Update 12-29-09
Hi,
First, it might not be a bad idea to send best wishes to Ed Albrecht. He's fine now, but it was a kind of eventful week before Christmas. His e-mail address is: SherlockInspections @ gmail.com And you'll need to take the spaces around the @ out. I don't seem to be able to deactivate links using this program.
Second, a recipe. We haven't traded one of those for a while. This one's for sugar cookies, and it's probably from Vienna, before 1870. It goes back to at least my great-grandmother, Mollie Spressler, and was passed on by my grandmother, Sadie Eisbrouch, and then by my sister, Marilyn. These cookies are wafer thin, very sweet, but they're only about 12 calories each. This recipe makes 200 cookies, which, in my house, last about 10 minutes.
1/4 pound butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of unsifted flour
Combine the butter, eggs, baking powder, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Then, gradually, add the flour.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours.
Quarter it, into 4 equal-sized balls.
Dust your surface with flour.
Dust the dough with flour.
Roll out one ball as thin as you can get it -- about 1/8 inch or thinner
Using a knife, cut the dough into 2 inch squares.
Then cut each square once, diagonally.
Lift each triangle onto a cookie sheet -- we bake the cookies on parchment paper.
Use the irregular-shaped pieces from the edges, too.
Lightly, but evenly, sprinkle the cookies with sugar.
Bake, at 350 degrees, for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven and the cookie sheets. But watch the cookies carefully. They bake quickly. Take them out of the oven as soon as their edges begin to lightly brown
Traditionally, my family used a carrot cutter, instead of a knife, to cut the cookies. This leaves an edge like a scalloped French fry, and my sister swears that affects the taste. She also said, "Don't store the cookies in tins because the cookies lose their crispness." I don't know about that, either, because I've never had enough cookies around long enough to find out.
Third, fourth, and fifth: three sweet animal stories.
From Zelda White Nichols: When we lived in California, our dog adopted us. She'd been a stray one of our neighbors found wandering around a canyon. The dog had been beaten many times, had recently had a litter of pups, and was half-starved to death. The neighbor took her in and brought her back to health a year before we moved in, but, once we did, the dog -- Daisy -- kept jumping the fence to come into our yard.
We love dogs and cats, and when we looked at the house the first time, Daisy came to meet us, tail wagging, with a big grin on her face. We fell in love with her, and she was always welcome when she came to visit. But other neighbors filed a complaint about her always running loose, and our neighbor was going to take Daisy to a shelter. That’s when we said we'd adopt her. Our vet thought she was ten to twelve years old.
Daisy wouldn't walk on a leash but was very well trained off-leash. Even at her age, she was always learning new tricks, like responding to my hand signals when we were outdoors. We had three Korats at the time, and two of them adored Daisy. The other was jealous and would pee on Daisy’s bed. But Daisy never took revenge.
Back then, my husband, Dave, traveled eighty percent of the time, so Daisy was a real companion, and she was with me when the Cedar Fire hit San Diego County. We were in the heart of the blaze, and I took Daisy and the cats out to the desert when we had to evacuate. The only thing I forgot to pack in our emergency kits was her leash. Still, she never ran off as many dogs would. She stayed by my side all the way to the hotel and was with me every moment for the next two weeks. Such a strong bond formed out of that experience that when we had to put her down a year later, my heart was broken.
She died suddenly: one day, she was fine, and the next, she was sick every two minutes. It turned out she had severe diabetes, and the vets couldn’t regulate her medication and glucose. She stayed at the vets' for four days, and then we brought her home, thinking she might be okay. But it turned out she just wanted to say good bye to the cats. The next morning, she didn’t recognize them, and we knew it was time to say "good-bye.".
I don’t know what other people's beliefs are, but there were times when I've felt her presence so clearly, I actually reached out to put my arm around her shoulder, the way I would when she rode in the car with me. Even after moving across the country, I would feel her here.
A year ago, a little dun-colored cat, the same color as Daisy, came out of the woods to our porch. I fed her for six months, but she wouldn’t let me pet her. Our little male Korat, Blue, fell in love with her through the glass doors and windows. They would sit, side-by-side, with the glass between them. I named the cat "Annie," after "Little Orphan Annie," because she seemed that pitiful. After six months, she became pregnant and had a litter of five kittens on our porch. Once she gave birth, she became very affectionate towards us, and we found homes for two of the kittens but kept Annie and the others.
I swear Annie is Daisy reincarnated. She, too, was a starving stray, and she's incredibly intuitive, seeming to know exactly what I'm saying to her all the time. As I said, I love all animals and have had cats and dogs all my life. But it’s a rarity to have one come along that is so special.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: For almost nineteen years, I was the proud owner, keeper, and "mother" of Benji, the Wonder Dog. We always wondered what mix he was: Poodle? Wired hair terrier? Terra-poo? Or our fancier term, "Pooie-ier?" Benji was a simply a dog, with no particular talent, extra smarts, or tricks, other than arriving at our home at the tender age of eight-weeks-old, the same weight as my son at birth. His only table scrap dining request was pasta -- any kind of pasta. He wasn't big on barking because he was probably too lazy, and, maybe for the same reason, he wouldn't chase a ball. He ran off with and spit out in the back yard every chew stick we gave him, but he was non-shedding, he always smelled doggie fresh, and he would literally lay on my son's pillows, waiting to be tucked in with him. Then, just after the lights went out and Evan's eyes closed, Benji would step on the kid's head, tearing off the bed and back to the family room. He went well beyond being the cherished family pet and became the fur-covered second child who never grew up..
Over the years, we were fortunate to have a very healthy dog that never had any reason for medical attention. We didn't even notice his aging until his last months, when his ability to sprint and leap onto my bed became a comedy act only second to Harold Lloyd's teetering on the flag pole. His energy lessened to that of a "regular" dog, and, at the same time, we noticed during his daily walks that he seemed vague and lost as to the way to get back home, even when he was three or four houses down our street. In short, Benji developed "dog-heimers."
It was time -- eight times -- for me to drive him to the doctor who had cared for him for eighteen years. But eight times I never got out of the car, and, instead, turned it around. I wasn't ready. I prepared for the inevitable, over and over, but never actually faced it. Finally, I said -- no, cried -- my goodbyes to a cataract-eyed, hearing-impaired, sweet puppy face, made him a final bowl of spaghetti, took a tear-stained last walk.with him, packed away his water and food bowl, gave away his storage cans and kibble, then took the ninth ride. I held Benji as the vet gave him an injection that put him into a deep sleep and then the final cocktail. It was a fast, painless, sweet, envied goodbye.
From Evelyn Roedel Read: I mentioned that the limo driver at my mother's funeral was named "Walter," as were my grandfather, father, and brother. But I didn't mention that "Walter" was also the name of my first kid -- a baby goat named "Walter the Fourth" that I had when I was single and thought I might never get married and have children of my own.
Before this, I'd bought a French Alpine goat named "Sweetie," and, every morning before going to school to teach, I went to the garage to feed her and to sweep out "the coffee beans." One morning, I went in, and there was a baby!
What did I know about pregnancy? I was young and single. I thought that Sweetie was just eating well.
Anyway, my brother Walter was a prankster, so when I wrote to him in Vietnam that night, I told him that I had some news: I had had a kid -- now, that wasn't a lie. But you have to remember that, in those days, pregnancy while being single could have cost me my job. In a later letter, I went on to mention that the kid was part black and part white. That set Walter thinking. After a while, I mentioned that the kid had four legs. Finally, I confessed that the kid was a little goat. I tried to get Walter's goat with my goat tale.
Sixth, Happy New Year.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Update 12-22-09
Hi,
I know that many of you are snowed in, and Tom and I are trying to beat a storm to get to his family for the holidays, so we're leaving early. This week's update was going to be sent tonight anyway, so now it's a little ahead of that. And it's a sweet piece written by Evelyn Roedel Read, class of '59, about her mother. It should warm everyone nicely.
Happy holidays, of course, and there seem to be many of them. Drive carefully, shovel safely, and relax. Next week's update may be a day-or-two late.
From Evelyn: On December 7, 2009, I lost my very best friend, my wonderful Mother, Evelyn Theresa Weber Roedel. She died peacefully in her sleep as she had wished.
For some time now she has said that she would just like to close her eyes and not wake up. "Mom, you can't die!" I would tell her and she would reply: "You don't want me to die because then you'll be an orphan!" So, here I am, almost 68...an orphan.
It was frustrating for her to need her wheelchair 24/7 to get around because of advanced Parkinson's and a severely curved spine that caused an imbalance resulting in falls when transferring.
She was so worried about my health problems this year... especially worried that I would die before she died when I was diagnosed with lung cancer . So I said: "Let's make a deal, Mom. YOU don't die and I don't die." But God took her home to be with her son, husband, parents, grandparents, sisters and friends. That is what she wanted.
In Mom's high school yearbook by her picture are the words:
Blond Evelyn
So happy and so gay,
Laughs at life
And merrily goes her way.
That was my Mother. Mom was a very thoughtful, warm, wonderful and caring wife, mother, grandmother and aunt. She and Dad had been married 58 years and she took care of Dad at home when she was in her eighties so he wouldn't have to go into a nursing home. He had end stage Parkinson's, too, and it was very difficult for Mom. He hallucinated and often didn't know us. But she never complained.
In the 58 years that they were married, Mom always put her husband and her children before herself. I never heard them argue or fight and it was very comforting growing up in such a loving and stable environment. As a teen I unexpectedly walked into the kitchen when Mom was hugging Dad as he returned home and her head was on his chest. Dad was embarrassed that I had seen this (coming from parents who were not demonstrative) and said to Mom startled: "What are you doing?" to which she lovingly replied "I am just listening to your heart !" What a wonderful thing, I thought, to see that my parents loved each other. It was so very reassuring.
Mom was creative, artistic and talented, too. And she had a green thumb.
During the war, she would accept discarded coats and clothing from friends and cut them apart to make little coats and outfits for me. She made mother/daughter matching dresses! For my high school senior dinner, she made a beautiful red dress and for my prom, a white brocade sleeveless dress with emerald green trim to match some emerald green glass jewelry I had and loved.
When Dad had his travel agency, Mom made many of her fancy dresses and suits such as needed for the Captain's dinner. She knew there would be nobody there with the same outfit! For her funeral, she picked out a very well tailored outfit that she had made.
She made stuffed animals for us when we were little. When we were older and money was tight, she bought us inexpensive craft supplies and taught us craft ideas which we did in the cool basement when it was too hot to play outside in the summer. Many of those ideas I used when I taught first grade. She inspired me.
Mom was an artist, too. She made beautiful oil and water color paintings from photos, pictures and other paintings....or just freehand.
Mom enjoyed refinishing furniture at the summer house with her little electric sander....chairs, tables, etc. so that they were so smooth and very glossy. They looked better than new! Her work was done professionally!
In earlier years, she and Dad would buy and fix up houses and resell them. Mom was there at night helping to paint all the rooms. She and Dad worked well together. They were very supportive of one another.
When Mom and Dad bought their first home in Valley Stream in May of 1950, Mom had a wonderful time planting all kinds of flowers and fruit trees. When she moved to Leisure Glen in Ridge in 1996, she started propagating African violets and there were 19 healthy plants in her kitchen area full of blooms of multiple colors. She certainly had a green thumb!
A week before Mom died, a former first grade student of mine, Taylor Licausi, now in Harvard, came with his mother to visit Mom and me at Mom's home. Taylor has been an angel in my life since first grade always caring about others including both Mom and me. When Mom had breast cancer and when she broke her leg, he would instant message me asking how she was doing and reminding me that he had her in his prayers. His prayers worked. She survived the cancer and her leg healed nicely.
So last Monday, Nov. 23rd, Taylor and Mom finally met. As he was leaving, he took some pictures of us....Mom, Joe and me. We weren't prepared...no fancy dressy clothing, no makeup or fancy hairdos but I am enclosing two of them. These are the last pictures taken of Mom. Thank you, Taylor.
I will miss giving Mom a kiss hello every day and a kiss good-bye. I will miss telling her, in person, that I love her. I will miss seeing her wonderful smile just seeing me. But I will hold so many wonderful memories dear in my heart and, I thank God for letting me have her for almost 68 years. I am truly blessed.
Evelyn later added: What I wrote about my mother is not too personal for the newsletter, and I'd be pleased for people read about her. Could you also mention that she was the mother of the late Walter Paul Roedel, class of '61.
Before her funeral, I left this story for the minister to read, so he would know something about my mother since he didn't know her. He took it out of the room and returned in three minutes and read it word for word. I hope Mom heard him! The minister's name was Richard Hill, the name of her late sister's husband and their late son, Richard.
Today, Mom was buried, and I think she would have been very happy to know that the limo driver was named Walter, as were my grandfather, father, and brother. Also coincidentally, December 7th, 1941 was my mother's due date for me. I am so glad I waited until the 24th to arrive. It would have been worse to have her die on my birthday.
Love, thoughts, and prayers to all.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
I know that many of you are snowed in, and Tom and I are trying to beat a storm to get to his family for the holidays, so we're leaving early. This week's update was going to be sent tonight anyway, so now it's a little ahead of that. And it's a sweet piece written by Evelyn Roedel Read, class of '59, about her mother. It should warm everyone nicely.
Happy holidays, of course, and there seem to be many of them. Drive carefully, shovel safely, and relax. Next week's update may be a day-or-two late.
From Evelyn: On December 7, 2009, I lost my very best friend, my wonderful Mother, Evelyn Theresa Weber Roedel. She died peacefully in her sleep as she had wished.
For some time now she has said that she would just like to close her eyes and not wake up. "Mom, you can't die!" I would tell her and she would reply: "You don't want me to die because then you'll be an orphan!" So, here I am, almost 68...an orphan.
It was frustrating for her to need her wheelchair 24/7 to get around because of advanced Parkinson's and a severely curved spine that caused an imbalance resulting in falls when transferring.
She was so worried about my health problems this year... especially worried that I would die before she died when I was diagnosed with lung cancer . So I said: "Let's make a deal, Mom. YOU don't die and I don't die." But God took her home to be with her son, husband, parents, grandparents, sisters and friends. That is what she wanted.
In Mom's high school yearbook by her picture are the words:
Blond Evelyn
So happy and so gay,
Laughs at life
And merrily goes her way.
That was my Mother. Mom was a very thoughtful, warm, wonderful and caring wife, mother, grandmother and aunt. She and Dad had been married 58 years and she took care of Dad at home when she was in her eighties so he wouldn't have to go into a nursing home. He had end stage Parkinson's, too, and it was very difficult for Mom. He hallucinated and often didn't know us. But she never complained.
In the 58 years that they were married, Mom always put her husband and her children before herself. I never heard them argue or fight and it was very comforting growing up in such a loving and stable environment. As a teen I unexpectedly walked into the kitchen when Mom was hugging Dad as he returned home and her head was on his chest. Dad was embarrassed that I had seen this (coming from parents who were not demonstrative) and said to Mom startled: "What are you doing?" to which she lovingly replied "I am just listening to your heart !" What a wonderful thing, I thought, to see that my parents loved each other. It was so very reassuring.
Mom was creative, artistic and talented, too. And she had a green thumb.
During the war, she would accept discarded coats and clothing from friends and cut them apart to make little coats and outfits for me. She made mother/daughter matching dresses! For my high school senior dinner, she made a beautiful red dress and for my prom, a white brocade sleeveless dress with emerald green trim to match some emerald green glass jewelry I had and loved.
When Dad had his travel agency, Mom made many of her fancy dresses and suits such as needed for the Captain's dinner. She knew there would be nobody there with the same outfit! For her funeral, she picked out a very well tailored outfit that she had made.
She made stuffed animals for us when we were little. When we were older and money was tight, she bought us inexpensive craft supplies and taught us craft ideas which we did in the cool basement when it was too hot to play outside in the summer. Many of those ideas I used when I taught first grade. She inspired me.
Mom was an artist, too. She made beautiful oil and water color paintings from photos, pictures and other paintings....or just freehand.
Mom enjoyed refinishing furniture at the summer house with her little electric sander....chairs, tables, etc. so that they were so smooth and very glossy. They looked better than new! Her work was done professionally!
In earlier years, she and Dad would buy and fix up houses and resell them. Mom was there at night helping to paint all the rooms. She and Dad worked well together. They were very supportive of one another.
