Update 12-28-04

Hi,

Easy stuff first. 1. Happy New Year. 2. Weathergirls. (What?) Yep -- weathergirls. Last week Barnet Kellman asked: "What was the name of the New York television weathergirl who always signed off by saying, 'Have a happy' " Some answers:

From Barbara Blitfield Pech: I could be absolutely wrong, but I recall the name Carol Reed being mentioned as an early weather reporter, and a somewhat sad or tragic story also associated with her name. If this doesn't ring any memory bells, please don't add this to the reunion page. There's already enough bad guidance out there.

From Peggy Cooper Schwartz: I think the New York weathergirl who always signed off saying," Have a Happy" might have been named Carol Reed (not to be confused with the famous British film director).

From the online Weather Notebook, produced for the Mount Washington Observatory: Sex appeal is a time-honored gimmick. Back when TV started, our weathercasters were virtually all male. Then in 1952, a station in New York hired a woman named Carol Reed. Within a couple of years, there were so-called "weathergirls" all across the country. Even Raquel Welch got her start doing weather.
From online Women and Weather: Carol Reed began work at New York's WCBS in 1952 and is credited with being the country's first female weather reporter. Her tenure lasted 12 years. Like most women in the field at the time, Reed was not trained in meteorology. In fact, most of the "weathergirls" came from entertainment backgrounds, such as USO-singer-dancer-comedienne or former name-band singer or "Miss Press Photographer." In 1949, Joanne Simpson became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in meteorology, despite the objections of male faculty at the University of Chicago, who were not immune to the belief that women did not belong in science. Even women with science experience had to bear the burden established during television weather's gimmicky early phase: many were forced to play sex object, delivering weather in various states of undress. In Florida, Maxine Barrat did weathercasts clad in bathing suits. On NBC's Jack Paar "Tonight Show," Tedi Thurman appeared behind a shower curtain, giving weather reports laced with double entrendres: "In the morning, rain. In the afternoon, dew. In the evening, don't."

From an online journal of a CBS-TV retiree: Not everybody who has been in meteorology has been well-qualified or even interested in weather, with the most ludicrous being the so-called "weathergirls" back in the 1950s. I guess the television industry thought that weather forecasting was pretty dorky and wanted to spice it up. So with a real (male) meteorologist behind the camera, women scrawled weather maps on Plexiglas, donned hats to match the forecast, or rose yawning from bed in skimpy lingerie to deliver the late night forecast. Nobody gave a hoot what the weathercaster said, so long as she had nice legs and some sort of short-term memory.

Another South story, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber, Class of '61: The guidance counselor memories -- or should I say nightmares? I have two stories. One is about my guidance counselor, Marge Hoelseth, and me. The moment is so vivid in my mind. We were sitting in her office going over the results of my aptitude test, and she said, "Wow, your spatial score surprises me! You're in the 97th percentile! If you were a boy, I'd suggest you'd go into architecture, mechanics, or engineering, but those aren't professions for girls." So, I went off to Kent State University to become a teacher. Now, I love architecture, love looking at homes and buildings, loved teaching about it, and I shouldn't have listened to old Marge.  The other story involved my brother, Class of '58. My parents were told that he couldn't get into college because he had majored in comic books and TV and spent every summer in summer school. They didn't listen, sent him to Milford Prep, and now he's an attorney!

A newer, happier story, from Ira Mitzner: I was interviewed by a freelance reporter on my decision to take up boxing at the age of 50. The story aired on AARP radio stations throughout the country in mid-November. The interview can be heard at the following website under "Boxercise." http://www.aarp.org/leisure/radio/ptpostscript/

Some reassurance from Robert Fiveson: The website Donald Faber mentioned last week is very non-offensive and quite funny (in a mean-to-Michael Jackson-way). You might also direct people to: http://www.chrismahanukwanzakah.com/ This is clever and cute, combining Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa into an animated multicultural lark. Very entertaining and embracing, with no offense whatsoever.

Also from Barbara Blitfield Pech: More notes, before I forget. I believe it was last week that there was a reference to Dyslexia. I have just recently become aware of the mathematical equivalent, no pun intended, called Dyscalculia. I have "Googled" it, and while I'm not a doctor or even a special ed. teacher, I have self-diagnosed and feel validated that this might well be the summation of my problem, again no pun! Well worth looking into for many of us who still think al-geb-ra is either a basketball star or a new hip hop lyric.  Happy New Year to All. 65 red and grey hugs. This is our year. Valley Stream South '65 rocks!

Two changes of address:

From Al MacLeod: Please change my e-mail address to: amacleod6@msn.com Things run a little faster with dsl.

And from Linda Chanes Abel: My new e-mail address is: lindaabel@optonline.net

Also from Al MacLeod: While roaming through the web site for the class of 65, I noticed a list of people who are missing. One person is Peter Small. He is still living in the same house where he grew up in Valley Stream. His phone number is 516-825-1006. Another person is Erick Wohlgemuth. He has a listing in Queens at 718-961-6142. Maybe someone from Long Island can contact both of them. I also got a hit on Mario Derogatis, age 58, living in Port Saint Lucie, telephone number 772-785-7841. If someone in the class is living in the Port Saint Lucie area, maybe they can call and see if it's him. If I run across any more names, I'll pass them on. I have a few people on my list who live in the Albany area, and if any turn out to be members of the class I'll let you know.

Some photos sent, to be posted [soon] on the home page:

From Judy Hartstone: A Forest Road School 1959 graduation celebration at Jahn's, with Martha Morenstein, Nancy Garfield, and our families.

From Linda Cohen Greenseid: A half-dozen pictures of a breakfast after the recent Class of '64 reunion.

From Al MacLeod: A 1959 sixth grade class from William Buck.

Finally, a forward from RoseMarie Cassillo called People Over 35 Should Actually Be Dead: According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40s, 50s, and 60s shouldn't have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with lead-based paint. We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles, no helmets when we rode our bikes, and no seatbelts or air bags in our parents' cars -- not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking. We drank water from garden hoses, shared one bottle of Coke with four friends, left our homes in the morning and played all day with friends we found outside, and often just walked into friends' homes and talked to them. We fell out of trees, broke bones and teeth, got cut, and ate worms. And though we were told it would happen, the worms did not live inside us forever.

The repeating reunion info:
When: August 5th, 6th, 7th (Friday night through Sunday noon)
Where: Hilton Long Island/Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville, New York, 11747
Cost: $100 per person
Phone Number: 631-845-1000, during daytime business hours. Ask for the Reservations Desk and mention our class reunion discount. Hotel rooms should be $129/night.
Reunion Package Includes:
Friday night cocktail party with snacks and cash bar (7:00 PM -- Midnight)
Saturday night buffet with open bar & DJ (7:00 PM -- Midnight; Dinner at 8:00)
Lobby area with cash bar available both nights to continue parties
Teachers comped for both parties
SEND: Checks to Dennis Shapiro. 495 Wateredge Avenue, Baldwin, New York, 11510. Please make them out to: VSS 40th Reunion.
Also: Since there are a limited number of Friday night hotel rooms being held, please e-mail Dennis Shapiro when you've made your reservations so he can lobby for more. His e-mail address is: dshapiro@optonline.net

Rich