1947-50 Carhop Thelma (Mayo) Watkins, SCHS Class of '50, Belen, N.M.
As one of the drive-in's first employees in 1947 right after I graduated from Branciforte Jr. High School, I vote in favor of saving the building. I was a waitress and a carhop at the original "ramshackle" Cross Roads (where the current building stands) and also across the street in the VFW clubhouse, when the Cross Roads was located there for two years. I worked after school, on weekends and summers until graduating from Santa Cruz High in 1950. I may well have been the first local teenager to work for the Klempnauers and would like to point out that the Cross Roads was one of the few places where teens could find year-round employment in Santa Cruz in those days.
Bob Sherbourne, SCHS Class of '51, Brookings, Ore.
If any of the council people ever watched the TV program, "Happy Days," that is exactly what we teenagers were like in the "good ol' days." In 1951 (I was only 17) as I sat in a foxhole in Korea eating a C ration can of Lima beans, I tried to imagine I was at the Cross Roads having a Coke, fries and a hamburger. After I made it home I met my future wife at the Pep Creamery, another hangout for '50s teens that is no longer there. All of us teens would cruise the "drag" between the Five-Spot and the Cross Roads. Please restore the building with the name and use it as an entrance to the museum and park. (Wife Bette Wells, sister Valerie Sherbourne-Dillehay and brother Bruce Sherbourne were in the SCHS Class of 1954)
Susan (Sellers) Jackson, SCHS Class of '59, San Simon, Ariz.
Do I remember the Cross Roads Drive-In? My lord, I lived across the street at the Pacific Courts. My parents owned the Courts from 1946 to 1961. There were the beach, the Five-Spot and the Cross Roads. I got many calls from girlfriends asking if their current boyfriend was at the drive-in. And the music, oh the music! I think saving the drive-in would be a big draw for the city. There are so few left, if any, nowadays. All the youngsters today would be very interested in seeing what it was all about back in the '50s. If the Cross Roads is saved, I will come to Santa Cruz just to see it one more time.
Richard Montgomery, SCHS Class of '53, Geneva, Switzerland
To many of us of an older generation the Cross Roads Drive-In represents much more than just a run-down building in need of replacing. To us it is a part of our youth and just needs renewing. Don't take this memory away of us! But don't save the Cross Roads only for my generation. Save it also for yourselves and the youth of today. The Cross Roads is a bit of history that represents a past way of life. And, believe me, it was as much a part of Santa Cruz culture as the Boardwalk and beach parties. Build your park; by all means, build it. Build your museum, too. But make the Cross Roads Drive-In a part of the Depot Park. Preserve it, too, as a museum representing a part of the heritage of Santa Cruz to its citizens, past and present.
Carol (Costella) Schwartz, SCHS Class of '59, Scotts Valley, Calif.
It has been suggested that the former Cross Roads Drive-In be restored and included in the plans for the new park at the former depot property. As a native Santa Cruzan and as a teenager in the '50s, I think this is a wonderful idea! The "Cross Roads era" was a wonderful time and to preserve this symbol of the truly "good old days" would be an outstanding accomplishment of the City Council. I can remember so clearly (down to the exact foods ordered) going there after attending my husband's Senior Ball -- our first date -- and we're still together after 40+ years of marriage! Please consider incorporating this fine idea with the other plans for Depot Park. (Husband Don was in the SCHS Class of 1957)
John Lute, SCHS Class of '57, San Jose, Calif.
I moved to Santa Cruz in 1947 just after WWII, and I'm an alumnus of the Santa Cruz High Class of 1957. I moved from Santa Cruz in 1960 to San Jose but still call it my hometown. Like me, a lot of people who moved left their hearts in Santa Cruz. I understand the Cross Roads Drive-in, two blocks up from the wharf and main beach, is targeted to be torn down. I spent almost every Thursday night after the Naval Reserve meeting there. A group of us would gather there to talk and check out the girls and cars that came in. It seems a shame that anyone would want to tear down history to erect a historical museum. It would seem to me there should be some way to include it along with that new construction. I hope this reaches someone with a heart that can intercede and change the minds of the City Council and the Planning Commission before they make another unwise decision.
