Update 5-18-10

Hi,

A little follow-up scholarship business first:

From Liz King Giordano, South's awards assembly coordinator:  I received the scholarship checks in the mail today.  Thank you all for taking care of the scholarships.

    I also heard from Linda Tobin Kettering, and she will be presenting the Gibson and Tampio awards on June 9th.

Similarly, from Linda Tobin Kettering:  Just got back from vacation, where I couldn't check my e-mail.  I'm available on June 9th for the awards assembly, and I had already told Booker I wouldn't miss it!

Next, from Barbara Endy:  During a particularly uneventful day at work, I reread some of the old newsletters, and I came across the one from 4/27 speaking about the work that both you and Stu Borman have done collecting photos from class activities and reunions.  This intrigued me since I had not been on the South photo site in years.  Since, God knows, I had the time, I went to the web site.

    I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  There are wonderful photos of Jerrie Clamp Rachoi with Linda Visananza and me.  We all remained close friends these many years, since meeting in grammar school at Holy Name of Mary.  (We did not start at South until the ninth grade, and I actually met Jerrie in kindergarten.)

    After I clicked on the first group of photos and started to scroll down them, there was our Jer looking so beautiful and happy.  The photo was taken at the 37th reunion, when she was awaiting results of tests she had taken a few days prior.  The reunion helped us to take her mind off the tests.  A few days later, Jerrie called me and said, "Can you believe it?  I have Leukemia!" and we lost her three years ago after a valiant battle. 

    I have never seen anyone show such bravery, and, through it all, Jerrie never did stop smiling!  We love her, and we have a void in our lives after losing her sweet spirit, so having those photos is a very special gift.  Thank you for posting them, and thank you whoever took them.  I have ordered reprints for Linda and me and will treasure them always.

    I am going to try to contact Stu myself, but, in the meantime, would you be kind enough to pass this on to him?  I hope I am the first to see Stu at the reunion to buy him a drink!

    Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Rich -- as I wrote Barbara:  Thanks for your note, which I just passed on to Stu.  And I was thinking of you and Jerrie as I identified some of the photos for Stu.  I just haven't gotten back to identifying more.  But thanks for reminding me of Linda's name.]

Barbara wrote back:  I sent Stu a note and also a Facebook message.  And it's funny that you mention Linda because she is flying in tonight and will stay a week.

    I told her about the photos of Jer, and Linda is anxious to see them.  She would have looked at the web site already, but her computer crashed last night, right before she could see the shots.  I am hoping the reprints will arrive during her stay.  That way, we can view them together this weekend.

    Jerrie's husband, Mickey, will be attending a barbecue we are having Sunday.  He is still not in a great place, which is understandable.  But if it seems like a good idea, I will mention the photos to him.  I don't know if you remember the whole story, but eighteen months after Jerrie was diagnosed and was in remission, her daughter, Karen -- who was pregnant with Jerrie's first grandchild -- was also diagnosed with  Leukemia.  Both she and her unborn child died before Jerrie did, and I was with Jerrie the night Karen died.  Those photos are like a little "hello" and a smile from Jer, and I know she is up there looking out for us all.

A note from a different Barbara -- Barbara Blitfield Pech:  I got a similar note as you did, requesting emergency money in the form of a Facebook conversation instant message.  This was from a friend in my Facebook circle.  She was supposedly traveling "alone" in London, was held up at gunpoint on her way to the airport, but couldn't leave her hotel with an unpaid bill.  The note wanted me to go to Western Union and wire money to a given address.  I Googled it, and it didn't exist.
    So I cut and pasted the entire conversation into an e-mail and sent it to the Facebook police.  Their response:  "The best thing to do is change your account passwords to avoid further hacking."  Nice.

Also from Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Over the past few hours, I have been putting in some personal overtime on Facebook and have met Sydney Resnikoff-Sannito.  Needless to say, her name should be familiar to many people in our class and to those in the extended classes who are newsletter readers.

    In our brief exchange, we decided to start to compile a grassroots, "pass it on," name and friends' list, similar to the one we started that created our 37th class reunion.  This list will be for "kids" who were members and graduates of Temple Gates of Zion Hebrew school, or who participated in its youth groups or in any other temple activities.
     So could you please pass word on in the next newsletter and ask any interested people to send their names either to my e-mail address -- planb18@hotmail.com -- or to my Facebook account.  That way, we can hopefully get something started.   We would like to include people from South, as well as friends, classmates, and  member families from Central, North, Elmont, and Franklin Square.

Finally, a note from Emily Kleinman Schreiber:  We're going to set our guidelines for the Distinguished Alumni Award at Thursday night's meeting.  Meanwhile, here's a tidbit I just found when I Googled Father Joe Barnett. 
    "Sister Julie also works with Little Brother of the Gospel Joseph Barnett -- known as "Chepe" -- on Cantera's beekeeper project.  "Chepe" was born in the United States and has worked in Nicaragua for
20 years, training women as beekeepers so that they can be more entrepreneurial and self-sustaining.  The cost is high -- close to $300 U.S. for necessary protective clothing, gloves, and equipment -- but it is also a business for which there is great potential.
    Cantera also offers programs to assist 200 families of small farms near a Cantera farming center.  Brother Joseph showed us his California red earthworm project, honey processing tanks, and cultivation of Taiwan grass for reforestation.  He also helps farmers build latrines and raise small livestock, including North African short-haired sheep more suited to Nicaragua's climate."    This excerpt is part of what's at this web-site:  http://www.the-tidings.com/2007/091407/nicaragua.htm

[Rich -- As I wrote Em, "I never would have thought of using Google to track a man who lives poor and has never owned a car.  It always surprises me what can be found."]

Again, the list of class of '65 people and others interested in the reunion.  People may also just stop by, and, of course, everyone is welcome.

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 

Berliner, Jay

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

Button-McAnulty, Barbara

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
Hilton, Eric
Hoenig-Barry, Sharon
Joseph-Tuckerman, Susan '66

Kandel, Stu
Kellman, Barnet
Minsky-Hahn, Roz
Moss, Allen
Nelson-Gillen, Valerie
Peters-Sylvan, Judy

Pizzimenti, Dennis (?)

Purcell, Craig '66
Rosen, Peter 

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

Shapiro, Dennis (?)
Sipp-Green, Mary

Stellabotte, Danny

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

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

Rich