Update 6-4-02
Hi,
This is turning into the Olympics. Zelda White Nichols makes a pitch for San Diego in 2005:
From Zelda: Hey, classmates! Do you know San Diego's main source of revenue until three years ago was tourism and conventions? That includes reunions, and the reason is sun. No rain -- almost ever! (we've had a whole 3 inches since January 1st). What better climate to have a reunion in? No humidity. No flies or mosquitos. No potholes. What we have is glorious weather. And beaches. Also, the well-known San Diego Zoo, companion zoo to the Wild Animal Park -- which is even better. Plus, Sea World, world-class surfing and sport fishing, Old Town, Seaport Village, zillions of concerts for every music lover, terrific theater, vineyards, incredible restaurants, and hundreds of hotels, including the famous Hotel Del Coronado, a real old time resort where Some Like It Hot was filmed. And did I mention beaches, beaches, beaches! Why not consider San Diego? Temperatures are usually a steady 75, year round. Perfect for relaxation.
Counterpoint, from Jerry Bittman: For Zelda Nichols: Funk, Nebraska is located in the south-central part of the state. I don't think you'll find it on many maps. Also, I'm glad to know that your husband made it out of the state. Though that barn fire you saw became a state holiday. Every second Saturday in October, they burn a barn in each county. That's how you meet your neighbors.
And for Jean Cohen Oklan: Ak-Sar-Ben (Nebraska spelled backwards, for those who missed last week's lesson) is also the name of a horse track in Omaha.
Great News: I was told last week by a Dr. Brown -- no, not the one who makes cream soda -- in Ft. Lauderdale that I'm on the list to become a guinea pig for a new medical procedure. I guess they figured since I'm the size of a pig that I should qualify. They're waiting to hear from the FDA within the next few months, before beginning this procedure in the States. It will be done at Mt. Sinai hospital in New York City, so the next mini-reunion should be held in the hospital. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, because if this is successful, transplants will become a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, if anyone's stuck for something to do this summer, you're welcome to come visit Nebraska -- where you can bale hay, or milk the cows, or detassle the corn. I'm sure you're all running to your travel agents now. Be good, and stay in trouble
Some disparagement, from Diane Fruzzetti: You must be kidding about Nebraska. I cannot think of one reason why I would ever want to go to Nebraska, even for a class reunion. What is in Nebraska? Why Nebraska? How about Venice, Italy? Or Paris, France?
And regional noises, from Ms. Blitfield Pech: Good grief, I am so happy that I will be seeing Mr. Bittman in Florida. And, as much as I love to travel and see our country -- especially through the eyes of a home town host -- NEBRASKA??? This is a joke, right? Tell me, it's a joke. Then again, I did some net surfing and discovered that Kearney, Nebraska has a Sonic Burger and a Hometown Donut Shop (but no Krispy Kreme). S till, I'm gonna wait for the next wave of opinions before I make up my mind. Yee-haw!
A more rational view, from Roz Minsky Bobrow: I had a thought for the next reunion: Why not some place we might all like to visit? For example, Disneyworld or Las Vegas. Or Toronto, Boston, Montreal, San Diego, Atlantic City. All have meeting facilities, large and small. Another time, another place is what I'm thinking, though I'm not ready yet. But I think my husband Alec is!
A non-Nebraska note, from Ira Mitzner: Last weekend was graduation at Brown University. Staying at the Biltmore Hotel were Steven Davidson and Ellen Nudelman (for their daughter); Nancy Nudelman and Rich Lobell (for their niece); Ken Schwartzman (for his daughter); and my brother Rick (South '68) and I (for my son). In all, seven South graduates. Great fun.
A courtesy note, from Eric Hilton: At my age and weight, I need as much help telling me I look nice. Thanks.
A change of address, from Richard Meis: I have sold my businesses after 23 years, so please change my e-mail address to my home: splashmick@aol.com Thank you. (Congratulations, Richard.)
And it's come to this -- as we begin taking each other's pulses: obituaries of two people who may have influenced our growing up: From The New York Times:
Mildred Wirt Benson, who wrote 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew novels -- those spine-chilling tales of the fearless teenage sleuth who motored about in a blue roadster solving crimes -- died on Tuesday in Toledo, Ohio. She was 96. Nancy Drew, seldom just Nancy, inspired readers, many of them envious girls, to scoop up more than 80 million copies of the books in the series. Here was a heroine who could survive being beaten, choked, and tossed into car trunks, escape spiders and snakes, and then retire at night in her four-poster bed in a golden bedroom. She dated the athletic Ned and basked in the attentions of her doting, widowed father, the distinguished lawyer Carson Drew. And she had no mother to interfere with her adventures. Mrs. Benson, her anonymous ghostwriter, took a title and a few sentences of outline and turned them into 200-page novels, once churning out 13 in one year, when she was also working full-time as a newspaper reporter. She generally got $125 a book, plus Christmas bonuses, and signed away all rights to royalties and personal recognition. To her readers, she was Carolyn Keene, one of at least two and perhaps as many as six writers who used that pseudonym for the original 56 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. Some of the originals are still in print, republished by Applewood Books. But as the author of the very first one, "The Secret of the Old Clock" (Grosset & Dunlap, 1930), it was she who defined the character. In an interview with Salon, an online magazine, in 1999, she described Nancy as a person who believed in her own freedom. "The girls were ripe for a change in literature," she said. "They were way overdue for a good, entertaining story that broke away from the old style of writing. I think Nancy was the character the girls were waiting for."
Dave Berg, who affectionately spoofed what he called "the human condition" in the pages of Mad magazine for more than 40 years, died on May 16 at his home in Marina del Rey, California. He was 81. Mr. Berg created the magazine's enduring "The Lighter Side" comic strip. He began working for Mad as a freelancer in 1956, introducing "The Lighter Side" in 1961. "They were satirizing commercials, movies and TV programs," he once told Contemporary Authors. "I added something new: people. That's when 'The Lighter Side' was born. It was more than just gags. It was a psychological and sociological study of the human condition, and truth in humor."
He often put friends, family members and colleagues into his cartoons, among them William M. Gaines, the publisher of Mad, whose head appeared mounted, like a deer's, on a wall. He also drew himself into the strip regularly as Roger Kaputnik, an Everyman with an always-present pipe. Mr. Berg "saw the American scene as a wonderful example of our culture, our society, and our life and did comments on that," said Nick Meglin, co-editor of Mad. Berg's final "Lighter Side" comic strip is scheduled for the September issue of Mad, which observes the magazine's 50th anniversary.
No new business. No immediate regional gatherings. Outta here.
Home page link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Update 5-28-02
Hi,
The really fast holiday weekend edition.
First, final notice about the next New York gathering:
When: Saturday, June 1st, 2002 1:00 PM
Where: Lily Flanagans, 279 Sunrise Highway, Rockville Centre
Contact: Paul DeMartino: PINA_1@msn.com or 516-799-1590 Or just show up.
Next, we've only had five responses about a possible midsummer California gathering in Cambria. Since there are about a dozen-and-a-half of us in the state, we need to get at least two-thirds of us interested before some of us pack up our coolers and sunscreen and head on out. It may, as Alan Silver continues to theorize, just be too soon, especially since nearly half the California bunch just met up in New York. But I ain't saying No yet.
And on the subject, some concern from Andy Dolich: As a Californian for the past 22 years, the idea of a Golden State reunion site, even in a bucolic town like Cambria, is a bad one. All you right coasters remember this, we have: Killer Bees, Earthquakes, Freeways that cut off your Slauson, TV stars, Agents, Smog, Mudslides, Forest Fires, Taxes on Everything, Organic Food, Too Much Sun (bad for the skin), Locusts, Rattlesnakes, Killer Cougars, The Zodiac Killer, Charles Manson, Tsunamis, Great White Sharks, Alcatraz, San Quentin, Vacaville, Chino Gangs, Famine, Pestilence, Tar Pits, Volcanos, Vampire Bats, Flying Black Widow Spiders, Packs of Killer Dachshunds, Killer Frogs, Killer Cell Phones, Gigantic Holes in the Ozone Layer, and Nasty Border Guards. Jerry Bittman is right: Nebraska, preferably Clay Center -- which is the home of the National Methane Research Center -- is the place to be. California is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. IÕm packing up right now and preparing to flee California in another 30 or 40 years.
000200000E5900000709 E53,
From Mr. Bittman: Barbara Blitfield and I were talking on the phone last night, arguing where the next reunion should be held. Health permitting, I hope to be moving either to Oregon or Florida next year. But I will continue to lobby for the next party to be held in Nebraska. Meanwhile, let's keep trying to locate our missing classmates, and I hope the people that did not attend the last reunion will attend the next major one. P.S. -- if you have a Florida reunion, can it possibly be set up for the beginning of August?
From Jean Cohen Oklan to Mr. Bittman: I had the honor of doing my fifth grade state report on Nebraska. Now, I'm no expert on the state, but I do remember that every year there is a big celebration called Aksarben. This is Nebraska spelled backwards, for those people who weren't in class that day. So, Jerry, next time you're on a conference call with the home office (if they have those types of connections), mention that you're looking forward to the next Aksarben celebration. You never know, it may up your raise a couple percentage points!
A travel note: Marc Fishman was recently in L.A. for several days, attending an electronics expo with his son. While his son tested soon-to-be released video games, Marc and I slipped off to the Getty Museum, high on an L.A. hill, to view an almost smogless sky. Almost. Then we had a nice Italian dinner in Venice. Still, Marc did point out that L.A. seems to have ugly billboards everywhere, and I had to admit that this city is one of the world's less well zoned wonders. But there is the weather.
Some fast business:
1. About the other hundred reunion photos I still haven't gotten on line: I've temporarily run out of space. But I'm working on it. Meanwhile, you're just gonna have to go look at the existing 150 again.
2. I have managed to label the last three pages of those photos though, in case you were still wondering who those people are
3. I've also squeezed a really spiffy photo of Eric Hilton, which he sent me before the reunion, onto the Current Photos page. Tell him how nice he looks.
4. And I still have a really neat Father-Son Cub Scout dinner photo from around 1957 that Marc Jonas sent me. I may include as an attachment one of these days, but I can't post it until I have so much room that I can put it online in detail. You need to see all those smiling little faces. But it's too nice not to share
5. Also, I've let my membership in Classmates.com lapse---because while the occasional new name turns up, none of these people get back to me when I send them blind e-mail. But I think a few of you are maintaining the paid membership to Classmates, so I may ask one of you to send blind e-mail occasionally. Or, if a whole mess of people suddenly appear, I'll rejoin.
Finally, from Zelda White Nichols: Hey, guess what? My husband is from Nebraska, and he could not find Funk on the map. Then again, his brother lives in Remote, Oregon, and that isn't on many maps, either. Anyway, we laughed greatly at Jerry Bittman's Top 10 List because almost every item was true. Nebraska is a good place to be from. We went back to my husband's home town, Geneva, 25 years ago: It was during a drought. There was little to do after saying "hi" to his family, but the county fair was on, so we all went. A fire broke out in a barn 10 miles away, and Nebraska is so flat, we could all see it. Let me tell you, folks, this state is so exciting that everyone left the fair to go watch the barn burn. I kid you not.
Home page link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Hi,
The really fast holiday weekend edition.
First, final notice about the next New York gathering:
When: Saturday, June 1st, 2002 1:00 PM
Where: Lily Flanagans, 279 Sunrise Highway, Rockville Centre
Contact: Paul DeMartino: PINA_1@msn.com or 516-799-1590 Or just show up.
Next, we've only had five responses about a possible midsummer California gathering in Cambria. Since there are about a dozen-and-a-half of us in the state, we need to get at least two-thirds of us interested before some of us pack up our coolers and sunscreen and head on out. It may, as Alan Silver continues to theorize, just be too soon, especially since nearly half the California bunch just met up in New York. But I ain't saying No yet.
And on the subject, some concern from Andy Dolich: As a Californian for the past 22 years, the idea of a Golden State reunion site, even in a bucolic town like Cambria, is a bad one. All you right coasters remember this, we have: Killer Bees, Earthquakes, Freeways that cut off your Slauson, TV stars, Agents, Smog, Mudslides, Forest Fires, Taxes on Everything, Organic Food, Too Much Sun (bad for the skin), Locusts, Rattlesnakes, Killer Cougars, The Zodiac Killer, Charles Manson, Tsunamis, Great White Sharks, Alcatraz, San Quentin, Vacaville, Chino Gangs, Famine, Pestilence, Tar Pits, Volcanos, Vampire Bats, Flying Black Widow Spiders, Packs of Killer Dachshunds, Killer Frogs, Killer Cell Phones, Gigantic Holes in the Ozone Layer, and Nasty Border Guards. Jerry Bittman is right: Nebraska, preferably Clay Center -- which is the home of the National Methane Research Center -- is the place to be. California is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. IÕm packing up right now and preparing to flee California in another 30 or 40 years.
000200000E5900000709 E53,
From Mr. Bittman: Barbara Blitfield and I were talking on the phone last night, arguing where the next reunion should be held. Health permitting, I hope to be moving either to Oregon or Florida next year. But I will continue to lobby for the next party to be held in Nebraska. Meanwhile, let's keep trying to locate our missing classmates, and I hope the people that did not attend the last reunion will attend the next major one. P.S. -- if you have a Florida reunion, can it possibly be set up for the beginning of August?
From Jean Cohen Oklan to Mr. Bittman: I had the honor of doing my fifth grade state report on Nebraska. Now, I'm no expert on the state, but I do remember that every year there is a big celebration called Aksarben. This is Nebraska spelled backwards, for those people who weren't in class that day. So, Jerry, next time you're on a conference call with the home office (if they have those types of connections), mention that you're looking forward to the next Aksarben celebration. You never know, it may up your raise a couple percentage points!
A travel note: Marc Fishman was recently in L.A. for several days, attending an electronics expo with his son. While his son tested soon-to-be released video games, Marc and I slipped off to the Getty Museum, high on an L.A. hill, to view an almost smogless sky. Almost. Then we had a nice Italian dinner in Venice. Still, Marc did point out that L.A. seems to have ugly billboards everywhere, and I had to admit that this city is one of the world's less well zoned wonders. But there is the weather.
Some fast business:
1. About the other hundred reunion photos I still haven't gotten on line: I've temporarily run out of space. But I'm working on it. Meanwhile, you're just gonna have to go look at the existing 150 again.
2. I have managed to label the last three pages of those photos though, in case you were still wondering who those people are
3. I've also squeezed a really spiffy photo of Eric Hilton, which he sent me before the reunion, onto the Current Photos page. Tell him how nice he looks.
4. And I still have a really neat Father-Son Cub Scout dinner photo from around 1957 that Marc Jonas sent me. I may include as an attachment one of these days, but I can't post it until I have so much room that I can put it online in detail. You need to see all those smiling little faces. But it's too nice not to share
5. Also, I've let my membership in Classmates.com lapse---because while the occasional new name turns up, none of these people get back to me when I send them blind e-mail. But I think a few of you are maintaining the paid membership to Classmates, so I may ask one of you to send blind e-mail occasionally. Or, if a whole mess of people suddenly appear, I'll rejoin.
Finally, from Zelda White Nichols: Hey, guess what? My husband is from Nebraska, and he could not find Funk on the map. Then again, his brother lives in Remote, Oregon, and that isn't on many maps, either. Anyway, we laughed greatly at Jerry Bittman's Top 10 List because almost every item was true. Nebraska is a good place to be from. We went back to my husband's home town, Geneva, 25 years ago: It was during a drought. There was little to do after saying "hi" to his family, but the county fair was on, so we all went. A fire broke out in a barn 10 miles away, and Nebraska is so flat, we could all see it. Let me tell you, folks, this state is so exciting that everyone left the fair to go watch the barn burn. I kid you not.
Home page link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Update 5-14-02
Hey,
A couple more finallys I forgot last week:
Most important, the New York gatherings will continue. The next one, almost before you know it, will be on Saturday, June 1st. Paul also said that with the summer approaching, he's thinking of expanding to a picnic and maybe a beach outing as well. And it's likely that a backyard barbecue will also be on the agenda.
When: Saturday, June 1st, 2002 1:00 PM
Where: Lily Flanagans, 279 Sunrise Highway, Rockville Centre
Contact: Paul DeMartino: PINA_1@msn.com or 516-799-1590 Or just show up.
Next, I've wiped out the Fast Address Link---because I needed space to post reunion pictures. So from now on, the only way to get contact information for people is by using the home page link, which, normally, has been at the bottom of this page each week. And, yeah, as I was quickly reminded, I left it off last week. Nevermore. Well, until I forget again.
Speaking of reunion photos, there are now about 150 of them posted on the home page. Taken by: RoseMarie Cassillo, Grace Dibble Kincade, Peter Rosen, Eric Hilton, Denise Frango Baxter, Lynn Nudelman Villagran, and Barbara Blitfield Pech. And I still have another hundred, taken by Judy Hartstone, Robin Feit, and me, which should be posted by some time next week. After that, if there's something we forgot to photograph, it certainly won't have been for lack of trying.
Also, the posted photos are getting clearer: I just had a remedial Photoshop session with the recently-retired art director of Motor Trend magazine. Still, I do have to keep the files small so they'll open on everyone's computers, which is why the pictures are always going to be a bit fuzzy. (Judy Hartstone says we look better that way.) Jerry Bittman also mentioned problems opening pages and photos just a few days ago, and I told him what I'll tell you now: if you're having trouble with a page that doesn't open, or one that sends you an error message or a timed-out notice, just try again. Sometimes, you can get in immediately. Sometimes, you have to wait till another part of the day. AOL is weird. AOL is temperamental. AOL has rush hours. But until we decide we need a real website, at the moment, since I already subscribe to AOL, it's home page is free
Some of the posted photos still need labels. And some labels, I'm still correcting. As Nancy Garfield helped me figure out: Bea Massa has shoulder length blonde hair. Jerrie Clamp has mid-length blonde hair. Marion Wachtel has blonde hair somewhere in between those two lengths, but she wears glasses.
And, yes, I've been leaving women's married names off the reunion photos. Not that I can't remember them. It's just lack of space.
There's also been talk of a California gathering, sometime between mid-July and mid-August. We're thinking about a Saturday afternoon and evening in Cambria, a small art-and-tourist town, on the coast close to the beach, about a three-hour drive from L.A., San Francisco, and points directly inland (like Visalia, where Grace Dibble Kincade lives). I know midsummer seems like a while off, but if anyone's interested, please let me know so we can think seriously about the possibility. It would be pretty informal: you find your own place to stay, and we'd all meet for the afternoon and dinner.
"Why?" as Alan Silver, Ellen Epstein Silver's husband, just asked. He's completely supportive, but still doesn't quite get the reunion business, having gone to a very large high school with people he didn't previously know. This past Saturday, when he and Ellen were in L.A. visiting their daughter Jessica for Mother's Day and some of us got together for lunch, Alan said, "You all just saw each other two weeks ago. Why do you feel the need to see each other again so soon?" We didn't really have an answer, but Linda Greenberg, Paul Zegler, Ellen, and I had a nice lunch---outdoors, in the California shade. Linda's husband Steve, Ellen's daughter Jessica and her husband Jeff, and, of course, Alan, made up the rest of the group. Steve, at least by present reports, was the only person injured at the Long Island reunion---dancing, of course. Doing something I think called the Scooby Doo. Scooby Dog? Hell, I don't know. In any case, he'll walk again. In time.
