Turkey Day Game 1986

From Left to right:

Ed Cahill, Warren Lessing, Jim Noone, Mark Novy, Dave Rorty, Matt Fau, Hank Cannon, Tom Leyden, Bill Novy, Frank Marshall, Marc Russo, Kevin Rodgers, Andy Cahill, and Joey V.

An annual tradition since the early 1960s, these guys have played in all kinds of weather on Thanksgiving morning. I personally participated once in a monsoon and once in sub-freezing, frozen tundra conditions. While age and proximity don't permit my joining them I do marvel at their efforts to maintain friendships through the years.

If you are in the vicinity of Glen School around 9 AM this coming Thanksgiving you should drop in to say hello. There is always plenty of beer and the first one is using opened by halftime.

The Yellow Pages

This entry could be called either the Yellow Pages or the pages which have yellowed. Hard to imagine why I have saved this old copy of the Ridgewood Yellow pages but I did. These sort of things usually would have been thrown away long ago when my parents moved from Ridgewood in 1978 to an apartment in Manhattan. I suppose it made the initial trip because it contained useful information. The subsequent move they made to Hilton Head in 1984 should have spelled its doom, though again it made the trip along with everything else.

After this it should have been hurled away when my parents moved to Florida in the late 1990s but I had by this time grown accustomed to seeing it on a book shelf in my room and whisked it away back to New Jersey for safekeeping. It has since come with my back to New York City where it has a familiar spot on my book shelf.

RHS Class of 1973 Website

This class is starting to plan their 40th reunion in 2013.

RHS Class of 1973

RHS Class of 1980 30th Reunion Web Site

Here it is:

RHS Class of 1980 30th Reunion.


7 August 2010

Ramsey Golf and Country Club
Ramsey, NJ

Yankees Now and Then

I first remember rooting for the NY Yankees during the 1964 World Series which they lost in 7 games to St. Louis. For the next 12 years the Yankees were not very good, and they taught me what it means to be loyal to your favorite team.

The Yankees of my youth had Mickey Mantle in his declining years, where I saw him at Yankee Stadium hit some line drives that invariable would fall short of being home runs. It was hard to watch him struggle and do his infamous trot back to the dugout after making out. In addition to learning the meaning of loyalty I also learned something about compassion.

The final lesson I learned from rooting for the Yankees in my younger days was that not all people are endowed with the same skills and talents. If you ever saw the ragtag bunch who donned the Yankees pinstripes in the mid-1960s and early 1970s you will know what I mean. There were some diamonds in the rough like Thurman Munson and Bobby Murcer but most were very average guys like Horace Clarke, Jerry Kenney, Danny Cater, Gene Michael, to name a few. It's not that they didn't try, only that they had a tough act to follow. The teams which had preceding them had been very good for 40 years and as everybody knows that sort of dominance can't go on forever.

Now that my team has won its 27th World Championship I'll savor it for a while. I won't forget the disappointments of my youth and the hard lessons which they represent. These sort of things provide guidance and help us endure the inevitable hardships to come. Though for now I am counting the days until Spring Training, when my team will defend its crown. This choice of a favorite team was made in my youth and now seems so logical. Of course there were times when I questioned it. I can't exactly say why I stayed the course but it is days like today when I am glad I did.

RHS 1975 35th Reunion Plan

Jay McDonald posted the following to Facebook:

Talk has started regarding a 35th get together. There is a survey the committee is reviewing with a variety of questions including some alternate dates. Hopefully that survey gets sent out soon!

More updates here as they are made available. You might check here , too.

Hohokus Circa 1960s

These descriptions were provided by a former Hohokus resident who now lives in Australia. Here is the link and please do check out her site My Sydney Paris Life.

What follows is exactly how I remember it. Thanks, Carolyn.

The shops in the middle were our favourites:

* Mufson’s: Sliding-glass candy cabinets had a full range of penny candy and larger candy bars. Here we bought dot candy, Lik’M Aid, black licorice sticks, and Rob’s favourite Three Musketeers. Sometimes when my grandparents visited, my grandfather took me to Mufson’s to get a pint of Country Club vanilla ice cream. Best of all, some Wednesday nights after Dad took me and Rob out for our weekly dinner with him, he’d take us to Mufson’s afterwards. He stopped to get cigarettes for himself, but we knew he’d be good for a large candy bar and a 25-cent Little Dot or Richie Rich comic book for each of us.

* Ho-Ho-Kus Bakery: Sometimes Mom got bread here, where they asked me if we wanted it sliced thin or regular. Rob loved their jelly donuts. I requested their small rectangular 7-layer cake for my birthday every year. I often got a big chocolate chip cookie and Rob a large sugar cookie.

* Ben’s 5 & 10: The absolute, undisputed, world’s greatest 5 & 10 store on the planet, in my humble opinion. I can see every aisle in my mind, starting with my favourite, the stationery section on the left-hand side, lined with little rainbow pads and spiral notebooks. Toys were up the back, and on the right-hand side were the ‘grown-up’ aisles, with kitchen and sewing supplies. Robby and I lived on the left-hand aisle. I bought notebooks and pens and he bought squirt guns and miniature cars. I’ve been in many variety stores around the world but have never found one I liked as much as Ben’s.

Trick or Treat

In the days when I used to go trick or treating in Ridgewood, neighbors moved less often than they do now and we interacted with each other more. There existed a familiarity which our current insular brand of neighborliness does not afford us. When I finally stopped trick or treating in the 8th grade, it wasn't that I didn't like the free candy or walking around the neighborhood at night with my friends. It was more that I had come to the realization that I was just too old to be doing it. Funny thing was most all of my friends came to the same conclusion simultaneously.

Looking back on how our neighbors greeted us, and us them, it amazes me to recall how well we knew each of the houses. We had a good idea of what sort of reception we would receive and we would shout to one another in the street if someone was not home that evening. The best Halloween experiences were those like we received at the Gehrigs on Heights road. They used to invite trick or treaters into their home for hot apple cider. This stood in stark contrast to most every home we visited where the door was opened and we stayed on the front steps.

Nowadays Halloween is one of our biggest holidays in this country. The National Retail Federation published statistics to back up this assertion. They found that in the United States that 53.3% of consumers planned to buy a costume for Halloween 2005, spending $38.11 on average (up $10 from the year before). They were also expected to spend $4.96 billion in 2006, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year. I remember we used to go out as hobos most of the time with our faces blackened with charcoal and our cloths old and ripped. These type of costumes didn't cost a thing and were quickly assembled immediately before going out. If we did buy something it was usually purchased at Woolworths in Ridgewood or from Ben's Five and Ten in Hohokus (pictured below).

Sincere Pumpkins

Ever October since I moved back to the northeast in the late 1990s, I have made a point of buying a "sincere pumpkin" or two to commemorate the season. At first I went to Tice's Farm in Woodcliff Lake to buy my pumpkins, where I would partake in the doughnuts and apple cider I remembered so well from growing up. Tice's neighbor, Van Ripers, closed its doors in 1994 but Tices carried on until 1999. Today the site is home to Tice's Corner Marketplace, a non-descriptive, strip mall. With Tices and Van Ripers long gone, I usually buy my pumpkins, cider, and doughnuts at Demarest Farms in Hillsdale, NJ. They do a fine job. My annual pilgrimage is made all the more special because we used to buy corn and blueberries from the Demarest roadside stand. They have since built a large market across the street from the original stand, and use it as a gathering point for the people they let pick fruit from their orchards.

What makes a pumpkin sincere? I naively believe it has much to do with the frame of mind of the person who is buying it. It also has to be locally grown and sold by a long-time farmer.

To my way of thinking it is important to imagine yourself as a child filled with the wonders of the season when you go to purchase the pumpkins. I like to first stop and dwell upon autumn's colors and unique tastes, like the apples and pumpkins which seem omnipresent, and then consciously go to choose a pumpkin. I look for a small, bright colored pumpkin with a strong stem. I don't carve them as I want them to last, and I don't possess a talent for carving. The pumpkin should be able to stand for weeks on its own in order to rate the accolade of a sincere pumpkin. This strategy has yet to fail me and it allows me to feel the authentic meaning of my ritual long into November.

Willard School 1968

This one has been hanging in Bill Nolan's office for the last 20 years and is a favorite.

Ridgewood Basement Parties 1977

Bill Nolan, Chris DuFlocq, and Paul Ferraro. I can't imagine what they might have been drinking but they certainly were having a fine time.






Jim Velordi, Dan Conti, Bill Nolan, and Tim Daly.

These guys were studs. ;-)







FYI, these are all on FaceBook. Just another reason to join as there are many more where these came from, and many more are on the way.

RHS Prom 1977

A big thank you goes out to Bill Nolan for posting this on FaceBook.







The guys from left to right with their dates:

Bill Nolan and Brenda Earl,
Tom Thurston and Jamie Rider,
Paul Ferraro and Kim Puglisi,
Mike Crockford and Tammy Porreca,
Dan Conti and Mary Beth Reagan,
Jim Velordi and Carol Murphy,
Tim Daly and Kim Dalby.

Dr. Lenihan

Last time I drove by his office it was being razed for something else. Funny how things change and more often than not a concrete memory becomes just another piece of concrete.

Dr. Thomas Lenihan had his office at 530 North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood. It was located for a while in the 1960s directly across the street from the old Maple House Ice Cream Store.

All my brothers and I visited him until our 18 birthdays and then he would turn us loose as we were no longer children. I will always remember my last visit when I was 18 and ready to go off to college. This visit was different from all the rest because it was my last, and my mother didn't give me a ride down to his office. When we were younger she had always accompanied us into the examination room. I suppose by this last visit I had grown self-conscious enough to tell her that her participation was no longer necessary.

On this last visit when we were done Dr. Lenihan looked me in the eye and shook my hand. It was very similar to another time later in my life when I shook the hand of a friend, both of us knowing full well we would never see each other again.

Dr. Lenihan wished me well in college and I then made a point of thanking him for all he had done for me while growing up.

A knowing smile overcome both of us and I walked out of his life forever.

Ice Cream Stores

This photo courtesy of www.201.net. I still have a 201 area code on my cell so I am fairly certain that is where they draw the name for this site which highlights the best of Bergen County.


"The kids tag along to help out when the adults come to Terwilliger & Wakefield in Ridgewood to pick up their families’ supplies of milk for the next few days. Here, Mrs. F.W. Tenney receives her two quart-bottles’ worth from T&W staffer Catherine Van Echelpoel; Tenney’s grandson, 3-year-old Richard Long, seems quite pleased with the transaction.

T&W, particularly beloved among locals for its large cones of premium ice cream, was a regular stop for visitors to Ridgewood’s Wild Duck Pond Area, just across East Ridgewood Avenue. The company was later sold to Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, and the site today houses a branch of Prudential Insurance Company."

Along with T+Ws there was also the Maple House on the border of Hohokus and Ridgewood which we frequented for ice cream in the 1960s, and Van Dykes on Ackerman which is still serving delicious ice cream by all accounts.

Of course during baseball season it was a tradition for winning teams to visit Dairy Queen, where if your manager told them you had hit a home run that day they would give you a banana split on the house.

Hohokus Inn

It took me over 40 years before I first stepped foot in this historic Inn. I must have passed it literally thousands of times but never had an occasion to eat, drink, or have a look inside. This all changed on the night before my wedding in Ridgewood when I entertained my family there and had a wonderful evening.

I am not too sure my parents had ever eaten there either before my wedding. They were like many parents of the day in Ridgewood and didn't eat out much and instead feverishly saved for their childrens' college education. They also didn't take their kids out to dinner much, which is quite different from today. I often wonder if kids today are dine out more because both parents have to work, or both parents have to work because they dine out more than we did. All I know is that eating out was a special moment and our table manners had to be precise. We were shown what to do with our napkins, elbows were kept off the table, and we buttered a one small piece of bread at a time and not the whole piece. I still laugh thinking about the bread whenever I dine out with clients and they reveal their complete lack of table manners by picking up a piece of bread and slathering it with butter. Seriously, does anyone really want to watch them do this? We were taught that it was the small things which counted and that dining out should be enjoyable for everyone, including the people sitting next to you in the restaurant.


The Hohokus Inn is currently being renovated and various announcements have stated that it was to re-open in the spring of fall of 2009. I hope they make it but am well aware of how difficult it is to run an upscale restaurant in a down economy.

This tidbit is from Wilipedia and sounds fairly accurate but you never know.

Ho-Ho-Kus Inn was oringally a private residence built for John “Jake” Zabriskie in 1790. After his death the house was converted into a private church and served as a parsonage for the Christ Episcopal Church in Ringwood. During this time Ho-Ho-Kus Inn had been referred to by several nicknames such as Zabriskie House, the Villa Inn, The Mansion House, the Wayside Inn, and the Washington Inn.

The building later became a resting house for the New York elite until 1920 and was referred to as Mansion House during this time. In 1920 the house faced demolition but was saved by Mrs. H.T.B. Jacquelin. In 1941 the house was purchased by the town and became a landmark and was leased to several people. In 2007 the restaurant was bought by Chris Kelly. Kelly had asked George Zahakos and Catherine Stauch, formerly of the Bicycle Club in Englewood Cliffs, to take over the restaurant however this deal has fallen through.

Passbook Savings Accounts

It was on April 1st 1986 that the end of Federal regulation on passbook savings accounts allowed banks and savings and loans to pay whatever they wanted.

I remember my first savings account and the 5% interest it earned. I had to go into the imposing bank on Ridgewood Avenue and give them my money so they could then stamp my passbook. The bank is located in the left of the photo and is still there, though under another name. The interest they pay now is one of their own choosing, and likely much less than what I used to receive.

The transactions I recall occurred in the era when the term "Bankers' Hours" meant that your bank opened at 10 AM and closed at 3 PM Monday through Friday. This gave the bankers time to count the money and make sure they were able to greet the public with the self-confidence which the laws and our social customs required.

It really is a quaint idea to recall: the bankers were well-known and respected members of the community, who kept a tight rein on borrowing. They were, after all, the safeguards (literally) of the local money. Risky loans were discouraged and the people who were having trouble with making payments were counseled, and in some cases had their loans re-worked. It was Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life" that would represent this ideal picture in my mind in all its glory.

Now I would love to say, in order to strike a contrast between now and then, that we now have Lionel Barrymore's character, Mr Potter, in all his evil glory minding the money of our banks. Though this would be far from the truth. Nobody is actually counting the money these days or opening the doors to the public at 10 AM. Banking is now a non-stop affair conducted over the Internet and in bank branches open 7 days a week. The bankers are mostly unknowns in the community because there are so many branches and the people who work in them come and go like bus boys at a restaurant. Whether this is all progress is not for me to say. I can say that I like the interest they used to pay and the huge edifices they had to house our funds. When I see a bank like this today I known that it will either be made a landmark or sold to be used for something else like an upscale deli. I would personally love to have an office in such a structure, that or an old railroad station.

Our First Award for Blogging

I would love to say this blog earned an award for public service or journalistic excellence but all we did was exist on the Internet and a company found us. In return for this award, the firm wants a permanent link to their site. This I won't do unless they can show me they have a connection to RHS, and then I will gladly give them a link because I have done this for other alumni.

The award is from a company who sells National Football League ThrowBack Football Jerseys. As a child this would have thrilled me as I used to wear football jerseys all the time, especially to play football. The more mud, blood, and grass stains these jerseys accumulated the better we felt wearing them. Now these jerseys are simply another piece of clothing to me as my football days are long gone.

I am grateful for the recognition and if you hurry you might even see this blog in the featured section by following this link:

Throwbackfootballjerseys.net

On the Bus

Growing up I lived near the end of the line for a commuter bus which carried people into New York City. It was very handy in junior and senior high school because we could see the bus pass by on its way to the end of the line, the spot on Hillcrest Road where it turned around. On cold or rainy days this meant we usual had about 5 minutes to wait before it returned.

In those days people could smoke on the bus. Many under age smokers found this was one of the few places they could light up and not be caught. You knew the bus driver wasn't going to say a word, especially if you saw his ashtray filled with cigarette butts. People would smoke no matter how crowded the bus, and this was simply accepted as commonplace.

The ride cost a quarter to either GW or RHS. It's funny to think that when I was in high school if I had wanted to walk say three or four blocks in the opposite direction I could have rode a yellow school bus for free. RHS provided a ride to kids who lived more than 2 miles from school. We lived just within this 2 mile limit.

While the yellow bus was a bargain it wasn't nearly as interesting as the commuter bus, catching a ride to school in a friend's car, walking or even riding my bicycle. No, the yellow bus was too filled with school-related pressures for me in the morning to make it a compelling option, and it was long gone after I was down with sports practices in the afternoon. I can honestly say I never once rode the yellow bus and truly doubt that I missed anything.

Touch Football

When I was growing up Autumn afternoons, like the one we are having today in the Northeast, were devoted to touch football. The games on Saturdays and Sundays were usually played at Willard School on a field comprised mostly in our imaginations, and one which bears little resemblance to the neatly manicured field that exists today.

We played on a field with no markers and which was largely composed of dirt. The out-of-bounds marker on one side was based upon the upright posts of a metal fence on California Street. The other out-of-bounds marker was more specific because it was the stone wall which abutted the school itself.

The dimensions of the field mattered very little to us because the game itself was more important. If only the fathers of today would take these words to heart, they could have saved themselves a ton of tax dollars spent sprucing up fields which required no maintenance other than cutting the grass in the summer. Such is the irony of life.

We only lived for the game in those days and didn't care how the field looked or was designed. There were rainy days we played and reveled mostly in the mud we accumulated on our cloths. Not that our mothers, who had to wash our cloths, had the same feeling but they at least understood where we had been and what we had been doing. These seemingly innocent games were rights of passage and nothing was going to stop us, except the eventual coming of snow in winter. We might have marveled at the Professionals who played through the "Ice Bowls" in Green Bay, Wisconsin but we would only carry this admiration just so far. When it was too cold to throw or catch the ball the Touch Football season was over.

Now that I have lived a half century the Touch Football season is long over. I tried to play at the annual Turkey Day Game at Glen Field on Thanksgiving but my body in the late 1990s had long since betrayed me, and the exhilaration was gone.

My friends still keep the tradition of touch football going each and every Thanksgiving, so if you are in the vicinity of Glen School around 10:00 AM next Thanksgiving you should stop in, that is, if your body will permit.

The Tug of the Past

I had a moment of enlightment while reading Richard Russo's novel Bridge of Sighs. He is the author of Nobody's Fool.

When I read the following I knew at once it applied to why I blog about a time long gone. To set the scene this is a father, who is writing an autobiography, responding to his son:

"Mom says you are writing your life story up there."

