Update 10-6-09
Hi,
Some notes, in the order they arrived.
From Barbara Blitfield Pech: For those of us who grew up with Cantor Mann -- does anyone happen to have his or her original bar / bas mitzvah recording that Cantor Mann made for us to study at home? What a cherished memory those would be.
And what an amazing voice he had. I also recall being told that he had -- and sang with the power of -- one lung. But perhaps my memory is not accurate, and Mark Jonas or Hy Rosov could correct it.
Meanwhile, again, the temple's web site is: www.valleystreamjc.org Also, obviously unrelated, there's a great Jack Webb / Johnny Carson segment at: Cleptoman...wmv
[Rich -- if my bar mitzvah study record still existed, it would be in my parents' uninsulated attic, where, after almost fifty years, I'd bet it would be pretty unplayable. But I have a feeling I actually played Frisbee with the disk soon after the sacred event, in celebration of a lot of things.]
From Emily Kleinman Schreiber: Thanks for mentioning the items in the Alumni Association bulletin. If possible, could you also alert people about the upcoming October 3rd Homecoming at South? We'll be honoring the Class of '59, but we also hope there'll be alumni from other classes.
[Rich -- Uh, I kind opened my e-mail a bit late to forward Emily's note, but I hope everyone had a good time.]
From Jerry Bittman: The people in Rockville Centre couldn't have selected a better person than Bernie O'Brien to honor. There might be a few -- very few -- individuals on this planet with bigger hearts and with as much caring and kindness as Mr. O'B. In my sixty-two years, I've yet to find such an individual comparable to him. My only thought is why did it take the people in Rockville Centre so long to recognize this man?
From Ellen Sue Brody Pilger: My husband Ted and I will be flying to New York City for two weeks at the end of December and to Jacksonville, Florida, for a long weekend at the end of January. We'll be visiting family, but I'd love to catch up with anyone in either area who might be available for lunch or for coffee.
I really enjoy seeing the familiar names on this page, but I don't know where any of you live. So if you'd like to get together, please give me a buzz. Again, my e-mail address is: ellensue@pilger.com
From Paul Zegler: After playing Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls three times during my career, I figured it was time to “step up”. This time, I'm playing Arvide Abernathy, and this is going to be a terrific show with a great cast.
If you happen to be in Los Angeles, the play will open on Friday, October 16th and run through Sunday, October 25th. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM, and Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets may be purchased at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard or by phone at: 805-583-8700. Prices range from $25 to $55. Hope to see some of you.
A reminder of the two upcoming Long Island reunions. They're for specific classes, but everyone is welcome to attend:
The class of 1964’s 45th. Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip. Approximately 1:00 to 4:00 PM. $45/person and cash bar. Please contact Tom McPartland at: tommcp@ptd.net
The class of 1959’s 50th. Saturday, October 24, 2009 at the Knights of Columbus in Oceanside.
7:00 to 11:00 PM. Please contact Terry Gunderson Kaiser at: terkaiser@optonline.net
Finally, the first half of an article edited from the latest Alumni Association bulletin. The second half will be here next week. From Val Manzo:
The Class of 1969 Had An Amazing Reunion
After a successful 20th reunion -- in our 19th year -- and a mini-reunion which took place two days before 9/11, Bill Taylor, the 2001 organizer, started asking about planning our 40th. He enlisted Princeton resident Rob Tannen and sent e-mail notes to several of us who he’d kept in touch with. Rob generously offered to host the reunion in Princeton, but many of the grads wanted it on Long Island, so they could see family members and other old friends during the weekend.
So two local grads, Lynda Bands and I, took over the plans and hired Reunions of America, since they had helped our predecessor planners in 1988. Still, our secret weapons were David Mekelberg and Cornelia Mitchell, who enabled us to have an almost 30% turn-out of our former class.
First, David, who's a local computer consultant, created a chat room for us in Yahoo groups. Those people who’d previously been in touch using e-mail now had a place to speak more directly to their former classmates. At first, our chat room was used to decide what kind of reunion to have, but, after a while, it became a way to reconnect, to remember, and to share stories, photos, and a lot of laughs. Some sad tales were told, some deceased classmates -- there were twelve -- were discussed, and some of our accomplishments were shared. But the wonder of it all was that there was little bragging going on. It was more of a joyous reconnection.
Then we realized that Reunions of America doesn't search for people at all. The company gets the class list from the high school, updates it with information from the last reunion, sends invitations out, and sits and waits. When I discovered this, two of my closest ‘69 friends offered to track down our missing former classmates. Then Cornelia Mitchell jumped in and noted that the job was too big, and the timing too late, to reach everyone we were looking for. So I posted a “Help” message at out chat room, and six more people signed on to search. They were each given names from specific letters of the alphabet and the master list. As they searched for the missing people on their individual lists, Cornelia also suggested that we “harness the power of the chat room” and ask all of the members to help us find our missing friends.
And people did! And in the process of people's supplying names of parents, cousins, relatives, neighbors, and other information to one another, the chat room came alive. The MIA team tracked down so many graduates with such fervor that we were expecting 100 guests, some of them spouses -- but not many -- out of a class of 322.
The chat room was a gift. The reunion promised to be a blast, and the enthusiasm generated in the chat room led us to plan events for the entire weekend, not just for one night. And so many people stepped up to continue the search when Lynda and I had to step back to finish the reunion planning: there was our nine-member MIA committee, and the Friday and Sunday event planners, and the two men who started it all -- Bill and Rob. And there was also David Mekelberg, Barbara Callow, and Barbara Brown. All of them deserve credit.
(Continued next week.)
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Update 9-29-09
Hi,
A collection of notes and a piece of an article.
First, from Joanne Shapiro Polner; The post-office clerk episode retold by your friend is a left-to-right-and-back, head-shaking joke, making one laugh in pain of observing overt stupidity. Real life is so full of eyes-wide-open, "Oh my god, can you believe that?" incidents.
Also, Eric Hilton: You are so funny. It's so nice to open up the newsletter early in the East coast morning and start the day with a smile. Thanks, everybody!
[Rich -- one of my friends also replied: I had a similar experience at the post office several years ago, when I was undergoing the silent treatment for vocal nodes. I handed the postal worker my note explaining the transaction I wanted, and he put postage on the note.]
From Marc Jonas: Cantor David Mann. Now, there was a voice which actually made you want to attend synagogue. That man could sing.
He was also my mother's first cousin.
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz, about the death of Mary Travers: During the summer of 1964, Jeryl Monsees and I took a bus from New York City to the Newport Folk Festival. What amazing four days it was! Concerts and "workshops" with so many of the folk greats: Dylan. Joan Baez. Pete Seeger. And Peter, Paul, and Mary.
The first afternoon we were there, we wandered into a grove of trees where a workshop -- really an informal concert -- was going on. There, we beheld Mary Travers and Joan Baez, jamming together, both so young and so beautiful. They had just met, and Mary exclaimed to Joan, "This is so exciting."
Over the next four decades, I saw Peter, Paul, and Mary many more times in concert. I even met Mary Travers when she was a solo performer at a United Jewish Association Women' function in New Jersey. The last time I saw her was in concert in West Palm Beach, three years ago.
I knew she was battling leukemia, and she was walking onstage with a cane. But her beautiful voice was still in good form, and she and Peter and Paul still had that old chemistry.
Her death is such a loss. Today, I'm going to take out my old record player and sit down and listen to Peter, Paul, and Mary's album "Moving" from 1964. I'll think of how young Jeryl and I were in '64 and what fun we had at the Newport Folk Festival.
From South's latest alumni newsletter, news of two imminent reunions being celebrated on Long Island:
The class of 1964’s 45th. Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip. Approximately 1:00 to 4:00 PM. $45/person and cash bar. Please contact Tom McPartland at: tommcp@ptd.net
The class of 1959’s 50th. Saturday, October 24, 2009 at the Knights of Columbus in Oceanside.
7:00 to 11:00 PM. Please contact Terry Gunderson Kaiser at: terkaiser@optonline.net
[Rich -- As I've mentioned before, a couple of people have asked if there's going to be a 45th reunion of the class of '65. But there hasn't been a push for one, so I guess we'll hold our for at least our 50th. Though if we go in multiples of 37...]
Also in October, Emily Kleinman Schreiber’s drawings and photos will be on exhibit at the Bellmore Memorial Library. Prints of captured moments in nature will be shown beside portraits of Emily's former students. A meet-the-artist reception will take place at the library on Saturday, October 31, from 1:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon.
And Bernie O'Brien will be honored for his volunteer work with his church and community by being the Grand Marshal of the 2010 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Rockville Centre.
The newsletter also showed a nice photo of Irv Saffrin and a cake with ninety candles -- in celebration, of course, of Irv's birthday.
Finally, part of an online Long Island Herald article forwarded by Barbara Blitfield Pech. Supposedly, the article was three pages long, but neither Barbara nor I could open the second or third page:
Valley Stream Civic Group Is Still Going Strong by Andrew Hackmack
As one of the few remaining homeowner’s associations in Valley Stream, leaders of the Mill Brook Civic Association say their group is as strong as ever. Close to 40 percent of the community’s 811 homes have contributed to the civic association’s treasury.
Marc Tenzer, president of Mill Brook Civic for the past decade, said the organization deals with issues such as potholes, street lights, garbage, parking, public safety and all quality of life issues. “We’re a watchdog for the community,” he said.
Tenzer said that when people call with an issue, he directs them to the right agency. If the homeowner hasn’t seen any action in a few weeks, Tenzer said the civic association will then step in and try to address the problem.
One recent issue, Tenzer said, was parking on Old Central Road. He said a medical office on Sunrise Highway offered valet parking and was using the half-circle street –– which serves as the northern entrance to the community –– to park the cars. “We were calling the police every day,” he said. “We went to the village and petitioned them to put up no parking signs and they did it.”
