Update 10-25-11

Hi,

Couple things.  Well, maybe one thing.  And something from 1957.  And a short, totally sentimental piece about one of my dogs -- which tells you where this newsletter has gone.

First, from Joanne Shapiro Polner:  In the 1957 Southern Belle, what was the news about the Sophomore Class, the future 1959 grads?  What were they doing then?  Nothing is quoted about us!  Do you think that we didn't have dances or a social life?  Maybe we were just too busy with school activities.  My Class of '59 yearbook shows that my classmates and I were multi-taskers, being members of many clubs and activity groups -- in any topic you can name -- and we also did well in our academics. 
    We played all the sports as well as music, and we were very active in theater, from the one-act play contest to producing scenery and grand performances with student directors when we were juniors and seniors.  In our last year at South, we were guided through The Innocents by a real professional in the theater, Mr. Roger A. Elliott, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 82.  I was Miss Giddens in our Senior play.  There was darkness in that play that none of us 1950s teens could ever comprehend.  Who knew back then!  Mrs. Clark never appreciated Mr. Elliott, but we students did. 
    I recall that the Class of '59 did a lot of group dating, played in the marching band, went to football games, and participated in Mrs. Clark's bus trips to New York City to see professional theater:  Inherit the Wind, Witness for the Prosecution, and Julius Caesar (and what else?)  Mr. Elliott had us present "A Scene from Shakespeare" on Hofstra's reproduced Globe Theater in the yearly contest for high schoolers. (I won an honorable mention playing the Lady Anne, widow of Edward IV, in the funeral march/wooing scene in the play Richard III.) 
    At South, we designed great posters for our school productions and magnificent decorations for our parties at school (our ring dance theme was Around the World in Eighty Days).  The Class of '59 also had house parties, and we were fans of rock and roll!  We grew to adulthood with a hundred singing groups and our name records ("Jo-Ann" by the Playmates was mine, and I did break someone's heart once.)  We collected every 45 # 1 hit you can remember.  We married each other, and we married a class up and a class down and down again.  The Class of '59 was the first class to claim Mr. Leist as Our Music Man from elementary school to junior high to graduation from South.  Mr. Saffrin, our biology teacher, even came to our reunions in contemporary times.  We will live forever!  C'mon, report on us, Southern Belle reader.  We musta dun sumpin' back in '57.

For Joanne, from the May 29, 1957 Southern Belle:  Sophs Shine In Contest
    At 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, Mrs. Evelyn Dibble presented the trophy for best play to Carol Freidman, Director of the Sophomore play, "Chain Reaction."  To the class of 1959 also went the award for Publicity.  A gold plaque, presented by Miss Mary Graham Smith, chairman of the English Department at North High, was accepted by Nina Ferrara, publicity committee chairman.  Also engraved on this plaque were the names of the best actor, Richard Reisch, Class of '58, and the best actresses, Phyllis Mendelsohn, Class of '58, and Corrine Smith, Class of '59.  Mrs. Linette Toppel, representative of South's P.T.A., presented these awards.
    While the judges were making their final decisions, a talent show was given.  Participating in this show were Lucille Casillo, Delores Sayre, Gary Zimmerman, Niel Kellman [I'll bet that's "Neil"], Eva Reising, and Eloise Lance.
    The success of the first One Act Play Contest at South was largely because of the work of Mrs. Anne Clark, faculty advisor of the entire production.  Donald Dunning, Junior class president, is also to be congratulated for the wonderful job he did as master of ceremonies.

[If you remember, Donald Dunning turned up last week, too, along with his class vice-president Carol Lagin.  Coincidentally, Carol Lagin married Barry Dolich, who indirectly gave us this copy of the Southern Belle.  And Barry's name was spelled "Bary" in his by-line.]

Finally, that piece about my dog:  
    It's been a year since we got Rocky, and it scares me that we almost didn't.  He's my favored dog, but also the more troublesome.  Much of the time I wish it were, "Just Molly and me, and Tom to make three."
    But we got Rocky because the first taker felt he was "just too wild for her," and, to be honest, he's still too wild for us, too.  I'm afraid he never will grow up, that he'll always nearly levitate at other dogs, and at motorcycles, and at kids on bikes and skateboards and scooters.
    I walk him on a very short leash, where Molly ambles on the long leash that belonged to St. Fluffy.  But even being held right at my side, Rocky manages to lurch away, and pull me off balance, and trip me.
    He's more fearless than elegant Molly, and funnier, but then she's not funny at all, and either was Fluff.  Tom sometimes calls him "Mr. Wiggles" because he ungulates his body when he's happy, instead of merely wagging his tail.  He also has a tongue like Jack Nicholson's.
    And he doesn't just look like Pete, the dog in Li'l Rascals with his one black eye, he's one of the kids.  And though I know they grew up, and I've even seen pictures of some of them as adults, I can't really imagine him ever being mature.  It's something I hope for.  It's something I want, if only so he doesn't finally, seriously, hurt me as he once again yanks me off my feet.  But it's something I really can't picture.
    Happy Anniversary, Rock.  I hope you and Molly stay with us at least another dozen years.

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

The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com / SouthHS65

As usual, please delete the spaces.


Rich