"Nothing quite so grand as that, I tell him, though it's true I've written far more than I expected to, having underestimated the tug of the past, the intoxication of memory, the attraction of explaining myself, to, well, myself."

When I read the words "intoxication of memory" and "underestimating the tug of the past" I knew Mr Russo had nailed the feeling which I enjoy.

This blog, as I am gratefully able to tell one and all who read it, is my belated attempt to explain to myself some of what went on over 30 years ago. To the many people who have found this blog and sent their kind words, I extend a hearty thank you. It is all I really need to keep bringing up these memories of mine which bubble up at the most unexpected moments.

The bottom line is: I'll keep writing if you all keep reading. Also, please send your old pictures as they are, as the old saying goes, worth a thousand words. Your suggestions for posts are also most welcome.

Cheers!

Summer Vacation

I guess if the President has his way then K-12 students need to beware. Our President is floating ideas about the summer vacation we all just enjoyed. It could be sharply curtailed if President Barack Obama gets his way.

Obama says American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe.

"Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," the president said earlier this year. "Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."

The president, who has a sixth-grader and a third-grader, wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go.

"Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today,"

Now let Paul McCubbin offer his view: In my personal experience, the idea of giving school children the summer off from school has always been held in high esteem. It is a time-honored tradition which we have fit into our schedules for a number of generations. I don't see how our economic position would be improved if we robbed our youth of time off to explore during the summer, and disrupted all their parents vacation plans.

How about we just get the parents more involved during the current school year, and not give them one more thing to worry about during the summer months?

As it stands most households with school age children already have two parents working fulltime. Hey, and what about the teachers??? Does anyone think that they are working 40 hour weeks? They never did in Ridgewood when I attended. Let's just all relax and give this entire idea a second thought. Peace.

Jens Larson in the Circus

If you had ever wondered if the rumors about Jens Larson joining the circus after college were true, then this picture should end your doubts. I heard from him via FaceBook and it was wonderful to re-connect with someone from my old Willard neighborhood. He is married and teaches high school in Phoenix since retiring from the circus. Check him out here:

Jens in the Circus

Ridgewood Bags

Long before it appeared that every school boy and girl was wearing a backpack to school, we were carrying our Ridgewood Bags at our sides. These were usually purchased at one of the two sporting goods stores in town, Perdue's or Bernard's.

We filled these bags with school books, gym shorts, gym shirts, and socks. What's more, they were only carried by guys. I don't remember what the girls used for their books, unless they held to that wonderfully, old-fashioned idea that the boys should carry their books. I know this happened because I remember doing it.

We starting carrying Ridgewood Bags to Junior High School because GW was much further away than Willard, and usually was a bus or car ride. The same was true for RHS, which was even further away for us folks who went to Willard.

The Ridgewood Bag was a rite of passage, in our small-world mindset. I think that it meant that one felt confident enough to go along with the crowd. It was much the same as the Varsity Jacket that guys wore in High School when they became a Letterman in a sport.

While I bought into the Ridgewood Bag I never purchased a Varsity Jacket, and I was a 3 Letterman in High School. The Varsity Jackets were more for the Football, Soccer, Basketball, Wrestling, and Baseball guys. I ran Cross Country and Track. The only Track guy I remember having a Varsity Jacket was my pal Kurt, and he was a 3 Letterman for his entire High School career. There were others who had purchased a Varsity Jacket, though for the most part, they had purchased the jacket while earning a letter in some other sport.

The pure Track guys were usually low-key, especially that select few who did nothing else but run. It's not that we didn't admire and respect the Varsity Jacket because we did. As I recall we were probably thinking more about the weather, and how to stay warm during our Track practices in sub-freezing weather and torrential rains. The Soccer and Football guys practiced in the rain and endured the same heat we did, but they never practiced in January at Veteran's Field, and had to wear long underwear, hats, gloves. I am sure they would have done it if Coach Sweeney or Coach Bennett had asked, but they were never called upon to endure these elements. Maybe this gave them more time to contemplate the aura which surrounded the sports in which they participated. These were the same guys who dressed in ties on the day of games, and were urged on by Cheerleaders who wore their uniforms to school to remind us that there were Football and Soccer games about to be played.

For those of us who participated in Cross Country races and Track Meets the necktie was optional, and the Cheerleaders never showed. This was fine with us because we all knew that Cross Country races and Track Meets did not lend themselves to the sort of excitement which the Cheerleaders produced. This all made for a different mindset among the Track guys. For the most part we knew that nobody was going to urge us on during our events, except our closest friends and family. It's not that it wasn't important to us. We just understood the world as it was. We knew all too well that our events paled in comparison to the Saturday crowds with hotdog vendors which the Football team had behind them.

We Track guys reveled in our individualism and enjoyed those quiet satisfactions which came with a turkey sandwich from the deli near Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. We raced in all kinds of weather and lived to tell about it, as the cliche goes. If you had seen us run the Eastern States Championship race in 1976 in a monsoon, you would understand what we endured that day at Van Cortlandt, and how we had fun in our own special way despite everything.

Stickball

Living next to Willard School did have a few advantages. One was the ability to view the playing fields and stickball court from my bedroom window. The "court" as I call it was basically a wall built in the early 1960s that was probably erected to keep balls from bouncing off the teachers cars in the adjacent parking lot. People used one side for practicing their tennis stroke and kids like me and my younger brother used the other side for stickball. We played so much baseball as kids that my brother's left arm became so strong that his very first season in Tiny Tim League (8 and 9 year olds) he overwhelmed all the kids he pitched against with straight and true fast balls. He has always given me credit for this but it was largely his own talent and the good fortune of living next to a very active schoolyard.

In Spring and Summer it was baseball and in the Autumn we played football. Soccer wouldn't become popular in Ridgewood until the 1970s and, now it is played with a passionate intensity once only known by baseball and stickball players in town. The soccer Moms and Dads have produced leagues for the Spring and Autumn, plus road teams which travel to other towns for soccer tournaments. Kinda hard to imagine that for stickball. In fact, I don't know if there any other stickball courts in town. If my memory serves me none of the other schools have a wall with the proper dimensions for a game. Of course, you could always play against the school itself, which we did when the older boys were using the court. Though playing against the school was not the same and often times the janitors would tell us to stop for fear we would break a window.

Amazingly enough the wall we used for our games still stands and the last time I looked a batters box to determine balls and strikes was still visible on the wall. Hard for me to say if they play as often as we did. There are so many other sports and activities to draw kids attention that it wouldn't surprise if stickball was a lost art.

Graydon Pool 2009

The following article is from today's NY Times. I've always liked the look of Graydon and my family spent many happy days swimming there, but times have changed. The cost of keeping this charming reminder of a simpler era just doesn't make sense in our current economic climate. The article cites the fact that there are only 3000 members, and that this number is down from 6000 in 1999. I wonder how many people were members in the 1960s and 1970s?

"When she was growing up in Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J., in the 1980s, Melinda Cronk and her friends envied the kids in nearby Ridgewood for one simple reason — Graydon Pool, the languorous green park and 2.6-acre natural swimming hole that was Ridgewood’s blissful monument to suburban summers.

In the year before the 100th anniversary of Graydon Park — its pool was established in 1929 — it’s easy to see why. With its sandy beach, its fieldstone walls and particularly its sand-bottom swimming hole filled with 3.8 million gallons of spring water, Graydon Pool seems like an idyllic throwback to a less hurried version of suburban life.

Ms. Cronk still thinks of Graydon as a magical place. But, alas, she no longer thinks it’s a practical one. She lives in Ridgewood but does not pay the modest dues to join Graydon. And, after three years of study, the village task force she heads has decided that the only way to save Graydon is to plow it under and replace it with a more familiar symbol of summer, a blue concrete pool.

The result has been an increasingly nasty battle, lawyers at the ready, pitting Graydon loyalists, many, but not all, of them longtime residents, versus advocates for a concrete pool, many, but not all of them, younger families new to town. It has turned into one of those litmus tests of modern life and particularly modern parenting.

The Graydon loyalists, who have organized a group called the Preserve Graydon Coalition, say Ridgewood would betray its heritage if it opted for a new pool.

“If they do what they’re planning, it would be just another thing lost to the wrecking ball of suburban sterility,” said Mark Ferraro, a lawyer, whose grandfather was a lifeguard at Graydon.

Ms. Cronk said that, nostalgia aside, people in town have deserted Graydon in droves for more conventional pools in nearby towns. In Ridgewood, a village of about 25,000 people, membership, she said, had dropped to less than 3,000 now from more than 6,000 in 1999.

She said surveys of Graydon members and nonmembers showed that too many people view Graydon as unsafe and unclean. Younger residents in particular want a thoroughly disinfected pool with clear waters so they can always see their youngsters. In a 2008 letter, the State Department of Environmental Protection recommended that the town change to a real pool, she said.

“In its heyday, that beach was packed,” said Ms. Cronk, co-chairwoman of the Ridgewood Pool Project. “I wish it were not like this, but it’s just not being used. We’ve got to face the reality of changing times, and every path we walked down led to a bona fide pool.”

Graydon’s problems, by some measures, began in the mid-1990s when the state first eliminated and then sharply curtailed the chemicals used to keep the water clean. There were problems over the years with clarity, algae and geese. Timothy Cronin, Ridgewood’s director of Parks and Recreation, said that Graydon is now as clean and clear as it’s been in the nearly three decades he’s worked in Ridgewood, with clarity of 10 to 12 feet. Still, he doubts that’s good enough for many parents.

“When I drive past the schools in this town, you wouldn’t believe the number of parents who drive the children to school,” he said. “My parents never drove me to school. I took the bus or walked. There’s just a higher level of concern on safety issues now. Maybe they don’t want children walking to school because of all the articles you read about pedophiles.”

Even among the parents at Graydon, there were differing views. Tanya Lee, who has lived in town for 15 years, said her four children regularly use the pool and love it. “A lot of the people who complain about Graydon never go to Graydon,” she said.

But Jeanette Venizelos, a five-year resident with two small children said it was time for a concrete pool. “I grew up with a real pool,” she said. “And when people say this is a pool, I say this isn’t a pool, it’s a duck pond, a chlorinated duck pond.”

There are many cross currents. Last year, a child drowned, a 14-year-old boy from South Korea who had been in the country for two days and was in a deep area he was not qualified to be in. The pool’s safety record is comparable to other pools — Mr. Cronin said he believed there had been two other drownings in the pool’s 80-year history — but the one last summer only deepened the concerns. Graydon proponents point to a modest vogue for natural pools, saying Ridgewood wants to destroy its pond just when it would be in tune with contemporary green sensibilities.

Art Wrubel, chairman of the village historic preservation commission, said the commission was adamantly opposed to a concrete pool that would destroy any part of the existing pool and has drafted a letter to the council saying any changes should “improve upon Graydon’s natural and historical landscape.”

Then there are financial issues — costs of building a new one or addressing dwindling revenues from the old one.

Both sides say they are Graydon’s real defenders. The pool project’s report is billed “Restoring Our Village Landmark.” Advocates say a concrete pool, sensitively built and respecting the park’s distinctive natural setting, is the only way to return it to the community gathering place it used to be.

The swimming season ends Labor Day, but the battle is just heating up. The council is considering a request for proposals for a new or updated pool. The Preserve Graydon Coalition plans a show of force for a pro-pond presentation to the council on Wednesday. A pro-pool group, Fix Graydon Now! — headed by a longtime Graydon member, Leigh Warren, who has reluctantly come to believe that Graydon will never lure back enough people in its current form — plans a show of force in opposition.

'I’m told there will be a police presence,' one of the pro-pond organizers said ominously."

E-mail: peappl@nytimes.com

Glen School Reunion Update

This is from my pals at the Glen School Class of 1967 blog:

Art Brierley was kind enough to file the necessary papers and we are confirmed for the Glen School reunion. It will be Saturday November 7 at Glen School! I will update with times, cost, etc.

If you're already on the list I will email you - I will need your addresses and phone numbers soon. If you're stumbling onto this site, come to the reunion! We have about 38 so far but there are still a lot of classic Glen alums out there! Get in touch! If you don't we'll make you climb the ropes in the gym! Its hectic at the moment with local baseball, etc but we will ensure everything goes smoothly with this one - its special!

I promise I will add more great Glen stories!

BF and RHS friends are welcome too - but space is limited so you have to let me know!

Email them at cmad@ntplx.net.

Baseball Gloves

I got this quote off the New York Daily News blog:

I remember the days of summer when we never left the house without bringing our baseball gloves. The gloves fit very nicely over the handle bars of our bikes. We never knew where or when a game of baseball, softball or stickball might break out, so we always had to be prepared...even if it was two guys just having a catch. I look around today and sadly I don't see that anymore.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2009/08/26/2009-08-26_summer_essay_series_what_a_day.html#ixzz0PK6ewkTJ

A few years ago I decided that if I ever played another game of softball or stickball it would be with a new glove. It was then that I got rid of the only two baseball gloves I had ever owned. Now these gloves were over 40 years old and had long ago out-lived their usefulness, but I had kept them anyhow. It was both sad and liberating to throw the gloves away. I was sad because they were old and filled with many great moments. I was happy because it meant I might have one more chance to break in a new glove.

It's been 20 years exactly since I last played a game of baseball. The very happy circumstances around this last game, not unlike Ted Williams last at-bat, have held me back from participating again. Why try to top yourself? This is an old show biz adage and I am an old ham.

In any event, it was 20 years ago that I was playing my first game as a "ringer" on a US Congressional league softball team. The Congressional League rules require that a woman bats at least every third at bat. This meant I was going to be sitting for most of the game as I was a newbie, and the girls had to play.

By the time I walked to the plate we were losing 15-0. I knew I would have one chance and would have to be patient. Just my luck the opposing team brought in a new pitcher, who was hoping to make good. His first pitch was right across the plate and I took it for a strike. This took the pitcher by surprise and I suspect he wanted me to make contact. The next pitch I didn't take and sent over the center fielder's head for a home run. When I crossed home plate I suspected this would be last at-bat.

If this is to be my last game I privately will allow myself to say I retired in the same manner as Boston Red Sox great, Ted Williams. On his last at-bat in 1960 he hit a home run, and seemingly skipped all around the bases.



Notice all the empty seats in Fenway Park in Boston. I didn't skip but I felt I was done, and haven't entertained the idea of doing it again, for love or money.

The Dog Days of Summer

These are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They seemed to always coincide with those last few days before we returned to school, and a routine we knew well.

By the time the Dog Days arrived in August we had been without our usual ways of doing things for a couple of months. While we loved the freedom, there was also a desire to see people again who were usually only encountered in a school setting. This is just the way it was, people took vacations at different times and we would lose touch with one another. I don't remember how long it took to re-connect once we resumed school, not long I imagine, but it seemed by the Dog Days that we had been out of school for quite a while.

I lived adjacent to the school yard of Willard School and could literally look out my bedroom window to see who was there, and what sort of games were being played. By late August I knew not to look because there wouldn't be enough people to start a game of baseball, and even if there were it would be too hot and muggy to contemplate choosing up sides.

I suppose the thing which kept us going, if we were around during this miserable stretch of the summer and not out of town on vacation, was thinking about the alternative: sitting in a hot classroom in September!

The days before our classrooms were air conditioned, as they are now in Ridgewood, were wretched for teachers and students alike. I know it's fine to be nostalgic about the simpler days, I do it all the time, but this one facet of growing up will never, ever seem like a pleasant idea. Nobody trying to learn in a hot, brick building could concentrate or think of anything except getting out of their school cloths and running around barefoot, including the teachers I would imagine.

We didn't have a centrally air-conditioned house until I was a junior in high school. I can clearly remember walking the two miles home from RHS during the dog days of my sophomore year. It was hot and I was carrying a ton of books. When I came home I shed my cloths and stood in front of a large fan for about 15 minutes. Of course, I then went outside to see what was going on in the school yard. Nothing was going to keep me inside by this time, heat or no heat. Even standing under a tree on a late summer afternoon was better than the alternative of sitting inside a school building. Every little breeze we felt made us thankful, even if we didn't verbalize it, that we were out and about. It's moments like these I suppose we will ponder later in life. Or as one of my favorite poets William Butler Yeats wrote, "When you are old and gray and full of sleep. And nodding by the fire." For that brief moment under the huge oak tree behind the principal's office we were both free and cool. There is nothing better in the world for my money.

The Duck Pond

I was reminded of the Duck Pond when I came across the news that it now has a dog park, a couple of fenced pens for dogs to run around in without a lease. I'll save my opinion of this for when I have seen it for myself.



By some good luck this is an item I came across during my Google search, courtesy of the Ridgewood Historical Society. It reminded me once again of how times change, and how we are smart when we find new uses for old ideas. In this case, ice was a prized commodity in the days before refrigeration could be afforded by everyone. By the time I came around the Duck Pond had fortunately evolved into a skating rink in the winter, a place for elementary school class parties, and a spot to take a date for a stroll during more temperate climate.

I am hoping that Ridgewood finds a similar use for Graydon Pool which is just as enduring as the one that was found for the Duck Pond. Seeing Graydon empty, like I did recently this summer, is not something which brings back any good memories for me, or makes financial sense when we are in the middle of a depression. Just my two cents.
Now the article which made me smile:


"When The Duck Pond Was More Than A Walk In The Park"

Before there were refrigerators there was the Duck Pond. As recently as the early 1930s, local hotels, inns and uptown markets relied on ice to keep food fresh and lemonade cold. Ridgewood’s Duck Pond was a major source of ice at that time, which was harvested and stored in the winter for use in warmer days. The enterprise was owned by Garret Tallman and Walter Hanham and their “empire” consisted of six wooden buildings that stretched from the west bank of the pond to Pleasant Avenue.

Blocks of ice two feet thick and three to four feet long were cut and hauled by pulleys into the ice house where it was stacked between layers of salt hay to prevent melting. Horses were used to maneuver the ice from pond to shed and they required special horse shoes to grip the slippery ice. If an accident sent the animals into open water, everyone participated in their rescue. Any delay could mean sickness or death for the horses.

The stored ice lasted throughout the warm weather season. Ice was not used in the winter as families relied on pantry boxes set in the windows, or lowered into a well. In the fall, the pond was drained and cleaned and men in hip boots would rake the bottom. This proved a bonanza for the people of the area: fresh fish was available for dinner! Many people waited at the pond’s edge for the fish thrown to them by the rake wielders. In time, we progressed to refrigeration and harvested our own ice in trays. Then the Duck Pond became a walk in the park!