When Mom and Dad bought their first home in Valley Stream in May of 1950, Mom had a wonderful time planting all kinds of flowers and fruit trees. When she moved to Leisure Glen in Ridge in 1996, she started propagating African violets and there were 19 healthy plants in her kitchen area full of blooms of multiple colors. She certainly had a green thumb!
A week before Mom died, a former first grade student of mine, Taylor Licausi, now in Harvard, came with his mother to visit Mom and me at Mom's home. Taylor has been an angel in my life since first grade always caring about others including both Mom and me. When Mom had breast cancer and when she broke her leg, he would instant message me asking how she was doing and reminding me that he had her in his prayers. His prayers worked. She survived the cancer and her leg healed nicely.
So last Monday, Nov. 23rd, Taylor and Mom finally met. As he was leaving, he took some pictures of us....Mom, Joe and me. We weren't prepared...no fancy dressy clothing, no makeup or fancy hairdos but I am enclosing two of them. These are the last pictures taken of Mom. Thank you, Taylor.
I will miss giving Mom a kiss hello every day and a kiss good-bye. I will miss telling her, in person, that I love her. I will miss seeing her wonderful smile just seeing me. But I will hold so many wonderful memories dear in my heart and, I thank God for letting me have her for almost 68 years. I am truly blessed.
Evelyn later added: What I wrote about my mother is not too personal for the newsletter, and I'd be pleased for people read about her. Could you also mention that she was the mother of the late Walter Paul Roedel, class of '61.
Before her funeral, I left this story for the minister to read, so he would know something about my mother since he didn't know her. He took it out of the room and returned in three minutes and read it word for word. I hope Mom heard him! The minister's name was Richard Hill, the name of her late sister's husband and their late son, Richard.
Today, Mom was buried, and I think she would have been very happy to know that the limo driver was named Walter, as were my grandfather, father, and brother. Also coincidentally, December 7th, 1941 was my mother's due date for me. I am so glad I waited until the 24th to arrive. It would have been worse to have her die on my birthday.
Love, thoughts, and prayers to all.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 12-15-09
Hi,
First, an apology to Allen Moss. His note in the newsletter last week wasn't meant for the newsletter, but I got confused by the "Hi, folks."
This has happened before. People figure they're fine because they've sent a note to my personal address not to my class one. But I get class mail at my personal address, personal mail at my class address, and I have a very small brain. So if you're sending something just to me that I could possibly get confused about, please add "not for the newsletter." Thanks.
I also apologized to Eric Hilton, whose follow-up note I obviously shouldn't have added. Eric nicely wrote back, saying it wasn't an issue, and he added, "The older I get, the more many of my friends are in failing health. It makes me feel sad to experience the loss of friends, so the newsletter helps keep special friends
-- even ones I didn’t know before -- closer, and reminds me of the great times we had growing up."
Far too close to Eric's comment, sad news from Robert Fiveson: I was informed by Jay Tuerk by way of Ira Levy that Richie McDonald passed away last week in Florida. Two of my most memorably twisted, but truly great, story experiences involved Richie. He will definitely not be forgotten by me.
[Rich -- If anyone is in contact with the McDonald family, please give them our regards.]
Next, twelve people who weren't from the class of '65 all said they'd like their e-mail addresses to be added to the updated list on our class blog. No one wrote in to say he or she didn't want to be included, so I'm eventually planning to include all the addresses I send the newsletter to. But, also, no one wrote in to say whether I should start running a list of people who plan to come to the summer reunion. Still since it's not even winter yet, that list can wait
An address change from Rich Sternhell: Please note a change in my e-mail address. It's now: richsternhell@gmail.com Thanks.
A food note, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: About the Irish Coffee Pub -- it's more than just a pub. You can get served wonderful dinners there in a pleasant dining room. There's no need to eat elsewhere beforehand.
Seconded by Larry Rugen: The Irish Coffee Pub is a wonderful place. I was there for a 50th wedding anniversary, and it was top notch.
[Rich -- I guess I was thinking we'd have a more formal dinner at the hotel restaurant or at another, similar place, and after a couple of hours, we'd wander off to the pub for the rest of the more casual evening. But everything is still obviously up for discussion.]
On a similar topic, from Barbara Blitfield Pech: Have you looked into any places closer to Nassau County for the reunion? On a personal level, getting to Suffolk from Miami is a travel nightmare, since Islip/McArthur Airport is not a direct flight from many major cities. Also, many of us might prefer to be closer to "home."
And from Claire Brush Reinhart: I've been wanting to tell you that there is a "local" hotel/motel on Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook, on the south side of the road just before you go into Rockville Centre. It has recently been redone and looks quite nice from the outside. It's one of the well-known chains, and the next time I pass by, I'll try to get some information for you and those folks who were interested in a spot for your reunion "close to South High."
[Rich -- as I wrote Claire: That hotel in Rockville Center was one of the places I mentioned in a recent newsletter. It was more convenient than the one in Hauppauge but also more expensive. Because we already know we have a small group of people interested, I simply chose the best place I could for the least amount of money. We'll just have to see what people think about that.]
And Claire helpfully wrote back: The one I was thinking of is actually in Lynbrook, on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Sunrise. It's called the Holiday Inn Express. There is also the Rockville Centre Inn
just across Ocean Avenue from that one, which is still in Lynbrook despite its name, and there is the Five Towns Inn in Lawrence.
[Rich -- I'd priced The Lynbrook Holiday Inn Express. It was $145 a night. And I'd priced the Rockville Centre Inn, which was $199. I just priced The Five Towns Motor Inn. It's $140 a night. And you have to fly into Kennedy, La Guardia, or Newark. That's why I tentatively chose Hauppauge. But all that can change.]
About another reunion entirely, from Joan Kass Lipson: a reminder that the deadline for reservations for our third mini-reunion in South Florida is Monday, December 28, 2009.
The reunion will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2010, from 7 to 11 PM at The Club at Boca Pointe, 7144 Boca Pointe Drive, Boca Raton, Florida. The $37.50 per person includes five different passed hors d'oeuvres, a display of imported and domestic cheeses, fresh fruits with crackers and assorted breads, grilled assorted vegetables with focaccia bread, spinach dip and chips, soft drinks, valet parking, tax, and tips. We've also arranged for the Club to provide a cash bar for mixed drinks and wine.
Feel free to e-mail me at: jlipson@optonline.net with any questions. Otherwise, we're looking forward to seeing some of you on January 30th.
Finally, about the Drimals:
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Lynn is Chuck's sister, class of '64 and sister Blue & Blue Pi Sigma Theta club member.
From Jerry Bittman: After our 37th reunion, I had the pleasure of staying at Chuck Drimal's house for a week. Lynn Drimal is Chuck and Craig's older sister, and, at the time, I believe she was a nurse, living in Cincinnati.
From Jan Blake Dickler: Lynn Drimal is Chuck’s older sister.
From Ryki Zuckerman: I sent Chuck Drimal's e-mail address directly to Bernie O'Brien a week-or-two ago.
From Joan Kass Lipson: I have Chuck Drimal's address and will send it along.
From the address list for the class of '66 reunion invitation: cdrimal@primeenergy.com
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
First, an apology to Allen Moss. His note in the newsletter last week wasn't meant for the newsletter, but I got confused by the "Hi, folks."
This has happened before. People figure they're fine because they've sent a note to my personal address not to my class one. But I get class mail at my personal address, personal mail at my class address, and I have a very small brain. So if you're sending something just to me that I could possibly get confused about, please add "not for the newsletter." Thanks.
I also apologized to Eric Hilton, whose follow-up note I obviously shouldn't have added. Eric nicely wrote back, saying it wasn't an issue, and he added, "The older I get, the more many of my friends are in failing health. It makes me feel sad to experience the loss of friends, so the newsletter helps keep special friends
-- even ones I didn’t know before -- closer, and reminds me of the great times we had growing up."
Far too close to Eric's comment, sad news from Robert Fiveson: I was informed by Jay Tuerk by way of Ira Levy that Richie McDonald passed away last week in Florida. Two of my most memorably twisted, but truly great, story experiences involved Richie. He will definitely not be forgotten by me.
[Rich -- If anyone is in contact with the McDonald family, please give them our regards.]
Next, twelve people who weren't from the class of '65 all said they'd like their e-mail addresses to be added to the updated list on our class blog. No one wrote in to say he or she didn't want to be included, so I'm eventually planning to include all the addresses I send the newsletter to. But, also, no one wrote in to say whether I should start running a list of people who plan to come to the summer reunion. Still since it's not even winter yet, that list can wait
An address change from Rich Sternhell: Please note a change in my e-mail address. It's now: richsternhell@gmail.com Thanks.
A food note, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: About the Irish Coffee Pub -- it's more than just a pub. You can get served wonderful dinners there in a pleasant dining room. There's no need to eat elsewhere beforehand.
Seconded by Larry Rugen: The Irish Coffee Pub is a wonderful place. I was there for a 50th wedding anniversary, and it was top notch.
[Rich -- I guess I was thinking we'd have a more formal dinner at the hotel restaurant or at another, similar place, and after a couple of hours, we'd wander off to the pub for the rest of the more casual evening. But everything is still obviously up for discussion.]
On a similar topic, from Barbara Blitfield Pech: Have you looked into any places closer to Nassau County for the reunion? On a personal level, getting to Suffolk from Miami is a travel nightmare, since Islip/McArthur Airport is not a direct flight from many major cities. Also, many of us might prefer to be closer to "home."
And from Claire Brush Reinhart: I've been wanting to tell you that there is a "local" hotel/motel on Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook, on the south side of the road just before you go into Rockville Centre. It has recently been redone and looks quite nice from the outside. It's one of the well-known chains, and the next time I pass by, I'll try to get some information for you and those folks who were interested in a spot for your reunion "close to South High."
[Rich -- as I wrote Claire: That hotel in Rockville Center was one of the places I mentioned in a recent newsletter. It was more convenient than the one in Hauppauge but also more expensive. Because we already know we have a small group of people interested, I simply chose the best place I could for the least amount of money. We'll just have to see what people think about that.]
And Claire helpfully wrote back: The one I was thinking of is actually in Lynbrook, on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Sunrise. It's called the Holiday Inn Express. There is also the Rockville Centre Inn
just across Ocean Avenue from that one, which is still in Lynbrook despite its name, and there is the Five Towns Inn in Lawrence.
[Rich -- I'd priced The Lynbrook Holiday Inn Express. It was $145 a night. And I'd priced the Rockville Centre Inn, which was $199. I just priced The Five Towns Motor Inn. It's $140 a night. And you have to fly into Kennedy, La Guardia, or Newark. That's why I tentatively chose Hauppauge. But all that can change.]
About another reunion entirely, from Joan Kass Lipson: a reminder that the deadline for reservations for our third mini-reunion in South Florida is Monday, December 28, 2009.
The reunion will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2010, from 7 to 11 PM at The Club at Boca Pointe, 7144 Boca Pointe Drive, Boca Raton, Florida. The $37.50 per person includes five different passed hors d'oeuvres, a display of imported and domestic cheeses, fresh fruits with crackers and assorted breads, grilled assorted vegetables with focaccia bread, spinach dip and chips, soft drinks, valet parking, tax, and tips. We've also arranged for the Club to provide a cash bar for mixed drinks and wine.
Feel free to e-mail me at: jlipson@optonline.net with any questions. Otherwise, we're looking forward to seeing some of you on January 30th.
Finally, about the Drimals:
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: Lynn is Chuck's sister, class of '64 and sister Blue & Blue Pi Sigma Theta club member.
From Jerry Bittman: After our 37th reunion, I had the pleasure of staying at Chuck Drimal's house for a week. Lynn Drimal is Chuck and Craig's older sister, and, at the time, I believe she was a nurse, living in Cincinnati.
From Jan Blake Dickler: Lynn Drimal is Chuck’s older sister.
From Ryki Zuckerman: I sent Chuck Drimal's e-mail address directly to Bernie O'Brien a week-or-two ago.
From Joan Kass Lipson: I have Chuck Drimal's address and will send it along.
From the address list for the class of '66 reunion invitation: cdrimal@primeenergy.com
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 12-8-09
Hi,
A couple of things. Several people have already said they plan to be at the 45th reunion, and I suspect that others will think about it after the holidays.
I may start a running list in the newsletter of people who've said they're coming. That's informative, but it also could be intrusive. So please give me some guidance about that.
And I need to update the online contact list. One reason I've stalled is I'd like to add the names and e-mail addresses of people outside the class who read this newsletter. That would be useful, but I won't do it without permission. So I could use some guidance on that, too.
Thoughts from other people:
First, a suggestion from Tom McPartland: I recently organized a 45th reunion party for our class, '64, at the Irish Coffee Pub in Islip. That's where Booker Gibson plays the piano on Saturday evenings. Your class might think of going there on your Saturday night.
[Rich -- That could be good. We could have dinner at the hotel or at a restaurant like Captain Bill's from 5:00 to 8:00-or-so and then caravan to the Irish Coffee Pub to hear Booker play. But this isn't something we need to decide on soon.]
Also from Tom: I may have Lynn Drimal's e-mail address. Is Chuck -- Charles Drimal, Jr. -- her brother?
[Rich -- Possibly. Anyone have confirmation?]
From Allen Moss: Hi, folks. It's hard to believe that another year has passed. I hope everyone is happy and healthy and will be enjoying the holiday season with partners, friends, and family. And I really hope that I'll get to see everyone this spring or summer as it seems like the momentum is building for a 45th reunion.
I'm grateful that another year has passed and I'm still employed with the state of Maine. Like other states, Maine is having its financial troubles, and we have been through the usual horrors of lay-offs and downsizing. It's tough to stay motivated when your sense of job satisfaction is tinged with lingering anxiety, but I'm learning just to take it one day at a time and to stay as involved as I can. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my little community in Maine, and I'm still as happy as I was about moving here way back in 1996. Yikes --has it really been almost fourteen years?
So until the reunion, lots of virtual hugs and good thoughts from me to all of you.
A quick follow-up from Eric Hilton: Thank you very much, Allen, for that warm greeting from Maine. Living in Florida, I’m not sure how you guys still do winter -- Dan and Jean Cohen Oklan, that goes for you, too. And as much as I would have loved to have spent Thanksgiving in front of a fireplace, drinking wine with good friends, I ended up drinking wine while walking on the beach with my family on Captiva Island. That’s near Ft. Meyers, Florida.
I know you have offered an invitation many times for friends to come north, but I hope, when I do join you, it will be in the warmer fall, to photograph the beautiful countryside and coastline of Maine. Until then, please stay warm and have a wonderful holiday and New Year.
Some cautious news, from Barbara Blitfield Pech: I'm not sure how many people still remember Bob Spath since he and his family moved from Valley Stream when Bob was in sixth or eighth grade. Later, he was my neighbor for a while in Florida, and then he moved to another part of the state. But we've kept in touch, and I've just heard that he could be in better health. So if you'd like to wish him well, and you're already on Facebook, you can easily check in.
A reminder about this Thursday's Alumni Association party: The Alumni Association invites anyone interested to gather at Goldie's Restaurant at 6:30 PM on Thursday, December 10th. The restaurant's at 153 Dubois Avenue in Valley Stream.
The cost of dinner will be $23.95 per person, and if you're planning to attend, please RSVP to Irene Sundal at: LeanOwl@aol.com.
Finally, highlights of the September 10th minutes of South's Alumni Association meeting:
Present: Roberta Brill Birnel, Paul DeMartino, Vincent Fileccia, Booker Gibson, Karen Grimm, Eileen Howell, Terry Gunderson Kaiser, Arlene Ainbinder Lynn, Edie Mandel, Claire Brush Reinhardt, Ray Richford, Emily Kleinman Schreiber, Dennis Shapiro, and Irene Sundal.
Emily started the meeting by telling us about Irving Saffrin’s 90th birthday party. She brought a copy of a book she presented to Irv, featuring many congratulations from alumni and illustrations from her biology notebooks. She also thanked Terry Gunderson Kaiser for purchasing the gift cards for the pre-prom party in June. In appreciation of that, we received a nice "thank you" note from South's Parents’ Club.
Chatram Deochand, recipient of an Alumni Association scholarship, also sent us a very nice "thank you" note. And Justin DelGrasso, recipient of the Carmine Cervone Scholarship, thanked us and let us know of his intentions to use the money at SUNY-Delhi. The $500 scholarship in memory of Carmine Cervone was provided by Barbara Eisen-Herman’s, and we appreciate Barbara’s generosity.