My Classmates.com subscription is just about to run out, and I've been wondering whether it was worth it to pay another thirty bucks since we seemed to have mined its resources pretty well. But this morning, just checking things, I noticed Roberta Grodin Savarick's name has been added to their list, as well as Janice Savoia Muller's. I knew Roberta, so wrote her, but can't find Janice Savoia or Janice Muller on any of our class lists. But if anyone knows, or knew her, please let me know so I can mention you when I contact Janice. (She currently lives in New Jersey.) Also, Steve Spector just wrote, "On my return from New York, there was a notice in the local paper announcing an open house at my former law school, where Robert Colman, JD, MBA, Professor of Business Organizations at the law school (Empire College of Law), and also a professor of law and finance at Sonoma State University -- the same school at which Richard Gordon is a Professor of Computer Science -- would speak about the Enron collapse. Colman is also listed as being the author of Modern Business Financing: A Guide To Innovative Strategies and Techniques, and former founder and CEO of Oxford Energy Company, an American Stock Exchange company which he ran for seven years. Now you know everything I know. Unfortunately, the open house is this weekend, and I'll be in Portland. But I'll catch up to him sometime, though."
Another note, from Lynn Nudelman Villagran: It's been nice to make new connections since the reunion. When I discovered that Robert Buchsbaum is with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, I connected him with a colleague of mine who is a birder and planning a trip this fall to the Galapagos, where Robert has led tours. They are now e-mailing, and Robert is giving her suggestions for her trip, which she really appreciates.
A fast question from Judy Hartstone: Could you broadcast this? Someone at the reunion told me they knew how to contact John Walsh, one of our sixth grade teachers from Forest Road. I would really like to get that contact information, as would some other people.
And a much longer letter from Alan Moss, Musings from a Former Sleep Deprived Maine Falcon: Good Morning fellow classmates! Sorry I have not been in touch but I have been sleeping for the last two weeks in order to catch up on all the “zzzs” I lost during our wonderful weekend! Boy…I wish THAT statement were true. Closer to reality is my going to work and play in my little Brunswick, Maine community in a slightly “zoned out” state. When grocery shopping this past weekend, I glanced at the headlines from the latest issue of the National Enquirer and could have sworn that they read, “Large number of Valley Stream South High Class of 1965, missing for 37 years, found this past weekend at Wyndham Hotel in Long Island. I was sure it went on to read, “ Reunion class event feared probable result of alien abduction. Mass hysteria symptoms displayed among entire group members included non-stop talking, eating and drinking, intermittent shrieking, obsessive collective hugging, incessant taking of photographs of each other and frenetic displays of retro forms of dancing such as the lindy and the twist.” Well…more likely I imagined the headlines, but they certainly came close to my observations, and probably yours too, about our most wonderful time together. I hope that we have all taken a private moment, in the last two weeks, to reflect on how fortunate it was that the current direction of our lives allowed the sharing of this incredible experience. During the weekend, I heard a most remarkable story of courage from Grace Dibble, and a tale of respect for the parents of a deceased classmate from Stu Kandel. More in abundance were tales of falcons growing up, learning about life and responsibilities and dealing with personal and professional challenges in wonderfully positive ways. I shared recollections and memories with many of my grade-school classmates from good old Brooklyn Avenue and delighted in being part of a wonderful retro-class picture Saturday night at the dinner-dance. Was I really standing there with Eric Hilton, Diane Fruzetti, Gayle Ulrich, Paulinda Schimmel, Paul Zegler, Grace Dibble, Mary Higgins, Linda Iaquinto O’Hara, my wonderful across-the-street neighbor and childhood playmate, as well as many other folks who were so much a part of my life growing up in Valley Stream in the mid-to-late 1950’s? And THEN there was the ludicrous tale of a high school falcon who got chicken pox the night of his junior class Ring Dance! Not very cool and DEFINITELY high stress for his date who had purchased a most beautiful red dress for the occasion. Well... if the truth be told, that falcon was me, and my date was Peggy Galinger Menaker. One of the sweetest moments of last weekend, for me, was finally having one of the dances with Peggy that I missed out on 38 years ago. And Peg…you are still that same beautiful woman, inside and out, that prompted me to ask you to the dance in 1964! Well…lets hear it for baby boomer health and exercise consciousness. That must be the explanation for my observations that everyone looked just GREAT! It is a bit hard to believe that the group was comprised of mostly 54-56 year olds, many with grown children and some with grandchildren. Damn.... we are an incredibly impressive bunch, aren’t we? My recollections of the weekend seem to be a stream of non-stop connections and reconnections with grade school and high school classmates.…all full of such comfort, closeness and warmth. Saturday night, even though I got into bed at about 2:30, I was not able to sleep and lay awake until about 9:30 the next morning. My mind was overflowing with the voices and faces that I THOUGHT were no longer an active part of my life or who I had become in the last 37 years. But yet…there were the images...a wonderfully comfortable walk in the woods and reaquaintance discussions with, among others, Peter Rosen and Robin Singer Taylor, a drive down from Connecticut with Judy Peters Sylvan, fun hot tub conversations with Diane Fruzetti, a wonderful reunion with Stu Kandel, an animated talk with Toni Rea, my English teacher, whose love of the art of written communication would surely influence my life (and many other falcons), a late Saturday night walk with Judy Hartstone when the air outside the hotel was sweet-smelling and a bit chilly and, of course, those two great dinner and breakfast trips to the Paradise Diner with Marc Jonas, Robin Singer Taylor, Emily Ferber Sondheimer, Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer, Judy Hartstone, Irene Saunders Goldstein, Peggy Galinger Menaker and Judy Peters Sylvan. The Paradise Diner experience however, would not have been the same without our fabulous (and classic) New York waitress… AHHlene! A special affectionate acknowledgment to Terri Donohue from her own “Killer Shrew.” Terri and I used to call each other up on the telephone after school and together we would watch these ultra-cheap, dime-store budget science fiction movies. I think our favorite was “Attack of the Killer Shrews,” whereas lacking the appropriate funds for decent special effects, the studio powers-that-be tied throw rugs on to the back of collies and taped rubber fangs to their mouths. VERY scary…. uh… I don’t THINK so! I hope this note finds all of you in good health and still savoring all the wonderful memories that are now part of our singular and collective consciousness. Hopefully, our paths and lives will cross again within a very short time. “Like valiant falcons winging, our dreams HAVE skyward soared…”
Finally, Classmates.com is announcing the 38th reunion of South's Class of '75. Must be that New Math.
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Hey,
A couple more finallys I forgot last week:
Most important, the New York gatherings will continue. The next one, almost before you know it, will be on Saturday, June 1st. Paul also said that with the summer approaching, he's thinking of expanding to a picnic and maybe a beach outing as well. And it's likely that a backyard barbecue will also be on the agenda.
When: Saturday, June 1st, 2002 1:00 PM
Where: Lily Flanagans, 279 Sunrise Highway, Rockville Centre
Contact: Paul DeMartino: PINA_1@msn.com or 516-799-1590 Or just show up.
Next, I've wiped out the Fast Address Link---because I needed space to post reunion pictures. So from now on, the only way to get contact information for people is by using the home page link, which, normally, has been at the bottom of this page each week. And, yeah, as I was quickly reminded, I left it off last week. Nevermore. Well, until I forget again.
Speaking of reunion photos, there are now about 150 of them posted on the home page. Taken by: RoseMarie Cassillo, Grace Dibble Kincade, Peter Rosen, Eric Hilton, Denise Frango Baxter, Lynn Nudelman Villagran, and Barbara Blitfield Pech. And I still have another hundred, taken by Judy Hartstone, Robin Feit, and me, which should be posted by some time next week. After that, if there's something we forgot to photograph, it certainly won't have been for lack of trying.
Also, the posted photos are getting clearer: I just had a remedial Photoshop session with the recently-retired art director of Motor Trend magazine. Still, I do have to keep the files small so they'll open on everyone's computers, which is why the pictures are always going to be a bit fuzzy. (Judy Hartstone says we look better that way.) Jerry Bittman also mentioned problems opening pages and photos just a few days ago, and I told him what I'll tell you now: if you're having trouble with a page that doesn't open, or one that sends you an error message or a timed-out notice, just try again. Sometimes, you can get in immediately. Sometimes, you have to wait till another part of the day. AOL is weird. AOL is temperamental. AOL has rush hours. But until we decide we need a real website, at the moment, since I already subscribe to AOL, it's home page is free
Some of the posted photos still need labels. And some labels, I'm still correcting. As Nancy Garfield helped me figure out: Bea Massa has shoulder length blonde hair. Jerrie Clamp has mid-length blonde hair. Marion Wachtel has blonde hair somewhere in between those two lengths, but she wears glasses.
And, yes, I've been leaving women's married names off the reunion photos. Not that I can't remember them. It's just lack of space.
There's also been talk of a California gathering, sometime between mid-July and mid-August. We're thinking about a Saturday afternoon and evening in Cambria, a small art-and-tourist town, on the coast close to the beach, about a three-hour drive from L.A., San Francisco, and points directly inland (like Visalia, where Grace Dibble Kincade lives). I know midsummer seems like a while off, but if anyone's interested, please let me know so we can think seriously about the possibility. It would be pretty informal: you find your own place to stay, and we'd all meet for the afternoon and dinner.
"Why?" as Alan Silver, Ellen Epstein Silver's husband, just asked. He's completely supportive, but still doesn't quite get the reunion business, having gone to a very large high school with people he didn't previously know. This past Saturday, when he and Ellen were in L.A. visiting their daughter Jessica for Mother's Day and some of us got together for lunch, Alan said, "You all just saw each other two weeks ago. Why do you feel the need to see each other again so soon?" We didn't really have an answer, but Linda Greenberg, Paul Zegler, Ellen, and I had a nice lunch---outdoors, in the California shade. Linda's husband Steve, Ellen's daughter Jessica and her husband Jeff, and, of course, Alan, made up the rest of the group. Steve, at least by present reports, was the only person injured at the Long Island reunion---dancing, of course. Doing something I think called the Scooby Doo. Scooby Dog? Hell, I don't know. In any case, he'll walk again. In time.
My Classmates.com subscription is just about to run out, and I've been wondering whether it was worth it to pay another thirty bucks since we seemed to have mined its resources pretty well. But this morning, just checking things, I noticed Roberta Grodin Savarick's name has been added to their list, as well as Janice Savoia Muller's. I knew Roberta, so wrote her, but can't find Janice Savoia or Janice Muller on any of our class lists. But if anyone knows, or knew her, please let me know so I can mention you when I contact Janice. (She currently lives in New Jersey.) Also, Steve Spector just wrote, "On my return from New York, there was a notice in the local paper announcing an open house at my former law school, where Robert Colman, JD, MBA, Professor of Business Organizations at the law school (Empire College of Law), and also a professor of law and finance at Sonoma State University -- the same school at which Richard Gordon is a Professor of Computer Science -- would speak about the Enron collapse. Colman is also listed as being the author of Modern Business Financing: A Guide To Innovative Strategies and Techniques, and former founder and CEO of Oxford Energy Company, an American Stock Exchange company which he ran for seven years. Now you know everything I know. Unfortunately, the open house is this weekend, and I'll be in Portland. But I'll catch up to him sometime, though."
Another note, from Lynn Nudelman Villagran: It's been nice to make new connections since the reunion. When I discovered that Robert Buchsbaum is with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, I connected him with a colleague of mine who is a birder and planning a trip this fall to the Galapagos, where Robert has led tours. They are now e-mailing, and Robert is giving her suggestions for her trip, which she really appreciates.
A fast question from Judy Hartstone: Could you broadcast this? Someone at the reunion told me they knew how to contact John Walsh, one of our sixth grade teachers from Forest Road. I would really like to get that contact information, as would some other people.
And a much longer letter from Alan Moss, Musings from a Former Sleep Deprived Maine Falcon: Good Morning fellow classmates! Sorry I have not been in touch but I have been sleeping for the last two weeks in order to catch up on all the “zzzs” I lost during our wonderful weekend! Boy…I wish THAT statement were true. Closer to reality is my going to work and play in my little Brunswick, Maine community in a slightly “zoned out” state. When grocery shopping this past weekend, I glanced at the headlines from the latest issue of the National Enquirer and could have sworn that they read, “Large number of Valley Stream South High Class of 1965, missing for 37 years, found this past weekend at Wyndham Hotel in Long Island. I was sure it went on to read, “ Reunion class event feared probable result of alien abduction. Mass hysteria symptoms displayed among entire group members included non-stop talking, eating and drinking, intermittent shrieking, obsessive collective hugging, incessant taking of photographs of each other and frenetic displays of retro forms of dancing such as the lindy and the twist.” Well…more likely I imagined the headlines, but they certainly came close to my observations, and probably yours too, about our most wonderful time together. I hope that we have all taken a private moment, in the last two weeks, to reflect on how fortunate it was that the current direction of our lives allowed the sharing of this incredible experience. During the weekend, I heard a most remarkable story of courage from Grace Dibble, and a tale of respect for the parents of a deceased classmate from Stu Kandel. More in abundance were tales of falcons growing up, learning about life and responsibilities and dealing with personal and professional challenges in wonderfully positive ways. I shared recollections and memories with many of my grade-school classmates from good old Brooklyn Avenue and delighted in being part of a wonderful retro-class picture Saturday night at the dinner-dance. Was I really standing there with Eric Hilton, Diane Fruzetti, Gayle Ulrich, Paulinda Schimmel, Paul Zegler, Grace Dibble, Mary Higgins, Linda Iaquinto O’Hara, my wonderful across-the-street neighbor and childhood playmate, as well as many other folks who were so much a part of my life growing up in Valley Stream in the mid-to-late 1950’s? And THEN there was the ludicrous tale of a high school falcon who got chicken pox the night of his junior class Ring Dance! Not very cool and DEFINITELY high stress for his date who had purchased a most beautiful red dress for the occasion. Well... if the truth be told, that falcon was me, and my date was Peggy Galinger Menaker. One of the sweetest moments of last weekend, for me, was finally having one of the dances with Peggy that I missed out on 38 years ago. And Peg…you are still that same beautiful woman, inside and out, that prompted me to ask you to the dance in 1964! Well…lets hear it for baby boomer health and exercise consciousness. That must be the explanation for my observations that everyone looked just GREAT! It is a bit hard to believe that the group was comprised of mostly 54-56 year olds, many with grown children and some with grandchildren. Damn.... we are an incredibly impressive bunch, aren’t we? My recollections of the weekend seem to be a stream of non-stop connections and reconnections with grade school and high school classmates.…all full of such comfort, closeness and warmth. Saturday night, even though I got into bed at about 2:30, I was not able to sleep and lay awake until about 9:30 the next morning. My mind was overflowing with the voices and faces that I THOUGHT were no longer an active part of my life or who I had become in the last 37 years. But yet…there were the images...a wonderfully comfortable walk in the woods and reaquaintance discussions with, among others, Peter Rosen and Robin Singer Taylor, a drive down from Connecticut with Judy Peters Sylvan, fun hot tub conversations with Diane Fruzetti, a wonderful reunion with Stu Kandel, an animated talk with Toni Rea, my English teacher, whose love of the art of written communication would surely influence my life (and many other falcons), a late Saturday night walk with Judy Hartstone when the air outside the hotel was sweet-smelling and a bit chilly and, of course, those two great dinner and breakfast trips to the Paradise Diner with Marc Jonas, Robin Singer Taylor, Emily Ferber Sondheimer, Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer, Judy Hartstone, Irene Saunders Goldstein, Peggy Galinger Menaker and Judy Peters Sylvan. The Paradise Diner experience however, would not have been the same without our fabulous (and classic) New York waitress… AHHlene! A special affectionate acknowledgment to Terri Donohue from her own “Killer Shrew.” Terri and I used to call each other up on the telephone after school and together we would watch these ultra-cheap, dime-store budget science fiction movies. I think our favorite was “Attack of the Killer Shrews,” whereas lacking the appropriate funds for decent special effects, the studio powers-that-be tied throw rugs on to the back of collies and taped rubber fangs to their mouths. VERY scary…. uh… I don’t THINK so! I hope this note finds all of you in good health and still savoring all the wonderful memories that are now part of our singular and collective consciousness. Hopefully, our paths and lives will cross again within a very short time. “Like valiant falcons winging, our dreams HAVE skyward soared…”
Finally, Classmates.com is announcing the 38th reunion of South's Class of '75. Must be that New Math.
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Update 5-7-02
Hi,
Thoughts from all over:
From Bernie O'Brien: I wish I had the ability to put into words my thanks and appreciation to you for inviting me to your reunion. Even though my stay was all too short, I was able to see many of the people I thank for making my years at Valley Stream South so gratifying.
From Booker Gibson: I wanted to let all of you know that it was the most memorable reunion I've ever been fortunate to attend. You "girls" were so easy to recognize, while some "boys" were more difficult. Love to all.
From Linda Cohen Greenseid: Ellen Epstein Silver was right -- I'm really glad I went to the reunion. I had such a good time seeing old friends that I hadn't seen in what feels like forever ago. I felt the hours fly by, and there were so many people I didn't get to talk to or spoke with too briefly. I was left with the feeling that we are a really nice group of people, and I will look forward to seeing all again at the next reunion.
From Lynn Nudelman Villagran: I just got home today from New York. I had such a wonderful time at the reunion. It couldn't have turned out better -- all the planning really worked out perfectly (except, perhaps, for getting kicked out of the room on Friday night -- but it's a good story to tell my daughters). I ended my New York visit with a trip to the WTC site yesterday -- it was emotional, but I'm glad I went.
From Peggy Galinger Menaker: Have still not come down from our wonderful reunion weekend and wanted to e-mail you to say, "See you in '05??"
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: I thought I would share this with you -- some light hearted, yet interesting news clipped from the Monday edition of Newsday: "Valley Stream South High Students wrap up left-over food from the cafeteria and deliver it to homeless shelter." I hope it was more than milk and devil dogs.
Also, I have arrived home, trying to stay ahead of my exhaustion and laundry from the weekend. There are no simple thoughts that I can pull out to tell you all how wonderful it was to share these last few days, catching up on each other's lives and renewing good friendships. I cherish the memories and look forward to seeing you all soon again. And, while Miami is too quickly moving into what seems to be an early and hot summer, please do not let our weather stop you from considering a visit to The Pech Palace -- summer rates are in effect and many rooms with a good view are still available for mid-week and weekend visits. You are cordially invited anytime -- the key is under the mat.
From Donald Faber: Thought I'd drop a quick note before the sensory overload
completely fades -- I had the best weekend I've had in I don't know how long. Was it our class? I'm beginning to think so -- just how many truly wonderful, talented, and decent people we were (and are). If there is anything resembling a time machine, let me set the dial for Valley Stream South circa '65.
From Andy Dolich: The only thing missing from this past weekend's wacky, warm, and wonderful trip down memory lane was a visit from Ozzie and Harriet. I'm eagerly looking forward to our 70th when only 3 people will still be breathing.
From Carole Ganz: It was a wonderful time to reconnect with some pretty amazing folks. When's the next one? Just kidding.
From Kenny Nolan: A great time was had by all, though I must admit that, at first, I did not have a clue as to who you were.
From Ellen Nudelman Davidson: It was quite an evening. It was great to see everyone.
From Robin Feit: It opened a floodgate of warm memories and happy thoughts.
From Larry Rugen: A great hotel with great food and the guests were so very special. Even with my broken ankle I was able to see Ray, Wes, Rosemary, Paul, Terri, Robert, Ellen, Irene, Steven, and others did stopped by. Too bad I missed a bunch more, but I wanted to say hello to Rae, Robin, Lynn, Bernie, Joan, Frank, Peter, Jay and so many others! Just wished the teachers would have made their way around the room. And I must say, not only was our class of '65 a great class then, but aren't we all pretty darn good lookin' still today!
From Ira Mitzner: A great weekend.
