Update 6-12-12

Hi,

First, I'm going away again, so the next update will be around July 4th.

Next, some reports from South's recent awards assembly.  First, from Booker Gibson:  Hello to you wonderful people.  Last night, I went to the annual awards ceremony at South.  I've gone each year, and since the place is now air-conditioned, it's nice.  My wife, Frances, drives me.  As some of you remember, she used to teach music at Forest Road School, so she also feels a connection to South.
    Emily Kleinman Schreiber was there and took pictures of Irv Saffrin and me.  I believe Irv was given an award.  He looks great, and he's somewhere in his 90s.
     Nevertheless, I always have to thank all of you people who have kept Vince and my scholarships coming.  Valley Stream and South have changed somewhat since you've left, but I always see "the cream of the crop."

From Emily:  Please mention that two Alumni Association Scholarships were also presented.  One was in memory of Hiram Rosov and the other in honor of Irv Saffrin. 
    Irv Saffrin was with me on the stage in South Hall, and his daughter was there in the audience.  She was so excited.  It's amazing how outstandingly achieving the students are -- at least, the ones who are receiving the scholarships.

And from Linda Tobin Kettering, who again presented the Booker Gibson and Vince Tampio scholarships:  The award ceremony went well last night as evidenced by the attached photos and information about the recipients.  Kudos to everyone for keeping up the scholarships.  It's always my pleasure to present them.

The information:

The Booker Gibson Scholarship:  In the past six years, this student has demonstrated a true love and dedication for music.  In Concert Band, he is an outstanding performer who can always be counted on to set a positive example for his classmates and take on extra responsibilities.  He is president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and has also performed with the select Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Pit Orchestra.  He was selected to perform with the District Concert Band and Orchestra for three consecutive years, and he even accompanied the District Chorus.  In his free periods, he could frequently be found volunteering his time to tutor junior high students in the band room.  As a student, he is simply the finest we have.  He is always prompt, reliable, ready to work, helpful, and eager to make our groups succeed.  He is respectful, professional, helpful to his peers, and ready to take on new challenges.  He is a leader in band, and through his various activities, he brings honor and recognition to our school.  It is my honor to present the Booker Gibson Scholarship to Michael Gallagher.

The Vince Tampio Theater Scholarship goes to a student who has excelled in music theater.  In theater, the spotlight shines on the talented actors and singers as they bring the stage to life.  While the actors are no doubt an essential element of any musical, a production simply could not be without those individuals who work tirelessly behind the curtains.  This year, this award goes to a student who has put forth great effort to improve his own abilities as a musician and guitarist for the purpose of performing with the Pit Orchestra.  He is a member of the national math, language, and science honor societies, and, as president of the Falcon Report -- our school-side televised news report each Friday -- he does an amazing job of overseeing production from start to finish.  He is an outstanding young man whose potential is limitless.  It is my pleasure to present the Vince Tampio scholarship to Eric Kleinertz.

[Rich -- There's a photo of Linda with Eric Kleinertz and one of  Booker Gibson with Michael Gallagher.  Since even deactivated links can turn these newsletters into spam, I'll forward the photos to Emily Kleinman Schreiber.  Maybe she can include them in an Alumni Bulletin.  I'll also bet Emily took photos of her own.]

Next, three follow-ups to last week's newsletter.  First, from Lynn Nudelman Villagran:  Hi, all.  I have been working for the past five years as a medical social worker in a Memory Clinic at Kaiser San Jose Medical Center, on an interdisciplinary team including two geriatricians, a geriatric psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist and a clinical nurse specialist, so I am pretty up to date on the latest research on Alzheimer's and other dementias.  My understanding is that while it can't hurt you, there is not currently evidenced based research to show that the brain training programs mentioned by Judy Hartstone will help prevent dementia, so I'm not sure they are worth the cost.  It is true that "what's good for your heart is good for your brain"  -- a campaign slogan of the Alzheimer's Association, alz . org -- and the most important thing to know is that daily exercise is what is most recommended to help prevent dementia.  This is based on clinical trials of people already showing cognitive impairment.  The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes a day, and brisk walking is fine.  Also, the Mediterranean diet is recommended- omega 3 fish oils, etc. And socialization with others, cognitive stimulation by learning something new, word search puzzles, games like suduko are all good.

[Judy also wanted people to know that the $4.99 a month she mentioned was an offer which involved paying in advance for a year, like a magazine subscription.]

Something else that's useful to memory is trying to correctly remember the past.  Here's a correction and two questions from Steve Zuckerman: 
    Thinking back, I made a mistake about my good buddy Mike Floyd.  I believe his event on the track team was pole vaulting.  If I get the opportunity next time  he and I speak by phone, which we do every so often, I will check with him on that point, though I'm sure when he reads the track team article in the last newsletter, he will correct me.  He was a sprinter, possibly running the 220, and he may have also done the high jump. As I wrote last week, he loved running and was really good
    Also, a while back there was a brief discussion about the various fraternities we had at South.  The one I belonged to -- along with Jimmy Lorey ,Mike Floyd, and Dan Tannen -- was Lambda Beta Zeta.  Our colors were blue and blue.  Besides Kappa Delta Nu and Omega Gamma Delta, wasn't there another fraternity whose colors were red and green?  It had to be either Alpha Nu Theta or Alpha Theta Nu.  I never forgot their jackets, which were dark green and red.  I just can't recall their correct.
    And another quick flash to the past -- does anyone remember the kids in school talking about a weird green cloud or long object hanging over all of Valley Stream one night.  It was visible anywhere in the sky and stayed for hours on end?  This happened on a week night, and I remember that because I was on my way to the shopping center with Cliff Iverson, Bob Bowen, Ed Taylor, and the rest of our little gang.   We were something like the East Side Kids minus Leo Gorsey, Billy Hallop, and Bobby Jorden.  Cliff Iverson was supposed to settle a wager on a key pool game with a kid from Rosedale.  This was in the basement pool room in the Bowling Alley.  And when we left there, fairly late at night, the weird green cloud or thing was still up there bright and hanging in the night sky.  It drove us nuts, looking at it.  It also made the cover of Newsday but not the evening news.

Which brings us to a note from Ed Albrecht:  I remember the meet where Danny Stellabotte dropped the baton and went back to pick it up.  I was on the team, and we couldn't believe what he'd done.
    I held 3 track records at South for years:  the 440 4-man relay, the 100 yard low hurdles, and the high jump.  I tried the pole vault, too, but couldn't clear 10 feet with a pole that didn't bend.  I used to practice the high jump with my own set-up that I'd take to South and set up in the charcoal pit on weekends.  I was only 5'-3" and could jump 5-'8".  In one meet against Malverne, their jumper was sick, and they told a fellow who was 6 foot plus and had never jumped before to go against me.  He literally fell over 5'-10", and I packed it in.  That was my last time jumping.
    My records stood for many years I was told.  Again, Danny Stellabotte was a rocket.  He had the weirdest form but was like lightening.  So was Richie Viscecchia.  In fact, overall, we did have some pretty good teams.
    Just reminiscing.

Finally, a reminder that if you want to get together with a small group of former South folks probably in Rockville Centre the evening of Friday June 22nd, please contact Dennis Shapiro at:  dshapiro @ optonline . net
    And if you want to get together with a different group of former South folks the afternoon of Sunday, July 1st in Bethesda, Maryland, please contact Stu Borman at:  sborman @ gmail . com

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

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


Rich