The June minutes were amended to reflect the correct number of scholarship applications we received. There were 13.
Booker Gibson Night at the Irish Coffee Club in August was a great success. About 85 people attended, and $115 in new membership dues was collected.
It was decided that we need a membership chairman, and Roberta Brill Birnel volunteered. There will be a guest book for Association occasions and a “bucket” for donations to our scholarship fund at all our events.
It was suggested that for 2010, we award 3 scholarships, with rules for distribution of the money by percentage to be determined.
Claire Brush Reinhardt has again volunteered to be the Association representative at the School Culture Committee meetings.
The Alumni Association has voted to donate $200, plus personal donations, for the Food Bank for November.
Principal Maureen Henry joined our meeting and introduced South’s new Vice-Principal, Manny Urena. Maureen informed us that because we've changed our meetings to the second Thursday of the month, we would not be able to use the school library until March 2010. Until then, our meetings will be in the teachers’ cafeteria, which is located off South Hall.
In response to President Obama’s request for community service, South High has planned the following activities for each grade:
7th – flags for Franklin General Hospital
8th – letters to soldiers
9th – a paper drive for Hewlett House
10th – donations to a food bank
11th – "thank you" letters to rescue workers
12th – a school supply drive
Other school activities will include an outreach to the district elementary schools and community clean-ups.
Maureen Henry informed us that The Southern Bell has a new editor, Mrs. Panvini, and we were advised that the bridge to Mill Brook has been taken down. In return, we asked Maureen to get information about the “Distinguished Alumni Award” presented by the district.
Homecoming Day at South is October 3rd.
The class of 1984 is having a reunion on October 9th.
The class of 1964 is having a reunion on October 17th
The Class of 1959 is having a reunion on October 24th.
The Class of 1968’s 41st reunion is being planned for early fall.
The tentative date for the annual 1966 reunion dinner is January 30th in Boca Raton.
Please send any information regarding reunions either to Eric Spinner at: eSpinne@schools.nyc.gov or to Emily Kleinman Schreiber at: cre8em@aol.com. Information to Eric will be posted on our web site, and information to Emily will be included in the Alumni Association Bulletin.
Meetings for this year: October 8, November 12, December 10, January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8, May 13, and June 10.
Finally, Irwin Kotcher’s wife isn’t well, and we send her a wish for a speedy recovery.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
A couple of things. Several people have already said they plan to be at the 45th reunion, and I suspect that others will think about it after the holidays.
I may start a running list in the newsletter of people who've said they're coming. That's informative, but it also could be intrusive. So please give me some guidance about that.
And I need to update the online contact list. One reason I've stalled is I'd like to add the names and e-mail addresses of people outside the class who read this newsletter. That would be useful, but I won't do it without permission. So I could use some guidance on that, too.
Thoughts from other people:
First, a suggestion from Tom McPartland: I recently organized a 45th reunion party for our class, '64, at the Irish Coffee Pub in Islip. That's where Booker Gibson plays the piano on Saturday evenings. Your class might think of going there on your Saturday night.
[Rich -- That could be good. We could have dinner at the hotel or at a restaurant like Captain Bill's from 5:00 to 8:00-or-so and then caravan to the Irish Coffee Pub to hear Booker play. But this isn't something we need to decide on soon.]
Also from Tom: I may have Lynn Drimal's e-mail address. Is Chuck -- Charles Drimal, Jr. -- her brother?
[Rich -- Possibly. Anyone have confirmation?]
From Allen Moss: Hi, folks. It's hard to believe that another year has passed. I hope everyone is happy and healthy and will be enjoying the holiday season with partners, friends, and family. And I really hope that I'll get to see everyone this spring or summer as it seems like the momentum is building for a 45th reunion.
I'm grateful that another year has passed and I'm still employed with the state of Maine. Like other states, Maine is having its financial troubles, and we have been through the usual horrors of lay-offs and downsizing. It's tough to stay motivated when your sense of job satisfaction is tinged with lingering anxiety, but I'm learning just to take it one day at a time and to stay as involved as I can. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my little community in Maine, and I'm still as happy as I was about moving here way back in 1996. Yikes --has it really been almost fourteen years?
So until the reunion, lots of virtual hugs and good thoughts from me to all of you.
A quick follow-up from Eric Hilton: Thank you very much, Allen, for that warm greeting from Maine. Living in Florida, I’m not sure how you guys still do winter -- Dan and Jean Cohen Oklan, that goes for you, too. And as much as I would have loved to have spent Thanksgiving in front of a fireplace, drinking wine with good friends, I ended up drinking wine while walking on the beach with my family on Captiva Island. That’s near Ft. Meyers, Florida.
I know you have offered an invitation many times for friends to come north, but I hope, when I do join you, it will be in the warmer fall, to photograph the beautiful countryside and coastline of Maine. Until then, please stay warm and have a wonderful holiday and New Year.
Some cautious news, from Barbara Blitfield Pech: I'm not sure how many people still remember Bob Spath since he and his family moved from Valley Stream when Bob was in sixth or eighth grade. Later, he was my neighbor for a while in Florida, and then he moved to another part of the state. But we've kept in touch, and I've just heard that he could be in better health. So if you'd like to wish him well, and you're already on Facebook, you can easily check in.
A reminder about this Thursday's Alumni Association party: The Alumni Association invites anyone interested to gather at Goldie's Restaurant at 6:30 PM on Thursday, December 10th. The restaurant's at 153 Dubois Avenue in Valley Stream.
The cost of dinner will be $23.95 per person, and if you're planning to attend, please RSVP to Irene Sundal at: LeanOwl@aol.com.
Finally, highlights of the September 10th minutes of South's Alumni Association meeting:
Present: Roberta Brill Birnel, Paul DeMartino, Vincent Fileccia, Booker Gibson, Karen Grimm, Eileen Howell, Terry Gunderson Kaiser, Arlene Ainbinder Lynn, Edie Mandel, Claire Brush Reinhardt, Ray Richford, Emily Kleinman Schreiber, Dennis Shapiro, and Irene Sundal.
Emily started the meeting by telling us about Irving Saffrin’s 90th birthday party. She brought a copy of a book she presented to Irv, featuring many congratulations from alumni and illustrations from her biology notebooks. She also thanked Terry Gunderson Kaiser for purchasing the gift cards for the pre-prom party in June. In appreciation of that, we received a nice "thank you" note from South's Parents’ Club.
Chatram Deochand, recipient of an Alumni Association scholarship, also sent us a very nice "thank you" note. And Justin DelGrasso, recipient of the Carmine Cervone Scholarship, thanked us and let us know of his intentions to use the money at SUNY-Delhi. The $500 scholarship in memory of Carmine Cervone was provided by Barbara Eisen-Herman’s, and we appreciate Barbara’s generosity.
The June minutes were amended to reflect the correct number of scholarship applications we received. There were 13.
Booker Gibson Night at the Irish Coffee Club in August was a great success. About 85 people attended, and $115 in new membership dues was collected.
It was decided that we need a membership chairman, and Roberta Brill Birnel volunteered. There will be a guest book for Association occasions and a “bucket” for donations to our scholarship fund at all our events.
It was suggested that for 2010, we award 3 scholarships, with rules for distribution of the money by percentage to be determined.
Claire Brush Reinhardt has again volunteered to be the Association representative at the School Culture Committee meetings.
The Alumni Association has voted to donate $200, plus personal donations, for the Food Bank for November.
Principal Maureen Henry joined our meeting and introduced South’s new Vice-Principal, Manny Urena. Maureen informed us that because we've changed our meetings to the second Thursday of the month, we would not be able to use the school library until March 2010. Until then, our meetings will be in the teachers’ cafeteria, which is located off South Hall.
In response to President Obama’s request for community service, South High has planned the following activities for each grade:
7th – flags for Franklin General Hospital
8th – letters to soldiers
9th – a paper drive for Hewlett House
10th – donations to a food bank
11th – "thank you" letters to rescue workers
12th – a school supply drive
Other school activities will include an outreach to the district elementary schools and community clean-ups.
Maureen Henry informed us that The Southern Bell has a new editor, Mrs. Panvini, and we were advised that the bridge to Mill Brook has been taken down. In return, we asked Maureen to get information about the “Distinguished Alumni Award” presented by the district.
Homecoming Day at South is October 3rd.
The class of 1984 is having a reunion on October 9th.
The class of 1964 is having a reunion on October 17th
The Class of 1959 is having a reunion on October 24th.
The Class of 1968’s 41st reunion is being planned for early fall.
The tentative date for the annual 1966 reunion dinner is January 30th in Boca Raton.
Please send any information regarding reunions either to Eric Spinner at: eSpinne@schools.nyc.gov or to Emily Kleinman Schreiber at: cre8em@aol.com. Information to Eric will be posted on our web site, and information to Emily will be included in the Alumni Association Bulletin.
Meetings for this year: October 8, November 12, December 10, January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8, May 13, and June 10.
Finally, Irwin Kotcher’s wife isn’t well, and we send her a wish for a speedy recovery.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 12-1-09
Hi,
A couple of hard things, and then some easier stuff.
First, a note from Jerry Bittman: Unfortunately, complications arose with the pacemaker. Will have to go back into the hospital for another operation. I must admit that I'm not mentally prepared for another operation so soon, so thanks for the words of encouragement.
[Rich -- You know our thoughts are with you, Jerry.]
And a note from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: Unfortunately, my husband Len is seriously ill.
[Rich -- Our thoughts are with you, Len and Emily, too.]
Related to that, Emily wrote: There won't be an Alumni Association Bulletin until everything here settles down -- unless someone else would like to create it.
[Rich -- So if anyone could help out, that would be great. Please contact Emily at: Cre8em@aol.com.]
Emily also added: Instead of our monthly Alumni Association meeting on Thursday, December 3rd, we invite Alumni Association Members and their spouses, significant others, or interested friends to gather at Goldie's Restaurant at 6:30 PM on Thursday, December 10th. The restaurant's address is: 153 Dubois Avenue in Valley Stream.
The cost of dinner will be $23.95 per person, and if you're planning to attend or if you have any questions about the party, please RSVP to Irene Sundal at: LeanOwl@aol.com.
[Rich -- Now that I've learned that Goldie's exists, I've been curious to see the place and eat there. Unfortunately, I'm going to be at my eight-year-old goddaughter's group piano recital that evening. Last year, she played the theme from Star Wars. Very slowly.]
On sprightlier topics, Bernie O'Brien wrote, first wishing everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and then asking: Do you have an e-mail or home address for Chuck Drimal, class of '66?
[Rich -- I didn't, but rather than wait a week to ask here, I dropped "Chuck Drimal" -- "Charles Drimal, Jr.," actually -- into Google to hunt around. What I found wasn't a surprise, so someone must have tipped me off some years ago, but if you want to read another of South's success stories, go search on Mr. Drimal's name.
And I did find a business address and phone number to pass on to Bernie. But if anyone has an e-mail address for Charles Drimal, please send it to Mr. O'Brien. His address is: ob11@optonline.net]
And Barbara Blitfield Pech has a question: A long, lost friend from Temple Gates of Zion / Central High School, class of '65, has been found living at 32 Elderberry Lane. The address is very familiar, so possibly someone from our class lived there. If anyone remembers, please advise.
Barbara also sent a long Thanksgiving message that included the thoughts: I love you all and thank you for your gifts of friendship. May you continue to know peace, love, and contentment, and may these blessing be with you through this year and years to come.
Finally, some additional reunion thoughts
First, from Betsy Fels Pottruck: Having done two weddings in the last two years where we needed to put people up, it is always possible to negotiate group rates, and if you use the hotel's banquet facilities, you have great bargaining power. Also, with the economy down, there are deals out there. Anyhow, just thought I would put that out there for your class to consider. Good luck.
Next, from me: Since it appears the fastest way to get things going is to make a decision, and since people seem most interested in having an informal reunion in late spring or early summer on Long Island, I'm going to suggest:
Friday, July 16, 2010 through Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge, New York
That's the same place as our 37th reunion, so some of us are familiar with the hotel. It seems to have the best rooms for the money, even if the place is an hour's drive from Valley Stream. But it's near an airport and not too far from the ferry from Connecticut.
We can gather in the lobby bar for the Friday night get-together and pay for our own drinks and food. That way, there are no advance arrangements or payments to be made and no money to be collected.
Similarly, we can make reservations in the hotel restaurant for Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast, and maybe even get a side dining room for one of the gatherings. That way, there's no banquet to be financed. And if we find better places to gather for Friday night -- like the Irish Pub or the Lynbrook pizza place -- or to have dinner on Saturday -- like Captain Bill's -- we can decide that later, as a group.
Let me know what you think. If we get 20 people, I'll see if we can get a group room rate. Choosing mid-July should avoid the 4th celebrations and the June weddings.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
A couple of hard things, and then some easier stuff.
First, a note from Jerry Bittman: Unfortunately, complications arose with the pacemaker. Will have to go back into the hospital for another operation. I must admit that I'm not mentally prepared for another operation so soon, so thanks for the words of encouragement.
[Rich -- You know our thoughts are with you, Jerry.]
And a note from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: Unfortunately, my husband Len is seriously ill.
[Rich -- Our thoughts are with you, Len and Emily, too.]
Related to that, Emily wrote: There won't be an Alumni Association Bulletin until everything here settles down -- unless someone else would like to create it.
[Rich -- So if anyone could help out, that would be great. Please contact Emily at: Cre8em@aol.com.]
Emily also added: Instead of our monthly Alumni Association meeting on Thursday, December 3rd, we invite Alumni Association Members and their spouses, significant others, or interested friends to gather at Goldie's Restaurant at 6:30 PM on Thursday, December 10th. The restaurant's address is: 153 Dubois Avenue in Valley Stream.
The cost of dinner will be $23.95 per person, and if you're planning to attend or if you have any questions about the party, please RSVP to Irene Sundal at: LeanOwl@aol.com.
[Rich -- Now that I've learned that Goldie's exists, I've been curious to see the place and eat there. Unfortunately, I'm going to be at my eight-year-old goddaughter's group piano recital that evening. Last year, she played the theme from Star Wars. Very slowly.]
On sprightlier topics, Bernie O'Brien wrote, first wishing everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and then asking: Do you have an e-mail or home address for Chuck Drimal, class of '66?
[Rich -- I didn't, but rather than wait a week to ask here, I dropped "Chuck Drimal" -- "Charles Drimal, Jr.," actually -- into Google to hunt around. What I found wasn't a surprise, so someone must have tipped me off some years ago, but if you want to read another of South's success stories, go search on Mr. Drimal's name.
And I did find a business address and phone number to pass on to Bernie. But if anyone has an e-mail address for Charles Drimal, please send it to Mr. O'Brien. His address is: ob11@optonline.net]
And Barbara Blitfield Pech has a question: A long, lost friend from Temple Gates of Zion / Central High School, class of '65, has been found living at 32 Elderberry Lane. The address is very familiar, so possibly someone from our class lived there. If anyone remembers, please advise.
Barbara also sent a long Thanksgiving message that included the thoughts: I love you all and thank you for your gifts of friendship. May you continue to know peace, love, and contentment, and may these blessing be with you through this year and years to come.
Finally, some additional reunion thoughts
First, from Betsy Fels Pottruck: Having done two weddings in the last two years where we needed to put people up, it is always possible to negotiate group rates, and if you use the hotel's banquet facilities, you have great bargaining power. Also, with the economy down, there are deals out there. Anyhow, just thought I would put that out there for your class to consider. Good luck.
Next, from me: Since it appears the fastest way to get things going is to make a decision, and since people seem most interested in having an informal reunion in late spring or early summer on Long Island, I'm going to suggest:
Friday, July 16, 2010 through Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge, New York
That's the same place as our 37th reunion, so some of us are familiar with the hotel. It seems to have the best rooms for the money, even if the place is an hour's drive from Valley Stream. But it's near an airport and not too far from the ferry from Connecticut.
We can gather in the lobby bar for the Friday night get-together and pay for our own drinks and food. That way, there are no advance arrangements or payments to be made and no money to be collected.
Similarly, we can make reservations in the hotel restaurant for Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast, and maybe even get a side dining room for one of the gatherings. That way, there's no banquet to be financed. And if we find better places to gather for Friday night -- like the Irish Pub or the Lynbrook pizza place -- or to have dinner on Saturday -- like Captain Bill's -- we can decide that later, as a group.