From Steve Gootzeit: I was looking forward to the reunion, but had no idea I would enjoy it as much as I did -- time stood still, even if our appearances didn't. Several times, I actually stood back from the crowd and just tried to take it all in. I always thought, as a group, that we were pretty bright, but did any of us realize how much those years meant before last night? I didn't. I am starting a Class of '65 fan club: Would you each please send me the $1000 initiation fee and I will contact you (from Rio). Also, Toni Rea told me that I shouldn't have stopped writing poetry. You decide.
Blowin' in the Wyndham
Whose class this is, I think I know
I saw them many years ago
With faces fresh and spirits high
The world was theirs, they held it nigh
And now they come from near and far
They're upstairs, downstairs, in the bar
Mitzner, Kellman, Jonas, too
Who are these guys? I need a clue.
I step outside, pick up a book
I'll jog my mind, I'll take a look
The names and words flow 'cross the page
But still no help -- is this old age?
The cover says "Class '65"
And now my mind has come alive
I made a wrong turn at the door
I'm from the class of '64.
From Denise Frango Baxter: I had a really nice time at the reunion. It was fun seeing everyone. Anyone who could not make it, I am sure I speak for all who attended, you missed out on a weekend to remember for a long time. I hope we will all continue to keep in touch.
From Irene Augustin Wehn: Wasn't it great! Eve and Olga stayed at my house and we stayed up till three talking.
From Paulinda Schimmel: Just wanted to let you know I had a great time. I loved seeing people I hadn't spoken to since high school and spoke to people that never even knew I was alive back then. I'm glad I came even though my traveling plans kept getting revised as planes were delayed and not landing where they were supposed to. Returning to L.A. was as much an adventure as the reunion. Have a reunion here so I don't have to deal with airplanes. I'll even help!
From Alan Finder: Something just took off and in the process provided about 140 of us with something of extreme value.
From Judy Hartstone: Finally got home Thursday, sporting a terrible cold which I hope other people did not catch. Now catching up on all the work that a week off leaves me with. And totally out of my rhythm. It's like the reunion is playing in the back of my mind all the time.
From Peggy Cooper: The reunion was all that we dreamed---and more. We're all very grateful to have been there.
From Ed Albrecht: Sorry I missed the reunion. Sounds like everyone really enjoyed themselves. I asked Barbara Blitfield Pech to fill me in. I will plan to attend a mini in the near future.
From Diane Fruzetti: I had the time of my life. I hope I am not kept waiting more than 3 years for the next big reunion! Perish the thought. I am ready now!
From Carol Bunim Okin: It's been almost a week since our gala reunion, and I still haven't stopped smiling! It was so wonderful to see old friends and favorite teachers and reminisce about the good ole days. Can't wait for the next one. Be well, everyone!
From Hy Rosov: If I am still walking on two feet and can see and hear, I will damn sure try to make the next one, wherever it is.
From Linda Iaquinto O'Hara: The party was great. Den and I had a terrific time seeing so many of our old classmates and friends.
From Jay Kinder: It will take me weeks to absorb all of the conversations and information and relate them to my high school memories. My vote is to have the next reunion in five years.
From Marc Jonas: A masterful job
From Stu Kandel: Wow is right. It was an intense weekend of renewing old friendships. I found out this past weekend that old friends are the best friends. The old memories were, as the commercial says, priceless. If I have a vote, it's for a 40th in 3 years, or for that matter I'm free next weekend.
From Jane Ruzow Tiell: It was wonderful seeing everyone again. So glad I decided to come.
From Grace Dibble Kincade: I feel so fortunate to have been able to renew friendships and acquaintances. It was a totally positive experience, and I hope we get to do it again soon!
From Nancy Garfield: So great to see all of you. Everyone seemed to have a super time. I know I'm ready to work on our 40th, but right now I'm going to just sit on my couch and read.
From Ellen Epstein Silver: What a weekend. It was magical. I can't seem to stop smiling as I replay it in my mind (over and over). It met every expectation -- that trip down memory lane, the comfortable feeling of being with people who thought like you, lived life like you did, and shared the experiences of growing up in suburbia near the ocean yet a train ride away from the thrill of Manhattan and all the culture it had to offer; the semi-difficult times going through puberty, hoping the opposite sex was interested, and worrying about taking the SATS, and of course the unthinkable period when we witnessed the gloom and doom of the assassination of President Kennedy, and the weekend we were all glued to our television sets. I so enjoyed renewing old friendships, making new ones, catching up on the last 37 years, and hoping that we all have our little mini-reunions around the country when we visit a city where we know one of "us" lives. Also, hopefully we'll plan the big FOUR-0 with the same enthusiasm we had for this one (though let's make it in a hotel on a beach). Still, wherever it is, count me in. Meanwhile, if any of you pass through the Dallas area, I hope you'll look us up.
From Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer: A good time was had by all.
From Dennis Pizzimenti: Benette and I enjoyed this. Bittman, that was funny. Shame on you, Rosen. It was so "Taxi."
From Janet Hernandez: I know tomorrow starts the great reunion weekend of our class of '65 and I'm sorry that I am not able to make it. But my thoughts will be
with you all, and I hope to be able to be at the next one in a few years. In one of the e-mails someone mentioned the school song. Yes, I still have my yearbook, and I remember the song. I sometimes even think of it out the blue and start to hum it. I guess a lot of songs from years gone by just pop up in our minds, and we all think about that time, when we can.
From Eric Hilton: It’s Sunday, 10:48 PM, and I’m flying back to Sarasota on Jet Blue’s “Flight from Hell.” At 25,000 feet over Hershey, PA, lightning starts striking both sides of the aircraft, and passengers start to panic. While people were screaming and running in the aisles, I sit calmly in my seat, quietly fitting the air sickness bag over my head and praying that we land safely into the “Hershey Kiss” Factory, where as a kid, I got my hand caught in an antique chocolate display case while on a tour with my Brooklyn Avenue Cub Scout Troop. As punishment, they made me ride in the back of the bus with Weird Stuart, a rather large kid who wore his sneakers on the wrong feet and liked to eat small frogs from Mill Pond. So I’m flying in this vehicle of terror, and as people in the aircraft are preparing for the worst, I casually lean back and think about one of the most wonderful weekends I can ever remember, with people who helped make my childhood and adolescence a wonderful experience, all gathered together. When I flew up to New York, I wasn’t sure what to expect. 1965 was such a long time ago, my brain cells are only functioning at 48%, and I can’t remember squat. I have always dreamed of going back to my high school reunion as a famous movie star, a rock musician, an astronaut, or a cowboy (as a little kid, I worked in my uncle Ben’s deli and always dreamed of owning my own Pastrami ranch... what did I know?) After seeing some very impressive bios, I was feeling a bit insecure as I had not reached the financial status of most. Deciding not to remove the entire $28.67 from my savings account and purchase the new flashy stainless steel sports jacket I had seen in Home Depot (it was the kind you had to screw together) instead, I wore what I had. But from the time I set foot in the hospitality suite on Friday and picked up my photo badge, until the time I left on Sunday morning, people were screaming out my name, hugging and kissing me and all asking the same question... Who are you??? The entire weekend turned into a mutual hugging and kissing walk down memory lane. There were old friends like Donald Faber, who reminded me of things that we had done together in the Cub Scouts, names of people who had passed away, and stories of the wonderful times we had at South. I remember the many times 12 of us would get in my ‘55 Oldsmobile, go to “Talbor’s Liquor Store” and buy Boones Farm apple wine with the fake ID’s we made in print shop. As I got older, more refined, and became a “Gourmet Navy Chef," I learned about the fine wines that went with the epicurean meals I would prepare. Now that I am 55, the most important thing I need to know about fine wine is will it mix well with my prune juice? I can’t tell you how great it was to see our former teachers who meant so much to me. The one thing I didn’t see was anyone with a big ego, as everyone bonded so well and reminisced about the past. I also couldn’t help but notice what a handsome group of people we were, as everyone looked so wonderful. In fact, the women looked so good that some of the guys still tried to get them into the back seat of their rented cars by using the same old trick we used in the South High parking lot... pleading and begging! I especially want to thank Diane Fruzzetti for informing me about the reunion, my wife Gilda for making me go, and a special thanks to Grace Dibble for bringing in all of the Brooklyn Avenue photographs of us growing up, and the photo of me in my cub scout uniform. Cynthia Ingolia, on her way out, thanked me for remembering her, which brought tears to my eyes. I, too, was grateful that Cynthia and others remembered me fondly. This truly will be an event I will never forget! The only thing that I really want to know is this…can we do this again next week?
Finally, there are several finallys this week:
First, sorry about that virus scare. I'm an idiot.
Second, there are now 70 reunion photos on the home page. There would have been another 50, but I was fighting off an idiot virus scare. Still, more photos should be there soon. RoseMarie Cassillo, who took all the first batch, pointed out that the ones she sent me are much clearer than the ones I posted. That's because the ones I post have to work on everyone's computers so are relatively small and at a low dpi (that's computer jargon for stuff I only vaguely understand). But if there's a picture you especially like, ask the person who took it to send you a more detailed version.
Third, Lynn Nudelman Villagran has a very sensible approach to figuring out which additional photos to send me: wait and see what's already been posted, and if you have some neat photos that aren't there, send them on. If you don't have a scanner, send me prints, and I'll return them.
Fourth, Paul did the accounting and discovered we were ultimately thirty bucks underfinanced. We would have come out ahead if I hadn't decided at the last minute to tip the head waiter and the hospitality suite cleaning crew (that, alone, should get me into heaven, should there be one). In order to make up this enormous deficit, Paul considered asking everyone to send him a quarter, though, of course, it would cost an additional thirty-four cents each for us to do that. So for the moment, he's extending us a limited credit at no interest. What a guy.
Fifth, about the updates: as long as you keep sending me things to pass along, I'll keep harassing you weekly. I've even spoken with a couple of people who can sub for me if I want to try resuming crossword puzzles. So if you want to hear from us, we've got to hear from you.
And, last, yeah, I guess we seriously need to consider 2005. But not today.
Rich
Hi,
Thoughts from all over:
From Bernie O'Brien: I wish I had the ability to put into words my thanks and appreciation to you for inviting me to your reunion. Even though my stay was all too short, I was able to see many of the people I thank for making my years at Valley Stream South so gratifying.
From Booker Gibson: I wanted to let all of you know that it was the most memorable reunion I've ever been fortunate to attend. You "girls" were so easy to recognize, while some "boys" were more difficult. Love to all.
From Linda Cohen Greenseid: Ellen Epstein Silver was right -- I'm really glad I went to the reunion. I had such a good time seeing old friends that I hadn't seen in what feels like forever ago. I felt the hours fly by, and there were so many people I didn't get to talk to or spoke with too briefly. I was left with the feeling that we are a really nice group of people, and I will look forward to seeing all again at the next reunion.
From Lynn Nudelman Villagran: I just got home today from New York. I had such a wonderful time at the reunion. It couldn't have turned out better -- all the planning really worked out perfectly (except, perhaps, for getting kicked out of the room on Friday night -- but it's a good story to tell my daughters). I ended my New York visit with a trip to the WTC site yesterday -- it was emotional, but I'm glad I went.
From Peggy Galinger Menaker: Have still not come down from our wonderful reunion weekend and wanted to e-mail you to say, "See you in '05??"
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: I thought I would share this with you -- some light hearted, yet interesting news clipped from the Monday edition of Newsday: "Valley Stream South High Students wrap up left-over food from the cafeteria and deliver it to homeless shelter." I hope it was more than milk and devil dogs.
Also, I have arrived home, trying to stay ahead of my exhaustion and laundry from the weekend. There are no simple thoughts that I can pull out to tell you all how wonderful it was to share these last few days, catching up on each other's lives and renewing good friendships. I cherish the memories and look forward to seeing you all soon again. And, while Miami is too quickly moving into what seems to be an early and hot summer, please do not let our weather stop you from considering a visit to The Pech Palace -- summer rates are in effect and many rooms with a good view are still available for mid-week and weekend visits. You are cordially invited anytime -- the key is under the mat.
From Donald Faber: Thought I'd drop a quick note before the sensory overload
completely fades -- I had the best weekend I've had in I don't know how long. Was it our class? I'm beginning to think so -- just how many truly wonderful, talented, and decent people we were (and are). If there is anything resembling a time machine, let me set the dial for Valley Stream South circa '65.
From Andy Dolich: The only thing missing from this past weekend's wacky, warm, and wonderful trip down memory lane was a visit from Ozzie and Harriet. I'm eagerly looking forward to our 70th when only 3 people will still be breathing.
From Carole Ganz: It was a wonderful time to reconnect with some pretty amazing folks. When's the next one? Just kidding.
From Kenny Nolan: A great time was had by all, though I must admit that, at first, I did not have a clue as to who you were.
From Ellen Nudelman Davidson: It was quite an evening. It was great to see everyone.
From Robin Feit: It opened a floodgate of warm memories and happy thoughts.
From Larry Rugen: A great hotel with great food and the guests were so very special. Even with my broken ankle I was able to see Ray, Wes, Rosemary, Paul, Terri, Robert, Ellen, Irene, Steven, and others did stopped by. Too bad I missed a bunch more, but I wanted to say hello to Rae, Robin, Lynn, Bernie, Joan, Frank, Peter, Jay and so many others! Just wished the teachers would have made their way around the room. And I must say, not only was our class of '65 a great class then, but aren't we all pretty darn good lookin' still today!
From Ira Mitzner: A great weekend.
From Steve Gootzeit: I was looking forward to the reunion, but had no idea I would enjoy it as much as I did -- time stood still, even if our appearances didn't. Several times, I actually stood back from the crowd and just tried to take it all in. I always thought, as a group, that we were pretty bright, but did any of us realize how much those years meant before last night? I didn't. I am starting a Class of '65 fan club: Would you each please send me the $1000 initiation fee and I will contact you (from Rio). Also, Toni Rea told me that I shouldn't have stopped writing poetry. You decide.
Blowin' in the Wyndham
Whose class this is, I think I know
I saw them many years ago
With faces fresh and spirits high
The world was theirs, they held it nigh
And now they come from near and far
They're upstairs, downstairs, in the bar
Mitzner, Kellman, Jonas, too
Who are these guys? I need a clue.
I step outside, pick up a book
I'll jog my mind, I'll take a look
The names and words flow 'cross the page
But still no help -- is this old age?
The cover says "Class '65"
And now my mind has come alive
I made a wrong turn at the door
I'm from the class of '64.
From Denise Frango Baxter: I had a really nice time at the reunion. It was fun seeing everyone. Anyone who could not make it, I am sure I speak for all who attended, you missed out on a weekend to remember for a long time. I hope we will all continue to keep in touch.
From Irene Augustin Wehn: Wasn't it great! Eve and Olga stayed at my house and we stayed up till three talking.
From Paulinda Schimmel: Just wanted to let you know I had a great time. I loved seeing people I hadn't spoken to since high school and spoke to people that never even knew I was alive back then. I'm glad I came even though my traveling plans kept getting revised as planes were delayed and not landing where they were supposed to. Returning to L.A. was as much an adventure as the reunion. Have a reunion here so I don't have to deal with airplanes. I'll even help!
From Alan Finder: Something just took off and in the process provided about 140 of us with something of extreme value.
From Judy Hartstone: Finally got home Thursday, sporting a terrible cold which I hope other people did not catch. Now catching up on all the work that a week off leaves me with. And totally out of my rhythm. It's like the reunion is playing in the back of my mind all the time.
From Peggy Cooper: The reunion was all that we dreamed---and more. We're all very grateful to have been there.
From Ed Albrecht: Sorry I missed the reunion. Sounds like everyone really enjoyed themselves. I asked Barbara Blitfield Pech to fill me in. I will plan to attend a mini in the near future.
From Diane Fruzetti: I had the time of my life. I hope I am not kept waiting more than 3 years for the next big reunion! Perish the thought. I am ready now!
From Carol Bunim Okin: It's been almost a week since our gala reunion, and I still haven't stopped smiling! It was so wonderful to see old friends and favorite teachers and reminisce about the good ole days. Can't wait for the next one. Be well, everyone!
From Hy Rosov: If I am still walking on two feet and can see and hear, I will damn sure try to make the next one, wherever it is.
From Linda Iaquinto O'Hara: The party was great. Den and I had a terrific time seeing so many of our old classmates and friends.
From Jay Kinder: It will take me weeks to absorb all of the conversations and information and relate them to my high school memories. My vote is to have the next reunion in five years.
From Marc Jonas: A masterful job
From Stu Kandel: Wow is right. It was an intense weekend of renewing old friendships. I found out this past weekend that old friends are the best friends. The old memories were, as the commercial says, priceless. If I have a vote, it's for a 40th in 3 years, or for that matter I'm free next weekend.
From Jane Ruzow Tiell: It was wonderful seeing everyone again. So glad I decided to come.
From Grace Dibble Kincade: I feel so fortunate to have been able to renew friendships and acquaintances. It was a totally positive experience, and I hope we get to do it again soon!
From Nancy Garfield: So great to see all of you. Everyone seemed to have a super time. I know I'm ready to work on our 40th, but right now I'm going to just sit on my couch and read.
From Ellen Epstein Silver: What a weekend. It was magical. I can't seem to stop smiling as I replay it in my mind (over and over). It met every expectation -- that trip down memory lane, the comfortable feeling of being with people who thought like you, lived life like you did, and shared the experiences of growing up in suburbia near the ocean yet a train ride away from the thrill of Manhattan and all the culture it had to offer; the semi-difficult times going through puberty, hoping the opposite sex was interested, and worrying about taking the SATS, and of course the unthinkable period when we witnessed the gloom and doom of the assassination of President Kennedy, and the weekend we were all glued to our television sets. I so enjoyed renewing old friendships, making new ones, catching up on the last 37 years, and hoping that we all have our little mini-reunions around the country when we visit a city where we know one of "us" lives. Also, hopefully we'll plan the big FOUR-0 with the same enthusiasm we had for this one (though let's make it in a hotel on a beach). Still, wherever it is, count me in. Meanwhile, if any of you pass through the Dallas area, I hope you'll look us up.
From Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer: A good time was had by all.
From Dennis Pizzimenti: Benette and I enjoyed this. Bittman, that was funny. Shame on you, Rosen. It was so "Taxi."
From Janet Hernandez: I know tomorrow starts the great reunion weekend of our class of '65 and I'm sorry that I am not able to make it. But my thoughts will be
with you all, and I hope to be able to be at the next one in a few years. In one of the e-mails someone mentioned the school song. Yes, I still have my yearbook, and I remember the song. I sometimes even think of it out the blue and start to hum it. I guess a lot of songs from years gone by just pop up in our minds, and we all think about that time, when we can.
