Mike and I were friends from junior high on. In high school Mike was a talented art student who was one of the group who made banners for all the events of our high school lives. He loved cars, but was more interested in sports cars than muscle cars. There were a number of us in that group, but he was the first to put his money where his mouth was and bought a green, Austin-Healey bugeye Sprite. He loved that car. He was also into the folk music craze when it took off, but was more interested in bluegrass than folk and so learned to play bluegrass banjo. He got to be pretty good at it, and when I saw him at the 30th reunion he told me that he had been in a professional band for awhile. After high school Mike was drafted, and when he got back home he had a big Akai reel-to-reel tape machine, a Fu-Manchu mustache, and a love for hard rock music. He introduced me to Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. He and I lived together in Highland Park and South Pasadena for a few years. During that time he worked in a print shop, but eventually was able to use his talent to get into photo transparency (slides) retouching. Mike sold his Sprite and bought Gary Ong's Corvette, and then after a couple of years, a very sweet Lotus Europa.
Mike was a great guy, a little shy, but someone who was always glad to see you. He was a good friend to me and I was shocked to see that he had passed away.
If anyone has more information about his passing, please drop me an email at rpattie@comline.com
Mike lived next door when we were in high school. My brother and Mike rented an apartment together in Lynwood. The place was party heaven and every knew everyone else. He was drafted into the Army and we corresponded. I visited him once while he was stationed at Fort Hood Texas. He later moved to Highland Park and I visited many times and we listened to his music collection and his playing Blue Grass on his banjo. He was a quiet guy but very talented. He had many friends and was liked by everyone. Sorry to hear he is no longer with us, he was a good friend
I look all over the place trying to find him, but I guess I wasn't very good at sleuthing. Sorry to miss him, but at least I know a little more about his life. I remember going pretty fast in his bug-eye, and hearing the gearbox give up. He must have put two or three rebuilds on that four speed, and it was to this day a favorite car of mine. Mullhalund drive in the summer. What a rush. Hey, Richard Pattie....jimblumel@gmail.com. Lehi, Utah.
I visited with Mike at our last reunion and wish now I had spent more time with him then. I was really saddened to hear of his passing.
Mike and myself worked on all those football banners up on the 3rd floor outside of Crutcher's class under his watchful eye and had alot of fun doing it. When we had any free time Crutcher would have us go down to the faculty parking lot and work on his MG TC. We both liked sports cars back then and when he got that little Sprite it was trully great riding around in it.
Rest in peace Mike you were a good friend back then.
I moved to South Gate from a farm in northern Minnesota at a time when it was not yet "cool" to be from the country, and I could feel myself being looked down upon as a hick or hayseed by the various cliques on campus. Except among the "Crutcher-ites" in Mr. Crutcher's art classes on the third floor. Shyly ensconced among those denizens was Mike Walker and he became my first real friend at SGHS. I have been looking for him for years with no luck and it is so sad to realize that now that I've found him he has passed forever out of reach. But I guess I still have those good times hanging out in Mike's little green Sprite at Taco Fiesta and Harvey's Broiler till all hours of the night or playing and singing our hearts out in impromptu "hootenannies" and drinking Red Mountain wine... rest in piece my gentle friend.
Richard Pattie
Mike and I were friends from junior high on. In high school Mike was a talented art student who was one of the group who made banners for all the events of our high school lives. He loved cars, but was more interested in sports cars than muscle cars. There were a number of us in that group, but he was the first to put his money where his mouth was and bought a green, Austin-Healey bugeye Sprite. He loved that car. He was also into the folk music craze when it took off, but was more interested in bluegrass than folk and so learned to play bluegrass banjo. He got to be pretty good at it, and when I saw him at the 30th reunion he told me that he had been in a professional band for awhile. After high school Mike was drafted, and when he got back home he had a big Akai reel-to-reel tape machine, a Fu-Manchu mustache, and a love for hard rock music. He introduced me to Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. He and I lived together in Highland Park and South Pasadena for a few years. During that time he worked in a print shop, but eventually was able to use his talent to get into photo transparency (slides) retouching. Mike sold his Sprite and bought Gary Ong's Corvette, and then after a couple of years, a very sweet Lotus Europa.
Mike was a great guy, a little shy, but someone who was always glad to see you. He was a good friend to me and I was shocked to see that he had passed away.
If anyone has more information about his passing, please drop me an email at rpattie@comline.com
Darrell Marks
Mike lived next door when we were in high school. My brother and Mike rented an apartment together in Lynwood. The place was party heaven and every knew everyone else. He was drafted into the Army and we corresponded. I visited him once while he was stationed at Fort Hood Texas. He later moved to Highland Park and I visited many times and we listened to his music collection and his playing Blue Grass on his banjo. He was a quiet guy but very talented. He had many friends and was liked by everyone. Sorry to hear he is no longer with us, he was a good friend
Jim Blumel
Mike,
I look all over the place trying to find him, but I guess I wasn't very good at sleuthing. Sorry to miss him, but at least I know a little more about his life. I remember going pretty fast in his bug-eye, and hearing the gearbox give up. He must have put two or three rebuilds on that four speed, and it was to this day a favorite car of mine. Mullhalund drive in the summer. What a rush. Hey, Richard Pattie....jimblumel@gmail.com. Lehi, Utah.
Jim Fahnestock
Mike
I visited with Mike at our last reunion and wish now I had spent more time with him then. I was really saddened to hear of his passing.
Mike and myself worked on all those football banners up on the 3rd floor outside of Crutcher's class under his watchful eye and had alot of fun doing it. When we had any free time Crutcher would have us go down to the faculty parking lot and work on his MG TC. We both liked sports cars back then and when he got that little Sprite it was trully great riding around in it.
Rest in peace Mike you were a good friend back then.
Pete Begich
I moved to South Gate from a farm in northern Minnesota at a time when it was not yet "cool" to be from the country, and I could feel myself being looked down upon as a hick or hayseed by the various cliques on campus. Except among the "Crutcher-ites" in Mr. Crutcher's art classes on the third floor. Shyly ensconced among those denizens was Mike Walker and he became my first real friend at SGHS. I have been looking for him for years with no luck and it is so sad to realize that now that I've found him he has passed forever out of reach. But I guess I still have those good times hanging out in Mike's little green Sprite at Taco Fiesta and Harvey's Broiler till all hours of the night or playing and singing our hearts out in impromptu "hootenannies" and drinking Red Mountain wine... rest in piece my gentle friend.