Let me know what you think. If we get 20 people, I'll see if we can get a group room rate. Choosing mid-July should avoid the 4th celebrations and the June weddings.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 11-24-09
Hi,
First, Happy Thanksgiving.
Second, good news from Jerry Bittman. He wrote: Thanks for the kind words. All went well.
Third, thanks for your thoughts about our dog. She was a Lab / Spaniel mix who looked a lot like a Border Collie.
Fourth, three e-mail addresses:
Terry Shields' updated address from last week is case sensitive. So that address should have been:
Terrence.Shields@symyx.com
Ed Albrecht has an updated address, too, and it's: SherlockInspections@gmail.com
Barbara Button McAnulty, from our class, found us through Facebook, and her e-mail address is:
B A NEWFIE@aol.com
Fifth, more reunion thoughts:
From Sharon Hoenig Barry: Depending upon the date, count me in -- 2 people -- for a reunion on Long Island.
From Larry Rugen: May I recommend a great restaurant and party place: Captain Bill's in Bay Shore. That's south of Hauppauge and a mile-or-so west. www.captainbills.com/index.htm We just had our daughter's engagement party there, and it was fantastic.
The restaurant's on the water -- walk outside the room, and you're on the Great South Bay -- and it's known for its sea food, but it offers a full menu. Our room was for sixty people, but they have larger rooms also. We choose the four-hour cocktail party with unlimited drinks -- top shelf. There was plenty of food, all kinds of hors d'oeuvres, and a hot buffet with a carving station. No one went hungry.
The price is about $50 per person, and that included the 20% service fee and the 8.7% tax. The restaurant also has a great staff. They took a head count and returned money for the three people who could not make the party.
But you need to choose a date and book.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: With regards to the reunion, I would personally prefer to be as close to "home" as possible. Also, since when has Rockaway Avenue hosted a hotel location? Wow, have I been gone for a long time. But I will look at all the names you've listed and report.
Some of the places noted are part of chain resorts like Best Western, so how bad could they be for three days, surrounded by friends and with proximity to the old stomping grounds?
Quick follow-up from Barbara: Stumblin Inn is not a hotel. It's a bar. But the Best Western in Lynbrook is surprisingly not hideous, at least in the virtual tour. And if I recall correctly, there's also a Holiday Inn on Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre that my brother's class -- '68 -- had its reunion at some years ago. I think the class of '66 went there, too.
[Rich: Some rough price checks for some of the hotels mentioned and others in the area. These were listed as "lowest average rates" on hotels.com, but perhaps we could get better group rates. Though these rates seem to fluctuate, so who knows what's dependable?
Allegria Hotel in Long Beach: $299 per room a night
Garden City Hotel: $255 per room a night
Rockville Centre Inn: $199 per room a night
Hampton Inn in Rockville Centre: $185 per room a night
Freeport Inn & Boatel: $155 per room a night
Holiday Inn Express in Lynbrook: $145 per room a night
Best Western Rockville Centre: $140 per room a night
Huntington Hilton -- from our 40th reunion: $129 per room a night
Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge -- from our 37th reunion: $92 per room a night. Another reason Terri chose Hauppauge.
Confused? Wait till next week. Stu Borman's offer of a sleep-over in Washington is looking good. Wonder if we could rent out Forest Road School for a weekend? Or if I could lure my mother out of her house for a couple of days, and we could throw a party in her basement?]
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
First, Happy Thanksgiving.
Second, good news from Jerry Bittman. He wrote: Thanks for the kind words. All went well.
Third, thanks for your thoughts about our dog. She was a Lab / Spaniel mix who looked a lot like a Border Collie.
Fourth, three e-mail addresses:
Terry Shields' updated address from last week is case sensitive. So that address should have been:
Terrence.Shields@symyx.com
Ed Albrecht has an updated address, too, and it's: SherlockInspections@gmail.com
Barbara Button McAnulty, from our class, found us through Facebook, and her e-mail address is:
B A NEWFIE@aol.com
Fifth, more reunion thoughts:
From Sharon Hoenig Barry: Depending upon the date, count me in -- 2 people -- for a reunion on Long Island.
From Larry Rugen: May I recommend a great restaurant and party place: Captain Bill's in Bay Shore. That's south of Hauppauge and a mile-or-so west. www.captainbills.com/index.htm We just had our daughter's engagement party there, and it was fantastic.
The restaurant's on the water -- walk outside the room, and you're on the Great South Bay -- and it's known for its sea food, but it offers a full menu. Our room was for sixty people, but they have larger rooms also. We choose the four-hour cocktail party with unlimited drinks -- top shelf. There was plenty of food, all kinds of hors d'oeuvres, and a hot buffet with a carving station. No one went hungry.
The price is about $50 per person, and that included the 20% service fee and the 8.7% tax. The restaurant also has a great staff. They took a head count and returned money for the three people who could not make the party.
But you need to choose a date and book.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: With regards to the reunion, I would personally prefer to be as close to "home" as possible. Also, since when has Rockaway Avenue hosted a hotel location? Wow, have I been gone for a long time. But I will look at all the names you've listed and report.
Some of the places noted are part of chain resorts like Best Western, so how bad could they be for three days, surrounded by friends and with proximity to the old stomping grounds?
Quick follow-up from Barbara: Stumblin Inn is not a hotel. It's a bar. But the Best Western in Lynbrook is surprisingly not hideous, at least in the virtual tour. And if I recall correctly, there's also a Holiday Inn on Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre that my brother's class -- '68 -- had its reunion at some years ago. I think the class of '66 went there, too.
[Rich: Some rough price checks for some of the hotels mentioned and others in the area. These were listed as "lowest average rates" on hotels.com, but perhaps we could get better group rates. Though these rates seem to fluctuate, so who knows what's dependable?
Allegria Hotel in Long Beach: $299 per room a night
Garden City Hotel: $255 per room a night
Rockville Centre Inn: $199 per room a night
Hampton Inn in Rockville Centre: $185 per room a night
Freeport Inn & Boatel: $155 per room a night
Holiday Inn Express in Lynbrook: $145 per room a night
Best Western Rockville Centre: $140 per room a night
Huntington Hilton -- from our 40th reunion: $129 per room a night
Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge -- from our 37th reunion: $92 per room a night. Another reason Terri chose Hauppauge.
Confused? Wait till next week. Stu Borman's offer of a sleep-over in Washington is looking good. Wonder if we could rent out Forest Road School for a weekend? Or if I could lure my mother out of her house for a couple of days, and we could throw a party in her basement?]
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 11-17-09
Hi,
In the sixties, we had Gerry and the Pacemakers. Today, we have Jerry and the Pacemakers.
Jerry Bittman just had his pacemaker replaced, and he's not particularly pleased about it. He was sunning in Phoenix, looking for someplace warm to retire, when he and his faulty heart device were recalled to shivery Nebraska, where he's now recovering from last Friday's operation.
To speed his recovery, you might want to send him good wishes -- an electronic card or simply an
e-mail message -- at: crazygeronimo@yahoo.com Or you could bypass formalities, pick up the phone, and call Jerry at: 914-610-1513. Either way, he'll probably be happy to hear from you.
A note from Terry Shields. Hi. I enjoy getting the newsletter very much, but I'm changing my e-mail address. Would you please update it to: terrence.shields@symxy.com Thanks.
Another note about keeping in touch, this time a suggestion from someone outside our class: Could you ask everyone in your class who's using Facebook to become "friends" with all the other people listed in your class? It not only helps people stay in contact; it leads people searching on an uncommon name like Acquasanta to people with more common names like Brown.
Also, please remind people to check the other Valley Stream South pages on Facebook. There's one for the high school, one for the Alumni Association, and pages for particular classes, like yours.
The latest Entertainment in LA news from Amy Lieberman:
Billy Valentine with Off The Hook. Friday, November 20th, 10 PM -- 1 AM. Good ol' R & B and dancing in the aisles -- literally. Reservations required for a table. Cafe Cordiale, 14015 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks 91423. 818-789-1985
And looking ahead: Billy Valentine and the Stuart Elster Trio. Thursday, December 31st -- New Year's Eve. 9 PM -- 1 AM. Standards and more. Shutters By The Beach, 1 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica 90405. 310-458-0030
Robert Fiveson sent something historical, passed on to him though not originated by Jay Tuerk. Here's a small part of it:
Irena Sendler recently died at ninety-eight. During WW II, Sendler got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist, but she had an ulterior motive. Being German, she suspected what the Nazis' plans were for the Jews, so she smuggled infants out of the ghetto in the bottom of the tool box she carried. She also carried a burlap sack in the back of her truck for larger kids. And she had a dog traveling with her that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the Ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog, so they stayed away from it, and the barking covered the kids' and infants' noises.
During her time doing this, Sendler managed to smuggle out and save 2500 children. She was eventually caught and severely beaten, but she survived. She also kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and hid it safely in a glass jar buried under a tree in her backyard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents who may have survived, to reunite them with their children, but, unfortunately, many of the parents had died. Still, Sendler helped many of the children she saved get adopted or be placed in foster homes.
Some further reunion correspondence:
Allen Moss in Maine again. It would be nice to have the reunion somewhere closer to Valley Stream than Hauppauge. That was a bit isolated, but the accommodations were certainly very nice. Still, Hauppauge would be fine by me, and so would the Huntington Hilton that Robin Feit, Paul DeMartino, and Dennis Shapiro nicely found for our 40th reunion.
Also, hi, Terri!
Similarly, from Roz Minsky Bobrow Hahn: A reunion on Long Island sounds good to me. Hauppauge is also near to the Islip airport, for anyone flying in. My vote is for Hauppauge, and for spring, rather than summer.
And from Neil Guberman: I'm feeling a Long Island reunion is always best, just 'cause it makes the old stomping grounds available as part of the fun. It's very enjoyable to get together in mini-reunions wherever they happen to occur, but for milestones like a 45th or a 50th for sure, where, hopefully, more than a small number of people might be coming, being close to "home" seems best to me.
Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.
[Rich -- Yep, I flew into the Islip Airport for our 37th reunion, and it was an easier flight than to JFK. LaGuardia, or Newark.
I also just did some quick, long distance research on hotels and motels in the Valley Stream area. Just from their names, some of these places don't seem like spots you'd even want to stop in to ask directions, but who can really tell from the Internet? If anyone knows more about any of these places, please let the rest of us know.
Meanwhile, Friday, July 9th through Sunday, July 11th or Friday, July 16th through Sunday, July 18th still seem possible. Or Friday, June 18th through Sunday, June 20th if we're trying to slip in at the end of spring, though I'm not sure a date that late is exactly what Roz means. And I'm thinking a Friday night get-together, either at the pizza place in Lynbrook that Eric Hilton favors or the pub where Booker Gibson plays. And a Saturday night dinner at a local restaurant that can hold us all, perhaps in a private dining room. And Saturday and Sunday breakfasts and lunches wherever people find to gather -- maybe in places like Goldie's or a picnic at the site of Molly and Leo's.
Here are those hotels and motels:
Sunrise Auto Inn
270 W Sunrise Hwy
Valley Stream, NY 11581
Stumblin Inn
371 Rockaway Ave
Valley Stream, NY 11581
Red Roof Inn Long Island
699 Dibblee Drive
Westbury, NY 11590
Marriott Long Island Hotel And Conference Center
101 James Doolittle Boulevard
Uniondale, NY 11553
Wingate Inn - Garden City
821 Stewart Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530
Anchor Motor Inn
215-34 Northern Blvd.
Bayside, NY 11361
Ramada Inn Adria And Conference Center
220-33 Northern Boulevard
Bayside, NY 11361
Econo Lodge Ozone Park
113-18 Rockaway Blvd
Ozone Park, NY 11420
The Garden City Hotel
45 Seventh Street
Garden City, NY 11530
Floral Park Motor Lodge
30 Jericho Turnpike
Floral Park, NY 11001
Five Towns Motor Inn
655 Rockaway Turnpike
Lawrence, NY
Best Western Mill River Manor
173 Sunrise Highway
Rockville Centre, NY]
Finally, the dog that kept Tom and me on track for the past dozen years died, prematurely, last Thursday. She was twelve-and-a-half and had, literally, been off her feed for the past couple of months, but we thought it had something to do with aging. Unfortunately, it was more serious.
The dog was named by Tom's then three-year-old neighbor, Emma, who said, "This puppy's soooo fluffy." But because I'm stupidly conservative, I mostly referred to her as "the dog." Still, she remained soft, gentle, and Fluffy to the end.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
In the sixties, we had Gerry and the Pacemakers. Today, we have Jerry and the Pacemakers.
Jerry Bittman just had his pacemaker replaced, and he's not particularly pleased about it. He was sunning in Phoenix, looking for someplace warm to retire, when he and his faulty heart device were recalled to shivery Nebraska, where he's now recovering from last Friday's operation.
To speed his recovery, you might want to send him good wishes -- an electronic card or simply an
e-mail message -- at: crazygeronimo@yahoo.com Or you could bypass formalities, pick up the phone, and call Jerry at: 914-610-1513. Either way, he'll probably be happy to hear from you.
A note from Terry Shields. Hi. I enjoy getting the newsletter very much, but I'm changing my e-mail address. Would you please update it to: terrence.shields@symxy.com Thanks.
Another note about keeping in touch, this time a suggestion from someone outside our class: Could you ask everyone in your class who's using Facebook to become "friends" with all the other people listed in your class? It not only helps people stay in contact; it leads people searching on an uncommon name like Acquasanta to people with more common names like Brown.
Also, please remind people to check the other Valley Stream South pages on Facebook. There's one for the high school, one for the Alumni Association, and pages for particular classes, like yours.
The latest Entertainment in LA news from Amy Lieberman:
Billy Valentine with Off The Hook. Friday, November 20th, 10 PM -- 1 AM. Good ol' R & B and dancing in the aisles -- literally. Reservations required for a table. Cafe Cordiale, 14015 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks 91423. 818-789-1985
And looking ahead: Billy Valentine and the Stuart Elster Trio. Thursday, December 31st -- New Year's Eve. 9 PM -- 1 AM. Standards and more. Shutters By The Beach, 1 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica 90405. 310-458-0030
Robert Fiveson sent something historical, passed on to him though not originated by Jay Tuerk. Here's a small part of it:
Irena Sendler recently died at ninety-eight. During WW II, Sendler got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist, but she had an ulterior motive. Being German, she suspected what the Nazis' plans were for the Jews, so she smuggled infants out of the ghetto in the bottom of the tool box she carried. She also carried a burlap sack in the back of her truck for larger kids. And she had a dog traveling with her that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the Ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog, so they stayed away from it, and the barking covered the kids' and infants' noises.
During her time doing this, Sendler managed to smuggle out and save 2500 children. She was eventually caught and severely beaten, but she survived. She also kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and hid it safely in a glass jar buried under a tree in her backyard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents who may have survived, to reunite them with their children, but, unfortunately, many of the parents had died. Still, Sendler helped many of the children she saved get adopted or be placed in foster homes.
Some further reunion correspondence:
Allen Moss in Maine again. It would be nice to have the reunion somewhere closer to Valley Stream than Hauppauge. That was a bit isolated, but the accommodations were certainly very nice. Still, Hauppauge would be fine by me, and so would the Huntington Hilton that Robin Feit, Paul DeMartino, and Dennis Shapiro nicely found for our 40th reunion.
Also, hi, Terri!
Similarly, from Roz Minsky Bobrow Hahn: A reunion on Long Island sounds good to me. Hauppauge is also near to the Islip airport, for anyone flying in. My vote is for Hauppauge, and for spring, rather than summer.
And from Neil Guberman: I'm feeling a Long Island reunion is always best, just 'cause it makes the old stomping grounds available as part of the fun. It's very enjoyable to get together in mini-reunions wherever they happen to occur, but for milestones like a 45th or a 50th for sure, where, hopefully, more than a small number of people might be coming, being close to "home" seems best to me.
Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.
[Rich -- Yep, I flew into the Islip Airport for our 37th reunion, and it was an easier flight than to JFK. LaGuardia, or Newark.
I also just did some quick, long distance research on hotels and motels in the Valley Stream area. Just from their names, some of these places don't seem like spots you'd even want to stop in to ask directions, but who can really tell from the Internet? If anyone knows more about any of these places, please let the rest of us know.
