Update 4-1-08

Hi,

I was only gone for six days, and teaching is slow right now because of spring break, but I don't seem to be able to catch up.  That's why this is late.  And, unfortunately, we need to start with some sad news.
   
    From Judy Hartstone:  Sad news to report.  My brother Roger Hartstone died suddenly and unexpectedly the evening of March 27th in Arizona, where he has lived for the past twenty-five years.  He would have been part of the class of '68, but our family moved to California in the fall of 1964, so most of the people who might have known Roger would be from Forest Road School.
   
    [Rich -- As I wrote Judy, it's still a shock when anyone our age dies, so I'm almost entirely unprepared for anyone younger going.]
   
    Next, from a conversation more than a week ago with Linda Tobin Kettering:  Ken Seelig's father recently died.  If anyone still has contact with Ken's family, please send our best.
   
    Some school business, a letter from South's new principal Maureen Henry:  I am pleased to inform you that our Senior High Scholarship Awards presentation will take place on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 7:30 PM in South Hall.  We would greatly appreciate your participation again this year in presenting the Vince Tampio Theater Award and the Booker Gibson Music Award and by making the formal announcement that evening.
        As the new principal of Valley Stream South High, I look forward to meeting each and every one of you.  If you would like to speak with me about the program, I will make myself available to you at your earliest convenience.  On behalf of the students and staff of South High School, I thank you for your continued support in honoring the class of 2008.
   
    [Rich -- This is partly what I was talking with Linda Tobin Kettering about.  I also introduced myself to Maureen Henry when I was east and spoke with Booker Gibson about the awards.  Everyone really likes these two awards, and, as I told Maureen Henry and confirmed to Liz King Giordano, the awards coordinator, we're committed to continuing these awards for at least ten years.  This year will be our fifth.]
   
    That leads us to that time of year again.  We have 35 dollars in the Vince Tampio account, and 3 dollars in the Booker Gibson account.  That means we need 465 dollars from the folks who've promised to support Vince's award, and 497 dollars from the folks who like to remember Booker.  And, of course, anyone else may contribute.  Checks should be made out to:  Rich Eisbrouch and sent to me at:  23030 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California  91367.  In the bottom left corner of your check, please indicate which award you're supporting or if you want your contribution split between the awards.  Liz King Giordano likes to get the money by mid-May, so that gives us about six weeks to level the accounts.  As soon as we reach the intended goals, I'll let everyone know.  As you've heard from me before, I hate holding on to other people's money over the course of the year, and last year I comfortably managed to whittle that down to 38 bucks.]
   
    Some continuing news on the class contact list:
   
    From Stu Kandel:  I haven't received the updates for the past two weeks and was wondering if it had to do with my change of e-mail address.  I can also get e-mail at:  Skandel@crhamilton.com so could you use that address on the contact list?  I miss my Tuesday morning read.  Thanks
   
    From Donald Faber:  Could you please change my contact address to: dpfaber@optonline.net   Thanks.
   
    Stu Mlot wrote:  Amy Kassak Bentley should be listed in the Class of ’71, not ’70.

    And the e-mail addresses for John Foster -- bluspks@comcast.net -- and Barbara Fashbinder Kirby --   Jax7277@cs.com -- are no longer working.

    [Rich -- I have finally wiped out our seven-year-old bios from the class web site and replaced them with the current contact information.  I'll continue to update that until it seems to be right.  Thanks for all your help.]

    Some Mr. Hartman comments:
    From Evelyn Roedel Read:  Was Mr. Hartman's first name Paul?
   
    From Linda Cohen Greenseid:  I believe that Mr. Hartman's first name was Paul, and he was my favorite teacher.  I had him for English in the 11th and 12th grades, and he really taught me how to write a research paper.  That prepared me well for college.  He also ran a no-nonsense classroom and treated us, I thought, as young adults, letting us know exactly what he expected from us.  I also remember a very dry sense of humor that I appreciated.  Perhaps, being a good speller helped.
   
