Your best friend(s) in grade school...

[HardyGirl]

Who was your best friend(s) when you were a kid? What was something really funny you remember about them?

My 2 best friends were Laura and Jackie. I knew Laura longer. She lived in the building next to mine. She was a year younger and went to my school and Sunday School. We hung out together a lot. Mainly at my house. We would work out routines to the K-Tel Looney Tunes record and perform them for ourselves in front of the giant mirror wall in the living room. We'd play jump rope and hand jive games outside, or walk around the corner for some candy. She spent the night a few times, and once we were singing "He Touched Me" (from a commercial), really loud at the top of our lungs, until my mom came in and told us to knock it off or that would be the last time she slept over.

I used to play w/ Jackie at her house, b/c her family dynamic was so different. Her family was from the south, and she lived w/ her mom, little brother, aunt (who was called "Sister") and 2 cousins. Her mom was really nice to me and bought me my favorite foods when I spent the night, (even though she couldn't afford it). Once my mom let me go w/ her family to her cousin Damon's house in upstate NY. We spend 3 days there. All us kids (except baby Tammy) had to stay in Damon's room (which was huge) almost the whole time while the adults played cards. In the morning, before breakfast, we had to clean up the beer bottles and empty the ashtrays in the living room. Her Aunt Tina worked w/ a toy distribution company and sent all of us kids cool toys and records.

OK, I've bored you enough. Any cool stories about your friends you'd like to share?

[Hector]

I have about three close buddies since childhood...Marc, Gabriel, and Jose Luis.

Jose Luis is from when I lived in Mexico from ages 7-14...he actually visited me here in Oakland back in the 80s...I also saw him again when I visited his part of the world back in the 90's...but have not seen each other since...but we keep in touch through Facebook...lol.

Marc and Gabriel still live in Oakland.

Gabriel and I were really close since grade school...went to the same junior and high schools too...we played together in a San Francisco softball league in the 90's...but over the years...we kinda went our separate ways...he got married...had kids...and as the years past by...never really got together anymore. I did bumped into him at a local supermarket a couple of years ago...we hugged each other and talked for a bit...and even exchanged emails...but was about it...and nothing came about it...sometimes the closeness just kinda goes away with some people.

Now, Marc on the other hand...has been my main buddy since childhood...the funny thing is that we didn't go to early schools together...different middle schools, different junior & high schools...but we went to the same university...San Francisco State (different majors)...we still hang out to this day...we have BBQ's all the time...good drinking buddy too...lol. He visited me frequently at the hospital when I was very sick...he's my very best friend....then...and now.

Here we are together...just chilling alongside my ride...Marc's wife took the picture...

[Hector]

Sharry...do you still keep contact with either one of them?

[Cmonster]

I never had best friends. LOL! I was kind of a loner... The lone wolf. The kid with the buck teeth and the glasses that everybody picked on until I beat Steven Carlino senseless in gym class. What a bloody mess that was. It took like 6 kids and the gym teacher to pull me off this kid. I went pretty crazy on him, had to set the example... That was 4th grade. After that, I was the kid no one messed with or would even talk to.

There were friends on my baseball and football teams, and kids on the block I played with, but I grew up in a two family house and my cousins lived downstairs, so me and my brother just hung out with them mostly.

SC

[HardyGirl]

Sharry...do you still keep contact with either one of them?

No not since I left NYC in 1979. But Hector, I wanted to know some of the stuff you did as kids. Funny stories? Mishaps?

[Type3Toys]

I hung out with a couple guys, Ed, Scott,Rich and Joe mostly. We all hung out and drank together. When I started getting into the dope scene, those guys kind of just slipped away. They did not get mixed up in all that crap like I did. Ed went on to become an alcoholic...big time. At 46 he had a stroke and a heartache as a result of his decades of abuse. Although I ran into Joe and Rich not to long ago, the usual plans to hang were made but never kept. Other than one fella in NJ and a couple in other states, I dont really have a friends who I hang out with.

