Stan Kelvin (CLS'56) Restaurateur in California

Hello from the Western Paradise "Cayucos" California, my home for the past twenty years.

Here is something about my life over the past forty plus years since graduating from Cherry Lawn. I married Elinor Prince (CLS'58) in 1958. We were divorced four years later. I then headed for California in 1962 and have been here ever since. Nevertheless, I kept in contact with Karen Kassas Wasserman (CLS,56), my best friend over forty years. God bless her and husband David.

Once in California, I worked at Sears & Roebuck in Los Angeles from 1962-1978. In 1978, I left the San Fernando Valley-Los Angeles area and resettled in Cayucos where my partner Lou, an ex-Italian New Yorker, and I opened our first restaurant. We ran it for ten years. We were out of the restaurant business for six years, but returned to the business in 1993. We reopen as a deli & restaurant, Lou & Shenly's Deli Hye (Cafe, Deli, Pizzeria) in Cayucos. (Shenly is me). We're open from 7:30am to 10:00pm, serving the finest Italian specialties. Come visit us; we are twenty miles south of the Hearst Castle and a block from the Pacific Coast. We are in the middle between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each about 250 miles away.

Now back to our wonderful Cherry Lawn years: 1954, 1955 & 1956. Thank you for getting together. We tried four years ago, and got Ellie Prince, Steve Potter, Karen Rassas Wasserman and me -- a blast and some laughs. What wonderful memories: Judy Forray, Valerie Matz, Barbara Gross, Gwen Krakower, Arlene Fisher, Valerie Landsman's great sixteenth birthday party, Norman Jacobs, Michael Greenberg (Hill), Howie Levine, Lynne Chesler, Dale Bederson, Lea Foustanos, Thank you all for making my (our) youth so fantastic. Also Paul Silver, Paul Shapiro, Seth Abelson, Bobby Penson, Norm Seligman, Stu Duboff, Ike Beck, Jan Palka, Elise Landau, Judy Hess, Al Morse, Flo Gralnick, Toby Rait, Christina Stael, Bas Burwell, Don Emerson, and even Mr. Robaczynski (all da boys out for da soccer!), Mr. Kosow, the Rowes, Nancy Feuer, Nancy Finklestein, Ronnie Alexander, Gwen Verdon's son, Jimmy Heneghon. And do you remember the great songs of the era: Sincerely, Earth Angel, Hound Dog, and Peter Pakula's favorite Shake, Rattle and Roll?

All these names and wonderful memories are coming back to me like flashes as I write this. I can't believe that next January I'll turn "60." I've had a great life, and it's still great!

Stu Varden, your call came as no surprise. Someone had to do it. I hope that you will have lots of laughs, take many pictures, and remember, I used to be good looking. Now I am rather "chunky." I still have my hair, lost some teeth but such is life. I play a lot of duplicate bridge (tournaments). I hope we can see each other some day and keep these memories alive. Have a great reunion. Hope I can make it for the 50th!

Submitted 20-June-1997