Update 3-30-10

Hi,

Happy Passover.  Happy Easter.

Fundraising for the scholarships is progressing nicely.  We got another $250 from six people this week.  Added to the $250 we got last week and the almost $100 we had, that totals nearly $600 and leaves only $400 to go. 

    Again, please send your checks to:  Rich Eisbrouch, 23030 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California  91367.  And indicate which scholarship you'd like to support.  Thanks.

News about the 45th reunion, from Irene Saunders Goldstein:  I have taken the bull by the horns and provisionally reserved 30 rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge, our first terrific reunion hotel.     

    The room rate is $129 plus tax. The hotel offers free shuttle service from Islip Airport and the Long Island Railroad station. The hotel has been renovated since we stayed there last, including nicer and more abundant seating in the lobby and throughout the grounds, which include heated indoor and outdoor pools.     

    The hotel will hold these rooms for us until mid-June, when those rooms that are not reserved will revert to the hotel's inventory, and the discount rate may be unavailable.

    No general deposit needs to be collected for the room part of our reunion.  Each attendee would make his or her own reservations. The hotel asked me to sign a "gentleman's agreement" that will set out the conditions.  I have no problem signing this, without objection -- as they say on Capitol Hill.

    I've also asked the Hyatt for proposals regarding (1) casual brunch on Sunday, (2) buffet dinner on Saturday night, (3) piano availability -- and tuning, if necessary -- in case we can entice Booker Gibson into playing for us at some point during the weekend.

    I feel it's time now to determine with some tentative degree of certainty how many classmates anticipate joining us, either for an overnight stay 1 or 2 nights, for a casual (or not) Saturday night dinner, or both.  I know we have a list, but it would probably be a good idea to confirm people's plans.

    I'm not an event planner.  Perhaps someone else might want to take on the task of figuring out the food situation.  Also, I'll be flying into Islip directly from a meeting in California, so someone else would need to handle the onsite relationship with the hotel.

    Now, I'm getting excited.  Fondly, and with best wishes to everyone for the spring holidays.

[Rich -- as I wrote Irene:  Thank you for doing this.  I was about to put the five possibilities -- Hauppauge, Huntington, Rockville Centre, LaGuardia, and JFK -- to a vote this week, but this saves a lot of time.

    I'm sure people will be happy a decision has been made, and now that we're going to Hauppauge, I think the Saturday afternoon party at Valerie Nelson Gillen's and the Saturday evening trip to the Irish Pub to hear Booker Gibson play could naturally fall into place.  Friday evening and Sunday morning plans should also naturally follow.]

Irene added:  I got the follow-up report from the hotel.  The sleeping rooms are set for us, but there are no party rooms available for a catered meal on Friday or Saturday evening.

    The hotel manager said we're welcome to gather in the large lobby bar or at either of the two pools, and we can eat and meet in the equally large hotel restaurant.  That sounds fine to me.

[Rich -- and I wrote back:  Yep, I'm still all for using the hotel's public facilities.  As many people have mentioned, the high costs of a catered party seem to limit the number of people who attend both our and other classes' reunions.

    I'm also fine with some people choosing to carpool to Valerie Nelson Gillen's on Saturday afternoon, and then some or all of them -- and/or others -- again carpooling to hear Booker Gibson play on Saturday night.  People who instead choose to stay at the hotel and visit with friends there, possibly while swimming or playing golf or tennis, should find plenty of places to gather.  That's one reason I like this hotel so much. 

    More importantly, the hotel provides a base for us all to meet.  As more than several people have said, we just needed to set a place, so people can make their plane and room reservations.

    Again, thanks for doing this, Irene.  That's the best thing that could have happened.  See you soon.]

The list of class of '65 people interested in the reunion, last updated 3-9-10.  Other people, from adjacent classes, may also stop by.

Berliner, Jay

Bittman, Jerry (?)
Blitfield-Pech, Barbara
Borman, Stu
Brody-Pilger, Ellen Sue

Cohen-Greenseid, Linda
Cooper-Schwartz, Peggy
Eisbrouch, Rich

Epstein-Silver, Ellen (?)
Feit-Baker, Robin (?)

