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Robbie Liefveld posted this in the Message Forum.
Hi classmates,
I bring terribly sad news to our class. Diana Hernandez informed me that Frankie Hernandez, our athlete of the year passed away on January 31, 2018. Diana told me on January 18th, that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer and it had spread to his liver and he had lost 50 lbs already. He had radiation and chemo, but his fate was sealed. Diana is beyond devastated.
On February 2nd, she messaged me that Frankie had passed away on January 31st. The funeral will be on February 16, 2018 at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella, California. He will be burried with full Military Honors. There will be a reception after at Anderson's Pea Soup.
Frankie and I were very much connected and good friends even though we didn't share any classes except 6th period gym. We were opponents in wrestling for years, but defensive team mates in Football. I had so much respect for this man, a fantastic athlete and such a kind, good person. We even carried our competition to golf later in life and looked forward to the next reunion so we could compete again. Sounds crazy, huh? I will deeply miss him as will many others ...
My heart goes out for Diana, I know this is harder on her than it is for anybody.
Robbie-
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Thomas Kelso
In 1960 the City of Whittier inagurated it's first ever Pop Warner football program and the interest resulted with the addition of a second Midget program. The first team "The Mauraders" was comprised largely of members of the 1967 La Serna Lancers team that won the CIF 3 A title our senior year, including Dave Dalby and Lancers QB Jerry Maiques and Frank,. Tragically Both Dalby and Maiques died violently, Dalby in a traffic accident and Maiques in a botched robbery.
Guy Rebentisch and I played on Whittier's second Midget team "the Valiants" with several members of El Rancho's 1966 CIF Title team, a team that at the time set the national High School single season scoring record with nearely 600 points and several members of El Rancho's 1967 team that beat Compton Centennial in the second round of the playoffs,. Centenial was ranked number 1 in the nation by Parade Magazine leading up to that game. Frank's athleticism even then was unmatched and may have resulted in him being the lone Latino on that Maurader team which went undefeated. Fast forward to end of our Senior Year, Frank was selected to the North 605 Summer All Star Football team Game and offered a football scholarship to Long Beach State, both of which he turned down to the join the military during the Viet Nam years.
Frank's athleticism was unparalled, his abitity to open field tackle and cover one on one in football, combined with track and field exploits on a Track team that went undefeated winning the Pacific League title, and winnng the CIF wrestling title at 148 lbs in matches in which he completely dominated his opponent, a wrestling team that went undefeated in both League and in the WUHSD Tournament and confidence set him apart athletically and why he was our Athlete of the Year. We were fortunate during our high school days with Whittier winning it's last CIF 4 A football tiltle our freshman year, with George Buehler named CIF football Player of the Year, with George winning the Heavy Weight wrestling title and Ray Alger and George Buehler finishing 2nd and 3rd in the CIF shotput both over 60 and Bob Chandler winning the B CIF shot put title. Our Junior year saw both John Buehler and Mike Newton win State Track titles, John in the shot and Mike in the 440. Mike beat both Wayne Collete and John Smith for the State title, Collete and Smith would later be half of UCLA's World record setting 4x400 meter squad and later win Olympic Medals. Our senior year Gilbert Albitre finished second in basketball scoring over 32 pts per game behind only Aviation HS Paul Westphal with Bob Krommenhoek being named to the All CIF Water Polo Team and a Doug Thomsen led 4x400 relay team that finished second only to Compton Centennial in the CIF final, a race in which Compton Centennial set the National Scholastic record. My condolences to his family.