Pastors, Pimps and Preaching to a Choir of Lost Angels

The Breakfast Club - LuHi 1986

Towards the end of my junior year of high school, it was announced, very abruptly, that our school had been sold.  Seriously.  They sold our campus.  Now, you might ask yourself why a 16-year-old would care about his school being sold?  Well, unlike other high school campuses in Los Angeles, ours was beautiful.  It was big. 22 acres big.  And in Los Angeles, where many high schools looked more like the county jail, it was a special place.  It was our home.  It was unique, with a big green lawn in front of our main schoolhouse.  Olive trees lined the entrance, and dotted the grounds.  It had a long tree lined drive that led up from the front gate house to the main parking lot.  It was originally one of the nations oldest convents, Villa Cabrini Academy.  But to us, it was LuHi.

L.A. Lutheran High School 1986

At Los Angeles Lutheran High School, regardless of who you were, or who your peers perceived you to be, we were all blessed to have walked those halls and laid on that great lawn in between classes, or at lunch.  Not to mention our friends.  We were tight.  A solid crew who grew up at a time when all bets were off.  It was the '80s in Los Angeles.  We defined Generation X.  And when you consider the impact that film and television from Los Angeles had on the world, in some ways we inspired it.

This grass area would later become the "Senior Square."

But just like that, our world was turned upside down right before one of the most important years of our lives.  Our senior year of high school.  Prom, senior portraits, home coming, grad night, senioritis... Gone.  Not only that, we had patiently waited our turn to sit in the "Senior Square" at lunch, and now that was gone too.  Until this point in our young lives, we always had each other, but now even that was now in flux.

Some of us had been together since grade school.  Others had been together since junior high. And now the class of 1987 was about to be displaced.  The pastor, principal and "financial team" found a temporary campus for the '86/'87 school year, but it was too small to accommodate our whole school.  Not to mention the fact that many of us would not return for our senior year, as our parents were fed up, and in protest, many refused to pay the re-enrollment fee.

One year Bob ended up on the LuHi
lawn in front of the main schoolhouse...

OK, record scratch...  I know what you might be thinking.  A bunch of rich white kids going to a private school are all upset because their normal just got jacked.  But, that's not really the case here.  Most of us were not rich.  Many were not white.  What we were was a big family of kids who came from all over the city of Los Angeles to this off the beaten path high school in Burbank CA, that had a Bob's Big Boy and 7-11 across the street.  And we were just handed down a decision from a pastor, and his "team," that did not take in consideration how this would impact our lives.

We were angry.  And no one seemed to care.  Or at least that's the way we felt .  Why did the pastor, "a man of God," turn his back on us?  And the principal?  The only ones who publicly stood up for us were some of the teachers.  We had amazing teachers, by the way.  The very best.  They went to bat for us, but they could only do so much.  In retrospect, it had to be stressful and scary for them to stick up for us.  Some of them would not have a job after June of 1986.  And as private school teachers, it's not like they were getting paid massive salaries.  For example, our PE teacher worked as a beer delivery driver during the summer.  I only know this because I was working as a box boy at Lucky Supermarket in Van Nuys when he rolled up one day!  He was slightly embarrassed.  But me?  I was like, wow!  Coach Staie is even cooler than I thought...!!!  He's a PE teacher for eight months out of the year, and total rockstar beer delivery guy during the summer!

THE STYLE PUPPIES.  LuHi's only Punk Rock Band, 1986:
Eric D (Guitar), Donald L (Lead Vox), Jeff B (Bass), Donna S
(Lead Vox), Martin L (Keys) & Damon D (Drums - not pictured)

But back to reality...  Despite what was going on, our teachers stayed positive.  At least in front of us.  "I know you're mad, but we must continue to do our best regardless of this decision."  The irony of this statement, rings loud and clear in 2019 as it did in 1986.  More on this in a moment.

As teenagers, we had our own stuff going on at the time.  And now as a dad of a 12-year-old daughter, I get reminded of those times on a daily basis...  So, through her I remember and relate.  Now that I look back on that time, as much as we didn't think anyone was looking out for us, I do remember how mad my parents were.  And why wouldn't they be.  I guarantee you that Professor Donaldson stirred the pot by letting them know that they just screwed a whole generation of kids out of their faith.  Faith in the system.  Faith in their future.  And faith in God.  Luckily, God and I are still solid!

'60s "protest" in the '80s...

So quite appropriately, Generation X became the "Why Bother" generation.  Yes, I stole that from a movie, but this was a great example why that happened.  In the past, there was a lot to fight about.  Civil rights.  Women's rights.  In the '60s they protested and made a difference.   In the 70s they broke the rules, but for the most part, they kicked the can down the road.  Gas.  The environment.  Drugs.  I guess what I'm getting at is that in the '80s, we got a ton of stuff handed down to us, and yet we had nothing to fight for.  Confusing?  Just think if you were a teenager.  That's a lot to handle.  So, growing up in the '80s, since there was nothing we could do about any of it, why the F' bother...?  Frankie Say Relax.  I say who gives a fuck what Frankie says...


But it wasn't just the teenagers who were upset.  Now that I'm a dad myself, I see how frustrating this must have been for my dad.  He was a career journalist, turned college journalism professor, so he would have loved to dig up the dirty details of what was going on with the with management of the school.  And I suspect there was either some really fishy stuff going on, or the financial geniuses and management were just in over their heads.  Either way, it was an epic fail at the expense of a lot of kids.  I guess the biggest problem I have with this situation was that there was no transparency. Those in power hid behind their own set of rules.  Sorta' like Canon Law...  But in a Lutheran kinda' way...

