Update 2-22-05

Hi,

Happy birthday Andy Dolich, Alan Finder, and probably a mess of other people. Not particularly in their honor, I was going to run the updated class contact list this week, but I found something that's more fun -- a series of related letters.

From Booker Gibson: The math teacher, Ann Arvantides, through the social studies teacher, Janet Anast, gave me Janet Porter Rylander's e-mail address. My own e-mail was out for five days, so I'm trying to catch up. Did I already send you this earlier today?

From Booker Gibson to Janet Porter Rylander and Tom Rylander:
   Hello there, Janet & Tom,
   The great class of '65 is planning its 40th reunion in August. This class actually issues a weekly newsletter. Also, they plan for the teachers to be "guests" at the Saturday evening party of this weekend. One boy has been clamoring for Miss Porter's e-mail address, so she could be invited. My best contact has always been Janet Anast, and she gave me Ann Arvantides' address.
   Janet, I hope you and Tom have been doing well. My second marriage -- since 1971 -- has been very happy, and I have an additional son, who is now thirty. I retired from South High in 1986, after thirty years, and I now play piano, locally, a couple of nights a week. My wife retired about ten years ago, and she sings in a very fine choir. She's also a big fan of "Home & Gardens TV." We've thought about moving south to North Carolina or Atlanta, but we don't have the guts to do it. Also, I'll be 75 later this year. Bye for now.
   Booker

[Rich -- I think you just got called a "boy," Mr. Moss, and a "clamoring" one at that. Which probably ain't bad for 57.]

From Rich Eisbrouch to Janet Porter Rylander:
   Hi,
   This is one of those notes that needs to begin, "I know you won't remember me, but..."
   I was in your ninth grade English class at South. It was 1962, probably your first year teaching. You taught me how to write, I've always been grateful for that, and I've always credited you with being the first teacher to give me a respect for words.
   The Class of '65 got together for a 37th reunion, and we were able to find some of our former teachers. People asked about you, but we weren't able to find you, partly because we thought you'd married a history teacher named Van Tassel. Bernie O'Brien just corrected that impression, then Booker Gibson contacted Janet Anast, who gave us your e-mail address. I hope you don't mind this intrusion.
   Our class is having a 40th reunion this summer, and we're inviting any of our former teachers that we can find. If you happen to be in New York in early August, there's a group of people who'd be happy to see you. Meanwhile, if you're interested, you can look at our home page (http://hometown.aol.com/vssouth65), read some of our bio's, laugh at our pictures, and track our opinions through our weekly online newsletter.
   I'd like to add your e-mail address to this Monday night's newsletter, because, as I've mentioned, there are people who've asked about you. But I won't do this without your permission. The updates are secure. In the three years I've been editing them, no one's complained about them attracting spam or dislikable old friends. You'll probably only get fan letters from former students.
  Please let me know. You can write me at the class address or my own. Meanwhile, I hope you're well.
   Rich Eisbrouch (tall guy, glasses, talked a lot, designed and built scenery for plays and turned that into a career)

From Janet Porter Rylander via Booker Gibson to the rest of us:
   Hi, Booker!
   Perhaps you would forward this little missive to the appropriate party planners, and certainly I will try to attend the reunion and answer the e-mails I've received in the past two weeks (many!)
Tom and I live in Estero, Florida (near Naples) for eight months and in Madison, Connecticut for four months.
   I retired from teaching five years ago with an early buy-out, having completed 33 years of teaching both in Valley Stream and in Madison. Tom taught business ed. at South High for six years and went on to New York City for many years as a publisher of a building magazine. He retired as the mayor of Madison five years ago when we bought here in Florida.
   We have two children - Jennifer, age 38, a neo-natologist, two children, and Tom, age 35, a Major in the Army, hospital administrator, married just this weekend in North Carolina.
   Must go to play tennis now but will write again when time is more convenient.
  Janet

