Hicksville High School Hicksville, New York
| The Editors: | |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bob Casale '61 | Linda (Piccerelli) Hayden '60 |
| Pat (Koziuk) Driscoll '56 | Bob (Gleason) Wesley '61 |
To contact the editors, email
Happy New Year, 2001, Wow! Wonder how many times the old movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" will be rerun on TV? Many thanks to those of you who have taken the time and made the effort to share with the rest of us. We invite the rest of you to share news, memories, links, querries, whatever. This is the only way to keep this newsletter going out each month.
Vicky Penner: Homemaker of Tomorrow
Linda and I have been researching our respective family trees and go through every box of papers we find looking for leads. Recently, Linda found some copies of "The Comet" which her mother had saved. In the March 12, 1958 issue it was announced that Vicky Penner had received the Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow award. We contacted Vicky and asked about the award. We received the following and laughed along with Vicky:
"There is a story behind the story on the Betty Crocker Homemaker of America contest.
Even in high school, I was an avid reader with what was essentially a photographic memory. It's a skill that has served me well as a reporter and editor. However, in high school, I was one rotten home ec student. I used to drive the teacher nuts (was it Mrs. Clarke?) because I couldn't sew a straight line and couldn't cook too well either.
Let me digress for a moment to put this in perspective. My grandmother, who lived with us, did all the sewing and cooking when I was a kid, while my mother worked as a secretary for my father. Her mother actually forbid her to step in the kitchen! When my grandmother died, my mother, naturally, took over the cooking. Her first attempt was a roast turkey, which she proudly showed off to the family. One thing, though. She forgot to take out all the packed stuff on the inside before throwing it in the oven. After that, we ate out a lot).
Getting back to home ec. In addition to being a terrible cook, I was also a terrible seamstress. I remember having to make a gore skirt. It seemed that everyone else's mother knew a lot about sewing. My mother did not, so when we went to go shopping for fabric, we picked out a pretty red fabric that was probably the worst material you could use to sew a skirt. Plus, neither of us knew any of the sewing terms that everyone else seemed to know. I never did wear the skirt I made. All the seams were crooked, the hem a disaster and, well, the zipper took a dozen attempts which drove the teacher wild. Now, knowing all this, here comes the Homemaker of Tomorrow test, a short answer quiz.
Around the house, we had this Guide to Being A Better Homemaker paperback that gave you all sorts of information. It ran about 500 pages and was, essentially, unread at the Penner household. (My mother must have bought it in a weak moment). Being totally undiscriminating about my reading matter, I picked up the book and read it from cover to cover, till about 3 a.m. My photographic memory kicked in at the test. Hey, multiple choices were a snap. I went in, took the test and didn't think anything about it until a few weeks later when a very, very distressed Mrs. Clarke called me in. She was at a loss to explain why I had the highest score over all her home ec majors. As in most instances, I was bad at a retort. I just smiled. That made her madder and she walked out of the room. So they gave me this really awful looking gold plated pin for having a photographic memory. It still makes me laugh.
Incidentally, I finally did learn to cook--probably at the expense of most of my friends. I don't think it was a coincidence that starting around the age of 18 or 19, my college chums and family kept giving me cookbooks for the holidays and for my birthday. I think they were universally inscribed "Use This. You Need It."
If you can bear with me, I must tell you about the first dinner party I ever made. It was two or three years after I graduated from Hicksville. It was for my best friend, Meg Geraghty and her boyfriend, Bob Gary (now her husband of close to 39 years) and my college beau, Ted Gibney. The menu consisted of fried chicken and mashed potatoes courtesy of A&P. The piece de resistance was going to be the dessert, a fancy jello mold. It was the first time in my life I had ever made jello, much less a jello mold. It came out perfectly, shimmering and wobbling in the candlelight as only jello can do. Ted offered to cut it and he did...except that the knife broke in his hand. I hadn't added enough water. My dessert, in essence, had the consistency of rubber. They all ate it. Meg (who was at my wedding) and I still laugh about it.
I have come a long way. Several months ago the daily newspaper here did a feature on my veggie bouquets that have become my entertainment trademark. They are bowls filled with fantasy flowers made out of veggies. So much for Homemaker of the Year."
Vicky Penner Katz Whitaker, '58
Thanks to Ray Muller ('55) for the following
Remember When
A computer was something you saw on T.V.
from a science fiction show of note
a window was something you hated to clean...
And a ram was the cousin of a goat.Meg was the name your girlfriend
and gig was a job for the nights
and now they all mean different things
and that really mega bitesAn application was for employment
a program was a T.V show
a cursor used profanity
a keyboard was a pianoMemory was something that you lost with age
a cd was a bank account
and if you had a 3 1/2"floppy
you hoped nobody found outCompress was something you did to the garbage
not something you did to a file
and if you unzipped anything in public
you'd be in jail for awhileLog on was adding wood to the fire
hard drive was a long trip on the road
a mouse pad was where a mouse lived
and a backup happened to your commodeCut you did with a pocket knife
paste you did with glue
a web was a spiders home
and a virus was the fluI guess I'll stick to my pad and paper
and the memory in my head
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash
but when it happens they wish they were dead.
