Update 11-25-14
Hi,
First, from Ed Albrecht: I want to say Happy, Happy Turkey Day to all!
Next, sadder, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: Karen Grimm's sister-in-law would like to know about how many people will be at the Saturday, December 6th, “Celebration of Life” service for Karen. Again, it will be at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior, 888 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream, at 11 AM. Please let me know as soon as possible. cre8em @ aol . com (please remove the spaces). So far, about a half-dozen people from the Alumni Association have told me they’ll be there.
Tom McPartland adds: It was great to see Karen at the class of ‘64's 50th reunion on October 10th. Karen was part of South’s Alumni Association and was always trying to recruit fellow alumni. She’ll be missed by family and friends.
Related, from Eric Hilton: How sad to reading about Karen Grimm. I grew up with her brother Bob, who went to Brooklyn Avenue School with me. I remember hanging out at their home, talking with Karen while her mother would sit and hand color large portraits for photography studios. I remember Karen being a very sweet girl.
My condolences to her family. Does anyone know if she was married and where was she living?
My condolences to her family. Does anyone know if she was married and where was she living?
[Rich – I don’t have answers to either question, but I do have home addresses for her sister Dorinda (Rindy) Grimm and her brother Robert, if anyone wants to write.]
Emily unfortunately sent another note: More sad news – one of my ‘61 classmates, Ruth Heyse, lost her brave battle against AML Leukemia last week. We all saw her and her husband, Paul, at our 50th reunion in 2011. She was a very special human being.
Emily quickly followed with happier news: The Alumni Association’s holiday luncheon is planned for Friday, December 5th, at noon. If you’re interested in joining us, please write me for the details. Same address as above. Plans for our next Alumni Association meeting will also be discussed.
Unrelated, Zelda White Nichols asks: Wasn’t the rival North-South football game held on Thanksgiving weekend?
[Rich – As I wrote Zelda: I don't remember, but someone else might, so I'll ask. I do know South no longer plays North because they’ve been in different divisions for six or seven years.
Also, a quick spelling correction from last week: the actor’s name is Alan Cumming. Allen Moss had it right, but, after I sent the first batch of newsletters, I doubted myself, did a quick Internet search, and was misled.]
Also, a quick spelling correction from last week: the actor’s name is Alan Cumming. Allen Moss had it right, but, after I sent the first batch of newsletters, I doubted myself, did a quick Internet search, and was misled.]
Almost finally, a link to a New York Times article yesterday about the piano used in the movie Casablanca. It just sold for almost 3 million dollars, and it turns out there were two of them. The less famous one – used in a flashback – previously sold for merely 600 grand.
nytimes . com/2014/11/25/nyregion/casablanca-piano-to-be-auctioned-at-bonhams.html
?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth®ion=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0 (please remove the spaces – in addition to the two between nytimes and com, there’s one before the question mark)
nytimes . com/2014/11/25/nyregion/casablanca-piano-to-be-auctioned-at-bonhams.html
?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth®ion=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0 (please remove the spaces – in addition to the two between nytimes and com, there’s one before the question mark)
Close to finally, a moment to remember Mike Nichols. Just because.
Finally, a bit of history combined with a travelogue, also from Zelda: Until my husband and I moved to North Carolina, I knew very little about the South. However, things have changed as I’ve learned about the days of the rice plantations along South Carolina’s rivers. The descendants of the slaves who worked those plantations, as well as the slaves themselves, were of the Gullah culture. I’d never heard of it until I started reading books by three authors native to the Charleston area. Those books introduced me to the area from Pawleys Island to Charleston, and all three authors wrote about the Gullahs.
It’s amazing that the Gullahs were never mentioned in our school history books, because they brought so much to this country. They were the ones who taught farmers how to plant rice and indigo, which was brought from Africa and the West Indies. Indigo, in fact, was used to dye the uniforms worn in the Civil War. The Gullahs also introduced okra, yams, black eyed peas, collard greens, sesame seeds, and watermelon, and they brought over spices and taught people how to cook with them.