Source: Alberta C. Ruckert, The Record 4/28/80 Photo: National Geographic

Stanley Warner Theater

Had to post this one! Everybody will remember the Warner as it looked in this photo (photo is circa 1930's but it pretty much looked like this in the 70's too!) Lots of Saturdays I spent there with friends and dates. What a great town to grow up in !!!

Ridgewood Moving Services: Cindy Neidig Myers 1977

Little did I know when I moved from NJ to NYC in 2002 that the moving company, Ridgewood Moving Services, I chose would one day be owned by Cindy Neidig, class of 1977. They did a fantastic job and I would certainly employ them again. I have added a link to their site to the sidebar. This site is all about helping people to reconnect, but also about helping people. Cindy's firm did a wonderful job in helping me back in 2002 and I didn't want it to go unnoticed.

Matt Fau on Graduation Night 1977

Matt with Cesca and Sue Broadhurst.










Has anybody heard from Sue lately? If we want our 35th reunion advertised on the RHS web site we need our class representative (Sue) to forward the details to the RHS webmaster.

We would all love to see you post on FaceBook, Sue.

Lucky Dave Rorty

David Hastings Rorty, class of 1977, has always been a ladies man. Here is a shot circa 1977 with Sue Kenyon.

Sue Kenyon in London 2009

No, this is not Sue Kenyon, RHS class of 1977, with her new boyfriend. It is Sue on vacation with her son. Such genuine affection needs no words to describe.





Sue posted this photo on FaceBook so I am hoping she doesn't mind my posting it here.


Here are some other more vintage shots:



Sue and Leslie DeVries in 1977












This is a stellar photo of Sue:

Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club

I learned to play tennis starting at the age of 8 at the URTC. We dressed in tennis whites and had to play to the letter of the rules. This included on weekends being kicked off the courts by adult members. We didn't ask why but if they saw us playing and there were no other courts then we were done.

I stopped playing for good when I started watching people like McEnroe on TV ruin the game with child outbursts at referees. I know he thought it helped him receive better calls but it also completely shattered the aura of civility which had been a watchword for the game. Now McEnroe makes jokes in American Express commercials making light of his petulant behavior, where he goes and apologizes to the retired referees he badmouthed. This is too little and too late for him.


He is the current fee schedule:

FEES & DUES SCHEDULE

Application Fee $25.00 per adult membership
Initiation Fee $1,300 per adult, payable at once or over 4 years
Membership Certificate $2,000 per adult, payable at once or over 4 years
Annual Dues $775 (age 35 to 65)
$575 (age 31 to 35)
$585 (over age 65)
Annual Dues - Juniors $165 (up to age 18)
Annual Dues – Jr. Associates $175 (age 19 to 23)
Annual Dues – Associates* $350 (age 24 to 30)

Another Restaurant for Ridgewood?

The phrase, "Carrying Coals to Newcastle" came to mind when I glanced at the Village of Ridgewood web site and saw the following notice:

Take notice that the Village Council has determined that it is in the best interest of the Village to permit the issuance of an additional Plenary Retail Consumption Liquor License pursuant to the authority granted to it under N.J.S.A. 33:1-19 et seq.
Date of Receipt of Bids:
September 18, 2009 at 10:00 A.M.

I guess the town also needs a few more bank branches.

Tom Watson

I usually don't have the patience to watch Golf on TV, or anywhere else. This weekend was different because a guy who was winning tournaments in the 1970s was giving the youngsters a run for their money. He was trying to become the oldest champion in golf history.

Tom Watson showed us all the importance of determination, especially when you are up against great odds. Tom came through in spades this weekend.

Though the look in Tom Watson's eyes should not be forgotten by us newly minted 50-somethings. He did his best but it wasn't good enough. He was playing in a young man's sport, and at a very high level. There is nothing to be ashamed of here, and an object lesson for us all; though it still hurts for an old jock like me to watch.



Moral: Dare To Be Good.



Thanks, Tom.

"And That's The Way It Is"

It would be hard to write a blog about the 1960s and 1970's without mentioning the passing of Walter Cronkite. He read the news for CBS from 1962-81 and did it in an age when we trusted newsreaders more than we do now.

It has been noted in other outlets that more people now watch American Idol than they do the likes of Katie Couric, Brian Williams and Charles Gibson combined. Times have changed and families simply don't gather to eat dinner in front of the evening news anymore. There are just too many other ways to read the news for oneself, and these can be accomplished without the sanctimonious undertone which is so common among today's newsreaders. The "Talent" as they are euphemistically called by some, usually seem more intent on letting their declining viewership know exactly how they feel about a story, instead of letting the story be the lead.

Cronkite on the other hand, read the bare facts. He was studiously unemotional and never spoke down to us. His one moment of emotion on the air came when he had to announce the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He took his classes off, turned to look at the clock on the wall, and then told the nation that their President was dead. It was a calming and reassuring moment for a nation which sorely needed one.

The NY Times had a fine characterization of Cronkite in their obituary of him, which I have paraphrased for this entry:

"He looked like a kindly newspaper editor interrupted in the middle of a big news day, busy, of course, but never too busy to explain the latest developments to out-of-town visitors."

We will likely never see another one on TV like Walter Cronkite, and "his boyish enthusiasm." He was, in a phrase,"the most trusted man in America." Hard to call to mind anyone know who could be paid the same tribute.

Jim Velordi is still a Rocker

This photo of RHS 1977 grad Jim Velordi was posted on FaceBook by Jane Ratliff. He was playing with the band Walkin Joe at The Cave in Kennesaw, GA - July 12, 2009 and is the third from the left. Very cool to see someone doing something they obviously love to do.

The Wonder of Space Flight

A glance at today's NY Times reminded me that forty years ago we were all watching the first steps of earthlings on the moon. We all use to watch events like these together, usually in the early morning. There was a sense of pride in accomplishing each step of our progress to the ultimate goal of stepping foot on the moon. People actually camped at the site of the launch in Florida in order to get a better view of the launch. Hard to imagine us getting this exciting about anything today, at least in the same collective sense. We now all have our own enthusiasms and it takes a tragedy like 911, or a huge sporting event like the Super Bowl, for us all to watch something together.

I like to make the observation at business lunches that the same courage it took to suggest we land a man on the moon is probably missing today. Of course, this may be a lingering effect of the loss of the 3 martini lunch, too. After a few cocktails we all become more brave and the thought of spending billions in order to conduct scientific research doesn't seem so out of the ordinary. If you posit the same idea to a bunch of people drinking iced tea and lemonade you will likely receive a less than enthusiastic response, and the cost would be brought up and the possible loss of life.

It is all too bad because I feel we lack a certain swagger and confidence. We need these sort of challenges in order to improve ourselves and the world around us. To dwell on what might go wrong is to take time away from reflecting upon what might go very right. Going to the moon was the correct decision and we are all the better for it.

Men Of 1977 in the Adirondacks

Tom Thurston was kind enough to send this photo to me from a recent gathering of men from the class of 1977. In his own words:

Paul,

The pictures of some of the “Girls of ‘77” caught our eye and we wanted to try and give some balance to your blog. Of course the girls pictured are a lot easier on the eyes then the tired old broken down ex-jocks pictured here at the Sagamore Golf Club on Lake George, NY but we definitely had more than our share of laughs when we got together.

Tom

Pictured; Front Row: Frank O’Connor, Sam Cermack
Back Row; Brian McKinley, Bill Nolan, Barry Gainey, Tom Thurston, Bob Brierly, Chris Duflocq, Paul Tobin

Not Pictured: Jim Velordi, Dan Conte



Please keep the pictures coming!

New Jersey Beefsteak

I played football in 9th grade (I hadn't discovered running yet) and wrestled through 11th grade. In that time, I remember two end-of-season sports banquets catered by Hap Nightingale. Nattily dressed waiters with gleaming silver trays delivered endless portions of buttery steak on bread points. We would eat and eat and eat, the wrestlers particularly happy to be free of weigh-ins.

At the time, I had no idea I was participating in a unique Bergen - Passaic County tradition: The Beefsteak. This New York Times piece is a great reminder:

“Once you start going to beefsteaks, it’s an addiction,” said Al Baker, a Hasbrouck Heights policeman who had organized the evening’s festivities to benefit the Special Olympics. “You’ve got the tender beef, butter, salt, French fries, beer — all your major food groups. But it’s very unique to North Jersey. I go to other places and nobody’s heard of it.” [...]

Their business office is the house’s cramped basement, and the tenderloins are grilled over hardwood charcoal in the driveway before being taken to the beefsteak venues. From this unlikely command center, the Nightingales catered over 600 beefsteaks last year, going through 88,000 pounds of tenderloin in the process.

New Jersey has so many charming and unique traditions. I should probably spend a little Google time trying to figure out what was so magical about the Jersey tomato.

TV Antennas

Today is the last day for analog transmission of television signals. In other words, no more antennas. The FCC has mandated that from now on the only form of TV is going to be digital.

It reminds me that I had the opportunity recently to prattle on to a 20 year old on the subject of how it was when I was growing up (a theme on this blog if you haven't guessed). Here are some of the differences:

1. We had fewer channels on the TV to choose from and we had no remote controls. In our house we would alternate every thirty minutes among ourselves as to who would choose the next show, and get up to change the channel.

2. We had rotary phones with no answering machines or caller id. Not to mention we sometimes used pay phones because we had no cell phones.

3. Vinyl records.

4. We read newspapers and couldn't rely on The Internet for our news.

I stopped at this point because the guy's eyes were glazing over and he was probably sitting there wondering how boring a childhood I must have had. This no doubt was the same expression I had when my parents and grandparents explained how it was in their day.

The point here is that as we witness the rapid evolution of our means of communication, there are some things like reminiscing about our childhoods which will not change. I only hope to be able to use the current systems of communications, like this blog, to hammer home this point and to collect some memories of a simpler age before we grow too old to remember.

This idea was captured in a poem, in another time, by William Butler Yeats. This is a favorite poem of mine, and one which I have committed to memory:

William Butler Yeats. b. 1865

When You are Old

WHEN you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Ladies of 1977 in Las Vegas

These ladies had the right idea by getting together in Las Vegas to renew old acquaintances and celebrate 50th birthdays.

Young Entrepreneurs 2009

An article in today's USA Today wrote about how teenagers were having trouble finding jobs, and were starting their own businesses.

It just reminded me that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In the 1970's we all had to work, because there were very few Fast Food joints and retail establishments who needed us.

As a bit of review, the boys mostly did the leaf raking, lawn mowing, and snow shoveling; the girls mostly did the baby sitting. Though I made a good amount of cash babysitting for neighbors between the ages of 12 and 14, at $1.00 an hour.

I think it is great that kids today are discovering their entrepreneurial smarts. This can only speak good things for them as they learn business skills and burn off excess calories.

Update: Class of 1979 30th Reunion

Here is the latest news on the 30th Reunion of the class of 1979. It was taken from their web site. I like the idea of a tour of RHS, especially if you haven't been back in the last 30 years or so to see if they have changed the combination of your locker. The improvements to the building and the addition of new Science facilities are all pretty amazing.

1. Friday Afternoon Tour of Ridgewood HS
(June 5th)

Kick off reunion weekend at 5 pm on Friday at the RHS Student Center. Tour the school with your classmates and Student Ambassadors. This is a great chance to see all the changes at RHS as well as reminisce about the previous century. Park and enter at the Little Theater entrance off Ridgewood Ave.
2.Friday Evening at the Elk’s Club in Ridgewood
(June 5th)

Beginning at 8:00pm till 1:00am there will be festivities at the Elk’s Club, 111 Maple Ave. This gathering will feature live music provided by many of our classmates who are still “rockin” after all these years! This was a highlight of our 25th weekend. Cost is $10.00 at the door. All are welcome!
3. Saturday Golf Outing
(June 6th)

We have organized a Golf Outing on Saturday at the Crystal Springs Resort (Great Gorge Country Club about a 45 minute drive from Ridgewood). Tee times will begin at 9:30am and we should be done by 2:30pm. Register for golf here. Cost is $113.00 which includes green fees, cart, and box lunch.

4.Saturday Night 30th Reunion Dinner
(June 6th)

At 7:00pm our Official Reunion Dinner celebration will commence at the Banquet Room of the Brick House restaurant, 179 Godwin Ave., Wyckoff. We have the banquet room till 11:00pm (They also have a bar that is open till 1:00am!). The cost for the evening is $99.00 per person and includes hors d’oeuvres, dinner, and an open bar.

5. Slide Show for Saturday night!

We are in the process of putting together a "slide show" that will be played throughout the Reunion dinner and would like you to share some of your favorite pictures from your high school daze. To have your pictures be part of this slide show, simply scan you photo’s and email them to cjdittrick-kg3f@post.me.com.
6. Lodging

We have reserved a "block" of rooms at the Doubletree Hotel in Mahwah, NJ for $109.00 per night for both Friday and Saturday night (either night or both). This rate also includes free round trip shuttle to and from the Brick House Restaurant on Saturday night. Their phone number is 201-529-5880, and their website is www.mahwah.doubletree.com. Just mention that you are with the "Ridgewood High School Class of 1979" to get the rate.
7. Getting the word out!

The reunion committee has tracked down as many of our classmates as we could find (email addresses, Facebook, MySpace, RHS website, you name it!). Please help us find some of the remaining missing classmates by viewing the attachment to this email and scanning it to see if there is someone whose email address you know. We would appreciate it if you could forward this email to them as well as providing our "email address guru" Dave Granata at d.granata@comcast.net with their email address so they will get any updates. Dave has painstakingly gathered and organized as many email addresses as we could collectively find and we appreciate your help in spreading the word. You can also direct them to the official RHS alum website, where updates and links are posted. www.alumniclass.com/ridgewoodhsnj

RHS-TV Sports

It caught my eye when I walked by the door of their studio in Ridgewood High, but it never dawned on me that they were broadcasting sporting events. My how times have changed. He is a link to a slideshow of pictures which begins with Head Football Coach Chuck Johnson, RHS 1970:



RHS-TV Sports Season 7

It wouldn't have made a huge difference in my life if there had been TV coverage as I ran Cross Country and Track. My sports lack the drama which exists in Football or Basketball, and can't be captured easily on a TV screen. Though I imagine TV is a big thing for the cheerleaders when the cameras focus on them, and of course for the athletes and coaches when they are being interviewed.

According to Wikipedia, "Ridgewood High School athletics are broadcast locally on RHS-TV Sports, a student-produced sports television network, every Tuesday night at 8PM throughout the school year."

Class of 1999 Reunion

The class of 1999 is having a reunion. No mention of the date except that they have engaged the firm of REUNIONS UNLIMITED, INC. to help plan and organize the reunion. This is all I could find on the Internet:

REUNIONS UNLIMITED,INC. is a professional reunion planning enterprise with much experience. Please fill out the bottom of this letter and send it back to

REUNIONS UNLIMITED, INC. P.O. Box 150,
Englishtown, New Jersey 07726.

Are they kidding about using snail mail? We used this firm for our 20th and it was fairly unanimous that for a more personal and memorable reunion, the job should be done by the class itself.

I hope the class of 1999 has a great time but I won't be surprised if they do all the hard work themselves for their 20th.

Class of 1984 Reunion is October 16-17 2009

This was on Facebook on the Ridgewood High School Alumni Discussion board:

"Class of 1984 - Our 25th Reunion will be October 16 - 17. There will be an evening event on October 16 at the Elks Club in Ridgewood. On Saturday, October 17 there will be tours of RHS for anyone interested followed by a Home Football game. Saturday evening there will be dinner at Biagios on Paramus Rd. Please spread the word and contact me for additional info or to make sure we have your contact information. Thanks!"
Kelly Kennedy Coakley - Coakley42@aol.com

Wretched Excess

I was driving through Ridgewood today, with the a plan of stopping at the Library to take a peak at the NY Times and use the facilities. As I was getting out of my car I couldn't help but notice that the town was chopping down the pine trees behind the Kassau Band Shell.

As a bit of background, anyone who has run track at Ridgewood in the last 50 years has come in contact with these trees, their lower branches, and their pine needles. They appeared healthy to my semi-professional landscaper's eye so I watched and waited for a moment to ask the tree trimmers why these majestic old trees were being cut down.

The guy I finally asked, much to his credit, was very polite. I believe he had been asked this same question countless times today. He told me the town was taking down the trees to expand the Band Shell in order to put in bathrooms. I thanked him and went on my business.

I can't say I am a tree hugger but I am a thrifty Scot. The fact that during a Depression the town would choose to spend money on chopping down trees in order to install bathrooms strikes me as a bit much. If this is the only way they can think to prime the pump and put people to work, then they need to think again.

Oh yeah, last word I heard the price tag for the bathrooms was $250,000. And no mention of what it will cost to maintain the bathrooms. It made me stop and think about what we did when I lived in Ridgewood. That was a no-brainer: we used the bathrooms at the Library. ;-)

The Roslyn Road Salem Ridge Gang

I just added another Glen School related link to the side bar on the right. The Roslyn Road Salem Ridge Gang has a lot to read for being such a new member of the Blogosphere.

Citizens Park is 40 Years Old

On one of my infrequent trips to Ridgewood today, I stopped by Citizens Park to pay my respects to the rock. It is a large stone which no doubt was unearthed when the ground was being contoured into a baseball field. It has a bronze plaque with the names of the citizens of Ridgewood, who in 1969 put up the money to purchase the land which they later named Citizens Park. My Dad's name is included, as well as numerous others. I wish I had taken a picture.

The creation of Citizens Park was one of those gestures so typical of the people who Tom Brokaw calls the "Greatest Generation." I am sure they thought it was simply a matter of course. My Dad and Mom never talked about, even though on this site in 1971 my Dad coached my Little League team to a division championship. We were their throughout the spring of that year and not once did he shed his usual modesty and show me the stone.

In retrospect I have come to believe that the men and women of the "Greatest Generation" simply knew in 1969 that the price was right for the land and agreed that if they just ponied up enough money between them it would be a place which could be used by generations to come. They were right and now it is a stellar baseball field with a good amount of park land around it for strolling and simply watching the world go by. This act of foresight may well be taken for granted by the current townsfolk, though anyone with a sense of history knows better.

Today, when I ponder acts of benevolence like this. in the light of our current economic climate. it makes me wonder if we will ever be able to act like this again. It is a gloomy thought which usually passes quickly as I remain an optimist, and know the economy will right itself as it always does in these United States.

On my journey today, I also visited Van Nest Square in the center of town. It was renovated in the 1990s by the "Greatest Generation" as a kind of last defining act by the group of people who had shaped Ridgewood for well over a quarter century. I should have taken a picture of their stone.

