Update 7-26-11

Hi,

It's hot, everywhere.  And international politics ain't grand, either.  Fortunately, we have history to remind us that the best and worst of times often happen simultaneously.  And if we forget history, we always have pop music.  From Bock and Harnick, circa 1955:
    They're rioting in Africa,
    La la la la la la la.
    They're starving in Spain,
    La la la la la.
    There's hurricanes in Florida,
    La la la la la la la
    And Texas needs rain
    (It always needs rain.)
I'll leave you to Google the rest.

In less lyrical news, four quick notes from Robert Fiveson:
    A question:  Was it Ms.Childs -- possibly Marilyn -- who taught science at South, or did she teach math? Whoever it was, whenever she said, "Bunsen burner," she'd spell out B-U-N-S-E-N, and then say "Bunsen."  To this day, I cannot think of a Bunsen burner without spelling it aloud.
    An observation:  Wow.  Robert Bigelow really had some career.  Really impressive.  Did South have an unusual amount of achievers on staff, or are most small school faculty so accomplished?
    A comment:  The Triangle of Life -- that piece of the life-saving information Linda Cohen Greenseid sent in last week -- is the kind of minutiae I thrive upon.   And it's particularly useful to me because I live on the 24th floor in an area that has a major fault that's overdue to go and little-to-no infrastructure.  Of course, around here, it would take my would-be rescuers about 4 weeks to ever get to my by-then, cold, dead corpse.
    Another comment, this one for Peter Rosen:  I didn't know about your recovery -- good energy toward that -- but I have always considered you hipper than most.  So for you its a re-charge?

Some fraternity news, from Les Glasser:  Mu Sigma was the name of the fraternity Rich Sternhell was in.  Most members at South were from earlier classes than ours and from the Lynbrook side of the district.  I was one of the very few members in our graduating class at South.

Also about a Greek organization, from Barbara Blitfield Pech:  As long as fraternity chat is up -- I was in Pi Sigma Theta -- blue & blue -- a school sponsored "greek sweater" group.  While there wasn't any pledging, nail painting, or strange hair styles per-se, there was a "rush," thinly veiled as a welcome tea.  Our "best foot forward" was reviewed, and if we were judged socially acceptable, a formal invitation was sent to join.  I still wonder how the hell I got in.  It must have been during my happily short-lived, this is what "they" want to see, goody-two-shoes, preppy moment.

Barbara also sent word of some interesting photos:  The first is of Green Acres homes, around 1951.  She mentions that "You are welcome to download it for Stu Borman's photo site or even for the next newsletter."  
    The second photo is of Brooklyn Avenue School, the original building's look before the extreme make-over got to it.  She adds that the school was once an army hospital in World War I.
    If you're interested in seeing either photo, please write Barbara at:  planb18 @ hotmail . com

[Rich -- some possibly interesting news for Barbara.  When I was at my mother's house in Green Acres, I intended to do some sorting in the small attic.  But it was too hot and too dirty, and I was too lazy.  I did, however, manage to slip into the attic at one of the cooler points and retrieve something I thought was there and wondered if it was still playable.  It was, and it is.
    What is it?  A possibly 1959 recording by Cantor Mann, then of Temple Gates of Zion.  In it, he beautifully sings the bar mitzvah portion that someone named Barton Levinson -- of central or north Valley Stream -- and I did our best not to massacre.  In memory, our best probably wasn't good enough, and listening to parts of both sides of this recording, I didn't recognize either half as my own.  To be honest, all I mainly remember from Hebrew school, as I've mentioned here before, is the blessing over the wine.  I used to perform it as a party trick in college, in the not-very-Jewish northwest corner of the former Great Black Swamp known as Bowling Green, Ohio.
    Recently, in trying to prove to some Israeli friends that I could speak only ceremonial Hebrew, I sang this little blessing again.  My friends laughed, not because my voice was still cracking, but because I was singing Hebrew with a German accent.  Of course, that makes sense:  From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, the dominant Jews in America were of German origin.  No wonder we were taught Hebrew with German accents.
    In any case, once I get organized, I'll carefully send this record on to Barbara, who once mentioned that she could get it to a descendant of Cantor Mann.  That sounds very formal, and I'd refer to him more casually, by his first name, but the only male Mann whose first name I currently remember is an old friend from undergrad school.  His faint connection to Judiasm is he once got the remnants of a glass of milk thrown in his face after making a carelessly anti-Semitic remark at lunch.  I was never any great defender of the faith.  I was probably just in a bad mood.]

Happier generational news, from Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  Just wanted to share some happy news.  We have a new grandson -- our 3rd grandchild.  His name is Nathaniel Amos Kanter, and he was born on July 17th to our daughter Sarah and her husband Zev.  They live in Washington, DC, and I'm looking forward to visiting there more often now.  So I'd love to get together with some of the former class of '65 members who live in that area.

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

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

Please delete any spaces in links or e-mail addresses before trying to use them.  Using that kind of code is sort of an anti-anti-spam device.


Rich