Our Traveling Alumni - June Olsen Cullen
Before June Olsen Cullen left for a trip to Europe we asked her to tell us all about it when she returned home to Florida. Following is her report:
"We left home on election day -- flew to Madrid, spent a week touring Spain including Toledo, Seville (our favorite), Cordoba, Granada, Valencia and Barcelona. We boarded the M/S Norwegian Dream in Barcelona, stopped in Cadiz, Spain and Funchal, Madeira -- one of the most beautiful places anywhere, especially at night, as the ship sailed at 8PM and we stood on the deck until it was only a speck in the darkness. The 6-day ocean crossing was my favorite part of the trip; must be my Viking blood -- I love sailing. This ocean crossing was smooth sailing, even the Captain said it was exceptionally calm. We docked in St. Thomas, then San Juan where most of the passengers disembarked. We (and 200+ others) stayed on for another week (NCL had made us an offer we couldn't refuse for a piggy-back sailing) in the Caribbean.
We arrived back in Florida on 12/3 -- almost one month away from home, missing most of the never-ending discussion of the election, having to finish the laundry and bill paying before getting a flying start toward Christmas. It's good to be home!"
Happy Holidays to all my Hicksville friends!
News of Our Alumni
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Subject: News (FROM LILLIAN MANZO-RAMIREZ, '61, ARIZONA)
Hi,
I am forwarding a letter I mailed to Mike W.--It has news about Tom Woodruff, graduated in '61, receiving 2 lungs the day after Thanksgiving. Any questions, just ask me. I will keep you posted on his recovery. After you read this letter it will bring you up to date as of today, 12/18.
Lillian Ramirez
Hi Mike-
Life is good. I have excellent news about Tom Woodruff--he got a call Thanksgiving night to hurry into the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NY for his lung transplant!!!!! He was given TWO lungs the following day and this Friday it will be 1 month. This is a good sign because they say that if there will be "rejection" it usually starts to happen within the first month. He is heavily sedated because of the pain, but he was taken off the ventilator (they are trying to get him to breathe on his own) today. I've been in touch with his landlord who is also a friend for many years (Larry).
He visited Tom Friday and he said he doesn't look great, but is doing as well as can be expected. He can't speak due to his throat being damaged & sore from the ventilator, and I guess the drugs for the pain make him sort of "lost" He doesn't make too much sense, loses his thoughts and can't move either of his arms to write. They get him up & into some sort of a bed-chair, and I guess every day makes him stronger. My friend's daughter went through this twice because the first transplant didn't work---this kid is 33 and that was 2 years ago and she just had a baby last year.....so, the prognosis is good so long as there isn't any rejection.
Because he is in ICU, there is a limited amount that anyone can do---not much room with all the machines---I called the gift shop right in the hospital and they checked to see what I could send him---so I had them send up a Milo-smiley face balloon. Larry said they have it hanging over his bed and he kept pointing to it while Larry was there. All I can say is to ask everyone to say as many prayers for him and I will keep you posted. It is really amazing what they can do--sort of mind boggling.
I know what you mean about going back to old haunts-- I am also hoping we have a reunion...I am planning on going.
The holidays will be crazy for me starting this coming Saturday---my grand daughter Emily will be christened and EVERYONE will be arriving Saturday from NY. My Dad should be quite the arrival--first time meeting his Great Grandchild--my Dad is very emotional so there should be wet eyes at the airport. My son & my youngest daughter will be the God parents and they are also arriving Saturday. So it should be a crazy week---and I am looking forward to all of it's craziness.
I don't know if I told you, but I bought a "summer" home---to get out of the heat--up north about 1 1/2 hour drive. I really paid for the land because the mobile home on it was trashed..... So being the type to accomplish the impossible I've been going up on the weekends for about three months and doing work and really not investing anything except time...well this past week the bargain carpet was installed----amazing.
It has now been upgraded from a trailer to a "mobile home". Actually, once I cleaned the filth, and I mean filth, it wasn't too bad. There is no garbage pick up, you have to go to the dump and pay $5 a visit, so the slobs that were renting this thing for years kept hiding their bagged garbage UNDER the mobile home. It took 2 truck loads to empty underneath. Can you imagine the smell. It was very bad. Extremely neglected to put it mild, but I only paid $30K for everything, the double lot is worth $50K and now I just found out after my "time investment" the mobile home is worth about $30K. But the best thing is this is really in the desert---I have the greatest neighbors, so helpful, not pretentious, and I just love it there. 3 weeks ago I actually had a bull & 3 cows grazing in my front yard-now that's country. Its open range and they can go wherever they want. (I have to work on getting fence gates) The funny thing about this is when I stay overnight on long weekends, I hate to come back to the rat race----.Guess its safe to say I wouldn't last long in Hicksville-the last time I was back there it took almost 20 in traffic just to drive through town. Awful.