We need memories of these people if only to serve as a reminder of what a small group of people can do when they put their minds to it. I tried to Google both sites but have yet to find any mention of these charitable acts. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if there were no mentions on the Internet because that was just how they rolled.

Yankees 2009

I was just checking out the Yankees web site to see the price of Season Tickets. For about $26,000 you could get a Field Level ticket to all 81 home games. They will throw in a free Yankee Yearbook, too. This is $325 per ticket. Family of four would cost a cool $104,000. I believe you get free parking but it may only be in the preferred garage and you would still pay.

Want something to eat during the game? I haven't seen the prices but I understand the options are diverse. The Hard Rock Cafe menu states how many calories each item has but not the price. There is also a NYY Steakhouse which I understand they want to franchise. The 16oz Filet goes for $49. Want some Bearnaise Sauce on that Steak? An extra $6. Shrimp Cocktail is $16. Like a cognac to finish the meal? Remy Martin Louis xiii will set you back $225 a glass.

Does anybody else think this all is insane?

My first experience at Yankee Stadium in the 1960s was in the above mentioned Field Level seats, which were wiped down by Union users before we sat in them. You won't see any Union ushers at the new Stadium. Those guys were pensioned off years ago, instead we have Stadium Security who will point you to your seats. Though heaven help you if the seat is wet or has junk on it because they don't care.

Fortunately, I am able to watch all the games on TV but you have to wonder what would possess anyone to purchase such a package or go to the stadium to eat. I can hardly wait for the news media to begin interviewing these people who will be seating behind home plate for a mere $2625 per seat.

The last time I went to Yankee Stadium in 2004 I sat in the bleachers for $12 and had a couple of $2 Buds before the game in the bowling alley across the street. I noticed that Bleacher Seats are now $14 and that the decade old ban on beer in the Bleachers has been lifted. Hope some corporate tickets come my way from somewhere because I'm not paying for any of this wretched excess.

Play Ball!

Don McLean Summer of 1977

I saw him on the pier at South Street Seaport in the Summer of 1977.

This occurred before we lost the Fulton Fish Market and Sloppy Louie's Restaurant, 92 South Street New York City (NY).

The Fulton Fish Market is now in the Bronx and Sloppy Louie's is still advertising the fact that their linens are unused. Sorry to say they are gone, too.

NY Knicks and Rangers of the 1970s

My late Dad used to procure tickets for my brother and I from a partner of his for NY Knick and Ranger games during the 1970s. My parents would let us take the train into NYC and then would drive in to pick us up after the game. They must have figured since we were born in NYC we could handle ourselves, and they were spot on.

We sat in the "nose bleed seats" which had a price of around $6.00, which is pretty cheap when you consider that court side seats now fetch as much as $2500 each. These seats were located directly behind the Newspaper writers and we listened attentively to all their conversations, as much as we watched the games. There was a memorable comradeship among all those of us who had to sit up in "Heaven" at the World's Most Famous Arena that delights me to this day.

The Knicks in those days were a very good team, and tonight at Madison Square Garden they are honoring the old time Knicks. There have been some very good players since then like Patrick Ewing, Bernard King, and Charles Oakley but no championships.

The thing I remember about the Rangers was that on Sunday afternoon games which were being televised on TV the players would all slick back their hair so they would look good for the cameras. Nobody wore helmets in those days.




Here is a picture from that era of two of the three members of the GAG line.
The GAG line was a famous ice hockey line for the New York Rangers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It consisted of Jean Ratelle at center, Rod Gilbert on right wing and Vic Hadfield on the left side. They became famous for playing on a great New York team that never won a Stanley Cup. The GAG line was an acronym for Goal-A-Game line.

Songs of the Seventies

I am sitting at my desk today with my iPod set to Shuffle play, and it is apparent how much our teen years form tastes that never go away. In the space of three hours, the following songs came up at random:

“It’s Too Late” by Carol King.
Though we really did try to make it . . .

“Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack.
Strumming my pain with his fingers . . .

“Killer Queen” by Queen.
Dynamite with a laser beam . . .

“How Sweet It Is” by James Taylor.
It’s like sugar sometimes . . .

“Jet Airliner” by the Steve Miller Band.
Don’t take me too far away . . .

“Incident On 57th Street” by Bruce Springsteen.
“Spanish Johnny you can leave me tonight but just don’t leave me alone . . .

“I’m Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight” by Atlanta Rhythm Section.
“Tomorrow I might go as far as suicide . . .

“Holly Holy” by Neil Diamond.
Sing it out, sing it strong . . .

”Tequila Sunrise” by the Eagles.
Take another shot of courage . . .

I listened to all these songs just this morning, not 30 years ago. Sure, there was some newer stuff interspersed in there (mostly country and folk music), but that’s a heck of a heavy dose of the 70s for one morning. Kinda felt like watching one of those Time Life infomercials.

“But wait, order now and we’ll also send you this bonus CD!”

Summer of 1977 at the Jersey Shore

Many thanks to Paul Ruck for posting countless photos on Facebook from our time at RHS. If you aren't a member then I suggest you join, if only to see the photos.


It calls to mind the old Simon and Garfunkel song, "Bookends":

Time it was, and what a time it was, it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences

Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph

Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you

Some Vintage Ridgewood Photos!

Here's some vintage Ridgewood photos I recently found. Some are not dated and others are. I love finding old photos of Ridgewood! Enjoy!

Above is an undated photo of students in class at George Washington Junior High School.

Above photo shows students in the cafeteria at Ridgewood High School - undated photo.

Above is a photo of Oak Street Ridgewood - the original caption was dated 1933.

And finally here's a photo of former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton painting in his spare time inside his Ridgewood NJ home. It was said that Bouton had over 100 paintings in the house at the time - circa 1964. Bouton used to get his haircut at Johnnie's Barbershop in town!

RHS 1977 on FaceBook

Even though I am now a card carrying member of AARP I am not too old to see the charm of FaceBook. I have found many old pals and am enjoying the virtual connections we are maintaining.

Maybe in a highly transient society that is a good thing, who knows? I believe it is harmless enough and is certainly better than no connections at all. I also believe the whole process of connecting via the Internet will get better and more complicated as the build-out of high speed broadband Internet access starts to catch up to countries in the Far East. All good things come with a price. We will all just have to be on our guard and not post too much information for the general public or future employers to see. The Internet remembers everything, for good or for bad.

Let's just have some fun with it, and someday people will look back and see that this was the entertainment we enjoyed during the Depression of 2007-2010, much like people playing Monopoly during The Great Depression of 1930s.

Freedom of the Web

As an added comment on my earlier post regarding the decline of Newspapers in America, I have to quote another source. This is worth mentioning in a blog like this which "recollects in tranquility" those powerful feelings we felt while growing up. Hopefully we are still amused by the pictures and moments described here.

I mention it because a pal of mine, Frank James, is the editor of the Chicago Tribunes Washington Bureau and the source of this information.

Frank's work has repeatedly reminded me of the fact that Newspapers in America deserve our consideration because they have provided innumerable services over the years. Who can forget the first time they were able to read The New York Times, The Bergen Record, or The Ridgewood Herald News through without anyone having to explain it to them? Maybe this occurred as late as college but it still happened none the less. This defining moment is being lost on a generation growing up with their primary source of information as The Internet. In my opinion, they need to be reminded of our simpler time and the less technological method in which we all shared our news. Please don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in the potential of The Internet, as it affords me a lifestyle I have always dreamed about here in New York City.

My point is we need to pay attention to the decline of newspapers in America. They do not deserve an unceremonious send-off. We need to figure out a way to keep them relevant and profitable.

Without further commentary here is the piece which inspired this post:

...increasingly, Americans, free to roam like the buffalo, are turning to the Internet for their news.

Before anyone celebrates the decline of newspaper readership and the increase in Internet viewership, it's worth considering the financial resources that strong newspapers and magazines bring to bear in the investigation of corruption in government, wrongdoing in private life and abuse of power in general.

The business model of the Web-site and the resources it takes to publish one aren't likely to sustain the sort of prize-winning journalism that Americans have come to cherish as a national tradition and indeed expectation. There are several strong newspapers behind this Web-site, for instance - struggling with the economic troubles that have besieged the national in general, for sure, yet still robust enough to deliver the sort of journalism that brought to light the corruption of the former governor of Illinois.

The Pew Research Center has found that, among those surveyed last year, just 39 percent of Americans said they had read a newspaper the day before, either in print or online. That was down from 43 percent in 39 percent in 2006.

The proportion reporting that they had read solely a print version of a newspaper fell by roughly a quarter, from 34 to 25 percent. And the 14 percent of Americans who said they had read a newspaper online was up 9 percent.

"The balance between online and print readership changed substantially between 2006 and 2008,'' Pew reports. "In 2008, online readers comprised more than a third of all newspaper readers. Two years earlier, fewer than a quarter of newspaper readers viewed them on the Web. This is being driven by a substantial shift in how younger generations read newspapers.

"In 2008, nearly equal percentages in Generation Y (born 1977 or later) read a newspaper online and in print; 16% said they read only a print newspaper, or both the Web and print versions, while 14% said they read a newspaper only on the internet, or both online and in print. In 2006, more than twice as many in Gen Y said they read a printed newspaper than the online version (22% vs. 9%).

"There is a similar pattern in newspaper readership for Generation X (born between 1965 and 1976). In 2008, 21% read only a print newspaper, or both an online and a print newspaper; 18% read a newspaper only on the Web, or both online and in print. In 2006, 30% of Gen X read a newspaper in print, while just 13% read a web version.

"Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and the Silent/Greatest Generations (born before 1946) continue to read newspapers at higher rates than do those in younger age cohorts.

"However, the proportion of Baby Boomers who said they read a newspaper yesterday slipped between 2006 and 2008, from 47% to 42%. The decline among Baby Boomers has come entirely in print readership (from 42% to 34%).''

Class of 1979 30th Reunion

According to Greg Van Houten over at the RHS Alumni Group on FaceBook,

The RHS Class of 1979 is having a reunion June 5-6, 2009. Check rhs alum site for details.

When I track down a web site or blog I will post it. To date I have refrained from including sites like Classmates.com and Reunion.com because they charge for their services. Let's be clear, I have nothing against people making money. I am simply very old school and believe the information should be free. Call me an idealist but that is how I believe the information will best be disseminated. Face it, we are in a Depression and everyone is watching their pennies. Why charge for a service when a "free" blog like this one can do the same job?

As an FYI regarding the Class of 1979 Reunion, good luck trying to find the link over at the Ridgewood Public Schools site. It appears they go out of their way to avoid mentioning the word "alumni" for fear we will reappear. ;-)

We might even go as far as to offer some suggestions or ask that our reunion information be posted. Fortunately, we have sites like this one to pick up the slack. Given the nature of The Internet, I am sure more are on the way. Just go look at FaceBook and you will see numerous sites devoted to connecting graduates from elementary school on up. Though it looks like we have our work cut out for us if we ever want to tie them together into an RHS portal. I am up to the challenge and will continue to do my part. I hope you will also.


25 February 2009 Update: The Class of 1979 Reunion link

I have included it with the others on the right side. Thanks to Greg Van Houten for sending it along.

1887 Map of Ridgewood

The USGS map below shows sections of Bergen and Passaic counties in 1887. Ridgewood is in the upper lefthand corner. Many of the main roads still used today are discernable, including Maple, Ackerman, Linwood, Glen, and Ridgewood Avenues. There is a small pond shown near the Ho Ho Kus "Creek" which would be expanded in the 1930s to create Graydon Pool. Many more old maps, including the same area in 1900, are available here. I love old maps, and could while away hours at that site perusing the way things used to be.

101 Posts

I just noticed that there are 101 postings to this blog. I guess that is some sort of a milestone to be celebrated. The responses from RHS alumni across the country have been very heartening and I truly believe this blog will evolve into something with "durable significance" as one of my old professors at Dickinson College used to say.

Please keep an eye on our progress, and don't let the current economic climate dissuade you from doing some reminiscing. In 1974 we had an energy shock, price controls, and much higher unemployment. We made it through those troubled times and we will survive this panic, too.

It might just be best to dwell on something else for a time. I often find it soothing to ponder what the best and brightest minds have written. For instance, consider what William Wordsworth believed were the origins of poetry. He makes the point that "poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." I wouldn't want to say that the quality of my blogging can be compared to the effort which a poet must put forth, though the origins could be from the same source. My recollections regarding Ridgewood are produced during my more tranquil moments, and they do suggest an overflow of powerful feelings for a town which I visit more often in my mind than I do via automobile.

Hopefully I will regain a more balanced view in the future and have more reason to see Ridgewood as it is today. No question the changes have been staggering over the last 30 odd years. The funny thing is that during the times I am able to cruise Ridgewood Avenue or drive by my old house on Glenwood Road, I do find some things which haven't changed a bit. Maybe the lesson is that as we grow older recollections of our childhood can and should be brought to light, if only to give us a prospective on where we are heading in our adulthood. In other words, you won't know where you are going until such time as you fully understand where you have been.

The Bucket List

I am anything if I am not flexible. This falls under the category of "Keeping Your Fingers on the Pulse of the Internet" and thus deserves our attention. I give a big shout out to Joe Farrell, my new friend on Facebook for tipping me off. It is one more way for to tell our stories, the theme of this blog if you haven't figured it out.

An X goes next to those you have done. On many sites you are supposed to send these to your friends. I will be charitable and not fill up your inbox. If you are here voluntarily then you are already my friend. Thanks.

Things you have done during your lifetime:
(X) Gone on a blind date - Yes.
(X) Skipped school - Yes, especially after I turned 18 and could call in my own excuses.
(X) Watched someone die - My father on 20 December 2008
(X) Been to Canada - Montreal and Quebec in the summer of 2005. I would return again in a heartbeat.
(X ) Been to Mexico - No.
(X) Been to Florida - My Mom resides in Sarasota.
( ) Been to Hawaii - No. it's too long a ride from the East Coast. Maybe when I have retired and can spend a week in San Francisco first.
(X) Been on a plane - Can you say, Frequent Flyer?
( ) Been on a helicopter - No, though it looks like fun.
(X) Been lost - Many times before my wife bought me a GPS (Garmin).
(X) Gone to Washington, DC - I lived in the area for almost 5 years. It still is a favorite city of mine.
(X) Swam in the ocean - Mostly in the Atlantic.
( ) Swam with Stingrays - No.
( ) Cried yourself to sleep - No.
(X) Played cops and robbers - Always liked being a cop. I still resemble one and am often stopped on the NYC when I wear my NYPD shirt. I try to be helpful but always remind people that I am not a cop and only a NYPD supporter.
( ) Recently colored with crayons - No.
( ) Sang Karaoke - No.
( ) Paid for a meal with coins only - No
(X) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch - with my family 40 years ago. My Dad was from Missouri.
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't - Just like everyone, I does this sometimes.
(X) Made prank phone calls - Up until the age of 8.
(X) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans - Once and witnessed two drunks fighting in the middle of the street at 7 in the morning. It is a great food town and I will go back.
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - Many time while in K-12 in Ridgewood.
( ) Laughed until you peed yourself - No.
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue - Yes, and I still like the taste of them.
( ) Danced in the rain-naked - No
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus - In the 60s and he always seemed to deliver at least something which I asked for.
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe - Just this past Christmas by the love of my life, Ana.
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone - Yes.
(X) Blown bubbles - Yes, my dog likes to chase them.
( ) Blown bubbles in the freezing winter and watched them solidify-- No
( ) Exploded bubbles filled with natural gas in HS science class - No
(X) Gone ice-skating - Many times and on Coles Pond, too.
(X) Gone to the movies - There is nothing like a Matinee.
( ) Been deep sea fishing - No
(X ) Driven across the United States - Once
( ) Been in a hot air balloon - No
( ) Been sky diving - Not a chance in the world.
(X ) Gone snowmobiling - Yes
( ) Lived in more than one country - No
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets - Summer of 1977.
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish - Yes
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser - No, but it's on my list.
( ) Seen the Grand Canyon - No, but it's on my list.
(X) Seen the Statue of Liberty - Yes, and have been in the crown.
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle - No, but it's on my list.
( ) Been on a cruise - No interest.
(X) Traveled by train - Yes on both commuter and long distance. I still want to try a sleeper car.
(X) Traveled by motorcycle - Never again.
(X) Been horse back riding - Never again.
(X ) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car - Once and I will do it again this spring.
(XX) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World - Once in 1974.
(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer - Yes, who I am too dispute it?
(X) Been in a rain forest - Only at the Central Park Zoo
( ) Seen whales in the ocean - No
(X) Been to Niagara Falls - Once.
( ) Ridden on an elephant - No
( ) Swam with dolphins -No
( ) Been to the Olympics - No
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China - No
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf - ?
( ) Been spinnaker flying - ?
( ) Been water-skiing - Once and I fell down repeatedly.
(X) Been snow-skiing - Smuggler's Notch.
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey - No
( ) Been to the Louvre - No, but it's on my list.
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean - No, but it's on my list.
(X) Been to a Major League Baseball game - Go Yankees!
(X) Been to a National Football League game - Go Giants!
(X) Swam with sharks - No
(X)Done something nice for someone for no reason - Yes, it's called, Paying it Forward."

The Ridgewood News

I received a copy of The Ridgewood News this week from Rick Flannery (Thanks!) which contained a terrific article about efforts being made to reconnect Glen School alumni. Unfortunately, the paper is not online so you will have to buy a reprint. This can be accomplished by calling 973-569-7017, or via email to reprints@northjersey.com. It ran on Page A4 on Jan. 30, 2009 and was titled "Blogger hopes to Reconnect Glen School Alums." It was featured in The Ridgewood News in Vol. 89, No. 5.

I wish The Ridgewood News was online as that is how I receive the majority of my news these days. Don't get me wrong I still love the feel of a newspaper and nothing makes me happier than buying The New York Times first thing in the morning. It's just that I don't rely upon newspapers the way I once did, the way we all once did.

The real problem with Newspapers is obvious: they can't be printed and distributed fast enough to keep up with the Internet. I understand this but it doesn't lessen my desire for them to survive in some other form. An online version to me is the next step they must take to survive, and most major newspapers have already done this.

This leads me to wonder, what about the local papers like The Ridgewood News? Its been published continuously since 1889 and would be missed if it weren't around any more. Is there a way for it to continue, and be profitable, in this day and age? Are newspapers the sort of thing which should be run by non-profits and thus not be required to make money? Instead, they would be recognized for being a voice in the community which keeps politicians and special interest groups honest. You just have to see all the print being devoted to the ongoing Graydon Pool renovation plans to believe that without The Ridgewood News these sort of discussions would be a lot less open, and the public wouldn't have much input at all.