Diane Strong, SCHS Class of '55, Birmingham, Ala.
It has come to my attention that an effort is being put forth to preserve the Happy Days era of Santa Cruz. The Cross Roads Drive-In structure has reached the 50-year mark and is to be demolished for a natural history museum. I realize that, as we advance in years, we reminisce about the days of youth, often memorializing the past as more glamorous than it really was; however, my memories as a 1955 SCHS senior would never be complete without incorporating the Cross Roads Drive-In as an integral part of that memory. The "drive-in/carhop" phenomena have captured the imagination of Hollywood, Broadway and television in years past and continue to do so. I heard my first Fats Domino record at the Cross Roads, made dates over a Coke, and "spun-a-U" in the parking lot in my '41 Chevy more times than I can tell. Those of us who were born and raised in Santa Cruz would surely appreciate a 1950s’ museum with a Cross Roads Drive-In façade, and I can't help but believe that it would be a great addition to the city. Let's revive some of our brighter memories.
Wes Pringle, SCHS Class of '55, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Plans to raze the former Cross Roads Drive-In adjacent to the former railroad station have been reported. As a former resident and descendant of early residents Elihu Anthony and Corneilus Capplemann, I would like to express my concern. This facility was a gathering place for teenagers in the 1950s and represented an era that is significant in history. While I was attending Santa Cruz High School the main building was condemned due to seismic concerns. It was rebuilt and not razed in order to preserve a historic building. The same logic would apply to the Cross Roads Drive-In with respect to a different generation. If the area surrounding the building is to be a park, what would be more fitting than to maintain a historic building as a part of a park and representative of an era.
Barbara (McCombs) McFadden, SCHS Class of '54, Oakland, Calif.
American Graffiti was based upon California's wondrous drive-in restaurants, darned few of which remain. How we all remained slim despite those fourth meals of burgers, fries and shakes on Friday and Saturday nights after games, movies or dances is a metabolic mystery. The few remaining icons of that time -- when our hearts were young and gay -- should be preserved, especially now. (Husband Chuck McFadden was in the SCHS Class of 1955)
Andy Enrico, SCHS Class of '56, Boise, Idaho
I can remember when a buddy of mine and myself were allowed to sleep overnight in our car in front of the Cross Roads during the 4th of July weekend back in the late '50s. We had an apartment we were supposed to move into that weekend, but unfortunately the previous tenants did not vacate on time. We had already given up our old apartment and now found ourselves homeless. The owner of the Cross Roads heard about our problem from one of the carhops and came out and told us that we could sleep in front of his place over the weekend. So we waited until it closed each night (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and slept in the car. Each morning the owner would send us out a cup of coffee to "get us going" -- for FREE, I might add. It made a lasting impression on both of us. And I've always kept that in mind as I grew up -- take the time to help someone else who needs you. (Wife Linda Karo was in the SCHS Class of 1962)
Miriam (Young) Agostini, SCHS Class of '49, Salinas, Calif.
Rather than raze this building, I and other Santa Cruzans past and present would much prefer to see it restored and preserved as a sort of memento of a very enjoyable part of our youth and made an integral part of the fine city park which is soon to grace the area of Pacific Avenue, West Cliff Drive, Center Street and Washington Street. So little remains of the old landmarks of those times that it seems a shame to once and for all erase one of the last of the popular "hangouts," which was enjoyed by many residents of Santa Cruz County as teenagers. Please reconsider plans to destroy this building and instead incorporate it into the park for it is a part of an almost forgotten era of Santa Cruz history.
Jack "Stormy" Plattner, SCHS Class of '55, Las Vegas, Nev.
I have just learned that a particular place that many of us remember fondly, the Cross Roads Drive-in, is being considered for elimination to make room for a museum. I remember it well, and its location at the foot of the hill made it a logical and fun place to be. I am disappointed that this icon of some of the best times in many of our lives is to be leveled. It would seem that it would be logical to take advantage of the location to incorporate it into a broader picture to bring back the Santa Cruz we knew. It could present an historical display of a very appropriate time in our past that would serve as information to the uninitiated, and a great reminder to those of us lucky enough to have lived in Santa Cruz in those years. I urge you to consider every alternative. Certainly I urge you to keep the structure as part of the legitimate history of our town. I know that there is always a wide selection of agendas in attempting to reach a decision such as this. I can only close by saying that in many instances, a little creative thinking can usually achieve an end result that is reasonable and acceptable to Santa Cruzans -- past, present, and future ... I ask it for myself in a selfish way, but I also ask it for my grandchildren who will stand in awe of the past that we enjoyed.