Professor D with my little sister when he
was still a copywriter at the L.A. Times

Woodbury University 2019.  The "Senior
Square" was in front of the same auditorium
where The STYLE PUPPIES performed.

Our beloved school was sold to Woodbury University in 1985 for $6M.  When we were freshmen in 1984, the school had sold a 10-ish acre parcel of land adjacent to the school.  We were told that the sale of this land would enable the school to make upgrades to the campus that were much needed.  A new football field was under construction, but was never finished.  The class of 1986 was the last class to graduate Los Angeles Lutheran High School, Burbank.  The class of 1987 became the class that would never be.  At least on this campus...

One of my favorite humans standing
next to the empty fountain that was
symbolic of our lost hearts.

Parents and faculty were mad.  Some kids protested.  A still "nameless" individual spray painted a big graffiti mural that said, "Good Bye LuHi," on the front wall looking back at the main schoolhouse.  He or she did this at midnight before our last day of school.  It's been 33 years, but I still won't disclose who that "nameless" individual was.  Loose lips sink ships...  And despite his or her efforts, it got painted over by the end of our second period that day.

The truth is, no matter what we did to rebel, our Junior class was lost.  Confused.  We all piled into our cars on the last day of school and went to the beach knowing that many of us would never see each other again.  No one, but us kids, was affected more by this decision that was made by just a few people.  A few people who didn't even know our names...

Some friends moved to the temporary
campus, while many of us went to
different schools for our senior year.
Another one of my favorite humans!

No one puts their trust in humans more than kids.  And now as an adult, I understand this more than ever.  It's too often that kids have been wronged by the very people who are supposed to be looking out for them, and this happens over and over again.  No wonder teenagers are so angry.  And I'm not talking about regular teenage anger because they've discovered that their parents "are annoying."  There's a point in time when the hypocrisy becomes very apparent.  And when it comes to religion, you either inspire them, or turn them away.  I'm sorry, but, "do as I say, not as I do," doesn't register for a teenager.  And why should it?

Recently a wise young human asked me, "What annoys you the most?"  I'm pretty sure her question wasn't looking for the answer I would ultimately give, as I believe this was a segue into telling me how much I annoy her... After a few moments of thought, I told her, "what annoys me the most, are people who hide behind who they say they are, while their actions show they are much different."  Not skipping a beat, she said, "Like [the pastor] of our church?  I said, "no, not necessarily....  But I can certainly understand why you might think that.  More on this in a moment.

Because a boo boo can happen
anywhere...  "Let daddy get a
picture of the finger that hurts..."

So, here's the balance in parenting where you have to acknowledge and hear their voice, and at the same time not insight a riot within their young soul.  The kids know much more than some folk give them credit for.  And, as parents, we have to help guide them through this mess of hypocrisy.  After all, they are at an age now where they will call you, or anyone else out for it when the BS starts stinkin'!

And now we get to the part of the story where we come full circle.  Where in my family, the class of 1987 and the class of 2020 find themselves in a very similar situation.  Both classes had a frivolous decision handed down to them by a pastor, a man of the cloth, that would affect them in a way that these men, who are supposed to protect them, either could not, or refused to understand.  What's baffling is that when you look at the decline in membership of traditional churches, it's not hard to understand why, when the very future of these institutions, the children, have been ignored, abused and neglected.  Shame on them.

It happened to the class of 1987, and now it's happening to the class of 2020.  Let me explain.  Like
me, my daughter is one year away from graduating.  For me it was high school.  For her it's middle school.  For me, it happened.  Our school closed.  For her, the school isn't closing, but her beloved principal is being fired by a priest who is resigning.  That's right.  He is firing her and resigning.  It makes no sense.  It makes no sense to the parents who love and admire this strong, caring and kind human, so you can imagine what it's doing on the inside of the kids who consider her the mother of their school.  They are confused, anxious and lost.  Sound familiar?

Coach Eric in the background shouting, "SLIDE,"
to  his young Short Stop, Jaden D.  SAFE!

Second generation of Lions

Let's step back for a moment.  My kids are the most important beings in my life.  I will do anything for them.  I am involved.  I have coached youth sports (Baseball and Basketball) for the last seven years.  I have been on the executive board of the Parent Action Committee at their school for the last four years.  I took my kids to toddler group and did all of the required work hours at their co-op preschool.  I took them to church.  I volunteer my time because I think it's important for the growth of my kids.  And I did this all while still managing my own career.  Who says men can't multitask...!  I am a Christian, who grew up going to Lutheran schools, where volunteerism is strongly encouraged.  My dad was on the school board of my elementary school.  My mom ran the hot lunch program.  It's in my blood... ;)

So, when you are this involved you see get to see the inside of what's really going on.  And the sad part of what happened to me and my classmates in 1986, and what is happening to my daughter and her classmates in 2019, is that these decisions were made without taking in consideration how it will impact the lives of the children.  My parents knew it in 1986, and now I see the same thing happening in 2019.

Their world is pure.  Their minds and hearts are open.  It's up
to us to help them to hold on to that as long a possible.

I'm not exactly sure how to right these wrongs.  But I do know that if this archaic tradition of absolute power by one man continues on this trajectory, they will alienate the future of their existence.  In fact, it's already happening, so maybe that's the answer.  Because in the City of Angels, there are plenty of options when it comes to connecting to God through a religion, spirituality or one's individual inner peace.  Can I get an amen?

I have a rule.  Never talk politics or religion at a party.  But this isn't a party, and I will never stand down when it comes to my kids, or my kid's friends.  Their world is pure.  Their minds and hearts are open.  It's up to us to help them hold on to that as long as possible.  Shame on these school and church leaders for not thinking the same way when it comes to all of God's children.