Meanwhile, Friday, July 9th through Sunday, July 11th or Friday, July 16th through Sunday, July 18th still seem possible. Or Friday, June 18th through Sunday, June 20th if we're trying to slip in at the end of spring, though I'm not sure a date that late is exactly what Roz means. And I'm thinking a Friday night get-together, either at the pizza place in Lynbrook that Eric Hilton favors or the pub where Booker Gibson plays. And a Saturday night dinner at a local restaurant that can hold us all, perhaps in a private dining room. And Saturday and Sunday breakfasts and lunches wherever people find to gather -- maybe in places like Goldie's or a picnic at the site of Molly and Leo's.
Here are those hotels and motels:
Sunrise Auto Inn
270 W Sunrise Hwy
Valley Stream, NY 11581
Stumblin Inn
371 Rockaway Ave
Valley Stream, NY 11581
Red Roof Inn Long Island
699 Dibblee Drive
Westbury, NY 11590
Marriott Long Island Hotel And Conference Center
101 James Doolittle Boulevard
Uniondale, NY 11553
Wingate Inn - Garden City
821 Stewart Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530
Anchor Motor Inn
215-34 Northern Blvd.
Bayside, NY 11361
Ramada Inn Adria And Conference Center
220-33 Northern Boulevard
Bayside, NY 11361
Econo Lodge Ozone Park
113-18 Rockaway Blvd
Ozone Park, NY 11420
The Garden City Hotel
45 Seventh Street
Garden City, NY 11530
Floral Park Motor Lodge
30 Jericho Turnpike
Floral Park, NY 11001
Five Towns Motor Inn
655 Rockaway Turnpike
Lawrence, NY
Best Western Mill River Manor
173 Sunrise Highway
Rockville Centre, NY]
Finally, the dog that kept Tom and me on track for the past dozen years died, prematurely, last Thursday. She was twelve-and-a-half and had, literally, been off her feed for the past couple of months, but we thought it had something to do with aging. Unfortunately, it was more serious.
The dog was named by Tom's then three-year-old neighbor, Emma, who said, "This puppy's soooo fluffy." But because I'm stupidly conservative, I mostly referred to her as "the dog." Still, she remained soft, gentle, and Fluffy to the end.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 11-10-09
Hi,
More reunion conversations, more carefully edited than last week:
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: I don't want this note to hurt anyone's feelings or be a dream killer, but though we all have wonderful ideas for a location for our next reunion -- keeping in mind that travel time, expense, proximity to airports, and the economy still have to be added in -- it seems that keeping the reunion close to home is ideal. Home, as I think of it, is still Valley Stream, familiar territory that so many of us are far from. Again, that's just my opinion, open to response.
Allen Moss in Maine here. Hi, folks. Maybe another consideration for having the 45th back on Long Island is to make it easier for some of our teachers to attend. I assume invitations will be going out to Booker Gibson, Irv Saffrin, Bernie O'Brien, Theresa Margolin Bargeman and others. And what about sending invitations to long-distance folks like Toni Rea, Helen David, Janet Porter Rylander, and Bill Linkner, and to any other faculty members with whom we have made contact? Wouldn't it be great if folks like those joined us?
Separate from that, it's unofficially winter here in beautiful Maine. We just got our first snowfall. Hope all is well with everyone.
From Janice Williams: What about the beautiful mountains of Colorado for our next reunion? Though you can count me in no matter where. This one I am not missing.
[Rich -- a couple of things:
1. I think, without getting compulsive about this and going back and counting the names that have come in, we now have about twenty-five people interested in getting together.
2. And -- probably most important -- I think Terri Donohue Calamari had it right in just going ahead for our 37th reunion and announcing a date and a place. It irritated a number of people who believe in democracy -- and who in this class doesn't? -- but it gave everyone else something to plan around.
I just did a fast Internet check of hotel rates in accessible-but-picturesque places on Long Island, and my conclusion is that we ended up in Hauppauge in 2002 because it was affordable. It still is, about a hundred bucks a night. There's no beach and no pretty town, but there is a golf course and a lot of places in the hotel to sit and talk. And because Hauppauge is a place less visited, for the money, the hotel is slightly more upscale than the one we chose for our 40th reunion. Slightly. Now, I'm not saying we have to go back to Hauppauge, but I suspect we need to find some place comfortable like it -- and fast. June is full of people getting married, and July has increased summer rates. That's probably another reason Terri chose mid-spring.
From an informal consensus of the approximately twenty-five people, it seems we favor late June or mid-July, and a Long Island location that would attract more people, whether they're former teachers or visitors from other classes. Possibly Friday, July 9th through Sunday, July 11th? Or Friday, July 17th through Sunday, July 19th? No June weddings or national holidays in either case. And a place like Hauppauge or closer to Valley Stream? I investigated Long Beach, but there don't seem to be any affordable hotels. If someone can suggest another South Shore town with a walkable beach, that would be great.]
Other conversations:
From Marc Jonas: Regards to Valerie Nelson Gillen. It's my recollection that she and I walked the graduation walk together at dear old Forest Road back in '59. I was tall then.
[Rich -- Aw, Marc, you're still tall. Kids have just been eating better since 1959.]
From Jerry Bittman: Congratulations to Barney Zinger on becoming a grandfather for the sixth time. The baby's name is Lyle Anthony, and he came out dancing.
The Zinger also had a chance to catch up with some former classmates when he visited with Larry Coleman and Kenny Nolan. They vowed to visit Zing this year, down in West Palm Beach.
Lucky for Zinger that he also saw better sights than Kenny and Larry. He got to experience # 2 on his Bucket List by having lunch with the still-beautiful AG.
[Rich -- I'm guessing that AG is Andrea Gladstone, but I'm also thinking Barnett is a bit young to be starting a Bucket List. In any case, congratulations on your latest grandchild.]
Finally, an obituary for Jerry Waxman, sleuthed out by Joanne Shapiro Polner, written by Lori A. Carter, and published on Wednesday, October 21st, in a Santa Rosa, California, newspaper:
The self-professed high points of Jerry Waxman's life, after his wife, children, and cat, include an equal mix of his other two great loves: astronomy and baseball. A list on the longtime Santa Rosa Junior College professor's web page epitomizes his spirit for life, zest for learning, and enthusiasm of teaching. When Waxman posted his Things For Which I Am Most Grateful, he started with, “The total solar eclipse of March 7, 1970, the amazing start of a lifetime of eclipse watching." And "Orion; I could not have planned it better.”
Despite being born in Brooklyn, home of the Dodgers, Waxman grew up a Giants fan and marked several of the team's accomplishments among his other life highlights. He noted the 1951 New York Giants, Bobby Thomson and “The Shot Heard 'Round the World,” and the 1954 Giants, Willie Mays and “The Catch.” Friends said the zeal apparent in the list was a hallmark of Waxman, a popular and innovative teacher known for his gusto for whatever concept he was trying to convey.
“Jerry could be heard outside of the auditorium without ever even needing to use a microphone,” said his longtime friend, George Freund. “He was incredibly enthusiastic. You could just hear his voice ringing out.”
“He would ... fly across the stage or the classroom floor,” said Kathleen Kraemer, another longtime friend and fellow faculty member. “His enthusiasm was boundless for whatever he was teaching. He was a really special teacher whose students have followed him for twenty-five years.”
Waxman began teaching astronomy at Santa Rosa in 1976 and soon fashioned the department into the largest community college astronomy program in California. He also oversaw the building of the college's planetarium and wrote several astronomy textbooks. His fascination for the heavens began in early childhood, when he spent many nights staring up at the sky and, as often as he could, attending shows at New York's Hayden Planetarium. Before moving west, he earned a bachelor's degree in physics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and, later, he earned a master's degree in physics and astronomy at UCLA. While pursuing his graduate degree, he served as a guide and lecturer at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
He taught at Santa Monica Community College until 1976, when he moved to Santa Rosa to accept a professorship in astronomy. In the early 1990s, concerned about the plight of the environment, he returned to graduate school to earn a doctorate in environmental science. He then founded the Santa Rosa Junior College's Institute for Environmental Education and became the leading force behind the greening of the college's programs. He was also active in the Sonoma County environmental community.
Waxman remained at Santa Rosa until his retirement in 2003, when he became too ill to work. A talented writer, he worked on his memoirs until the end of his life, fashioning tender and funny stories about growing up in Brooklyn and New York and about coming of age as a college student in the 1950s. Friends said he captured what was unforgettable about his first loves: baseball, girls, and solar eclipses.
Waxman was also an avid skier, a licensed pilot, a scuba diver, and a painter. He ran four marathons, including the New York marathon, and loved attending San Francisco Giants games, even when he was in a wheelchair. He died on October 13th, after a long struggle with multiple system atrophy, a disease related to Parkinson's. He was 68.
Jerry Waxman is survived by his wife, Pam Zimmerman of Santa Rosa; a sister, Laura Ulric of Long Island; a son, Keith Waxman of Santa Rosa, who is also a professor of astronomy at the college; a daughter, Shannon Boaz of Healdsburg; and two grandchildren. Donations may be made in Waxman's memory to the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation, Jerry Waxman Memorial Scholarship, 1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, California 95401.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
More reunion conversations, more carefully edited than last week:
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: I don't want this note to hurt anyone's feelings or be a dream killer, but though we all have wonderful ideas for a location for our next reunion -- keeping in mind that travel time, expense, proximity to airports, and the economy still have to be added in -- it seems that keeping the reunion close to home is ideal. Home, as I think of it, is still Valley Stream, familiar territory that so many of us are far from. Again, that's just my opinion, open to response.
Allen Moss in Maine here. Hi, folks. Maybe another consideration for having the 45th back on Long Island is to make it easier for some of our teachers to attend. I assume invitations will be going out to Booker Gibson, Irv Saffrin, Bernie O'Brien, Theresa Margolin Bargeman and others. And what about sending invitations to long-distance folks like Toni Rea, Helen David, Janet Porter Rylander, and Bill Linkner, and to any other faculty members with whom we have made contact? Wouldn't it be great if folks like those joined us?
Separate from that, it's unofficially winter here in beautiful Maine. We just got our first snowfall. Hope all is well with everyone.
From Janice Williams: What about the beautiful mountains of Colorado for our next reunion? Though you can count me in no matter where. This one I am not missing.
[Rich -- a couple of things:
1. I think, without getting compulsive about this and going back and counting the names that have come in, we now have about twenty-five people interested in getting together.
2. And -- probably most important -- I think Terri Donohue Calamari had it right in just going ahead for our 37th reunion and announcing a date and a place. It irritated a number of people who believe in democracy -- and who in this class doesn't? -- but it gave everyone else something to plan around.
I just did a fast Internet check of hotel rates in accessible-but-picturesque places on Long Island, and my conclusion is that we ended up in Hauppauge in 2002 because it was affordable. It still is, about a hundred bucks a night. There's no beach and no pretty town, but there is a golf course and a lot of places in the hotel to sit and talk. And because Hauppauge is a place less visited, for the money, the hotel is slightly more upscale than the one we chose for our 40th reunion. Slightly. Now, I'm not saying we have to go back to Hauppauge, but I suspect we need to find some place comfortable like it -- and fast. June is full of people getting married, and July has increased summer rates. That's probably another reason Terri chose mid-spring.
From an informal consensus of the approximately twenty-five people, it seems we favor late June or mid-July, and a Long Island location that would attract more people, whether they're former teachers or visitors from other classes. Possibly Friday, July 9th through Sunday, July 11th? Or Friday, July 17th through Sunday, July 19th? No June weddings or national holidays in either case. And a place like Hauppauge or closer to Valley Stream? I investigated Long Beach, but there don't seem to be any affordable hotels. If someone can suggest another South Shore town with a walkable beach, that would be great.]
Other conversations:
From Marc Jonas: Regards to Valerie Nelson Gillen. It's my recollection that she and I walked the graduation walk together at dear old Forest Road back in '59. I was tall then.
[Rich -- Aw, Marc, you're still tall. Kids have just been eating better since 1959.]
From Jerry Bittman: Congratulations to Barney Zinger on becoming a grandfather for the sixth time. The baby's name is Lyle Anthony, and he came out dancing.
The Zinger also had a chance to catch up with some former classmates when he visited with Larry Coleman and Kenny Nolan. They vowed to visit Zing this year, down in West Palm Beach.
Lucky for Zinger that he also saw better sights than Kenny and Larry. He got to experience # 2 on his Bucket List by having lunch with the still-beautiful AG.
[Rich -- I'm guessing that AG is Andrea Gladstone, but I'm also thinking Barnett is a bit young to be starting a Bucket List. In any case, congratulations on your latest grandchild.]
Finally, an obituary for Jerry Waxman, sleuthed out by Joanne Shapiro Polner, written by Lori A. Carter, and published on Wednesday, October 21st, in a Santa Rosa, California, newspaper:
The self-professed high points of Jerry Waxman's life, after his wife, children, and cat, include an equal mix of his other two great loves: astronomy and baseball. A list on the longtime Santa Rosa Junior College professor's web page epitomizes his spirit for life, zest for learning, and enthusiasm of teaching. When Waxman posted his Things For Which I Am Most Grateful, he started with, “The total solar eclipse of March 7, 1970, the amazing start of a lifetime of eclipse watching." And "Orion; I could not have planned it better.”
Despite being born in Brooklyn, home of the Dodgers, Waxman grew up a Giants fan and marked several of the team's accomplishments among his other life highlights. He noted the 1951 New York Giants, Bobby Thomson and “The Shot Heard 'Round the World,” and the 1954 Giants, Willie Mays and “The Catch.” Friends said the zeal apparent in the list was a hallmark of Waxman, a popular and innovative teacher known for his gusto for whatever concept he was trying to convey.
“Jerry could be heard outside of the auditorium without ever even needing to use a microphone,” said his longtime friend, George Freund. “He was incredibly enthusiastic. You could just hear his voice ringing out.”
“He would ... fly across the stage or the classroom floor,” said Kathleen Kraemer, another longtime friend and fellow faculty member. “His enthusiasm was boundless for whatever he was teaching. He was a really special teacher whose students have followed him for twenty-five years.”
Waxman began teaching astronomy at Santa Rosa in 1976 and soon fashioned the department into the largest community college astronomy program in California. He also oversaw the building of the college's planetarium and wrote several astronomy textbooks. His fascination for the heavens began in early childhood, when he spent many nights staring up at the sky and, as often as he could, attending shows at New York's Hayden Planetarium. Before moving west, he earned a bachelor's degree in physics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and, later, he earned a master's degree in physics and astronomy at UCLA. While pursuing his graduate degree, he served as a guide and lecturer at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
He taught at Santa Monica Community College until 1976, when he moved to Santa Rosa to accept a professorship in astronomy. In the early 1990s, concerned about the plight of the environment, he returned to graduate school to earn a doctorate in environmental science. He then founded the Santa Rosa Junior College's Institute for Environmental Education and became the leading force behind the greening of the college's programs. He was also active in the Sonoma County environmental community.
Waxman remained at Santa Rosa until his retirement in 2003, when he became too ill to work. A talented writer, he worked on his memoirs until the end of his life, fashioning tender and funny stories about growing up in Brooklyn and New York and about coming of age as a college student in the 1950s. Friends said he captured what was unforgettable about his first loves: baseball, girls, and solar eclipses.
Waxman was also an avid skier, a licensed pilot, a scuba diver, and a painter. He ran four marathons, including the New York marathon, and loved attending San Francisco Giants games, even when he was in a wheelchair. He died on October 13th, after a long struggle with multiple system atrophy, a disease related to Parkinson's. He was 68.
Jerry Waxman is survived by his wife, Pam Zimmerman of Santa Rosa; a sister, Laura Ulric of Long Island; a son, Keith Waxman of Santa Rosa, who is also a professor of astronomy at the college; a daughter, Shannon Boaz of Healdsburg; and two grandchildren. Donations may be made in Waxman's memory to the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation, Jerry Waxman Memorial Scholarship, 1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, California 95401.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 11-3-09
Hello,
Continued reunion conversations. And, sorry, these are mainly unedited this week because I'm kind of busy at work:
Moss in Maine again. If Neil Guberman and Greg Kaplan are reading this, take a moment of silence for our wacky mentor Soupy Sales, who passed away at the young age of 83.
Neil, Greg, and I would race home to Greg's house after school to catch his show on WNEW. A DVD came out about a year ago with only his black/white shows from around 1964-65. It brought back great memories of watching the show.