    From Andrea Schwartz Neenan:  I had Mr. Hartman also.  He was mean!  He was always yelling at me for hanging out with my boyfriend in the hallway outside his classroom, and he always wore red on St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s funny the things you remember about some teachers.
   
    From Ryki Zuckerman:  In your piece about your South High tour, I loved that last part about thinking you were standing where your old desk in a class had been and what the teacher told you back then.  I laughed out loud.
   
    A comment on an entirely different subject from Amy Miller:  I was going to ask if you'd seen Rich Sternhell when you were in Philadelphia, and if you'd verified that he is, in fact, not only still writing e-mails but is still alive and well.
   
    And one from Tom McPartland:  Great update.  I have not seen Marc Jonas since 1964, when he played piano on the dance band.
   
    A correction from Marc Jonas:  For the record, I think that the "Why not" in our lunch conversation came from Rich Sternhell.
   
    [Rich -- Perhaps.  The three of us spent a good deal of time overlapping each other.  As I mentioned, usually, I don't report my social life, even when it involves former class members.  But, this time, I mainly want to acknowledge people I've sighted.  I'll continue my report next week.  There's too much news from other folks this week.]
   
    A reminder from Emily Kleinman Schreiber:  This is a quick note to remind everyone that there will be a South High School Alumni Association meeting this Thursday, April 3rd, at 7:15 PM in South's library.  In addition, if anyone would like to serve on the Scholarship Committee, please let me know.  We'll be meeting at 3:00 PM, also on April 3rd, also in the library.  And I want to thank those of you who have remembered to send in your dues for this year.  Our treasurer, Dennis Shapiro, will be happy to accept checks from those of you who might have forgotten to do that. 
   
    Some help from Andrea Schwartz Neenan to Amy Miller:  We used zabasearch.com in planning our 40th reunion last year and were able to find about 150 people from our class.
   
    Finally, notes from Ryki Zuckerman about the recent class of '66 gathering in Florida:
       I don't know my way around Florida, so I decided to drive to the restaurant while it was still light.  I got there a little early, after getting just a little lost first.  After staking a claim on a coveted parking spot, I decided to sit and watch.  Would I recognize anyone from South?  Well, maybe some people who I'd just seen on Long Island at our 40th, but others would be coming who hadn't made it to Long Island
        I saw what I thought was a young woman walk to the outside of the restaurant, pause, and look around.  I suddenly realized that this "young woman" was my peer, Arlene Ainbinder, looking fabulous.  Some people age well, just naturally.  I'd seen her at the 40th, but my vanishing brain cells just didn't register familiarity at first.
         I got out of my car and greeted her.  We stood outside in the slowly fading light, talking.  I looked up and saw a man walking towards us.  I knew immediately that he was Keith Charney, who I haven't seen for four decades.   He looked different than my "memory" of him -- a pretty faulty mechanism, as it were -- but I just knew him right away.  (Actually, I think I'd seen a photo of him on his web site -- he manufactures an all natural suntan lotion line he created with, he'll tell you, his high school chemistry set -- but I wasn't remembering that photo.  I guess it was what we used to call "vibes.")  He was there with his lovely, and also very tan, wife.
          Also with him was Bob Lieberman, who had come to the Long Island reunion from nearby Connecticut.  I didn't expect him to show up in Florida, though I had learned over the years through e-mails that he and Keith had stayed in touch.  He is still as charming and warm as I remember him.
          Many others showed up, and we eventually moved inside for drinks at the bar, and later to a back room, which had broken air conditioning, unfortunately.  Paul Breiter had arranged the whole thing and handed out name tags to us as we arrived.  He was there with his wife, who seemed as excited to be attending as one of our own class members.
         While we stood around schmoozing at the bar, we were near tables with high stools, and a couple seated there asked me if we were at a reunion.  They were probably in their early 70s, maybe a bit younger or older.  They said, "What is it, your 30th?"   When I said , "No, the 42nd-ish," their mouths hung open for a minute.