New Players Company

As an old thespian from my Dickinson College days (Mermaid Players), and as one who helped at GW with props, I couldn't help but add the RHS New Players Company web site to the list on the right of this blog.

The New Players perform at the Little Theatre, a place where my early love of theatrical performances was cemented for life. I vividly remember the first day of school in the 10th grade when they sat us down for a performance of The Fantastics. The performers were, as I recall, from the class of 1974. They were appearing just before they were scheduled to go off to college. Looking back this probably added quite a bit to the inevitable stress behind the performance. All I can think is that it must have been because they loved the material. For most actors this sort of performance would have been asking too much. In any event, The Fantastics has been my favorite musical of all time ever since.

Here is clip of the most memorable song in the show. It was sung by the original El Gallo, Jerry Orbach, with Marvin Hamlisch on the piano.

It's funny to think that some people at the Utube site commented that they didn't know Jerry Orbach could sing. I guess they only thought of him as Baby's Dad from "Dirty Dancing" or from all those episodes he did with "Law and Order" on TV.

Here is the song as they were asked to performed it by Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1988:



Here is some history of The New Players Company from their web site:

In 1972, Jack Boyle, a member of the RHS English Department, founded the New Players Company as a co-curricular activity involving 30 to 40 students who produced two or three plays during the year and another two in the summer. By 1979, the program had expanded to four to six plays during the school year plus a summer program and a special production for children, introduced by Brian Aschinger, who was then the Artistic Director of the Company. In 1986, Rachael Daum and Dennis Carroll, both faculty members at RHS, were appointed co-Artistic Directors. Two more resident directors, both English teachers at RHS, joined the company during the next two years: Lori Barnett in 1987 and Meg Schaefer in 1988. During the 1990’s student participation in the New Players Company steadily increased, until it comprised over 10% of the student body. Also during this period, numerous alumni began to return to the New Players Company to serve as directors and designers, most notably Laurie Sales, who assumed responsibility for running the Junior Company Program, as well as directing one or two senior productions each year. In 2005, Meg Schaefer was appointed Artistic Director of the Company.

RHS Class of 1958

I found a link to the RHS Class of 1958 web site on Facebook. They should be congratulated for celebrating their 50th reunion this past September. It appears they are having some fun with the various features which can be added to a web site. Hopefully they will try a blog out for a good measure. As far as technology suited for announcing, promoting, and communicating news of pending reunions, there is nothing better today than a blog. When something better comes along I will be sure to blog about it and deploy it when the time is right.

RHS Band.org

While I never was a member of the RHS band, I can readily attest to the enthusiasm with which they went about their practices. As a distance runner on the track team I usually saw them as I was going on a run and when we returned. You had to respect them because they had to both play an instrument and do it while in a precision march. If you add in the spiffy uniform they wore, even on a hot day, you have a very physical endeavor. In terms of running it would rank up there with legendary runs we took to Lower Cross on freezing cold days, or running at the Eastern States Cross Country Finals at Van Cortland Park in a pouring rain. Both of these I can now recall with some nostalgia, though they were ordeals which we endured just the same. I can only imagine what it would take to march in the 4th of July Parade when the weather was in the 90's or better.

I added a link to the RHS Bands.org on the right side of this blog as it's a very well developed site for a school-based organization. It appears they have lost none of their ardor, as can also be attested to by the 247 member group I found on Facebook.

President's Day 2009

Until 1971 there were holidays in February honoring two of our most legendary and most written about Presidents: Washington and Lincoln. This all ended when Richard Nixon declared one single federal public holiday. It is observed on the 3rd Monday of February in honor of all past presidents of the United States of America.

When I was attending elementary school the two holidays broke up an otherwise dreary month. They fell on odd days, not just Mondays, and gave us all a respite from the grind. I think the teachers even enjoyed them.

Now with most families needing to send both parents out to work in order to pay the bills, the Monday holiday is the compromise solution. Can you imagine if parents had to juggle their schedules every February so someone would be around to watch the kids who had been given two holidays by their school system? There would be a mutiny and most kids would probably end up at school anyway in some sort of mass day care program.

The offshoot of the one holiday, I believe, is that we spend less time considering our history, and the courage which both Washington and Lincoln had to display as leaders of our country. They were not perfect men but they did rise to the occasion and made critical decisions which shaped our current nation. When we lump all the Presidents together we tend to not make a distinction between the bad and the good ones, the ones who acted timidly and the ones who showed the mettle they were made of.

I know we will never go back to two holidays in February but I do fondly recall the whimsy it provided our schedules. If a snow day occurred somewhere in the middle of the holidays it made the entire month fly by, and then spring would be right around the corner.

Molly Ahearn and Paul Ruck on Graduation Day 1977

I think my Mom had her finger over the camera lens in this one. Molly and Paul were two good pals of mine and it was great to be able to stand for this photo in front of my home on Glenwood Road.

As you all know, the Ridgewood Graduation is a night and day to remember. We start off in the late afternoon all dressed in white, and continue on well through the next day, when the stouthearted among us go to the New Jersey Shore. There are numerous parties throughout the night and innumerable promises to stay in touch forever.

Looking back I fondly recall this wonderful town tradition. It involves seemingly everyone, from parents and family members, to all sorts of people who watched us grow up like ministers and teachers. If you were to pick one reason for raising a family in Ridgewood it would have to be the send-off the town gives its graduates. This is a day that graduates realize they have accomplished something important in their lives. If they are lucky it gives them a momentum for the next stage of their lives, whether it be college, or a working life.

My 8th Birthday Party

I might as well continue posting all the old pictures I own before they succumb to age. No doubt they are not as sharp as those taken with newer vintage cameras but they are priceless none the same.

This is actually a good one circa 1967. From left to right Steve Jewell, Bill Nolan, Ted Gehrig, myself, Jens Larson, my brother Donny, Jay Buckley, and Scott Griswold.

We went bowling that day and were all very pleased to be given Coca-colas and birthday cake, as well as something hot off the BBQ. We cooked with charcoal briquettes, and to this day it is still my favorite way to BBQ. Though any chance I get to BBQ is alright by me as I am a city dweller these days.

Glen School Teacher Search!

Along with contributing on this wonderful blog about Ridgewood, I also do the blog at glenschool1967.blogspot.com. While we are searching for ALL the "kids" that attended Glen School we are desperately searching for teachers or the families of the teachers that taught at Glen School. We also would love to find the families of people like Agnes Larsen (Glen School secretary), George McFall (custodian) and Bea Blumquist (librarian) as well as others.

I am thrilled to report that we have located 5 teachers thus far - 3 as a direct result of the recent article in the Ridgewood News. So lets keep developing this network - as Paul and I have said in emails back and forth we ultimately hope to do the same with the other schools in Ridgewood (Willard, Somerville, BF, etc).

Posted below is a Glen School faculty photo that was recently sent to me by my 3rd grade teacher Amy Beattie-Carvell - enjoy!

Back Row l to r: Pat Prescott, Nancy Cook, Rhea Boerner, Pete Gahara, Amy Beattie (Carvell), Jeanette Janicke, unidentified, Miss Trantum (Jones)

Front Row l to r: Alice Coan, Bea Blumquist, Art Linden, Agnes Larsen, Pat DeJongh

Gene Ricci

Here is an article and picture from 1974 featuring Willard School teacher Gene Ricci. This one will make Jim Schoneman of the class of 1974 very nostalgic. It is from the Official Publication of The Ridgewood Public Schools:

"Gene Ricci (pronounced Ritchie) is known in the Willard School area as "the plant doctor." Parents and students bring their ailing plants to school to see if his green thumb can spark new life into a wilting hibiscus or a fading gardenia. Thousands of plants are raised by the children in his sixth grade classroom each year in an elaborate greenhouse he has rigged up along the classroom windows. Because of Ricci's knowledge and enthusiasm for plant life, floriculture has become a popular part of the school's sixth grade curriculum and his plant club has more than forty students on its waiting list.


Ricci is a "late bloomer" in the teaching profession. As a boy growing up in Pennsylvania he learned meat cutting as a family trade. He worked his way through college as head chef at a fashionable restaurant and is still a gourmet cook. He became a bookkeeper and a business manager in the years after his high school graduation in 1944. An opportunity to teach course for an industrial corporation led him ot decide that his real vocation was teaching. He had always had a special rapport with children, and he decided to go back to college in 1960 and prepare himself for a teaching career. He now holds a B.A. and an M.A. from William Paterson College in the field of elementary education with a concentration in mathematics. He has been attending courses in floriculture at the North Jersey Institute of Applied Horticulture to advance his knowledge of botany.


Gene came to Willard as a practice teacher in 1964 and has stayed ever since, first as a fourth grade teacher and now in the sixth grade. In what he calls "The Willard System" he teaches mathematics to homogeneous groups, and science to all sixth graders. The other sixth grade teachers are responsible for language arts and social sciences for the entire grade as well as special sections in mathematics. He feels that this plan gives Willard "the best of team teaching, the best of departmentalization, and the best of the self-contained classroom."

Alison Rosica

This one was taken in the spring of 1977 shortly after I had been accepted to Dickinson College. It was taken at Alison's house, the historic Van Dien's house on Grove Street. The picture doesn't do her justice but I thought I would include it for grins. I had many fun, laugh-filled times at her house my senior year. Her parents were very warm and inviting. They introduced me to Famous Amos, the cookie entrepreneur. Alison's Dad and Mom are the ones who helped make him famous. They are best known for introducing the term "Cause-related Marketing" into our vernacular. In a nutshell, it is a public relations practice that links for-profits with not-for-profits for mutual benefit. This is also known as corporate responsibility, corporate philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility.

From Wikipedia:

In 1979, John Rosica, introduced Wally to Literacy Volunteers of America. From that point forward, Wally Amos has advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read; in 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read.

Memorial Day Run 1978

This was taken at the Ridgewood Memorial Day Run in 1978, shortly before my family moved out of Ridgewood and back into New York City. I remember this day as being very hot and that more than one person had to be taken to the hospital. The race itself was uneventful for me, except for the fact it was one of the last ones I ran. This was the spring after my freshman year in college and my interests were no longer centered around running, as they had been in High School. This largely had to do with my missing my old running mates and track coaches from Ridgewood, and the fact Dickinson College had much to offer in terms of diversions. It came down to this: going to the track each afternoon for practice didn't really interest me anymore. I had so many good memories from my Ridgewood track days that running with new teammates, and for a coach who actually smoked cigarettes in the locker room, was more of a chore than it should have been. Yes, during our Ridgewood days we froze in the winter, and were rained upon in the spring and fall but it couldn't deter me from remembering those as good times. Who doesn't color their memories this way?

Growing Up In Ridgewood

Like Paul and Kurt I too am drawn into our Ridgewood history! Its probably because I loved every minute of my childhood and my later school years. That's not to say that I didn't have my ups and downs - I had my insecure years - 6th grade, part of 7th then 10th grade. But through it all it was the best!

I have great memories of all 3 schools I attended (Glen, BF and RHS). I was a fun-loving kid and as such my grades always suffered! But I had some great teachers in BF and RHS that always looked out for me - in fact my Spanish teacher from 10th grade - Miss Muster - came to my graduation to watch me graduate! She had faith in me. In my senior year, I did what I should have been doing every year which was ace just about all my classes! The best was when Mr. McCutcheon congratulated me - he always tried desperately to keep me in line - what a great man! Teachers can and do make a difference in our lives.

Above is an early postcard of our high school.

Graydon Pool - wow! There have always been complaints about Graydon but I hope the core of Graydon never changes - it was the best! It had this distinctive smell - it was this combination of Coppertone, the water, the sand. I went there for swimming lessons. I always wanted to be like my sisters and sit on the "grass" - that's where all the high school kids were! My gym teacher Mr. Bookstaver was a lifeguard there! What an approriate place to end one's school years - the traditional early morning dip there before heading to the Jersey Shore after having celebrated all night long on graduation day!

When I was little - my dad and I always went downtown on saturday mornings - haircuts, paper store (baseball cards!), liquor store (wasn't a big deal!), Corde Cleaners, Victor's House of Music, Perdue's Sport Shop for baseball stuff, Drapkin's - I mean the list goes on! The memories are many and doing all of that with my dad was so much fun! In my future posts I will try to focus on one facet of this town we love so much!

Paul was kind enough to invite me as a blogger and I appreciate the invitation! This will be fun!

Garden State Plaza

When I was a little kid, Garden State Plaza was the shopping mecca, and it wasn't the climate controlled enclosed shopping mall that's there today. GSP started life as, well, a plaza. It was essentially a strip mall, with the stores turned inward towards each other and the parking outboard. I remember going there with my mom around Christmas, and one of the store Santas turned out to be a Graydon Guard, home on his college break. He recognized us, and was asking us all about Dad, and how we liked our house on Wall St. We were amazed that Santa knew exactly who we were and where we lived.

After graduating from college, I worked at GSP as a construction coordinator for the enclosure project. It was exciting to get "behind the scenes" at a place I knew so well. I marveled at all the tunnels that allowed trucks to service the stores from below. Later on, the tunnels themselves were converted to retail areas - the lower level of today's GSP.


Bamberger's was owned by Macy's. This store eventually became a Macy's when they terminated the Bamberger's name.


I didn't know GSP had a grocery store. But here's the proof, the venerable Grand Union (my mom shopped at Kilroy's Wonder Market in Glen Rock).


You knew Christmas was coming when the giant Santa and his chimney appeared in the parking lot.

I Need To Get Back

It's amazing. I am sitting here in Norfolk, Virginia with my wife, daughter, and four large dogs. And the pull persists: how can I get up to Ridgewood?

I need to get back. I want a buttered hard roll, with poppy seeds. I want to run our old "Lower Cross" 6 mile course through Ho Ho Kus. I want a burger and fries from The Fireplace. I want a slice of pie from Renato's or Mama Rosas's. Is Van Dykes Ice Cream still there? I want that, too.

I am reminded of an encounter my late wife Suzy and I had at a local architect's meeting in Williamsburg. We were at Kings Arms Tavern, talking to an architect originally from Syria, now living in Richmond. It turned out he had previously lived in Ridgewood, and when we connected on that, he grew very excited. Calling his wife over to meet us, he excitedly proclaimed "Ridgewood is the most wonderful place we have ever lived!"

Put the dogs in a kennel and start the Jeep. I need a Ridgewood fix. It's the most wonderful place I ever lived.

The More Things Change....

I'm truly trying to keep this blog focused on the "Ridgewood Experience." A blog with this type focus should be about our shared times together and our desires to be connected to the people who knew us when we were younger.

I fervently believe that the drive to stay connected, despite our interrupt-driven world, with a 24/7 tether to our Blackberrys, shouldn't exclude us from making the best of the Internet on our own terms.

With this in mind, one day I hope this site is a portal for all the classes of Ridgewood High School. Let me say that again using slightly different verbiage, I want this site to resonate in our minds in as many ways as the people who view it are capable of understanding. It will stand for, as Abraham Lincoln once said, all of our best intentions, "The Better Angels of Our Natures."

If all this sounds idealistic, then I am very glad. Today we need more idealism and less conspicuous consumption. I could go on for days regarding all the huge houses in Ridgewood which have been built on lots which are too small to glamorize their beauty, and which don't fit into the Ridgewood neighborhoods they reside in. A pal of mine once offered this often quoted observation regarding American Consumers (our fellow citizens): Never have so many people spent so much money to purchase homes they couldn't afford, with money they didn't have, to impress people they didn't know.

Please do not regard me as too judgmental. I am only trying to help and I will gladly listen and allow posts of different opinions in this space.

My strident Presbyterian attitudes may seem harsh, though I did learn some of them in Ridgewood. They may seem difficult to come to grips with in the short term, but I believe they pay incalculable dividends in the long term. I predict our country is going to adopt the thrifty attitudes which once before helped build Ridgewood into the comfortable, affordable, and decent community that this blog extols.

With that in mind I couldn't help but re-print this post from the CARPE DIEM blog which quotes H.L. Mencken regarding values which are acquired during economic downturns like the one we are currently experiencing.

I say this because, truth be told, I didn't really understand why the stock and property markets kept going up the last ten years, while most Americans were using their houses as ATM machines.

I have largely avoided these mistakes and can now, with 20-20 hindsight, easily understand why we are in the current recession. Have no fears, this too shall pass.

"The psychic effect of the depression, it seems to me, is generally a good one.... It has taught people the difference between speculative values and real values. It has hastened the death of sick industries, and proved the vigor of sound ones. It has blown up the old delusion that the amount of money in the world is unlimited, and that every American is entitled to a police captain's share of it. Best of all, it has taught millions that there is really no earthly reason why there should be two cars in every garage, and a chicken in the pot every day.

A few years back we were all leaping along after the pacemakers, and making shining fools of ourselves. Life in America had become an almost unanimous effort to keep up with the Joneses, and what the Joneses had to offer by way of example was chiefly no more than a puerile ostentation. So many luxuries became necessities that the line separating the one from the other almost vanished. People forgot altogether how to live well, and devoted themselves frantically to living gaudily.

It seems to me that the depression will be well worth its cost if it brings Americans back to their senses. Once they rediscover the massive fact that hard thrift and not gambler's luck is the only true basis of national wealth, they will discover simultaneously that a perfectly civilized and contented life is possible without the old fuss and display."

~From H. L. Mencken's essay "What Is Going On In the World," published in 1933

Tribute to the Flechtners at Glen School Blog

A very nice tribute to co-blogger Kurt's parents appears over at the Glen School Class of 1967 blog.

I don't know how many teachers and staff live in Ridgewood currently but it would be interesting to make a comparison between now and the 197os. I will point out the obvious and state that a parent with a short commute will spend more quality time raising their children than one stuck on a train, bus, or in a car. Having parents close to home and in our schools also made it harder to get away with things like cutting school. I've heard more than one story about a school secretary spotting a forged excuse note and calling the home to verify. It truly made kids think twice before pulling such a stunt.

The Ridgewood News

According to Rick Flannery of the Glen School Class of 1967 blog, The Ridgewood News will be publishing an article about Glen School today. I'll post about when I see it.

They contacted me regarding the idea I floated for a database of former teachers and wondered how it was coming along. I had to confess that the project was too daunting to consider without the full cooperation of the Ridgewood Public Schools. They have all the information and it comes down to whether or not they want to take the time to share it. I'm sure there are privacy issues involved so I don't want to criticize them too much. I just wish they had a greater sense of history and wanted to credit the former teachers for all their hard work. I also think it would be an excellent way to create interest in the Ridgewood School system. It might even lead to increased contributions from alumni for scholarships, supplies, and equipment. This is how private schools do it and I see no reason why a Public School System couldn't market itself in the same manner.