From Eric Hilton: It’s Sunday, 10:48 PM, and I’m flying back to Sarasota on Jet Blue’s “Flight from Hell.” At 25,000 feet over Hershey, PA, lightning starts striking both sides of the aircraft, and passengers start to panic. While people were screaming and running in the aisles, I sit calmly in my seat, quietly fitting the air sickness bag over my head and praying that we land safely into the “Hershey Kiss” Factory, where as a kid, I got my hand caught in an antique chocolate display case while on a tour with my Brooklyn Avenue Cub Scout Troop. As punishment, they made me ride in the back of the bus with Weird Stuart, a rather large kid who wore his sneakers on the wrong feet and liked to eat small frogs from Mill Pond. So I’m flying in this vehicle of terror, and as people in the aircraft are preparing for the worst, I casually lean back and think about one of the most wonderful weekends I can ever remember, with people who helped make my childhood and adolescence a wonderful experience, all gathered together. When I flew up to New York, I wasn’t sure what to expect. 1965 was such a long time ago, my brain cells are only functioning at 48%, and I can’t remember squat. I have always dreamed of going back to my high school reunion as a famous movie star, a rock musician, an astronaut, or a cowboy (as a little kid, I worked in my uncle Ben’s deli and always dreamed of owning my own Pastrami ranch... what did I know?) After seeing some very impressive bios, I was feeling a bit insecure as I had not reached the financial status of most. Deciding not to remove the entire $28.67 from my savings account and purchase the new flashy stainless steel sports jacket I had seen in Home Depot (it was the kind you had to screw together) instead, I wore what I had. But from the time I set foot in the hospitality suite on Friday and picked up my photo badge, until the time I left on Sunday morning, people were screaming out my name, hugging and kissing me and all asking the same question... Who are you??? The entire weekend turned into a mutual hugging and kissing walk down memory lane. There were old friends like Donald Faber, who reminded me of things that we had done together in the Cub Scouts, names of people who had passed away, and stories of the wonderful times we had at South. I remember the many times 12 of us would get in my ‘55 Oldsmobile, go to “Talbor’s Liquor Store” and buy Boones Farm apple wine with the fake ID’s we made in print shop. As I got older, more refined, and became a “Gourmet Navy Chef," I learned about the fine wines that went with the epicurean meals I would prepare. Now that I am 55, the most important thing I need to know about fine wine is will it mix well with my prune juice? I can’t tell you how great it was to see our former teachers who meant so much to me. The one thing I didn’t see was anyone with a big ego, as everyone bonded so well and reminisced about the past. I also couldn’t help but notice what a handsome group of people we were, as everyone looked so wonderful. In fact, the women looked so good that some of the guys still tried to get them into the back seat of their rented cars by using the same old trick we used in the South High parking lot... pleading and begging! I especially want to thank Diane Fruzzetti for informing me about the reunion, my wife Gilda for making me go, and a special thanks to Grace Dibble for bringing in all of the Brooklyn Avenue photographs of us growing up, and the photo of me in my cub scout uniform. Cynthia Ingolia, on her way out, thanked me for remembering her, which brought tears to my eyes. I, too, was grateful that Cynthia and others remembered me fondly. This truly will be an event I will never forget! The only thing that I really want to know is this…can we do this again next week?
Finally, there are several finallys this week:
First, sorry about that virus scare. I'm an idiot.
Second, there are now 70 reunion photos on the home page. There would have been another 50, but I was fighting off an idiot virus scare. Still, more photos should be there soon. RoseMarie Cassillo, who took all the first batch, pointed out that the ones she sent me are much clearer than the ones I posted. That's because the ones I post have to work on everyone's computers so are relatively small and at a low dpi (that's computer jargon for stuff I only vaguely understand). But if there's a picture you especially like, ask the person who took it to send you a more detailed version.
Third, Lynn Nudelman Villagran has a very sensible approach to figuring out which additional photos to send me: wait and see what's already been posted, and if you have some neat photos that aren't there, send them on. If you don't have a scanner, send me prints, and I'll return them.
Fourth, Paul did the accounting and discovered we were ultimately thirty bucks underfinanced. We would have come out ahead if I hadn't decided at the last minute to tip the head waiter and the hospitality suite cleaning crew (that, alone, should get me into heaven, should there be one). In order to make up this enormous deficit, Paul considered asking everyone to send him a quarter, though, of course, it would cost an additional thirty-four cents each for us to do that. So for the moment, he's extending us a limited credit at no interest. What a guy.
Fifth, about the updates: as long as you keep sending me things to pass along, I'll keep harassing you weekly. I've even spoken with a couple of people who can sub for me if I want to try resuming crossword puzzles. So if you want to hear from us, we've got to hear from you.
And, last, yeah, I guess we seriously need to consider 2005. But not today.
Rich
Update 4-30-02
Wow,
We had a party.
We talked. We ate. We drank. We danced. (Well, some of us did.) We hiked. We played golf. We worked out. Some people even soaked in the hot tub. And did I mention we talked ourselves hoarse?
We caught up.
Well, we tried to. I had three days worth of five minute conversations, many of which could have lasted an evening. I learned things I probably should have known in high school and heard stories that possibly haven't been told since then.
We took pictures---many of which will turn up here in time. Just send me the prints, and I'll scan them, then send the photos back. Or e-mail me digital files. My home address, for anyone who missed picking up the printed bios, is: 23030 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California 91367. And if you missed picking up the printed bios and need a home address or phone number you think was printed there, just ask---because, for privacy, we're not putting that information on the home page.
We had fun. As Paul DeMartino has already said about the smaller gatherings, people who once seemed to have nothing in common suddenly found lots to talk about. Some folks made new friends. Others found old ones. Missing people were lamented, and, more times than I can remember, I heard, "He should have been here." "She would have liked this." "Have you heard anything at all about them?" There are still eighty people we're looking for, and maybe one hundred people we know of who couldn't, or wouldn't, come to the party. Fortunately, there'll be other parties soon.
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I kept being asked, "When's the next reunion?" "When are we doing this again?" Possibly as soon as 2005---for our fortieth anniversary---or maybe in five years. The Class of '61 is now on a five-year reunion cycle, which it seems to find comfortable, and we could try that. Though some people seem to think it would be easier to round off to forty, then go by fives from there---which is why the next reunion may be in three years. And there will still be smaller parties before then.
The New York mini-gatherings may continue regularly, and I heard talk of offshoots in Florida, D.C., and California. Talk was that a reunion in three years wouldn't attract nearly as many people as this one did after seventeen, but that doesn't matter: fifty people shouting could probably make just as much noise as the nearly one hundred and forty who got there this time.
And we did make noise. We nearly got kicked out of the hospitality suite twice. Once, because the hotel rules had changed after a party last week had to be broken up by the police; the second time, because it was 10:30 at night and other hotel guests already wanted to sleep. Imagine that. But the Friday night party that was supposed to start at 7:00, actually started at 3:00 in the afternoon, just as Dennis Shapiro and Paul began unpacking the wine. And despite the fact that at 10:30 we were relocated to the main lobby by the hotel manager, the party went on to midnight, or two, or even four---it all depended on when you finally wanted to go to sleep (which some people never seemed to).
But while we continued Friday night, it was the Marx Brothers' stateroom. The hospitality suite had four rooms, but people preferred to congregate in one. They came. They jammed against each other. They partied. At one point, some local young folks merely having their tenth high school reunion asked, "How come there are so many more of you than us? And how come you're having so much more fun?" Maybe because some of us hadn't seen each other since 1965, slightly before the Class of '92 was born.
000200000D6C00000E34 D66,
Most of Saturday, people were on their own, but the time still seemed to go too quickly. I'd tried to get a little sleep, but it turned out I was still on L.A. time and because of my usual late hours hadn't dozed off till dawn. I was awake by 8:00, as people gathered for coffee in the hospitality suite next door, then finally got out of bed at 10:00. From then, till 6:00 the next morning, I was running, though I didn't bring my camera out till the evening party. And even then, I took fewer pictures than I'd expected because so many other people had cameras. The food was reportedly great, though I somehow forgot to eat: every time I started toward the serving line, someone started another conversation. An hour later, I saw the waiters bringing plate after plate of cakes, all of which seemed to be eaten as soon as they hit the buffet tables---except for the one Jerry Bittman supposedly chased after when the bus boys finally began to clear. Still, I managed to miss the cake-eating, too.
Six teachers showed up: Toni Rea, Theresa Margolin Bargman. Booker Gibson, Bernie O'Brien, Joe Caruso, and Ed Schmidt. Virginia Ressa Schmidt had been expected, but wasn't feeling well, and an eighth teacher---Irving Saffrin---had only been invited that morning, when we finally got his phone number. Logically, he already had evening plans, but said that, under any other circumstances, he would gladly have attended.
The teachers seemed well, and happily retired---their average age easily topped seventy. Many brought regards from teachers who hadn't been able to come, or sent their best to students who also couldn't be there. Still, by 11:00, they were largely gone, and the juke box, which had played quietly under conversation, was cranked. For the next hour-and-a-half, people danced, as eagerly as we had at sixteen. And when we were finally evicted by the clean-up crew, we again migrated to the main lobby. At 2:00, we closed that bar, but still people didn't want to quit, and several dozen slipped into the supposedly-off-limits hospitality suite to finish off the last five bottles of champagne. That's when I finally got around to eating, picking the least unhealthy leftovers from Terri's snacks: seven asparagus sticks, two apples, an individual-size Drake's coffee cake (very dry), and four small bags of Fritos---maybe nothing has changed from high school.
Sunday morning, people gathered for pancakes and goodbyes. Checkout time was noon, but there were still stragglers in the lobby at 2:00 as Paul loaded the last few bottles of hospitality suite wine into his car. "Better to have too much than run out," he said, smiling, then added that all had gone well financially, and he thought we were still a few hundred bucks ahead---pending his final audit, of course
There were a couple of things we all agreed would change for next time, mainly having a larger, always accessible, hospitality suite so we didn't have to keep going back to the lobby. But other than some late night huffing at the hotel manager, everything had gone peacefully.
So on behalf of all of those who helped put the party together---Terri, Paul, Dennis, Nancy, Fran, Roz, Emily, and Jane---I say "You're Welcome" for all the "Thank Yous," and "You done goods." Finally, a toast I was happy not to make at the party, because I don't like the attention, but I'll offer happily now: "To absent friends."
Rich
Wow,
We had a party.
We talked. We ate. We drank. We danced. (Well, some of us did.) We hiked. We played golf. We worked out. Some people even soaked in the hot tub. And did I mention we talked ourselves hoarse?
We caught up.
Well, we tried to. I had three days worth of five minute conversations, many of which could have lasted an evening. I learned things I probably should have known in high school and heard stories that possibly haven't been told since then.
We took pictures---many of which will turn up here in time. Just send me the prints, and I'll scan them, then send the photos back. Or e-mail me digital files. My home address, for anyone who missed picking up the printed bios, is: 23030 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California 91367. And if you missed picking up the printed bios and need a home address or phone number you think was printed there, just ask---because, for privacy, we're not putting that information on the home page.
We had fun. As Paul DeMartino has already said about the smaller gatherings, people who once seemed to have nothing in common suddenly found lots to talk about. Some folks made new friends. Others found old ones. Missing people were lamented, and, more times than I can remember, I heard, "He should have been here." "She would have liked this." "Have you heard anything at all about them?" There are still eighty people we're looking for, and maybe one hundred people we know of who couldn't, or wouldn't, come to the party. Fortunately, there'll be other parties soon.
00020000082500000615 81F,
I kept being asked, "When's the next reunion?" "When are we doing this again?" Possibly as soon as 2005---for our fortieth anniversary---or maybe in five years. The Class of '61 is now on a five-year reunion cycle, which it seems to find comfortable, and we could try that. Though some people seem to think it would be easier to round off to forty, then go by fives from there---which is why the next reunion may be in three years. And there will still be smaller parties before then.
The New York mini-gatherings may continue regularly, and I heard talk of offshoots in Florida, D.C., and California. Talk was that a reunion in three years wouldn't attract nearly as many people as this one did after seventeen, but that doesn't matter: fifty people shouting could probably make just as much noise as the nearly one hundred and forty who got there this time.
And we did make noise. We nearly got kicked out of the hospitality suite twice. Once, because the hotel rules had changed after a party last week had to be broken up by the police; the second time, because it was 10:30 at night and other hotel guests already wanted to sleep. Imagine that. But the Friday night party that was supposed to start at 7:00, actually started at 3:00 in the afternoon, just as Dennis Shapiro and Paul began unpacking the wine. And despite the fact that at 10:30 we were relocated to the main lobby by the hotel manager, the party went on to midnight, or two, or even four---it all depended on when you finally wanted to go to sleep (which some people never seemed to).
But while we continued Friday night, it was the Marx Brothers' stateroom. The hospitality suite had four rooms, but people preferred to congregate in one. They came. They jammed against each other. They partied. At one point, some local young folks merely having their tenth high school reunion asked, "How come there are so many more of you than us? And how come you're having so much more fun?" Maybe because some of us hadn't seen each other since 1965, slightly before the Class of '92 was born.
000200000D6C00000E34 D66,
Most of Saturday, people were on their own, but the time still seemed to go too quickly. I'd tried to get a little sleep, but it turned out I was still on L.A. time and because of my usual late hours hadn't dozed off till dawn. I was awake by 8:00, as people gathered for coffee in the hospitality suite next door, then finally got out of bed at 10:00. From then, till 6:00 the next morning, I was running, though I didn't bring my camera out till the evening party. And even then, I took fewer pictures than I'd expected because so many other people had cameras. The food was reportedly great, though I somehow forgot to eat: every time I started toward the serving line, someone started another conversation. An hour later, I saw the waiters bringing plate after plate of cakes, all of which seemed to be eaten as soon as they hit the buffet tables---except for the one Jerry Bittman supposedly chased after when the bus boys finally began to clear. Still, I managed to miss the cake-eating, too.
Six teachers showed up: Toni Rea, Theresa Margolin Bargman. Booker Gibson, Bernie O'Brien, Joe Caruso, and Ed Schmidt. Virginia Ressa Schmidt had been expected, but wasn't feeling well, and an eighth teacher---Irving Saffrin---had only been invited that morning, when we finally got his phone number. Logically, he already had evening plans, but said that, under any other circumstances, he would gladly have attended.
The teachers seemed well, and happily retired---their average age easily topped seventy. Many brought regards from teachers who hadn't been able to come, or sent their best to students who also couldn't be there. Still, by 11:00, they were largely gone, and the juke box, which had played quietly under conversation, was cranked. For the next hour-and-a-half, people danced, as eagerly as we had at sixteen. And when we were finally evicted by the clean-up crew, we again migrated to the main lobby. At 2:00, we closed that bar, but still people didn't want to quit, and several dozen slipped into the supposedly-off-limits hospitality suite to finish off the last five bottles of champagne. That's when I finally got around to eating, picking the least unhealthy leftovers from Terri's snacks: seven asparagus sticks, two apples, an individual-size Drake's coffee cake (very dry), and four small bags of Fritos---maybe nothing has changed from high school.
Sunday morning, people gathered for pancakes and goodbyes. Checkout time was noon, but there were still stragglers in the lobby at 2:00 as Paul loaded the last few bottles of hospitality suite wine into his car. "Better to have too much than run out," he said, smiling, then added that all had gone well financially, and he thought we were still a few hundred bucks ahead---pending his final audit, of course
There were a couple of things we all agreed would change for next time, mainly having a larger, always accessible, hospitality suite so we didn't have to keep going back to the lobby. But other than some late night huffing at the hotel manager, everything had gone peacefully.
So on behalf of all of those who helped put the party together---Terri, Paul, Dennis, Nancy, Fran, Roz, Emily, and Jane---I say "You're Welcome" for all the "Thank Yous," and "You done goods." Finally, a toast I was happy not to make at the party, because I don't like the attention, but I'll offer happily now: "To absent friends."
Rich
Update 4-23-02
Hi,
Letters first:
From Hy Rosov: After enjoying a weekend in Tampa at the Class of '64 reunion, I can imagine what a thrill it will be for all of you from '65 to get together, and I am sure that you know I will be with you in spirit. Have a ball! Seeing Terri Donohue was great, and Paul Zegler was also just here in Florida visiting his father. We were supposed to get together, but time did not permit. However, we did spend a great deal of time on the phone, and he brought me up to date on his adventures during the past seventeen years. Terri seems to have filled you in on the Tampa bash, but here's the full guest list. Present were: Mr. & Mrs. Joe Wenk, Mr. & Mrs. Richie James (Alice Citron), Pam Rothstein, Mr. & Mrs. Cappadona (Christine's parents), Sue Raitt Howard, Mr. & Mrs. Al Livingston, Bob Earley, Mr. & Mrs. Ken Silver (Bette Hansen), Rick Sestile, Jack Lacertosa, Dan Clark, Mr. & Mrs. Tom McPartland, Terri Donohue Calamari, Bari-Sue Friedman Cohen, Mr. & Mrs. Frank McPartland, Bob Kleinman, Joe and Desi Argenzio, Joe Caruso, Hiram and Reva Rosov. (A dozen pictures from this party will soon be on the home page, under Class of '64 Reunion.)
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Well, I'm starting my reunions a week early, to make up for missing all the mini-New York gatherings. Paul Zegler flew in for a day-or-two to visit his ailing dad, who's 88, and we managed to get together late in the afternoon for the required "heart-attack-on-a-plate" stacked pastrami at Wolfies. Then, we grudgingly walked it off on South Beach. I also had an interesting meeting with a neighbor, Bob Eichinger. We were in the 5th grade together, and at South, but at different ends of the school, and I really don't remember knowing him. But he found me, and the long-delayed meeting was funny because he lives one street away from me, and both his kids went to elementary, middle school, high school, and UCF with my son, Evan. Had Evan really been friends with either of Bob's kids, of course I would have immediately recognized the last name on our class lists and pursued a tiny reunion. Instead, it took 24 years of being good Florida neighbors to be nudged into meeting again.
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From Jane Razor Tiel: I remember being Kenny Seelig's date for Rob Kelman's bar mitzvah. It's also sad when I think of Judy Fingerhut, and how I was always competing with her and losing out -- in cheerleaders and Honor Society. Life is so unpredictable. Can't think of anything else lately, except memories of those years. I saw Alias the other night and noted Barnet Kellman's name, and I have seen his name many times before, on other shows. I still remember telling him that he would be in show business someday. Somehow my performance in The Three Bears (I played Doc) was not an Academy Award performance, though I have found some goodies from our high school days, as well as the yearbooks from 1965 and 1964. Shelly Markman was briefly my boyfriend, and Phyllis Ignatow and Marjorie Newman were very good friends. I will bring my collection to the reunion.
From Barnet Kellman: So strange what we remember, and what we forget: I was very interested to read everyone's recollections of Winky Dink and the green screen. I thought I was the only one so underprivileged as to not have an official kit, but have to settle for a green piece of plastic and my own crayons. So it was a Green Acres thing! I once knew, but forgot the thing about the neighbor with the screen connection.
One recollection of Kenny Seelig: we were friends, but only really close in like third grade. At that time, I learned that his birthday was October 11th -- an odd fact that has stuck with me all these years and has made me reflexively think of him every year on that date. That reflex has, in recent years, been made more poignant by his passing.
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From Jeff Powitz: This is Steven Powitz's brother, Jeff. The class of 1971 had our 30th year reunion this past October 27th in New York, at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. It was a wonderful event! My family and I flew in from L.A., where we live, and stayed with my parents in Lynbrook for a week. Steve and his wife Minna came up from their home in Silver Spring, Maryland to visit. Steve's still back in the old 20th Century, with no e-mail, but I've been keeping him informed about your reunion. Also, I worked as an actor with Barnet Kellman in a TV movie several years ago. I've been racking my brain, but can't remember what the name of it was. I didn't know at the time that he was a South High alum. Surprised me to find that out from your bio updates.
From Mary Sipp-Green: After 37 years, it seems that Ira Mitzner and I will be at another graduation together. Both our sons will be graduating from Brown University this May. My son Jared is receiving his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. Jared, who's presently a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, is also just completing his first novel, Static. Also, does anyone besides me remember the art teacher Michael Jochnowitz? He was an early inspiration for me.
From Judy Hartstone: Getting close now! Has anyone ever been in touch with Stu Marshall? I see we have his e-mail address, which I used to send him a note. But I never heard back from him, and I wondered if anyone else has. Also, what's going on with the weather in New York? It should cool down by this weekend, right?
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From Michele Cohen Collins: Kind of exciting to be able to say, "See you soon."
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz: How excited are we all! It's Sunday night, and I can barely sleep! But I can't wait till Friday. It's gonna Rock!
