping, a book about how people can survive in New York City on very little. One of the people profiled had found a way to eat by visiting several high end restaurants and eating their leftovers. That gave Skip the bright idea to bum food from me at lunch. He loved the sandwiches my mom made and in order for me to have something to eat I would have to bring four sandwiches so I could get one or two. I finally discovered that he couldn't handle a special kind of mustard my mom used so I would have her load them up with this coarse, German mustard. That ended that adventure and enabled me t have more to eat for lunch. Also speaking of dancing Skip had piced up a version of the Surfers Stomp after visiting Barry McFadden when he was attending USC. We all liked to watch him dance, he did a thing with his neck where he kind of looked like a chicken bobbing back and forth but at the time we thought it was really cool.
Skip and I became friends after high school. I was living in San Francisco and going to school there. I was doing some writing but needed more life adventures other than my teenage deliquency. Can't remember where we re-aquainted but we became good friends one summer while I was home. In seeking new adventure he asked if I had ever hopped freights? No. So he taught me how to do so. We would jump freights near the old Crystal Dairy near the levee in Alkali Flats. Sometimes, we even got free milk to start our trip. We were never sure where we were headed but never went further than Sparks, Nevada. Every open boxcar we jumped always had someone in it. Those folks were called Hobos in those days. (Always liked the sound of the word hobo.) I would try to engage them in conversation for story material. Only one time were we threatened but I always felt safe with Skip because he never was intimidated and I acted tougher than I was. Those were great experiences although I never became the next Jack Kerouac.
Skip helped me rebuild the engine on my 2nd 56 Chevy Bel Air that summer. I went right into the Army in 1966 from grad school in San Francisco and never saw Skip again. He was a great pal that summer. I will never forget him;
I attended his wake at his favorite bar near Eastern and Marconi. Ann Levering was there and his brother Ken Kelly, one of the scariest guys in Sacramento hosted the event. I talked to Ken for quite awhile and he no longer was the scary guy that I once knew. I believe it was the following year that Ken also passed away.
I remember Skip very well. He was one of my favorite people in high school although I think we didn't see each other very much. He somehow had the image of being the wild boy on the outside with the heart of gold on the inside.
Mary Hilkerbaumer (Handy)
I just want to say that from working on the yearbook, I believe that Norman Kelley was better known to all of us as Skip Kelley. I remember Skip as a very nice person to be around - outgoing and serious about playing basketball I believe. I hope that others will comment.Mary Handy
Terry Gantenbein
I remember Skip. We even go back to Boy Scouts, long before El Camino.Gaylyn Lawrence (Miller)
Skip Kelley was such a great guy! We were in elementary school together and when we got to high school, we found that most of our classes were together. We shared homework. I would do the assignment for one class and he would do it for another and then we'd meet at school and switch papers. Hmmmm! He was also a great dancer. With his long legs he was a natural for the Bop. Loved to watch him dance.
Randy Larson
I find it interesting that we have Skip listed as "Norman," which was certainly his given name, but not anything I ever heard him called by anyone, even his Mom. Mrs. Nordberg once called me "Earl," which is in fact my first name, but Skip was just Skip.
Skip was without question my best friend for many years, but I don't think that I was even close to being the only person who thought that. He was the best friend of a lot of folks. A person that everyone could relate to, and who always had time to listen to you---whether you were telling a joke or discussing serious problems. I know people in several different countries that thought he was a great guy and still talk about him. I simply never met anyone who didn't like Skip.
We played basketball together for a long time, of course, but after that stayed extremely close, talking all the time and traveling to Mexico, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, England, and extensively throughout the US. He did some other traveling, as well, and you can be sure that there are people in those countries that remember him fondly.
One favorite memory among many will be understood by any of the countless multitudes that were fortunate to have shared a drink with Skip. It sums him up attitudinally. We were in the Plaka in Athens when he held up his glass of Ouzo, looked at it, and said, "Well, it's not Grand Marnier, but for two weeks, I can make do." He could always make do with whatever situation.
Eventually, in 2008, the results of smoking too much for too long did him in. There was a memorial get-together at a local Sac hangout, and another friend said to me, "This place just isn't big enough." More than likely, no venue would have been big enough.
Cary Nosler
Actually I did call him Norman on occasion, "Norman The Great". Skip was a good friend and of the many memories one stands out. In our senior year I gave him a copy of Subways Are For Sleeping, a book about how people can survive in New York City on very little. One of the people profiled had found a way to eat by visiting several high end restaurants and eating their leftovers. That gave Skip the bright idea to bum food from me at lunch. He loved the sandwiches my mom made and in order for me to have something to eat I would have to bring four sandwiches so I could get one or two. I finally discovered that he couldn't handle a special kind of mustard my mom used so I would have her load them up with this coarse, German mustard. That ended that adventure and enabled me t have more to eat for lunch. Also speaking of dancing Skip had piced up a version of the Surfers Stomp after visiting Barry McFadden when he was attending USC. We all liked to watch him dance, he did a thing with his neck where he kind of looked like a chicken bobbing back and forth but at the time we thought it was really cool.
Bob Tribe (Reunion Admin. Class Of 1961) (Varvello)
Skip and I became friends after high school. I was living in San Francisco and going to school there. I was doing some writing but needed more life adventures other than my teenage deliquency. Can't remember where we re-aquainted but we became good friends one summer while I was home. In seeking new adventure he asked if I had ever hopped freights? No. So he taught me how to do so. We would jump freights near the old Crystal Dairy near the levee in Alkali Flats. Sometimes, we even got free milk to start our trip. We were never sure where we were headed but never went further than Sparks, Nevada. Every open boxcar we jumped always had someone in it. Those folks were called Hobos in those days. (Always liked the sound of the word hobo.) I would try to engage them in conversation for story material. Only one time were we threatened but I always felt safe with Skip because he never was intimidated and I acted tougher than I was. Those were great experiences although I never became the next Jack Kerouac.
Skip helped me rebuild the engine on my 2nd 56 Chevy Bel Air that summer. I went right into the Army in 1966 from grad school in San Francisco and never saw Skip again. He was a great pal that summer. I will never forget him;
I attended his wake at his favorite bar near Eastern and Marconi. Ann Levering was there and his brother Ken Kelly, one of the scariest guys in Sacramento hosted the event. I talked to Ken for quite awhile and he no longer was the scary guy that I once knew. I believe it was the following year that Ken also passed away.
Christine Moore (Shoemaker)
I remember Skip very well. He was one of my favorite people in high school although I think we didn't see each other very much. He somehow had the image of being the wild boy on the outside with the heart of gold on the inside.