Tenzer said that the Civic Association has a good working relationship with the village, despite the fact that Old Central Road is the only street in the community actually located within village boundaries. Mill Brook Civic members also work closely with the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County Sanitary District 1, School District 30 and the Central High School District. “We have a good relationship with everybody,” he said.
Mill Brook, tucked behind the Green Acres Mall, has also dealt with issues relating to the shopping complex. Lee Feinman, the civic association’s treasurer, said the group was very active to protect its own interests when the mall went through an redevelopment project a few years ago which saw the construction of a BJ’s wholesale club. A 14-foot wooden sound barrier was constructed between along Forest Road and Flower Road adjoining the mall’s property to reduce light and noise in the neighborhood and improve safety and aesthetics. “This came about because of our direct involvement,” Feinman said.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
A collection of notes and a piece of an article.
First, from Joanne Shapiro Polner; The post-office clerk episode retold by your friend is a left-to-right-and-back, head-shaking joke, making one laugh in pain of observing overt stupidity. Real life is so full of eyes-wide-open, "Oh my god, can you believe that?" incidents.
Also, Eric Hilton: You are so funny. It's so nice to open up the newsletter early in the East coast morning and start the day with a smile. Thanks, everybody!
[Rich -- one of my friends also replied: I had a similar experience at the post office several years ago, when I was undergoing the silent treatment for vocal nodes. I handed the postal worker my note explaining the transaction I wanted, and he put postage on the note.]
From Marc Jonas: Cantor David Mann. Now, there was a voice which actually made you want to attend synagogue. That man could sing.
He was also my mother's first cousin.
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz, about the death of Mary Travers: During the summer of 1964, Jeryl Monsees and I took a bus from New York City to the Newport Folk Festival. What amazing four days it was! Concerts and "workshops" with so many of the folk greats: Dylan. Joan Baez. Pete Seeger. And Peter, Paul, and Mary.
The first afternoon we were there, we wandered into a grove of trees where a workshop -- really an informal concert -- was going on. There, we beheld Mary Travers and Joan Baez, jamming together, both so young and so beautiful. They had just met, and Mary exclaimed to Joan, "This is so exciting."
Over the next four decades, I saw Peter, Paul, and Mary many more times in concert. I even met Mary Travers when she was a solo performer at a United Jewish Association Women' function in New Jersey. The last time I saw her was in concert in West Palm Beach, three years ago.
I knew she was battling leukemia, and she was walking onstage with a cane. But her beautiful voice was still in good form, and she and Peter and Paul still had that old chemistry.
Her death is such a loss. Today, I'm going to take out my old record player and sit down and listen to Peter, Paul, and Mary's album "Moving" from 1964. I'll think of how young Jeryl and I were in '64 and what fun we had at the Newport Folk Festival.
From South's latest alumni newsletter, news of two imminent reunions being celebrated on Long Island:
The class of 1964’s 45th. Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip. Approximately 1:00 to 4:00 PM. $45/person and cash bar. Please contact Tom McPartland at: tommcp@ptd.net
The class of 1959’s 50th. Saturday, October 24, 2009 at the Knights of Columbus in Oceanside.
7:00 to 11:00 PM. Please contact Terry Gunderson Kaiser at: terkaiser@optonline.net
[Rich -- As I've mentioned before, a couple of people have asked if there's going to be a 45th reunion of the class of '65. But there hasn't been a push for one, so I guess we'll hold our for at least our 50th. Though if we go in multiples of 37...]
Also in October, Emily Kleinman Schreiber’s drawings and photos will be on exhibit at the Bellmore Memorial Library. Prints of captured moments in nature will be shown beside portraits of Emily's former students. A meet-the-artist reception will take place at the library on Saturday, October 31, from 1:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon.
And Bernie O'Brien will be honored for his volunteer work with his church and community by being the Grand Marshal of the 2010 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Rockville Centre.
The newsletter also showed a nice photo of Irv Saffrin and a cake with ninety candles -- in celebration, of course, of Irv's birthday.
Finally, part of an online Long Island Herald article forwarded by Barbara Blitfield Pech. Supposedly, the article was three pages long, but neither Barbara nor I could open the second or third page:
Valley Stream Civic Group Is Still Going Strong by Andrew Hackmack
As one of the few remaining homeowner’s associations in Valley Stream, leaders of the Mill Brook Civic Association say their group is as strong as ever. Close to 40 percent of the community’s 811 homes have contributed to the civic association’s treasury.
Marc Tenzer, president of Mill Brook Civic for the past decade, said the organization deals with issues such as potholes, street lights, garbage, parking, public safety and all quality of life issues. “We’re a watchdog for the community,” he said.
Tenzer said that when people call with an issue, he directs them to the right agency. If the homeowner hasn’t seen any action in a few weeks, Tenzer said the civic association will then step in and try to address the problem.
One recent issue, Tenzer said, was parking on Old Central Road. He said a medical office on Sunrise Highway offered valet parking and was using the half-circle street –– which serves as the northern entrance to the community –– to park the cars. “We were calling the police every day,” he said. “We went to the village and petitioned them to put up no parking signs and they did it.”
Tenzer said that the Civic Association has a good working relationship with the village, despite the fact that Old Central Road is the only street in the community actually located within village boundaries. Mill Brook Civic members also work closely with the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County Sanitary District 1, School District 30 and the Central High School District. “We have a good relationship with everybody,” he said.
Mill Brook, tucked behind the Green Acres Mall, has also dealt with issues relating to the shopping complex. Lee Feinman, the civic association’s treasurer, said the group was very active to protect its own interests when the mall went through an redevelopment project a few years ago which saw the construction of a BJ’s wholesale club. A 14-foot wooden sound barrier was constructed between along Forest Road and Flower Road adjoining the mall’s property to reduce light and noise in the neighborhood and improve safety and aesthetics. “This came about because of our direct involvement,” Feinman said.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 9-22-09
Hi,
Happy New Year, to those who celebrate. Saturday night, I was in a forest-edged amphitheater in the Los Angeles hills, listening to Billy Valentine sing. Very different from my memories of Cantor Mann.
Closer to Earth, from Amy Miller: Can you pass this on to Eric Hilton? I tried to reach him by way of his web site, but the e-mail function didn't work.
I recently had all my black-and-white negatives scanned onto discs by www.digmypics.com. They did a very good job, and it wasn't too costly.
And from Eric Hilton: Robert Fiveson truly lives an interesting life. If he's not flying his gyrocopter over croc-infested rivers, he's chasing down “no-goodnicks,” on foot, in third world countries. Kind of like Indiana Fiveson.
That reminded me of a similar incident that happened to me in the Navy. It was 1968, and I was sitting at a bistro in Hong Kong after a long evening of drinking. All of a sudden, two large, ugly, Asian women came running by and grabbed something from my pocket. I thought it was my wallet or my Rolex watch they were after, but it turned out they just wanted their panties back from the previous night.
Happened again in 1970, in the Hewlett bowling alley. What can we learn from this story?
I also wanted to say that one of my friends -- our fellow South graduate, class of '72, and my brother Ed’s best friend -- James Martin Kelley, has been living and acting in Hollywood for the last ten years. Besides playing Andy Sipowitz’s boss in the final episodes of NYPD Blue, he will be on CSI:NY episodes this Wednesday night, 9/16, and on Saturday, 10/17, as Cliff Angle. If you're interested, you can see his resume online at: www.imdb.com/name/nm0446457/ and you can also look at his demo reel online at: www.imdb.com/name/nm0446457/ I remember shooting his wedding thirty years ago.
To Amy Miller: It’s great that your dad left you with some terrific memories and a useful therapy tool. I find photography wonderful therapy while I am out shooting. My dad also taught me photography. When I was a little kid, my dad had a darkroom in the basement, and he would have me sit down next to him and watch in the red lights as the prints would magically appear in his developing trays. Then, I would think to myself, "This is boring" and wonder how much longer I'd have to smell the chemicals and my dad's cigars, which he smoked in the darkroom because my mother would yell at him for smoking in the house. It wasn't until the Navy and photography school in New York City that I became addicted to this wonderful art form. After that, I worked for Phil Dorin’s dad at Green Acres Photographers, and he taught me many things. Also, while working there, I met a girl from my South High romantic past -- Irene, class of '67 or '68. She walked into the store, back into my heart, and then out of my life again. Payback is a bitch.
From Hy Rosov: Those people interested in seeing some of my award-winning sculptures will find photos of them on my Facebook page.
From Paulinda Schimmel, by way of Facebook: The 2009 Los Angeles Ovarian Cancer Coalition Walk / Run was a huge success. The team sponsored in memory of my daughter Robin numbered over fifty people!
[Rich -- Congratulations, Paulinda. That's a wonderful honor.]
From Judy Hartstone: I am saddened by the death of Mary Travers. In the early 60s, I pestered my folks for a guitar and lessons, hoping against hope that I, devoid of any musical talent or ability, could somehow will myself to replicate the sounds she created. Alas, all I could manage to duplicate was the hairstyle.
Mary was a true songbird and decent human being, and her many voices -- lyrical and humanitarian -- will be sorely missed. She will forever be part of that magical era of the 1960s.
Robert Fiveson, recovering from his recent adventures, sent us an old joke to share.
I wrote Robert: Where do you keep finding these jokes? My uncles used to tell them while playing Pinochle in Jackson Heights in the late 1950s.
Robert wrote back: That explains that voice in my head -- I'm channeling your uncle.
And I wrote: There were several of them, notably, Sy and Lester. And their sons -- Bob, Jeff, and David -- are still telling the same jokes. And their sons' sons...