Some RSVPs:
Add Rita Grande from the Class of '67. She's a friend of Michael Flomp Floyd's. Also, Stephen Spector's name just turned up on the hotel reservation list. And Mrs. Margolin-Bargman just called Terri to say she'd like to attend Saturday night, along with her husband. Terri said, "Sure," so that adds two more teachers. That's: Gibson, Rea, Schmidt, Ressa, O'Brien, Caruso, Margolin, and her husband. Eight.
And regrets:
From Mark Yetman: Hey, everybody, I hope that the reunion is a great success. Sorry I won't be able to be there, but, unfortunately, I'd already planned to be on a cruise. Looking forward to 2005, and hopefully a 40th reunion -- I won't make any plans for that year! Hope to see some of you at the post-reunion, mini-gatherings. My best to all.
From Gary Davis: Sorry my wife and I can't attend the reunion. Sorry to hear about the passing of Kenny Seelig. Please say hello to all my classmates in the Class of '65. Also, say hello to all my basketball teammates. Thanks again for the invite.
From Alex MacLeod: Attending reunion: No. Next time: Yes.
Steve Zuckerman reminds us that he's sorry he cannot make it, but his daughter is a nurse in the Air Force, and he's going to attend her promotion ceremony. He wishes us all well, hopes that we have a great time, and cannot wait to see the pictures
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On-going corrections:
From Paul: As for Bruce Molloy, I remember speaking with him by phone. He is in Houston, and he mentioned that he retired from one of the oil companies -- or was it the aerospace industry? Hmmm.
And: I've been learning to call lawyers attorneys lately---something my brother and sister-in-law never taught me. And that must be the mistake I made about Bruce Pizzimenti: my note "B & D -- Lawyers" actually referred to Benette and Dennis, not Bruce and Dennis. Unless B & D lawyers are people I don't want to meet unarmed. Despite my carelessness, Benette will still be bringing her South scrapbook to the party.
Also: Sorry I inverted two words in Terri's report on the '64 reunion. The description of Joe Caruso should have read "looked so terrific," not "so looked terrific." Terri was so not imitating Chandler Bing.
Which leads us to business:
From Terri: Reservation confirmation list from the hotel, as of April 19, 2002: Alison Altman, Denise Baxter, Jerry Bittman, Mr. & Mrs. Bobrow, Terri Calamari, Joan Cleven, Andy Dolich, Rich Eisbrouch, Robin Feit, Marc Fishman, Michael Floyd, Diane Fruzzetti, Peggy Galinger-Menaker, Nancy Garfield, Marilyn Goldhammer, Irene Goldstein, Arthur Halprin, Barbara Ianniello, Marc Jonas, Jane Katz, Barnet Kellman, Grace Kincade, Jay Kinder, Ira Levy, Linda Marrs, Ira Mitzner, Allan Moss, Kenneth Nolan, Carol Okin, Barbara Pech, Benette Pizzimenti, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Rachoi, Toni Rea, Rachel Rizzo, Peter Rosen, Bernie Scheidt, Paulinda Schimmel, Peggy Schwartz, Emily Sondheimer, Stephen Spector, John Stafford, Judith Sylvan, Robin Taylor, Jane Tiell, and Marion Wachtel. If you're not on this list, and you made reservations before April 19th, please call the hotel to see what the problem might be.
From Paul: So far, 125 people have paid for their Saturday night dinners---that's a total of $5625. Plus, we have $2620 donated toward the hospitality suite. Even with the increased number of teachers dinners to cover, we should still have $1000 for snacks and drinks.
Also, some new Forest Road pictures on the home page (Under New Forest Road Pictures). "Amazing what you (and your mother) can find when you look for it," says the donor.
Best news for almost last: Jane Ruzow Tiell has volunteered to run off copies of the now-29-page-long bio list, so there should be one for everyone at the reunion. (And everyone owes Jane a drink for this.) In order to give Jane the necessary lead time, all bios are frozen as of tonight. Any new ones will have to be added on-line.
Finally, next week's update may be a day-or-so late. Seems I have to be out of L.A. on business.
Reunion Information:
Friday evening, April 26th to Sunday afternoon, April 28th
Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel, 1717 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, N.Y.
631-232-9800
People currently coming:
Joan Aires Cleven
Alison Altman
Irene Augustin Wehn
Fran Bellucci Johnson
Jay & Sharyn Berliner
Olga Berne
Jerry Bittman
Barbara Blitfeld Pech
Joan Bouza Koster & guest
Barbara Brill
Robert Buchsbaum
Tom Calise
RoseMarie Cassillo Digilio
Linda Chanes Abel
Marsha Churnin Soroka & Neil Soroka
Linda Cohen Kelman Greenseid
Michele Cohen Collins & John Stafford
Peggy Cooper Schwartz
Jerrie Clamp Rachoi & Mickey Rachoi
Steve Davidson
Grace Dibble Kincade & daughter Christy Kincade
Terri Donohue Calamari
Paul DeMartino
Andy Dolich
Richard Duncan
Wes & Mary Eddy
Robert & Veronica Eichinger
Rich Eisbrouch
Barbara Endy Ianniello
Ellen Epstein Silver & Alan Silver
Carol Ewig Duran
Don Faber
Alan Finder
Robin Feit
Emily Ferber Sondheimer
Marc & Val Fishman
Robert Fiveson
Mike Flomp Floyd & Lisa Floyd
June Forbes Tatelman?
Denise Frango Baxter & guest
Diane Fruzzetti
Henry Gabbay
Peggy Galinger Menaker
Carole Ganz
Nancy Garfield
Booker Gibson
Jay Gladky
Les & Karen Glasser
Stuart & Genie Glasser
Rick Glickman Wall
Marc Goldberg
Steve Gootzeit
Rita Grande '67
Linda Greenberg Zucker & husband
Neil Guberman
Art Halprin
Judy Hartstone
Mary Higgins Rosequist
Eric Hilton
Sharon Hoenig Barry & Thomas Barry
Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer
Linda Iaquinto O'Hara
Cynthia Ingolia Kammerer & guest
Marc Jonas
Stu Kandel
Greg Kaplan
Barnet Kellman
Rob Kelman
Jay Kinder
Ralph Kramer
Ira Levy
David Licht
Jim Lorey (Friday night only)
Carlo Lucarelli
Bea Massa Brown
Rosemary Mercurio
Roz Minsky Bobrow & Alec Bobrow
Ira Mitzner
Jeryl Monsees Denois
Martha Morenstein
Allen Moss
Ken Nolan
Ellen Nudelman Davidson
Lynn Nudelman Villagran
Bernie O'Brien
Dennis O'Hara
Audrey Olsen
Judy Peters Sylvan
Dennis Pizzimenti
Toni Rea
Virginia Ressa Schmidt
Rachael Robinson Rizzo
Peter Rosen
Sam Ross
Larry & Joan Rugen
Jane Ruzow Tiell
Irene Saunders Goldstein
Bernie Scheidt
Paulinda Schimmel
Ed Schmidt
Robin Seader Cottmeyer
Dennis Shapiro
Robin Singer Taylor
Mary Sipp Green
Stephen Spector
Ray Staley
Benette Steindam Pizzimenti '66
Danny & Barbara Stellebotte
Jay Tuerk
Gayle Ulrich Ramesh
Linda Vicinanza Marrs
Marion Wachtel & guest
Louise Wiemer Beckert
Janice Williams Teewe
Jane Wolf Katz
Paul Zegler
Barbara Zingman Braunstein & Jeff Braunstein
Fast Address Link: http://hometown.aol.com/reunionclass65/myhomepage/profile.html
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Hi,
Letters first:
From Hy Rosov: After enjoying a weekend in Tampa at the Class of '64 reunion, I can imagine what a thrill it will be for all of you from '65 to get together, and I am sure that you know I will be with you in spirit. Have a ball! Seeing Terri Donohue was great, and Paul Zegler was also just here in Florida visiting his father. We were supposed to get together, but time did not permit. However, we did spend a great deal of time on the phone, and he brought me up to date on his adventures during the past seventeen years. Terri seems to have filled you in on the Tampa bash, but here's the full guest list. Present were: Mr. & Mrs. Joe Wenk, Mr. & Mrs. Richie James (Alice Citron), Pam Rothstein, Mr. & Mrs. Cappadona (Christine's parents), Sue Raitt Howard, Mr. & Mrs. Al Livingston, Bob Earley, Mr. & Mrs. Ken Silver (Bette Hansen), Rick Sestile, Jack Lacertosa, Dan Clark, Mr. & Mrs. Tom McPartland, Terri Donohue Calamari, Bari-Sue Friedman Cohen, Mr. & Mrs. Frank McPartland, Bob Kleinman, Joe and Desi Argenzio, Joe Caruso, Hiram and Reva Rosov. (A dozen pictures from this party will soon be on the home page, under Class of '64 Reunion.)
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Well, I'm starting my reunions a week early, to make up for missing all the mini-New York gatherings. Paul Zegler flew in for a day-or-two to visit his ailing dad, who's 88, and we managed to get together late in the afternoon for the required "heart-attack-on-a-plate" stacked pastrami at Wolfies. Then, we grudgingly walked it off on South Beach. I also had an interesting meeting with a neighbor, Bob Eichinger. We were in the 5th grade together, and at South, but at different ends of the school, and I really don't remember knowing him. But he found me, and the long-delayed meeting was funny because he lives one street away from me, and both his kids went to elementary, middle school, high school, and UCF with my son, Evan. Had Evan really been friends with either of Bob's kids, of course I would have immediately recognized the last name on our class lists and pursued a tiny reunion. Instead, it took 24 years of being good Florida neighbors to be nudged into meeting again.
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From Jane Razor Tiel: I remember being Kenny Seelig's date for Rob Kelman's bar mitzvah. It's also sad when I think of Judy Fingerhut, and how I was always competing with her and losing out -- in cheerleaders and Honor Society. Life is so unpredictable. Can't think of anything else lately, except memories of those years. I saw Alias the other night and noted Barnet Kellman's name, and I have seen his name many times before, on other shows. I still remember telling him that he would be in show business someday. Somehow my performance in The Three Bears (I played Doc) was not an Academy Award performance, though I have found some goodies from our high school days, as well as the yearbooks from 1965 and 1964. Shelly Markman was briefly my boyfriend, and Phyllis Ignatow and Marjorie Newman were very good friends. I will bring my collection to the reunion.
From Barnet Kellman: So strange what we remember, and what we forget: I was very interested to read everyone's recollections of Winky Dink and the green screen. I thought I was the only one so underprivileged as to not have an official kit, but have to settle for a green piece of plastic and my own crayons. So it was a Green Acres thing! I once knew, but forgot the thing about the neighbor with the screen connection.
One recollection of Kenny Seelig: we were friends, but only really close in like third grade. At that time, I learned that his birthday was October 11th -- an odd fact that has stuck with me all these years and has made me reflexively think of him every year on that date. That reflex has, in recent years, been made more poignant by his passing.
00020000063200000F17 62C,
From Jeff Powitz: This is Steven Powitz's brother, Jeff. The class of 1971 had our 30th year reunion this past October 27th in New York, at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. It was a wonderful event! My family and I flew in from L.A., where we live, and stayed with my parents in Lynbrook for a week. Steve and his wife Minna came up from their home in Silver Spring, Maryland to visit. Steve's still back in the old 20th Century, with no e-mail, but I've been keeping him informed about your reunion. Also, I worked as an actor with Barnet Kellman in a TV movie several years ago. I've been racking my brain, but can't remember what the name of it was. I didn't know at the time that he was a South High alum. Surprised me to find that out from your bio updates.
From Mary Sipp-Green: After 37 years, it seems that Ira Mitzner and I will be at another graduation together. Both our sons will be graduating from Brown University this May. My son Jared is receiving his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. Jared, who's presently a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, is also just completing his first novel, Static. Also, does anyone besides me remember the art teacher Michael Jochnowitz? He was an early inspiration for me.
From Judy Hartstone: Getting close now! Has anyone ever been in touch with Stu Marshall? I see we have his e-mail address, which I used to send him a note. But I never heard back from him, and I wondered if anyone else has. Also, what's going on with the weather in New York? It should cool down by this weekend, right?
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From Michele Cohen Collins: Kind of exciting to be able to say, "See you soon."
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz: How excited are we all! It's Sunday night, and I can barely sleep! But I can't wait till Friday. It's gonna Rock!
Some RSVPs:
Add Rita Grande from the Class of '67. She's a friend of Michael Flomp Floyd's. Also, Stephen Spector's name just turned up on the hotel reservation list. And Mrs. Margolin-Bargman just called Terri to say she'd like to attend Saturday night, along with her husband. Terri said, "Sure," so that adds two more teachers. That's: Gibson, Rea, Schmidt, Ressa, O'Brien, Caruso, Margolin, and her husband. Eight.
And regrets:
From Mark Yetman: Hey, everybody, I hope that the reunion is a great success. Sorry I won't be able to be there, but, unfortunately, I'd already planned to be on a cruise. Looking forward to 2005, and hopefully a 40th reunion -- I won't make any plans for that year! Hope to see some of you at the post-reunion, mini-gatherings. My best to all.
From Gary Davis: Sorry my wife and I can't attend the reunion. Sorry to hear about the passing of Kenny Seelig. Please say hello to all my classmates in the Class of '65. Also, say hello to all my basketball teammates. Thanks again for the invite.
From Alex MacLeod: Attending reunion: No. Next time: Yes.
Steve Zuckerman reminds us that he's sorry he cannot make it, but his daughter is a nurse in the Air Force, and he's going to attend her promotion ceremony. He wishes us all well, hopes that we have a great time, and cannot wait to see the pictures
00020000070600001B7A 700,
On-going corrections:
From Paul: As for Bruce Molloy, I remember speaking with him by phone. He is in Houston, and he mentioned that he retired from one of the oil companies -- or was it the aerospace industry? Hmmm.
And: I've been learning to call lawyers attorneys lately---something my brother and sister-in-law never taught me. And that must be the mistake I made about Bruce Pizzimenti: my note "B & D -- Lawyers" actually referred to Benette and Dennis, not Bruce and Dennis. Unless B & D lawyers are people I don't want to meet unarmed. Despite my carelessness, Benette will still be bringing her South scrapbook to the party.
Also: Sorry I inverted two words in Terri's report on the '64 reunion. The description of Joe Caruso should have read "looked so terrific," not "so looked terrific." Terri was so not imitating Chandler Bing.
Which leads us to business:
From Terri: Reservation confirmation list from the hotel, as of April 19, 2002: Alison Altman, Denise Baxter, Jerry Bittman, Mr. & Mrs. Bobrow, Terri Calamari, Joan Cleven, Andy Dolich, Rich Eisbrouch, Robin Feit, Marc Fishman, Michael Floyd, Diane Fruzzetti, Peggy Galinger-Menaker, Nancy Garfield, Marilyn Goldhammer, Irene Goldstein, Arthur Halprin, Barbara Ianniello, Marc Jonas, Jane Katz, Barnet Kellman, Grace Kincade, Jay Kinder, Ira Levy, Linda Marrs, Ira Mitzner, Allan Moss, Kenneth Nolan, Carol Okin, Barbara Pech, Benette Pizzimenti, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Rachoi, Toni Rea, Rachel Rizzo, Peter Rosen, Bernie Scheidt, Paulinda Schimmel, Peggy Schwartz, Emily Sondheimer, Stephen Spector, John Stafford, Judith Sylvan, Robin Taylor, Jane Tiell, and Marion Wachtel. If you're not on this list, and you made reservations before April 19th, please call the hotel to see what the problem might be.
From Paul: So far, 125 people have paid for their Saturday night dinners---that's a total of $5625. Plus, we have $2620 donated toward the hospitality suite. Even with the increased number of teachers dinners to cover, we should still have $1000 for snacks and drinks.
Also, some new Forest Road pictures on the home page (Under New Forest Road Pictures). "Amazing what you (and your mother) can find when you look for it," says the donor.
Best news for almost last: Jane Ruzow Tiell has volunteered to run off copies of the now-29-page-long bio list, so there should be one for everyone at the reunion. (And everyone owes Jane a drink for this.) In order to give Jane the necessary lead time, all bios are frozen as of tonight. Any new ones will have to be added on-line.
Finally, next week's update may be a day-or-so late. Seems I have to be out of L.A. on business.
Reunion Information:
Friday evening, April 26th to Sunday afternoon, April 28th
Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel, 1717 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, N.Y.
631-232-9800
People currently coming:
Joan Aires Cleven
Alison Altman
Irene Augustin Wehn
Fran Bellucci Johnson
Jay & Sharyn Berliner
Olga Berne
Jerry Bittman
Barbara Blitfeld Pech
Joan Bouza Koster & guest
Barbara Brill
Robert Buchsbaum
Tom Calise
RoseMarie Cassillo Digilio
Linda Chanes Abel
Marsha Churnin Soroka & Neil Soroka
Linda Cohen Kelman Greenseid
Michele Cohen Collins & John Stafford
Peggy Cooper Schwartz
Jerrie Clamp Rachoi & Mickey Rachoi
Steve Davidson
Grace Dibble Kincade & daughter Christy Kincade
Terri Donohue Calamari
Paul DeMartino
Andy Dolich
Richard Duncan
Wes & Mary Eddy
Robert & Veronica Eichinger
Rich Eisbrouch
Barbara Endy Ianniello
Ellen Epstein Silver & Alan Silver
Carol Ewig Duran
Don Faber
Alan Finder
Robin Feit
Emily Ferber Sondheimer
Marc & Val Fishman
Robert Fiveson
Mike Flomp Floyd & Lisa Floyd
June Forbes Tatelman?
Denise Frango Baxter & guest
Diane Fruzzetti
Henry Gabbay
Peggy Galinger Menaker
Carole Ganz
Nancy Garfield
Booker Gibson
Jay Gladky
Les & Karen Glasser
Stuart & Genie Glasser
Rick Glickman Wall
Marc Goldberg
Steve Gootzeit
Rita Grande '67
Linda Greenberg Zucker & husband
Neil Guberman
Art Halprin
Judy Hartstone
Mary Higgins Rosequist
Eric Hilton
Sharon Hoenig Barry & Thomas Barry
Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer
Linda Iaquinto O'Hara
Cynthia Ingolia Kammerer & guest
Marc Jonas
Stu Kandel
Greg Kaplan
Barnet Kellman
Rob Kelman
Jay Kinder
Ralph Kramer
Ira Levy
David Licht
Jim Lorey (Friday night only)
Carlo Lucarelli
Bea Massa Brown
Rosemary Mercurio
Roz Minsky Bobrow & Alec Bobrow
Ira Mitzner
Jeryl Monsees Denois
Martha Morenstein
Allen Moss
Ken Nolan
Ellen Nudelman Davidson
Lynn Nudelman Villagran
Bernie O'Brien
Dennis O'Hara
Audrey Olsen
Judy Peters Sylvan
Dennis Pizzimenti
Toni Rea
Virginia Ressa Schmidt
Rachael Robinson Rizzo
Peter Rosen
Sam Ross
Larry & Joan Rugen
Jane Ruzow Tiell
Irene Saunders Goldstein
Bernie Scheidt
Paulinda Schimmel
Ed Schmidt
Robin Seader Cottmeyer
Dennis Shapiro
Robin Singer Taylor
Mary Sipp Green
Stephen Spector
Ray Staley
Benette Steindam Pizzimenti '66
Danny & Barbara Stellebotte
Jay Tuerk
Gayle Ulrich Ramesh
Linda Vicinanza Marrs
Marion Wachtel & guest
Louise Wiemer Beckert
Janice Williams Teewe
Jane Wolf Katz
Paul Zegler
Barbara Zingman Braunstein & Jeff Braunstein
Fast Address Link: http://hometown.aol.com/reunionclass65/myhomepage/profile.html
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Update 4-16-02
Hi,
Quick report from Terri Donohue Calamari, our rep at last weekend's Class of '64 reunion organized by Sue Raitt in Tampa: It was very nice, and lots of fun. Hy Rosov, Phil Argenzio, and Joe Caruso were there. Mr. Caruso must have been fairly young when he was our teacher, because he so looked terrific, he could have been a member of the class. He'll also be coming to our reunion now, since he has homes in New York and Florida and will be on Long Island the weekend of our gathering. I poked Phil Argenzio in the chest -- on direct orders from Bob Fiveson -- but Argenzio just laughed, admitting he'd not only been a finger-poker, but also a chest-puncher. So I punched him in the chest, too.