In addition, The Ridgewood News has been very supportive of Rick's quest to find out what happened to the teachers he had while growing up. He told me yesterday that he located his 1st and 2nd grade teachers, as well as his Gym Teacher. Keep up the good work!

This longing, I'm slowly finding out, to ascertain the whereabouts of former teachers is a fairly common one. I received a piece of email from Jim Schoneman, class of 1974, who had been trying to find references to Gene Ricci on the Internet. His search turned up an old post of mine regarding this Willard School teacher from the 1960s and 1970s, and he was moved to write me. He also reminded me of the "Love Taps" on the top of the head he used to give students with the ring he wore. I don't think any teacher would try that today for fear of a law suit. Though in the 1960s and 1970s Gene Ricci used it to great effect to endear himself to students and parents alike.

New Links on RHS 1977

The responses I have been receiving as of late have been quite heartening. Today I added three new links:

RHS 1975
Hohokus 1971
Glen School 1969

Please keep them coming as these are the kind of responses I have been hoping for since I started this blog. People who know me will realize that I am not in this for the money, or else there would be advertising. Truth told I am in this for the long term possibilities which Social Networking offers us all. I have said it before and I will say it again, when we are old it is the people who knew when we were young that we will want to be in touch with. I am hoping this will be an avenue people use to reconnect with long lost pals.

Glen School Class of 1967

This is a re-print from the Glen School Class of 1967:

"Wow, Glen School! When we left in 1967, I never looked back. It was always there as a part of you but there's so many other things going on in your life that you don't even give it a thought. Now, as I try to put together what life was like at this wonderful little school, you can't help but put yourself back in the classrooms. Piecing it together certainly has not been done by me alone - my sincere thanks to Chic, Bruce, Beth R., Katie and Beth S. for some wonderful memories - memories that have led to other great memories and so on! This project - that honestly seemed silly at one time - has proved to be a great deal of fun with many rewards including people discovering this site from other graduating years at Glen School and even just people that grew up in Ridgewood!

When I think back to talking with my mom in later years about her school years, she never knew what became of most of her classmates - tracking someone down was a daunting task - no internet to help facilitate such a thing. It was 42 years ago that we graduated from Glen - scary thought when you look at it that way - but how great it is to be back in touch with people that meant so much.

As far as the guys at school were concerned, I was always impressed with people like Bruce Meneghin and Gary Vukov. I mention these 2 guys because Bruce and I were friends through high school but best friends during Glen School. Gary and I were friends more when I was younger but I always admired him - particularly with all he's achieved. All of our Glen alumni Cara Worthington, Beth Daly, Beth Perdue, Katie Knight, Karen Eide, Kara DeGraw, Art Brierley, Chic, Bruce, Gary, Jill Neandross, Greg Rehe, Sue Nunno, Melanie Teasley, Linda Pursiano (many others!) were a blast to grow up with!

I'm sure its true everywhere, but I know in Ridgewood NJ - where I grew up - we had about 10 or so elementary schools that rolled into Ridgewood High School. When you got to RHS, you knew many of the other kids from sports and scouts and Graydon Pool and church so you weren't completely overwhelmed by it all (there were 658 of us in my high school graduating class!) but you had this silent bond with the kids you went to grammar school with - even if you never saw them or hung out together anymore! I mean for some of us, we were together for 13 years! I remember when I satrted smoking in high school (believe it or not they allowed us to - how times change!) I remember one time in a 3rd floor boys room having a cigarette and Bruce Meneghin walked in on me - I felt embarrassed (and I never felt embarrassed about anything by then!) - you definitely looked at your Glen School classmates differently - with more respect despite not really seeing them much during high school.

Our Glen School Class of 1967 - about 40 kids give or take (always 2 classes) - was filled with some incredibly intelligent and talented kids but we were all pretty grounded and loved the same things which made life at Glen School a lot of fun! As was the culture, our dads worked (an amazing assortment of jobs) and our moms were at home. We walked home for lunch and back to school. Only about 4 of us took the school bus. For the most part we all recall the same things - kickball at recess, dodge ball (it was called bombardment then), field trips, 6th grade camp - for most it was a very enjoyable experience.

Incredibly - during the 1960's our innocence remained intact. My class was 1960-1967 - K-6. We began kindergarten doing the twist and woke up from the Eisenhower administration of the 50's with an exciting new president in John F. Kennedy and kicking off the Mercury Space Program in the spring of 1961 that saw Alan Shepard shot into space for 15 minutes as the very first US astronaut.


We lived through the height of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Berlin Crisis with air raid drills in the auditorium and real fears of a nuclear attack prompting many of us to store canned foods just in case. We even had Nike Missile bases practically in our backyards (Franklin Lakes, NJ and Orange, NY)! The remnants of which remain to this day as ghostly reminders to the Cold War.



In 1963, we lived through the deep sadness brought by the death of JFK and the joy of The Beatles 2.5 months later in February, 1964.



A new kind of war in a place called Vietnam began to escalate - for us a tv war which - without realizing it - desensitized us to what was really happening. Many of my classmates and myself would register for the draft as the war raged on for 11 years - but luckily it ended the year we graduated high school.


The Beach Boys released a landmark album - Pet Sounds - in May 1966. We were too young to realize it but music just kept topping itself - getting better, more complex, more meaningful. We neared the end of our final school year as The Beatles released Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in June 1967 proving to be the most progressive band in history as in 3.5 years they went from I Want To Hold Your Hand to Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds.


As we left Glen School, the Summer of Love began which brought more exciting changes to music and how it was ok not to agree with everything that was happening in the world. I mean can you imagine how fast these things were happening? We went from the twist to Sgt Pepper's - and all the cultural changes around us - in 7 short years!

Yet while all this was happening, we still went on vacations, played ball, attended scout meetings - our lives continued. As kids our childhoods pretty much stayed innocent and remained unchanged, though things like our fashions grew with the times. Just when you thought our 7 years at Glen School wasn't event-filled enough, there would be 2 more years of assassinations - Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. The Woodstock Rock Festival, the Apollo moon landing, the Sexual Revolution and political & civil turmoil like the nation had never seen before - all in less than a decade!

For me living in that Ridgewood bubble of school, baseball, scouts, neighborhood life - was great! That my parents managed to provide this somewhat insulated life with all that was going on - is surely a tribute to them.

On the personal side, I remember starting out at Glen without a care in the world - confident, very secure with myself. But by the time I reached the 6th grade - I became a little awkward and somewhat insecure. It wasn't a dark kind of thing but I do remember always being afraid to ask my teachers questions - fearful of making mistakes and not feeling very confident with the classmates I admired the most - and there were many!

When June 1967 rolled around - I was clearly nervous about what lay ahead - hard to imagine that feeling now! It should have been one of excitement! But I wondered all summer if I would fit in when I reached the 7th grade. Once out of 7th grade, things seemed to click more though. My only regret is baseball. Gosh I LOVED baseball! When I got to high school - while more confident - I gave baseball up. I wanted so badly to try out for the RHS team but was so afraid of getting cut that I didn't risk it! In order to achieve your goals you have to take risks - I knew that but had no guts. I wish my mom & dad had pushed harder on certain things. I have coached my daughter Jennie in softball and my son Ricky in baseball for a number of years now and we have had success - but it was never lost on me when I had a kid on our teams - girl or boy - that reminded me of myself - who just needed a little push or boost of confidence - there's nothing more rewarding than seeing the success of something like that! We never sacrificed the competitive spirit nor did we sacrifice giving every child on our teams ample opportunity for success. So baseball came back to me in the form of coaching and involvement in our town league which has been a great experience.

A Glen classmate, Katie Knight recently relayed a great story about Mr. Gahara - one of the 5th grade teachers at Glen School. She recalled how Mr. Gahara had taken her aside and talked to her about what it was to not make people feel left out - to be inclusive - it was one of those simple but very meaningful moments that you remember teachers for - going a little beyond the academic side of teaching and giving you a life lesson that for Katie remains to this day. And I might add that while that was a great lesson to learn - Katie never made anyone feel left out even before learning it!

Returning to Glen School in late December 2008 with my kids and my wife Caryn - I was struck by the memory of how I felt as a 6th grader in 1967 - the fear I had - fear of the unknown and the fear of failing. As I walked around the entire school with my 15 year-old daughter, I recalled that fear and how far away those feelings seemed but how close and special the memory was of all the baseball games, concerts, stick ball games, summer recreation, end-of-school-year parties, birthday parties and how great a childhood it was."

Please spread the word!

Fates of Our Former Teachers

It came to my attention from Rick Flannery over at Glen School Class of 1967 that somebody besides me was interested in what happened to all our old teachers. I propose to collect this information from all the schools and include teachers, custodians, administrators,and secretaries of the post WWII era.

I am still mulling how this could be presented on the web and what sort of privacy issues I will come across. Some people who are still alive may not want anyone to know their whereabouts. We will deal with these sort of issues on an individual basis and respect people's wishes.

As a start maybe we could just find out how long and what years they taught at particular schools. If anyone has a legal and methodical way to do this sort of searching please let me know.

More information on this subject to come.

Glen School 1967

We have a new link for 2009. I guess my hope has been answered in the very best sense of the term.

The new site is for the Glen School Class of 1967. It might be a little before my time, but time and space are transcended on the Internet, so who cares?

After reading the following post I will certainly be an avid reader.

I was thrilled to learn over the past year that I was not alone in this weird craving for memories of Glen School. The Class of 1969 (Margaret Silvers, Doug Terhune, Scott Yates and so many other familiar names) definitely gave me the inspiration. The HoHokus Class of 71 (K-8th grade) actually found out the fates of their custodians, teachers and most of the kids. Even though every one of us was different - together we were quite a group. Even if we did go our separate ways after 1967, the affection I have for everybody - particularly my Class of 1967, has never left. So many of us have had wonderful experiences and great careers and wonderful families but the simplicity of our life at Glen School really rings true. It doesn't matter if its 1967 or 2007, the innocence - if you're lucky to experience it - is priceless. You obviously can't go back - there have been too many other worthy experiences in our lives but its fun to peek at the past - and hopefully it makes you feel good. While I realize some classmates don't want to bother, and others don't want to be found, I do hope you at least sneak some peeks at the blog and remember something that was special.

This is spot on! Thanks for reaching out and hope that more people will do the same. We are all in this together.

Hohokus Kids

The kids from Hohokus were no longer bussed to Ridgewood High School after I graduated in 1977. Rumor had it that the Real Estate professionals working in Hohokus were telling prospective buyers they could live in Hohokus and pay Hohokus taxes, which were less than in Ridgewood, and yet receive a Ridgewood education. This rumor, true or not, caused an uproar in Ridgewood and eventually led to denying all Hohokus children a Ridgewood education.

This was too bad on so many levels. The kids from Hohokus were good kids, whose parents shared the same commuter trains and buses into New York City with the Ridgewood parents. From my experience they were well educated by the long Hohokus school and were a true addition to the educational experience of us all. They participated in sports and all the social organization at RHS. What more could people ask of them? Oh yeah, the tax dollars their parents paid were lower than in Ridgewood. Though last time I looked Hohokus wasn't Ridgewood in terms of tranquility and space. Hohokus has always been ringed and intersected by highways and main thoroughfares like Godwin Avenue. Ridgewood is quite bucolic in comparison.

My point being that after all these years what was really accomplished? Not much as far as I can tell. The town of Ridgewood became more provincial after the Hohokus kids were sent to other local high schools. These kids had a charm from their being educated all together in the lone school K-8. Ridgewood was probably the only town in the area with the sophistication to see it and appreciate it for what it was: some precious which these kids will always share and remember. I wonder now if the people in Allendate who host students from all over at Northern Highlands High School know what I am referring to. Sadly, I don't think they do.

Three Hopes for 2009

To maintain a blog one has to be an optimist. You have to be comfortable with the idea that something you might write could inform or inspire, and that people might be drawn to you again after just one such moment of clarity. The more pessimistic blogs may well be correct in their outlook but who wants to read them on a regular basis?

My three hopes for 2009 are these:

1. Be optimistic. This is easier said than done but one which pays off in terms of your health and I believe your pocketbook, too. A negative attitude grinds people down and repels people from you. It is hard for a decision maker to give a raise or a promotion to somebody they don't want to be near, to name one example.

2. Consider all the various forms of social networking, no matter how immature they are at the present. By this I mean, look at how you use your phone, computer, and television set to see how they are converging and how they might help you to stay in touch with friends, family, and the community at large. Look at how children are using their cell phones and their MySpace pages to interact and wonder if there might be some way you could do the same, to either make money or to further the efforts of a church or school organization.

3. Let me know if I can be of help. Again, this is easier said than done but don't let it stop you from reaching out to me or some other optimistic soul. This could be as simple as searching on LinkedIn or picking up the phone and calling. In this Internet age it's easier than you know to find people. What's more, once you find someone you both might be pleasantly surprised by the responses.

John McCubbin

My Dad will always be in my mind all about Baseball, Boy Scouts, BBQs, and the PTA.

He coached my brothers and I in baseball, and when we were through he headed up the Ridgewood Baseball Association (RBA) for a year. One of his favorite mementos was the paper weight they gave him for his long years of service.

He was an Eagle Scout himself and encouraged us all to do the same, though only my older brother, Peter, made it to the same lofty plane as he did.

He loved to BBQ and the site of him flipping burgers on a summer evening was an annual ritual.

His friendship with Dan Daly, the principal of Willard School, set the tone early on regarding the importance he placed on education. His participation at the PTA meetings after he had been at work all day in NYC further showed us that working hard at school was something he expected.

We will be spreading his ashes next week at Arlington Cemetery. No service will be held as per his request.

RHS Alumni Art Show at Carroll Gallery

This is taken from the Ridgewood High School web site. I wanted to put it up as a tribute to one of my favorite teachers and someone who remains a friend. He now lives in Asbury Park and is continuing his good works with the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce.


Call for Entries: Fourth Annual RHS Alumni Art Show

The Ridgewood High School Department of Art and Design is seeking RHS grads to participate in its annual Alumni Art Show, to be held in the RHS Carroll Art Gallery, Room 135, from December 19-January 9, 2009.

Interested exhibitors should contact the Department of Art & Design at 201-670-2803, or e-mail the department supervisor, Chris McCullough, at cmcullough@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. A public reception will be held for the artists on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, from 3-5 p.m. The gallery will be open during school hours for the duration of the show.


History

"The Carroll Gallery was opened in 2002. It is in room 135, located across the hall from the art studios. It is open all during the school day and for many events after school hours. Numerous exhibitions and installations are on view throughout the school year. Students and staff are welcome to visit.
The gallery is named after Dennis Carroll, whose work in Ridgewood as an art educator and supervisor from 1967 to 2002, leaves a tradition of high level artistic vision that elevates the learning experience for students, and provides a nurturing, intelligent, thoughtful process for making art. His passion for art and teaching has given countless students the courage to take creative risks and make personal discoveries beyond the classroom.
The gallery is dedicated to the work of future students who will serve as daily reminders of the legacy of an exemplary educator, Dennis Carroll."

Charlie Brown Christmas

It wouldn't be Christmas for me if I didn't comment on Charlie Brown. I always watch in real time on TV, though I could certainly buy or rent or steal it off the Internet. By watching it on network TV the old fashion way without Tivo, it seems to give me a sense of reassurance in what is certainly an anxious time for us all financially. I don't know if this is a better ritual than a more modern one but it does allow me to reflect upon something that has not changed, and that is the wonderful lessons which Charles Schultz taught us with his Peanuts gang.

One of the most prescient lines is uttered by Lucy when she says that all she really wants is Real Estate for Christmas. I suppose that for the last 40 years this was a good thing, but I wonder if this is what Lucy would be asking for today.

My favorite lines are uttered by Linus, one of the more underrated characters in my opinion, who is wise beyond belief for always carrying his security blanket with him. Who among us wouldn't want to carry one of those into a job interview or have it with them when they had to make a speech or presentation? His matter of fact declaration that he could tell Charlie Brown what the real meaning of Christmas is, always helps me keep things in prospective during this mega shopping season.

100 Meme

This makes sense for a blog of this type to do:

Thanks to Sharp as a Marble

Fine... I'll do it

1. Started your own blog. (duh)
2. Slept under the stars. (For the first time in our backyard in Ridgewood.)
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower. (In that same backyard mentioned above.)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland. (Disneyworld in 1974 and have never been back.)
8. Climbed a mountain. (Ran Garrett Mountain with Kurt more than a few times.)
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris. (Not yet.)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. (I was on a ferry boat, if that counts.)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (I learned quite a bit about cooking by myself, though have had many mentors.)
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. (Sadly, too many times while traveling on business.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. (Yes, more than once and even as far as the torch which is now strictly off limits.)
18. Grown your own vegetables. (I am an avid gardener and have been one since we lived in Ridgewood.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on a train. (Yes, not something I recommend.)
21. Had a pillow fight. (I wouldn't have been a normal kid if I hadn't.)
22. Hitch hiked. (Yes, during high school and college.)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (Yes.)
24. Built a snow fort. (Many forts and many snowball fights, too.)
25. Held a lamb. (Yes, Central Park Children's Zoo.)
26. Gone skinny dipping. (Yes.)
27. Run a Marathon. (I once ran 15 miles during a Track practice in college.)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice. (No, when I visit Italy it is Rome that holds my imagination.)
29. Seen a total eclipse. (Yes.)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. (Yes, my favorite being with my wife on the Spanish Steps in Rome.)
31. Hit a home run. (Countless homers for many teams in many states. Though my most favorite occurred in my last game in my last at bat, just like Ted Williams.)
32. Been on a cruise. (No interest.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. (As a child with my family; it was impressive.)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (Scotland and Ireland someday.)
35. Seen an Amish community. (Lancaster, PA.)
36. Taught yourself a new language. (I've studied Spanish, German and Italian.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Yes, it helps to feel this way.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David (Yes.)
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. (Many times on Hilton Head Island.)
46. Been transported in an ambulance. (Yes, but I don't remember.)
47. Had your portrait painted / drawn.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person. (Yes.)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (Not yet.)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain. (Yes, I am a romantic.)
53. Played in the mud. (We used to play Football in the mud as kids.)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. (Yes, it is a great way to see a movie. Too bad it is going out of style.)
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. (If you count stenciling house numbers on street corners as a third grader.)
58. Taken a martial arts class. (Karate and Judo.)
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason. (They do brighten up a room.)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. (I am a regular donor.)
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check. (Yes, when I was much younger and less wise.)
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. ( I have a safe my parents gave me when I was 5.)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. (Countless times when I lived in Virginia and Maryland.)
71. Eaten Caviar. (Yes, and would like to eat more.)
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square. (In the 1970s when it was less safe than it is today. It remains one of my favorite parts of NYC as it is next to the theatre district.)
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. (Yes, I told my boss the truth. I do not regret it to this day.)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican. (Yes, we took the tour.)
82. Bought a brand new car. (Never, always used.)
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (Yes, while in college sitting in a garden which my friends and I had planted.)
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House. (Yes, we took the tour.)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox. (Yes.)
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury. (I was selected but they settled before the trial started.)
91. Met someone famous. (Famous Amos.)
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one. (Yes.)
94. Had a baby. (No, though we have a dog who we treat like our child.)
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone. (Yes.)
99. Been stung by a bee. (As a 6 year old I threw a brick at a bee hive and was stung so many times that I had to be taken to the Doctor.)
100. Read an entire book in one day. (Yes.)