By the way, what about Oyster Bay for a possibly ocean-side gathering? Glad so many people are getting interested in the 45th.
From Zelda White Nichols, about reunion sites – If you are thinking the coast of Maine, which is beautiful, you might want to consider Portsmouth, New Hampshire for your reunion. I used to live in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which was thirty minutes south. Instead of going to Boston for shopping and fine dining, I always went to Portsmouth, which is on the Piscataqua River and one minute away from Kittery, Maine. Portsmouth is a small, historic, walkable city, filled with really fabulous restaurants, craft galleries, and gift shops. Kittery, Maine is known for its outlet shopping malls: Ogonquit, is just a few miles away from there, and Freeport, home of LL Bean and a town full of factory outlets, is just about forty minutes north. Driving in that area is a breeze, and the Sheraton Hotel and the Hilton Garden Inn are right on the river for those who want a water view. The Sheraton is downtown and right across from all the shops and restaurants. The Hilton is in what used to be an old time resort called Wentworth By the Sea.
These are just two suggestions, but there are many other inns and hotels nearby. Wherever you go for a reunion, don’t just call for room rates; ask to speak with someone who can give you discounted group rates. If you buddy up and share rooms, you can get a great room for very little cost – especially if it’s the New England Coast in winter months.
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz: Our 45th reunion sounds wonderful -- please count me in. Also, I enjoyed the hotel where we held our 37th reunion. Another suggestion -- what about Orlando? Of course, being a Floridian, I'm biased!
From Joanne Shapiro Polner: Some information for your class, if it's considering a Long Island venue for its reunion.
If you're still looking for a pretty town: What are you thinkin' of, the Hamptons? There are empty mansions there now. Would be nice if you could rent one for a weekend for all the people coming to the reunion. On the beach, too. Have your meals catered!
As a person who no longer lives on LI, I have come in to LI maybe twice a year these past years. It appears to me that on the north shore and the south shore, every town runs right onto the next. Even Hewlett and Woodmere (once beautiful towns) are not immune, I think. Merrick Road in Valley Stream and east is one long block extended from Queens Blvd (in the NYC borough) and runs out far beyond the ocean at Montauk!! (maybe ;-)
Terry Gunderson Kaiser researched motels and hotels and we have a list to share, and she selected the Knights of Columbus in Oceanside, a perfect place for our dinner. You will have the web site and my comments before the next update.
Also, we took pictures of the street in Gibson south of Goldies, ie, down the block where the Casa Tina was. I just sent two pix to Eric Hilton (who was in LI, I read; in a recent update, he wanted Mill Sweet Shop and Casa Tina to do the catering for a reunion). I don't know which set of buildings housed the Casa Tina. The stores are, sadly, almost all vacant.
Mills Sweet shop is gone, too, said the man in Goldies. We should have also taken a picture of the front of Goldies, but we did not, although we went into the place to ask where the Casa had been. So, for Ray Staley: Goldies is still there, attractive, nice bar inside, pleasant gentleman to greet us--also a South High grad.
A suggestion sent by way of Barbara Blitfield Pech -- the class of '66's reunion invitation:
Date: October 21, 2009
To: Graduating Class of 1966 - Valley Stream South High School
Fr: Eileen (Gunderson) Gelet and Joan (Kass) Lipson
Re: PLEASE JOIN US ON SATURDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 30, 2010 FOR OUR THIRD mini reunion in South Florida
It’s time to get the word out and provide detailed information about our third “mini” reunion to be held on Saturday night, January 30, 2010, from 7 to 11 p.m.,
at The Club at Boca Pointe (previously referred to as the Boca Pointe Country Club), 7144 Boca Pointe Drive, Boca Raton, Florida.
At this time we are requesting advance payment for your reservation(s) –
The $37.50 per person amount includes food (five different passed hors d’oeuvres, a display of imported and domestic cheeses, fresh fruits with crackers and assorted breads, grilled assorted vegetables with focaccia bread, spinach dip and chips), soft drinks, valet parking, tax, and tips.
We have arranged for the Club to provide a cash bar for mixed drinks and wine.
Monday, December 28, 2009 is the deadline for making your reservation(s).
Please make your check payable to Joan Lipson, and send it to her at
38 High Noon Road, Weston, Connecticut 06883. Upon receipt of your check, she will send an email confirming its receipt. Note -- reservations are not refundable. We signed a contract with the Club and are responsible for paying them for a guaranteed number of guests.
Since the “Save the Date” email in July, a number of our classmates have expressed interest in attending. We will keep you posted with the names of those who will be coming.
Thanks to Shirley (Hess) Deutsch who is hosting us at her club, this year’s reunion will be held in a private function room, with more “move-around” space, allowing for more mingling and less sitting down in the same place all night.
The list of “missing” classmates – for whom we do not have email addresses -- is attached. Please take a moment to open it and let us know if you can fill in any of the blanks.
FYI, the class of 1965 will be invited to join us, as well as posting the invitation information in a future VSSHS Alumni Newsletter. Additionally, please let us know if there is anyone specifically you want us to email about the reunion
Feel free to email Eileen at egelet@verizon.net or me at jlipson@optonline.net with any questions or comments.
As we get closer to the date of the event, we will email driving directions.
Looking forward to hearing back from you about your plans to join us on Saturday, January 30th!
Finally, a couple of other notes:
Valerie Nelson Gillen: I would like to say Hi to Betsy Fels Potruck and YES I remember swimming in "the stream" behind my house and any white on my bathing suit had to be scrubbed clean from the dirt in the water. But those were fun days!!! Valerie Nelson Gillen
Two quotes from Robert Fiverson: “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old Age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light."—Dylan Thomas
And: “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying.”—Woody Allen
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hello,
Continued reunion conversations. And, sorry, these are mainly unedited this week because I'm kind of busy at work:
Moss in Maine again. If Neil Guberman and Greg Kaplan are reading this, take a moment of silence for our wacky mentor Soupy Sales, who passed away at the young age of 83.
Neil, Greg, and I would race home to Greg's house after school to catch his show on WNEW. A DVD came out about a year ago with only his black/white shows from around 1964-65. It brought back great memories of watching the show.
By the way, what about Oyster Bay for a possibly ocean-side gathering? Glad so many people are getting interested in the 45th.
From Zelda White Nichols, about reunion sites – If you are thinking the coast of Maine, which is beautiful, you might want to consider Portsmouth, New Hampshire for your reunion. I used to live in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which was thirty minutes south. Instead of going to Boston for shopping and fine dining, I always went to Portsmouth, which is on the Piscataqua River and one minute away from Kittery, Maine. Portsmouth is a small, historic, walkable city, filled with really fabulous restaurants, craft galleries, and gift shops. Kittery, Maine is known for its outlet shopping malls: Ogonquit, is just a few miles away from there, and Freeport, home of LL Bean and a town full of factory outlets, is just about forty minutes north. Driving in that area is a breeze, and the Sheraton Hotel and the Hilton Garden Inn are right on the river for those who want a water view. The Sheraton is downtown and right across from all the shops and restaurants. The Hilton is in what used to be an old time resort called Wentworth By the Sea.
These are just two suggestions, but there are many other inns and hotels nearby. Wherever you go for a reunion, don’t just call for room rates; ask to speak with someone who can give you discounted group rates. If you buddy up and share rooms, you can get a great room for very little cost – especially if it’s the New England Coast in winter months.
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz: Our 45th reunion sounds wonderful -- please count me in. Also, I enjoyed the hotel where we held our 37th reunion. Another suggestion -- what about Orlando? Of course, being a Floridian, I'm biased!
From Joanne Shapiro Polner: Some information for your class, if it's considering a Long Island venue for its reunion.
If you're still looking for a pretty town: What are you thinkin' of, the Hamptons? There are empty mansions there now. Would be nice if you could rent one for a weekend for all the people coming to the reunion. On the beach, too. Have your meals catered!
As a person who no longer lives on LI, I have come in to LI maybe twice a year these past years. It appears to me that on the north shore and the south shore, every town runs right onto the next. Even Hewlett and Woodmere (once beautiful towns) are not immune, I think. Merrick Road in Valley Stream and east is one long block extended from Queens Blvd (in the NYC borough) and runs out far beyond the ocean at Montauk!! (maybe ;-)
Terry Gunderson Kaiser researched motels and hotels and we have a list to share, and she selected the Knights of Columbus in Oceanside, a perfect place for our dinner. You will have the web site and my comments before the next update.
Also, we took pictures of the street in Gibson south of Goldies, ie, down the block where the Casa Tina was. I just sent two pix to Eric Hilton (who was in LI, I read; in a recent update, he wanted Mill Sweet Shop and Casa Tina to do the catering for a reunion). I don't know which set of buildings housed the Casa Tina. The stores are, sadly, almost all vacant.
Mills Sweet shop is gone, too, said the man in Goldies. We should have also taken a picture of the front of Goldies, but we did not, although we went into the place to ask where the Casa had been. So, for Ray Staley: Goldies is still there, attractive, nice bar inside, pleasant gentleman to greet us--also a South High grad.
A suggestion sent by way of Barbara Blitfield Pech -- the class of '66's reunion invitation:
Date: October 21, 2009
To: Graduating Class of 1966 - Valley Stream South High School
Fr: Eileen (Gunderson) Gelet and Joan (Kass) Lipson
Re: PLEASE JOIN US ON SATURDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 30, 2010 FOR OUR THIRD mini reunion in South Florida
It’s time to get the word out and provide detailed information about our third “mini” reunion to be held on Saturday night, January 30, 2010, from 7 to 11 p.m.,
at The Club at Boca Pointe (previously referred to as the Boca Pointe Country Club), 7144 Boca Pointe Drive, Boca Raton, Florida.
At this time we are requesting advance payment for your reservation(s) –
The $37.50 per person amount includes food (five different passed hors d’oeuvres, a display of imported and domestic cheeses, fresh fruits with crackers and assorted breads, grilled assorted vegetables with focaccia bread, spinach dip and chips), soft drinks, valet parking, tax, and tips.
We have arranged for the Club to provide a cash bar for mixed drinks and wine.
Monday, December 28, 2009 is the deadline for making your reservation(s).
Please make your check payable to Joan Lipson, and send it to her at
38 High Noon Road, Weston, Connecticut 06883. Upon receipt of your check, she will send an email confirming its receipt. Note -- reservations are not refundable. We signed a contract with the Club and are responsible for paying them for a guaranteed number of guests.
Since the “Save the Date” email in July, a number of our classmates have expressed interest in attending. We will keep you posted with the names of those who will be coming.
Thanks to Shirley (Hess) Deutsch who is hosting us at her club, this year’s reunion will be held in a private function room, with more “move-around” space, allowing for more mingling and less sitting down in the same place all night.
The list of “missing” classmates – for whom we do not have email addresses -- is attached. Please take a moment to open it and let us know if you can fill in any of the blanks.
FYI, the class of 1965 will be invited to join us, as well as posting the invitation information in a future VSSHS Alumni Newsletter. Additionally, please let us know if there is anyone specifically you want us to email about the reunion
Feel free to email Eileen at egelet@verizon.net or me at jlipson@optonline.net with any questions or comments.
As we get closer to the date of the event, we will email driving directions.
Looking forward to hearing back from you about your plans to join us on Saturday, January 30th!
Finally, a couple of other notes:
Valerie Nelson Gillen: I would like to say Hi to Betsy Fels Potruck and YES I remember swimming in "the stream" behind my house and any white on my bathing suit had to be scrubbed clean from the dirt in the water. But those were fun days!!! Valerie Nelson Gillen
Two quotes from Robert Fiverson: “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old Age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light."—Dylan Thomas
And: “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying.”—Woody Allen
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 10-27-09
Hi,
First, some further thoughts about a reunion.
From Les Glasser: I live in Palm Coast, Florida, near St. Augustine. I would attend a reunion, probably anywhere in Florida. Also, I often travel to Long Island, and given substantial lead time, I could plan a trip around an event.
Ellen Sue Brody Pilger: I'd love to see you all at a 45th reunion next summer. Long Island seems like an attractive site since I have family there and will be traveling from California. But Stu Borman's offer in Bethesda sounds like great fun. I'm in.
From Bernie Scheidt: Count me in. Besides, the reunion, it would be a good excuse to see my grandchildren -- as if any excuse is really needed.
From June Forbes Tatelman: I have been reading these messages for years and had planned to attend both reunions. However, there were conflicts, and I was unable to do so. Still, I have enjoyed hearing about everyone, and your notes have given me a window into my childhood.
It has been about fifteen years since I have been back to Valley Stream. When my mom passed away, we sold her house, and there was no reason to go back. Reading about Peter Rosen's mother turning ninety reminded me of the many evenings my parents and his parents spent together. They were very good friends, and our older brothers were close friends. Peter, please give your mother my warmest regards and please tell her that I remember what a wonderful relationship our families had. I hope to see you all at the next reunion.
From Henry Gabbay: You can count me in. Also, don’t assume that hotel managers are thinking the same way they were eight years ago. There may be more flexibility with respect to the amount and timing of the deposit.
From Allen Moss in Maine. Hi, folks. Sounds like people are beginning to get with the 45th. That's great. Stu Kandel and I were e-chatting, and we definitely would want to have some sort of weekend type of get-together, so folks could stay at the same motel or hotel. That would be at least half the fun. It will also give folks a chance to relax and visit, instead of worrying about cramming everything into one day or one meal at a restaurant. For folks who might be flying or driving from far away, a few days together would sure make it worthwhile.
Also, for Mary Sipp Green: Hello from Maine, and thank you for your note. Your description of the blueberry barrens was truly words from an artist. Maine has that and lots more to offer. I live on the coast, so I am only about a half-hour away from the beautiful rocky shores and beaches. And, of course, those great oceanside fish places. I look forward to your next visit.
[Rich -- There seem to be about twenty people interested so far, seemingly enough to start some small planning. Does anyone know of a pretty town, possibly on the shore, maybe on Long Island. It would need several decent restaurants, several reasonably priced hotels or motels, and some diversions. If we were all in California, I'd suggest Cambria, as I have before. But I don't know the East Coast well anymore.]
And some non-reunion information:
From Linda Tobin Kettering: Rick Goldsmith's movie is called The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers. The related web site is: www.mostdangerousman.org
About fifteen members of our class of '69 went to see the New York City premiere. Rick and the Ellsbergs spoke, and then they joined us at a restaurant after the movie. Rick is an award-winning documentary film maker who grew up on Darewood Lane in Green Acres. He now lives in San Francisco.
A quick reply from Amy Miller: Thanks. I knew of Rick's other work, since I am in touch with his mother, who was a very good friend of my parents. We lived a few doors away from the Goldsmiths. Also, I saw a beautiful memorial show Rick made for his father.
From Betsy Fels Pottruck: Ricky Goldsmith -- as I knew him -- is the brother of Marty Goldsmith from my class, '67. The Goldsmiths lived next to Dicky and Robert Gross. Rick was a red-haired kid, with freckles, if that helps anyone remember what he looked like.
I would also like to say "Hi" to Valerie Nelson Gillen, who was my neighbor. I always remember the days of swimming in the creek in our back yards before the water got really slimy. Hope you are well, Valerie.
More from Linda Tobin Kettering: Joe Santigate, '69, is alive and well and living in East Meadow. I don't know why someone thought he had passed away. He was at our recent reunion and partied heartily.
As has been written, our reunion was an amazing weekend of fun and reconnections. And, as with your class of '65, people seem to be continuing to see each other long after the party has been over.
A quick reply from Eric Hilton: Sorry. I’m old. I must have read incorrectly. I will talk to my optometrist about new glasses. But glad Joe is still with us.
Also, by any chance does anyone remember who he married? I'm trying so hard to picture Joe, and I wish I had a photo of him.
From Ken Ulric: I thought you’d want to know that my wife Laura’s brother Jerry Waxman died last week.
[Rich -- I wrote Ken and Laura that I was sorry to hear that. I knew Jerry had been sick for a while.]
Yet more from Linda Tobin Kettering: In answer to your question, our class is still running its chat room. vss1969@yahoogroups.com is the e-mail for the group, but I think you have to be a member of Yahoo groups first and then join our group.
