Update 3-11-03


Hi,

Lotsa stuff:

Starting with a report from the just-back-from-the-beach Paul DeMartino:  We went to a great, all-inclusive resort in La Romana, which is in the Dominican Republic.  It isn't that well known by North Americans yet, but it's very popular with Europeans and South Americans.  The temps were in the mid 80s.  It was sunny, with beautiful, white sand beaches, shows nightly, and all you could eat and drink. It was great to get away from this miserable winter.

Then Marc Jonas:  Gee, thanks, for the very thoughtful joke about my adopted Commonwealth.  The thing is, I worked for a year in Harrisburg, after law school, and I don't remember the hookers being that... oh, never mind.

Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  Hi, from Juno Beach.  The temperature this week has been in the mid-80s.  People seem so mellow here in Palm Beach County.  Life really is a "Beach" -- and the beaches here are so gorgeous!  My husband Les and I saw our first manatee several weeks ago, down by the Juno Beach Pier.  Also, about Tom Connelly:  I bumped into his dad about eighteen years ago, on a visit back to Green Acres -- I lived across the street from Tom on Birch Lane.  I just remember Mr.  Connelly saying that Tom was married, living in upstate New York, and the father of three.  Sorry, that's all the info I have.  

Ellen Epstein Silver:  I'm back to normal -- if I know what normal is -- and my cold is a thing of the past.  I enjoyed reading the tidbits about the Cohen/Kelman/Greenseid contingency.  What a nice walk down memory lane for you all.  Alan and I will be in L.A. for Mother's Day, and I hope to catch up then.  Meanwhile, Alan says to say Hi, and what does everyone think of Paul DeMartino's idea to have the reunion in a resort somewhere?  He really enjoyed the Dominican Republic.    

Janet Hernandez:  I just wanted to let everyone know that I am now on Long Island for a few months, to take care of my aunt who is in her 90s.  Please change my e-mail address to jamar1946@yahoo.com as I am canceling my GTE/Verizon e-mail account.  I'd like to hear from anyone from our class while I am here on Long Island, and please use the new e-mail address.  Thanks.
         
Cynthia Ingolia Kammerer:  Kindly let George Case know that Lynne Lewis Pinter no longer lives in Valley Stream -- and, unfortunately, her husband Joseph Pinter passed away of cancer in September 2002.

(I promised Cynthia I'd pass word on to George Case, then realized I'd been too efficient in deleting his e-mail address from my files.  That's just another reason to rejoin Classmates, where he's listed, but I haven't been too efficient about that -- hey, like, man, it's planting season here, and I'm once again trying to grow grass in the desert.  Yeah, yeah, I know:  No sympathy while all of you are shoveling snow.  In any case, I was sorry to hear about Joseph Pinter, and it seems that Cynthia may be in touch with Lynne Lewis.  Now if someone's just in touch with George...)

Nancy Garfield:  I had a nice dinner with Robert Fiveson the other night when I was in Washington.  It's wonderful to reconnect with classmates.  It was warm Wednesday, cold yesterday, but we're expecting a high of 40 today.  Hoping it will continue at 40 or above.

The first from Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Mr. Bittman recently e-mailed a bunch of us a directive to watch Touched By An Angel, and I must assure you that I have not been the same since.  Midway through the first segment, we were advised -- rather, warned -- that the plot would continue to unfold in Kearney, Nebraska, in all its winter splendor.  And you can guess how bad things were if Assistant Deputy Chester, formerly from Mr. Dillion's Dodge, was the town's reclusive-but-madly-loveable-misunderstood-scientist.  Would he save the universe by working in his lab in his cellar in the suburbs outside of K-town?  Well, if there were ever any doubts that we need, collectively, to SAVE JERRY, they've vanished.  That man does not live in Kearney.  He's existing in KEARNEGE.

Second from Barbara Blitfield Pech, this one by U.S. Mail in a 9 x 12 envelope:  It contained a pair of unrelated newspaper columns about Harbor Road/Robert W. Carbonaro School and The Howdy Doody Show.  Also, an 8 x 10 photo of a young chef I took to be Barbara's son, and instructions to scan all of these and post them once I had the inclination, time, and space on the home page.