Alice (Cherry) Dogherra, SCHS Class of '60, Visalia, Calif.
This place is an old haunt of many people in the '50s and '60s. I remember going there and to the Five-Spot Drive-in with friends. It was a local hangout, and my mom always could find me there. I moved from Santa Cruz last year (2000), but whenever I drove down to the wharf or Boardwalk with my children and then grandchildren, I would point out the old Cross Roads and tell them stories of carhops, great food, etc. Of course they wanted to know what a carhop was. There isn't too much left to remind us of our school days, with the '89 earthquake and the tearing down of the older buildings. Please keep the old Cross Roads for our grandchildren. My husband's family is the Rountrees. They go back five generations -- sheriffs from the old days. The Detention Center off Buena Vista is on their old dairy land and there are photos of them there. This saves the past for the future. So do this to the old Cross Roads Drive-In.
Gerhard "Jerry" Fuerst, SCHS Class of '54, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Although not a local resident, I have maintained a lively and continuous interest in your community since my days as a German exchange student at Santa Cruz High School almost 50 years ago. I recall going often to the Cross Roads with my new American friends in 1952-53 to enjoy a hamburger, an ice cream soda, a strawberry sundae (still my favorite), or an apple pie a la mode. Those were the days when hamburgers were large and juicy, cooked to order and came with all the trimmings. It was delicious fare, served by charming carhops.
Nancy (Christy) Rader, SCHS Class of '56, Branson, Mo.
If you are being bombarded by letters from the alumni of Santa Cruz High School, especially those in the '50s, it is because it is an era of great memories and times -- the never-to-be-repeated '50s. The night times in Santa Cruz were filled with cruizin', going from the Five-Spot to the Cross Roads and back again, just to see who was hangin' out. The good, clean fun that I remember cannot be forgotten. There were never gangs or drugs and seldom ever alcohol. The teenagers of that time had the best of times and don't want the memories to all be gone. The changes in Santa Cruz in the last 50 years have altered many memories, but when a landmark such as the Cross Roads goes, it is gone forever. Please reconsider and preserve this memory of our youth and innocence. Make it a landmark of our "good old days" and make Santa Cruz a city that cares.
Leroy DeCamara, SCHS Class of '58, Vancouver, Wash.
I visit Santa Cruz two to three times each year. Sadly, as I visit modern Santa Cruz, I notice that not much remains of the neat places that I remember from my youth. It strikes me that it would be really great to preserve the Cross Roads Drive-In and restore the building as a tribute to the Fifties' era. It could become Santa Cruz's own "American Graffiti" museum! I urge you to reconsider and not destroy one of the few remaining symbols of 1940s' and 1950s' Americana. Our past is not being preserved enough in this country. Think of something from the past you might have visited recently and consider that it wouldn't have been there for you to enjoy had not someone done something to save it.
1951 Carhop Nancy (Cummings) Jellison, SCHS Class of '54, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Probably more than most people who grew up in Santa Cruz in the '50s, I enjoyed reading the Dec. 16 Sentinel article about the Cross Roads Drive-In because the first job I ever had was as a carhop there. A lot of teenagers in the '50s worked at our two drive-ins because they offered year-round employment whereas the other main employer of teens, the Boardwalk, only had seasonal jobs. I only worked at the Cross Roads one summer but my late husband (Darrell Jellison, SCHS Class of 1952) and I went to the Cross Roads frequently as customers as did most young people of the era.
Roy Bayford, SCHS Class of '51, Campbell, Calif.
As a 1951 graduate of Santa Cruz High, I would like to recommend preserving the facade of the Cross Roads Drive-In. I think the drive-in has a lot of memories for the graduates and would be an enhancement and a drawing card to your new development. It would make the development notable and outstanding.