This was a three-day party, like ours, though with a smaller crowd -- maybe three dozen people -- since it was harder than expected to draw people to Tampa. But it was a beautiful setting, in an outdoor white tent set up next to the pool and overlooking Tampa Bay. Sue greeted many of her former admirers. Uncle Hy said hello to everyone, and again sent regrets for not being able to attend our reunion. I even got to dance with former football star Richie James, as his wife Alice Citron looked on. And I got to use my nursing training, when someone slipped Saturday afternoon while we were setting up and needed to be taken to the hospital. In fact, I had so much fun, I may just become a professional reunion-goer, showing up at parties where people don't even know me. You're all welcome to come along.
Other letters:
From Steve Gootzeit: Kenny Seelig was the first person I met in Green Acres, when I moved there in February 1956. In the fifth or sixth grade, he and I both set the foul-shooting record at Forest Road School (4 out of 5), and his mother took us out to lunch for burgers at Schorr's in Hewlett. I remember that he was very competitive -- as I am sure you all know (?), we were bowling protagonists. Even though we weren't the closest of friends, I always think of him when I recollect those years. I would have liked to see him again. Rest in peace.
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From Bernie Scheidt: My Kenny Selig story involves Cub Scouts. His mother was our Den Mother, and his grandfather was a Tasty Pie Salesman, so we always had pies for a snack at the meetings.
For some reason, all my memories of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have to do with food. When we were in the Boy Scouts, Mr. Vogel was the troop leader and a wholesale butcher, and some father (I am not sure who) always brought a canteen full of wine for cooking. Somehow, we always seemed to win the cooking contests, and we were the best feed troop in the county. I still remember being roused from a sound sleep for steak sandwiches at midnight!
Also, Rich, I don't know why you didn't have the plastic screen cover for Winky Dink. I got mine from you next door neighbor (the Kiviat's). The father, Bob, was in the plastic business and supplied the plastic for the kits. I had to use my own crayons though, so I didn't have the real magic ones.
From Roz Minsky Bobrow: Guess what! I have found the program from our graduation intact -- and that even includes the scholarship information insert! It even includes the words to that wonderful Falcon Alma Mater! We could have a contest to see who can sing the entire song with the correct words! It also lists the August 1964 and January 1965 graduates. I may try to make copies of the program to give out. I also found a much-faded mug from the senior prom! Ten days... but who's counting?
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Hi there. Just another quick question. As you've been hearing from as many if not more people as I... me... whatever... have you noticed as the reunion gets closer the excited level is beyond peak? I can assure you that my circle is on full hype -- between the planning, packing, facials, lypo and other necessary arrangements. This is gonna rock! When's the next one? Hugs.
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From Jerry Bittman: I just received a great surprise. I got a phone call from Les Glasser. If you remember, Les moved to Merrick after his junior year. We both went to college in Florida, and I saw Les there our freshman year. But that was it, and I haven't seen or heard from him in 36 years. So, what a surprise. Les lives only 10 minutes from the hotel, so he'll be at the party.
Also, last night I looked at all the photos on the home page. I feel better because I thought everybody was still going to look 18 except me. As a matter of fact, I had to call Peter Rosen up and tell him he hasn't changed -- look at his picture. Pete asked me if I really weigh 700 plus pounds. I told him yes, and he said he could not wait to hug me. But I told him he was not big enough to hug me. As a matter of fact, Rosen is not big enough to hug a telephone pole.
I noticed in Mrs. Sussman's 2nd grade class at Forest Road there was the name Ray and then a question mark. His name was Ray Ruzek, and Raymond, Steven Spector, and I were friends growing up on Brook Road. Ray and his family moved to Baltimore in 5th or 6th grade.
Judy Zinger, it was great hearing from you, and tell your brother Barnett to try to attend. It looks as if Robin Feit has not aged at all. Judy Hartstone, believe me, if this is going to be a beauty pageant, I'd walk away with the booby prize. Andy Dolich and Stu Kandel, I spoke to Kenny Seelig's daughter tonight, and all is set up for us to visit his parents. Also, I told that story about Kenny Seelig in the quicksand to his daughter and wife, and they roared with laughter. Finally, Rich, I did not realize I was this old until I heard about the reunion. And since my e-mail name is Crazygeronimo, I will be sure to scalp you when I see you.
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New e-mail address for Les Glasser: kgmuffins@aol.com
Some RSVPs: From Barnet Kellman: I was hoping to make a weekend of it, but I'm shooting a TV pilot through Friday. I'll be arriving just in time for Saturday dinner. Looking forward to seeing you all.
(Also, the episode of Alias that Barnet recently directed, aired last Sunday night. Sorry I got late notice or I would have alerted everyone.)
From Paulinda Schimmel: I am very excited about the reunion and looking forward to seeing what everyone looks like after all these years. Don't worry I've seen it all -- I'm in the digital imaging business now. Anyway, you can always be retouched!
Regrets: From Nancy Nudelman Lobell and Richie Lobell: Please extend my greetings to everyone at the reunion. Richie and I can't make it back from California, since we have an 85th birthday celebration (Richie's mom) in Florida on April 12th, and a trip back east for my niece's college graduation in May. I am sure my sisters will represent the Nudelman family well.
And Henry Gabbay mentions that his wife Susan is unable to join us. Ditto, Jane Wolff Katz's husband.
A correction to the bios: Benette Steindam Pizzimenti writes that Bruce Pizzimenti is not a lawyer, and David Pizzimenti is not in corporate planning. Sorry. I got that wrong from a phone conversation with Dennis last December. But Bruce may still live in Colorado, and David in Chicago. You'll have to check with Dennis and Benette.
Also, I don't know how I got the idea that Bruce Molloy is a lawyer, or why I know he lives in Houston. But if someone can help me, I'd appreciate it. And where are my reading glasses? These are not my reading glasses.
00020000082C00001D3D 826,
From Nancy Garfield: Lots more bios coming in. Thanks, everyone, and please keep them coming. Also -- and I suspect that you don't need to be reminded about this -- please remember to bring pictures of your kids and grandchildren to the party.
From Paul DeMartino: I had lunch with Marc Jonas in Philadelphia, where I was working this week and where Marc works all the time. It was great catching up and reliving our South years, and it was a shame that we didn't have more time, because I sensed that we could have talked into the night.
Which leads us into Paul's fast business report:
So far, 119 people have paid for their Saturday night dinners---that's a total of $5355. Plus, we have $2410 donated toward the hospitality suite. That's $700 for the suite rental, $270 for the teacher's dinners, $350 for the juke box, possibly $200 set aside for the still-unresolved video camera issue, leaving about $900 for snacks, drinks, and miscellaneous things like name tags---and Roz now has Emily Ferber Sondheimer helping her with those. Paul also points out that it is now too late for anyone to mail a check to him---that deadline has passed, along with Tax Day. So if you still need to pay for a Saturday night dinner, please have nice crisp cash for him on Friday or Saturday. (Or you can give it to Dennis Shapiro.)
And about that video camera: at this point, I'm inclined to forget about it. A lot of people are going to be carrying cameras, so I'm not worried about the party going undocumented. And while it would be nice to have recorded comments from folks, we've certainly generated enough written remarks for these updates and bios, and we're not exactly a group of people who lets their opinions rest unheard. Finally, what everyone seems to agree on is they don't want someone nosing around the party with a video camera, making people nervous. So unless someone appears Friday or Saturday with a video camera and a tripod, to set up in a corner of the hospitality suite and record a kind of talking heads documentary, I'm going to drop the whole idea.
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Also, about the bios: something I couldn't have predicted is we'd have 26 pages of them, in 9 point, barely-readable type. At a dime a page at Kinko's, that's about two-and-a-half bucks a set, and we'd need at least 100 sets of them. I've asked Paul how we're set for extra cash, and he assures me that he can easily find a more useful way to spend 250 dollars---and kill several trees---than running off multiple copies of our names. So at the moment, we're sticking with the e-mail-only version of the bios that I've been circulating (more will be coming tomorrow, and all the ones I've gotten up to yesterday are now listed on the home page). If people really need mailing addresses and phone numbers, we can run off a quick, cheap, couple-page list Saturday night (Kinko's never sleeps). And for those people without computers, Paul said he'd try and work something out after the party---or they can simply get one of their friends with a computer to print the bios out. Paul also suggested we have a printed copy of the bios on hand in the hospitality suite, along with the yearbooks various people have promised to bring along.
Terri also mentioned that she'll try and get an updated copy of the hotel room reservation list for next week's update---so everyone who's made a reservation has additional confirmation.
The repeats:
April Reunion Information:
When: Friday evening, April 26th to Sunday afternoon, April 28th, 2002
Where: Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel, 1717 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, N.Y.
Phone: 631-232-9800
Cost: Room per night: $109 (plus taxes, which can add 20%)
000200000F1100002B9E F0B, Saturday buffet dinner: $45.00
Saturday night buffet bar: cash bar
Hospitality suite donation (to stock it for the three days): voluntary
The questionnaire:
Name:
Home address (optional -- or city & state where you currently live):
Phone number (optional):
E-mail address (optional):
Occupation (or how you spend your days or nights):
Spouse/Partner's name (if you have one):
Children and/or pets names (please distinguish):
Hobbies or pastimes:
Retirement plans:
Attending the reunion?
Anything else you want us to know:
Please send your answers to Nancy Garfield at NGarf1234@aol.com. Or mail them to Nancy at 3741 S.W. Munson, Topeka, Kansas 66604
Finally, Robert Fiveson wrote that among his treasured South memorabilia, he'd just found an unused condom, still sealed in foil, and pressed nearly flat from years in his high school wallet. He also suggested---and here I paraphrase---that we auction one of the guys in our class off to one of the women---the money, of course, going to charity. Robert further plotted that the guy and the woman should then slip off to one of the hotel rooms, giving the rest of us all something to gossip about---just like in high school. I told Robert we'd only auction him off if he just wore the condom---so no one sued later for false advertising. He sadly wrote back that he'd already opened the foil, and the condom had disintegrated into sawdust. Which finishes that.
People currently coming to the reunion:
Joan Aires Cleven
Alison Altman
Irene Augustin Wehn
Fran Bellucci Johnson
Jay & Sharyn Berliner
Olga Berne
Jerry Bittman
Barbara Blitfeld Pech
Joan Bouza Koster & guest
Barbara Brill
Robert Buchsbaum
Tom Calise
RoseMarie Cassillo Digilio
Linda Chanes Abel
Marsha Churnin Soroka & Neil Soroka
Linda Cohen Kelman Greenseid
Michele Cohen Collins & John Stafford
Peggy Cooper Schwartz
Jerrie Clamp Rachoi & Mickey Rachoi
Steve Davidson
Grace Dibble Kincade & daughter Christy Kincade
Terri Donohue Calamari
Paul DeMartino
Andy Dolich
Richard Duncan
Wes & Mary Eddy
Robert & Veronica Eichinger
Rich Eisbrouch
Barbara Endy Ianniello
Ellen Epstein Silver & Alan Silver
Carol Ewig Duran
Don Faber
Alan Finder
Robin Feit
Emily Ferber Sondheimer
Marc & Val Fishman
Robert Fiveson
Mike Flomp Floyd & Lisa Floyd
June Forbes Tatelman?
Denise Frango Baxter & guest
Diane Fruzzetti
Henry Gabbay
Peggy Galinger Menaker
Carole Ganz
Nancy Garfield
Booker Gibson
Jay Gladky
Stuart & Genie Glasser
Rick Glickman Wall
Marc Goldberg
Steve Gootzeit
Linda Greenberg Zucker & husband
Neil Guberman
Art Halprin
Judy Hartstone
Mary Higgins Rosequist
Eric Hilton
Sharon Hoenig Barry & Thomas Barry
Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer
Linda Iaquinto O'Hara
Cynthia Ingolia Kammerer & guest
Marc Jonas
Stu Kandel
Greg Kaplan
Barnet Kellman
Rob Kelman
Jay Kinder
Ralph Kramer
Ira Levy
David Licht
Jim Lorey (Friday night only)
Carlo Lucarelli
Bea Massa Brown
Rosemary Mercurio
Roz Minsky Bobrow & Alec Bobrow
Ira Mitzner
Jeryl Monsees Denois
Martha Morenstein
Allen Moss
Ken Nolan
Ellen Nudelman Davidson
Lynn Nudelman Villagran
Bernie O'Brien
Dennis O'Hara
Audrey Olsen
Judy Peters Sylvan
Dennis Pizzimenti
Toni Rea
Virginia Ressa Schmidt
Rachael Robinson Rizzo
Peter Rosen
Sam Ross
Larry & Joan Rugen
Jane Ruzow Tiell
Irene Saunders Goldstein
Bernie Scheidt
Paulinda Schimmel
Ed Schmidt
Robin Seader Cottmeyer
Dennis Shapiro
Robin Singer Taylor
Mary Sipp Green
Ray Staley
Benette Steindam Pizzimenti
Danny & Barbara Stellebotte
Jay Tuerk
Gayle Ulrich Ramesh
Linda Vicinanza Marrs
Louise Wiemer Beckert
Janice Williams Teewe
Jane Wolf Katz
Paul Zegler
Barbara Zingman Braunstein & Jeff Braunstein
Fast Address Link: http://hometown.aol.com/reunionclass65/myhomepage/profile.html
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Hi,
Quick report from Terri Donohue Calamari, our rep at last weekend's Class of '64 reunion organized by Sue Raitt in Tampa: It was very nice, and lots of fun. Hy Rosov, Phil Argenzio, and Joe Caruso were there. Mr. Caruso must have been fairly young when he was our teacher, because he so looked terrific, he could have been a member of the class. He'll also be coming to our reunion now, since he has homes in New York and Florida and will be on Long Island the weekend of our gathering. I poked Phil Argenzio in the chest -- on direct orders from Bob Fiveson -- but Argenzio just laughed, admitting he'd not only been a finger-poker, but also a chest-puncher. So I punched him in the chest, too.
This was a three-day party, like ours, though with a smaller crowd -- maybe three dozen people -- since it was harder than expected to draw people to Tampa. But it was a beautiful setting, in an outdoor white tent set up next to the pool and overlooking Tampa Bay. Sue greeted many of her former admirers. Uncle Hy said hello to everyone, and again sent regrets for not being able to attend our reunion. I even got to dance with former football star Richie James, as his wife Alice Citron looked on. And I got to use my nursing training, when someone slipped Saturday afternoon while we were setting up and needed to be taken to the hospital. In fact, I had so much fun, I may just become a professional reunion-goer, showing up at parties where people don't even know me. You're all welcome to come along.
Other letters:
From Steve Gootzeit: Kenny Seelig was the first person I met in Green Acres, when I moved there in February 1956. In the fifth or sixth grade, he and I both set the foul-shooting record at Forest Road School (4 out of 5), and his mother took us out to lunch for burgers at Schorr's in Hewlett. I remember that he was very competitive -- as I am sure you all know (?), we were bowling protagonists. Even though we weren't the closest of friends, I always think of him when I recollect those years. I would have liked to see him again. Rest in peace.
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From Bernie Scheidt: My Kenny Selig story involves Cub Scouts. His mother was our Den Mother, and his grandfather was a Tasty Pie Salesman, so we always had pies for a snack at the meetings.
For some reason, all my memories of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have to do with food. When we were in the Boy Scouts, Mr. Vogel was the troop leader and a wholesale butcher, and some father (I am not sure who) always brought a canteen full of wine for cooking. Somehow, we always seemed to win the cooking contests, and we were the best feed troop in the county. I still remember being roused from a sound sleep for steak sandwiches at midnight!
Also, Rich, I don't know why you didn't have the plastic screen cover for Winky Dink. I got mine from you next door neighbor (the Kiviat's). The father, Bob, was in the plastic business and supplied the plastic for the kits. I had to use my own crayons though, so I didn't have the real magic ones.
From Roz Minsky Bobrow: Guess what! I have found the program from our graduation intact -- and that even includes the scholarship information insert! It even includes the words to that wonderful Falcon Alma Mater! We could have a contest to see who can sing the entire song with the correct words! It also lists the August 1964 and January 1965 graduates. I may try to make copies of the program to give out. I also found a much-faded mug from the senior prom! Ten days... but who's counting?
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Hi there. Just another quick question. As you've been hearing from as many if not more people as I... me... whatever... have you noticed as the reunion gets closer the excited level is beyond peak? I can assure you that my circle is on full hype -- between the planning, packing, facials, lypo and other necessary arrangements. This is gonna rock! When's the next one? Hugs.
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From Jerry Bittman: I just received a great surprise. I got a phone call from Les Glasser. If you remember, Les moved to Merrick after his junior year. We both went to college in Florida, and I saw Les there our freshman year. But that was it, and I haven't seen or heard from him in 36 years. So, what a surprise. Les lives only 10 minutes from the hotel, so he'll be at the party.
Also, last night I looked at all the photos on the home page. I feel better because I thought everybody was still going to look 18 except me. As a matter of fact, I had to call Peter Rosen up and tell him he hasn't changed -- look at his picture. Pete asked me if I really weigh 700 plus pounds. I told him yes, and he said he could not wait to hug me. But I told him he was not big enough to hug me. As a matter of fact, Rosen is not big enough to hug a telephone pole.
I noticed in Mrs. Sussman's 2nd grade class at Forest Road there was the name Ray and then a question mark. His name was Ray Ruzek, and Raymond, Steven Spector, and I were friends growing up on Brook Road. Ray and his family moved to Baltimore in 5th or 6th grade.
Judy Zinger, it was great hearing from you, and tell your brother Barnett to try to attend. It looks as if Robin Feit has not aged at all. Judy Hartstone, believe me, if this is going to be a beauty pageant, I'd walk away with the booby prize. Andy Dolich and Stu Kandel, I spoke to Kenny Seelig's daughter tonight, and all is set up for us to visit his parents. Also, I told that story about Kenny Seelig in the quicksand to his daughter and wife, and they roared with laughter. Finally, Rich, I did not realize I was this old until I heard about the reunion. And since my e-mail name is Crazygeronimo, I will be sure to scalp you when I see you.
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New e-mail address for Les Glasser: kgmuffins@aol.com
Some RSVPs: From Barnet Kellman: I was hoping to make a weekend of it, but I'm shooting a TV pilot through Friday. I'll be arriving just in time for Saturday dinner. Looking forward to seeing you all.
(Also, the episode of Alias that Barnet recently directed, aired last Sunday night. Sorry I got late notice or I would have alerted everyone.)
From Paulinda Schimmel: I am very excited about the reunion and looking forward to seeing what everyone looks like after all these years. Don't worry I've seen it all -- I'm in the digital imaging business now. Anyway, you can always be retouched!
Regrets: From Nancy Nudelman Lobell and Richie Lobell: Please extend my greetings to everyone at the reunion. Richie and I can't make it back from California, since we have an 85th birthday celebration (Richie's mom) in Florida on April 12th, and a trip back east for my niece's college graduation in May. I am sure my sisters will represent the Nudelman family well.
And Henry Gabbay mentions that his wife Susan is unable to join us. Ditto, Jane Wolff Katz's husband.
