Melanie Childs (1966)

To know him was to love him and we all did.  So sad.

Janet Hartsfield (Wilson) (1967)

Choir was my favorite class, and Mr. Bond was my favorite teacher.  He gave me a grand piano once.  He just stopped the song we were singing and asked, "Does anybody here want a grand piano?"  I was the only one who raised my hand, so I was the one who got it.

Michael Plants (1969)

he was my metal shop and wood shop teacher which were my two worst subjects. i was allso his iwe teacher.  i remember he would always hand my peice of wood back to me and say try again..he allways cracked me up. A real cool guy.god bless you

Joyce Medeiros (1965)

Because of Mr. Bond's influence my whole life changed - he nutured my raw talent - gave me confidence and sent me out into the world with an awareness that you can really do what you love - as a career choice - which I did by becomming a professional singer for over 18 years... his advice and encouraging words have  always been close to my heart.... he and his wife even came to see me sing at the SF Hilton - I could not have been more proud and honored to have known and loved him - he had an incredible sense of humor and  always called me "Foggy" as he said if I was ever out of work - they could stick me in the bay and I could be a "Fog Horn" .  What a delightful character.  I will never forget him and the love he unconditionally gave to his students and his love of misic....

Randall Johnese (1968)

Mr. Bond ... one of the good ones.  Can you imagine a teacher in this day and age with a smoking green weed clinched in his teeth?!!!  (run into the round house nellie.  he can't corner you there!!! HAWHAWHAW).  I had him for Drama and Chorus.  He got me into the Youth of America Chorus (originally he brought me in as a narrator but that bit didn't work out.)  When he discovered I was having a problem with a certain Nazi in the PE department, he commandeered me to read books for the blind and do promos for KQED.  He directed me in The Mouse That Roard, Lil' Abner, The Music Man.  He had me take his car and get it gased.  Drive it to North Oakland to pick up costumes.  And then I did summer workshops with him.  Mr. Bond was an original and just a wonderful man.

Randy Johnese

Connie Guerra (Silva-Skivers) (1980)

I was in Pacific Singers and enjoyed every minute of it. I ended up giving birth to a son that sings better than I ever dreamed of. I used to sing some of those crazy songs you had us competing with. While driving with my boys in the car there was always some song on the radio or me telling them to repeat scales for me. Don't know how many times I had the boys try and repeat the high sighing breath exercise we would do at the beginning of our class. I can't help but think that this helped my son maintain and improve on his range. Your influence was there even beyond your students.  .RIP Mr. Bond  :(

Eldon Ives (1969)

I had a vocal ensemble class taught by Mr. Bond which was one of my best experiences during my years at Pacific High.  He arranged for our group to perform for groups such as , a convention of Catapilar Tractor (held in San Franciso), for an AA group held in downtown Oakland,  and  for other civic groups.    I believe these performances were used to raise money to help fund school plays, and I had some very marginal part in the Mikado, and the Music Man.  When these school plays were in progress, he used to wear a grey sweat shirt with a picture of Beethoven on the belly, that I thought was sort of comic contrast to his normal coat and tie.  I used to wonder who looked grumpier: Beethoven or Mr. Bond?  He had an entertaining sense of humor, and one of his pet names to call us when he was irritated was:  -you "Clydes" shut up and sit down (or something like this?)  Was he comparing us to a breed of horses?  I never knew, but didn't want to get on his bad side.  During our preparation for the Music Man, he made our class watch a very grainy bootleg copy of the movie, over and over during class time, and after all these years, I can still quote parts of it!  I enjoyed singing pop songs with our class which he managed to whip into a closely coordinated group.  I sure wish we had some recordings of those performances today.  I was never one of his favorites, but he was one of mine.

                                                                      Eldon Ives, Class of 69

Judy Spears (Delzer) (1965)

Mr Bond was my favorite and most loved teacher ever!  Those of us that we're in his programs all felt this way.  He was hard but rewarded your best effeorts with praise and we all wanted to please him.  He lives large in my memories today.  Until we meet again just know you made a difference dear Mr Bond.

