At age 55 Herb took up flying, and coincidentally his instructress was Fran Staben, wife of Bill, Jr. (?48). Herb has flown all over California and a few trips to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico for sportfishing, but since seasickness isn?t too pleasant he has limited his fishing to streams and lakes.Herb has been a member of the Gilroy school board, Rotary Club, Elks Club, and is on the Board of Directors of the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival.Herb married Edith Sours, and in 53 years they have had three daughters, Nita, Ruth and Jane, and are now blessed with nine grandchildren. In his retirement, Herb still keeps in touch with many of his Santa Paula buddies: Frank Bullard (?42), Rhea Saylors (?43), Wally Umber (?40), and his good friend Vernon Griffin (?42), who passed this year.Herb and Edith explore Indian relics in Arizona and New Mexico, and Herb has taken up beekeeping as a hobby. He is looking forward to attending the Alumni Dinner in 2002, so he can renew acquaintances with all his old friends in his home town.
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Herbert McCoy Edde, Class of 1942
September 19, 2001
Santa Paula High School
By B. J. Harding, President, SPUHS Alumni Association
Biography #155 (Have you submitted yours?)Arriving in Santa Paula by the skill of ?Old Doc Strong? (father of Artemas), Herb joined the family of Harry and Grace McCoy Edde and their daughter Elaine (?39).Herb attended McKevett School and then on to SPUHS. While there he played basketball, coached by Bernard Keefe, was a member of Hi Y, and worked on ?The Cardinal? school newspaper under the direction of Rhe Nelson, whom he fondly recalls.Another teacher he has high praises for was Ellen Bailard, a favorite of many. She was a tough teacher but earned the respect of all her students who called her ?friend? for life.Another special teacher to Herb was H. Peyton Johnson. Herb became the tuba player for the band (no easy task for a marching band), and one day, many years later, there was a knock on his door. To Herb?s surprise, here stood H. Peyton.Following SPUHS Herb went to Ventura Junior College and was again the tuba player in the VJC band. Along came World War II and Herb joined the Army and was sent to England and then into Belgium for clean up detail, just after the Battle of the Bulge. Army life was not for Herb, so it was back to VJC, and a couple of his buddies persuaded him to go to New Mexico State College with them. It was here that he received his BS in mechanical engineering.Coming back to Ventura County, Herb worked for Shell Oil on the Avenue, and then for Gentry Division of Consolidated Foods as plant engineer, then on to be project engineer for California Canners and Grocers in Gilroy. Herb and some others started a company which built food processing equipment. He eventually bought them out, and as the owner of South Valley Manufacturing, Inc. put his equipment in 10 different countries.
