Kindergarten Teacher’s Memory Kept Alive

Helen Albrecht was a kindergarten teacher at Escondido’s Juniper School for 15 years before she died of cancer in August, 1983.

She left behind a lot of friends--co-workers and students alike--who miss her warmth and love.

So, in her memory, a fund-raising effort was undertaken to renovate the kindergarten play yard, which Mrs. Albrecht was never very fond of because it was dusty and uninviting.

Donation cans were put out in classrooms; parents sent checks for $5 and $10, and kids dropped in their nickels and dimes. Bake sales were held and a fund-raising jogging event.

In all, $2,500 was raised. With the help of parents, sod was planted. New, heavy-duty tricycles were purchased. A slide and a climbing structure were built. A new sand table was purchased, and the school district kicked in new swings and a sprinkler system to keep the play yard green.

Last week, the Helen Albrecht Memorial Playground was dedicated.

Twelve-year-old Heather Noel, the student body president, recalled her days in Mrs. Albrecht’s class six years earlier.

“I remember the time I had a fight with my best friend. I ran into the classroom crying and Mrs. Albrecht said, ‘You haven’t lost your best friend. I’m still here, aren’t I?’ ”

It was Mrs. Albrecht who quickly noticed and identified a learning disability that Heather has since conquered, enabling her to prosper in higher grades.

What does Heather think of the playground? “It makes me want to be in kindergarten again!”

The Also Ran

From the San Diego police blotter, here’s a story to warm the cockles of your heart:

Yellow Cab driver George Gardener picked up a fare in downtown San Diego who asked to be taken to San Ysidro. He gave Gardener $100 as proof that he would pay his bill.

As they approached the border on southbound Interstate 5, the passenger pulled out a knife with a four-inch blade. No problem. Gardener--with the $100 bill in his pocket--slowed down, jumped out of his still-moving cab and ran. The duped would-be robber brought the cab to a halt and also ran--in the opposite direction.

Gardener turned the $100 bill over to police, but he’ll get it back unless the owner comes in within 90 days and claims the money.

Fat chance, as they say.

Stage Set for Guys and Dolls

Co-ed sports is not new, with boys and girls on the same team. But at UC San Diego, they’ve got the girls playing the boys in water polo Wednesday afternoon.

It may not sound fair and, in fact, Coach Denny Harper expects the guys to win. But that’s not the point.

You see, the girls are heading up to the Stanford Invitational water polo match this weekend at Palo Alto, and Harper says he wants his ladies ready. So, not unlike a basketball coach who during practice has his players shoot against guys standing on chairs, Harper is preparing his girls by having them play against guys.

“They play a more rugged style of water polo up north, and the officials let them get away with more up there, so I want my girls ready,” he says.

“After playing against the guys, the girls up there won’t seem so rough.”

Officer Quacks the Case

Several weeks ago, we mentioned San Diego City Councilman Ed Struiksma’s concern about a ducknaper who was stealing ducks from Miramar Lake.

In case you’ve been losing sleep over this, here’s an update.

Police Sgt. Gordon Redding said a self-appointed conservationist from Norco, near Riverside, has admitted taking the ducks from the lake. He said he was setting them free at area lagoons and in Mexico because they were doing more harm than good at the city reservoirs.

Since, technically, no victim came forward to press ducknaping charges, Redding said the man wasn’t arrested. (Sort of a variation of basketball’s “no harm, no fowl” rule.)

Redding said he did warn the man that he may be violating some state fish and game regulations, so the man promised to duck out.

Towing an Image

The California Tow Truck Assn. is holding its 10th annual convention and trade show this weekend in San Diego, and a press release says the members are trying to change their image as “ambulance chasers.”

From now on, they ask, please call them “accident scene managers.”