Update 6-8-04


All righty,

This would be it: the last reminder that if you want to see Booker Gibson in a neighborhood near where you used to live, you should find you way to South High tomorrow, Wednesday, at 7:00 PM. As already indicated, Robert Fiveson will be there, along with Linda Cohen Greenseid, her daughter Jennifer -- who went to South -- and her brother Steve, class of '64. Cheer Booker and remember Vince.

Related, this note just arrived: My name is Axel Norden. I was one of Booker Gibson's roommates while we were at the SUNY Potsdam Crane School of Music. Both my wife Gloria and I would like to make a contribution to the scholarship fund in Booker's name. We would appreciate it if you would e-mail us an address were we could send our contribution.

Similarly, from Judy Hartstone: This is to commemorate the contribution made by Mr. Gibson to our love and understanding of music. I remember exactly where I sat in his class; I recall the joy and fun of learning about Mimi's dying of consumption in La Boheme! The stories of all the operas, and the beauty of the arias, stay with me to this day. Mr. Gibson infused his subject with a compelling passion that made it a joy to go to class. It was a delight to renew the acquaintance at the reunion, and I hope he can be at the next one, as well. Mr. Gibson deserves every honor bestowed on him.

Further, from Carol Bunim Okin: I hope each year’s winner will appreciate Mr. Gibson and his legacy as much as all of us do. Thanks to him, we are all recipients of the best prize – the love of music.
     I wish I could be there to see the actual presentation, but I'll be looking forward to seeing the photos. By the way, to whom do I write the check?

[Rich -- in my best public relations manner, and following Denise Frango Baxter's advice last week, my mailing address is: 23030 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California 91367. The checks get made out to me, and my last name's spelled Eisbrouch.
     So far, we have almost $800 raised for each award, including $200 in annual pledges for Booker's, and $400 in annual pledges for Vince's -- the awards, if you remember are $500 each, presently for 10 years. After this week, I'd like to quit taking donations for this year, so I don't have to hold on to other people's money unnecessarily. But I will start quietly reminding everyone about the awards again next May, especially the folks who've pledged annual donations.
     Again, thanks to all who've contributed. The list now includes: Carol Bunim Okin, Terri Donohue Calamari, Judy Hartstone, Barbara Peres Napolitano '62, Peter Shapiro '62, Axel and Gloria Norden, Robin Seader Cottmeyer, Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer, Ellen Epstein Silver, Lynn Nudelman Villagran, Alison Altman, Carol Ewig Duran, Zelda White Nichols, Neil Guberman, Rich Eisbrouch, Peggy Cooper Schwartz, Marc Fishman, Dennis and Linda (Iaquinto) O'Hara, Joan Bouza Koster, Denise Frango Baxter, Jay Kinder, Linda Cohen Greenseid, Alan Finder, Robin Feit Baker, Robert Fiveson, Barnet Kellman, Ken and Laura (Waxman) Ulric '64, Nancy Garfield, Booker and Frances Gibson, Amy Lieberman, and Steve Cohen '64.]

A couple of notes in our ongoing medical series, first from Zelda White Nichols: I am in business development for a data storage equipment manufacturer in San Diego. San Diego is the third largest biotech center in the country, and much of our equipment is designed for the biotech, genome, and pharmaceutical industries. I spend my days reading websites of these companies, and I also receive daily e-newsletters from a number of biotech sites. These newsletters tell me everything that is going on in that world: who is buying what company; who has received funding for what projects; what products are being developed for which disease; as well as what research is being done for which disease. I currently e-mail any diabetes information I run across to four of my friends, and research on diabetes is extensive. I hope I'm not biting off more than I can handle, but I'm also willing to e-mail my findings to anyone in the class of '65 who has a serious disease or condition. Just let me know privately what you're interested in reading about, and please be assured that what you tell me will stay with me . My e-mail address is: zelda.nichols@cox.net

Next, from Peggy Cooper Schwartz: I was happy to hear that Neil Guberman is doing well and was able to nip his cardiac problems before anything worse happened. Speaking of health concerns, my husband Les just celebrated the one-year anniversary of a successful stem cell transplant for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Les was diagnosed with this illness in November 2000. After several rounds of chemo and other failed treatments, the transplant was his last option. He received his own stem cells, which were harvested and frozen while he was in remission after his first round of chemo. The transplant took place at the University of Miami, and since Les was mighty sick, he stayed there for 5 weeks. But thanks to great medicine and lots of prayer, he recovered and returned to his job as a psychiatrist at the West Palm Beach VA Hospital last September. We are truly grateful, and see each day as a gift.
     One of the lessons I learned from all this is the importance of donating blood. Les was transfusion-dependent for several months before his transplant, but thanks to the gifts of donated blood, he was able to stay alive until his operation. So for all you healthy Class of 65'ers, please consider giving the gift of blood.
     Also, Les and I celebrate another milestone on June 17th -- our 32nd anniversary.

[Rich -- Congratulations, of course, to Peg and Les. And not to belittle any medical vigilance, but my brother's father-in-law just died, at 81. He hadn't been to a doctor in over 60 years, since his last Army physical in WW II. He started having stomach problems on Wednesday and died on Friday. I'm not suggesting that avoiding doctors is a good idea, but there is a chance we all take our pulses a little too often. Mine's currently 72, by the way.]

A message about another class's reunion, forwarded by Fran Bellucci: I got this information from my older sister Andrea. The Class of '64 has a 40-year reunion planned for September 10th and 11th at the same place we had our 37th -- the Wyndham Windwatch Hotel and Hamlet Golf Club in Hauppauge. They will have a hospitality suite and a Saturday buffet dinner. If you want to attend, Tom McPartland is the contact person, either by phone at: 516-456-5758, or by e-mail at: tommcp@ptd.net
     I thought there might be some people in the area who'd want to join their party to say "hi." I know I'd like to see the yearbook staff and those in 7th hour art class again. In any case, I'll be sending them a note.
     Meanwhile, a quick literary plug: Tom Piazza, a man probably none of us know, recently wrote a book called My Cold War, which won the Faulkner Society Award for best novel. It's about growing up on the south shore of Long Island in the 50s, and how that shaped people's lives and thinking. It's out in hard cover now and will be available in paperback in the fall. Piazza also writes about jazz.
     A sample from the novel: "In 1961 I knew already that Russia was a place that would send planes or missiles to destroy my elementary school, and the walls would collapse the way they did in Godzilla as my schoolmates and I knelt and put our hands over our heads. But the stuff in my father's books was different. It was more personal. The cover of The Naked Communist, for example -- bloodred, with a menacing, muscled silhouette looming behind the stark title. There were pamphlets lying around, really scary things, about how Communists would get up at their meetings and talk about slitting the throats of priests and children."

A possibly more pleasant view of the same subject, part of a longer Internet piece forwarded by Barbara Blitfield Pech:
     "But if I could, I'd rather be
     On a TV show in '53.
     It felt so good. It felt so right.
     Life looked better in black and white."

Finally, Linda Cohen Greenseid gently points out how rude I am, constantly deflecting well-meaning compliments about my continuing these updates, and especially ignoring Steve Spector's recent generous praise. OK. Linda's right. I'm a moron. You're all welcome. Now quit thanking me.

The home page: http://hometown.aol.com/vssouth65



Rich