Update 7-17-07

Hi,

A beautiful juxtaposition of the moon and Venus in the western sky tonight, about 9:00 over Los Angeles.  Venus has been shining brightly since mid-May.  Normally, I don't care much about astronomy, but this summer the planets have been making themselves easily visible.  Jupiter is also bright in the southern sky, and a far dimmer Saturn had lately been tagging after Venus.  I'm told if I get up early enough, I can see Mars at dawn.  But I don't get up that early.
        In more Earthbound news, some compliments:
   
    From Lynn Nudelman Villagran:  Wow, the tribute to Mr. Saffrin by Evelyn Roedel Read was amazing.  Thanks for sharing it.
   
    From Hiram Rosov:  Loved reading the beautiful and laudatory letter about my dear friend and colleague, Irv Saffrin.  He was the epitome of what a teacher should be.  South was blessed with a number of these fine human beings:  Charles Messner, Booker Gibson, Denis Kiely, Bob Leist, Vince Benevento,  Adrian Biagioli, Maxine Vogel, Ellen Duffy, Marty Solomon, Ed Schmidt, Joe Caruso, Ina Luadke, Bernie O'Brien, and I am sure a few I have forgotten.  It is heartwarming to hear how a teacher at South impacted the lives of his or her students.  Given the opportunity, I am sure you would be inundated with a voluminous amount of  laudatory testimonies  concerning the influence of South's faculty on many of its graduates.
   
    From Helen David:  That was a beautiful tribute to Irving Saffrin by Evelyn Roedel Read.  I do hope that he is still on the Internet to read it for himself.  If not, I hope that somebody copies it out and sends it to him.
    I would like to add that he was, at first, my colleague, and later, my chairman, for roughly a twenty-five year period.  I couldn't express myself in a better way than Evelyn did.  What I can't believe is that in my earliest years, he instilled a little fear in me.  He was and is the sweetest and most gentle person to have worked with and worked for.  He certainly enabled me to flourish in my position as a teacher of Biology in the Science Department.
   
    From Tom Romano:  I would like to add some of my own memories about Mr. Irving Saffrin, which were so wonderfully and refreshingly brought back to me by Evelyn Read.  I remember Mr. Saffrin writing furiously at the blackboard and how it was so hard to keep up with him, but we had to fill those all-important notebooks. It seemed like he was always erasing the blackboard just before I got his last notes down.  I took Biology as a sophomore and Math-Science Seminar as a senior.  His hair was always slicked-back a la Jack Webb.  His spine was always ramrod straight.  He was a strict disciplinarian, but an excellent teacher and mentor. I remember him encouraging me to pursue studies in science.  The other two teachers I was extremely fond of were Mr. Maggio and Mr. Benevento.  They made math so special and important.  I took two Algebra classes with Mr. Maggio, and I had Geometry and Calculus with Mr. Benevento.  I remember hearing at the 20th reunion in 1985 that both had died and what a loss I felt. I will never forget these great teachers.
   
    On another topic, from Barnet Kellman:  I just caught up with about five or six updates and tuned into Stu Borman re: AZA.  Just to jog Stu’s memory:  we formed our AZA chapter when we were unhappy with some of our friends being excluded from pledging the Jewish fraternity, Mu Sigma.  We decided to start our own rival Jewish fraternity and found it convenient to use the structure of an AZA chapter.  We didn't have anything to do with the national organization or with Judaism for that matter, although I think we tried one mixer with some BBG girls from the Five Towns and also played basketball against some other AZA chapters.  We did have white-and-black varsity sweaters and also black jackets with white satin accents that we designed ourselves.  Bob Fiveson used to wear his with the collar turned up.  As an AZA chapter, we were required to have a parental mentor, and I think ours was Henry Scheidt, Bernie’s dad.  Henry was cool about the whole thing and didn't intrude into our business, but every now and then he'd remind us to “wote” on something...
   
    And the start of the promised material about the Tampio and Gibson scholarship winners, Andrew Karp and Peter Olson.  First, the introductions:
   
    This year's recipient of the Vince Tampio Theater Award is a fixture on the South High stage.  He has had leading roles since the seventh grade in both musicals and dramas.  He brings a special quality to each new role he undertakes, and he continues to hone his skills as an actor.  He is the leader in each production he is part of.  A partial list of the shows he has starred in include:  Kiss Me Kate, Oklahoma, Hello Dolly!, Grease, Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, and Into the Woods.  He will be missed on the South High stage.  This award is presented to Andrew Karp.
   
    This student has shown many years of dedication to the music program here at South High School.  He has been the concert master of the South High orchestra for four years.  In these four years, he has also been a participant of the Long Island String Festival, All County Festivals, New York State School Music Association, and Chamber Orchestra.  This past year, he had the honor of participating in the All-State Music Festival in Rochester.  He is a student of outstanding leadership and has demonstrated the utmost enthusiasm for music here at South.  His commitment to the program will be missed, and we wish him the best of success next year at Harvard University.  It is my pleasure to present the Booker Gibson Music Award to Peter Olson.
   
    Next, the thank-you notes:
   
    Dear Valley Stream South High School's Class of 1965 and other supporters,
        I simply wanted to take the time to thank all of you for the incredibly generous scholarship I received a couple of weeks ago at the Senior High Awards Ceremony.  I was very honored and touched to have been selected for the Vince Tampio Memorial Scholarship, and I can't express to you how grateful I am.
        Theater has been an integral part of my life for years, and a scholarship such as this one will help me in innumerable ways.  Once again, thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.
        Sincerely,
        Andrew Karp
   
    Dear Booker Gibson and the others who made this award possible,
        Mr. Gibson, this award carries so much meaning for me, so much weight, for it carries your name, the name of a man who has enriched the lives of so many with music.  You have so many people who've been touched by you, so many advocates, so many professedly ardent supporters.  I love music.  Specifically, I love the violin.  Winning this is a great honor, and more than that, it is very helpful.  The funding will free me in college to spend less time working and more time studying.  Your impact keeps on changing others, and now more than ever, you've changed me and improved my life.
        Thank you,
        Peter Olson
   
    And, again, the repeated announcements:
   
    The 40th reunion of the class of '67 will be held on Saturday, July 28, 2007, at the Huntington Hilton Hotel in Melville, New York.  Everyone is welcome.  For further information, please contact Andrea Schwartz Neenan at:  aneenan@tampabay.rr.com
   
    The Evening with Booker Gibson at the Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip, New York, will be on Wednesday, August 1, 2007.  It will start around 6:15 though Booker does not begin to play until 7:00.  To make a reservation, please contact Claire Brush Reinhardt at:  reino@optonline.net