Tom Brody (1969)

I had Mr. Bond for some sort of singing class.  Just about the only thing that I remember was sitting in a row of seats, and when it was my turn to sing my part, I proceeded and did my job.  My job was merely to sing one line from The Music Man.  What I sang was, "Montgomery Ward sold me a bathtub and a crosscut saw."   Okay, that was the beginning and the end of my singing career.  We were also shown a black and white video of The Music Man.   I recall Mr. Bond's comment about liking Ron Howard's singing and stage persona.   And so why am I writing this?  The reason is that, from my standpoint as a peripheral player, it was obvious that Mr. Bond was a charismatic man.  

Also, one might assume that he was likely the hardest-working teacher in Pacific High School.  For most of the teachers (aside from gym) if the teacher is bad, then nobody will ever know.   If a math teacher or English teacher is bad, if the lectures are bad, or if the tests have meaningless exam questions, then how will anybody know?  If a math teacher or English teacher recycles the same exams for 20 years, how will anybody know?  But for a drama or singing teacher, the work-product (school play or musical) is out in the open, and available for the entire student body and parents and public to see.   This is not to mention the art work and carpentry for the stage set.   It should also be pointed out that drama class is more likely to produce lifelong friendships than any other class.  At John Muir, I had a small part in NIGHT MUST FALL.  I was Inspector Bellsize.  I remember lighting a pipe on stage, using matches.   In summer school at San Leandro High School, Nona Valla was in charge, and I had two small parts in OUR TOWN.   And so, even though my voice does not carry very far, and is not particularly pleasant, and even though I cannot sing, it is clear that the sparks ignited by Mr. Bond and by earlier drama teachers from John Muir Junior High School are still glowing.  I do believe that what I learned from drama class resulted in me having a better stage presence when giving lectures, that is, in teaching classes in biochemistry (but that is another story).   

Marina Garcia (Gelpe) (1966)

Mr. Bond, as I called him, educated my older siblings, Gabriel, Rose, Priscilla (Catherine) at Castlement High School in Oakland.  When I was lucky enough to move to San Leandro and find this brilliant charismatic man with the beautiful eyes and voice, he actually remembered all of my siblings.  One night we had an open house at Pacific High and he was the only teacher I took my dad to meet.  I still can hear his booming voice calling out to one of the cholo guys in drama class (he loved to straighten them out, yell at them, and let them know they were just as good as anybody else, and I, being latina, was amazed at his forward thinking attitudes), "Hey, Gonzales, get your dogs off the chair in front of you, we don't know where you've been walking!!!!".  Everybody always did what he told them to.  I mostly worked programs, and finally in my senior year (1966), he gave me a chance at one line in 'Annie Get Your Gun' and a walk on in 'Uncle Harry', both of which I was miserable in, and even messed up the program for Annie Get by leaving the Conductor's name off.  He had me restapling the insert in the programs all day, and never yelled at me.  I grew up on Musicals, learning to listen and sing from my older sisters who learned from Mr. Bond.  I was too shy in High School to perform, but when I discovered the Albuquerque Civic Light Opera in New Mexico, when I had two children and was on my second marriage, his teaching all came together.  I had roles in South Pacific, Big River, The Music Man, Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof, Charlaine in Ain't Misbehaving, Julie in Showboat, Carlotta in Follies, Ella Peterson in Bells Are Ringing, and Mama Rose in Gypsy.  Thank you, Derrell, for scaring me to death, always encouraging me, and being the biggest voice in my life.  I still hear you.  Lovingly, Marina Garcia Gelpe, Class of '66. (two TV specials performing my own songs in San Francisco, opening for Holly Near at the Boardinghouse, Singing We Shall Overcome in Spanish at gunpoint standing next to Cesar Chavez, accompanying Will Geer on guitar in a Woody Guthrie review, singing with Joan Baez at the Gallo March in Modesto, opening for Malvina Reynolds frequently at La Pena in Berkeley, Cecile in Koltez's West Pier in New York City, singing standing next to Dennis Banks raising money for AIM, and much more.  All this because you pushed me onstage.  I'm 67 now, I can't sing any more and my hands are too crippled to really play guitar.  But, I was your student, and that's quite enough for one lifetime.  Thank you.  MGG