Update 12-31-02


Hi,

Holiday week.  Rightly, light mail.

From Barbara Endy Ianniello:  First, Happy New Year.  Also, I wonder if you could include a little note for me in the next update?  Linda Vicinanza-Calise-Moore-Marrs and I are going to Ft. Lauderdale for long weekend from January 17th to the 21st.  If anyone is in the area, we would love to have a little mini-reunion.    Please contact me at:  barbjian@aol.com, and we can try to make plans.  Thanks!

From Fran Bellucci Johnson:  Happy New Year to all.  I just wanted to let everyone know how much I've enjoyed getting to know people all over again this year through these e-mails.  One of the surprising gifts has been a renewed friendship with Nancy Garfield, who lives 40 miles from me.  Also, to those who knew I'd been ill last year, I am finally recovered and plan on staying that way.  My daughter, Lesley and her husband moved to Kansas City from Long Island, and I'm happy to have my family close again.  I hope everyone has a happy, active, and exciting new year.

From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Every so often, one finds something really nice tucked between the MasterCard bill and assorted junk mail.  I just received a lovely card and note from Judy Weber, class of '66 and a Forest Road grad.  As she included her phone number, I immediately called her and am pleased to report that she is just fine and sends her regards to all.  She is living upstate in Westchester County, has two grown daughters, and would love to keep in touch with us, but doesn't have Internet access.  "The computer is hooked up, but I'm not," she told me.  I encouraged her to get logged onto a free Hotmail or Yahoo address, but until then, I am sending hard copies of the reunion pages.  Judy's dad is retired and here in Miami Beach, so she and I are busy working on schedules, to arrange a visit -- she'll stay with me, of course.  Meanwhile, she was gracious about having her home address posted for anyone who would like to write.  It's:  Judy Weber, 7 White Gate Drive, Apartment 7, Wappingers Falls, New York 12590.  Also, to all of you, from all of me, a happy, healthy, and joyous new year.

From Janice Willliams Teeuwe:  I was just wondering why I have not received any more updates about our class.  I really enjoyed the letters from our classmates, and I still want to be involved with the group via e-mail.  Also, I would like to buy the class reunion video.  Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and an even better new year.

(As I just wrote Janice, the problem's been at her end:  the updates have been sent weekly, but they've bounced back with messages saying "Mailbox full."  If anyone else has been trying to write Janice and has been getting the same message, please don't give up.
      On a similar subject:  since April's reunion, about ten of the e-mail addresses we've had for South folks have gone dead.  Now that I have a bit more time free, I'll try to make a list of the people we've lost touch with.  Meanwhile, if you know of anyone who, like Janice, has accidentally lost contact with us, please let me know.
      Also, I don't know if Janice meant a tape of our 20th reunion or the recent one.  There was no recent tape made, and the 20th reunion tape can most easily be copied by someone who has one.  If you want to help Janice on this, please write her at:  janice_bud@yahoo.com)

Finally, forwarded to Ryki Zuckerman by her sister, then sent to us, a note from Bern Cohen, class of '60, about recently visiting South as a visiting high school principal:
    Several months ago, I saw that the FBI was holding two sessions of a full-day crisis workshop, and one of the training sites was Valley Stream South.  Although I live only 15-minutes from the White Plains site, I registered for Valley Stream.  How could I not?  How often have any of us had an opportunity as an adult to revisit those hallowed halls?        Driving up to the drop-off circle by the tennis courts was weird, very weird.  Memories jumped out before I even got out of the car.  First of all, the building is different -- the underneath area that opened into the courtyard is filled-in.  I remember how we used to congregate under the building in that open area when the weather was bad.  I also remember having a fight under that part of the building, with a bad-boy who purposely knocked my books all over.
      As soon as I parked, facing the tennis courts, I suddenly also remembered Bobby Purcell having a brain embolism on the tennis court and dying at 16-years-of-age.  I hoped, once I got inside South, that I'd remember better things than fights and death, because I really loved high school.
    I went into the building by the gym entrance, because all the other doors had signs indicating they were locked for security purposes.  I entered and was immediately greeted by a uniformed security guard.  That struck me, even though I have 13 of them at my own high school in Middletown.  I signed-in and told the woman that "I graduated from here 40 years ago."  I expected her to be blasé, but she was impressed, and I got a very nice "Welcome back" instead.  Remembering our school, I was also surprised that the security guard was Black, and I wondered how our less-than-tolerant Valley Stream South population handled that.  Then, I turned to see the students who were in the corridors due to a bell having rung, and I realized that quite a few of them were minority students, probably 10% or more.  As in my own current school, I saw a diversity in style, hair colorings, body piercings, and everything else that makes today's high school contemporary.
    The guard directed me to the FBI meeting, which was being held in one of the band rehearsal rooms.  What an improvement here -- the music department has thrived!  They have several wonderful rehearsal rooms for various performing groups, and great storage for uniforms and large instruments.  During a break in my workshop, I went into another rehearsal room and introduced myself to the teacher as a former band member.  He immediately asked if I wanted to sit in on the rehearsal.  What a thrill just to be asked, and to see the kids staring at me, waiting to see if I was going to be nuts and play with them after not touching a tuba in a year.  Instead, I just thanked the teacher and went on my way, rather than embarrass the class of 1960.
    The new music rooms are in another new addition, behind the school, between the building and the track.  There are also new football stands out there, which can probably seat 350 people.  In my day, the old stands could barely hold the football team.  When I entered this new addition, the current principal introduced himself, as he did to all the visiting principals.  When I told him I was both a current high school principal and an alum, he offered to take me on a tour of the building.  Now I remember our principal Mr. Bergen as being an old man, but you should see this guy -- he's a mere child, probably only 6 or 7 years older than my own oldest child.  Clearly, a lot has changed at South since we all were there.

(Actually, I took some pictures of South, in April, right after the reunion.  But I haven't had space to get them online.  Seems all these pictures of people took priority.  Maybe soon.)

Happy New Year, of course.

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


Rich