Update 6-9-15

 

Hi,

 

Some notes about ice cream, some about awards, several about reunions, and the end of that Green Acres article.

 

First, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber:  Yes, Mitchell's has been on the east side of Rockaway Avenue for many years, and it's much larger than the original ice cream parlor that was across the street.  They still make their own delicious ice cream.  When I graduated from Forest Road in June 1955, we went there to celebrate.  Nowadays, some alumnae – myself included – have dinner there before the Alumni Association meetings. One of the waitresses is also a South grad, and she joined the Alumni Association after a little encouragement.

 

Next, from Betsy Fels Pottruck:   Three weeks ago, I, too, met someone at Mitchell's, when Janet Hausner and I had a reunion there.  Yes, it's larger, but I believe in the same spot, just extended.  It has a menu much more like a diner’s now, but everything was great.  The restaurant still makes its own homemade ice cream, which Janet and I shared, and it was delicious.
    Before meeting her, I took a spin through my old neighborhood, Green Acres.  It’s being kept up beautifully, although, as I may have noted before, some of the houses are a bit much in terms of how they have been enlarged and refinished.  I lived on Riverdale Road, and my old home is pretty much the same.  But the former Getnick house has two massive lions in the driveway, and the house next to what was ours has no lawn at all, just paved in the entire front.  I went down Forest Road and to the old section, which brought back so many memories.  Oh, I almost forgot:  Itkins is still also on Rockaway Avenue.  Anyhow, that is it.

 

Kind of related, since Larry started this, from Roberta Brill Birnel:  I just read Larry Rugen’s report.  Aside from the interesting facts about Valley Stream, I found that Larry attended PS 95 in Jamaica, Queens, where I was a teacher for 18 years – from 1983 to 2001.  It’s always fun to find connections to one’s former life.

 

Also to Larry, from Nancy Panzarino Gerardi:  I was reading the newsletter and am happy to help Larry Rugen find Jim Braun.  I work on 4th Street, across the street from Jim, so I see him once in a while.  I called him to tell him about Larry trying to locate him, and Jim told me that I could give Larry his number.  So, Larry, please contact me, and I can help.  Thank you.

 

About the recent South Awards:  First, Emily Kleinman Schreiber posted some great pictures of Frances and Booker Gibson, Joe Caruso, Teresa Margolin Bargman, and Nancy Russo-Rumore on Facebook on the Valley Stream South High Alumni Association page.
    Second, according to reports, the evening went as smoothly as usual, but there was a tiny glitch:  we need to get an introduction about Irv Saffrin as good as the ones Linda Tobin Kettering wrote about Booker Gibson and Vince Tampio.  Irv Saffrin’s fine work wasn’t given nearly enough context.
    Related, from Terry Gunderson Kaiser and forwarded by Emily Kleinman Schreiber.  Emily prefaced, “I hate to post the following.”   Unfortunately, that's because Terry wrote, "I spoke with Irv this morning.  His youngest daughter passed away and was being cremated today.  This is the second daughter he's lost, and I felt so badly for him.  He sounded so frail but would like to attend the awards ceremony.  It all depends on how he feels on Wednesday."

 

[Rich – Of course, this is sad news, and we send our best to the Saffrin family.  The only tiny good news is that Irv Saffrin knows about the honor, even if he wasn't there to see the first award presented.]

 

About future parties, starting from Carol Ewig Duran:  I guess I am now a snowbird, too. I will be in Naples, Florida, for the month of January and would be interested in a mini-reunion.

 

From Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  For those of us who will be in Southeast Florida next winter, what about getting together for lunch on Saturday, December 19th, or Sunday, December 20th?  I think City Place in West Palm Beach would be a great location, as there are lots of restaurant choices, and we could mingle and walk around after.

 

On the other coast and separate from the tentative Florida celebration, both Judy Hartstone and Barnet Kellman repeated the idea others have already mentioned about planning a reunion for 2017, when a lot of us turn 70.

 

[Rich – That sounds good to me.  Judy, Barnet, and I just had lunch as a bookend to the one we had six-and-a-half years ago when Judy moved from Bainbridge Island.  For the past five years, she’s been living in Santa Barbara, but, now, she’s heading north again, with a different dog and after many adventures.  When I saw Judy soon after the 50th reunion, we planned to have lunch one more time before she leaves, and, at the last moment, Barnet mentioned he was biking in Ventura that day, so he joined us.  There will be a photo of the three of us on the class photo site, as soon as I forward it to Stu Borman.]

 

Finally, the end of that Green Acres article: 

    In conclusion, it is a shame how neglected the shared pedestrian paths and green space have become.  Green Acres is an important planning milestone both culturally and historically. Walking through the old section reminds one that planners had a very different vision for America's suburbs than the auto-centric society that was ultimately built in the 1950s.  Residents, officials, and planners alike should recognize Green Acres's rich planning history and designate the neighborhood as a Planning Landmark. 

    Co-author Sean Di Luccio adds: "I was lucky enough to grow up in the old section of Green Acres.  The memories I have growing up in Green Acres are all good ones.  My house connected with the shared pedestrian path in the back.  Before the residents fenced their yards, I have fond memories of my neighbors walking across the path and knocking on my back door asking to hang out.  If your neighbors lived on the other side of the path from you, they knocked on your back door, never your front door.  I also have great memories of meeting up with my friends in the path, and we played sports until one of our parents would enter the path and call us in for dinner.  This sounds like a situation from the 1950s, but it was as recent as 10 years ago.  I didn't realize how special Green Acres was until I learned that every neighborhood wasn't like mine.  I educated myself more about the history of the neighborhood, and I fell in love with the art of planning so much that I am pursuing planning as my undergraduate major. I will never forget the memories I had in Green Acres and the friends I made."
    And Marc Tenzer, president of the Mill Brook Civic Association, mentions, "We moved there because it was such a great place to live and raise a family.  Although we are so close to New York City, it is like living in a small intimate village."
    A note about the authors:
    Ted Orosz, AICP CTP, is a technical manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff. He recently retired after working at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority for more than 30 years. He directed various bus service planning activities and most recently led implementation of New York City's Bus Rapid Transit initiatives.  He is an adjunct lecturer in the planning program at Hunter College in Manhattan. Orosz lived in Valley Stream for more than 30 years.
    Sean Di Luccio moved from Green Acres in June 2014.  He is now in his final year of undergraduate study at the State University of New York at New Paltz, studying planning.  He most recently completed an internship at the Long Island Rail Road in the Strategic Investments Department.

 

The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65 . blogspot . com  (please remove the spaces)

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


Rich