Musical Tastes

What are the albums (remember vinyl?) you had WAY back then, that you still enjoy today? Are you still listening to the same genre of music that you enjoyed back in the 70's? How have your musical tastes morphed over the years?

This is still one of my favorites. My tastes tend to run toward the bluegrass, folk, country-rock genres; although I now also enjoy more jazz and rhythm and blues than I did growing up.

My iPod will be running constantly during my cross-country road trip to our reunion - and mostly music (although I promised myself I would give audiobooks another try).

My favorites? I'll be singing along with Asleep at the Wheel, the Byrds, Commander Cody, Greatful Dead, Jackson Browne, John Prine, Leon Russell, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ry Cooder, Van Morrison, and Waylon & Willie, among others.

Who are your musical heroes? Does Tony's band take requests? Enquiring minds want to know!

Who's Your Favorite N.H.S. Teacher?

As I hear from various teachers in the reunion replies -- many of whom I never had as teachers -- I'm amazed over how I seem to know many of them better now, 35 years later, than I did in high school.

Who was your favorite N.H.S. teacher? For me, it's hard to pin it down to just one. But if pressed, I'd have to say Mrs. Kathryn Bedell. In both her history and English classes, she put things in my head that eventually went on to help me both professionally and personally. The way she taught shaped the way my thought process worked, and that might be the best compliment for a teacher.

(Honorable mention goes to Señor William O'Neal. His Spanish classes were simply fun for me, and even now I have distinct memories of them. Because of him, I can still scratch out a bumbling, basic conversation with someone I encounter who speaks Español.)

Sad News About Mr. Christopher Duane, Language Teacher

I just received a note from John Lontos, our teacher and class adviser, about the recent death of Mr. Duane. Many of you, I'm sure, will be saddened by the news of your Latin and French teacher's passing. He had been living in the senior residences, Bristol Glen, on the end of Ryerson Avenue. He was 93.

I know that Mr. Duane was one of the most respected and well-liked teachers at Newton High.

FROM MR. LONTOS:

Mr Duane passed away last Wednesday the 17th.

You recall he taught Latin, among other languages, at Newton. Many of the class may have had him for a teacher.

Funeral service is at 9am Wednesday the 24th, at Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, followed by a 10am mass at St Joe's catholic church. Visitation Tuesday, 23 June, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9. Might be nice to have some former students drop in.

New Jersey Herald obituary is here:
http://www.legacy.com/njherald/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=128777659

Speaking of cars......

Well, I have to admit that I didn't have "my own" first car until well after Joe & I were married. They were always Joe's cars or always registered in his name. I did, however, have access to all of Joe's cars. I never did drive this one, 1967 GTO, but of course I loved it and loved being the passenger in it! In this picture we were headed to my Junior Prom, 1973! Joe bought this car from Edmund Zukowski, teacher at NHS. About 5 or 6 years ago, I saw Edmunds wife Rose who informed me that Edmund again is the owner of this car. He was at a car show and saw it and he felt the need to purchase it again!
I remember being very upset with Joe one night as I recall that my brother Tom asked to borrow this car to go out with friends. I begged Joe NOT to let my brother use the car as I knew he wouldn't get it back in the same condition that he lent it to him in. But no.....Joe didn't listen to me. He always did have a soft spot in his heart for all of my siblings (and still does!) He allowed Tom to use the GTO and do you think it came back the same? Of course not....he blew out the rear end! Needless to say Mike, I was right then too!

Your first car

So, maybe I don't have a pretty picture of my first car, but I do have proof that early on in life, I was an upright, law-abiding, tax-paying citizen. Do you remember you first car? How did you get it? Do you have any good stories about it? Here's mine...
I bought my first car after I returned to NJ while taking a hiatus from my "first" freshman year of college. I had earned the money during my high school years as a cashier at Hayeks Market.
My favorite story about the car is going to Indian Ladder Falls (in the Poconos) with eight fellow passengers. (Remember when front seats were still designed as bench rather than bucket seats?) Upon our return down the mountain, I discovered that my master cylinder was out of commission - or sadly well on it's way... So, I promptly ordered ALL the other passengers into the back seat where I thought they would be more safe in the event of an unfortunate (and crunchy) stop. I can't imagine what oncoming traffic thought about a driver chauffering eight passengers in the back seat. I remember joking about our situation being similar to stuffing people in a phone booth...
Well, the fates were with us, and we all returned safely home , physically, if not emotionally unscathed - although I suppose I should take some credit for my expert emergency braking ability.
What's your car story?

And the Award Goes To...

I received a copy of this 1970 New Jersey Herald article from Ed Rzonca, and it made me laugh.

(I hope you’re all able to view it; you might try using the view-zoom or enlarge functions on your computer. Or, just clicking on the image of the newspaper article will very likely work, too.)