JoAnne (Lysowski) Berger, SCHS Class of '59, Arroyo Grande, Calif.
Please, please, please don't tear down part of our lifestyle that took place in the '50s. I picture Santa Cruz, and this is what is in my mind: the beach, my friends and the drive-ins. I remember Maureen Caldwell, Jeanne Gray and I walking to the beach almost every day, turning at the ice plant, and walking the tracks to the beach. We would, a lot of times, stop at the Cross Roads and sit and rest before we went on our way. Please don't destroy our past. It's a lot of what we have left in our lives, telling our grandkids what our life was like back then. The only drive-ins remaining that I know of are the A&W Root Beer places, and they don't compare to the fabulous ones we had in Santa Cruz. I took many a tourist to the Cross Roads with a lot of our friends, just to talk and get to know each other and search for other friends that might have stopped by. Back in those days, nothing really bad ever happened to you in Santa Cruz. Please keep our heritage.
Robert Moody, SCHS Class of '55, Sebastopol, Calif.
I am concerned about the possible demolition of the old Cross Roads Drive-in building where we spent so many hours after ballgames and cruising Pacific Avenue and the beach. It occurs to me that when I've visited my folks through the years, this is one recognizable landmark (especially following the earthquake) of my hometown that I've always pointed out to family and friends.
Minnie (Roberson) Welch, SCHS Class of '58, Oxnard, Calif.
I would like to see the Cross Roads preserved as a place to take our grandchildren to. I believe all graduates of the late '50s would say aye to the vote. We have great memories of the Cross Roads, Boardwalk and the Five-Spot. So much has been taken from the kids of today because Santa Cruz officials have not preserved the neat spots we had as well as not preserving the safety we had then. We truly had the best time to be teenagers. Santa Cruz was a wonderful place to live.
Charlie Fritz, SCHS Class of '54, Alamo, Calif.
Some of the fondest memories of my youth in Santa Cruz, starting in 1952 when I received my driver's license, to 1958 when I graduated from college, are the drive-in restaurants -- Spivey's Five-Spot and the Cross Roads. They were the center of our auto-oriented social life where you went to meet friends and check out the cars. The former is long gone, and while it now houses a liquor store, the old Cross Roads building should, I strongly believe, be preserved as a historical landmark due to the importance of drive-ins some 50 years ago. It would also be appropriate to the historical aspects of the Boardwalk and surrounding area. It comes down, in my view, to the spot that the actor Michael Keaton is doing on the History Channel in reference to the importance of preserving our "main streets" in the U.S. This building (Cross Roads) is a part of Santa Cruz's history that should be preserved for future generations. This is of particular significance given the buildings lost in the 1989 earthquake. During a recent visit at our vacation home in Santa Cruz County by my wife's niece, husband and 13-year-old son, we made a trip to the Boardwalk and skateboard park. As we sat in the bleachers watching their son on his skateboard, I thought how appropriate it would be to see the Cross Roads building restored as a 1950s' museum so today's youth could share memories from my era.
Loye (Bentley) Cochran, SCHS Class of '55, Fallon, Nev.
The Cross Roads was a very big part of our (student) lives as was the Five-Spot. I still come to Santa Cruz with friends from time to time. We talk about the old days and "check out" everything. The '50s were such wonderful times. The younger generations should have the opportunity to see how the local kids entertained themselves. We cruised Pacific Avenue all weekend and after games. The beach and Boardwalk were final destinations all summer, and we hung out at the drive-in to be seen. Given the terrible world situation lately, to keep some memories of our country, city, county that were innocent and peaceful are good to look back on.
Ron Miller, SCHS Class of '56, Blaine, Wash.