Robert replied with the punch line of another old joke.
In exchange for Robert's vintage humor, some more recent -- if inadvertent -- material:
A friend of mine, who really should know better, just referred to the "Ivory League colleges." It's a nice image, but...
And another friend, who's temporarily, but completely, lost her voice wrote:
I went into the Post Office this morning and handed the clerk a note which read: "I have laryngitis -- I can't talk."
The postal worker read the note and then shouted, "CAN YOU READ LIPS?"
I pointed to my ear and smiled, hoping to indicate that I could hear.
The postal worker again shouted, "CAN YOU READ LIPS?"
I patiently wrote on the back of my note: "I can hear. I just can't talk."
The postal worker shouted again, "BUT CAN YOU READ LIPS!"
I politely shook my head "No," and then pointed to what I'd written on the back of my note: "I can hear. I just can't talk."
The postal worker turned to a nearby postal worker and said, "I don't know what to do. I don't think she can read lips."
I nicely added to my previous note," I can hear you just fine. I just need to insure this package."
The postal worker nodded and then silently over-enunciated, "O - K."
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
Happy New Year, to those who celebrate. Saturday night, I was in a forest-edged amphitheater in the Los Angeles hills, listening to Billy Valentine sing. Very different from my memories of Cantor Mann.
Closer to Earth, from Amy Miller: Can you pass this on to Eric Hilton? I tried to reach him by way of his web site, but the e-mail function didn't work.
I recently had all my black-and-white negatives scanned onto discs by www.digmypics.com. They did a very good job, and it wasn't too costly.
And from Eric Hilton: Robert Fiveson truly lives an interesting life. If he's not flying his gyrocopter over croc-infested rivers, he's chasing down “no-goodnicks,” on foot, in third world countries. Kind of like Indiana Fiveson.
That reminded me of a similar incident that happened to me in the Navy. It was 1968, and I was sitting at a bistro in Hong Kong after a long evening of drinking. All of a sudden, two large, ugly, Asian women came running by and grabbed something from my pocket. I thought it was my wallet or my Rolex watch they were after, but it turned out they just wanted their panties back from the previous night.
Happened again in 1970, in the Hewlett bowling alley. What can we learn from this story?
I also wanted to say that one of my friends -- our fellow South graduate, class of '72, and my brother Ed’s best friend -- James Martin Kelley, has been living and acting in Hollywood for the last ten years. Besides playing Andy Sipowitz’s boss in the final episodes of NYPD Blue, he will be on CSI:NY episodes this Wednesday night, 9/16, and on Saturday, 10/17, as Cliff Angle. If you're interested, you can see his resume online at: www.imdb.com/name/nm0446457/ and you can also look at his demo reel online at: www.imdb.com/name/nm0446457/ I remember shooting his wedding thirty years ago.
To Amy Miller: It’s great that your dad left you with some terrific memories and a useful therapy tool. I find photography wonderful therapy while I am out shooting. My dad also taught me photography. When I was a little kid, my dad had a darkroom in the basement, and he would have me sit down next to him and watch in the red lights as the prints would magically appear in his developing trays. Then, I would think to myself, "This is boring" and wonder how much longer I'd have to smell the chemicals and my dad's cigars, which he smoked in the darkroom because my mother would yell at him for smoking in the house. It wasn't until the Navy and photography school in New York City that I became addicted to this wonderful art form. After that, I worked for Phil Dorin’s dad at Green Acres Photographers, and he taught me many things. Also, while working there, I met a girl from my South High romantic past -- Irene, class of '67 or '68. She walked into the store, back into my heart, and then out of my life again. Payback is a bitch.
From Hy Rosov: Those people interested in seeing some of my award-winning sculptures will find photos of them on my Facebook page.
From Paulinda Schimmel, by way of Facebook: The 2009 Los Angeles Ovarian Cancer Coalition Walk / Run was a huge success. The team sponsored in memory of my daughter Robin numbered over fifty people!
[Rich -- Congratulations, Paulinda. That's a wonderful honor.]
From Judy Hartstone: I am saddened by the death of Mary Travers. In the early 60s, I pestered my folks for a guitar and lessons, hoping against hope that I, devoid of any musical talent or ability, could somehow will myself to replicate the sounds she created. Alas, all I could manage to duplicate was the hairstyle.
Mary was a true songbird and decent human being, and her many voices -- lyrical and humanitarian -- will be sorely missed. She will forever be part of that magical era of the 1960s.
Robert Fiveson, recovering from his recent adventures, sent us an old joke to share.
I wrote Robert: Where do you keep finding these jokes? My uncles used to tell them while playing Pinochle in Jackson Heights in the late 1950s.
Robert wrote back: That explains that voice in my head -- I'm channeling your uncle.
And I wrote: There were several of them, notably, Sy and Lester. And their sons -- Bob, Jeff, and David -- are still telling the same jokes. And their sons' sons...
Robert replied with the punch line of another old joke.
In exchange for Robert's vintage humor, some more recent -- if inadvertent -- material:
A friend of mine, who really should know better, just referred to the "Ivory League colleges." It's a nice image, but...
And another friend, who's temporarily, but completely, lost her voice wrote:
I went into the Post Office this morning and handed the clerk a note which read: "I have laryngitis -- I can't talk."
The postal worker read the note and then shouted, "CAN YOU READ LIPS?"
I pointed to my ear and smiled, hoping to indicate that I could hear.
The postal worker again shouted, "CAN YOU READ LIPS?"
I patiently wrote on the back of my note: "I can hear. I just can't talk."
The postal worker shouted again, "BUT CAN YOU READ LIPS!"
I politely shook my head "No," and then pointed to what I'd written on the back of my note: "I can hear. I just can't talk."
The postal worker turned to a nearby postal worker and said, "I don't know what to do. I don't think she can read lips."
I nicely added to my previous note," I can hear you just fine. I just need to insure this package."
The postal worker nodded and then silently over-enunciated, "O - K."
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 9-15-09
Hi,
Let's start with some new adventures from Robert Fiveson:
As I write this, I'm in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I just came here on the ferry from Montevideo, Uruguay. While in Uruguay, I had one of those traveler experiences you both dread and also fantasize about -- well, I do, anyway. My wife and I went to the port area because it's listed as a tourist area, but maybe we should have listened to the old ladies on the bus who we overheard talking among themselves. They were saying how unsafe that area was, and I could tell because my Spanish is much better than it was in high school. Still, when we got to the port, the area seemed lovely: Shops. A little museum celebrating Carnival. Vendors selling mate guampas -- gourds for drinking mate from. Nice. Though on the walk back to find a taxi, we passed a young man who looked at us weirdly. And, as soon as our backs were turned, he was on my wife, trying to rip her purse away.
He was violent, but my wife fought and screamed. Still, he got her purse and ran. So I ran after him, but I immediately tripped and fell. But I got up and ran after him again, down a very narrow street, yelling the whole while to try and stop him. Some guys in a truck must have heard me because they overtook the guy and jumped out of their truck. But the guy doubled back -- coming right at me -- so I lunged for him. But I guess his 20-something agility was better than my 62-year-old aspiration, and he got by me. Still, I went on chasing him and yelling for someone else to stop him... and someone did! Some guys popped him and then threw him into a wall. Just in time for me to get to him and soften him up a bit more with my fists and feet. Then a cop showed up on a motorcycle and got a cuff on him... and the guy started resisting. The cop couldn't get the other cuff on, but since I was already on top of the kid, I grabbed his free arm and held it back till he was cuffed. This started him yelling some things about my mother and sex -- I told you my Spanish was good -- and I popped him a few more times. But he still wouldn't shut up, so the cop suggested he be quiet by having his face meet the officer's handheld radio at high speed. Yes, it was bloody and violent but oh so satisfying. And my wife and I lost nothing.
I have a scraped knee and shin and some bruised knuckles. I suggested to the kid that if he needs money he try working. And after filing a report, we were on our way. On the positive side, Montevideo is like Toronto with Spanish: Very clean, friendly, and orderly. With gorgeous European architecture. Overall, mellow and quite inexpensive. By contrast, Buenos Aires is like Manhattan on steroids!
[Rich -- When I wrote Robert, thanking him for the story and again appreciating the fact he's safe, he replied: "It's all good stuff and part of having fun and feeling alive!"]
Next, a more sedate note from Allen Moss in Maine: Thanks, Judy Hartstone, for acknowledging two nice teachers at South: Ms. Dillback and Mr. Batorski. I had Mr. B in the Monday morning session, and, like clockwork, if the football team won the previous Saturday, we could look forward to a session of schmoozing and maybe just a little bit of Latin exercises and translations. BUT, if we lost the game the previous Saturday... watch out! There was a 99.9 chance we would have a pop translation quiz, and Mr. B. would be out of sorts for the session.
Still, he was a warm and wonderful person, who connected with everyone in the class. And Ms. Dillback's dedication and love of teaching clearly came through. And you're right, Judy... SHE was in charge of the classroom, and pity the student who did not respect that... as well they should! I think it's great that many of us have been left with very positive memories of our teachers at South. We certainly had our share of dedicated professionals and incredibly warm and caring folks.
Then, gratitude from Joanne Shapiro Polner on a totally different subject: Thank you for showing me off in the last update. Also, one of my South High classmates, Barbara Pincus Chehoski, class of '59, is a photographer of some note and good fame in Tucson, Arizona, where she has been president of the Photography Club. Barb sells her work in local venues.
Another photo note, from Amy Miller: I was delighted to read of the South High alums, Eric Hilton and Joanne Shapiro Polner, working and showing their photos. My dad lived in Sarasota, Florida, for thirty years after moving from Green Acres, and he continued his photography -- exhibiting, and winning awards. He passed on to me both his love of capturing images and his vast collection of photos and slides. I have been practicing the techniques of PhotoTherapy in my work as a psychologist with clients, and I've found photography to be a wonderful way to deal with the passage of time and other realities -- and fantasies -- of life.