From Ray Staley: Do any of you remaining Valley Streamers remember Goldies' Restaurant in Gibson? I'm sure many of you do. Is it still there? I worked there as a bus boy around 1963-64, along with Ron O'Hal.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: How fortunate we all were to see, hear, and know comedic genius on live television. All the best to White Fang, Black Tooth, and Pookie. R.I.P. Soupy.
And a note lifted from Facebook: Barnet Kellman is sitting shiva for Soupy Sales.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
First, some further thoughts about a reunion.
From Les Glasser: I live in Palm Coast, Florida, near St. Augustine. I would attend a reunion, probably anywhere in Florida. Also, I often travel to Long Island, and given substantial lead time, I could plan a trip around an event.
Ellen Sue Brody Pilger: I'd love to see you all at a 45th reunion next summer. Long Island seems like an attractive site since I have family there and will be traveling from California. But Stu Borman's offer in Bethesda sounds like great fun. I'm in.
From Bernie Scheidt: Count me in. Besides, the reunion, it would be a good excuse to see my grandchildren -- as if any excuse is really needed.
From June Forbes Tatelman: I have been reading these messages for years and had planned to attend both reunions. However, there were conflicts, and I was unable to do so. Still, I have enjoyed hearing about everyone, and your notes have given me a window into my childhood.
It has been about fifteen years since I have been back to Valley Stream. When my mom passed away, we sold her house, and there was no reason to go back. Reading about Peter Rosen's mother turning ninety reminded me of the many evenings my parents and his parents spent together. They were very good friends, and our older brothers were close friends. Peter, please give your mother my warmest regards and please tell her that I remember what a wonderful relationship our families had. I hope to see you all at the next reunion.
From Henry Gabbay: You can count me in. Also, don’t assume that hotel managers are thinking the same way they were eight years ago. There may be more flexibility with respect to the amount and timing of the deposit.
From Allen Moss in Maine. Hi, folks. Sounds like people are beginning to get with the 45th. That's great. Stu Kandel and I were e-chatting, and we definitely would want to have some sort of weekend type of get-together, so folks could stay at the same motel or hotel. That would be at least half the fun. It will also give folks a chance to relax and visit, instead of worrying about cramming everything into one day or one meal at a restaurant. For folks who might be flying or driving from far away, a few days together would sure make it worthwhile.
Also, for Mary Sipp Green: Hello from Maine, and thank you for your note. Your description of the blueberry barrens was truly words from an artist. Maine has that and lots more to offer. I live on the coast, so I am only about a half-hour away from the beautiful rocky shores and beaches. And, of course, those great oceanside fish places. I look forward to your next visit.
[Rich -- There seem to be about twenty people interested so far, seemingly enough to start some small planning. Does anyone know of a pretty town, possibly on the shore, maybe on Long Island. It would need several decent restaurants, several reasonably priced hotels or motels, and some diversions. If we were all in California, I'd suggest Cambria, as I have before. But I don't know the East Coast well anymore.]
And some non-reunion information:
From Linda Tobin Kettering: Rick Goldsmith's movie is called The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers. The related web site is: www.mostdangerousman.org
About fifteen members of our class of '69 went to see the New York City premiere. Rick and the Ellsbergs spoke, and then they joined us at a restaurant after the movie. Rick is an award-winning documentary film maker who grew up on Darewood Lane in Green Acres. He now lives in San Francisco.
A quick reply from Amy Miller: Thanks. I knew of Rick's other work, since I am in touch with his mother, who was a very good friend of my parents. We lived a few doors away from the Goldsmiths. Also, I saw a beautiful memorial show Rick made for his father.
From Betsy Fels Pottruck: Ricky Goldsmith -- as I knew him -- is the brother of Marty Goldsmith from my class, '67. The Goldsmiths lived next to Dicky and Robert Gross. Rick was a red-haired kid, with freckles, if that helps anyone remember what he looked like.
I would also like to say "Hi" to Valerie Nelson Gillen, who was my neighbor. I always remember the days of swimming in the creek in our back yards before the water got really slimy. Hope you are well, Valerie.
More from Linda Tobin Kettering: Joe Santigate, '69, is alive and well and living in East Meadow. I don't know why someone thought he had passed away. He was at our recent reunion and partied heartily.
As has been written, our reunion was an amazing weekend of fun and reconnections. And, as with your class of '65, people seem to be continuing to see each other long after the party has been over.
A quick reply from Eric Hilton: Sorry. I’m old. I must have read incorrectly. I will talk to my optometrist about new glasses. But glad Joe is still with us.
Also, by any chance does anyone remember who he married? I'm trying so hard to picture Joe, and I wish I had a photo of him.
From Ken Ulric: I thought you’d want to know that my wife Laura’s brother Jerry Waxman died last week.
[Rich -- I wrote Ken and Laura that I was sorry to hear that. I knew Jerry had been sick for a while.]
Yet more from Linda Tobin Kettering: In answer to your question, our class is still running its chat room. vss1969@yahoogroups.com is the e-mail for the group, but I think you have to be a member of Yahoo groups first and then join our group.
From Ray Staley: Do any of you remaining Valley Streamers remember Goldies' Restaurant in Gibson? I'm sure many of you do. Is it still there? I worked there as a bus boy around 1963-64, along with Ron O'Hal.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: How fortunate we all were to see, hear, and know comedic genius on live television. All the best to White Fang, Black Tooth, and Pookie. R.I.P. Soupy.
And a note lifted from Facebook: Barnet Kellman is sitting shiva for Soupy Sales.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 10-20-09
Hi,
Some reunion and other thoughts, pretty much in the order the notes arrived.
From Lynn Nudleman Villagran: I would be interested in a small reunion. Washington, DC, would be my preference, but New York would also be fine.
From Eric Hilton: Val Manzo’s piece was wonderful. Her description of her 40th reunion was exciting, and I could almost feel the electricity. I, too, went to Brooklyn Avenue School, and I would like to contact Val. Do you have her e-mail address?
Val had mentioned Joe Santigate passing away, and I believe he was a friend of my brother, Ed, who also passed away, ten years ago.
Also, count me in for the 45th reunion, as long as it's catered by Leo and Molly's Mill Sweet Shop or the Casa Tina in Gibson. And I wonder if Jay's ever got in the large gym shorts I ordered?
From Emily Kleinman Schreiber: Val Manzo's e-mail address is: valmanzo@aol.com
From Irene Saunders, by way of Facebook: A 45th reunion sounds great to me! I miss my old friends.
From Barnet Kellman, by way of Facebook: Summer is the best chance for me.
From Henry Gabbay: I would like to make a suggestion regarding planning for the next reunion if you decide to go forward with an event like the 37th reunion. It seems to me that the issue is lead time. If you first identify where and when the reunion will take place, then you can ask the caterer for the minimum number of guests required and the date when the caterer would have to secure a deposit. Once you know the time line, you would circulate a note and ask for a deposit from those people who are interested. If you receive the minimum deposit by the date determined by the caterer, you can go forward -- no one should assume the personal financial liability of making the deposit. If you don’t receive the minimum deposit, then you can have a Plan B that will require no financial commitment -- like picking a restaurant or a bar. I think, given the current state of economic affairs, there is most likely a greater degree of flexibility in negotiating with a caterer in terms of the minimum deposit and the timing needed to secure one. I'm not certain if this makes sense to you, but it's just a suggestion.
[Rich -- It makes a lot of sense, but I think we're already in Plan B, based on the attendance at other reunions of South's classes near ours. The pattern seems to be that a single reunion after fifteen or twenty years can generate a lot of participation -- around a hundred people. But once people have reconnected and built new lines of communication, actual reunion attendance diminishes to under twenty.]
From Valerie Nelson Gillen: I would love to go to a 45th reunion, especially since I have missed all the others! I still live on Long Island, in Suffolk County, and I would love to see everyone. I am ready to party.
From Amy Miller: What is this about Rick Goldsmith's movie -- the one mentioned in Val Manzo's reunion piece? Rick was my neighbor, two doors down, on Darewood Lane. Is the movie premier next September or this past one?
Again, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: I don't know anything about Rick Goldsmith's movie. Who is he?
[Rich -- I've added Val to our mailing list for this week. Maybe she can answer.]
From Paul Zegler: Please let Marc Jonas know that I will make sure he gets the "Valiant Falcons discount" any time he shows up for a show I'm in -- and that goes for all the Valiant Falcons from our class.
[Rich -- And Paul's latest show -- Guys and Dolls -- was great. I saw it last Friday night.]
From Mary Sipp Green: Thought I'd put in an early vote for the next reunion -- there will be one-right? Location -- Long Island. It just seems obvious to me to have it be a stone's throw from South High and all its nostalgia. Please keep me posted.
Also, I would like to send a note to Allen Moss: About three years ago in this season, I drove from the Berkshires all the way up to Cherryfield, Machias, and several other small towns in the northern part of Maine, in search of the blueberry barrens. At this time of the year, those fields were a carpet of red as far as my eye could see. Not the red like the poppy fields in France or Italy. This was a more earthy, Maine red. The barrens are really interesting, and I'd like to return to them and do some work one day. It took me a long time to drive there, but it was worth the trip. You are lucky to live so close, Allen.
From Pete Rosen: Count me in for a 45th. I'd be happy to travel from Atlanta to wherever it is, but not just for a dinner at a restaurant. My vote is to offer a few more low key options to get together over the weekend. I am looking forward to hearing the thoughts of others.
Also, I'm trying to consolidate my e-mails to only my business address. That's: peter.rosen@hrsas.com So please update my contact point. Thanks.
Next, a message to Andy Dolich: We whopped your ass last week. If we play you again, try to come out this way for the game, so I can give you some grief in person.
Finally, this weekend, the Rosen household will be hosting a lot of family to celebrate my mother's 90th birthday. Does anyone remember having her as a substitute teacher at South? She went on to a great career as an English teacher at Lawrence High School. It included her being the advisor to their yearbook and newspaper.
From Stu Borman: I would like to attend the proposed East coast 45th reunion. If there's interest in a Washington, DC, venue, I could have the event at my house in Bethesda, Maryland. This might include Saturday night dinner -- deli brought in from Whole Foods -- Saturday night sleep-overs, Sunday morning breakfast, and Sunday lunch leftovers.
I have about three extra single beds and two extra double beds. Other people would need to bring sleeping bags, and all rooms would be shared. The house has four-and-a-half baths, parking in the neighborhood is available, and so is public transportation. Menu planning and post-event cleanup assistance would be welcome.
[Rich -- As I wrote Stu: A Big Chill-type sleep-over weekend is a neat idea. And even if it doesn't happen for the large group, we could certainly try it for a smaller one.]
And a whole series of notes from Barbara Blitfield Pech, sometimes intercut with my answers:
1. As you may already know, I have started a grass roots campaign from my Facebook and Hotmail address books, expanding on Allen Moss's mention of our 45th reunion. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we need to start planning something for the summer. Unfortunately, I am too far from Long Island to know where to start looking, but perhaps one of our closer class members can begin to get the ball rolling.
[Rich -- Can you keep track of how many people have responded, and where and when they want to meet? This is the kind of information we need before we stick some well-meaning person in the same financial hole Paul, Robin, and Dennis found themselves in for the 40th reunion. As Henry mentioned, people need to commit early and send money immediately, before any reservations are made.]
2. I'd be glad to keep count, but I have to laugh at the irony of it after 61-plus years of my struggling with every number that's crossed my path -- including counting money, balancing a checkbook, or estimating a tip. I have come to know and be diagnosed as discalculate, a little known, but increasingly widespread group of people. It's basically the same as dyslexic but with numbers, and it also includes keeping game scores -- especially bowling -- playing games like chess, and solving those darn "if the train leaves the station" conceptual math problems.
Just let me know who you have heard from, and I'll add them to my list. I'll keep track of their names, but please don't ask me to count them.
3. Ten so far, if we include you, me, and everyone interested above
4. Do you have any idea from the reunion address list who would be a good person to find a location or at least scout some, I assume on Long Island? Also, if we are opening this to other classes, maybe someone who has coordinated another class's reunion can advise us. Plus, I have family and friends in Nassau and Suffolk counties who can make suggestions.
[Rich -- I don't think we should even start worrying about details until we have twenty-five people interested, and they've each handed over some money. Let's aim for June or July, Long Island or Washington, depending on what people interested in attending decide.]
5. Yeah, but by the time we get a firm twenty-five, I do think that the word should go out and some dates be considered. That should make a final commitment easier to get to. Also, I don't recall how it was done last time, but taking a deposit can assure any seriousness of intent, with the balance being due at the time of arrival at the hotel. Many of us need to plan well in advance, as we will have to put in for time off and make flight arrangements.
[Rich -- From the experience Paul, Robin, and Dennis had last time, the balance is due to the hotel and to the caterers well before people start arriving for the reunion -- and it's a reasonably large balance.]
6. I left one more person off the "yes" list. So that's eleven.
7. Now, twelve.
Finally, from Chuck Gleichmann: I'm retired but still living in Florida, and I'm just starting to make the transition from working 24/7 to seeing what life is about. My daughter suggested I post on Facebook, so here I am.
I have had no contact with anyone from either high school or college since we moved from New York, so I would be interested in joining the class mailing list. People can reach me through Facebook or by writing my e-mail address. That's: cgleichmann@earthlink.net Thanks.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
Some reunion and other thoughts, pretty much in the order the notes arrived.
From Lynn Nudleman Villagran: I would be interested in a small reunion. Washington, DC, would be my preference, but New York would also be fine.
From Eric Hilton: Val Manzo’s piece was wonderful. Her description of her 40th reunion was exciting, and I could almost feel the electricity. I, too, went to Brooklyn Avenue School, and I would like to contact Val. Do you have her e-mail address?
Val had mentioned Joe Santigate passing away, and I believe he was a friend of my brother, Ed, who also passed away, ten years ago.
Also, count me in for the 45th reunion, as long as it's catered by Leo and Molly's Mill Sweet Shop or the Casa Tina in Gibson. And I wonder if Jay's ever got in the large gym shorts I ordered?
From Emily Kleinman Schreiber: Val Manzo's e-mail address is: valmanzo@aol.com
From Irene Saunders, by way of Facebook: A 45th reunion sounds great to me! I miss my old friends.
From Barnet Kellman, by way of Facebook: Summer is the best chance for me.
From Henry Gabbay: I would like to make a suggestion regarding planning for the next reunion if you decide to go forward with an event like the 37th reunion. It seems to me that the issue is lead time. If you first identify where and when the reunion will take place, then you can ask the caterer for the minimum number of guests required and the date when the caterer would have to secure a deposit. Once you know the time line, you would circulate a note and ask for a deposit from those people who are interested. If you receive the minimum deposit by the date determined by the caterer, you can go forward -- no one should assume the personal financial liability of making the deposit. If you don’t receive the minimum deposit, then you can have a Plan B that will require no financial commitment -- like picking a restaurant or a bar. I think, given the current state of economic affairs, there is most likely a greater degree of flexibility in negotiating with a caterer in terms of the minimum deposit and the timing needed to secure one. I'm not certain if this makes sense to you, but it's just a suggestion.
[Rich -- It makes a lot of sense, but I think we're already in Plan B, based on the attendance at other reunions of South's classes near ours. The pattern seems to be that a single reunion after fifteen or twenty years can generate a lot of participation -- around a hundred people. But once people have reconnected and built new lines of communication, actual reunion attendance diminishes to under twenty.]
From Valerie Nelson Gillen: I would love to go to a 45th reunion, especially since I have missed all the others! I still live on Long Island, in Suffolk County, and I would love to see everyone. I am ready to party.
From Amy Miller: What is this about Rick Goldsmith's movie -- the one mentioned in Val Manzo's reunion piece? Rick was my neighbor, two doors down, on Darewood Lane. Is the movie premier next September or this past one?
Again, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: I don't know anything about Rick Goldsmith's movie. Who is he?
[Rich -- I've added Val to our mailing list for this week. Maybe she can answer.]
From Paul Zegler: Please let Marc Jonas know that I will make sure he gets the "Valiant Falcons discount" any time he shows up for a show I'm in -- and that goes for all the Valiant Falcons from our class.
[Rich -- And Paul's latest show -- Guys and Dolls -- was great. I saw it last Friday night.]
From Mary Sipp Green: Thought I'd put in an early vote for the next reunion -- there will be one-right? Location -- Long Island. It just seems obvious to me to have it be a stone's throw from South High and all its nostalgia. Please keep me posted.
