Update 11-26-02


Hi,

Some answers to the question asked by Robert Fiveson and others:

From Larry Rugen:  It's funny how some very private thoughts are so easy to put into an e-mail, as if no one is listening.  Please add "German" to the "Irish and Italian friends" comment.
     Here are my thoughts:  What a great German class we had with Herta Apfel. (She never knew how important her classes would be to my future.)  Then, there was history with the great Mr. Callahan.  Who can ever forget him?
     Coming from Jamaica, Queens, PS 95, also had a lot to do with how I saw the world (South) at that time.  I was the quiet one, who was new in the area.  Right away, I noticed that life in Valley Stream was a bit different from Jamaica.  We did not play stickball in the street, for one thing.  We did not have to -- we had a real schoolyard.   
     Anyway, what do those two classes -- German and History -- have to do with each other?  Too much to write here, but in a nut shell the German class opened up my eyes to the world, and the history class taught me to look more closely at what the world was about.  Being in the Air Force in Germany for 4 years was a lifetime experience (and kind of a vacation) in itself.  But, then, there was that history class with Callahan about the Holocaust, and I remembered seeing the pictures of Dachau outside Munich.  I made it a point to see Dachau for myself when I was in Germany, to learn what one cannot learn from a book.
     If we only knew more about each other.  If we only talked.  If we only listened.  If we only cared.  So, my friends, keep up the writing, as the world is just not that big anymore.  And we do still need to learn.

From Judy Peters Sylvan:  I suppose, up until now, I have been one of the silent ones who just enjoys reading the weekly updates.  As someone whose heritage is 100% Italian, I feel compelled to share my impressions of our high school experience.  The memories I have, and have conveyed to my own children, are ones of close friendships and a very strong support system.  Unfortunately, my last year at South was one touched by personal tragedy.  Had it not been for my group of friends, I know I would not have come through it as well as I did.  I may not have realized it then, but the closeness we shared filled the void.  
     I did not ever sense any form of prejudice. There may have been some dumb comments about the Mafia.  For some reason, if you're Italian and have some financial means, it becomes the standard joke.  Who remembers?  The wonderful time I had at the reunion and the ease with which I reconnected with so many people, definitely confirmed that those connections established so many years ago are a part of who I am.  We had so much fun!  That's what I remember.
   Have a great holiday season.  I look forward to future updates.  I love reading them, and now that I've broken my silence, you may all be sorry.

On the Cookie Question:

From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Thank goodness for kid sisters -- in this case, Steve Zuckerman's sister, Ryki, class of '66, who just sent the following: The cookies you're trying to name were called Nabisco's Marshmallow Sandwiches. Unfortunately, they're no longer manufactured.  Go to this site -- http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/foodfaq1.html -- and look up the marshmallow category.  Then, see what it says after Scooter Pies.

From Eric Hilton:  My wife Gilda just received Barbara and Ryki's answer to the marshmallow sandwich cookies question.  But due to Gilda’s perseverance -- and her refusal to be wrong -- the same website Ryki mentioned also told of a Sunshine product called Mallow Puffs, which was introduced in 1957.  So, hopefully, this will ease the pain and suffering that our brains have sustained, trying to answer some of these unanswered questions of the universe.
Another website for cookies, from Peter Rosen:  A great website to find food, candy, and other snacks that we knew as kids is www.hometownfavorites.com. They also sell decade baskets for the 50s, 60s, 70s, and so on.  Makes for a great birthday gift -- and I don't own any stock in the company.

Regional cookie history from Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer:  Please tell Barbara that as a major chocolate lover, I can assure her that Mallomars have never been off the shelves since we graduated from high school -- at least, in the DC area.

A further follow-up to the past few weeks' letters, from Jean Cohen Okan:  I'm so glad I'm not alone.  I now see that some of us were having to deal with the same issues, and never spoke about them while growing up.
     I always thought the elderly couple at the corner of Cherry Street didn't like kids, and that was why my parents told us not to Trick-or-Treat at their house.  Not until the couple passed away, did I find out that they had a petition going around Gibson, trying to keep us from moving into the area.  And although one of our next door neighbors was very friendly with my family, I did have my first encounter with anti-Semitism because of them.  I was called over
to their house and given a very old Mexican embroidery kit. I was told it wasn't very expensive, because they "Jewed them down."  Being 9 years old, I didn't understand the expression, but felt a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Something was wrong: I was confused; I loved these people.  I mentioned it to my parents, and my Dad went next door, had a talk with them, and we remained good neighbors.  I didn't hear that expression until 40 years later, when I was sitting across from my accountant!  
     And my son, being the only Jewish kid while attending school here in Vermont, witnessed anti-Semitism first hand.  But by the time he left the area, the teachers and townspeople had a new understanding and tolerance.
     But one thing I still don't get:  I can sing just about every Christmas carol there is (thanks to Miss Gear); I know how to celebrate Christmas and Easter, and I know what these holidays are all about.  But with all the Jewish kids that attended Brooklyn Avenue and South, where was the understanding and sensitivity?  Was there no teacher who noticed that when I sang "Silent Night," I mumbled "Christ, our Savior."  What were they thinking?
     IBM conducts 8-hour diversity classes.  Yet, I still have upper-level managers come up to me and wish me a Merry Christmas.  I know they mean well, but I kind of wish they'd look at their class notes.  

Additional news from Ryki Zuckerman:  By the way, I noticed that Steve didn't mention on his little bio at the reunion site  that he has two beautiful daughters:  one is a nurse, who graduated magna cum laude and is about to pursue a medical degree; his younger daughter just got married last year and has an associate degree in some aspect of business.  She also graduated cum laude.

Another reminder from Paul DeMartino:  The next New York gathering is at Lily Flanagan's on Sunday, December 8th at 1:00.  Please contact Dennis Shapiro or me for directions or details.

Finally, a Thanksgiving message from Barbara Blitfield Pech:  I just happen to be at the right place at what will always be remembered and spoken of as one perfect moment in my life:  during a recent Panther's hockey evening, as all assembled rose to salute the flag and sing "The Star Spangled Banner," for possibly the first time in my life, I noticed that the entire arena of 35,000 plus people was not only standing at full attention with every hand over every heart as the words to the pledge were spoken in unison, but, as the anthem was sung, when the soloist reached the line, "land of the free," a majority of voices rose in thunder, then grew even louder as the final words, "home of the brave" echoed beyond the highest rafters.  In the big picture of life in America, it doesn't get better than this.

The home page address:   http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a

Happy Thanksgiving.


Rich