And from Janet Porter Rylander to Rich Eisbrouch:
   Oh, Oh.
   Sorry, but I can't yet place you in my memory storehouse.
   I could probably get to New York to be part of your reunion if I planned ahead and knew more about the details. Please advise.
   I married Tom Rylander who was a business ed. teacher at South for six years. Afterwards, we moved to Connecticut, and he commuted to New York City daily where he published a building trade magazine. I continued teaching English in Madison, Connecticut where later I became department chair before retiring five years ago having been offered a lucrative five year buyout. That buyout allowed us (Tom at that point was the mayor of Madison) to move for eight months yearly to a golf community in Estero, Florida, near Naples where I play at golf and enjoy a much more rewarding experience with tennis.
   I have two children, ages 38 and 35. The older child is a neo-natologist with two of her own children. My son, a hospital administrator, is a major in the Army, married just this past weekend in North Carolina.
   I will return to Madison in middle May if you want to contact me then.
   You were a student in my second year of teaching English at South. I know I tried hard, but I wonder if I really deserve your praise, very much appreciated.
   I can't believe Booker Gibson is 75. I e-mail Ann Arvantides Bantuvanis fairly regularly. Don Hicks has been sickly, but he would probably like to be included. If you choose to invite him to the reunion, Ann or I could provide the address. Please convey to Booker that his e-mail to me certainly betrays he's forgotten a bit much about me. I especially remember his laugh and visiting while he played to audiences at the various local clubs on Long Island.
   Best wishes with your career and please continue your love for and involvement with the written word.
   Janet Rylander

[Rich -- For those who are reading carefully, you'll notice that I still don't really have permission to release Janet Porter Rylander's e-mail address. I think I do, and I think she'd be happy to hear from anyone who wanted to write her. But I've gotten messed up before doing things I thought I had permission to do, so I hope I'm not being careless again on this one. In any case, her e-mail address is: jfrylander@worldnet.att.net
   (And here's where I duck.)
   Also, while we're talking about former teachers, it seems one thing we haven't taken advantage of is the network they've maintained among themselves. So if there's a former teacher you're trying to find, maybe one of the other teachers will be able to help. To start with, if anyone could help Larry Rugen find Herta Apfel, I know he'd appreciate it.]
   On an entirely different matter, from Bernie Scheidt: On the subject of Larry Miller -- I don't now if any of you caught "Monk" last Friday night, but Larry had a big part as a bumbling lawyer. And he is still bald, like most of us!]

[More Rich -- some fast business:
   I'll probably circulate the updated class contact sheet in the next week-or-two, depending on other mail. Meanwhile, the online list on the home page is way out of date, so that needs correcting, too. If you're having trouble reaching someone, I may have a more recent e-mail address, but some people have just lost touch and will have to be found again, probably by the hardworking Paul DeMartino.
   Also, I was on Classmates.com last night, to see if any other missing classmates had turned up. Nope. And while it seems that Classmates has changed its software since I last checked the site, and they have managed to reduce some of the duplications, I noticed that Ken Seelig is still listed, though, unfortunately, he hasn't been with us for several years. I haven't rejoined Classmates yet, since there's been no reason, but I will in the spring so I can send reunion invitations to the people only listed there. Still, as we've never heard back from many of them before -- and we're talking about over a dozen people -- I'm not sure the e-mail addresses they originally gave Classmates are still active.
   Finally, I'll be stripping most of the 37th reunion photos off the home page to make room for the 40th reunion pictures. I hope to keep one flattering shot of every person there, so if there's a picture of yourself that you prefer, now would be the time to send it to me.]

And, yes, it's raining again in Los Angeles -- six inches last night, measured by the dog's official precipitation-catching bowl. That makes California now uncommonly green, though it will be especially brown and dry in the fall, when we'll have the annual national coverage of our fires. Oh, and did I mention mudslides?

The repeating reunion information:
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
The home page: http://hometown.aol.com/vssouth65

Rich