[megoapesnut]

My very best friend drowned the year after we graduated. I still keep in touch with the group I hung around. Quite a few of my classmates keep in regular contact. We had all pretty much drifted apart by the 20 years after graduation, but myself and a few others felt we wanted to try to change that a few years ago when our 25th reunion came around. So we did some pavement pounding and organized a reunion that was a huge hit. Since then we have a large group of us that get together 2 or 3 times a year. There's about 40 in that group. And there is a smaller group of about 10-15 of us that meet for dinner at various places every 6-8 weeks or so. Facebook also keeps most of us in contact as well. We even have our own class page.

[HardyGirl]

Aww I'm sorry about your friend drowning, Scott.

I think you guys misunderstood the question. What I wanted to know was what things do you remember about your best friend in grade school back in the day? You know, when you guys were kids and used to play together? Any
anecdotes? Funny tales?

[jessica]

My best friend from elementary school I found on Facebook. We have nothing in common now.

We spent hours and hours roller skating together after school. We were inseparable and considered ourselves sisters. Thinking back, it is weird, because I had never been inside her house the whole time we knew each other. Again, the cultural thing, Sharry. Or excessive sheltering. Call it what you will--I am amazed we survived our childhood, as children are really mean.

[toys2cool]

I had a bunch of best friends in elementary it was Jean and we use to argue and fight about who was going to marry Debbie Gibson and who was going to be the Ultimate Warrior's tag team partner we also traded gi joes, we went to different schools so we lost touch until facebook a year ago

in middle school and HS I had a lot, mainly Miguel(nice fat guy),Yamel(Cuban funny guy that loooked like he was 30),Presana (indian funny guy ) ,Victor(aka shorty )and Orlando(rocker wise guy)

I still keep in touch with most..Victor passed away from Cancer when he was 21 I miss him a lot

Orlando moved to Tennessee 2 years ago

and Miguel is my best friend of all, we still hang out all the time, play bball every weekend, and he just became my neighbor 6 months ago, so we'll be friends 4 ever I think

all these guys were a trip, we use to skip school and go bowling, chicks houses, play bball, go to thrift shops to look for toys great guys

a funny story would be that when i was working in Checkers during the weekends, these guys would go thru the drive thru in order 1 by 1 with a different accent asking for weird stuff just to mess with me...asking my boss how much for that sexy thing grilling the burgers in the back lol! hilarious
I see the prices for the champ burgers, but how much is that beef cake back there lol!

[Adam West]

My best friend growing up I met at the age of 4. I still talk to him on a fairly regular basis and we live pretty close to each other. I have a lot of good childhood stories but I think one of the best things I can say is that even after all of these years, we have remained close friends. Actually, more like close brothers than friends. We have completely different personalities and had I met him as an adult, I probably wouldn't be friends with him. But, he's like family to me and we both know that we can talk to each other about anything and would give our shirts off our backs to help each other out.

[johnmiic]

Yeah, my best friend Mike just passed away last month. We had been outta' touch for some years, since the 1990's. I knew him since the 3rd grade. He was a local kid in the neighborhood. He had heart problems on top of MD and had a trache done. He also had to use a respirator so we didn't go out and hang any more. I found out late because we only communicated thru the email now and his family couldn't find a number for me. If not for the heart problems he could've lived a longer life I'm sure. Most people w/MD aren't expected to live long but he would'a.

[megomania]

Gabriel and I were really close since grade school...went to the same junior and high schools too...we played together in a San Francisco softball league in the 90's...but over the years...we kinda went our separate ways...he got married...had kids...and as the years past by...never really got together anymore. I did bumped into him at a local supermarket a couple of years ago...we hugged each other and talked for a bit...and even exchanged emails...but was about it...and nothing came about it...sometimes the closeness just kinda goes away with some people.

Hector - you sure you didn't steal this from Dan Folgelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne"

[BOTZWANA]

My friends were from Georgia. Dale, Bill, Robby, and Brett. I have found Dale and Brett on FB. They are teaching their kids the same things we were taught. Star Wars etc. Robby and Bill I have never found. Robby got me into comics with Amazing spiderman 214 and Bill was a local neighborhood kid who's parents let him get away with anything! I miss those times.

[Hector]

Hector - you sure you didn't steal this from Dan Folgelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne"

I barely know of the name Dan Fogelberg...let alone steal something from him...