Newsletter for the Alumni and Friends of
Hicksville High School Hicksville, New York

The Editors:
Buffalo Bob Casale '61	Linda (Piccerelli) Hayden '60
Pat (Koziuk) Driscoll '56	Bob (Gleason) Wesley '61

Contributing Editors: Bob Gillette & Walter Schmidt

Webmaster: Roger Whitaker

To contact the editors, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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HICKSVILLE VIETNAM WAR ERA MEMORIAL - PROJECT UPDATE

We finished 2015 with a donation total close to $9,600 toward our needed goal of $25,000 to build and maintain the Memorial.

Donations from 86 individuals, couples and organizations make up this total. If eachHixNews reader can contribute as little as $10, we will achieve our goal, so please begin 2016 by sending us a donation to enable the Memorial to become reality!!

Please remember, all donations are tax deductible. An alphabetical list of donors through November, along with details you will need to mail in your donation, can be viewed in this month's MEMORIAL UPDATE in the Honoring Our Veterans section of the newsletter.

The Confirmed List of Names in December remains at 1,900 names, but some missing data was again added. The Unconfirmed List remains unchanged. We continue to need the help of all readers to fill in missing data on the Confirmed List and to help us qualify the names shown on the Unconfirmed List.

As in the past, when you visit this month's detailed UPDATE in The Honoring Our Veterans section of HixNews, please remember that clicking on the two links near the bottom of the page will bring you to the complete Confirmed and Unconfirmed Lists of Names as of the end of December. And, If you have any new information to send us, please email it to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Wishing each of you and your families Health, Happiness and Prosperity in 2016!!

On behalf of the Project Team,
Joe Carfora, Project Coordinator, HHS 1962

Home of the Comets
Class of 1966 Fifty Year Reunion

Hello Hicksville High School Alumni,

The Class of 1966 is celebrating our 50th reunion the weekend of June 18, 2016.
From: 6:00-11:00pm
Cost: $50.00 per person Includes free valet parking

ANTUN'S CATERERS, 244 West Old Country Road, Hicksville , New York 11801
ANTUN'S CATERERSAppetizers FullDinner
Entertainment provided by Disc Jockey/Musician & Co-Founder of the Brooklyn Bridge, Tom Sullivan Class (class of 1963)
The Worst That Could Happen (1969) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ErNvnpMaE4

Contact Information:
Stephen Goldstein
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CLASS OF 1971 SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR 45^th ReunionJuly 8-10, 2016

We hope you will be able to attend. We arranged hotel accommodations at the Historic Roosevelt Hotel in the heart of midtown Manhattan at Madison Ave. and 45th St.

www.theroosevelthotel.com

Details:

• Rate: $189 per night + tax/single or double occupancy (a really great rate for NYC!)You may extend your stay 1 day before or after the weekend for the same low rate
• Includes free WIFI and complimentary entrance to 24 hour health club
• To make your reservation call 1-888-833-3989. Please mention The Hicksville High School Class of 1971 Reunionin order to get this discounted rate. Your credit card will not be charged until your stay. PLEASE NOTE: Cancellations will be accepted no later than 24 hours before July 8th (or 7th if you're planning to come in early), otherwise your credit card will be charged.
• Please reserve your room by Nov. 2, 2015
• We are in the midst of planning the entire fabulous weekend (because 45 years is a long time to catch up with one another in just 1 night). We're also looking for assistance with planning our event weekend.

For questions about the reunion or to volunteer for the planning committee, please email us:

• Carol (Greenstein) Epstein: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Arlene Gottesman: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Looking forward to seeing you in New York City in July 2016.

Your classmates,
Carol Epstein and Arlene Gottesman
415-846-6907

The Newsletter

We regret that this edition of the Hixnews newsletter has been lost and is no longer recoverable.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Memory Lane

The Car of a Lifetime

1928Thanks to Janet Emery class of 1961 for sharing this...

This man owned & drove the same car for 82 YEARS. Can you imagine even having the same car for 82 years? Mr. Allen Swift ( Springfield , MA ) received this 1928 Rolls-Royce Piccadilly-P1 Roadster from his father, brand new - as a graduation gift in 1928. He drove it up until his death last year ..... At the age of 102!!! He was the oldest living owner of a car that was purchased new. Just thought you'd like to see it. It was donated to a  Springfield museum after his death. It has 1,070,000 miles on it, still runs like a Swiss watch, dead silent at any speed and is in perfect cosmetic condition. (82 years ) . That's approximately 13,048 miles per year (1087 per month). 1,070,000 miles not kilometers !

That's British engineering of a bygone era. I don't think they make them like this anymore.

Here are pictures of the same car over the years.