RHS Council of Elders

The idea I want to put forward is this:

The Ridgewood Public Schools need a Council of Elders comprised of RHS alumni. As an example I propose something along the lines of a collegiate Alumni Council which offers advice to their presidents and trustee members. In this case the purpose would be to provide a forum for alumni to discuss with public school officials current policies and practices. These discussions would be grounded in the longer historical perspective which the Elders possess. The Council would serve as a sounding board which could assist current RHS administrators in making informed decisions.

As an example of how it might work, the Council of Elders might weigh in on how the current debate regarding the Mathematics curriculum compares with previous debates on the same subject. There are plenty of other examples of how the current generation is attempting to re-invent the wheel so to speak, and could profit from a little prospective.

What I am offering is not some new idea. There are plenty of groups seeking to increase the level of grassroots citizen engagement in order to build more vital communities. This would be a prime function of the RHS Council of Elders. Who knows, it might even make Ridgewood a more enjoyable place to live in, and one that people no longer fell compelled to leave once their children have graduated.

I think the technology exists to make this idea happen, though what is currently lacking is the experience to use if effectively and in a non-threatening manner. There are plenty of avenues available for criticizing, for instance, via the PTA, the newspaper, and various blogs, not to mention the good old fashion phone call or face to face meeting. What I would like see is advice offered as a guide to action and conduct; nothing which would sound too paternalistic or patronizing.

Time will tell whether this is a practical suggestion but I did want to go on record as saying I think it might be useful one day.

Tic Toc

I'm convinced to this day that my love of the theater began in Ridgewood upon first attending a performance given by Tic Toc.

They have been entertaining children for almost 50 years. This is from their website:

TIC TOC Theatre & Art is a volunteer organization which was established in 1960 and presents fine and performing arts experiences to students in Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Midland Park, Radburn in Fair Lawn and Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, USA.

$355,500 for Bathrooms at Veterans Field

These bathrooms probably sounded like a good idea before the recent turmoil in the financial markets.


"BE IT ORDAINED by the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood, in the County of Bergen, New Jersey that the sum of $47,000.00 is hereby appropriated from the Capital Fund Balance to supplement ordinance 2828 in the amount of $197,000, and ordinance 3014 in the amount of $111,500 for the construction of restrooms at the Kasschau Memorial Shell."

I guess the fields at Vets are used so much these days that using the bathrooms in the library and the police station are no longer options. Too bad when they were recently expanding both of these facilities they couldn't have made allowance for some extra bathrooms.

If I might pontificate for a moment: these new bathrooms are just a symptom of our current economic malaise, and will be seen in quite a different light when the inevitable budget cuts occur in the village budget. People on the council don't seem to realize that layoffs are the order of the day on Wall Street and that many Ridgewood residents are going to lose their jobs. Tax receipts from Real Estate levies will invariably be less than planned.

I remember the recession of 1973-74 which coincided with the first Oil price shocks. In my family we were all warned not to ask for too much as times were going to be tight for a while. There were no real cutbacks in our household expenses, but there was a renewed sense of the need to watch our pennies. Hopefully, the same spirit exists today and the cutbacks won't be too deep. Though I can't imagine how anybody 35 years ago would have thought these bathrooms were a good idea. Just my 2 cents.

A Room With A View

Our old house on Glenwood Road was adjacent to Willard School. From my bedroom I could see the school yard and tell what sort of sporting events were taking place. Whether this was sledding in the Winter, baseball or stickball in the Summer, football or basketball in the fall, I could glance out and decide whether to get involved.

If it was summer this was a no-brainer as we didn't have air conditioning installed until I was in high school. The rest of the year I would usually just go out even if I wasn't old enough to play with who was competing. I liked to watch and learn from the older kids.

When it was time to come home for dinner my Mom would invariably stand on our back porch and bellow out our names. She likes to tell this story on herself, and throw in the part about the kids in the school yard who would bellow back if we weren't anywhere on the field. I guess this sort of thing is done now with cell phones and GPS devices. Those electronic devices would have just slowed us down in my day, or gotten lost or stolen.

I tell this story because I revel in the implied idea of community which it reveals. People in the neighborhood were looking out for one another. I prefer to believe this was a better idea than the current situation where it requires two wage earners in many cases to pay the mortgage for a home in Ridgewood which is largely empty Monday through Friday.

It seems to me that something is missing now in everyone's lives in suburbia, not just Ridgewood. This has happened as a matter of course and can't be reversed. Nobody wants to go back, or can afford to go back, to a simpler time and a less complicated existence. It was an era when school teachers and postal carriers could afford to live in Ridgewood. Their proximity provided an extra level of security to our neighborhoods, and made it that much harder to get away with childish shenanigans.

Don' get me wrong, the time I recall had its own disadvantages, too. My Dad wouldn't wish his old 3 hour roundtrip commute to Wall Street on anybody, even if it did allow him to send 3 sons to college and graduate school.

All I'm pointing out is that things are different these days, and I believe less inviting for people considering a move to Ridgewood. The tree lined streets remain largely the same but the people inside the houses appear to be strangers to one another, and not as cognizant of what is happening right next store to them.

We Won't Get Fooled Again

As a music lover, it behooves me in this blog to point out some of the differences between our modern age and the 1960's and 1970's.

One of the most famous acts is The Who. Here is a sample from the show they played in 2001, as a tribute at Madison Square Garden for the people who gave their lives after the planes authorized by Osama Bin Laden brought down the Twin Towers of The World Trade Center.

If you watched the show you know who stole the show. As a reminder, The Rolling Stones were asked to precede The Who. This was something they had avoided all their professional careers, but couldn't deny anybody this time.

As we all know, they wimped out, and instead of playing their best, The Rolling Stones gave the audience two lame acoustic versions of some country/blues classics. Everyone who watched understood that The Stones knew better than to try and follow The Who.

The Who, as expected, gave us Behind Blue Eyes, and Won't Get Fooled Again. They spared us no emotion and let everything on the stage. This is what we expected and will always remember them for. Here are the clips:




Here is the song which brought down the house, Won't Get Fooled Again:

Social Networking

To say I had an end result in mind when I created this blog would be a stretch. It was created out of my interest in Social Networking and for the use I thought the blog might oneday add to our lives.

In other words, the blog just is and has no ulterior motives like trying to steal identities or bombard people with spam. I thought since the capability for interaction existed, people might find this a convenient way to reconnect with their old pals. I also hope this becomes a repository for our memories and photos. There were good times that we should dwell upon and recount to one another, if only to keep us from dwelling too much on the embarrassing moments we all had. Those should only be recounted in person, and at Reunions, and only after the proper restoratives have been consumed. ;-)

In any event, there are other avenues for Social Networking. The latest one I have been investigating is LinkedIn. There is even a group for people who graduated from Ridgewood High School. It may not mean much right now, sorta like this blog, but I do believe it will pay dividends in the future in terms of helping with the planning of Reunions.

I can only imagine how hard it must be to plan a reunion. Our 25th was a smashing success because of some very dedicated people. My hope is that the next time a reunion for the class of 1977 is being planned that they will use the Internet even more than they did last time. By this I mean using a blog, a web site, and conference calling with a digital whiteboard. This last one is basically a conference bridge with the capability for people to share a computer screen as well as speak to each other in a group setting. We use them all the time in my consulting practice and I think they could be put to good use by a reunion committee. When the time comes I hope to have opportunity to demonstrate.

Election Day

I subscribe to the Willard School News, a regular email list which provides news and information regarding my old elementary school. It sometimes provides fodder for this blog, so it came as no surprise when I received the news that Willard would do all it could to maintain the safety of students on Election Day. This is all good. Though I don't believe for a moment that the children are any less safe than I was some 40 years ago. Back then they also had concerns and told us not to accept candy or rides from strangers.

The Willard News went on to say that,

"there would be parent volunteers monitoring the hallways, as we usually do any time voters are in the building."

We used to call these volunteers stay-at-home Moms. They were usually on-hand anyhow because they had to deliver their contributions to the bake sale.

The big difference between now and then was the news that there would be a police officer in the building for the entire day. This I don't remember ever happening, though I could be mistaken.

Is the presence of the Police unnecessary? No, I think it's a good thing since there isn't a Safety Patrol to cross students during what will be a very heavy polling day.

Please don't misunderstand me, I like the paid crossing guards!

Though in terms of learning about Civics, I just prefer the large number of patrol men (I used to lead 14-16 classmates), as we called them, who were at their stations before and after school (rain or shine). They may not be as professional as the seniors who patrol the streets these days but they did do a huge service to the community. Lest we forget, in those days, children went home for lunch so the safety patrol also crossed students at those times, too.

Please indulge me as I tell my all-time favorite safety patrol story. It was Spring 1970, and I remember my 5th grade class being asked to lead a safety patrol for an entire week while all 4 classes of 6th graders went to Science Camp. You see, there had been a freak spring storm and two of the classes had their week at camp canceled. The principal of Willard School, Dan Daly, then asked my 5th grade class to fill-in for an entire week while all 4 6th grade classes attended camp. They usually went two classes at a time.

To make a long reminiscence short, it rained most of that week and we had to do 4 shifts a day. Please tell me how many students these days would do the same? What's more, how many parents would let their children do this sort of work? Back then it was just accepted as normal civic duty.

As an FYI, I still have the Honor Squad pin they gave me for being the Captain of this patrol and one the following year. I also still champion to this day the use of Safety Patrols. There is a web site and a tradition dating aback to 1920, which you are kindly asked to check out.

Schweinfurth Florist

When I was planning my wedding in 2001, I went and visited The Upper Ridgewood Community Church where I had been confirmed, as a possible venue. They told me that former members of the church, as a rite of passage, invariably came back to get married. I was quite pleased at this coincidence and proceeded to book my forthcoming marriage and reception at my old church.

Much to my delight when I asked who they recommended to do the flowers, they suggested an old classmate of ours who owned Schweinfurth Florist, Chet Douglas. When my wife and I went to visit him to plan the floral arraignments he couldn't have been more charming and professional. He even went as far as to suggest that the flowers for my Saturday wedding could be used at the next day's services, and that he would credit the church for these flowers. Chet is a very cool guy and an astute businessman. I hope this serves as a long overdue thank-you.

RHS Class of 1976

I always liked the RHS Class of 1976.

They had their flaws like every class, but I always respected the genuine way they went about making their mistakes. It wasn't an easy time with the Vietnam War winding down the year before and a bad recession in 1974. They exhibited a raucous comradeship none the less and gave people in the class following them some things to wonder about.



Please visit their reunion website and marvel at all the pictures they have collected. Truth by known, a member of the class of 1977 helped them with their site.




Jack O'Neill



Jane Bitzer's legs




A tribute to Jackson Browne. Notice RHS 1977 members Sam Cermack and Mile Connolly.




Sandy Chapman






Blythe Reis

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

I could wax poetic about Charlie Brown all day.

When I was in 2nd Grade our teacher suggested we tell our parents that we should be allowed to stay up until 8:00pm to watch the premier of "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." This was the follow-up to the hit "A Charlie Brown Christmas" which premiered the year before (1965).

Being that it was a simple request and one honestly presented, my parents agreed that if I went to bed at 7:30 PM and managed to keep my eyes closed until 8 PM, I could then watch the show.

To make a long story short, I complied with the request as best I could and fell in love with Peanuts.

I marvel to this day at how naive we were in this age before video games and Reality TV. As Linus so aptly said,

"There was nothing but sincerity for as far as the eye could see."

Raking Leaves

Before there were leave blowers and the ubiquitous landscaping companies, we raked leaves. We would rake them until our hands had callouses and all the leaves had been deposited neatly at the curb for the town to pick up.

I also remember burning leaves. This was much more fun than raking and we would even do it for free! It would fill the neighborhood with a scent which screamed out that autumn was here. It would also fill the neighborhood with smoke, which is probably why they passed a long banning it.

Being a city dweller these days I don't have to rake leaves anymore. I don't miss it and prefer to honor the season by admiring leaves instead. As kids growing up in Ridgewood, we would admire the leaves as they initially changed colors. But this was always before it had occurred to us that it would soon be time to rake them.

Children growing up in Ridgewood these days are mostly deprived of rituals like leave raking and mowing the lawn. These jobs are now usually contracted out to landscaping companies who swoop in like a swarm of locusts and finish the job in a fraction of the time it took us. It's too bad because these jobs taught us to recognize that work is difficult, strenuous, and sometimes it's done without adequate compensation. Hard work also made us slowly realize that without an education we might end up working in a similar type of job all of our lives.

Looking Backwards and Asking Why

This blog is about returning to a place in my mind (Ridgewood in the 1960s and 1970s), and commenting upon how it seems some 30+ years later. The poem cited below by Joyce Sutphen describes this process and alludes to one of the best poems of a Romantic period poet to illustrate the point. You don't have to know the poem to understand what she is saying about returning to place which you once regarded as being larger than life, and seeing it now as being much more manageable than you previously believed. I guess that is what's called being a grown up.


The Wordsworth Effect

by Joyce Sutphen

Is when you return to a place
and it's not nearly as amazing
as you once thought it was,

or when you remember how you felt
about something (or someone) but you know
you'll never feel that way again.

It's when you notice someone has turned
down the volume, and you realize
it was you; when you have the

suspicion that you've met the enemy
and you are it, or when you get
your best ideas from your sister's journal.

Is also-to be fair-the thing that enables
you to walk for miles and miles chanting to
yourself in iambic pentameter

and to travel through Europe with
only a clean shirt, a change of
underwear, a notebook and a pen.

And yes: is when you stretch out
on your couch and summon up ten thousand
daffodils, all dancing in the breeze.

Bob Lefsetz on 1960s Music

If I happen to quote a fellow blogger you all will have to understand that this is the nature of the medium. I regularly read Bob Lefsetz because his observations on the music scene strike a cord with Baby Boomers.

I will take the liberty of quoting him here:

"Will we ever revisit an era where acts as diverse as Louis Armstrong, the Four Tops and the Beatles can coexist on the airwaves, the music of all emanating from the same station, so dominant that everyone knows the licks? I don't think so. That's a bygone era. We don't even have a new "Bonanza", and there are many more records than TV shows."

Subscribe to his email list and you will regularly receive his analysis of the current music scene and how it contrasts with the era which this blog seeks to explain and better understand.

If all this makes me sound like an old fogie who likes to say it was better in the good old days, then I am fine with it. In the case of popular music, to me, there is no question as to how far our tastes have degenerated. Where is the harmony in Rap?

I try to be open minded about Rap and all the tripe which passes for popular music, but it seems a little contrived to me and lacking in the reflection which I hold to be important to all art. I realize this makes me sound like the people during the 60s and 70s who couldn't understand the long hair and bell bottom jeans of people who listened to the music I seek to immortalize here. I am fine with this and am proud to be as old as I am.

Election Day 2008

No partisan politics in this blog, just a simple reminder that all votes are meaningful because they are proof of your citizenship and your commitment to the commonweal.

I always liked Election Day during my days in Ridgewood. This mostly had to do with the bake sales which usually accompanied the voting, and my sweet tooth. Even with my stay-at-home-Mom always was baking for us, the Election Day bake sale gave me one more chance to indulge my passion for sweets. To this day I cannot walk by an election polling place without wondering if they are having a bake sale, and if there is anything that might tempt my palate.

Ridgewood All Time Lists for Track & Field and Cross Country:

A tip of the cap to Jacob Brown for maintaining this site for the Girl's Cross Country and Track and Field teams.


To say he is dedicated to Cross Country and Track and Field would be an understatement. He even offers two week-long running camps during the summer through the auspices of the Ridgewood Community School.

Photo Jackpot!

I knew that I would find pictures from the 1970's if I looked hard enough. These are from the class of 1976 Reunion web site.

This one captures the fun loving essence of one of our old principals, John G. McCutcheon:



There are plenty more so take a look for yourself. I'll post my favorites:



Uncle Harry Ahearn




Mr Werba



Girls Cross Country Team

Graydon Pool 2 February 1931

This one is courtesy of Aljian Studio and was located on the Village of Ridgewood Web Site.

I don't know that they skate on Graydon any more but there was a time before we became such a litigious society that people would get together like this and enjoy a cold winter's day.

I will continue to pay homage whenever I can to attempts to promote better understanding through the study of history. In other words, I like old pictures of Ridgewood and what they tell us about ourselves.

Ridgewood Wildscape Association

This organization is one which was started when my family still lived in Ridgewood in 1976. I hadn't ever heard of it until today. No question it is a fine idea for a town which prides itself on it trees and on being an idyllic suburban setting. Most of the 6 semi-wild natural parks they feature I knew well, and the next one they plan to add, the Habernickel property, was one of the first parks I explored as a youth. It was located nearby to where we lived and my friends and I use to go there to look at and sometimes capture the wildlife. I have fond memories of us bringing back turtles, much to the dismay of our parents who were then tasked with helping us keep them alive.

Ridgewood Class of 1960 50th Reunion

In the spirit of bonhomie I've added a link to the Ridgewood Class of 1960 50th Reunion web site. They have come to the same conclusion that many of us have that it is much too expensive to organize reunions via the US Mail.

I was also glad to see that the Ridgewood Public Schools web site has stepped up efforts to disseminate information regarding upcoming reunions. The link is not easy to find but certainly worth a look.


There is even an organization which I was unaware of called The RHS Alumni. It is a volunteer organization of alumni which provides graduates with information on how an individual or a class may continue to support the Ridgewood Public Schools.

