The Burbank Burroughs Alumni Assn. scored a touchdown with its third annual Tailgate Event prior to the Burbank Burroughs Homecoming Game Friday night.
Special guests attending the party were former football players Paul Cameron from Burbank High and Don Foster from Burroughs, who played against each other in the very first crosstown competition in 1949.
Booster club officials said that Burbank didn’t even have a suitable football field back in the day, so they had to play in Glendale. Both athletes went on to play at UCLA.
Burbank High’s first Homecoming Queen Mary Rupert also stopped by.
The alumni association also plans such events as quarterly mixers to honor past educators and the annual all-year reunion each September at the Castaway. Its a social group as well as philanthropic because proceeds all go to graduating seniors at both high schools so they can continue their education.
The numbers doubled from 50 to more than 100 guests attending this year’s Tailgate Event held in the school district parking lot prior to the crosstown rival football game at Memorial Field, said association President Joanne Lento Miller.
“We were honored to have so many Burbank Unified School District officials attend,” Miller said.
Superintendent of Schools Matt Hill brought his family. School Board representatives attending were President Charlene Tabet, Vice President Larry Applebaum, Clerk Steve Ferguson, member Armond Aghakhanian and member Roberta Reynolds. Other school officials attending were Tom Kissinger, Sharon Cuseo, Anita Schackman and John Paramo.
Special guests included Burbank High School Principal Mike Bertram as well as former school board member and former Burbank High football coach Dave Kemp.
Before the coin toss, the alumni association and guests walked to Memorial Field to view the game — some sitting in the designated alumni section.
Miller thanked her committee for putting on the special event. They are district liaison Emilio Urioste, Roberta Reynolds, Kathy Lawrence, Kathie Brown, Kimberley Clark, Gil Tobon, Connie Barron Trimble and Steve Ferguson.
Proceeds from ticket sales will be added to the scholarship fund benefiting high school seniors at graduation.
