Update 7-7-09

Hi,

Some notes from last week that didn't quite fit, and some new notes:

    From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  I was "Facebooking" around, typed in "Valley Stream, New York," and came upon an interesting site, "Valley Stream Jews."  As a result, I have begun a correspondence with a Rockaway Avenue resident who is, or seems to be, Orthodox and is experiencing prejudice and anti-Semitism in Gibson.  It is sad to read about the evolution of a town that while never not immune to anti-Semitism now seems hostile..
        Also, is there any update or continued talk about a 45th reunion of the class of '65?  I could sure use a big dose of South High home.  I have checked the Facebook South page, and it doesn't seem like many people know it's there.  I am obviously becoming a big Facebook user because it's almost more useful than e-mail for contacting friends.  If more people could sign up for accounts, doing things like photo sharing is amazing and painless.
        Finally, I just happen to have Ed Albrecht's new e-mail address handy: ed@sherlockinspections.com
   
    Speaking of photo sharing, an exchange between Judy Hartstone and Stu Borman.  First, from Judy:
        Want to post these on the new Valley Stream South photo site?  The first one's at Clearstream Avenue Elementary School, but we all went on to Forest Road.  These photos used to be on the old AOL site that Rich managed.  I'm missing Miss Dykeman's first grade and Miss Perrich's second grade, but I'm including my confirmation class, which shows Pete Rosen, Stu and Les Glasser, June Forbes, and maybe more former South High kids.
   
    From Stu:  Your six photos are posted now in our class album.  Please let me know if any of the captions need revision.  The only creative contribution I made was adding Nathaniel Gurin's nickname, "Tanny."
   
    From Judy:  Please post the kindergarten photo first, then the Forest Road photos, then the confirmation class, then the recent photos.  For the confirmation photo, the caption should read: "Confirmation class, 1962, Temple Emanuel, Lynbrook.  Classmates included Pete Rosen, Stu and Leslie Glasser, and June Forbes."  Also, I would add "Los Angeles, November 2008" to the photo of Barnet, Rich, and me.
   
    Not at all about photos, from Linda Cohen Greenseid to Helen David:  I love that you are still interested in all of us and that you care about our perceptions.  Thank you for being a regular contributor.

    From Robert Fiveson: It just keeps getting weirder.
        Yesterday, a bunch of us flew to a dry spot called Greenfields that's next to the lake we fly around.  I was Jay Tuerk's first passenger in his Quicksilver ultralight (he is instrument rated for larger planes).  My son Josh followed with another friend in his Quicksilver, but they made it into a lawn dart on landing.  Josh is okay, but he suffered a superficial (but bloody) cut on his big toe and had his leg torqued back pretty severely.  X-rays showed that he didn't break or pop anything, but he is in one of those new plastic casts and on anti-inflammatories and antibiotics.  To say my heart was in my neck as I ran to that wreck is to say very little.  I thank God so much.  Imagine, he's here three weeks and has two incidents!  As he lay there, he said to me, "Now I can say I walked away from two plane crashes, just like you, Papa."  (It's actually 3 for me now, but one doesn't quibble).  Brave boy.  He will need to wear that cast thing for 10 days and then be looked at in the States to see if he needs any physical therapy.  He'll be okay (thank God) but he will be a bit in the hurt box for the next few days for sure.  He never wants to step foot on anything except my gyro ever again.  Nor will I let him!
        Oh, and that's not all:  The reason we flew to that place was as an airlift to help a guy whose axle broke when he was taxiing for TO and hit a log (another Quicksilver).  Then, later, after we were out and Josh airvacked out on another Quicksilver, one of the rescue team had an engine out and had to land on an island about as big as an average backyard!  What a freaking day.
   
    From Hy Rosov:  I worked with Ralph Foster for many years but never knew anything about his childhood.  I am happy Helen David cleared the air about any defamatory remarks mentioned about Ralph.  He wasn't the most personable individual, but my friendship with him was amicable and the anti-Semitism remark was unfounded and untrue.
        As for Eric Hilton's comment about our relationship:  I can only say that a teacher never knows the influence he may have had on his students.  The accomplishments of many of my students and their kind words of praise concerning our friendships over the years have only reinforced my belief that teaching is the greatest and most rewarding profession.
        Last month, I received my third "first place" award from the Miami Jewish Museum --this one, for my Judaic "Mezuza" sculpture.  I also decided to retire for the third and last time as a Modern Jewish History teacher to the senior class of the Boca Raton Yeshiva High School.  My eight years there were an absolute joy as I taught the history of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust from a text which I authored.  During the graduating ceremonies, I was presented with the yearbook that was dedicated to me.  I seem to remember this happening on another occasion -- in 1985 when I retired from South.
        Again, I must express my joy for the class of '65 newsletter.  It is greatly appreciated.  Please keep the letters coming.

    From Jay Berliner: I’m sorry that I couldn’t reply sooner. but I was in China for the last two weeks.
        As I remember, Ralph Foster could be a real SOB.  However, I also remember a few instances when he went over the top being helpful.  The first one was giving the track team extra credit on a few of his tests.  The other occurred while I was using a microscope and found a multi-cell organism that I couldn’t identify.  When I called him over, Foster also had never seen it before, and he suggested that I take pictures of it.  I taped my Kodak Brownie (you remember those) onto the microscope with electric tape and actually got a few good pictures with the set-up.  As I remember, he sent the pictures to one of the agencies in Washington.  After a few weeks, he advised me that we didn’t find anything new, but he did provide the proper name of the organism to me.  I probably passed his class with a D, being the good student that I was.
   
    Finally from Robin Singer Taylor:  Hi.  I'm going to be in Los Angeles from Wednesday, July 29th to Sunday, August 2nd.  My friend's son is getting married that Saturday, and I'm wondering if anyone would be free for lunch on Wednesday, Thursday, or even Friday.  I'd love to see anyone who is in the area, so please let me know.  Thanks.
   
    [Rich -- I quickly wrote several Los Angeles people, and, so far, there'll be four of us for lunch though we're not quite sure where or on which day.  I didn't have my newsletter addresses handy, so I missed writing other people.  If you want to join us for lunch, please let me know.  One thing we've discovered is being a couple years apart forty years ago doesn't much matter now.]
   
    The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com
   
   
    Rich