Update 11-18-08

Hi,

First, some notes replying to last week's notes, then an attempt to catch up from previous weeks.
   
    From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  A small voice from one of the many, many, many older Jewish voters in Florida who made the great schlep in the early 70s -- and who never, never, never would or could have voted for any other ticket or candidate besides Barack Obama
        Also, again to Barnet Kellman:  Belated Happy Birthday wishes, fellow Scorpio.
   
    [Rich -- That means Barbara's birthday must be around here, so Happy Birthday to you, too.]

    From Zelda White Nichols:  First, Hi, Booker.  I can imagine, in a very small way, how you must have felt on election night.
        Miriam Makeba's passing is very sad.  I remember her singing in the 60s.  I was one of those people marching for peace up in Boston, where I went to college after graduating in '65.
        Four years ago, my husband and I moved to a small country town in North Carolina.  We live about thirty minutes south of Greensboro, where the lunch counter sit-ins occurred.  A year ago, it hit me that this was one of the areas whose freedom we were marching for up North.  Exactly one year, later a black man is our new president.  How far we have come.
        I live in Lexington, which is the county seat of Davidson County.  This area is still the old South, and in many ways, that is wonderful.  The pace is much slower, this is farm country, and land and family still have values.  Farms are not all sold to become housing developments, and you will see families of three and four generations happily dining together in restaurants.  Family members of all ages enjoy each other's company and will sit for an hour after eating to talk.  They are not chased out for table turnover.  Sadly, there are factors that are negative.  This area still has discrimination.  Lexington is not a problem, but the Klan still lives in the next two towns north, Denton and Thomasville -- home of Thomasville Furniture.  I was appalled when I learned this.
        Perhaps this election will help towards ending negative racial thoughts.  Then again, you still see Confederate flags here, and people are still waiting for the South to rise again.
   
    From Robert Fiveson:  The historic nature of what occurred in our government leaves me breathless.  Just yesterday, Jay Tuerk and I were marveling at how in our lifetime, we have gone from black people being gassed, water cannoned, and having dogs set upon them or worse for wanting to go to the school of their choice to Obama walking into the White House as his next home and being the ostensible leader of the free world, a place where fifty years ago he would not have been allowed to serve coffee.  I contribute to a forum for pilots of rotary craft, and I have had many a heated exchange in the last months.  The claims:  "Obama is a socialist," "a Muslim Al Queda sleeper," "a ne'er-do-well," "does not have a valid US birth certificate," "is a woman" (I swear). This should go a long way to showing the world a better face than that of the grinning chimp who has been our avatar on the global stage for these last eight years.
         Booker Gibson certainly does have a lot to be proud of.  Not only that he lived to see such a profound affirmation, but that all of us already knew by his example how influential a brave, intelligent, and talented black man could be if just given a chance.
   
    From Jerry Bittman:  Booker, I told my daughters the third best day of my life was watching the Obamas and the Bidens on stage together sharing hugs.  Not just because I campaigned for Obama, but for the significance of the event.  To see a black family and a white family embrace one another as they did, just brought tears to my eyes.
        Two days before the election, I was talking to my niece.  She was in San Francisco the day before, visiting Oprah Winfrey.  Oprah invited her to go to Chicago for the election, but I'm not sure that my niece made it because she is so busy putting together Oprah's new network.
        Andy Dolich and I talked about moving to Jonestown if McCain won.  We were going to co-promote professional wrestling.  Good thing for the Niners that Obama won.
        Obama will be a great President.  For two years, I've been telling people that Obama has the charisma of JFK and the intellect of Clinton.
   
    From Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  First of all, on this Veterans' Day, I want to say "Thank you" to all the veterans in our class and in the South High alumni pool.  Next, thank you for mentioning the passing of Miriam Makeba.  I was an avid Folkie from the age of 13, when I heard my first Joan Baez recording of "Silver Dagger" at Zelda Genin's house.  Miriam Makeba was such a delightful songstress, and I loved the African clicking sounds she made as she sang.

