Update 11-22-11

Hi,

Happy Thanksgiving, of course. 
    And, as long as we're starting with social notes, Paul Zegler's wedding to Becky Taylor last Friday was lovely.  They got married under an arbor, alongside a lake, in La Quinta California -- that's near Palm Springs.  The reception was on the other side of the lake, and I thought they were going to go there by boat, but they took a conventional car.  And we all got Pez dispensers as souvenirs.  It was great. 
    I'd forgotten that Paul's middle name is Eric, or I never knew that.  He said he discovered Pez candies when they first came out, in the mid 1950s.  He said they were actually breath mints that caught on with kids.  Then the dispensers got cartoon heads and became collectibles.  Mine, from Becky and Paul's wedding, is a character from the Lion King.  Becky's middle name is Jane, by the way, and her first name is technically Rebecca.  But I don't think there's any kind of candy named Rjt. 
    Jay Tuerk was at the wedding.  In the program, he was listed as both Best Man and Childhood Friend of the Groom.  It was great seeing Jay.  The last time was at the 37th reunion, probably destined to be our best remembered one.  He said he keeps reading in the newsletter about other people being retired, and he thinks about it, then goes, "Nah."  One of his grandfathers worked into his 80s. 
    Also, to end the social column, a couple weeks before the wedding, in another place in California, Judy Hartstone and I had lunch.  We were again in Ventura, but instead of being near the beach, we were in a different restaurant, just down the hill from the Buenaventura courthouse.  Judy's new dog, Jolie, was in attendance.

Related, from Jerry Bittman:  Congratulations to Pauley Z. and his new bride Becky.

Catching up on some backlogged news, starting from 11-1:

From Marc Jonas:  My dog is a Weimaraner indeed, and we got her thanks to the efforts of a Weimaraner rescue.  This continues my family's Weimaraner connection, dating back to 1957 when my father, fresh from his daily Long Island Railroad commute, arrived home with a large brown box.  In it was a blue-eyed Weimaraner puppy, soon to be named, as I think I've mentioned here before, Duchess von Osten Wald -- roughly, of East Wood.  An endearing, but knucklehead breed, it requires lots of exercise and attention.  I've had several Weimaraners over the years and have endured attacks on neighbors' chickens and on my barbecue grill -- tough to explain -- which required building a perimeter fortification for the grill.  Still, thanks to Duchess, I was no longer terrorized by the Boxers which always seemed to be running at large on Eastwood Lane.  Now, where did I leave the Master lock?

From Jay Kinder:  To whoever is sending in the articles from the 1957 Southern Belle, thank you.  My brother Ira Kinder was mentioned in the article about the play Kind Lady.  It was because of his wonderful experience being part of the Drama Club and working with his teacher, Mr. Elliott, that my brother became an English and drama teacher at Plantation High School in Sunrise, Florida.  Until, his untimely passing, he produced approximately four shows a year, raising about $130,000 in scholarship money for the school.  Many of his former students came to speak at his funeral, and some also became drama teachers or continued in theater because of his influence.  A scholarship was created in his honor, and the stage at the school was named for him.

[Rich -- That's two former South students who have theaters named for them.  Ken Ulric is the other, and, fortunately, Ken's still alive.  And when I typed Ira Kinder's name, I thought he might be Jay's brother.  But I'm not sure I ever knew about Ira's career, and I'd forgotten that he'd died young.  Still, $130,000.  Wow.]

When I reminded Jay that the vintage Southern Belle came from Barry Dolich, by way of his brother Andy, Jay wrote back:  Please thank Andy for me.  My earlier note was to make the point of the far reaching influence of our high school experiences.  This includes the positive experiences from teachers like Booker Gibson, Vince Tampio, and Bill Linkner, or overcoming the negative experiences of other teachers, who, out of politeness, I would rather not name.  I also wanted to point out that the excellence of South's drama department is a continuing tradition, which started with the classes before us, included us, and continued past us, through the present classes.

And some notes about Central Hardware:

From Barnet Kellman:  My parents were customers and friends of the Oppenheimer family.  Going to their store for supplies for our new home -- circa 1951 -- is among my earliest memories.  Years later, I became a friend and colleague of the author of the story about the store closing, Deb Oppenheimer.  Because she’s several years younger than we are, I never knew her at South.  We met in Hollywood and have worked together numerous times, most recently on the pilot of The George Lopez Show, which she produced.  I’ve loved working with Deb and am a huge admirer of her documentary feature, Into The Arms of Strangers, which I heartily recommend to all.  This is a beautiful account of Central Hardware and the role it played in the life of her family and in our community.

From Peter Shapiro:  A very sad day indeed, the closing of the magnificent Central Hardware.  Although I've been in California 32 years, I've used Central Hardware as the example of what a hardware store should be many, many times over the years.  I went there with my dad and remember Debbie's grandfather and Eric and his wife well.  You wanted a "thingamajig," and down an aisle with creaking floors and into a dusty box, and presto, one of them would come up with just what you needed.  And, you didn't have to buy 3 or 5 of them when you needed just one.  Wonderful memories of a fascinating place.  Modern stores don't come close to evoking the sensory thrill of being in Central Hardware.

From Peter Rosen:  The Central Hardware story was beautiful.  Thanks, Deb Oppenheimer and the Newsday reporter, Keiko Morris.

From Zelda White Nichols:  How very sad it was to read this.  There were so many local stores with similar stories that were forced to close, thanks to the Big Box stores opening up.  So many of us were affected by the small mom-and-pop stores of all kinds.  I still remember certain smells from many of them that have remained in my “nose bank” all these years, and certain sounds like the cash drawer bell, when a sale was made.
    I also think many of us were shaped by parents or grandparents who immigrated from war-torn Europe. My mom came from London after her home was destroyed by the Nazis in a blitz.
    Stores like the one Debbie Oppenheimer wrote about still do exist in small town USA.  As some of you know, I live in rural Lexington, North Carolina, population 19,000, and we have a hardware store that brings back childhood memories.  In fact, much of this town could be a set for our old school days.
    The town was settled in 1775, and some of our stores in Uptown date back to the Civil War.  An hour away is the town of Mt. Airy, which is the actual Mayberry RFD, which, until recently, was the home of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts.  Snappy Lunch is still in existence, and all the other locations in the show are there as well.  Although this is a tourist town, it’s also a working town, and you feel like you are right back in the 50s and 60’s again.
    I hope that at least the kids growing up today in small towns such as these are still having the childhoods we had.  I know the kids are being given the same sense of values.  I am always hearing parents teaching manners.  The other day, I heard one mom in the market telling her son to say “No, sir,” to someone he was speaking to.

[Rich -- There are a couple more letters, but they can wait till next week.  Meanwhile, again, happy Thanksgiving.]

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