A correction to the bios: Benette Steindam Pizzimenti writes that Bruce Pizzimenti is not a lawyer, and David Pizzimenti is not in corporate planning. Sorry. I got that wrong from a phone conversation with Dennis last December. But Bruce may still live in Colorado, and David in Chicago. You'll have to check with Dennis and Benette.
Also, I don't know how I got the idea that Bruce Molloy is a lawyer, or why I know he lives in Houston. But if someone can help me, I'd appreciate it. And where are my reading glasses? These are not my reading glasses.
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From Nancy Garfield: Lots more bios coming in. Thanks, everyone, and please keep them coming. Also -- and I suspect that you don't need to be reminded about this -- please remember to bring pictures of your kids and grandchildren to the party.
From Paul DeMartino: I had lunch with Marc Jonas in Philadelphia, where I was working this week and where Marc works all the time. It was great catching up and reliving our South years, and it was a shame that we didn't have more time, because I sensed that we could have talked into the night.
Which leads us into Paul's fast business report:
So far, 119 people have paid for their Saturday night dinners---that's a total of $5355. Plus, we have $2410 donated toward the hospitality suite. That's $700 for the suite rental, $270 for the teacher's dinners, $350 for the juke box, possibly $200 set aside for the still-unresolved video camera issue, leaving about $900 for snacks, drinks, and miscellaneous things like name tags---and Roz now has Emily Ferber Sondheimer helping her with those. Paul also points out that it is now too late for anyone to mail a check to him---that deadline has passed, along with Tax Day. So if you still need to pay for a Saturday night dinner, please have nice crisp cash for him on Friday or Saturday. (Or you can give it to Dennis Shapiro.)
And about that video camera: at this point, I'm inclined to forget about it. A lot of people are going to be carrying cameras, so I'm not worried about the party going undocumented. And while it would be nice to have recorded comments from folks, we've certainly generated enough written remarks for these updates and bios, and we're not exactly a group of people who lets their opinions rest unheard. Finally, what everyone seems to agree on is they don't want someone nosing around the party with a video camera, making people nervous. So unless someone appears Friday or Saturday with a video camera and a tripod, to set up in a corner of the hospitality suite and record a kind of talking heads documentary, I'm going to drop the whole idea.
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Also, about the bios: something I couldn't have predicted is we'd have 26 pages of them, in 9 point, barely-readable type. At a dime a page at Kinko's, that's about two-and-a-half bucks a set, and we'd need at least 100 sets of them. I've asked Paul how we're set for extra cash, and he assures me that he can easily find a more useful way to spend 250 dollars---and kill several trees---than running off multiple copies of our names. So at the moment, we're sticking with the e-mail-only version of the bios that I've been circulating (more will be coming tomorrow, and all the ones I've gotten up to yesterday are now listed on the home page). If people really need mailing addresses and phone numbers, we can run off a quick, cheap, couple-page list Saturday night (Kinko's never sleeps). And for those people without computers, Paul said he'd try and work something out after the party---or they can simply get one of their friends with a computer to print the bios out. Paul also suggested we have a printed copy of the bios on hand in the hospitality suite, along with the yearbooks various people have promised to bring along.
Terri also mentioned that she'll try and get an updated copy of the hotel room reservation list for next week's update---so everyone who's made a reservation has additional confirmation.
The repeats:
April Reunion Information:
When: Friday evening, April 26th to Sunday afternoon, April 28th, 2002
Where: Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel, 1717 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, N.Y.
Phone: 631-232-9800
Cost: Room per night: $109 (plus taxes, which can add 20%)
000200000F1100002B9E F0B, Saturday buffet dinner: $45.00
Saturday night buffet bar: cash bar
Hospitality suite donation (to stock it for the three days): voluntary
The questionnaire:
Name:
Home address (optional -- or city & state where you currently live):
Phone number (optional):
E-mail address (optional):
Occupation (or how you spend your days or nights):
Spouse/Partner's name (if you have one):
Children and/or pets names (please distinguish):
Hobbies or pastimes:
Retirement plans:
Attending the reunion?
Anything else you want us to know:
Please send your answers to Nancy Garfield at NGarf1234@aol.com. Or mail them to Nancy at 3741 S.W. Munson, Topeka, Kansas 66604
Finally, Robert Fiveson wrote that among his treasured South memorabilia, he'd just found an unused condom, still sealed in foil, and pressed nearly flat from years in his high school wallet. He also suggested---and here I paraphrase---that we auction one of the guys in our class off to one of the women---the money, of course, going to charity. Robert further plotted that the guy and the woman should then slip off to one of the hotel rooms, giving the rest of us all something to gossip about---just like in high school. I told Robert we'd only auction him off if he just wore the condom---so no one sued later for false advertising. He sadly wrote back that he'd already opened the foil, and the condom had disintegrated into sawdust. Which finishes that.
People currently coming to the reunion:
Joan Aires Cleven
Alison Altman
Irene Augustin Wehn
Fran Bellucci Johnson
Jay & Sharyn Berliner
Olga Berne
Jerry Bittman
Barbara Blitfeld Pech
Joan Bouza Koster & guest
Barbara Brill
Robert Buchsbaum
Tom Calise
RoseMarie Cassillo Digilio
Linda Chanes Abel
Marsha Churnin Soroka & Neil Soroka
Linda Cohen Kelman Greenseid
Michele Cohen Collins & John Stafford
Peggy Cooper Schwartz
Jerrie Clamp Rachoi & Mickey Rachoi
Steve Davidson
Grace Dibble Kincade & daughter Christy Kincade
Terri Donohue Calamari
Paul DeMartino
Andy Dolich
Richard Duncan
Wes & Mary Eddy
Robert & Veronica Eichinger
Rich Eisbrouch
Barbara Endy Ianniello
Ellen Epstein Silver & Alan Silver
Carol Ewig Duran
Don Faber
Alan Finder
Robin Feit
Emily Ferber Sondheimer
Marc & Val Fishman
Robert Fiveson
Mike Flomp Floyd & Lisa Floyd
June Forbes Tatelman?
Denise Frango Baxter & guest
Diane Fruzzetti
Henry Gabbay
Peggy Galinger Menaker
Carole Ganz
Nancy Garfield
Booker Gibson
Jay Gladky
Stuart & Genie Glasser
Rick Glickman Wall
Marc Goldberg
Steve Gootzeit
Linda Greenberg Zucker & husband
Neil Guberman
Art Halprin
Judy Hartstone
Mary Higgins Rosequist
Eric Hilton
Sharon Hoenig Barry & Thomas Barry
Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer
Linda Iaquinto O'Hara
Cynthia Ingolia Kammerer & guest
Marc Jonas
Stu Kandel
Greg Kaplan
Barnet Kellman
Rob Kelman
Jay Kinder
Ralph Kramer
Ira Levy
David Licht
Jim Lorey (Friday night only)
Carlo Lucarelli
Bea Massa Brown
Rosemary Mercurio
Roz Minsky Bobrow & Alec Bobrow
Ira Mitzner
Jeryl Monsees Denois
Martha Morenstein
Allen Moss
Ken Nolan
Ellen Nudelman Davidson
Lynn Nudelman Villagran
Bernie O'Brien
Dennis O'Hara
Audrey Olsen
Judy Peters Sylvan
Dennis Pizzimenti
Toni Rea
Virginia Ressa Schmidt
Rachael Robinson Rizzo
Peter Rosen
Sam Ross
Larry & Joan Rugen
Jane Ruzow Tiell
Irene Saunders Goldstein
Bernie Scheidt
Paulinda Schimmel
Ed Schmidt
Robin Seader Cottmeyer
Dennis Shapiro
Robin Singer Taylor
Mary Sipp Green
Ray Staley
Benette Steindam Pizzimenti
Danny & Barbara Stellebotte
Jay Tuerk
Gayle Ulrich Ramesh
Linda Vicinanza Marrs
Louise Wiemer Beckert
Janice Williams Teewe
Jane Wolf Katz
Paul Zegler
Barbara Zingman Braunstein & Jeff Braunstein
Fast Address Link: http://hometown.aol.com/reunionclass65/myhomepage/profile.html
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Update 4-9-02
Hey,
Mess of letters first.
From Robert Buchsbaum: This weekend, we made a somewhat startling discovery. I've been celebrating Jewish holidays for the past ten years as a member of the same Havurah (group of friends who get together at our own houses as an alternative to going to a synagogue) with the same Carol Ganz who was in our class at South High
School. Somehow the subject of our ancient history had never come up. At one point, when the class of '65 reunion was getting organized, I thumbed through the year book and saw her picture and thought to myself, "That's funny, there's a Carol Ganz who looks an awful lot like the one I now know. Funny coincidence isn't that?" And Carol said that she recognized my name, but thought that there must be a number of "Robert Buchsbaums" around. Somehow, we both had the impression that we had previously discussed our backgrounds and were each from someplace else. Finally, this weekend at our Passover seder, I asked Carol where she grew up, and we rediscovered our shared history in Valley Stream. Anyway, Carol lives in Wenham, Massachusetts, which is the next town over from me. Her e-mail address is: cabotganz@aol.com. She can fill you in on more details.
From Carole Ganz: As you've probably already heard from Robert Buchsbaum, we just discovered this past week, after a 10+ year friendship, that we were South High classmates. I guess we never got around to playing Long Island geography before. Anyway, cross me off the MIA list because I'm back. I'm hoping to drive down to the reunion with Robert and stay with Long Island relatives. I'm kind of surprised at how glad I am that all this is happening. And the mathematician in me is delighted to see the prime numbers finally getting the recognition they deserve in the reunion world.
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Rich (dumbly) to Carole: So, like, you mean the 37th reunion? And 37 is a (struggling to remember here) prime number (struggling harder) because it can only be divided by itself?
From Carole again: You are exactly right regarding the 37th as a prime year. And thanks for getting the class info to me. Robert had forwarded some of it, and I've begun the process of digging through it. I love the photos. If I can sort out how to work my new scanner/printer/copier/fax (kinda like a "cafetorium") I will send a picture of Miss Clark's 3rd grade class to join the other Forest Road pix. You are standing in the back row next to Kenny Seelig. Right now I can scan, but the image disappears into a black hole in my iMac. I, too, have lost track of my South High year book and would love to see if there was some way to reproduce it. Even though it would be missing all those "Good luck at BU" messages, it would still be nice to have one. Looking forward to the reconnections.
Rich, again: Alas, poor Kenny. He should have lived for this. When he and I were probably in third grade, and pretty good friends, we were once exploring a creek bed near his house. Suddenly, he started yelling, "Help! Save me!" He was standing on a bed of green moss he thought was quicksand (we'd been reading too many Hardy Boy books) and was positive he was going to die. I reached out, grabbed his arm, and yanked him to safety, and for a week, he couldn't stop thanking me for saving his life.
From Roz Minsky Bobrow: What a trip down memory lane, looking at all the photos. Thank goodness every female is not a size six, and every male not a perfect, well... something! I am really looking forward to the reunion. What else are people bringing besides the obvious, i.e., good old pictures? I have a bunch I just found during our last move. Isn't it scary how much so many of us look like our parents? Do you "girls" remember those wonderful slumber parties? Do we have to drool over each other's children? And grandchildren, too? Oh well, so much of our lives does include them. See you in 17 days!
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(Also, Roz has volunteered---isn't that a great word?---to make the name tags for the reunion. As suggested earlier, she's scanning our yearbook pictures so we can all see what we looked like then and how much we've improved since. No more page boys. No more horn rims. No more skinny ties and matched pearls (well, you can keep the pearls). And nice, smooth---if somewhat droopy---skin.)
Speaking of which---and denying the above---from Barbara Blitfield Pech: Not that I'm jealous -- quite the contrary as I grew up with "that face" since kindergarten. But if we decide we need a Reunion Queen, I nominate Carol Ewig Duran. Most beautiful outside, and certainly within. Ummm, Carol, what's your secret? Please share it with us all. Fast!
Also, from Barbara: Actually, I've kept up with Carol over the years, and we try to get together at least a couple of times annually. She's just naturally beautiful, and her parents are also incredible. They're both in their 80's and still go to Colorado to ski every winter. On a completely different matter: I am so psyched! The next few weeks are going to seem like the longest waiting time. Are we doing any formal or informal fun stuff, like razzing, roasting, or updates on the Senior Will?
Rich: I suspect that we're all going to be so busy catching up that we don't need to organize any activities. And if we need a break, there's a golf course, and a pool, and tennis. But I'm not a chaperon. So if everyone else wants to reinvent panty raids, I'll be in the bar, with Myrna Loy.
From Jane Ruzow Tiell: Okay, dress code suggestion: Wear what will make you feel about thirty years younger and about twenty-five pounds thinner. Black is a good beginning.
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From Don Faber: Well, I just notified Paul DeMartino that I will be attending the reunion after all, if you can still tolerate my indecision. So please include me on
the list, and reinstate my e-mail address (gfaber@earthlink.net), and we'll let the proverbial chips fall where they may. See you all in a few weeks!
From Jim Lorey: Guess it's time for me to face the fact that no matter how I try to juggle things around, I unfortunately won't be able to make the reunion festivities on Saturday or Sunday. On a positive note, I am planning on attending the Friday evening reception. On a totally different subject: I don't know if anyone else has had a problem with this, but it seems that ever since the class list has been posted with our e-mail addresses, I've been receiving an increasingly large amount of unsolicited junk e-mail daily. It seems as though every possible dot something, or other automatic mail service, has added me to their list. Since it's not a secure site, I have to ask to have my e-mail address removed from worldly view.
Rich: Yeah, I asked this question a couple of weeks ago, since I've been getting a lot of trash e-mail lately. But I've only been getting it on ReunionClass65, not on my other listed address, and no one else has mentioned the problem. But please let me know if there's a problem.
Some regrets: Don Doubrava, Tom Velardi, Stu Borman and, probably Carmine DeSanto and Jean Cohen Oklan.
From Joa'nka K. Kaupu, Alumni Office, Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Our database has no current information on Mr. Thomas Lewis Connelly. His last known city/state of residence is Holebrook, NY. Sorry I couldn't be of more service to you.
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From Jerry Bittman: Do you have any idea how much a personal secretary earns? Whatever the amount, that's how much Stuie Glasser owes me. I feel like his personal secretary -- I'm getting e-mails from women all over the United States telling me to tell Stuie he better be at the reunion. I just got off the phone with him, and he is going to try his hardest to get there. His attorney is trying to get him a weekend pass since it is a minimum security prison. Just kidding -- it's a maximum security prison. Sorry, I forgot he got paroled. Unfortunately, Glasser also remembered the reason he didn't attend our senior prom -- I hit him in the eye with a tennis ball. Fortunately, he forgot that I broke his collarbone playing football. Ah yes, the good old days. (And, yes, Robin Feit, I do remember you. And Barbara Blitfield e-mails the funniest jokes.)
From Rick Glickman Wall: What time is dinner Saturday night? It doesn't seem to be listed.
Rich---again: I seem to be ducking a lot of darts this week. And, yeah, I suppose it would have been wise to list what time Saturday's dinner starts. Terri and Paul inform me that it's at 7:30. (Aren't you glad that there is a Terri and Paul?) But they also said to remind everyone that the party starts Friday evening, around 6:00, and doesn't formally stop until Sunday noon, when those staying at the hotel have to check out. The hospitality suite will remain open as much as possible from Friday evening through Sunday---as a place to gather, snack, and leave messages for each other.
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Which leads us to this week's business:
First, from Paul: I hate being a nudge, and my real concern is that too many people might show up unannounced Saturday night, and the hotel might not be able to accommodate them, but my other concern is that out-of-state checks must be cleared in advance. Even though no one from our class would ever knowingly give us a bad check, I don't want to go down that road at all. So let's set Wednesday, April 17th as the final date for me to receive any checks. That gives them five business days to clear before the 24th, when I have to give the hotel the tentative number of people attending Saturday's dinner. After that, I will only accept cash---and please don't send it through the mail. Anyone paying late can simply pay me the day they arrive, either Friday or Saturday.
More from Paul: Last Saturday's gathering at Lily Flanagan's was attended by Dennis Shapiro, Robin Feit, Kenny Nolan, Danny Stellabotte, Barbara Endy, Louise Wiemer, Mike (Flomp) Floyd, his wife Lisa, and yours truly. We had the usual great time, and everybody was glad to see new faces at the gathering. Mike Floyd said that he's decided to come after attending the "mini-reunion," and Louise is already in the fold.
Still more: One thing not to forget is that the voluntary contribution also includes the five teacher dinners, the jukebox at the dinner, the food and drink in the hospitality suite Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and whatever we work out about a video camera. The money is not solely to fund a wild cocktail party on Friday night.
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Yet more: I was unable to book the juke box last week due to the fact that the vendor is moving from Babylon to Farmingdale. But he asked me to call him back this week to finalize, so I don't believe it will be a problem. Also, Terri notes: I was going to bring a boom box so we'd have background music in the hospitality suite, but I believe all the rooms have AM/FM radios, and I think putting on an oldies station will simplify things. That way, no one can play the same CD over and over again.
And (not entirely from Paul): Don Faber is recanvassing classmates we have contact information for, but really haven't heard from. Still, of our class of about 300, we only have information on 220 -- which is kind of amazing, but still leaves out 80 people. And we'd hate for some of them to hear afterwards about the party. So if anyone has even a hint on how to contact someone from our class, please let us know.
Repeat Information:
April Reunion Information:
When: Friday evening, April 26th to Sunday afternoon, April 28th, 2002
Where: Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel, 1717 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, N.Y.
Phone: 631-232-9800
Cost: Room per night: $109 (plus taxes, which can add 20%)
Saturday buffet dinner: $45.00
Saturday night buffet bar: cash bar
Hospitality suite donation (to stock it for the three days): voluntary
Paul DeMartino's address: (Please remember to make your check out to Paul DeMartino, note South '65 Reunion somewhere on it, indicate how many people it covers at $45 per dinner for Saturday night, and, if you wish, add a contribution toward the hospitality suite.)
00020000065E00002F5F 658, Paul DeMartino
10 Saltaire Place
Massapequa, New York 11758
Remember, if you haven't received a confirmation, your check has not been received.
The questionnaire:
Name:
Home address (optional -- or city & state where you currently live):
Phone number (optional):
E-mail address (optional):
Occupation (or how you spend your days or nights):
Spouse/Partner's name (if you have one):
Children and/or pets names (please distinguish):
Hobbies or pastimes:
Retirement plans:
Attending the reunion?
Anything else you want us to know:
Please send your answers to Nancy Garfield at NGarf1234@aol.com. Or mail them to Nancy at 3741 S.W. Munson, Topeka, Kansas 66604 (More bios will be circulating soon -- we're up to 60.)
Our running totals: So far 104 people have paid for their Saturday night dinners---that's a total of $4680 towards a cost that gets slightly larger with every additional dinner. Plus, we have $2200 donated toward the hospitality suite.
Finally, an exchange of letters:
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Caught a short news story in the Miami Herald a few days ago, that I thought might interest you: the re-release of The Winky Dink Interactive Video Kit (includes 9 interactive episodes per video, a plastic drawing screen -- important if you don't want to get yelled at by mom -- and 6 crayons). $14.95. Seems like an inexpensive way to reach back to my inner child.
From Rich: Ah, yes, Winky Dink. Always one of my favorites. Though I never had the Magic Screen and just used crayons on the glass. Good thing my mom wasn't Joan Crawford.
000200000D3E000035B7 D38, From Barbara: Funny, how many of us didn't have the magic screen, but crayoned anyway. Heard from some that mom was Joan Crawford. Ouch. Mine just taught me how to wash the crayon off -- something I did need to know for later in life.