Also, I would like to send a note to Allen Moss: About three years ago in this season, I drove from the Berkshires all the way up to Cherryfield, Machias, and several other small towns in the northern part of Maine, in search of the blueberry barrens. At this time of the year, those fields were a carpet of red as far as my eye could see. Not the red like the poppy fields in France or Italy. This was a more earthy, Maine red. The barrens are really interesting, and I'd like to return to them and do some work one day. It took me a long time to drive there, but it was worth the trip. You are lucky to live so close, Allen.
From Pete Rosen: Count me in for a 45th. I'd be happy to travel from Atlanta to wherever it is, but not just for a dinner at a restaurant. My vote is to offer a few more low key options to get together over the weekend. I am looking forward to hearing the thoughts of others.
Also, I'm trying to consolidate my e-mails to only my business address. That's: peter.rosen@hrsas.com So please update my contact point. Thanks.
Next, a message to Andy Dolich: We whopped your ass last week. If we play you again, try to come out this way for the game, so I can give you some grief in person.
Finally, this weekend, the Rosen household will be hosting a lot of family to celebrate my mother's 90th birthday. Does anyone remember having her as a substitute teacher at South? She went on to a great career as an English teacher at Lawrence High School. It included her being the advisor to their yearbook and newspaper.
From Stu Borman: I would like to attend the proposed East coast 45th reunion. If there's interest in a Washington, DC, venue, I could have the event at my house in Bethesda, Maryland. This might include Saturday night dinner -- deli brought in from Whole Foods -- Saturday night sleep-overs, Sunday morning breakfast, and Sunday lunch leftovers.
I have about three extra single beds and two extra double beds. Other people would need to bring sleeping bags, and all rooms would be shared. The house has four-and-a-half baths, parking in the neighborhood is available, and so is public transportation. Menu planning and post-event cleanup assistance would be welcome.
[Rich -- As I wrote Stu: A Big Chill-type sleep-over weekend is a neat idea. And even if it doesn't happen for the large group, we could certainly try it for a smaller one.]
And a whole series of notes from Barbara Blitfield Pech, sometimes intercut with my answers:
1. As you may already know, I have started a grass roots campaign from my Facebook and Hotmail address books, expanding on Allen Moss's mention of our 45th reunion. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we need to start planning something for the summer. Unfortunately, I am too far from Long Island to know where to start looking, but perhaps one of our closer class members can begin to get the ball rolling.
[Rich -- Can you keep track of how many people have responded, and where and when they want to meet? This is the kind of information we need before we stick some well-meaning person in the same financial hole Paul, Robin, and Dennis found themselves in for the 40th reunion. As Henry mentioned, people need to commit early and send money immediately, before any reservations are made.]
2. I'd be glad to keep count, but I have to laugh at the irony of it after 61-plus years of my struggling with every number that's crossed my path -- including counting money, balancing a checkbook, or estimating a tip. I have come to know and be diagnosed as discalculate, a little known, but increasingly widespread group of people. It's basically the same as dyslexic but with numbers, and it also includes keeping game scores -- especially bowling -- playing games like chess, and solving those darn "if the train leaves the station" conceptual math problems.
Just let me know who you have heard from, and I'll add them to my list. I'll keep track of their names, but please don't ask me to count them.
3. Ten so far, if we include you, me, and everyone interested above
4. Do you have any idea from the reunion address list who would be a good person to find a location or at least scout some, I assume on Long Island? Also, if we are opening this to other classes, maybe someone who has coordinated another class's reunion can advise us. Plus, I have family and friends in Nassau and Suffolk counties who can make suggestions.
[Rich -- I don't think we should even start worrying about details until we have twenty-five people interested, and they've each handed over some money. Let's aim for June or July, Long Island or Washington, depending on what people interested in attending decide.]
5. Yeah, but by the time we get a firm twenty-five, I do think that the word should go out and some dates be considered. That should make a final commitment easier to get to. Also, I don't recall how it was done last time, but taking a deposit can assure any seriousness of intent, with the balance being due at the time of arrival at the hotel. Many of us need to plan well in advance, as we will have to put in for time off and make flight arrangements.
[Rich -- From the experience Paul, Robin, and Dennis had last time, the balance is due to the hotel and to the caterers well before people start arriving for the reunion -- and it's a reasonably large balance.]
6. I left one more person off the "yes" list. So that's eleven.
7. Now, twelve.
Finally, from Chuck Gleichmann: I'm retired but still living in Florida, and I'm just starting to make the transition from working 24/7 to seeing what life is about. My daughter suggested I post on Facebook, so here I am.
I have had no contact with anyone from either high school or college since we moved from New York, so I would be interested in joining the class mailing list. People can reach me through Facebook or by writing my e-mail address. That's: cgleichmann@earthlink.net Thanks.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 10-13-09
Hi,
Now here's an interesting thought:
From Allen Moss: Hi, Moss in Maine here. Hope all is well with everyone.
In my recent talking and e-mailing with Judy Peters Sylvan, Stu Kandel, and Judy Hartstone, the subject of a possible 45th reunion came up. You can count the three of us as ready to go, and I was wondering whether you had heard anything from the other Falcons. I suspect our 45th might be a bit like our 40th -- fewer people and a bit less frenetic than our 37th.
But I think that was what was so good about the 40th. People sat around and chatted and just relaxed. I know a whole bunch of us spent several hours at the pool, just talking and taking an occasional swim. It was wonderful. Of course, everyone got geared up for the dinner-dance, but I think, over all, the atmosphere was less "charged." Not that the 37th, with all its high voltage, was not the best, but again, the 40th just was different.
So please let us all know if there is a tally and how it is coming. Thanks.
P.S. It's peak colors in Brunswick right now, and there is no other place I would want to be. I keep getting reminded that this was one of the reasons I wanted so much to move to Maine.
[Rich -- as I wrote Allen: We could try to get something small planned for late spring or early summer. The East Coast seems best, probably between New York and Washington, DC, since we have groups in both places. Let me stick your suggestion and this comment in this week's newsletter and see if we can get twenty-five people organized at their own expense. No fancy party. Just a restaurant that has room for us all, maybe once or twice, for dinners or breakfasts. The rest of the weekend, we can gather informally in whatever size groups please us.]
On another subject, from Marc Jonas: I note, with some disappointment, Paul Zegler's failure to mention a Valiant Falcons discount for his show's tickets. Must be the distance.
From Eric Hilton: I just wanted to repeat what I said in an earlier note -- that former South graduate, James Martin Kelley, class of '72, will be appearing on CSI:NY tomorrow night.
Also, I will be flying to New York for the Jacob Javits Photo Expo and will be staying in Valley Stream. I'll be there from October 21st to the 25th, and I've been in touch with Arlene Ainbinder. She's trying to get as many people together as she did for my visit last year, probably at the same pizza place in Lynbrook. It was such a great time. Lots of wine and many laughs. Please contact Arlene at arl448@aol.com if you can join us.
And for those of you who remember this: in 1965, my band opened up for the Tokens at an inter-sorority dance at the Sands beach club. The Tokens were the group who sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Two weeks ago, I was in contact with the members of the group, and they remembered that dance, even after forty-four years. Graciously, they invited my wife, me, and three of our friends to hang out with them at a concert they were playing in Ft Meyers, Florida. If they are playing anywhere in your area, try to see them. They were a great bunch of guys from Brooklyn, and they're still a lot of fun to hear. I'm attaching a recent photo of them with me, and I hope you can upload it to our class of '65 web site.
[Rich -- I asked Eric to send the photo on to Stu Borman.]
And Stu just wrote: Eric, the photo of you and the Tokens is now on the class photo site in your folder. The site address is listed at the end of the update every week. If you need to amend the caption in any way, please let me know. Thanks for your contribution. Regards.
.
The caption: “After the concert in Fort Meyers, Florida, with old friends”
Starting from the left: Mike Johnson, keyboard; Jay Leslie, sax (played with Sha Na Na); me -- Eric Hilton -- guitarist with the Veritones; Noah Margo, drums; Phil Margo, original band member; and Mitch Margo, original band member.
Noah is Phil's son, and Mitch is Phil's brother.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: I see myself in some of this song. Yikes. Is this what Paul McCartney meant by "When I'm 64?" http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7lSliucgygc
Finally, the rest of Val Manzo's class of '69 reunion piece, as promised last week:
Now, it's my turn to describe the weekend. "Stunning" and "amazing" readily come to mind. The electricity in the air for three days was almost palpable. At times, on Saturday evening, August 29th, I would just step back and watch the reconnections.
Lynda, Anne Marie, and I could not interrupt it. The announcements and welcoming song we had so carefully prepared had to wait -- until the DJ told us we'd better get going or the event would be over.
We watched you all. What a sight! George Kapner and I just wrote each other about how it was so different from our reunion in 1988. Was it our age? The fact that fifteen of our former class members are now dead? Maturity? Or the Internet reminiscing that preceded this weekend?
All of us must be eternally grateful to David Mekelburg. The chat room set us all ablaze. It helped us connect with the lost. It helped us connect with the found. It gave us a mechanism to share photos, thoughts, dreams, and memories -- good and bad. What was most unexpected -- remarkable, and almost unimaginable to me -- was that the party was completely lacking in the very obvious "pecking order" present for six years at South High.
I can't tell you what most of you do for a living -- or did, if you are retired. Who cares? We were there,
for good or for ill, together, in our formative years. Our Wonder Years!
My reaction on Saturday to the men and women who, as boys and girls, made me feel welcome in "the Latin class" was visceral. In 1963, I felt as if I had been beamed by Scotty onto the moon. All my Brooklyn Avenue buddies except Bob La Rossa were gone. Where was I? Where was Barbara Callow, Joan Mahoney, and Loretta O' Connor? Where'd everybody go? Some people made me feel so welcome. They stepped out of their comfort zones with their friends from elementary school and bothered with that kid
from Brooklyn Avenue.
When those folks came up to me on Saturday, I immediately felt who they were. I didn't care where they lived, what they did, whether they were married or single, or if they had kids or not. They were my old friends, the ones who cared then when it mattered, when I was 12. And all those Brooklyn Avenue buddies I had lost -- Joe Santigate, Bill Taylor, Sue Slater, Andy Vidra -- the ones not seen in almost forty-six years, well, seeing them again, as adults, was amazing. I felt the loss of them, and then finding them again, in my bones.
The whole event was almost indescribable. Never again will we let the rest of our lives so consume us that we forget who we were in 1963. And I look forward to seeing you all again in New York City on September 17th at Rick Goldsmith's movie premiere. Or thereafter.
This is not over. It is only the beginning. God Bless you all.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
Now here's an interesting thought:
From Allen Moss: Hi, Moss in Maine here. Hope all is well with everyone.
In my recent talking and e-mailing with Judy Peters Sylvan, Stu Kandel, and Judy Hartstone, the subject of a possible 45th reunion came up. You can count the three of us as ready to go, and I was wondering whether you had heard anything from the other Falcons. I suspect our 45th might be a bit like our 40th -- fewer people and a bit less frenetic than our 37th.
But I think that was what was so good about the 40th. People sat around and chatted and just relaxed. I know a whole bunch of us spent several hours at the pool, just talking and taking an occasional swim. It was wonderful. Of course, everyone got geared up for the dinner-dance, but I think, over all, the atmosphere was less "charged." Not that the 37th, with all its high voltage, was not the best, but again, the 40th just was different.
So please let us all know if there is a tally and how it is coming. Thanks.
P.S. It's peak colors in Brunswick right now, and there is no other place I would want to be. I keep getting reminded that this was one of the reasons I wanted so much to move to Maine.
[Rich -- as I wrote Allen: We could try to get something small planned for late spring or early summer. The East Coast seems best, probably between New York and Washington, DC, since we have groups in both places. Let me stick your suggestion and this comment in this week's newsletter and see if we can get twenty-five people organized at their own expense. No fancy party. Just a restaurant that has room for us all, maybe once or twice, for dinners or breakfasts. The rest of the weekend, we can gather informally in whatever size groups please us.]
On another subject, from Marc Jonas: I note, with some disappointment, Paul Zegler's failure to mention a Valiant Falcons discount for his show's tickets. Must be the distance.
From Eric Hilton: I just wanted to repeat what I said in an earlier note -- that former South graduate, James Martin Kelley, class of '72, will be appearing on CSI:NY tomorrow night.
Also, I will be flying to New York for the Jacob Javits Photo Expo and will be staying in Valley Stream. I'll be there from October 21st to the 25th, and I've been in touch with Arlene Ainbinder. She's trying to get as many people together as she did for my visit last year, probably at the same pizza place in Lynbrook. It was such a great time. Lots of wine and many laughs. Please contact Arlene at arl448@aol.com if you can join us.
And for those of you who remember this: in 1965, my band opened up for the Tokens at an inter-sorority dance at the Sands beach club. The Tokens were the group who sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Two weeks ago, I was in contact with the members of the group, and they remembered that dance, even after forty-four years. Graciously, they invited my wife, me, and three of our friends to hang out with them at a concert they were playing in Ft Meyers, Florida. If they are playing anywhere in your area, try to see them. They were a great bunch of guys from Brooklyn, and they're still a lot of fun to hear. I'm attaching a recent photo of them with me, and I hope you can upload it to our class of '65 web site.
[Rich -- I asked Eric to send the photo on to Stu Borman.]
And Stu just wrote: Eric, the photo of you and the Tokens is now on the class photo site in your folder. The site address is listed at the end of the update every week. If you need to amend the caption in any way, please let me know. Thanks for your contribution. Regards.
.
The caption: “After the concert in Fort Meyers, Florida, with old friends”
Starting from the left: Mike Johnson, keyboard; Jay Leslie, sax (played with Sha Na Na); me -- Eric Hilton -- guitarist with the Veritones; Noah Margo, drums; Phil Margo, original band member; and Mitch Margo, original band member.
Noah is Phil's son, and Mitch is Phil's brother.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: I see myself in some of this song. Yikes. Is this what Paul McCartney meant by "When I'm 64?" http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7lSliucgygc
Finally, the rest of Val Manzo's class of '69 reunion piece, as promised last week:
Now, it's my turn to describe the weekend. "Stunning" and "amazing" readily come to mind. The electricity in the air for three days was almost palpable. At times, on Saturday evening, August 29th, I would just step back and watch the reconnections.
Lynda, Anne Marie, and I could not interrupt it. The announcements and welcoming song we had so carefully prepared had to wait -- until the DJ told us we'd better get going or the event would be over.
We watched you all. What a sight! George Kapner and I just wrote each other about how it was so different from our reunion in 1988. Was it our age? The fact that fifteen of our former class members are now dead? Maturity? Or the Internet reminiscing that preceded this weekend?
All of us must be eternally grateful to David Mekelburg. The chat room set us all ablaze. It helped us connect with the lost. It helped us connect with the found. It gave us a mechanism to share photos, thoughts, dreams, and memories -- good and bad. What was most unexpected -- remarkable, and almost unimaginable to me -- was that the party was completely lacking in the very obvious "pecking order" present for six years at South High.
I can't tell you what most of you do for a living -- or did, if you are retired. Who cares? We were there,
for good or for ill, together, in our formative years. Our Wonder Years!
My reaction on Saturday to the men and women who, as boys and girls, made me feel welcome in "the Latin class" was visceral. In 1963, I felt as if I had been beamed by Scotty onto the moon. All my Brooklyn Avenue buddies except Bob La Rossa were gone. Where was I? Where was Barbara Callow, Joan Mahoney, and Loretta O' Connor? Where'd everybody go? Some people made me feel so welcome. They stepped out of their comfort zones with their friends from elementary school and bothered with that kid
from Brooklyn Avenue.
When those folks came up to me on Saturday, I immediately felt who they were. I didn't care where they lived, what they did, whether they were married or single, or if they had kids or not. They were my old friends, the ones who cared then when it mattered, when I was 12. And all those Brooklyn Avenue buddies I had lost -- Joe Santigate, Bill Taylor, Sue Slater, Andy Vidra -- the ones not seen in almost forty-six years, well, seeing them again, as adults, was amazing. I felt the loss of them, and then finding them again, in my bones.
The whole event was almost indescribable. Never again will we let the rest of our lives so consume us that we forget who we were in 1963. And I look forward to seeing you all again in New York City on September 17th at Rick Goldsmith's movie premiere. Or thereafter.
This is not over. It is only the beginning. God Bless you all.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
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