Post by Mikie on Mar 18, 2020 13:33:35 GMT -5
I was reading through the Hawthorne High "Cougartown" website the other day and found something interesting. The P.E. teacher at Hawthorne High, Jim Bunyard, was also the football coach there and later became the football coach at El Camino College for 27 years. Mr. Bunyard, who passed away last year, reminisced about one of the students in his P.E. class, Carl Wilson. The story was also recounted in Jim Murphy’s book, "Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961 – 1963".
Coach Bunyard on Carl Wilson:
"I remember this conversation I had with Carl Wilson like it was yesterday. Carl was a sophomore in my P.E. class, and in those days it was a mortal sin not to dress for P.E. (a non strip). I could never get Carl to dress for my P. E. class. When, on those rare occasions, he did dress for class he would come out wearing his cowboy boots and carrying his guitar. During class, he would sit on the bench and play his guitar, never taking part in any class activity. One day I decided to have a man to man talk with Carl, so I sat down beside him and told him he was probably going to fail P.E. Carl says to me, "Coach, that’s OK, I really don't like P.E." So I asked Carl what he wanted to do with his life. Carl’s response was, "Coach, all I want to do is learn how to play this guitar and join a band". My great bit of advice to him was, "Carl you are never going to make a living playing that God-damned guitar. You would be smart to put that guitar in a closet some place, and go find a real job. Ten years from now I will probably see you up on Hawthorne Blvd. selling pencils or something".
"Boy, some advice. By the way, I did give him an "F" in P.E."
Coach Bunyard
Reminds me of the classic line that John Lennon's Aunt Mimi often told him: "The guitar's all right John, but you'll never make a living out of it".
Coach Bunyard on Carl Wilson:
"I remember this conversation I had with Carl Wilson like it was yesterday. Carl was a sophomore in my P.E. class, and in those days it was a mortal sin not to dress for P.E. (a non strip). I could never get Carl to dress for my P. E. class. When, on those rare occasions, he did dress for class he would come out wearing his cowboy boots and carrying his guitar. During class, he would sit on the bench and play his guitar, never taking part in any class activity. One day I decided to have a man to man talk with Carl, so I sat down beside him and told him he was probably going to fail P.E. Carl says to me, "Coach, that’s OK, I really don't like P.E." So I asked Carl what he wanted to do with his life. Carl’s response was, "Coach, all I want to do is learn how to play this guitar and join a band". My great bit of advice to him was, "Carl you are never going to make a living playing that God-damned guitar. You would be smart to put that guitar in a closet some place, and go find a real job. Ten years from now I will probably see you up on Hawthorne Blvd. selling pencils or something".
"Boy, some advice. By the way, I did give him an "F" in P.E."
Coach Bunyard
Reminds me of the classic line that John Lennon's Aunt Mimi often told him: "The guitar's all right John, but you'll never make a living out of it".