Coincidentally, from The New York Times: Louis "Deke'' Heyward, a writer and producer who created Winky Dink and You, a pioneering interactive TV show, died March 26 of complications from pneumonia. He was 81. Heyward wrote for many TV shows in the 1950s and was head writer for The Ernie Kovacs Show. In 1953, he created a Saturday morning children's show with a twist. Viewers at home could help the animated boy called Winky Dink and his dog Woofer by purchasing a 50-cent kit that included a "magic screen.'' The clear sheet of plastic was placed over the television screen so that viewers could help the characters cross a stream, for example, by drawing in a bridge with "magic crayons.'' The show ran for many years in syndication.
People currently coming to the reunion:
Joan Aires Cleven
Alison Altman
Irene Augustin Wehn
Fran Bellucci Johnson
Jay & Sharyn Berliner
Olga Berne
Jerry Bittman
Barbara Blitfeld Pech
Joan Bouza Koster & guest
Barbara Brill
Robert Buchsbaum
Tom Calise
RoseMarie Cassillo Digilio
Linda Chanes Abel
Marsha Churnin Soroka & Neil Soroka
Linda Cohen Kelman Greenseid
Michele Cohen Collins & John Stafford
Peggy Cooper Schwartz
Jerrie Clamp Rachoi & Mickey Rachoi
Steve Davidson
Grace Dibble Kincade & daughter Christy Kincade
Terri Donohue Calamari
Paul DeMartino
Andy Dolich
Richard Duncan
Wes & Mary Eddy
Robert & Veronica Eichinger
Rich Eisbrouch
Barbara Endy Ianniello
Ellen Epstein Silver & Alan Silver
Carol Ewig Duran
Don Faber
Alan Finder
Robin Feit
Emily Ferber Sondheimer
Marc & Val Fishman
Robert Fiveson
Mike Flomp Floyd (& Lisa Floyd ?)
June Forbes Tatelman?
Denise Frango Baxter & guest
Diane Fruzzetti
Henry & Susan Gabbay
Peggy Galinger Menaker
Carole Ganz
Nancy Garfield
Booker Gibson
Jay Gladky
Stuart Glasser
Rick Glickman Wall
Marc Goldberg
Steve Gootzeit
Linda Greenberg Zucker & husband
Neil Guberman
Art Halprin
Judy Hartstone
Mary Higgins Rosequist
Eric Hilton
Sharon Hoenig Barry & Thomas Barry
Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer
Linda Iaquinto O'Hara
Cynthia Ingolia Kammerer & guest
Marc Jonas
Stu Kandel
Greg Kaplan
Barnet Kellman
Rob Kelman
Jay Kinder
Ralph Kramer
Ira Levy
David Licht
Jim Lorey (Friday night only)
Carlo Lucarelli
Bea Massa Brown
Rosemary Mercurio
Roz Minsky Bobrow & Alec Bobrow
Ira Mitzner
Jeryl Monsees Denois
Martha Morenstein
Allen Moss
Ken Nolan
Ellen Nudelman Davidson
Lynn Nudelman Villagran
Bernie O'Brien
Dennis O'Hara
Audrey Olsen
Judy Peters Sylvan
Dennis Pizzimenti
Toni Rea
Virginia Ressa Schmidt
Rachael Robinson Rizzo
Peter Rosen
Sam Ross
Larry & Joan Rugen
Jane Ruzow Tiell
Irene Saunders Goldstein
Bernie Scheidt
Paulinda Schimmel
Ed Schmidt
Robin Seader Cottmeyer
Dennis Shapiro
Robin Singer Taylor
Mary Sipp Green
Ray Staley
Benette Steindam Pizzimenti
Danny & Barbara Stellebotte
Jay Tuerk
Gayle Ulrich Ramesh
Linda Vicinanza Marrs
Louise Wiemer Beckert
Janice Williams Teewe
Jane Wolf Katz & husband
Paul Zegler
Barbara Zingman Braunstein & Jeff Braunstein
Fast Address Link: http://hometown.aol.com/reunionclass65/myhomepage/profile.html
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
Hey,
Mess of letters first.
From Robert Buchsbaum: This weekend, we made a somewhat startling discovery. I've been celebrating Jewish holidays for the past ten years as a member of the same Havurah (group of friends who get together at our own houses as an alternative to going to a synagogue) with the same Carol Ganz who was in our class at South High
School. Somehow the subject of our ancient history had never come up. At one point, when the class of '65 reunion was getting organized, I thumbed through the year book and saw her picture and thought to myself, "That's funny, there's a Carol Ganz who looks an awful lot like the one I now know. Funny coincidence isn't that?" And Carol said that she recognized my name, but thought that there must be a number of "Robert Buchsbaums" around. Somehow, we both had the impression that we had previously discussed our backgrounds and were each from someplace else. Finally, this weekend at our Passover seder, I asked Carol where she grew up, and we rediscovered our shared history in Valley Stream. Anyway, Carol lives in Wenham, Massachusetts, which is the next town over from me. Her e-mail address is: cabotganz@aol.com. She can fill you in on more details.
From Carole Ganz: As you've probably already heard from Robert Buchsbaum, we just discovered this past week, after a 10+ year friendship, that we were South High classmates. I guess we never got around to playing Long Island geography before. Anyway, cross me off the MIA list because I'm back. I'm hoping to drive down to the reunion with Robert and stay with Long Island relatives. I'm kind of surprised at how glad I am that all this is happening. And the mathematician in me is delighted to see the prime numbers finally getting the recognition they deserve in the reunion world.
00020000084A00000719 844,
Rich (dumbly) to Carole: So, like, you mean the 37th reunion? And 37 is a (struggling to remember here) prime number (struggling harder) because it can only be divided by itself?
From Carole again: You are exactly right regarding the 37th as a prime year. And thanks for getting the class info to me. Robert had forwarded some of it, and I've begun the process of digging through it. I love the photos. If I can sort out how to work my new scanner/printer/copier/fax (kinda like a "cafetorium") I will send a picture of Miss Clark's 3rd grade class to join the other Forest Road pix. You are standing in the back row next to Kenny Seelig. Right now I can scan, but the image disappears into a black hole in my iMac. I, too, have lost track of my South High year book and would love to see if there was some way to reproduce it. Even though it would be missing all those "Good luck at BU" messages, it would still be nice to have one. Looking forward to the reconnections.
Rich, again: Alas, poor Kenny. He should have lived for this. When he and I were probably in third grade, and pretty good friends, we were once exploring a creek bed near his house. Suddenly, he started yelling, "Help! Save me!" He was standing on a bed of green moss he thought was quicksand (we'd been reading too many Hardy Boy books) and was positive he was going to die. I reached out, grabbed his arm, and yanked him to safety, and for a week, he couldn't stop thanking me for saving his life.
From Roz Minsky Bobrow: What a trip down memory lane, looking at all the photos. Thank goodness every female is not a size six, and every male not a perfect, well... something! I am really looking forward to the reunion. What else are people bringing besides the obvious, i.e., good old pictures? I have a bunch I just found during our last move. Isn't it scary how much so many of us look like our parents? Do you "girls" remember those wonderful slumber parties? Do we have to drool over each other's children? And grandchildren, too? Oh well, so much of our lives does include them. See you in 17 days!
0002000006CB00000F5D 6C5,
(Also, Roz has volunteered---isn't that a great word?---to make the name tags for the reunion. As suggested earlier, she's scanning our yearbook pictures so we can all see what we looked like then and how much we've improved since. No more page boys. No more horn rims. No more skinny ties and matched pearls (well, you can keep the pearls). And nice, smooth---if somewhat droopy---skin.)
Speaking of which---and denying the above---from Barbara Blitfield Pech: Not that I'm jealous -- quite the contrary as I grew up with "that face" since kindergarten. But if we decide we need a Reunion Queen, I nominate Carol Ewig Duran. Most beautiful outside, and certainly within. Ummm, Carol, what's your secret? Please share it with us all. Fast!
Also, from Barbara: Actually, I've kept up with Carol over the years, and we try to get together at least a couple of times annually. She's just naturally beautiful, and her parents are also incredible. They're both in their 80's and still go to Colorado to ski every winter. On a completely different matter: I am so psyched! The next few weeks are going to seem like the longest waiting time. Are we doing any formal or informal fun stuff, like razzing, roasting, or updates on the Senior Will?
Rich: I suspect that we're all going to be so busy catching up that we don't need to organize any activities. And if we need a break, there's a golf course, and a pool, and tennis. But I'm not a chaperon. So if everyone else wants to reinvent panty raids, I'll be in the bar, with Myrna Loy.
From Jane Ruzow Tiell: Okay, dress code suggestion: Wear what will make you feel about thirty years younger and about twenty-five pounds thinner. Black is a good beginning.
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From Don Faber: Well, I just notified Paul DeMartino that I will be attending the reunion after all, if you can still tolerate my indecision. So please include me on
the list, and reinstate my e-mail address (gfaber@earthlink.net), and we'll let the proverbial chips fall where they may. See you all in a few weeks!
From Jim Lorey: Guess it's time for me to face the fact that no matter how I try to juggle things around, I unfortunately won't be able to make the reunion festivities on Saturday or Sunday. On a positive note, I am planning on attending the Friday evening reception. On a totally different subject: I don't know if anyone else has had a problem with this, but it seems that ever since the class list has been posted with our e-mail addresses, I've been receiving an increasingly large amount of unsolicited junk e-mail daily. It seems as though every possible dot something, or other automatic mail service, has added me to their list. Since it's not a secure site, I have to ask to have my e-mail address removed from worldly view.
Rich: Yeah, I asked this question a couple of weeks ago, since I've been getting a lot of trash e-mail lately. But I've only been getting it on ReunionClass65, not on my other listed address, and no one else has mentioned the problem. But please let me know if there's a problem.
Some regrets: Don Doubrava, Tom Velardi, Stu Borman and, probably Carmine DeSanto and Jean Cohen Oklan.
From Joa'nka K. Kaupu, Alumni Office, Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Our database has no current information on Mr. Thomas Lewis Connelly. His last known city/state of residence is Holebrook, NY. Sorry I couldn't be of more service to you.
00020000061C00001CC3 616,
From Jerry Bittman: Do you have any idea how much a personal secretary earns? Whatever the amount, that's how much Stuie Glasser owes me. I feel like his personal secretary -- I'm getting e-mails from women all over the United States telling me to tell Stuie he better be at the reunion. I just got off the phone with him, and he is going to try his hardest to get there. His attorney is trying to get him a weekend pass since it is a minimum security prison. Just kidding -- it's a maximum security prison. Sorry, I forgot he got paroled. Unfortunately, Glasser also remembered the reason he didn't attend our senior prom -- I hit him in the eye with a tennis ball. Fortunately, he forgot that I broke his collarbone playing football. Ah yes, the good old days. (And, yes, Robin Feit, I do remember you. And Barbara Blitfield e-mails the funniest jokes.)
From Rick Glickman Wall: What time is dinner Saturday night? It doesn't seem to be listed.
Rich---again: I seem to be ducking a lot of darts this week. And, yeah, I suppose it would have been wise to list what time Saturday's dinner starts. Terri and Paul inform me that it's at 7:30. (Aren't you glad that there is a Terri and Paul?) But they also said to remind everyone that the party starts Friday evening, around 6:00, and doesn't formally stop until Sunday noon, when those staying at the hotel have to check out. The hospitality suite will remain open as much as possible from Friday evening through Sunday---as a place to gather, snack, and leave messages for each other.
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Which leads us to this week's business:
First, from Paul: I hate being a nudge, and my real concern is that too many people might show up unannounced Saturday night, and the hotel might not be able to accommodate them, but my other concern is that out-of-state checks must be cleared in advance. Even though no one from our class would ever knowingly give us a bad check, I don't want to go down that road at all. So let's set Wednesday, April 17th as the final date for me to receive any checks. That gives them five business days to clear before the 24th, when I have to give the hotel the tentative number of people attending Saturday's dinner. After that, I will only accept cash---and please don't send it through the mail. Anyone paying late can simply pay me the day they arrive, either Friday or Saturday.
More from Paul: Last Saturday's gathering at Lily Flanagan's was attended by Dennis Shapiro, Robin Feit, Kenny Nolan, Danny Stellabotte, Barbara Endy, Louise Wiemer, Mike (Flomp) Floyd, his wife Lisa, and yours truly. We had the usual great time, and everybody was glad to see new faces at the gathering. Mike Floyd said that he's decided to come after attending the "mini-reunion," and Louise is already in the fold.
Still more: One thing not to forget is that the voluntary contribution also includes the five teacher dinners, the jukebox at the dinner, the food and drink in the hospitality suite Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and whatever we work out about a video camera. The money is not solely to fund a wild cocktail party on Friday night.
00020000066300002902 65D,
Yet more: I was unable to book the juke box last week due to the fact that the vendor is moving from Babylon to Farmingdale. But he asked me to call him back this week to finalize, so I don't believe it will be a problem. Also, Terri notes: I was going to bring a boom box so we'd have background music in the hospitality suite, but I believe all the rooms have AM/FM radios, and I think putting on an oldies station will simplify things. That way, no one can play the same CD over and over again.
And (not entirely from Paul): Don Faber is recanvassing classmates we have contact information for, but really haven't heard from. Still, of our class of about 300, we only have information on 220 -- which is kind of amazing, but still leaves out 80 people. And we'd hate for some of them to hear afterwards about the party. So if anyone has even a hint on how to contact someone from our class, please let us know.
Repeat Information:
April Reunion Information:
When: Friday evening, April 26th to Sunday afternoon, April 28th, 2002
Where: Wyndham Wind Watch Hotel, 1717 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, N.Y.
Phone: 631-232-9800
Cost: Room per night: $109 (plus taxes, which can add 20%)
Saturday buffet dinner: $45.00
Saturday night buffet bar: cash bar
Hospitality suite donation (to stock it for the three days): voluntary
Paul DeMartino's address: (Please remember to make your check out to Paul DeMartino, note South '65 Reunion somewhere on it, indicate how many people it covers at $45 per dinner for Saturday night, and, if you wish, add a contribution toward the hospitality suite.)
00020000065E00002F5F 658, Paul DeMartino
10 Saltaire Place
Massapequa, New York 11758
Remember, if you haven't received a confirmation, your check has not been received.
The questionnaire:
Name:
Home address (optional -- or city & state where you currently live):
Phone number (optional):
E-mail address (optional):
Occupation (or how you spend your days or nights):
Spouse/Partner's name (if you have one):
Children and/or pets names (please distinguish):
Hobbies or pastimes:
Retirement plans:
Attending the reunion?
Anything else you want us to know:
Please send your answers to Nancy Garfield at NGarf1234@aol.com. Or mail them to Nancy at 3741 S.W. Munson, Topeka, Kansas 66604 (More bios will be circulating soon -- we're up to 60.)
Our running totals: So far 104 people have paid for their Saturday night dinners---that's a total of $4680 towards a cost that gets slightly larger with every additional dinner. Plus, we have $2200 donated toward the hospitality suite.
Finally, an exchange of letters:
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Caught a short news story in the Miami Herald a few days ago, that I thought might interest you: the re-release of The Winky Dink Interactive Video Kit (includes 9 interactive episodes per video, a plastic drawing screen -- important if you don't want to get yelled at by mom -- and 6 crayons). $14.95. Seems like an inexpensive way to reach back to my inner child.
From Rich: Ah, yes, Winky Dink. Always one of my favorites. Though I never had the Magic Screen and just used crayons on the glass. Good thing my mom wasn't Joan Crawford.
000200000D3E000035B7 D38, From Barbara: Funny, how many of us didn't have the magic screen, but crayoned anyway. Heard from some that mom was Joan Crawford. Ouch. Mine just taught me how to wash the crayon off -- something I did need to know for later in life.
Coincidentally, from The New York Times: Louis "Deke'' Heyward, a writer and producer who created Winky Dink and You, a pioneering interactive TV show, died March 26 of complications from pneumonia. He was 81. Heyward wrote for many TV shows in the 1950s and was head writer for The Ernie Kovacs Show. In 1953, he created a Saturday morning children's show with a twist. Viewers at home could help the animated boy called Winky Dink and his dog Woofer by purchasing a 50-cent kit that included a "magic screen.'' The clear sheet of plastic was placed over the television screen so that viewers could help the characters cross a stream, for example, by drawing in a bridge with "magic crayons.'' The show ran for many years in syndication.
People currently coming to the reunion:
Joan Aires Cleven
Alison Altman
Irene Augustin Wehn
Fran Bellucci Johnson
Jay & Sharyn Berliner
Olga Berne
Jerry Bittman
Barbara Blitfeld Pech
Joan Bouza Koster & guest
Barbara Brill
Robert Buchsbaum
Tom Calise
RoseMarie Cassillo Digilio
Linda Chanes Abel
Marsha Churnin Soroka & Neil Soroka
Linda Cohen Kelman Greenseid
Michele Cohen Collins & John Stafford
Peggy Cooper Schwartz
Jerrie Clamp Rachoi & Mickey Rachoi
Steve Davidson
Grace Dibble Kincade & daughter Christy Kincade
Terri Donohue Calamari
Paul DeMartino
Andy Dolich
Richard Duncan
Wes & Mary Eddy
Robert & Veronica Eichinger
Rich Eisbrouch
Barbara Endy Ianniello
Ellen Epstein Silver & Alan Silver
Carol Ewig Duran
Don Faber
Alan Finder
Robin Feit
Emily Ferber Sondheimer
Marc & Val Fishman
Robert Fiveson
Mike Flomp Floyd (& Lisa Floyd ?)
June Forbes Tatelman?
Denise Frango Baxter & guest
Diane Fruzzetti
Henry & Susan Gabbay
Peggy Galinger Menaker
Carole Ganz
Nancy Garfield
Booker Gibson
Jay Gladky
Stuart Glasser
Rick Glickman Wall
Marc Goldberg
Steve Gootzeit
Linda Greenberg Zucker & husband
Neil Guberman
Art Halprin
Judy Hartstone
Mary Higgins Rosequist
Eric Hilton
Sharon Hoenig Barry & Thomas Barry
Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer
Linda Iaquinto O'Hara
Cynthia Ingolia Kammerer & guest
Marc Jonas
Stu Kandel
Greg Kaplan
Barnet Kellman
Rob Kelman
Jay Kinder
Ralph Kramer
Ira Levy
David Licht
Jim Lorey (Friday night only)
Carlo Lucarelli
Bea Massa Brown
Rosemary Mercurio
Roz Minsky Bobrow & Alec Bobrow
Ira Mitzner
Jeryl Monsees Denois
Martha Morenstein
Allen Moss
Ken Nolan
Ellen Nudelman Davidson
Lynn Nudelman Villagran
Bernie O'Brien
Dennis O'Hara
Audrey Olsen
Judy Peters Sylvan
Dennis Pizzimenti
Toni Rea
Virginia Ressa Schmidt
Rachael Robinson Rizzo
Peter Rosen
Sam Ross
Larry & Joan Rugen
Jane Ruzow Tiell
Irene Saunders Goldstein
Bernie Scheidt
Paulinda Schimmel
Ed Schmidt
Robin Seader Cottmeyer
Dennis Shapiro
Robin Singer Taylor
Mary Sipp Green
Ray Staley
Benette Steindam Pizzimenti
Danny & Barbara Stellebotte
Jay Tuerk
Gayle Ulrich Ramesh
Linda Vicinanza Marrs
Louise Wiemer Beckert
Janice Williams Teewe
Jane Wolf Katz & husband
Paul Zegler
Barbara Zingman Braunstein & Jeff Braunstein
Fast Address Link: http://hometown.aol.com/reunionclass65/myhomepage/profile.html
Home Page Link: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a/myhomepageprofile.html
Rich
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