    From Carol Ewig Duran:  It is a full week after the election, and I continue to weep when I read or hear comments about this hopeful time for our country.  Chicagoans are doubly proud.  My daughter Andrea was in Grant Park for the rally though there were too many people there for me.  Andrea had a ticket, so she was up close, but there were hundreds of thousands of people in the park.  Security was such that her identification was checked three times before she entered the secured area.  Her description of the overall atmosphere was amazing.  It was as though you knew everyone around you, even without much conversation.  Now that is being a part of history.
        I hadn't thought about the analogy between Booker and Barack until reading Barnet's comments, but it is very fitting.  Let's hope Barack is revered in the same way by all of us.
   
    The catch-up notes from the past couple of weeks:
   
    A question from Robert Fiveson:  What happened on the bridge to south that they decided to shut it?  A murder, no doubt?
   
    [Rich -- a stabbing, I believe, possibly part of an attempted robbery.]
   
    From Marc Jonas:  Congratulations to Judy Hartstone for her celebrity status.  She's looking good on the YouTube video.

    From Hiram Rosov:  I just read an article in the monthly district newsletter that the bridge crossing the creek at South was torn down, but it is being rebuilt.  I hope Emily reads this good news with fond nostalgic memories.
        I read the weekly newsletter with my own fond memories.  I recollect the faces of many of the graduates mentioned in these notes with very fond memories of the days I was the adviser to the Legend and Southern Bell, judged the One-Act Play Contests, coached sports, and played in the varsity baseball and basketball games.  As I will never stop remembering, those twenty-six years I spent at South were the happiest ones of my life, and all of you were a very important part of that experience.  Thank you.
   
    From Eric Hilton:  First, to Zelda White Nichols:  I wish I remembered all of you.  I don’t have a '65 yearbook so can’t match a face to all the names, but I feel exactly as you do.  Helping people or making a difference in someone’s life is such an emotionally rewarding feeling, and nothing is better.  I always volunteer my photography services to temples, churches, and syndrome organizations here in Sarasota as I know it makes a difference.  Most of the time, giving is so much nicer than receiving, and I know it will come back to you many fold in the end.
        Next, to Peter Panzarino:  Tim Chan’s was later called “The Back Barn," I think.  My brother Ed and his friends played there a few times.
        Finally, Judy Hartstone:  You looked great on the news and should have your own TV show.  Sarasota has a lot of rescue and working dogs that are brought to hospitals and nursing homes.  You can see people's faces light up when the dogs are brought to the homes.  Kids' faces would glow when they saw our 140-pound Saint Bernard, which I once tried sneaking on a Spokane flight as a seeing-eye dog.
        Again, the newsletter truly brings back many wonderful memories of my youth spent in Valley Stream
   
    From Jay Berliner, first to Eric Hilton:  Thankfully, you didn’t advise anyone that Unitron was so important to you, or the price tag would have been twice as high.  I am advised that the 6” refractor was almost the size of a room and was discontinued many decades ago.  My question is, "If you had the telescope, where would you have pointed it?"  I am just thinking of the fact that you used "Unitron" and "Playboy" in the same sentence.
        Next, for Jerry Bittman:  Congratulations for the good news on both your daughters' happiness.  It is the best of times and the worst of times -- when the bill comes for the weddings. You call me a "champion," and I restate that I was too lazy to change professions.
        And to everyone:  I appreciate the responses to my recent e-mail.

    From Paul Zegler:  I'd love to see Judy Hartstone when she's in Los Angeles, but I'm in my last rehearsals for West Side Story.  It opens November 21st and runs to December 21st at the Hudson Guild Theatre.  By the way, Judy, you looked great in your news piece.
   
    From Emily Kleinman Schreiber:  If you were in the class of 1968,you might want to be part of a committee to organize your 40th Anniversary Reunion.  Fran Chertoff Miness would like to hear from you.  Her e-mail address is:  fminess@optonline.net
        Joe Anfora will be in the comedy Breaking Legs in Merrick until November 23rd.  The play is performed Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM.  For more information, check the theater's web site.  www.thestageinmerrick.com
        Bern Cohen writes:  I'm excited to announce I'm in two films that were selected for the Sixth Annual Queens International Film Festival.  I have a starring role in The Woodhaven Pause, and I have a two-minute role in Dissonance
   
    Finally, from Joanne Polner:  Thanks for gathering all those good words together last week and putting them up for all of us to read.   Also, I like the bolded small print -- much easier to read.
   
    [Rich -- Unfortunately, it was just a way to keep the letters intact and sorted last week.  But you can always enlarge the text or make it bold by cutting and pasting.]