A note from Eric Hilton, giving us the web site address I forgot: First, that was a nice note from Joanne Shapiro Polner. Next, my web site address is: www.ericmhilton.com
Also, as I mentioned to Hy Rosov, the site is a work in progress. Eventually, I'll drop the commercial stuff and just do fine art work. But most of my work is on a billion negatives, and I don’t have a pro film scanner yet, so I can’t digitize the images for printing or for web sites.
Finally, a gentle reminder from Ellen Sue Brody Pilger that I still haven't updated the online class e-mail address list: Will you please add my e-mail address to reunionclass65.blogspot.com. Thanks so much. Again it's: ellensue@pilger.com
Ellen Sue also writes: Hello, Booker. It's so great to see your name, and I do remember wonderful classes under your direction. A violin I played in the orchestra back then has been played by a son and a grandson, and now a granddaughter is taking a turn. As the state funding for public school music programs diminished here in Santa Barbara, I joined forces with a group of professional musicians to develop a free, public, youth symphony orchestra to provide an experience for high school kids. I was on their board for fourteen years, the symphony is still going strong, and some very talented children have gone on to great careers. An ear for and an appreciation of music are essential in education. Thanks for the great start.
The (still unfortunately un-updated) South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
Let's start with some new adventures from Robert Fiveson:
As I write this, I'm in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I just came here on the ferry from Montevideo, Uruguay. While in Uruguay, I had one of those traveler experiences you both dread and also fantasize about -- well, I do, anyway. My wife and I went to the port area because it's listed as a tourist area, but maybe we should have listened to the old ladies on the bus who we overheard talking among themselves. They were saying how unsafe that area was, and I could tell because my Spanish is much better than it was in high school. Still, when we got to the port, the area seemed lovely: Shops. A little museum celebrating Carnival. Vendors selling mate guampas -- gourds for drinking mate from. Nice. Though on the walk back to find a taxi, we passed a young man who looked at us weirdly. And, as soon as our backs were turned, he was on my wife, trying to rip her purse away.
He was violent, but my wife fought and screamed. Still, he got her purse and ran. So I ran after him, but I immediately tripped and fell. But I got up and ran after him again, down a very narrow street, yelling the whole while to try and stop him. Some guys in a truck must have heard me because they overtook the guy and jumped out of their truck. But the guy doubled back -- coming right at me -- so I lunged for him. But I guess his 20-something agility was better than my 62-year-old aspiration, and he got by me. Still, I went on chasing him and yelling for someone else to stop him... and someone did! Some guys popped him and then threw him into a wall. Just in time for me to get to him and soften him up a bit more with my fists and feet. Then a cop showed up on a motorcycle and got a cuff on him... and the guy started resisting. The cop couldn't get the other cuff on, but since I was already on top of the kid, I grabbed his free arm and held it back till he was cuffed. This started him yelling some things about my mother and sex -- I told you my Spanish was good -- and I popped him a few more times. But he still wouldn't shut up, so the cop suggested he be quiet by having his face meet the officer's handheld radio at high speed. Yes, it was bloody and violent but oh so satisfying. And my wife and I lost nothing.
I have a scraped knee and shin and some bruised knuckles. I suggested to the kid that if he needs money he try working. And after filing a report, we were on our way. On the positive side, Montevideo is like Toronto with Spanish: Very clean, friendly, and orderly. With gorgeous European architecture. Overall, mellow and quite inexpensive. By contrast, Buenos Aires is like Manhattan on steroids!
[Rich -- When I wrote Robert, thanking him for the story and again appreciating the fact he's safe, he replied: "It's all good stuff and part of having fun and feeling alive!"]
Next, a more sedate note from Allen Moss in Maine: Thanks, Judy Hartstone, for acknowledging two nice teachers at South: Ms. Dillback and Mr. Batorski. I had Mr. B in the Monday morning session, and, like clockwork, if the football team won the previous Saturday, we could look forward to a session of schmoozing and maybe just a little bit of Latin exercises and translations. BUT, if we lost the game the previous Saturday... watch out! There was a 99.9 chance we would have a pop translation quiz, and Mr. B. would be out of sorts for the session.
Still, he was a warm and wonderful person, who connected with everyone in the class. And Ms. Dillback's dedication and love of teaching clearly came through. And you're right, Judy... SHE was in charge of the classroom, and pity the student who did not respect that... as well they should! I think it's great that many of us have been left with very positive memories of our teachers at South. We certainly had our share of dedicated professionals and incredibly warm and caring folks.
Then, gratitude from Joanne Shapiro Polner on a totally different subject: Thank you for showing me off in the last update. Also, one of my South High classmates, Barbara Pincus Chehoski, class of '59, is a photographer of some note and good fame in Tucson, Arizona, where she has been president of the Photography Club. Barb sells her work in local venues.
Another photo note, from Amy Miller: I was delighted to read of the South High alums, Eric Hilton and Joanne Shapiro Polner, working and showing their photos. My dad lived in Sarasota, Florida, for thirty years after moving from Green Acres, and he continued his photography -- exhibiting, and winning awards. He passed on to me both his love of capturing images and his vast collection of photos and slides. I have been practicing the techniques of PhotoTherapy in my work as a psychologist with clients, and I've found photography to be a wonderful way to deal with the passage of time and other realities -- and fantasies -- of life.
A note from Eric Hilton, giving us the web site address I forgot: First, that was a nice note from Joanne Shapiro Polner. Next, my web site address is: www.ericmhilton.com
Also, as I mentioned to Hy Rosov, the site is a work in progress. Eventually, I'll drop the commercial stuff and just do fine art work. But most of my work is on a billion negatives, and I don’t have a pro film scanner yet, so I can’t digitize the images for printing or for web sites.
Finally, a gentle reminder from Ellen Sue Brody Pilger that I still haven't updated the online class e-mail address list: Will you please add my e-mail address to reunionclass65.blogspot.com. Thanks so much. Again it's: ellensue@pilger.com
Ellen Sue also writes: Hello, Booker. It's so great to see your name, and I do remember wonderful classes under your direction. A violin I played in the orchestra back then has been played by a son and a grandson, and now a granddaughter is taking a turn. As the state funding for public school music programs diminished here in Santa Barbara, I joined forces with a group of professional musicians to develop a free, public, youth symphony orchestra to provide an experience for high school kids. I was on their board for fourteen years, the symphony is still going strong, and some very talented children have gone on to great careers. An ear for and an appreciation of music are essential in education. Thanks for the great start.
The (still unfortunately un-updated) South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 9-8-09
Hi,
Let's begin with some cheerful news.
From Mary Sipp-Green: Hi, everyone. Here's my news. I did speak with Joe Jochnowitz on the phone for a long time a few weeks ago. He is just as smart, informed, re-lative, creative, and hip as I remember him being when he was an art teacher at South. I was more than happy to have found him, so thanks to anyone who helped me do that. Bye for now.
Then, some quick business from Booker Gibson: Hello, everyone. I'm returning to my first e-mail address, at least, I believe I am. It's: bgibson@optonline.net Thanks.
Next, from Paulinda Schimmel: Thank you so much for putting in the reminder about the Walk / Run. I
really appreciate it. Stop by and say "hello." There will be a health fair with lots of giveaways.
[Rich -- Which is just another gentle way to remind those people in Los Angeles that the Walk / Run is this coming weekend, Sunday, September 13th, starting at 8 AM at CBS Studio Center, 4024 Radford Avenue, in Studio City.]
Some thoughtful news from Zelda White Nichols: My heart goes out to all those being affected by the fires in California at this time. In the six years we lived in the mountains east of San Diego, we were in three major fires. The feelings of terror and helplessness do not go away after the news stories end. It takes years to rebuild homes and lives, and trees remain blackened forever.
Fire fighters lose their own homes to save others, and the suffering of wildlife in the forests and domestic pets who are killed provides unending heartbreak. The deaths of people are even more horrifying, often because many did not have to die, but they refused to leave their homes when told to evacuate. The aftermath is like a war zone, and the press compared the air of one fire I was in to that of a nuclear winter.
For those who wish to donate -- and donations are desperately needed -- do not send money to the Red Cross. Instead, call the local community centers and churches to see which ones are accepting donations. The money will reach the victims much more quickly, and when you have lost everything, everything is needed, from warm coats and blankets to cooking utensils.
On a far more pleasant subject, I wish to announce that my husband and I drove to Florida this past week to help my mother celebrate her 95th birthday. She is involved in life, although in a wheelchair now, but she does still remember many of my old classmates.
[Rich -- First, seeing we all seem to be creeping so close to death lately, perhaps some of us would prefer to be referred to as "former" classmates, not "old" ones.
More seriously, another quick fire report from Los Angeles, news many of you may be aware of from the media: The fire is reasonably contained, the skies are beginning to clear, and -- since the fire is mainly burning undergrowth that needs to be cleared -- it's, again, being softly spoken of as a "good fire." The reason for the whisper, of course, is the two firefighters who died.
By the way, the fires that I saw burning so relatively near to the Freeway last week were back fires, successfully set to keep the blaze away from towns like Altadena. Like me, a lot of people didn't realize that until we saw the news the next day.]
Some cultural news, from Joanne Shapiro Polner: Hello, friends and acquaintances from South High. I wish all of you were able to visit this. Meanwhile, best regards to everyone.
The Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, 730 Franklin Lake Road, is hosting a photography show in its art gallery for the month of September 2009. Twenty works by local resident Joanne Polner will feature iconographic images from the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Twenty-one works by photographer Jackie Hill, presently of York, Pennsylvania, and formerly of Wayne, New Jersey, capture the colors and forms of flowers admired throughout a lifetime and include several portraits from travels abroad. The art gallery hours are: 9 AM. to 3 PM, Monday to Friday, and 9:30 to 11:30 on Saturday mornings. In addition, people attending services on Sundays will have further opportunities to admire the fine works of these two women.
How does an island capture the heart of a visitor? It speaks through the details of life at the ocean shore and at the ponds -- and of the breadth and warmth of sunsets. An island is also known more intimately by the marks of the human hand upon the land. One can appreciate the vigorous energy of farmers, mariners, home-and-boat builders, educators, artists, and shopkeepers. One can understand the visitor at play and at ease, enjoying the fruits of the land and the sea.
Print film artist Joanne Polner began her photography experiences in childhood with a Kodak II camera, taking pictures of her family and of scenery and historic places from Virginia to Maine and in Canada and Arizona. After a thirty-year hiatus devoted to other creative arts, Joanne Polner bought a Canon EOS point-and-shoot unit that has served her very well since the early 1990s. For many years, she has celebrated friends' and families' milestones of life with her personal greeting cards. For eight summers, she has sold her photo cards on Martha's Vineyard.
Next, from Eric Hilton to Joanne, by way of a note forwarded by Joanne. She adds, “Here is the nice reply I received from Eric Hilton, with whom I have talked photography a little bit."
Eric writes: Hi, Joanne. I would love to see your photo exhibit, and I'd come if I wasn’t living in Sarasota Florida. Is there a link to see the images online?
I miss print film. I still have my medium and large format cameras, but I don’t have a good local lab to print from them, so I'm shooting digital. I, too, am having an exhibition, but it's in Tel-Mond, Israel. Also, a few months ago, I was one of the first place winners in the Sarasota Sister Cities International Photo Contest. We are also having an exhibition at the Ringling School of Design in November. My images were boat, tree and beach related, all of our town, Sarasota Florida. Again, good luck and kindest regards.
Joanne also adds: Eric has a web site and does great and interesting work. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the link handy, but I think he's listed it here before. As unfortunately, I have no web site of my own.
[Rich -- It would be so nice if I could search the back updates and instantly produce Eric's web site link. But I just tried and was given the dates of maybe five dozen updates Eric's contributed to during the past five years. And I don't seem to have the technology to search each of these for the words "Eric," "Hilton" "web site" and "link." If anyone can tell me how to do that, it would be appreciated. Meanwhile, Eric, could you send us the link again? Thanks.]
Additional cultural news, this one with an immediate link, from a friend of mine, Eric Johnson:
Here's something you might find entertaining. Throughout August, I've been working with some friends on creating an animation for an online challenge sponsored by the Fox network. There's a cash prize and also a possible development deal. The public jurying lasts a month.
Naturally, we'd like everyone to look at our animation and write something positive. So if you'd like 3 1/2 minutes of entertainment, the link is: www.aniboom.com/competitions/Fox/393741/The-Von-Vamps/
Finally, thanks for the kind thoughts about my mother-in-law. Something I didn't mention last week was her sister-in-law's full name was Clara Belle Puckett Orndorff. You know where that always took me.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
Let's begin with some cheerful news.
From Mary Sipp-Green: Hi, everyone. Here's my news. I did speak with Joe Jochnowitz on the phone for a long time a few weeks ago. He is just as smart, informed, re-lative, creative, and hip as I remember him being when he was an art teacher at South. I was more than happy to have found him, so thanks to anyone who helped me do that. Bye for now.
Then, some quick business from Booker Gibson: Hello, everyone. I'm returning to my first e-mail address, at least, I believe I am. It's: bgibson@optonline.net Thanks.
Next, from Paulinda Schimmel: Thank you so much for putting in the reminder about the Walk / Run. I
really appreciate it. Stop by and say "hello." There will be a health fair with lots of giveaways.
[Rich -- Which is just another gentle way to remind those people in Los Angeles that the Walk / Run is this coming weekend, Sunday, September 13th, starting at 8 AM at CBS Studio Center, 4024 Radford Avenue, in Studio City.]
Some thoughtful news from Zelda White Nichols: My heart goes out to all those being affected by the fires in California at this time. In the six years we lived in the mountains east of San Diego, we were in three major fires. The feelings of terror and helplessness do not go away after the news stories end. It takes years to rebuild homes and lives, and trees remain blackened forever.
Fire fighters lose their own homes to save others, and the suffering of wildlife in the forests and domestic pets who are killed provides unending heartbreak. The deaths of people are even more horrifying, often because many did not have to die, but they refused to leave their homes when told to evacuate. The aftermath is like a war zone, and the press compared the air of one fire I was in to that of a nuclear winter.
For those who wish to donate -- and donations are desperately needed -- do not send money to the Red Cross. Instead, call the local community centers and churches to see which ones are accepting donations. The money will reach the victims much more quickly, and when you have lost everything, everything is needed, from warm coats and blankets to cooking utensils.
On a far more pleasant subject, I wish to announce that my husband and I drove to Florida this past week to help my mother celebrate her 95th birthday. She is involved in life, although in a wheelchair now, but she does still remember many of my old classmates.
[Rich -- First, seeing we all seem to be creeping so close to death lately, perhaps some of us would prefer to be referred to as "former" classmates, not "old" ones.
More seriously, another quick fire report from Los Angeles, news many of you may be aware of from the media: The fire is reasonably contained, the skies are beginning to clear, and -- since the fire is mainly burning undergrowth that needs to be cleared -- it's, again, being softly spoken of as a "good fire." The reason for the whisper, of course, is the two firefighters who died.
By the way, the fires that I saw burning so relatively near to the Freeway last week were back fires, successfully set to keep the blaze away from towns like Altadena. Like me, a lot of people didn't realize that until we saw the news the next day.]
Some cultural news, from Joanne Shapiro Polner: Hello, friends and acquaintances from South High. I wish all of you were able to visit this. Meanwhile, best regards to everyone.
The Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, 730 Franklin Lake Road, is hosting a photography show in its art gallery for the month of September 2009. Twenty works by local resident Joanne Polner will feature iconographic images from the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Twenty-one works by photographer Jackie Hill, presently of York, Pennsylvania, and formerly of Wayne, New Jersey, capture the colors and forms of flowers admired throughout a lifetime and include several portraits from travels abroad. The art gallery hours are: 9 AM. to 3 PM, Monday to Friday, and 9:30 to 11:30 on Saturday mornings. In addition, people attending services on Sundays will have further opportunities to admire the fine works of these two women.
How does an island capture the heart of a visitor? It speaks through the details of life at the ocean shore and at the ponds -- and of the breadth and warmth of sunsets. An island is also known more intimately by the marks of the human hand upon the land. One can appreciate the vigorous energy of farmers, mariners, home-and-boat builders, educators, artists, and shopkeepers. One can understand the visitor at play and at ease, enjoying the fruits of the land and the sea.
Print film artist Joanne Polner began her photography experiences in childhood with a Kodak II camera, taking pictures of her family and of scenery and historic places from Virginia to Maine and in Canada and Arizona. After a thirty-year hiatus devoted to other creative arts, Joanne Polner bought a Canon EOS point-and-shoot unit that has served her very well since the early 1990s. For many years, she has celebrated friends' and families' milestones of life with her personal greeting cards. For eight summers, she has sold her photo cards on Martha's Vineyard.
Next, from Eric Hilton to Joanne, by way of a note forwarded by Joanne. She adds, “Here is the nice reply I received from Eric Hilton, with whom I have talked photography a little bit."
Eric writes: Hi, Joanne. I would love to see your photo exhibit, and I'd come if I wasn’t living in Sarasota Florida. Is there a link to see the images online?
I miss print film. I still have my medium and large format cameras, but I don’t have a good local lab to print from them, so I'm shooting digital. I, too, am having an exhibition, but it's in Tel-Mond, Israel. Also, a few months ago, I was one of the first place winners in the Sarasota Sister Cities International Photo Contest. We are also having an exhibition at the Ringling School of Design in November. My images were boat, tree and beach related, all of our town, Sarasota Florida. Again, good luck and kindest regards.
Joanne also adds: Eric has a web site and does great and interesting work. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the link handy, but I think he's listed it here before. As unfortunately, I have no web site of my own.
[Rich -- It would be so nice if I could search the back updates and instantly produce Eric's web site link. But I just tried and was given the dates of maybe five dozen updates Eric's contributed to during the past five years. And I don't seem to have the technology to search each of these for the words "Eric," "Hilton" "web site" and "link." If anyone can tell me how to do that, it would be appreciated. Meanwhile, Eric, could you send us the link again? Thanks.]
Additional cultural news, this one with an immediate link, from a friend of mine, Eric Johnson:
Here's something you might find entertaining. Throughout August, I've been working with some friends on creating an animation for an online challenge sponsored by the Fox network. There's a cash prize and also a possible development deal. The public jurying lasts a month.
Naturally, we'd like everyone to look at our animation and write something positive. So if you'd like 3 1/2 minutes of entertainment, the link is: www.aniboom.com/competitions/Fox/393741/The-Von-Vamps/
Finally, thanks for the kind thoughts about my mother-in-law. Something I didn't mention last week was her sister-in-law's full name was Clara Belle Puckett Orndorff. You know where that always took me.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 9-1-09
Hi,
End of summer. Everyone's gone to the beach or the mountains. But some mail:
From Judy Hartstone: How could I have forgotten Mr. Batorski! I was so fortunate to have had him as a teacher for five years of Latin. He was a sweetheart of a man, and what I learned about football was beneficial when I worked for the San Francisco 49ers, Andy Dolich's new home -- small world. Too bad we couldn't have worked together; I was there more than 30 years ago.
