Dr. Frank Griffith tends to an injured player at one of LGHS football games.

Los Gatos Weekly-Times file photo

Picture from the Past

Dr. Frank Griffith mended numerous LGHS footballers

By John S. Baggerly

But for a $15 Alaskan Army winter coat to shield himself against a Wisconsin winter, Dr. Frank Griffith might not have completed his medical studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

And, but for an Air Force flight jacket, his three sons might not have survived their quarterback careers at Los
Gatos High School. Today, of course, padded vests are part of a quarterback's equipment.

Longtime Los Gatos football followers know that "Dr. G." was the team's mandatory on-field medic during home football games. He served in that capacity during the regimes of present-day head coach Butch Cattolico, as well as for Bob Skuse and Charlie Wedemeyer.

It was Ireland's tragic potato famine that accounted for the Griffith family being in the San Francisco area in 1845, four years before the Gold Rush started .

Some years later, Frank Griffith was born in San Francisco, the son of an accountant for a furniture company. Young Frank enrolled at Serra High School, a Catholic prep school in that area. He played football for the Padres in his sophomore year and decided he would study to become a medical doctor. His education continued at Santa Clara University, from where he was drafted into the military during his junior year.

Griffith served at Santa Clara County Hospital for three years and in 1966 was assigned to March Air Force Base in Riverside. In 1971 he came to Los Gatos because, as he says, "it was a quiet town."

Here he opened Frank Griffith, M.D. Inc., at 248 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road, slightly west of N. Santa Cruz Avenue and a few steps from Larry Petulla's Physical Therapy Offices. Petulla's son became a game running back at LGHS.

It was a few years ago that Griffith faced a dilemma--Serra, his prep school alma mater, came to Helm field to meet the Wildcats in a playoff game. "I didn't know who to pull for," said Dr. G. The Padres won the close, well-played game.

Griffith and his wife, Ann Marie, were part of a committee that founded LGHS's 100-page pictorial football program. Joe Zanardi serves as business manager and dentist Bill Frye edits the news portion of the program, which is sold at home games.

Where are the five Griffith graduates of LGHS today?

• Tim (1980)--Radio sales for KCBS FM in San Francisco.

• Bobby (1982)--Commercial real estate sales in Newport Beach.

• Peggy (1982)--Promotional director with McGuire Development in Los Angeles.

• John (1984)--Commercial real estate sales in Irvine.

• Kerry (1987)--Headhunter for firms in San Francisco.

  ---

  Columnist John Baggerly came out of semi-retirement to write this week's Pictures from the Past column.

  ---

Photo: Masonry work for Main Street building

Carl Heintze: Finding uncharted territory was cold comfort

Home Prices

Photo: Golden Bough at Woodhaven West

Picture From the Past

Sports Briefs

LG Wildcats win CCS, go 13-0

Wildcats win NorCal title, lose at state

Cattolico, Cats get what they've always wanted

Piraro, Marquess top clinic speakers

Lions' Wildcat Shootout is returning to Los Gatos