Update 8-18-09

Hi,

Notes from around the country.

From Barnet Kellman:   Hi – Ellen Sue!
   
    From Ellen Sue Brody Pilger:  It's been amusing to open the door to memories from elementary and high school years, although I hardly feel like I am that shy little girl anymore.  My apologies to the many people who attempted to reach me via Classmates.com.  I set up that profile without "gold status" and never looked at it again.  My parents moved to Florida, and we raised our 3 kids (5 grandkids now) on the West coast, so I never heard about reunions.  We are in New York City to visit our daughter, and out on the island to see my husband Ted's family from time to time.  Who is still in that area?  I remember working on the '65 yearbook with a few of you.  What a blast we had.  I have helped many organizations publish pieces over the years before cyberspace took over.
   
    From Paul DeMartino:  Janet Riccio was in our class of '65.  I believe that she had moved to Valley Stream and started at South in 11th grade.  I had tracked her to a phone number in Connecticut while working on the last two reunions, but she never returned my phone message, and I took that as a sign that she declined contact.  I remember her from study hall as being very funny and a nice person.  She was one of the 80+ classmates who we had never located.
        On a different note, Miss Hoogenboom and Miss Hardy helped instill a love and appreciation of history that continues to today, while Mrs. Margolin's discipline in Spanish class stayed with me, and today I can communicate in Spanish and Italian quite well.  I remember asking her why South never had Italian as a language, and she informed me that she was fluent in Italian as well and could have taught it if it had been offered.  Who knew?
   
    From Judy Hartstone, regarding memorable teachers: Miss Josephine Dillback was an outstanding teacher who imbued me with a love of good, clear writing and a solid foundation in grammar, both of which have helped me throughout my life as a writer with a regional museum, a journalist with a daily newspaper, and various public relations jobs.  We had a correspondence for a couple of years in the mid 90's after I wrote to thank her for giving me the tools of my trade.  During the time we wrote, she moved from Rockville Centre to Keene, New Hampshire, but I'm not sure where she's living now.
        I also recall Miss Lawrence and her passion for American History, especially Thomas Jefferson; and Miss Bono, who was an odd little character with a sharp tongue for those who didn't grasp the principles of math she was teaching but whose delight in her subject made it fun for me to learn.  Mr. Benevento's patience was enormous as I grappled with geometry; he spent hours after school helping me in my attempt to break the code -- we both triumphed when one day it suddenly all made sense to me.  I have always appreciated how privileged we were to have so many wonderful teachers like Mr. Gibson, Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Maggio, Miss Rea, Mr. Messner, and the others.  That said, it was common knowledge that South must have had the worst guidance counselors in creation!  Mr. Willard and Miss Young were vilified with good cause as they dissuaded many students from striving for and pursuing attainable goals.
   
    Judy adds a note:  Someone, please correct me if I'm using the word "imbue" incorrectly.
   
    [Rich -- I wrote back:  "Imbue" is one of those words I understand but would never really use.  So I'm no help.]
   

From Tom McPartland:  Just a "For Your Information" -- Irv Saffrin is 90-years-old this month.  And he's still getting around.

From  Shirley Hess Deutsch:  I know that there are a number of class of '66 readers of your newsletter, in addition to so many faculty members, so I'd appreciate it if you could help us to circulate the fact that we are planning our third annual mini-reunion at the Boca Pointe Country Club in Boca Raton Florida on January 30, 2010.  Anyone who has not received a personal e-mail is not on our list of classmates or faculty.  For further information, please contact Joan Kass Lipson at: jlipson@optonline.net or Eileen Gunderson Gelet at: egelet@verizon.net. It's a nice winter vacation for northerners, and we know there are quite a few locals, too.  Thank you.

From Jerry Bittman:  It is so frustrating when a friend of 56 years refuses your help.  When Andy Dolich was president of the Memphis Grizzlies, every year at draft time, I tried to convince him that they should draft me, and I would even split the signing bonus with him.  As you all know, they never drafted me, and therefore they are still waiting to win their first championship.
    Now, Andy's new team is the 49ers, where he is chief of something -- funny I didn't know the 49ers had a chief; I thought that was reserved only for Native American tribes.  Anyway, they can't sign their number 1 draft pick, wide receiver Michael Crabtree.  I told Andy that if they need a very, very, very wide receiver that I am available.  I even forwarded him my most recent vital statistic -- I was clocked in at 9.3 seconds going from one end of the buffet line to the other.  In addition, I was able to bench press a 7-pound breakfast burrito 63 times.  Well -- as Jack Benny would say -- I will wait for that phone call.  You can all be sure that if the Niners don't call me, to go ahead and bet that they will not win the Super Bowl.