In the summer, the plantation owners and their families would move to the coast to avoid the mosquitos that inhabited the river areas, as the mosquitos carried Malaria. The Gullahs were for the most part immune to this disease, so they stayed to work the plantations. Unlike slaves in most of the South, these were treated relatively well – instead of working dawn to dusk, each was given a task to complete. If that task was completed earlier in the day, he or she was free to go home to experiment with things like cooking or basket weaving. The baskets, now known as Sweet Grass baskets, are prized, expensive, and the Gullahs still make them. Also, when women gave birth, they were given a few weeks of maternity leave. Some were also educated.
I find the Gullah culture fascinating in terms of what it’s given to this country – their religion, cooking, speech, and medicine. They were the first to use Spanish Moss to help people suffering from arthritis. I visited a Gullah museum in Georgetown. It's only a one-room structure, but I spent hours there listening to stories, and in one of them, I learned that Michelle Obama’s ancestors were Gullah.
I’m curious to know why this wonderful culture is never mentioned anywhere but in this part of the South, especially when it’s an integral part of our history. If people don’t know about it and are planning a trip, it’s another reason to visit. There’s also Brookgreen Gardens, which is about five miles from Pawleys Island. Brookgreen is one of the top ten botanical gardens in the United States, and it’s also known for its sculptures. It’s on land that used to be five plantations.
Brookgreen gives lessons on many subjects besides horticulture, and occasionally has Gullah Days, when the staff teaches everything about Gullah culture. My husband and I never seem to be there at the right time, but I hope we will be soon. There are also tours out of Charleston and Savannah that I would like to take.
It’s amazing that the Gullahs were never mentioned in our school history books, because they brought so much to this country. They were the ones who taught farmers how to plant rice and indigo, which was brought from Africa and the West Indies. Indigo, in fact, was used to dye the uniforms worn in the Civil War. The Gullahs also introduced okra, yams, black eyed peas, collard greens, sesame seeds, and watermelon, and they brought over spices and taught people how to cook with them.
In the summer, the plantation owners and their families would move to the coast to avoid the mosquitos that inhabited the river areas, as the mosquitos carried Malaria. The Gullahs were for the most part immune to this disease, so they stayed to work the plantations. Unlike slaves in most of the South, these were treated relatively well – instead of working dawn to dusk, each was given a task to complete. If that task was completed earlier in the day, he or she was free to go home to experiment with things like cooking or basket weaving. The baskets, now known as Sweet Grass baskets, are prized, expensive, and the Gullahs still make them. Also, when women gave birth, they were given a few weeks of maternity leave. Some were also educated.
I find the Gullah culture fascinating in terms of what it’s given to this country – their religion, cooking, speech, and medicine. They were the first to use Spanish Moss to help people suffering from arthritis. I visited a Gullah museum in Georgetown. It's only a one-room structure, but I spent hours there listening to stories, and in one of them, I learned that Michelle Obama’s ancestors were Gullah.
I’m curious to know why this wonderful culture is never mentioned anywhere but in this part of the South, especially when it’s an integral part of our history. If people don’t know about it and are planning a trip, it’s another reason to visit. There’s also Brookgreen Gardens, which is about five miles from Pawleys Island. Brookgreen is one of the top ten botanical gardens in the United States, and it’s also known for its sculptures. It’s on land that used to be five plantations.
Brookgreen gives lessons on many subjects besides horticulture, and occasionally has Gullah Days, when the staff teaches everything about Gullah culture. My husband and I never seem to be there at the right time, but I hope we will be soon. There are also tours out of Charleston and Savannah that I would like to take.
[Rich – I learned of the Gullah culture about 25 years ago, from a film called Daughters of the Dust. Several years later, an adaptation of Chekhov’s Seagull was set on the islands. The film was more successful than the adaptation, but I should have known about the Gullah earlier – many of the characters in Porgy and Bess are from the culture. So, thanks, Zelda, for reminding me to do more research.]
The class of '65 50th Reunion: Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26, 2015, Hyatt Regency, Hauppauge.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com (please remove the spaces)
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com/SouthHS65 (ditto)
Rich
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com (please remove the spaces)
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com/SouthHS65 (ditto)
Rich
No comments:
Post a Comment