Update 8-4-09

Hi,

And sometimes there's sad news.  Unfortunately, quite a bit of it.
   
    From Steve Gootzeit:  My wife just took a call from Jay Berliner, saying that his wife, Sharyn, passed away this morning, from bleeding on the brain -- totally unexpectedly.
        My wife and Sharyn were childhood friends, and, as you know, Jay and I were friends.  One of the things in my life that has given me the most pleasure is that Jay and Sharyn met through a blind date that Carol and I had arranged.  They were married a week before we were in 1970, have three daughters, three grandchildren, and twins are on the way.
        Sharyn was very active, bright, and a good friend.  She just retired from teaching this past month.  Please keep Jay and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
   
    From Carol Ewig Duran, forwarded by Barbara Blitfield Pech:  As much as I would like to call you each personally, I don't think I can do that today.  My dad passed peacefully at home last evening.  My flight did not arrive in time for me to be with him, but my mother, my brother Jon, his doctor, Stu and the hospice nurse were there.  He took a peaceful breath in and never exhaled.  Yesterday was the most peaceful day he has had in months.
        The funeral will be Monday at 11:30 AM.  The announcement will be in Sunday's New York Times.  We will have shiva at Jon and Linda's house, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
        Once again, I thank you all for your love and support.
   
    Also from Carol, again forwarded by Barbara:  Yesterday, when my brother finally got in contact with his good friend Rob Riccio to tell him about our dad, Rob told Jon that his sister, Janet, had died of a heart attack that morning.  Janet had a very difficult life.  We hope that she is at peace.
        Please pass this along to the class, as I am sure many people will remember Janet.
   
    [Rich --  As I wrote Jay, and as I will write Carol:  e-mail seems like the wrong way to send a condolence note.  But it does let people know, almost immediately, that you're thinking of them.
        Jay's e-mail address:  jberliner@accu-scope.com
        Carol's e-mail address:  cduran@rubloff.com
        I'm afraid I didn't know Janet or Rob Riccio, so I don't have Rob's e-mail address.  But Carol may.]
   
    On a slightly happier note:  Robin Singer Taylor, Paulinda Schimmel, and I had lunch last Thursday in Los Angeles.  Paul Zegler and Amy Lieberman both had other commitments -- Paul's note follows below.  Robin, Paulinda, and I talked about many things, most happy.  But even in our conversation, there was a bit of sadness.
        Paulinda's daughter, Robin, died several years ago, of ovarian cancer.  She was only 17 when it was discovered, and it was found late because the doctors weren't looking for an older woman's disease in such a young girl.  As a consequence of Robin's death, Paulinda is very active in the Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Greater California.  The group's motto is "Until there is a test, awareness is best," and the organization is presenting its "11th Annual Walk/Run for Awareness and Hope" in Studio City, California, on September 13th.  The web site is:  ovariancancercalifornia.com, or you may contact Paulinda for more information.  Her e-mail address is:  Paulindadi@aol.com.
   
    Paul Zegler's note:  Well, it never fails.  I got a callback audition for Aladdin at Disneyland for 1 PM, just when we're supposed to have lunch.  I auditioned for the Sultan/narrator, and the show performs at the Hyperion Theatre at Disney's California Adventure park, a 2000-seat, state-of-the-art, Broadway-style house, with a 10-month contract involved.  So sorry about my cancellation.
        Please give big hugs to Robin and Paulinda.  And tell Robin that Eric Hilton sent me a class photo from second grade at Brooklyn Avenue School.  Wow, we looked like babies.  Anyway, have a good lunch.  I'll let you know what happens at Disneyland.  Lots of other theater auditions happening in the next two weeks, too.  Be well.
   
    Lynn Nudelman Villagran had this to add in response to Hy Rosov's thought that we think well of our former teachers:  Terry Margolin Bargman had a major influence on my life, and it was wonderful to see her at the 37th reunion.  Inspired by her, I graduated from South with the intention of becoming a Spanish teacher.  Then I graduated from SUNY Albany with a BA in Spanish, but when I moved to California in 1970, there were no teaching jobs to be found.  So I ended up working as a Spanish-speaking social worker for the county.  Now, in 2009, I am a medical social worker in the Memory Clinic at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Jose.  I work with dementia patients and their families, and I do cognitive testing in Spanish for the Neurology Department, which does not have Spanish-speaking staff.  I also interpret for the geriatricians with whom I work.  I love being bilingual, and I have Terry Margolin Bargman to thank for the inspiration.
   
    Amy Lieberman had this question for Hy Rosov:  Please ask Hiram Rosov, since he mentioned Marty Solomon, if he knows any more about him.  I would love to know anything about Marty Solomon.  He was a very special teacher of mine.
   
    Unfortunately, Hy Rosov answered:  Sorry, I am only in touch with a few teachers I knew at South -- Caruso, Biagioli, O'Brien, Russo, Luadtke, and Chuck Messner, before he passed away.
   
    Finally, Sandy Tarter wrote:  I think many teachers at South High School were outstanding.  My list includes Mr. Baker.  He called me "Mr. South High."  I'm not really sure why, but I liked it.
        Gym class was never better than with Mr. Argenzio, Mr. O'Brien, and Mr. Linkner.  Senior year, Bill Linkner took Dan Nolan, Tom Calderone, and me on a long weekend trip to Buffalo, New York, to see the state wrestling champions.  It was a weekend I will never forget.
        Mr. Brenner and I also became very good friends.  I worked for him in his tax business, and I even hunted deer on his Catskill property while I was in high school.  Mr. Donohue, Denis Kiley, Booker Gibson, Vince Tampio, Mr. Parry, Mr. Hicks, and Joe Caruso all helped mold me into a Valiant Falcon, and I must add that Clara Hoogenboom enriched my life.  I was not a great student, and she worked very hard with me to make sure I passed.
        I just spent three weeks on vacation in Colorado and New Mexico.  My trip was planned around meeting up with a high school friend who I had not spoken to or seen in 42 years.  He is the brother of Robert Fiveson.
        I found Mike Fiveson to be a warm friend, a great father, and a great husband to the same wife he's been with for 38 years.  We had a blast, I stayed at his home for a few days, and we talked all night.  Some people might say Mike is a recluse, but that's not true at all.  He doesn't fly planes, but he fishes and goes camping in a beautiful motor home.  I'm sure we will see each other again soon.
        And if Barbara Dorin gets Betsy Fels, Jackie Drucker, and Leslie Weinberg together, I will join them for lunch and will try to convince Mike Fiveson to come along.  I've also been in touch with Barney Zinger and hope to visit with him this November or December.
   
    The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com
   
   
    Rich