Finally, from Andy Dolich, though not in response to Jerry.  The following was originally a Lighter Side column in the July/August 2009 issue of Insurance & Financial Meeting Management -- The Executive Source for Planning Meetings & Incentives.  Andy was introduced as "the COO of the San Francisco 49ers. During his 38-year pro sports career, he has worked in the front office of eight professional franchises and is running out of patience when it comes to finding a name tag that is worthy of a Most Valuable Player vote."

Hello My Name Is...
    We have sent men to the moon (with astronauts’ names stitched onto their space suits as if they needed name tags in outer space)!
We split the atom!
We invented the Internet, iPods, Post-it Notes and Velveeta.
We survived pandemics, depressions, world wars, brainless reality shows and sitcoms.
We transplanted hearts, lungs, kidneys, faces and other various body parts, which actually stay attached.
One of us painted the Mona Lisa, sculpted David, composed “Symphony No. 5,” “War and Peace,” choreographed “West Side Story” and sang “What’s Going On.”
With the combined brilliance of the human race why are we still wandering in the desert when it comes to creating a fully functional name tag?  Is manufacturing a sticky piece of paper beyond our engineering expertise?  Why can’t we find a simple way to peel off the backing?  Why do they always have a mind of their own and roll up when we are being introduced to a VIP?  We have all seen our proud names curl up into a fetal position, slowly become unstuck from our lapel, and float harmlessly to the floor.
It is estimated that 467 million name tags are used every year in the U.S.  Believe it or not, there is a full line of pet name tags, so add a few bow-wows to the total.  Name tags for pets are a sure sign of the coming apocalypse.
Name tags even have their own web site at Nametags.net, which is a part of the global domain conglomerate Name Administration Inc. headquartered in the Cayman Islands.  I guess name tags do pay.
Every year I attend 137 or so events requiring a name tag.  Since my first name tag was bestowed in the nursery at Beth-El Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, in 1947, I have gone through approximately 4,975 “Hello My Name is Andy” attempts at social interaction.
If you believe that algorithmic theory is confusing, check out the name tag choices at any of your favorite office supply superstores.  You can choose from the following array:
Sticky, pins, clasps, magnetic, digital, engraved, photo, die cut, biodegradable, transdermal, intracranial, henna, actual tattoos (ouch, but they won’t fall off), breakaway with bulldog clip, retractable reel, carabiner reel, vertical, horizontal, virtual, compostable, flashing lights and invisible.

Best Practices
They say you should wear your tag on the right side so it is visible and in the direct line with your handshake.  We live in a right-sided dominant world.  Let’s say that you have two lefty ambassadors at the United Nations trying to settle a nasty border dispute.  Could a name tag on the wrong side lead to full-scale thermonuclear war?
Make sure your tag is above your breastbone and readable from 10 feet away.
Size matters — letters spelling out your name should be 18-point font or larger.
Should you place it on your lapel, pocket, or spaghetti strap?  That is a personal choice.

Name Tag Rules Of Engagement
It is bad form to bring your own customized name tag to an event without seeking the permission of the meeting planner.  They might not want everyone else to feel intimidated.
Never scream and curse during the maddening time of trying to find the microscopic flap necessary to peel off the tag exposing the adhesive.  Be aware that manufacturers try to fool you into thinking that the peel off is on the back.  Many tags have the peel off on the front.
Always bring a Band-Aid to cover the puncture wound caused by the pinning on of a name tag.
Bring needle and thread to sew up clothing tears caused by substandard tags.
A man with no name: What do you do if there is no name tag for you at the check-in table?  Get over it and make your own.  It’s a great way to crash events.
Never put your mag stripe room key or credit card next to your magnet attached name tag.  It can erase the info causing you great financial distress and the inability to get back into your room at 3 a.m.

The Future
So let’s forget about the global depression and government stimulus plans.  Let’s not fear the swine flu or any other coming pandemic.  It is time to create a National Task Force on something critical to the future of our country.  I know we need universal health care, but a serviceable national name tag is a critical necessity.  Focusing on a solution to this age-old dilemma might be the economic jump start we need to get us out of this fiscal funk.
Of course, we can also go in a completely different direction.  In the 1948 classic movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” there is a scene in which the Mexican bandit leader -- Gold Hat played by Alfonso Bedoya -- is trying to convince Fred C. Dobbs -- portrayed by Humphrey Bogart -- that his banditos are really federales.
Dobbs:  If you are the police, where are your badges?
Gold Hat:  Badges!  We ain’t got no badges!  We don’t need no badges!  I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!
So at your next event requiring a name tag, when your post-graduate education isn’t helping in figuring out how to peel off the non-sticky part, think of the future.  What would a simple, fully functional, always-sticky name tag mean for our society?
    We do need those stinkin’ badges!

The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com


Rich