From Peter Shapiro: Thanks to Booker Gibson for letting us know the status of Bob Leist. I always wondered what became of him. He was a fantastic band director and person, and I know many of us in the marching band always felt that, because of him, we were the top band -- although marching in a hot Memorial Day parade in wool uniforms left a lot to be desired! He was innovative at the time, introducing interesting formations for football half-times and always making us work to perform at our best.
From Joan Kass Lipson: In last week's newsletter, there was a question about whether or not the class of 1966 has a reunion web site -- the answer is no, we do not. But anyone who is interested in the details about our upcoming "mini" reunion on Saturday night, January 30, 2010, in Boca Raton, Florida, can contact me at: jlipson@optonline.net or Eileen Gunderson Gelet at: egelet@verizon.net.
The class of 1965 is welcome to join us, along with anyone from other South classes -- the more the merrier. An e-mail will be sent out shortly to the class of 1965 -- we did this last year and heard back from a handful of people, but, unfortunately, no one was able to join us. I've copied the e-mail addresses from the class of 1965 web site but am not sure how current the information is. In any case, thank you all for keeping us up-to-date about our old friends and teachers. I enjoy reading the newsletter every Tuesday morning.
That's it for now. Best regards to everyone.
[Rich -- The e-mail addresses on the class web site are reasonably current. There are probably a half-dozen that need to be changed, but I need to check all of them to fix the few that should be updated. And I keep forgetting to do that. This is another good reminder. Thanks.]
A link from Barbara Blitfield Pech, who adds, "It took some time, but I found it." www.valleystreamjc.org
"Welcome to the Valley Stream Jewish Center, formerly the Temple Gates of Zion - Congregation Tree of Life."
A thought cribbed from a note from my sister Marilyn: As far as having perspective about the way we all were raised in Valley Stream, living here in Cincinnati sure has taught me the worth of that. I'm constantly reminded of all the pitfalls our parents and teachers were trying to keep us from. I've never met so many people who are in living poverty or who have been to jail because of their ignorance -- because they did not have parents and teachers pointing them into certain directions. I have always empathized with people who had less than they deserved because of difficult circumstances, but the things so many people I've met here have done, or situations they've gotten themselves into, mainly showed that they lacked good guidance. And everyone here "knows everything" and is "grown up," so they can't be told a thing.
An entertainment reminder for those folks in Los Angeles, from Amy Lieberman: Once Upon a Canyon Night 2009, a presentation of TreePeople and Actors Conservatory Ensemble, celebrating our 9th season of live entertainment at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre in Coldwater Canyon Park.
Saturday, September 19th, at 8 PM: Billy Valentine & Friends. Presented by Lexus Santa Monica. For all reservations, call: 818-623-4877. Or e-mail: shows@treepeople.org.
A popular performer at clubs all over town, Billy joined Mark Copeland and his big band as a special guest last summer, and we just had to have him back this year. Accompanied by a terrific trio, this talented vocalist will offer an evening ranging from the standards of the “Great American Songbook” to the classic R&B of Sam Cooke, Al Green, and Otis Redding. Billy began his professional career as a solo artist opening for such luminaries as Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack, was the lead singer for the group Young Holt Unltd., and he and his brother John went on to form The Valentine Brothers, co-writing the hit single “Money's Too Tight (To Mention).” His glorious voice can still be heard every week on “Boston Legal,” from the theme song right through to the end of each and every episode. His latest CD “Travelin’ Light” currently is playing on jazz stations across America, and you can learn -- and hear -- more at: www.billy-valentine.com. ;
General admission: $15. TreePeople members and seniors: $10. To Best Enjoy Your Park Experience: Bring a sweater or small blanket for evening performances. Wear comfortable shoes, as principal access to the venue is via hillside stairways. Vehicle access is available, but please call ahead to make necessary arrangements. Pack a picnic to enjoy in the park or at the venue before the event. Venue opens 90 minutes prior to show time. Help us to reduce, reuse, and recycle -- please leave the park with what your brought. The coffee is on us if you bring your own cup. Free parking on site. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. For highly attended events, our free valet service may “stack” cars in a portion of our parking lot.
Another reminder about a Los Angeles event, this one especially important to Paulinda Schimmel: The Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Greater California is presenting its "11th Annual Walk/Run for Awareness and Hope" in Studio City, California, on September 13th. The web site is: ovariancancercalifornia.com, or you may contact Paulinda for more information. Her e-mail address is: Paulindadi@aol.com.
[Rich -- And a quick note about Los Angeles: As you can tell from news reports, the fires are burning rather consistently. Some of these were first reported as relatively good fires, burning into the National Forest, away from homes, and burning off up to sixty years of accumulated, potentially more dangerous undergrowth. Now, these are considered less good fires, threatening to burn suburban neighborhoods and forest towns and killing at least two people. This morning, the fires threatened to destroy the 103-year-old Mt. Wilson Observatory, but that had still been spared when I last checked. The air smells sweet, the skies and sunsets are astonishing, but in places like Pasadena, the hovering smoke makes the city look like photos I've seen of Chinese industrial cities. And tonight, driving home along the Freeway, I noticed huge flames about four miles north.]
Finally, my mother-in-law, Elizabeth Silvas Puckett LaFave, died Saturday night, comfortably and surrounded by family. Unlike Sharyn Berliner's or Janet Riccio's, Elizabeth's death was expected. She was five months short of 90 and had been declining for the last five years due to Alzheimer's. Also, unlike Sharyn Berliner, there'll be no other obituary besides this short one.
Elizabeth was a librarian who began working for the Navy during WW II and who eventually retired from the Tucson, Arizona, public schools. She outlived two husbands, two later life "boyfriends," and almost all her friends. She even outlived her sister-in-law, Clara Puckett, who died earlier this summer at 101. But, for a little while longer, she'll be remembered.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Hi,
End of summer. Everyone's gone to the beach or the mountains. But some mail:
From Judy Hartstone: How could I have forgotten Mr. Batorski! I was so fortunate to have had him as a teacher for five years of Latin. He was a sweetheart of a man, and what I learned about football was beneficial when I worked for the San Francisco 49ers, Andy Dolich's new home -- small world. Too bad we couldn't have worked together; I was there more than 30 years ago.
From Peter Shapiro: Thanks to Booker Gibson for letting us know the status of Bob Leist. I always wondered what became of him. He was a fantastic band director and person, and I know many of us in the marching band always felt that, because of him, we were the top band -- although marching in a hot Memorial Day parade in wool uniforms left a lot to be desired! He was innovative at the time, introducing interesting formations for football half-times and always making us work to perform at our best.
From Joan Kass Lipson: In last week's newsletter, there was a question about whether or not the class of 1966 has a reunion web site -- the answer is no, we do not. But anyone who is interested in the details about our upcoming "mini" reunion on Saturday night, January 30, 2010, in Boca Raton, Florida, can contact me at: jlipson@optonline.net or Eileen Gunderson Gelet at: egelet@verizon.net.
The class of 1965 is welcome to join us, along with anyone from other South classes -- the more the merrier. An e-mail will be sent out shortly to the class of 1965 -- we did this last year and heard back from a handful of people, but, unfortunately, no one was able to join us. I've copied the e-mail addresses from the class of 1965 web site but am not sure how current the information is. In any case, thank you all for keeping us up-to-date about our old friends and teachers. I enjoy reading the newsletter every Tuesday morning.
That's it for now. Best regards to everyone.
[Rich -- The e-mail addresses on the class web site are reasonably current. There are probably a half-dozen that need to be changed, but I need to check all of them to fix the few that should be updated. And I keep forgetting to do that. This is another good reminder. Thanks.]
A link from Barbara Blitfield Pech, who adds, "It took some time, but I found it." www.valleystreamjc.org
"Welcome to the Valley Stream Jewish Center, formerly the Temple Gates of Zion - Congregation Tree of Life."
A thought cribbed from a note from my sister Marilyn: As far as having perspective about the way we all were raised in Valley Stream, living here in Cincinnati sure has taught me the worth of that. I'm constantly reminded of all the pitfalls our parents and teachers were trying to keep us from. I've never met so many people who are in living poverty or who have been to jail because of their ignorance -- because they did not have parents and teachers pointing them into certain directions. I have always empathized with people who had less than they deserved because of difficult circumstances, but the things so many people I've met here have done, or situations they've gotten themselves into, mainly showed that they lacked good guidance. And everyone here "knows everything" and is "grown up," so they can't be told a thing.
An entertainment reminder for those folks in Los Angeles, from Amy Lieberman: Once Upon a Canyon Night 2009, a presentation of TreePeople and Actors Conservatory Ensemble, celebrating our 9th season of live entertainment at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre in Coldwater Canyon Park.
Saturday, September 19th, at 8 PM: Billy Valentine & Friends. Presented by Lexus Santa Monica. For all reservations, call: 818-623-4877. Or e-mail: shows@treepeople.org.
A popular performer at clubs all over town, Billy joined Mark Copeland and his big band as a special guest last summer, and we just had to have him back this year. Accompanied by a terrific trio, this talented vocalist will offer an evening ranging from the standards of the “Great American Songbook” to the classic R&B of Sam Cooke, Al Green, and Otis Redding. Billy began his professional career as a solo artist opening for such luminaries as Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack, was the lead singer for the group Young Holt Unltd., and he and his brother John went on to form The Valentine Brothers, co-writing the hit single “Money's Too Tight (To Mention).” His glorious voice can still be heard every week on “Boston Legal,” from the theme song right through to the end of each and every episode. His latest CD “Travelin’ Light” currently is playing on jazz stations across America, and you can learn -- and hear -- more at: www.billy-valentine.com. ;
General admission: $15. TreePeople members and seniors: $10. To Best Enjoy Your Park Experience: Bring a sweater or small blanket for evening performances. Wear comfortable shoes, as principal access to the venue is via hillside stairways. Vehicle access is available, but please call ahead to make necessary arrangements. Pack a picnic to enjoy in the park or at the venue before the event. Venue opens 90 minutes prior to show time. Help us to reduce, reuse, and recycle -- please leave the park with what your brought. The coffee is on us if you bring your own cup. Free parking on site. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. For highly attended events, our free valet service may “stack” cars in a portion of our parking lot.
