Update 8-11-09

Hi,

First, from someone most of us may not have heard from in, oh, say, 40 years:  Hello schoolmates from very long ago. This newsletter was passed along to me, and I'm not sure if this is the correct way to respond.  I am Ellen Sue Pilger, but you knew me as Ellen Brody from Forest Road School and South High, class of '65.  My e-mail address is:  ellensue@pilger.com
        I've checked out the photo site and remember so many of you who were close friends.  I'll keep this short for now and look into registering for the blogspot.  I would love to hear your stories and tell mine.  I live in Santa Barbara, California.  Many good wishes to you all.
   
    [Rich -- As I wrote Ellen Sue:  We've been looking for you for a number of years now.  Classmates.com gave us your married name, and I think a couple of people tried to send you messages through that site but didn't get any answers.  In any case, you found the class site, which is great.
        I hope you're well.  I'll put your note in the next newsletter and add you to the weekly mailing list.  That should let people know where you are.  If you've seen some of the class pictures, then you're also aware of the e-mail address list.  It's fairly accurate, but addresses change regularly, so if you write someone and the note bounces back, please ask if I have a more recent address.  There's also a Facebook connection if you're on that site.  Again, good to have you back in contact.]
   
    Next, from Mark Perlman:  I would like to write about a teacher who taught at South -- Raymond "Pop" Kana. I had "Pop" as a mechanical drawing teacher for 4 years, and it was his training and advice that led me to the career that I had for about 25 years.  When I graduated from UNM with a BA in Art Ed and got my first teaching position, I had to teach drafting at the junior high level, and the only drafting courses that I had were the ones with "Pop."  I even copied his grading technique.  After leaving teaching and going into industry, I got a job as a senior draftsman in a large manufacturing plant.  Then, with experience and years in, I became the senior mechanical designer for the plant.  All this, and my training was from my high school drafting teacher.
   
    [Rich -- The main thing I remember about Pop Kana was a very funny story he told our pre-engineering class, a story you couldn't tell high school kids these days.  But he was a nice guy.]
   
    From Eric Hilton:  When you talk about teachers who made a difference, there were many whom I admired and enjoyed.  In 11th grade, I was having some issues -- I always had the attention span of a 6-year-old, and I reversed numbers and letters... still do.  Having problems in math, I walked out of Ms. Bushnell’s class as it was moving too quickly for me.  Now, I didn’t have enough credits and would have gone to summer school... again.  Against my parents will, I decided to quit school and join the Navy, thinking that having sex with Vietnamese women was more fun than learning Algebra in Ms. Bushnell’s class.  Not a toss-up.
        When Mr. Caruso found out I needed a credit, he talked me out of quitting school, gave up his free period, and spent it in the machine shop with me as the only student in the class.  I have to say that Mr. Caruso was instrumental in my staying in school and graduating.
        After all is said and done, I truly agree with Hy Rosov that teaching could be one of the most rewarding professions.  Today, while on a photo shoot at the new high school being built in Sarasota, I just volunteered to help set up a photo studio and teach photography to the teachers and any students who want to learn.  But no math or spelling.
   
    From Amy Bentley:  Robert Riccio was my classmate in the class of 1971.  I knew he had an older sister although I never met her.  Robert is a very fine individual.
   
    [Rich -- Does anyone remember which class Janet Riccio was in?]
   
    From Tom McPartland:  Always a pleasure seeing the weekly updates.  All the best.
   
    [Rich -- And it's always a pleasure sending your notes along.]
   
    Finally, this would have been my dad's 92nd birthday.  Happy birthday, Howard.
   
    The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com
   
   
    Rich