Take a look at not only the names of the students who were recognized for things at the end of eighth grade at Halstead Street School in Newton, and not only what they were recognized for, but also some of the sponsors of some of these awards. These days, an award sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution might draw demonstrations outside.

And we really had a Hawaiian Club in eighth grade? Who knew?

Now, I won an award for personality and common sense. If you ask my wife and daughters, they say I have NO common sense! The only reason I won this, and the prize was a $15 ShopRite gift certificate, is because I was seventh-grader Jeff Barnhill's campaign manager in his run for eighth-grade class treasurer. I gave a speech a few weeks earlier in the auditorium, and I did some bad James Cagney impression ... "If you don't vote for Jeff Barnhill, you're gonna get it, and you're gonna get it gooood..." -- Mr. (Ray) Scheer, the social studies teacher, laughed so hard and liked it so much that he made sure I eventually got some kind of award for it. (Jeff Barnhill did win the election for class treasurer, by the way.)

But perhaps the most humorous line of this entire article, and I’m not sure quite why this tickles me, is this in-depth kind of reporting at the awards ceremony: “Kitty Gray read ‘If,’ a poem by Rudyard Kipling.”

Quiz: Name This N.H.S. Musician

Me and another classmate are fairly sure we know who this is. (Of course, we may be wrong -- obviously, it's happened before -- me being wrong in naming N.H.S. people in photos.)

I don't think this quiz is deserving of a reunion prize, because unless the person himself (it's a boy, right?) steps forward and says it's him, we may never know whether any guesses are correct or incorrect.

Rock on!

An Anniversary Card: How'd You Celebrate After Graduation?

The Newton High Class of 1974 graduation ceremony was held on the football field, 35 years ago. I'm thinking it was June 12, 1974, a Wednesday, although it might have been the following night, June 13, a Thursday. In any event, can you recall what you did that night to celebrate after the graduation ceremony?

I’m fairly certain my post-ceremony activities included a stop with others at the Bottom’s Up bar in Swartswood -- remember, the drinking age then was 18 in NJ (not that I was quite 18 yet, but you know...). And I believe that there might have been parties at people’s houses, too, but can't recall where and who hosted them.

What was your Passion?

... when you weren't in school?

For my eleventh birthday, I was given the gift of horseback riding lessons. It didn't take long for me to get hooked. - and then I was fortunate that my parents could afford a horse for me to ride. So, while we were in high school, I spent every afternoon in the car with my mother, going to Homestead Stables in Sparta to exercise my horse (and prepare for weekend horse shows). I absolutely loved every minute of it - just look at that concentration face!

In my adult life, my hobbies became a little more diverse with soccer, ice hockey, and kayaking (among others). But sadly, and perhaps ironically (considering I live in Montana) I have never again owned a horse. On a teacher's salary - who could afford one?

So, what was your passion in high school? How did/do you spend the majority of your free time, then or now?

Where We Staved Off Hunger as Kids...

... AND GOT FAT IN THE PROCESS!

A recent e-mail conversation with the Slockbower brothers, Dave and Frank, made us revisit a few businesses in Newton where, when we were little kids into our teenage years, we could go for food (not healthful food, mind you, but food, and mostly ice cream and sweets). These places were mentioned or thought about:

Tee Pee -- Mr. Slockbower's place, next to the Newton movie theater (when it showed just one movie).
Ding Dong Dairy -- My father's place, on Lower Spring Street, with soda fountain.
Klingener's -- On Spring Street, next to where Sears-Roebuck used to be: I recall the 10-cent vanilla Cokes, but I think this closed up long before we were in, like, second grade.
Julie's/Pete's (the Towne Shop?) -- On Clinton Street; a good place for an ice cream soda or an egg cream after baseball games at Memory Park.
Britt's -- The buffet.
Woolworth's -- Bill Rosselli and I broke many a balloon there, trying for the 1-cent banana split.
The Green Room -- It's been mentioned in other pre-reunion communication. I remember cracking a joke at a romantic lunch with Kitty Gray -- well, as romantic as me and Kitty could be -- and sending Coke running through her nose!
Ding's/Main Street Grocery -- Big racks of candy and cupcakes.
Campus Shop -- People swore by their hamburgers.
Newton Diner -- Ed Hickok, onetime Newton mayor, made trays of hamburgers ahead of time for the Halstead Street School lunch crowd. You'd order, "A hamburger, please." He'd reply, "Almost ready."

Any others?

Anybody Tweet, You Twits?

Twitter is one of the Internet forms of communication I haven't quite gotten my arms and brainwaves around yet, but a number of colleagues tell me it's just a matter of time, and we've even had presentations about it at work.

Anyhow, our classmate Susanna Lorber Lee would like to Tweet with fellow classmates during Reunion Weekend. She says to "follow me @twitwrit" ... I'll assume that all you Twitterites will understand that language from Susanna.

To me, it sounds like a good pickup line: "Hey, hot stuff, wanna go back to my place and Tweet?"