Casale's Corner

Actors Who Could Have Been an Athlete

Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell, who was a top star for Disney studios in the '70s and went onto star in films like "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Miracle," was also an extremely talented baseball player. He was signed by the California Angels in 1971, and as a second baseman played for four of the Angels' minor league affiliates, becoming a league All-Star in his first year. In 1973 he led the Texas League in hitting with a .563 batting average in his first 16 at bats and was said to be a shoe-in for the majors. Unfortunately, a torn rotator cuff took him out of the game and the rest is history.

Lee Majors

In the starring role on the 1970s "The Six Million Dollar Man," television series, Lee Majors was one of the hottest celebs around. He also starred in the "Fall Guy" during the '80s, and " Big Valley " back in the '60s. But he originally planned on a career in the NFL, attending Indiana University on a football scholarship. A back injury nixed that idea, but he transferred to Eastern Kentucky University after his back healed and played football there where he was offered a tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals during his final year. The now 76-year-old decided to turn it down because he didn't feel he was physically up to the challenge and decided to pursue acting instead

Taylor Kitsch

Canadian actor best known for his role as Tim Riggins in "Friday Night Lights," grew up loving hockey - as so many from the Great White North do. The 33-year-old played junior ice hockey for the Langley Hornets in the British Columbia Hockey League, but he suffered a career-ending knee injury that forced him to consider another route. Taylor moved to New York to pursue modeling with IMG and began studying acting which led him to where he is today.

Ed O'Neill

"Modern Family" star Ed O'Neill may be hard to picture as a star athlete - unless you happen to remember that in his famous role as Al Bundy on the TV show "Married...With Children," his character played high school football. The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor attended Ohio University on a football scholarship and later transferred to Youngstown State where he was a defensive lineman. In 1969, O' Neill was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers but was cut during training camp. He may have been disappointed at the time, but looking back it's probably easier to see that most things happen for a reason.

Dean Cain

Dean Cain, best known for playing Superman on the television series "Lois & Clark" actually was an NFL player, if only for a very short time. The actor accepted an athletic scholarship to Princeton University and played safety for the football team. He set an NCAA Division 1-AA record for the most interceptions in a season with 12, and was signed by the Buffalo Bills immediately after graduation in 1988. After suffering a knee injury during training camp, his football career came to a quick end and the "Smallville" actor ultimately took a different path to stardom.

Jason Statham

Before becoming a successful action star, Jason Statham, best known for his roles in Guy Ritchie's crime films, was a competitive diver. He participated as a member of the British National Diving Squad for 12 years and even placed 12th in the world for diving in 1992. He did a little modeling for a while too, but as diving and modeling weren't paying the bills, he followed in his dad's footsteps by hustling on the streets of London . It was this "career" that actually helped him land his debut role as a conman in Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

George Clooney

It's hard to imagine George Clooney not being on the big screen - a number of his films definitely wouldn't have been the same without him, like "O, Brother Where Art Thou," "Ocean's Eleven," and "The Descendants," but that came very close to happening. The Oscar-winning actor was a star baseball player in high school and was even asked to try out for the Cincinnati Reds in 1977. Obviously it wasn't meant to be as he never did get signed - lucky for the film industry and his countless fans.

Burt Reynolds

Legendary actor Burt Reynolds was an all-star high school fullback and earned a football scholarship to Florida State University . He played running back for the Gators in 1954, and drew the attention of the Baltimore Colts who reserved a spot for him in their training program while awaiting his graduation. Unfortunately, in the middle of the season he was involved in a bad car accident that worsened a prior injury, ending his dream of joining the NFL.

Mark Harmon

Before Mark Harmon was cracking cases for "NCIS," or even playing doctor on "St. Elsewhere, he was a starting quarterback for UCLA. In the early '70s he took the Bruins to a 17-5 record and helped the team upset the defending champs, the Nebraska Huskers in his very first season. Instead of joining the NFL, Harmon considered careers in advertising and law, but ultimately became an actor who spent much of his career portraying law enforcement and medical personnel.

Steve Carell

Did you ever notice that former "The Office" star Steve Carell always seemed to find a way to squeeze in a scene of his character Michael Scott ice skating or playing hockey? Apparently he used to play, and quite well at that, at least in high school. After he was cut from his college team he decided to go in a different direction but he stills finds any opportunity he can to play. The "Get Smart" actor is frequently seen playing in charity games, and on TV, whether or not the plot really calls for it.

M.C. Hammer

M.C. Hammer is a lifelong Oakland A's fan, and at a young age he could often be seen beat boxing and dancing at the stadium where the team plays baseball. He was discovered there at the Oakland Coliseum and joined the organization as a bat boy. He even hung out with execs and helped the team with a variety of tasks. He got his nickname, "Hammer," because someone thought he looked like Hank Aaron who had the same moniker. Eventually the rapper tried out for the San Francisco Giants on the other side of the bay, but he didn't make the cut and fell back on his musical talents instead.