Another reminder about a Los Angeles event, this one especially important to Paulinda Schimmel: The Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Greater California is presenting its "11th Annual Walk/Run for Awareness and Hope" in Studio City, California, on September 13th. The web site is: ovariancancercalifornia.com, or you may contact Paulinda for more information. Her e-mail address is: Paulindadi@aol.com.
[Rich -- And a quick note about Los Angeles: As you can tell from news reports, the fires are burning rather consistently. Some of these were first reported as relatively good fires, burning into the National Forest, away from homes, and burning off up to sixty years of accumulated, potentially more dangerous undergrowth. Now, these are considered less good fires, threatening to burn suburban neighborhoods and forest towns and killing at least two people. This morning, the fires threatened to destroy the 103-year-old Mt. Wilson Observatory, but that had still been spared when I last checked. The air smells sweet, the skies and sunsets are astonishing, but in places like Pasadena, the hovering smoke makes the city look like photos I've seen of Chinese industrial cities. And tonight, driving home along the Freeway, I noticed huge flames about four miles north.]
Finally, my mother-in-law, Elizabeth Silvas Puckett LaFave, died Saturday night, comfortably and surrounded by family. Unlike Sharyn Berliner's or Janet Riccio's, Elizabeth's death was expected. She was five months short of 90 and had been declining for the last five years due to Alzheimer's. Also, unlike Sharyn Berliner, there'll be no other obituary besides this short one.
Elizabeth was a librarian who began working for the Navy during WW II and who eventually retired from the Tucson, Arizona, public schools. She outlived two husbands, two later life "boyfriends," and almost all her friends. She even outlived her sister-in-law, Clara Puckett, who died earlier this summer at 101. But, for a little while longer, she'll be remembered.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
Rich
Update 8-25-09
Hi,
A whole lot of letters.
First, from Booker Gibson: I wanted to say something about the South music department. Two weeks ago, I decided to call Bob Leist, to check on his health. Bob sounded very robust on the phone. To those who don't remember, Bob was the first South High band director. He wrote "March, South High" and the alma mater "Valiant Falcons." Unfortunately, the school no longer uses "March, South High." Bob lives in Sarasota, Florida, and he's over 85, but I forget which particular number.
Occasionally, I am visited at the Irish Pub I play in by Bob Griffin, the first South High orchestra director. He stayed at South for about 25 years and then moved back to his hometown of Olympia, Washington, where he grew up. He always likes to travel in a motor home, all over the continent. Like Bob Leist, he's over 86.
Two weeks ago, my wife, Frances Butler Gibson, and I went to a wake for a Forest Road band director, Henry Kohlman, who came after John Price. There were many Valley Stream music teachers there, and it became a lively social event!
Booker also quickly added: Before anyone rushes to contact Bob Leist, my earlier message could be misleading. He sure sounded "robust" on the phone, but after I discussed our conversation with my wife, I'm not sure Bob knew who I was. We talked for less than a minute, and when I spoke with his wife before, she used the term "dementia" and said that Bob was not doing anything. One of their daughters lives nearby and comes frequently to help, since Bob and his wife are both about the same age. I didn't want to include a phone number, but I remember some people like Barnett Kellman were great students of his.
From Eric Hilton: Judy Hartstone reminded me of some wonderful teachers and about some people in our guidance department.
Miss Dillback was my English teacher, and I’m sure she had mirrors in her glasses. After being reprimanded by Miss Dillback, one of our more irreverent classmates, Bob Conradis, proceeded to flip her finger. In a spinning turnaround that would have shaken Bruce Lee, Miss Dillback caught Bob and said “Now, I have you,” and she walked him down to Mr. Bergen’s office.
As for our guidance department: I had Mr. Hoffman, who was a very nice man but who never advised me in any way that led to any future goals. He just told me to make it through school. When I told him I was quitting to join the Navy because I lacked enough credits to graduate, he had no solution. It was Mr. Caruso who saved my butt.
Paul DeMartino mentioned Miss Hardy: not only was she a wonderful teacher, but she was also a sweetheart, and it was a pleasure to go to her class.
On another topic: by any chance does anyone know if there is a class of '66 reunion web site?
Thanks again, everyone, for keeping these communications and wonderful memories alive. It is great to hear from so many classmates and to see how successful and challenging some of their lives have been. I am so grateful for growing up in Valley Stream and for going to South High School. Kindest regards to all.
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz: I remember Miss Dillback taking a group of girls in 7th or 8th grade -- I forget which club it was -- to see The Miracle Worker on Broadway. Patty Duke played Helen Keller, and Annie Sullivan was played by an unknown named Suzanne Pleshette; Anne Bancroft had recently left the show. A wonderful memory!
Mr. Saffrin was a terrific teacher. I remember sitting in his class as he taught us about DNA and RNA.
Pretty amazing and new for 1962!
On a personal note, my husband and I just returned from a cruise on the Baltic Sea. We sailed out of Copenhagen and visited Berlin; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg; Helsinki; Stockholm; and Kiel, Germany. We had gorgeous weather and saw amazing sights. The highlight was 2 days with a private guide in St. Petersburg: The Hermitage; the various palaces of the Czars; the Peterhoff -- built by Peter The Great; The magnificent Choral synagogue; and the stunning Russian Orthodox cathedrals. They were all amazing.
We walked around Berlin for a day. The enormous and moving "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe" -- which includes a large museum under the monument -- is so important to see. It is necessary that it is there, right near the Brandenburg Gate and the beautiful center of the city.
From Jan Blake Dickler, class of 1966: I always enjoy reading your class’s newsletter. The recent discussion of our memorable teachers brings to mind Clara Hoogenboom -- we were close and in touch into the mid 1980s; Booker Gibson -- our introduction to opera and so much more; and Toni Rea -- her Humanities seminar in 12th grade rivaled many of my college courses, and she gave so much of herself to our literary magazine. I was also delighted today to see Josephine Dillback’s name. She was an amazing teacher -- strict and not especially “cool” -- but her weekly grammar lessons became second nature, and to this day my daughter calls me the “grammar police.” I remember the first day of school, when George Friedman sneezed, and Miss Dillback said that since the Latin class had only one period of English -- instead of the usual 1 1/2 periods -- we did not have time to say “God bless you” in her class!
From Helen David, in answer to Paul DeMartino's question about why Italian wasn't taught at South: Here we go, tickling my brain again! At the beginning (of time), Mr Stoya from Trieste, taught Italian, Mrs. Vamvakis taught French, and Mr Batorski, the coach, taught Latin. We also had a series of German teachers, including a lady from the United Kingdom who taught German with a heavy Scottish accent. Herta Apfel, from Vienna, was the German teacher of note. She switched to French after the demand for German dropped. Eventually, Latin American Spanish was the only foreign language left in the course of study though we did have "English as a Second Language" classes towards the end of my tenure in 1985. Also, I believe that Mr Bergen taught Latin in an earlier life.
From Ellen Sue Brody Pilger: Hi, back, Barnett Kellman and Judy Hartstone. To catch people up, my activity between the 60s and the present has been widely varied. Perhaps the most consistent interest for me has been an avid involvement in the arts, mostly as an avocation: drawing and painting, dance performance, music, photography, handcrafts of all sorts, and assistance to those who wished to bring their work to a public domain in this area. Our daughter, though raised in California, graduated from Juilliard and has a career in choreography, dancing with several companies and producing in New York City. One of our sons is a musician who has transitioned from classical cello to... well... just about anything with strings. I taught art in a Montessori school many years ago, with the idea of creating a tangible visual experience to bring botany, math, and history to life for little people. I have also written many grants and learned non-profit accounting as a matter of course in that dabbling. Thanks for mentioning all of those teachers, Judy. A few of them planted seeds that made me feel that hanging around the arts might be a good idea.
From Amy Miller: I assume Andy is Barry Dolich's brother. Barry was a classmate of my big sister, Sue Miller, from the first graduating class of South High in 1958. In his article, Andy neglected to mention one of my favorite "not needed stinking name badges" from Staples -- the one that hangs from an elastic cord with metal tipped ends that you insert into holes in the clear plastic. A quantity of these cords gets all tangled up, so for the next event, you can spend hours untangling the cords.
From Paul Zegler: Well, I finally landed a fall show. I'm doing Guys ands Dolls at the Cabrillo Theatre in Thousand Oaks. It's 5 minutes from my home, much better than my hour-long commutes to Long Beach. We start rehearsals September 8th and open a month later. I'm playing Arvide Abernathy and have a great song, "More I Cannot Wish You." Hope some of you get to see the show.
Finally, from Jay Berliner: I would like to thank you all for your support and your e-mail during these trying times. Enclosed is the obituary for my wife Sharyn. It ran in Newsday on August 15th.
Sharyn Berliner, a longtime educator in the Manhasset public schools who was known for mentoring younger teachers and making science accessible to children, died July 28 of a cerebral hemorrhage. She was 61.