Why Do Live Where You Do?

From Mike's posting we know the class of '74 have spread themselves far and wide. I've posted the picture above as one of the reasons I live in Florida. This is the view from my porch. The sun is nearly as far north as it will ride on the river. About 2 more weeks and it begins its slow procession to the the south. Even when I'm inside typing this, the outside view is all around. It easy to connect with Mother Nature here. Of course that also means that some years that river comes right on up the street and knocks at the door.
I guess I love being where nature still has wild places, the sun shines most of the time, and there is always water nearby. What about you? What makes you call your state and town home?

Facebook Group

It probably makes sense to make a full post out of a comment I made to Wayne's original post (here). We now have a Facebook group (if a group of one can be considered a "group"). I'm pretty certain you can reach it from this link. I also used the "Invitation" function to send out emails to the list of folks that Mike sent me.
The group is "invitation-only" so you either have to respond to the invitiation or request approval for membership.
I think that's all. It should be interesting to see what folks are up to (and are willing to admit to on Facebook).

High School Bands

Paul Gausman wanted to know in a recent e-mail...
Does anybody remember the lineage for the rock bands in high school? When I first went to high school, there was a group of seniors including Pat Wright's older brothers, Tim and Kevin, called the "Fallen Angels". I think Barbara Moon's older brother might have been in a band, too. Dave Andrews and Randy King, (in my class,) had a band (can't remember the name) and Pat Wright, Nick Devita, Stu Miller and others had a band. I think at one point Dave's and Pat's bands may have combined into another band. I can't remember which band was "Stoned Blue". I thought it was Pat's band but I'm not positive. If it is the band with Pat Wright, was it the band with or without Dave? Or do I have this completely wrong? Any other bands that I've forgotten? I also remember a band called "Angry Castle" with the Bodeman brothers and Charlie Francino. Maybe there were more...

Blogging 101

Since I've been answering some e-mail queries regarding posting to the blog, I'll try my hand at walking everybody through the process. After all, the more the merrier.

First level - viewing the blog. It's public. (You're looking at it now, aren't you? And, you didn't have to log in or anything...) But we don't want a bunch of lurkers out there, either - so join the fun!!!

Second level - commenting on what someone else has posted. This does require "Signing in" to the blog. Scroll up and look in the upper right corner and click on the Sign-In link. You will need a Google account (but not necessarily gmail). If you've ever been on Flickr or Picassa (photo sharing sites), you've had to create a Google account. On a Google account your user ID is usually your e-mail address, and then you just choose a password. You can probably use the same ID and password as your FaceBook account, if you have one.
Once you're signed in, you can click on the Comment link in the lower right hand side of each post (it says how many comments are there already). The comments appear in chronological order, and if you scroll down, you'll see a comment box. Click your cursor in the box and type away - but don't forget to click on the "Post Comment" button at the bottom or it won't officially publish to the comment page.
And, given our memories (or lack thereof), it's o.k. to challenge something someone else has posted - or add embellishments to exisiting "stories."

Third level - posting to the blog, which may include text alone - or with a photo or video. To accomplish this, you'll need to sign in (see second level, above), and accept an e-mail invitation to be an author on the blog. I've been keeping track of everyone who has either "followed" or "commented" and invited them (via e-mail) to be an author. (Check your spam - if you have a filter!) Currently, we have 10 authors - and I have 6 outstanding invitations to others, who have not yet accepted. (We can have up to 100, so don't be shy...)
To post, just click the "New Post" link in the upper right hand corner of the blog. You will see a title box, a text box, and a label box. The title is the topic of your post. Your news, memory, or story is typed in the text box. You'll notice all the word processing tools across the top. With those tools are two icons near the right: one for a photo, one for video. If you're intrepid enough to try those, you're a button-pusher, and probably don't need my help. But please, we could use some broader perspectives - so share, if you dare.
P.S. The label box is optional. It just keeps track of similar labels on the blog.

Fourth level - administering the blog. Right now, that's myself and Mike - both officially senior class officers, and to my knowledge neither one of us has abused our relative "power" (yet). We can invite others to be authors, edit posts (if they're more than PG-13 rated), and remove users. Don't mess with us, man!

Whew! I hope this was helpful. Blog away!

Sa-lute! Those Who Served From Class of '74?

I've heard that a few classmates have been discussing Newton '74 folks who went on to serve in the military after high school. Some served briefly, while others made careers out of it. Besides these people, does anyone know of others?

Army -- Keith Armstrong, Mike Scabet, Mike Wittrien
Marines -- Will Kris Arthur, Mike Ettore, Kevin Herrmann
Navy -- Mike Many, Tom McDonald, Tom Paladini, Don Space, Doug Space

Andrea also wanted me to inlcude a link for an outreach website she's involved with. The url is:
http://www.forgottensoldiers.org

Got Facebook?

Would someone be willing to take the time to set up and publicize a group on Facebook?