Update 11-9-10

Hi,

We managed to produce a small family reunion this week.  How about that?

From Tiertza-leah Schwartz:  Do you have an e-mail address for Robert Fiveson?  I think he is a distant cousin.  His grandfather was my mom's Uncle Arthur, who drove a cab in the city.

[Rich -- I sent Tiertza the e-mail address for Robert, and Robert quickly replied.]

From Robert Fiveson:  I am gobsmacked.  So this means I had blood relations in the neighborhood for all those years and never even knew about it!  In forwarding Tiertza's note to my brother Mike in advance of writing her, I mentioned that maybe she can fill in some missing information, and my brother wrote back with a whole history of our family name that he researched back to Lithuania, none of which I knew.  Wow, what a day so far!

[Rich -- I also reminded Tiertza that all e-mail addresses we know for the class of '65 are always available on the class web site.  That's the second link at the bottom of the newsletter each week.]

Tiertza wrote back:  Thanks.  I wish the class of '68 did something like this on occasion.  Do all the e-mail messages just come to you, and then you put them together?  Of course, finding someone with the time to do it might be a challenge.  How much time does it take?  It is just very interesting for your classmates to have this group of people, who were all connected at one point, reconnected and now reflecting on current and past remembrances or concerns.

[Rich -- And I wrote Tiertza something I've explained here before:  the way the newsletter works is that people send me notes over the course of each week, and on Monday nights, I edit them a bit to clean up the English.  It usually takes me about an hour, and some week's notes are more interesting than others.  I try not to write a lot myself because I don't want people to feel this is just my blog.
    But some people write saying, "This isn't for publication," and other people write saying they're happy to read along but don't like to contribute.  I just keep the whole thing going as a loose way for us all to stay in touch, so we can spread word quickly for things like parties.
    It all started with a free e-mail address list in the summer of 2001.  That was as an alternative to the paid list available with a Classmates.com membership.  But once our e-mail list was established, the newsletter kept going -- which surprised me as much as anyone.  And out of it came two small annual scholarships we support at South, one honoring Booker Gibson and the other in memory of Vince Tampio.  So it's pretty useful.]

And Tiertza replied:  Nice work on the scholarships.  Those were two influential teachers for many people.

[Rich -- A side-note on Vince:  When the Alumni Association was organizing Booker Gibson's 80th birthday party in New York, I thought it might be nice to celebrate Vince's with a small lunch in Los Angeles.  Only I couldn't remember exactly when in October Vince's birthday was.  I asked Amy Lieberman, who came up with the date but who also mentioned that Vince would only have been 78 this year.  So we have a couple of years to get people together.]

Robert Fiveson also wrote back to Ryki Zuckerman:  Ryki is quite right -- the children's camp at Naivelt was called "Kinderland."  But Grandma was only the cook for many years, not the owner!  We were proletariat not politburo.

And Zelda White Nichols wrote Ryki:  Yes, I do remember all those details, Ryki, and I still have Joan Baez's and Bob Dylan's autographs hidden in one of my drawers.

And Barbara Blitfield Pech wrote Robert:  I seem to recall mentioning this, perhaps in an earlier e-mail, that my mom and Fred Hellerman -- of The Weavers -- were first cousins.  His mother, Clara, was my maternal grandmother's sister.  Needless to say, for years, I never understood why my mother sang "Goodnight, Irene," when she tucked me -- Barbara -- into bed.

Finally, the continued birthday greetings that Emily Kleinman Schreiber compiled for Booker Gibson:
    From Jane Besemer Shirreffs Durkin:  I cannot attend your party as we live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  But please know that that the Besemer family -- Kathy, Norman, Jane, Howard, and parents -- wishes you a very happy 80th birthday.  And thank you for being such a great teacher and friend!
    From Linda Tobin Kettering '69:  I look forward to celebrating your 80th birthday. You are the best teacher South High ever had, and the class of '69 is mustering the troops to sing to you in grand style.  We'll see you there!
    From Ruthie Heyse Ternlund '61:  Mr. Gibson, you were my best and favorite music teacher... and I had many of them!
    From Judy Greenberg Malkin '61:  While I'd love to be at your party, I'll have to send you this message instead.  I think of you every time I sit at the piano -- which, I must add, is not often enough!  I know I will never be a professional at this, but the enjoyment I derive from learning and playing goes back a long way -- all the way back to grade eight.  All the best to you on your birthday, and may you enjoy many more.
    From Bess Salomon '62:  I am so sorry but other engagements will prevent my attending your terrific event.  I'm sending my heartiest birthday wishes to the birthday guy, Mr. Booker T. Gibson -- who we all loved dearly.  Please dedicate "The Man I Love" by George Gershwin for me.  I'll be listening hard.
    And from Ricardo (Rick) Sanchez '89:  Reading about your upcoming 80th birthday made me smile.  I'm not certain you will remember me anymore; it was many years ago.  I'm also not sure I will be able to attend the event as my wife and I are expecting our first child on October 3rd.  By way of background, your music class was my first class ever at South -- and, incidentally, it was my favorite class in the 7th and 8th grades.  I have fond memories of my introduction to artists such as Twyla Tharp and Herbie Hancock, and to the synthesizer and synthesizer cards, the laser disc, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, and to operas such as Rigoletto, La Traviata, and La Boheme -- how could I forget that?  When I first met my future wife, who greatly enjoys opera and ballet, she was very impressed by my knowledge of the arts, and you, Mr. Gibson, were the person who introduced them to me.  I am by no means a sophisticate when it comes to opera or music, but I can appreciate them, thanks to you.  Hearty birthday wishes from me to you.  Stay well.

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

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


Rich