Third from Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Yikes, talk about senior moments -- what picture of my son?  If he's tall, dirty blond, and sporting a fuzzy face, it is my son.  But why did I send the photo?

(Looking more closely, I realized it was actually an advertising painting of a young chef spooning liquefied chocolate over soon-to-be Mallomars, going back to a way-earlier discussion.)

Fourth from Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Whew, I was wondering about that chef.  My son has moved beyond the tall white hat, after realizing that with a double major in Hospitality and Hospitality Personnel Management, he didn't have to peel potatoes anymore, even pretentious little overpriced red ones.  But, yes, the chef art was in reference to our former cookie discussions.
      Again, I can't begin to tell you how nice this continued online reunion has been.  Just yesterday, I paid back Bea Massa's out-of-the-blue-New-Year's-Eve-call and surprised her with a call for her birthday.  She returned my call today, and together we conference-called Robin Feit.
      Also, you know I'm going to New York for the May 3rd gathering.  There seems to be some interest from a bunch of folks, and it would be great to see as many people as possible in one afternoon.  It's just gonna be casual, but Come one, Come all!
      Finally, I spoke with Jerry Bittman last week -- we speak every few weeks -- and from what he says, he's increased his walking to two miles a day.  Kind of amazing.

Fifth -- and last -- from Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Please drop Robin Feit a birthday greeting.  She's finally 55.

This week's quote, from Chris Smith in the March 3rd New York:  "...soccer mom's were crucial to Bill Clinton's elections, and they were the swing votes the Democrats alienated in the election last November...  for them, security isn't just the orange alert, but also economic security, educational security, the environment...  "The Democrat who wins in 2004 is going to be the one who weaves security into one package, because if you just attack Bush, it comes across as unpatriotic."

(I realize, with these quotes, that I've become my grandmother -- who used to send me what she considered to be important paragraphs, cut from the newspapers and paper-clipped together, when I was in college.)

This week's business:  Only 53 days till the -- possibly annual -- New York gathering on May 3rd.  Details and a guest list to follow.

Also, long e-mail jokes from Marc Jonas, Robert Fiveson, and -- guess who? -- Barbara Blitfield Pech.  Plus, a photo from Lynn Nudelman Villagran, of a chihuahua replacing a police dog, titled California Budget Cuts.  One fast humor excerpt:  The National Education Association is encouraging children to read Dr. Seuss.  But there's a dilemma:
      It's not that eggs and ham aren't safe,
      It's just the piggy parts are trafe.
      But I would eat eggs with salami,
      Matzoh brie or hot pastrami,       Blinis, latkas, lox, or tongue,
      Pickled dills or egg foo young,
      It's never been the color, Sam,
      The problem's always been the ham.

Slight weirdness:  After mentioning last week that we'd lost contact with Diane Fruzzetti, I got an e-mail from her.  But the message seemed strange, about a game to be downloaded, and, instead, I sent her a note asking if her address was now working.  My e-mail was returned, as still undeliverable, so I quickly deleted the one from her.

Finally, a timely note from our man of the plains, Jerry Bittman:  Tuesday, March 11th is the birthday of a great friend, Peter Rosen.  That day, Peter becomes the first male graduate of our class whose age finally catches up to his height.  Honestly, Peter is the type of friend who would take the shirt off his back for you.  And, if my name were Jeri instead of Jerry, he'd help take the shirt off my back.  But Peter's had a great life.  He has a fantastic wife and children that he absolutely adores.  He's had a distinguished career, both as an attorney and as a businessman -- Peter and Phyllis owned four very successful boutiques in Atlanta.  The one setback Peter has suffered was many years ago, when he tried to get the position of talent agent for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.  He was found in a different position, so did not get the job.  Rose, we have had many great times together, and I am truly blessed to call you friend.  As the guy said in the Budweiser commercial, "I LOVE YOU, MAN."

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


Rich