Update 6-29-04


Hi,

Some initial letters -- oh, god, I hate puns:

From Jean Cohen Oklan: As far as I know, NEFCU stands for New England Federal Credit Union. I know this because they have the mortgage on our little log home. But it may also stand for something else, because I can't figure out what a New England credit union would be doing sponsoring a program on Long Island!

From Ken Ulric: NEFCU stands for Nassau Educators' Federal Credit Union.

From Jim Lorey: I'd better know this one or my Dear Ole Mom will never forgive me. NEFCU stands for Nassau Educator's Federal Credit Union, located on Merrick Road right by the Valley Stream / Lynbrook border. They are very community-minded, and active in supporting education, the arts, and public television.

[Rich -- Thanks. I put NEFCU into Google to find out where the apostrophe really might be, and it turns out there isn't one. So much for education. I also discovered the initials stand for Nest Egg Federal Credit Union and Nebraska Energy Federal Credit Union. Where is Jerry Bittman when you need him?]

Other mail:

From Larry Rugen: Noted the note From Janice Williams Teeuwe. Do you live any where near Lyons, Colorado / Estes Park? Our United States Air Force reunions will take us to Peaceful Valley Ranch in 2006 ( http://www.peacefulvalley.com/ ). Some of the group was there in 2003 and thought it was one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Anyone who loves the great outdoors would love this place.

[Rich -- speaking of Janice and Colorado: Ellen Epstein Silver phoned in a report of her recent visit. She said it was great to see Janice again after almost 40 years, and, yes, she does ride a big motorcycle. But her house in the near-wilderness was wonderful, even if living at 10,000 feet for a couple of days left Ellen slightly short of breath. And there are coyotes, mountain lions, and bears, all of which eat small pets. But not, unfortunately, the pet rats one of Janice's daughter's raises, which also left Ellen slightly short of breath.]

From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Nothing like good medical update to help balance the Krispy Kreme artery blockage. So that's one Lipitor taken with a Dove dark -- sounds like plan to me. Article: "A Dark Chocolate a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" -- Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD, Tuesday, June 15, 2004. Research proves chocolate is good for you! http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/88/99702?printing=true

Also from Barbara: I have my spam filter set on exclusive, but I do check my junk mail daily. Today, there was a 101kb "urgent message" from dfruzetti, again. So I thought I would just advise people of that. Also, if I'm not mistaken, didn't Robin Feit Baker trace the source of this problem to Classmates.com?

And, again, from Barbara: I came across Barbara De Voe newly signed onto the South page of Classmates.com. If I recall, Janet Hernandez had asked about Claire De Voe, and Barbara may be a sister. You go, girls!

RoseMarie Cassillo forwarded a long e-mail warning, of which this is the main part: My name is Lauren Archer. On October 2, 2002, I took my only son, Kevin, to McDonald's for his 3rd birthday. After he finished lunch, I allowed him to play in the ball pit. When he started crying later, I asked him what was wrong. He pointed to his back and said, "Mommy, it hurts." I looked, but couldn't find anything wrong with him at the time. I bathed him when we got home, and it was at that point that I found a welt on his left buttock. Upon investigation, it seemed as if there was a splinter under the welt. I made a doctor's appointment for the next day to have it removed. In the meantime, Kevin started vomiting and shaking. Then, his eyes rolled back in his head. We immediately went to the emergency room! My only son died later that night. It turned out that the welt on his buttock was the tip of a hypodermic needle that had broken off in his skin. The autopsy revealed that Kevin had died from a heroin overdose.

[Rich -- On the Urban Legends website -- www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/archer.htm -- I found the following: Though the tragedy described in "Lauren Archer's" e-mail is fictional, the danger of a tot coming into contact with a discarded syringe in one of those play nests is surprisingly real. Ball pit play areas aren't always kept in the best condition. Before letting your child loose in one, make sure the play area's maintenance staff spot cleans the pit once a day and washes all the balls every week. Diapers come off in ball pits, and half-eaten candy is routinely found in there. More disturbingly, syringes and knives have turned up in ball pits.]

From Barnet Kellman: I have a phrase of music and a snippet of lyric in my head from a Tampio-Gibson children's show collaboration. The lyric is "happiness is a lovely day." Does this ring a bell?

[Rich -- and I wrote Barnet, Booker, and several other people, looking for information: I know Vince directed a kid show at a community theater in Deepdale, Queens. And I know he directed Streetcar there. The only line I remember from the kid show is "Gooses can't hurt dragons," because Vince used to repeat that a lot. So I'm suspecting there was a goose and a dragon in the play, but, of course, that's not why Vince liked the line. I also remember, in the same play, a guy tap dancing to an instrumental section of a song from Little Me. So I'm suspecting that the line and song you're remembering are from this kid show, but I didn't realize Booker had written the music. Also, the kid show might have had something to do with golden eggs, or else I'm mixing that with the memory of a show Vince did with The Prince Street Players. None of this is to be confused with The Cowboy and the Tiger, which might also have that line. Vince created the part of the Tiger, and Paul O'Keefe, later of Oliver and The Patty Duke Show, created the cowboy. When they made the TV version, Jack Guilford played the Tiger, and Vince was pissed. Though he did name his dog Tiger.]

And Booker wrote back: Yes, Barnet, this song does ring a bell. I remember it as a lively almost a samba-style tune. Vinnie Tampio and I wrote these tunes quickly, to fit a situation or character, but I don't know where any of them might be now. My wife also remembers Vince bringing shows around to the grade schools, probably using such songs.

From Robert Fiveson: We should see if Booker wants to play or sing the song he wrote with Vince, "Even In A Crowd (I Feel All Alone)," at next year's awards ceremony or at our 40th reunion.
Robert also sent his latest questionable entertainment link, and you just might not want to miss it, as he feels this is the future: http://www.eugenemirman.com/

And Alan Bendel offers his own way to look back in time, and he encourages us to turn up the volume: http://www.singingman.us/DYR.htm

Finally, the remainder of the list of people being honored at the June 9th South Awards:
Nassau County Legislative Student Citizenship Award
New York State Comptroller Achievement Award
Nassau County Comptroller Achievement Award
Knights of Pythias Award
New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship
New York State Office of the Attorney General Triple "C" Awards
New York State Education Department Scholarship Awards
Long Island Blood Service Award
Robert Carbonaro Student Council Scholarship
South High School Alumni Scholarship
The Class of 1971 Scholarship Award
Forest Road PTA Sponsored Anderson Yeh Memorial Scholarship
William Buck PTA Scholarship
Herff Jones 10th Grade Class Award
Ralph Jansen Award
Parents Club Scholarship Awards
SEPTA Personal Achievement Awards
PTSA Scholarship Awards
Vincent Benevento Memorial Scholarship
George Lenchner Award for Excellence in Mathematics
The Vince Tampio Theater Award
The Booker Gibson Music Award
Janice Dickler Memorial Scholarship Award
District Music Festival Award
Fairfield Book Award
Irish Cultural Society Awards
The Valley Stream Herald Journalism Award
Principal's Award for Excellence: Grades 9, 10, 11 & 12
NASSP Principal's Leadership Award Nominee
National Merit Scholarship Award
National Merit Scholarship ADP Award
South High School Faculty Scholarship
Congressman Raymond McGrath Scholarship
J. James Bergen Memorial Scholarship

[Rich -- OK, what are: SEPTA, PTSA, NASSP, and ADP? Also, can I still qualify for the Triple "C" award?]

The home page -- which, yes, indeed, I did list incorrectly in last week's newsletter:
http://hometown.aol.com/vssouth65

Rich