Born in Brooklyn, Berliner earned a bachelor's degree from Hunter College in Manhattan and began her career as an elementary schoolteacher in Brooklyn. In 1990, after a stint as a science instructor for the Western Suffolk teachers center and at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, Berliner took a job as an elementary school science teacher in Manhasset. In 18 years there, Berliner was a fierce advocate for hands-on science instruction and was a force in retooling the district's science curriculum, according to Jay Berliner, her husband of 39 years. In particular, she loved astronomy and spent one summer studying curriculum development at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
A pet project was a portable planetarium called Starlab, which uses a projection system to allow students to observe the stars and planets as they would appear in the night sky. "She would stay after school to run the astronomy programs," her husband said. "She basically did as much as she could for children."
Berliner also served as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, teaching graduate and undergraduate science education. In July, she retired from the Manhasset school district but had plans to continue her work with educators as a science coach for New York University. She and her husband settled in Glen Head in 1979, and she was involved in many community activities, including serving for several years as a board member of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Glen Cove.
A service was held at Gutterman's Funeral Home in Woodbury. Burial was in New Montefiore Cemetery, Farmingdale. Besides her husband, Berliner is survived by three daughters, Michelle Taub of Plainview, Jennifer Harinstein of Pittsburgh, and Andrea Portnoy of Silver Spring, Maryland; and three granddaughters, Allison, Jamie and Sydney Taub.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
Rich
Hi,
A whole lot of letters.
First, from Booker Gibson: I wanted to say something about the South music department. Two weeks ago, I decided to call Bob Leist, to check on his health. Bob sounded very robust on the phone. To those who don't remember, Bob was the first South High band director. He wrote "March, South High" and the alma mater "Valiant Falcons." Unfortunately, the school no longer uses "March, South High." Bob lives in Sarasota, Florida, and he's over 85, but I forget which particular number.
Occasionally, I am visited at the Irish Pub I play in by Bob Griffin, the first South High orchestra director. He stayed at South for about 25 years and then moved back to his hometown of Olympia, Washington, where he grew up. He always likes to travel in a motor home, all over the continent. Like Bob Leist, he's over 86.
Two weeks ago, my wife, Frances Butler Gibson, and I went to a wake for a Forest Road band director, Henry Kohlman, who came after John Price. There were many Valley Stream music teachers there, and it became a lively social event!
Booker also quickly added: Before anyone rushes to contact Bob Leist, my earlier message could be misleading. He sure sounded "robust" on the phone, but after I discussed our conversation with my wife, I'm not sure Bob knew who I was. We talked for less than a minute, and when I spoke with his wife before, she used the term "dementia" and said that Bob was not doing anything. One of their daughters lives nearby and comes frequently to help, since Bob and his wife are both about the same age. I didn't want to include a phone number, but I remember some people like Barnett Kellman were great students of his.
From Eric Hilton: Judy Hartstone reminded me of some wonderful teachers and about some people in our guidance department.
Miss Dillback was my English teacher, and I’m sure she had mirrors in her glasses. After being reprimanded by Miss Dillback, one of our more irreverent classmates, Bob Conradis, proceeded to flip her finger. In a spinning turnaround that would have shaken Bruce Lee, Miss Dillback caught Bob and said “Now, I have you,” and she walked him down to Mr. Bergen’s office.
As for our guidance department: I had Mr. Hoffman, who was a very nice man but who never advised me in any way that led to any future goals. He just told me to make it through school. When I told him I was quitting to join the Navy because I lacked enough credits to graduate, he had no solution. It was Mr. Caruso who saved my butt.
Paul DeMartino mentioned Miss Hardy: not only was she a wonderful teacher, but she was also a sweetheart, and it was a pleasure to go to her class.
On another topic: by any chance does anyone know if there is a class of '66 reunion web site?
Thanks again, everyone, for keeping these communications and wonderful memories alive. It is great to hear from so many classmates and to see how successful and challenging some of their lives have been. I am so grateful for growing up in Valley Stream and for going to South High School. Kindest regards to all.
From Peggy Cooper Schwartz: I remember Miss Dillback taking a group of girls in 7th or 8th grade -- I forget which club it was -- to see The Miracle Worker on Broadway. Patty Duke played Helen Keller, and Annie Sullivan was played by an unknown named Suzanne Pleshette; Anne Bancroft had recently left the show. A wonderful memory!
Mr. Saffrin was a terrific teacher. I remember sitting in his class as he taught us about DNA and RNA.
Pretty amazing and new for 1962!
On a personal note, my husband and I just returned from a cruise on the Baltic Sea. We sailed out of Copenhagen and visited Berlin; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg; Helsinki; Stockholm; and Kiel, Germany. We had gorgeous weather and saw amazing sights. The highlight was 2 days with a private guide in St. Petersburg: The Hermitage; the various palaces of the Czars; the Peterhoff -- built by Peter The Great; The magnificent Choral synagogue; and the stunning Russian Orthodox cathedrals. They were all amazing.
We walked around Berlin for a day. The enormous and moving "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe" -- which includes a large museum under the monument -- is so important to see. It is necessary that it is there, right near the Brandenburg Gate and the beautiful center of the city.
From Jan Blake Dickler, class of 1966: I always enjoy reading your class’s newsletter. The recent discussion of our memorable teachers brings to mind Clara Hoogenboom -- we were close and in touch into the mid 1980s; Booker Gibson -- our introduction to opera and so much more; and Toni Rea -- her Humanities seminar in 12th grade rivaled many of my college courses, and she gave so much of herself to our literary magazine. I was also delighted today to see Josephine Dillback’s name. She was an amazing teacher -- strict and not especially “cool” -- but her weekly grammar lessons became second nature, and to this day my daughter calls me the “grammar police.” I remember the first day of school, when George Friedman sneezed, and Miss Dillback said that since the Latin class had only one period of English -- instead of the usual 1 1/2 periods -- we did not have time to say “God bless you” in her class!
From Helen David, in answer to Paul DeMartino's question about why Italian wasn't taught at South: Here we go, tickling my brain again! At the beginning (of time), Mr Stoya from Trieste, taught Italian, Mrs. Vamvakis taught French, and Mr Batorski, the coach, taught Latin. We also had a series of German teachers, including a lady from the United Kingdom who taught German with a heavy Scottish accent. Herta Apfel, from Vienna, was the German teacher of note. She switched to French after the demand for German dropped. Eventually, Latin American Spanish was the only foreign language left in the course of study though we did have "English as a Second Language" classes towards the end of my tenure in 1985. Also, I believe that Mr Bergen taught Latin in an earlier life.
From Ellen Sue Brody Pilger: Hi, back, Barnett Kellman and Judy Hartstone. To catch people up, my activity between the 60s and the present has been widely varied. Perhaps the most consistent interest for me has been an avid involvement in the arts, mostly as an avocation: drawing and painting, dance performance, music, photography, handcrafts of all sorts, and assistance to those who wished to bring their work to a public domain in this area. Our daughter, though raised in California, graduated from Juilliard and has a career in choreography, dancing with several companies and producing in New York City. One of our sons is a musician who has transitioned from classical cello to... well... just about anything with strings. I taught art in a Montessori school many years ago, with the idea of creating a tangible visual experience to bring botany, math, and history to life for little people. I have also written many grants and learned non-profit accounting as a matter of course in that dabbling. Thanks for mentioning all of those teachers, Judy. A few of them planted seeds that made me feel that hanging around the arts might be a good idea.
From Amy Miller: I assume Andy is Barry Dolich's brother. Barry was a classmate of my big sister, Sue Miller, from the first graduating class of South High in 1958. In his article, Andy neglected to mention one of my favorite "not needed stinking name badges" from Staples -- the one that hangs from an elastic cord with metal tipped ends that you insert into holes in the clear plastic. A quantity of these cords gets all tangled up, so for the next event, you can spend hours untangling the cords.
From Paul Zegler: Well, I finally landed a fall show. I'm doing Guys ands Dolls at the Cabrillo Theatre in Thousand Oaks. It's 5 minutes from my home, much better than my hour-long commutes to Long Beach. We start rehearsals September 8th and open a month later. I'm playing Arvide Abernathy and have a great song, "More I Cannot Wish You." Hope some of you get to see the show.
Finally, from Jay Berliner: I would like to thank you all for your support and your e-mail during these trying times. Enclosed is the obituary for my wife Sharyn. It ran in Newsday on August 15th.
Sharyn Berliner, a longtime educator in the Manhasset public schools who was known for mentoring younger teachers and making science accessible to children, died July 28 of a cerebral hemorrhage. She was 61.
Born in Brooklyn, Berliner earned a bachelor's degree from Hunter College in Manhattan and began her career as an elementary schoolteacher in Brooklyn. In 1990, after a stint as a science instructor for the Western Suffolk teachers center and at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, Berliner took a job as an elementary school science teacher in Manhasset. In 18 years there, Berliner was a fierce advocate for hands-on science instruction and was a force in retooling the district's science curriculum, according to Jay Berliner, her husband of 39 years. In particular, she loved astronomy and spent one summer studying curriculum development at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
A pet project was a portable planetarium called Starlab, which uses a projection system to allow students to observe the stars and planets as they would appear in the night sky. "She would stay after school to run the astronomy programs," her husband said. "She basically did as much as she could for children."
Berliner also served as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, teaching graduate and undergraduate science education. In July, she retired from the Manhasset school district but had plans to continue her work with educators as a science coach for New York University. She and her husband settled in Glen Head in 1979, and she was involved in many community activities, including serving for several years as a board member of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Glen Cove.
A service was held at Gutterman's Funeral Home in Woodbury. Burial was in New Montefiore Cemetery, Farmingdale. Besides her husband, Berliner is survived by three daughters, Michelle Taub of Plainview, Jennifer Harinstein of Pittsburgh, and Andrea Portnoy of Silver Spring, Maryland; and three granddaughters, Allison, Jamie and Sydney Taub.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65.blogspot.com
Rich
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