Even though I didn't actually own my own car until the early 1960s, I was an eager passenger in many that spent evenings cruising the route that included Pacific Avenue and Ocean Street and the two drive-in landmarks that were halfway mileposts: the Cross Roads and Spivey's 5-Spot. Sometimes we forgot all about time as we rotated our way through downtown Santa Cruz, checking out the other cars and, in our case, the young women who might be in them ... By the way, I was born and raised in Santa Cruz and lived through the entire cruisin'-the-drag era, although it was pretty much over by the time I finally turned my own car down those nostalgia-filled streets. I now live in Blaine, Wash. -- smack up against the Canadian border -- but my heart remains in Santa Cruz. (Wife Darla Roda was in the SCHS Class of 1955)
Sandy (Junge) Isley, SCHS Class of '56, Port Angeles, Wash.
I am writing this letter to join my former classmates in asking that you do not tear down the old and beloved Cross Roads Drive-In. The drive-in has been a landmark in Santa Cruz since I was a young teenager who lived for a very short time in that wonderful place as close to Heaven as can be -- Santa Cruz. Though I didn't live in Santa Cruz very long, I remember walking home from school along the waterfront and hearing the strains of Jo Stafford singing "See the Pyramids Along the Nile ... You Belong to Me" coming from the beach concessions. The Cross Roads Drive-In was a gathering place for so many and still brings back wonderful memories of that time long ago.
Charles McFadden, SCHS Class of '55, Oakland, Calif.
Please add my voice to all those urging preservation of the old Cross Roads Drive-In building. I am sure that this icon of the '50s has happy memories for hundreds of Santa Cruzans and preserving it would not interfere with the city's plans to create a natural history museum at the site of the proposed new park. (Wife Barbara McCombs was in the SCHS Class of 1954)
Ruth (Roinestad) Yoder, SCHS Class of '54, San Jose, Calif.
Having grown up in Fonzie's '50s and being fortunate enough to live in Santa Cruz, I would like to add my vote in favor of keeping the Cross Roads building as a piece of history. Drive-ins were truly unique. They were the places to be and to be seen. My husband and I live in San Jose, but a few years back we bought a vacation place off East Cliff Drive.
Jack Samuelson, SCHS Class of '52, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Imagine my surprise when I picked up the Sunday, Dec. 16, Sentinel and found a quote from my younger brother, Don, featured as part of the Cross Roads Drive-In history piece. I wanted to refer Don, who lives in Ventura, to the Sentinel's on-line edition but I couldn't find the story. (I also was planning on referring some of my high school buddies who no longer live in the area to the story because we hung out at the Cross Roads and the Five-Spot during our teenage years.) I really would appreciate it if you would put the Cross Roads story on-line. (Note: The history piece was put on-line on Dec. 22, six days after it was in the printed edition.)
Judith (Sink) Bowman, SCHS Class of '58, Rail Road Flat, Calif.
This letter is to ask you to please save the Cross Roads. It would be such a shame to lose the last of our places that brings wonderful memories. The 1950s were a great time to be a teen-ager. My boyfriend (he became my husband six days after graduation) and I went to Spivey's Five-Spot more than to the Cross Roads, and it was sad to see it go. Our grandchildren think we are talking about the drive-in theater when we said the drive-in may be torn down. Our children and grandchildren are missing so much by not having a place to hang out like we did at these drive-ins.
Pat (Cable) Galvan, SCHS Class of '58, Northern California
I received an e-mail informing me that the old Cross Roads building is in danger. While this may not be alarming to some, to me it means one more of my childhood landmarks will be missing. I was a teen in the mid-'50s and rode probably hundreds of miles cruising Beach Street, the 5-Spot and predominantly the Cross Roads. It was definitely the place to be, and while I now live in the mountains of Northern California, my heart will always be in Santa Cruz. When I visit, I always drive down by the old Cross Roads building and remember the good old days. Too many landmarks are disappearing. Please save this one.
Pauline (Baker) Baxter, SCHS Class of '53, Ellensburg, Wash.
I am of the class of the SCHS of 1953 and do visit Santa Cruz when I can, so I am still concerned about it and its history. I was born there in 1935. I have fond memories of going to the Cross Roads with friends or meeting them there. I am sure there are many of us that would like to see it preserved as a historical site of those days. Please consider carefully before you act. So many things have changed over the years, many out of necessity. Let's try to preserve what we can. By the way, I also carried a Sentinel newspaper route (Route A for about five years) in the '50s and worked for about a year in classified. My Santa Cruz ties are strong.
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