Forbes-Tatelman, June
Gabbay, Henry
Glasser, Les
Guberman, Neil 

Halprin, Art
Hartstone, Judy
Hilton, Eric
Hoenig-Barry, Sharon
Kandel, Stu
Kellman, Barnet
Minsky-Hahn, Roz
Moss, Allen
Nelson-Gillen, Valerie
Nudelman-Villagran, Lynn
Peters-Sylvan, Judy

Pizzimenti, Dennis (?)
Rosen, Peter 

Rugen, Larry & Joanie
Saunders-Goldstein, Irene
Scheidt, Bernie

Shapiro, Dennis (?)
Sipp-Green, Mary

Stellabotte, Danny
Williams-Teeuwe, Janice

The date:  Friday, July 16th to Sunday, July 18th

The place:  Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge, New York

The phone number:  631-784-1234

The promo:  The hotel is on 230 acres in the center of Long Island, with complimentary shuttles to Islip airport and Ronkonkoma train station.  It offers a championship 18-hole golf course and driving range, indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, a softball field, and courts for tennis, basketball, and volleyball.  The 360 guestrooms offer pillowtop mattresses, large desks, complimentary weekday newspapers, and high-speed Internet access.   78% of travelers (18 out of 23) recommend this hotel.

Other notes:

From Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  About the death of Fess Parker -- I still recall the trauma of when Davy died at the Alamo.  I was at my cousin Phyllis Ignatow's birthday party.  The girls were gathered around the black-and-white TV in the living room.  I guess watching the final episode of Davy Crockett was the main party activity.  It was sooo sad.

    Also, remember the great film Fess Parker starred in called Westward Ho, The Wagons?

From Robert Fiveson:  I have to comment on the purloined Fess Parker piece.  It mentions, "This was back when parents and children actually watched TV together, instead of retreating to private sets in different corners of the house."

    This really struck a cord.  In retrospect, I am glad I steadfastly refused my son's requests for a television in his room, and voted in favor of him joining his parents downstairs.  Though later, many is the time I have seen my family sitting in the same room and e-mailing to communicate!  Similarly, recently, I saw indigenous people in opposite ends of the same large canoe speaking to each other on prepaid cell phones!
      The article also mentions:  "Once an idol of baby boomers, a model of coonskin fortitude, [Parker] now became for them a source of middle-aged balm and solace, making wine they could sip in the evening as the shadows lengthened."
    Oh, the overwrought magnificence of literary pretense!  Anyone out there sitting in the lengthening shadows, sipping Davy Crockett Malbec as they wait for death's woozy embrace?  WTF?

From YouTube, courtesy of Barbara Blitfield Pech:

    Mickey Katz sings "Duvid Crockett"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwczIc4FNV0

Allen Moss in Maine here:  Raise your hands if you had a "genuine" Davy Crockett coonskin cap.  I sure did!  And the air rifle as well.  In my collecting of vintage toys, I have seen plenty of both items on e-bay and at toy shows!

Also from Allen, about the reunion:  My own humble two-cents worth is to go with something we already know.  We have experienced the rooms, food and "schmooze" value of the Huntington and Hauppauge accommodations, and everyone seemed to be happy.  I certainly understand about folks who might be flying in and have issues about distance from airports, but I don't think we have a clear idea of how many folks who will need an airport have said either "yes" or "no" to either of the above places.  It will be April in a few days, and I am sure folks will want to start searching for some good airfares, which might need extra advance booking time.  So maybe, we should be coming close to a decision.

And from Barbara, about the reunion:  Why don't you just say, "Here's the list.  Make a choice.  Majority of votes wins."

    From my point of view, any of the airport and Rockville Centre locations are fine and a good proximity to anyplace "off-campus" that we want to go to for dinner or to socialize.  I just wish I were either closer to New York -- to give everything a look-see and help out -- or, for that matter, living in a city that had direct flights to Islip, to support a Suffolk county hotel choice.

[Rich -- as I wrote both Barbara and Allen before I heard from Irene:  Yep, it's time to vote.  That should decide things.

    Fortunately, "things" have already been decided.]

Finally, a request from Robert Fiveson:  Has anyone recently been in touch with Terri Donohue Calamari?  I have her e-mail address and phone numbers in Naples, Florida, where she lives, but I can't get an answer.  Is she traveling?  If anyone knows, please write me as soon as you can.  r5son@yahoo.com.  Thanks.

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

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

Rich