Joyce and Mickey Anglim '59The holidays in the desert are terrific. People light up their houses like crazy. Its easy because you aren't battling the cold so they just go nuts with lights. They light up anything that doesn't move--cactus, rocks, you name it, it gets lights. The zoo also has "Zoo lights" and it takes about 1 hour to walk through their display. It's beautiful. We don't have snow, but you do know that it's Christmas everywhere you go.
Have a great holiday, and the best ever New Year. I'll keep you up to date on Tom.
Rosenwasser, Mike (CCI-Atlanta) wrote:
How is life treating you these days? Christmas in the desert must be a bit strange. Although I do remember that there was some big hail storm during a golf tournament last year so you do see some colder stuff falling. I find myself wanting more and more to go back to my old haunts in and on Long Island. Must be some closure I'm looking for or trying to find a bit of my lost youth. I sure hope there is a reunion next year for our class. I will make it come hell or high water.
Have a terrific Holiday season and a spectacular New Year, Lillian.
Mike
DEC. 21, 2000 UPDATE TO OUR REQUEST FOR TOM'S ADDRESS:
There isn't really any address yet.....hold that thought. Since Tom is in ICU it is VERY limited as to what he can receive. I talked to his doctor today... He is still not off the ventilator. They were trying to wean him off but he just couldn't breathe on his own soooo he is back on the damn ventilator.. He is finally alert the doctor said, so I asked him to just tell Tom that I called and that there are a lot of people praying for him. He can't speak either, because of the ventilator. Just as soon as I find out that he is able to receive well wishes I will let you know immediately. Right now, just ask EVERYONE to pray. As for e-mails, that would only jam up his computer at home. From what I understand, once he is able to breathe on his own, he will probably go into a rehab center for a month. Sooo lets just "mental wave lengths" him out of ICU and into a regular room at the hospital.
If I don't write again before Xmas, have great holidays. And I promise, I will e-mail you immediately when he can receive anything.
Lillian
GET WELL SOON, TOM. OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.
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Not to blow my own horn, (no one else will) My company was featured in Newsday's Plugged in section on Wednesday Nov. 29th page C-15 They had a nice color photo of myself and my partner fellow Hicksville graduate (I'm not sure what year) Bill Knudsen
Best Regards,
Andy Carr
Hi,
This is the location of the article, I can scan it for you and send it tomorrow. I attached the photo that went with it. Basically there was a paragraph on us and a mention of our website www.cardiscs.com
A Tradition Transformed / Animated greeting cards and online design services make holiday cards anything but routine YES, VIRGINIA, at one time Christmas cards were considered a time- saver. More than 150 years ago, a very busy Englishman, Sir Henry Cole, asked a friend to design a card so he wouldn't have to labor penning holiday letters to his friends at the end Author: Rita Ciolli. STAFF WRITER; Size: 10K; 11-29-2000; Page Number: C14; Section: PluggedIn
Regards,
Andy Carr (1982)
ED. NOTE: I HAVE ATTACHED THE PICTURE. HOPE I DID IT RIGHT!
PKD
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A little follow up to the picture that Butch Allan sent of the Twin Tones with Allan Freed...I sent the picture to Don K. Reed at WCBS-FM with a note saying that the picture was taken at the Apollo Theater circa 1958...etc...
I was closing the shop (Liberty Plumbing & Heating Supply) last night when the phone rang...it was Don K. and he thanked me profusely for sending the picture, explaining how it brought back memories and he knew Allan Freed personally...but the picture, he thinks, was taken at the Brooklyn Paramount. He said he remembered the two blonde boys, real good looking and just nice boys. I explained that contact was lost around 1978 and asked if he knew how we might find them. He said he would ask around and make a plea over the radio station, so, anything could happen. Merry Christmas to all....
Warm Regards...
Bob Casale (class of '60 or was it '61???)
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We received a request from Joyce Clements Anglim and Mickey Anglim '59 now of Tampa, Florida for some help with locating several of their classmates. They had already located 250 people of the 300 in their graduating class of 1959. We tried and received the following reply to our question "What are you planning?"
In a message dated 12/26/2000 10:14:33 PM Eastern Standard Time,
Messages have been sent. Maybe they would like to join us in receiving the newsletter.
What are you two planning? It might be interesting to the rest of the readers. The next newsletter will go out Jan. 1, 2001.
Did you ever think we would live to see this day?
"Thanks once again. We have addresses, phone numbers and e mail addresses for 5 of them so far. We have been looking for them for over 40 years. The last reunion in 99 was so successful, that we have decided to stay on top of it in an effort to find the missing 50. I think we did a pretty incredible job. We had reunions at 10 and 20 years and then again at 40. I had saved on index cards the addresses for the 20th. It was a place to start and thanks to computers it has all been wonderful. Our next probably will not be until 2004, although some of us Florida kids do get together once in a while.
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The key to the reunions has always been a heavy turnout and we knew up-front that Reunions Unlimited would not search as well as we do. It has been incredibly rewarding."
Joyce and Mickey Anglim '59
