Prep School Finds a Tune to Get Misty By

After 60 years with no alma mater, La Jolla Country Day School finally has an inspirational ditty to call its own. Well, almost its own.

The school’s seniors queried 30 or so prep schools around the country before coming up with an anthem. It’s sung to the tune of “Carmen Ohio,” Ohio State’s alma mater, and includes such generic lines as “All hail, to Alma Mater praise . . . our loyalty we pledge to you.”

Finding an alma mater isn’t easy, of course. The folks at Sewickley Academy in Pennsylvania are rewriting theirs because the old one required whistling, and every time the student body began to whistle, the moment was lost to laughter.

And Fort Worth Country Day School’s headmaster wrote: “Believe it or not, we do not have an alma mater--which is a small blessing so far as I am concerned. Never can remember the words.”

Gadfly’s Guessing Game

Rose Lynne--San Diego City Hall gadfly, self-styled “ombudscientist” and frequent candidate for municipal office--has come up with a new gimmick to publicize her latest political endeavor.

Lynne, one of about half a dozen candidates who so far have filed applications seeking appointment to Councilman Uvaldo Martinez’s soon-to-be-vacated seat, has spiced up her entry in the political sweepstakes with a sweepstakes of her own.

Her application with the city clerk’s office includes the letters “C.C.C.” after her name, and Lynne says she is offering a $100 prize to the person who figures out what the letters stand for.

“I wear many hats, and most people usually don’t know which hat I’m wearing at any particular time,” Lynne said. “The person who figures this out has the capacity to be a great leader.”

Lynne says the answer will be “locked in a vault” in a lawyer’s office, and an entry box will be placed downtown. The winner will be announced in two weeks.

How about a clue, Rose, on what those letters mean?

“This relates to the most important of the more than one dozen hats I’m wearing now,” she said. “That’s all I’m going to say.”

Long Way From 4th & C

Old-time San Diego jazz fans might take note of an article in the October issue of Harpers and Queen magazine, a British periodical that chronicles the social activities of that country’s more wealthy classes.

The story recounts the current success in London of 70-year-old Slim Gaillard, known as the wild old man of jazz among music aficionados for his singing as well as his work on the vibraphone, piano and guitar.

Now living in England, from where he tours throughout Europe, Gaillard recalled for Harpers and Queen his jazz combo days in California during the 1930s and 1940s, including San Diego.

In the years right after World War II, Gaillard held court at a popular night spot at 4th Avenue and C Street, and San Diegans from that era still remark today at his talent. Memorable moments included his improvisations in both music and commercials for such well-known products as Carnation milk and Blue Bonnet margarine over old radio station KPSA in San Diego.

One of his early songs was, “Cement Mixer--Putti Putti.” His latest song: “Everything’s OK in the U.K.”

Hustler Gets New Cue

An artist of a different sort who used to work the San Diego area and has gone on to bigger and better things is Keith McReady.

Say who?

McReady, who lived in Oceanside for two years until he moved earlier this year to Orange County, was best known in places like the Billiard Tavern and College Billiards, where his nine-ball was deadly. He turned from hustling to tournament play and today is ranked as one of the 10 best nine-ball players in the country.

More important to him these days, McReady was one of the major non-actor pool players in the Paul Newman-Tom Cruise movie, “The Color of Money.” He played the role of Grady Seasons, who makes a couple of significant appearances in the movie as the top nine-ball money player in the country.

The casting people spotted McReady at a pool tournament in Norfolk and booked him at a follow-up casting call in Chicago.

Is he smitten by Hollywood after his month on the set with Newman and Cruise? “Well, the money’s a little bit better in front of the bright lights,” he said.

Besides, he won’t be able to hustle much anymore. “People know my face now,” he said.

Smashing Excuses

At the Escondido Adult School’s driving school for misbehavin’ motorists, teachers like to share excerpts from insurance accident forms. A sampling:

- “I thought my window was down but I found out it was up when I put my head through it.”

- “The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”

- “I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.”

- “Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”

- “The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.”