Here’s another oldie of myself with John McKenzie, an old friend from grade school, probably in the summer of 1966 or 1967.

John and I were good friends as kids. Then, as I recall, he went off to Iolani while I attended University High School. We saw each other from time to time during that period, but not often. I remember him as a crazy, wildly imaginative guy who introduced me to Steve Allen by periodically taking off unannounced on one of his riffs. He very seriously wanted to take an old 8mm camera and make a feature movie, going so far as to start writing scripts and fantasizing scenes and angles. I don’t know if he every turned fantasy into reality, because they seemed to mix in his mind. He seemed to ad lib his way through life, in a good way, at least when I caught up with him.

I think this was taken in 1966, after our freshman year in college, but it could have been the following summer. I’m dating that by my shirt (I don’t think I had any long sleeve shirts when I was in high school, so this was later), and I hadn’t yet grown a beard, which followed not too long afterwards. I don’t even remember what school john went off to, nor do I recall how we met up at a party that summer. I’m wondering, though, if he might have attended the University of Washington, where we had a mutual friend or two.

And I can’t ask John, because he died a decade or so ago, if I’m counting correctly.

Perhaps his brother will read this and fill in some of the blanks.

And OMG, where did I get that belt?