During an 18-month span beginning in July 1944, Robert W. Gilbert went from the tennis courts of Modesto High School to the courtroom of the Nuremberg war crimes trials, and was changed forever by his experiences.
"American Graffiti" and Modesto are synonymous. So when a committee recently tried to identify and promote Modesto's "brand," Modestan Chris Murphy decided the city should use and profit from the legacy of George Lucas' film.
The young entrepreneurs of Downey High School's Knights Academy offer, for the lack of a better term, a textbook case of shunning textbooks for real, hands-on experience in creating, developing, marketing and maintaining their business, which involves selling snacks on campus.
