PJC and John Barney

Sometimes we answer questions for alumni who are looking for pieces of their past.  This is how I met John Barney.  He is an octogenarian who lives in the Seattle area and was writing to find out some details about his life at Pasadena Junior College.  Mane Hakopyan, our archivist, searched the old yearbooks to find his year...and the year of his college sweetheart Nancy.  We decided to send him one of our extra copies of the yearbook and he wrote a beautiful letter, thanking Mane and me for our consideration.  He is a charming man who writes charmingly about his life.  He is in an adult living community, as I remember, and is in a writing group.  He is chronicling his life. 

He checks in from time to time and I asked him how his book was going.  He told me he had finished the PJC years and would send me a copy.  It is called The Phenomenonian and is 230 pages double spaced.  I started it a few weeks ago on my way to San Luis Obispo and picked it up again this weekend on the way to Mammoth.

The Phenomenonians were a non-approved club at PJC in the thirties.  John described this club as "an unorganized, unofficial conglomeration of guys interested in scientific stuff and [who] congregate at irregular times to shoot the breeze and have fun."  They designed their own pin which was a silver P on a black triangle with silver edges.  they collected enough money to have pins made, just like the other clubs.

John tells the story of his youth, growing up in a family of divorce with a Mother and step-dad who love and care for him and show it in so many ways; and a Father who remarried a woman who insisted he call her "Aunt Betsy."  At times, the reader is saddened by John's longing for a closer relationship with his father who is stern and grumpy most of the time.  Still, he keeps a good perspective and steers his life away from him whenever he can.

I loved reading about his summer jobs as an iceman and upholsterer as well as his search for girls to take proudly to the Friday night football games.  His heart is broken a few times until he meets Nancy, who also falls in love with him.  His story is a great reflection on college life at PJC, which is not so different than today.  Next time I go to Seattle, Jeff and I are going to go to see him.  He has captured my heart with his memoirs.