Phone: 201-612-6245

Email: RHSAlumni@ridgewood.k12.nj.us

Ridgewood Historical Society

I've added a link to the Ridgewood Historical Society. It is open on Saturdays 1:00--3:00 p.m., Sundays 2:00--4:00 p.m., and Thursdays 1:00--3:00 p.m. Donation is $5 for an adult, $3 for a child, and $10 for a family.

info@ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org

I remember The Ridgewood Historical Society when it was called the Paramus Historical and Preservation Society. The Ridgewood Historical Society came into existence as a result of a name change in 1996. They operate the Schoolhouse Museum building, formerly one of the first public schools in Ridgewood. According to their website, their mission is to preserve the building, as well as maintain, interpret, and exhibit the collection of artifacts representing the history, culture, and lives of ordinary people from Ridgewood and the surrounding area from the period of Native America to the early 20th century in a consistently innovative way.

The Schoolhouse Museum is located at 650 E Glen Avenue in Ridgewood, NJ., directly across from Valleau Cemetery and adjacent to the Paramus Reformed Church.

History of Willard School

After lamenting in a previous post about the lack of attention paid to the history of Ridgewood school teachers, I came across this link:

http://willard.school.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/index.cfm?sid=12&nav_id=1862

I really couldn't be more pleased! This is the sort of healthy recollection I was looking for and I was glad to see my old elementary school was still teaching me.

All the schools have their own web pages and I'll eventually get around to linking to them all. The link doesn't have anything regarding the teachers but it did have the all the principals and the lengths of their tenures. There are also some old photos from classes way before even my time. I'd like to see all the old class photos, but I'm a history buff so that is to be expected.

Enjoy!

Ridgewood Teacher Retires After 40 years

This is one of those stories you don't read about on the front page of the paper, though we probably should as it is uncommon these days. It's hard for me to imagine working 40 years for one company, and I am sure most people now feel the same way. Changing jobs is just too easy to contemplate and company layoffs are even more commonplace occurrences.

In any event, let's give praise where praise is due and congratulate an Orchard School teacher who is retiring after 40 years. This snippet is from the Ridgewood Public School enews:

On Wednesday, September 17, one of the Village streets will have a new name. Demarest Street, outside Orchard School, will be renamed "Barbara Schineller Way" in honor of the beloved teacher who taught and Orchard School for over 40 years. Ms. Schineller retired at the end of the past school year.

The sign's public unveiling will be held on Wednesday, September 17, at 3:15 p.m. The public is invited, and former Orchard school family members are particularly encouraged to attend.

It's times like these I wish the Ridgewood Public Schools would pay more attention to their own history and maintain an archive about their teachers. I would like to know how long all of my teachers taught in Ridgewood and when they retired. Call me a history junkie if you want but it would be an interesting list to ponder and reminisce about at our reunions.


Update: They only put a sign up in honor of Ms. Schineller as they wanted to save the residents of Demarest Street the trouble of having to change all their legal addresses to this new name.

Kurt is a Dad!

My co-blogger Kurt and his wife Laurel proudly announce that Alison Elizabeth was born on September 9, 2008. She weighs 7 pounds and is 18.5" long.

Community Church at Upper Ridgewood

The name has changed but the memories remain. Here is the link to my old neighborhood church. I just noticed they added a web site.

http://www.ccur.org/index.html

We knew it as the Upper Ridgewood Community Church.



Since my time 30 odd years ago they have renovated the church and made the classroom and group meeting space much brighter and inviting. My wife and I were married and had our reception there in 2002 . It was a great day for our wedding with temperatures in the 70s in late January!

Following up on Paul’s post celebrating iconic architectural elements on older buildings, I thought I would drop in another couple cents.

Ornate prominent elements such as towers and cupolas are common on older buildings. Often they served a specific function; the cupola on RHS almost certainly housed a school bell at one time.

Old fire stations often included ornate towers in which hoses were dried, such as this one in Brooklyn:



Sometimes an iconic element is used to mark a prominent crossroads. This sort of thing only works if the neighbors exercise some restraint. Imagine how the impact of this tower, at the corner of Ridgewood Avenue and Broad Street, would be diminished if there were three or four other towers on nearby buildings.



Likewise, a college campus wouldn't be nearly as well served if all the buildings sported fancy clock or bell towers. Better to have one that gives a specific identity, or as we fancy designers say, "a sense of place." At Clemson, it's Tillman Hall, which sports a statue, flag pole, grand stair, brick arch, and combination clock and bell tower, all on the same axis:



Indeed, the confusion that spreading out too many such elements can cause is demonstrated in this picture of RHS. As graduates, Paul and I both know that the main entry is under the bell tower. But I wonder how many first time visitors are drawn to the clock tower instead, only to find themselves in a stairwell?



All that being said, Ridgewood High School certainly is a beautiful building. It sits there, perched on a hill, almost majestic in its dominance, and symbolic of the value Ridgewood places on education.

New Cupola

Ridgewood High School has a new Cupola as of yesterday. It's clearly a close replica of the original.



I always thought the Cupola of Ridgewood High School provided a bit of style. I don't want to tread on Kurt's bailiwick of architecture but it does seem that these ornamental structures are usually omitted in new construction today; all in the hopes of saving money.

In my perfect world I would prefer if a little more attention were paid to how things looked. I don't propose wasteful flourishes but I do like structures which make me want to pause and look at them. Like this picture of Old West at Dickinson College:



This is a bit of the background to Old West and its Cupola:

West College, which became known as Old West in the early 20th century, traces its roots to February 1803, when Dickinson's nearly completed main building burned to the ground. In a bind, college trustees asked Benjamin Latrobe, recently appointed architect of the U.S. Capitol, to draw up plans for the new college hall, which he did free of charge.

The 200th anniversary commemorates the date when the cornerstone for the building was laid. Old West did not host its first classes until November 1805 and housed its first undergraduates in 1810. Future U.S. President James Buchanan, class of 1809, was one of the earliest students to study within its walls.

Another Ridgewood Education Memory

In the 8th grade I was offered a choice between Metal Shop and Cooking For Boys. It was a no-brainer for me as I hadn't any great success in either of the usual young man tracks, namely, Wood Shop and Mechanical Arts so I chose cooking. It was the first time that George Washington Junior High (GW) had offered cooking for boys and in hindsight it was a natural offering as the majority of Chefs are men.

It was a decision that has ultimately proven to be one of the best I ever made! The recipes we learned were basic baking skills like bread, muffins, popovers, pizza dough, and pie crust. To my continual amazement I still use the techniques I learned and have through the years grown to be a very competent chef, with baking still being my favorite cooking skill.

I also find it amazing that my first cooking teacher, Mrs. McCabe, still works at GW and my nephew who lives in Ridgewood had her as a teacher.

Please Forgive The Momentary Bit Of Redundnancy

This too shall pass.

Yes, at the present moment in 2008 we have two links to the same inspirational video. Though please remember this is a blog, a digital diary. The Free Hugs Campaign goes on!

The video has come to mean so much to me that I didn't want it to get lost within the inevitable future postings to this site. It is now a permanent sidebar which I hope will be regarded as having more durable significance than most of my posts; this would make me very happy indeed.

Peace.

Free Hugs Campaign

I have watched this 3 minute 39 second video on at least 50 ocassions and each time it has made me smile. This is a perfectly choreographed video and a wonderful use of today's technology. I hope you like it because I believe it speaks to, as Abe Lincoln once said, the better angels of our nature.

Peace.

Paul

A Ridgewood Education

Following up on Paul's post regarding the value of mathematics in education, I was shown just how good a job the Ridgewood school system did with this when I got to college.

As an architecture major, I was required to take two semesters of mathematics my freshman year, including one of calculus. I had taken pre-calculus my junior year in Ridgewood, and probability / statistics my senior year.

Imagine my surprise when, after purchasing my college-level calculus book, it became apparent that 90% of the course work would be concepts and calculations that I had already learned in high school pre-calculus. It was only the last two weeks of the course, when we got into differential equations, that the course advanced beyond what I had learned at Ridgewood High School.

My second semester of my freshman year, I took probability and statistics to fulfill my college math requirement. It was a 400-level, or senior level course. Again, approximately 50% of the work had been covered by Mr. Zitelli at RHS. About halfway through the semester, a group of students, all seniors, went to the professor and complained that the course work was advancing too fast for them to keep up. He replied that he didn't think that was the case, since the highest average in the class was being maintained by a freshman. Boy, did I get some dirty looks.

The RHS curriculum also allowed me to breeze through two semesters of both physics and english composition. My RHS education allowed me devote more time to my architecture studies, and continues to serve me well to this day.

Now, if only I had taken some auto shop, which is no longer even offered, I would be better off maintaining my cars!

Why We Study Math

Ridgewood has once again taken up the debate regarding what is the best type of Math curriculum to teach their children. This is a very healthy debate and one that thankfully re-surfaces every generation.

The irony of the debate is that kids will ask the same question no matter who has authored the books: "Why do we need to study Math?" This was as common when I went to school as I am sure it is now. It is the answers that the children are given which to me remains the most important consideration.

I remember three good Math teachers during my 13 years in the Ridgewood School System: Gene Ricci, George Reck, and Kenneth Humiston. There were many other good ones but these three were memorable because they were all champions of Mathematics and had no trouble telling us why we needed to continue studying Math all our lives.

The best of the three was Gene Ricci. He taught advanced Math to us in the 6th grade at Willard School. One day I clearly remember he spoke about Base 2 and Base 8. For those of you who don't remember, Base 10 includes the decimal numbers 0-9. Base 2 is the binary numbering system, and Base 8 is the Octal counting system.

I mention this because before he had gone too far along in his explanation he saw in his students' eyes the age old question: what were we going to use this for. His answer was quite astounding. He admitted he don't know yet but was sure it would be useful to know someday. This actually satisfied us, I believe, because it was honest and looking back on it all very true!

You see, Base 2 is used internally by all modern computers. Gene Ricci may have been teaching it to us in an age of rotary phones but he was spot-on to show us this Math and all its potential. I owe my current career in Computer Networking to Binary and Octal Mathematics and am thankful we didn't discourage Gene Ricci from teaching these concepts to us. It was true that nobody knew back then how computers would one day become so omnipresent, and I'm sure the same is true of Mathematical concepts yet to be authored.

So why do we need to study Math?

In a phrase, because it allows us to be of use. If I was in a Math teacher's shoes that is what I would tell my students. It may not be the most clever or thoughtful answer but it does come to the point. If that wasn't enough for them I would ask them to Google the question and have them look for this:

"The special role of mathematics in education is a consequence of its universal applicability. The results of mathematics--theorems and theories--are both significant and useful; the best results are also elegant and deep. Through its theorems, mathematics offers science both a foundation of truth and a standard of certainty. In addition to theorems and theories, mathematics offers distinctive modes of thought which are both versatile and powerful, including modeling, abstraction, optimization, logical analysis, inference from data, and use of symbols.

Mathematics, as a major intellectual tradition, is a subject appreciated as much for its beauty as for its power. The enduring qualities of such abstract concepts as symmetry, proof, and change have been developed through 3,000 years of intellectual effort. Like language, religion, and music, mathematics is a universal part of human culture."

Childhood Dreams

If you haven't seen this lecture, then do yourself a favor and Google it:

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

It will be well worth your time.

Very Sad

Tragedies:

Four people have died and three vanished within two days at beaches in New York City and on Long Island.

How terrible. People love to swim, but unfortunately dihydrogen monoxide is fatal when inhaled.

Meanwhile, in bucolic Ridgewood, Graydon Pool has hosted its third drowning in thirty years. This has prompted hysterical calls to pave over the pool:

this is something that would have never happened if it wasnt a brown bottem (sic) pool. If they made thins (sic) a REAL POOL!!!!

We've lived in Ridgewood for 9 years and don't take my kids to Graydon because of the dark water. It's not worth the risk. I won't go until they change it to a cement bottom with clear, chlorinated water.

I live in ridewood (sic), and i agree that what happened was really upseting(sic) and i am very sorry that his family and friends have to go through this situation. i think this tragidy (sic) could have been prevented. They spent over 30 minutes looking for the boys(sic) body in the merky (sic) discusting (sic) water. If the pool was clear and clean they would have rescued him in only 4-5 minutes and his life would have been saved.

Sigh. As tragic as any premature death is, one cannot design all risk out of life. Replacing Graydon with a concrete, clear water pool will simply replace the dangers of lake swimming with the dangers of filtered water swimming. What will happen when the first “little villager” (as we guards liked to call the young swimmers) gets his hand stuck in drain and can't get back to the surface? Or a child slips while running and lands on a concrete deck instead of a sand beach? Or somebody gets pushed off the edge and lands in 15 feet of water instead of a gentle sand bottom 12" deep?

As far as the performance of the lifeguards, I would like to offer some perspective. It is astounding how quickly and quietly a swimmer can go from “okay” to “gone.” I remember sitting on the stand on the dock one afternoon. Two girls jumped in succession from the high dive, and came up. Seeing them safely on the surface, I turned to watch some youngsters swimming from the dock out to the deep water raft.

While I watched those swimmers, the two girls from the high dive both became frightened, embraced each other, and slipped silently under the water within feet of the ladder. Luckily, the guard sitting over on the west bank was watching, blew the emergency whistle, and tragedy was averted.

Graydon is a swimming pool, and as such carries inherent dangers. Changing the pool from sand to concrete will change the nature of the risk, but won’t eliminate it.

Cost of Living 1977

This isn't an original idea for a post but one I thought would help keep the blog in prospective:

How Much things cost in 1977:

Yearly Inflation Rate USA6.5%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 831
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 7.75%
Average Cost of new house $49,300.00
Average Income per year $15,000.00
Average Monthly Rent $240.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 65 cents
Bikini$9.00
Renault Gordini $6998,00
BMW 320i $7990.00

Minimum Wage = $2.30
Gallon of Milk = $1.67
First Class Stamp = $0.13

Larry Coyle

As some of you may know, Larry Coyle taught English at RHS and was Head Coach of both the Men's Cross Country and Spring Track teams.

I often think about the last words he said to our team in 1976, before he took his family to England for a sabbatical:

"Dare to be good."

Not that it was some world-changing utterance, but it was and has remained to me a gentle reminder to try hard at all endeavors no matter how humble they might seem.

I know he meant it in the immediate context of our next race, but I also always felt he had a eye on developing us as human beings, too. As a former athlete himself he knew how quickly the glory would fade and how important it would be for us to have something to fall back upon other than medals and ribbons achieved in athletic competition.

He offered us these words to make us think, and hopefully to inspire us when there wasn't a big meet to hold our attention and make us excel to our fullest potential. I always meant to ask what he meant but our paths didn't cross too many times after that and this philosophical discussion never took place. I suspect if we had spoken about it he would have offered me a modest smile and his customary encouragement. It was never his way to draw attention to himself and I think he probably would have blushed to think that I would remember his words and that I repeat them to people from time to time.

The Longest Days of the Year

Since I work for a living it requires more effort than when I was younger to see the longest days of the year are also the best days of the year. As a child this necessitated very little effort. As you well know, it is in June that school ends for most, and the prospect of a summer full of free time presents itself. This always made me regard this period as one filled with possibilities.

To reflect upon what we did back then in the age before cable TV, The Internet, DVDs, I-Pods, and all the other gadgets we tell ourselves we cannot live without, is to ponder a world which cannot be re-created, except through extraordinary efforts. Who would willingly give up the technology of modern life? I certainly would not, least of all because I am a technology consultant.

In all seriousness, I wouldn't give it up because I can see the possibilities of modern technology and it makes me feel like a child in June. Yes, I am still a believer, despite all evidence to the contrary that our interrupt-driven society is turning us into a bunch of coach potatoes. I remain hopeful that once the novelty of always being connected wears off and we learn to look at our email less, and drive without having to make cell phone calls, that we will use the "modern connectedness" to renew the ties which once bound us together as a group. That is part of the purpose of this blog, not just to serve as a diary for memories, though that is a fine use for a blog. I believe the use of blogs like this one will help revive our long lost connections to one another; the associations which are so easy to let slide and fade away.

I trust you all will give this some thought and see if it applies to your situation. We will be here to help where we can. Cheers!

Kasschau Memorial Shell

"Kasschau Memorial Shell-50 Years of Free Summer Entertainment Under the Stars"

This was the title of a post on the Ridgewood Blog.
It seems rather quaint to think we used to gather on Veteran's Field during the summer and sit in lawn chairs and on blankets to watch movies. They weren't even first run movies but we gathered all the same. Today we can watch movies on our laptops while flying at 30,000 feet in an airplane. Though it's not the same as you well know.

I remember seeing movies accompanied by my parents and brothers, and later while in high school by a young lady. It makes me smile just to think how much things have changed yet remain the same. The band concerts and performances that are still being held every summer would seem very familiar to someone living 100 years ago. Most towns had a band shell like Ridgewood does or at least a public square where these sort of events would occur. People 100 years ago I imagine would also have understood that public performances tend to make everyone feel less isolated from and threatened by their neighbors. They may not have stated it as such, but it is worth mentioning in an age where people entertain themselves in their homes much more than they did even a generation ago.

1977 - The Year in Music

From Wikipedia:

January 26: Alice Cooper enters rehab for his alcoholism, after ten years of drinking a pack of beer a day.

February 14: The B-52's make their debut at a party in Athens, Georgia

February 27: Royal Canadian Mounted Police raid Keith Richards' Toronto hotel suite while he is sleeping and seize 22 grams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia. Richards is arrested and charged with possession of heroin with intent to traffic, and possession of cocaine.

April 25: During a concert at the Saginaw, Michigan Civic Center, Elvis Presley makes what would turn out to be the last recordings he would ever make.

July 24: Led Zeppelin perform in Oakland at their last ever concert in the United States.

August 16: Elvis Presley is found dead at his home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

October 20: A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing songwriter & vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and background vocalist Cassie Gaines.

December 14: Saturday Night Fever appears in theaters, igniting a new popularity for Disco music.

Here are the 1977 albums I remember getting a lot of exposure at RHS parties:

Aja - Steely Dan
Bat out of Hell - Meat Loaf
Foreigner - Foreigner
I Robot - The Alan Parsons Project
JT - James Taylor
Love Gun - Kiss
My Aim is True - Elvis Costello
Night Moves - Bob Seger
Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
Running on Empty - Jackson Browne
Slowhand - Eric Clapton
Songs of the Wood - Jethro Tull
The Stranger - Billy Joel
Street Survivors - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Terrapin Station - Grateful Dead

Man, that list brings back some memories. I will probably end up dropping a hundred bucks going retro at iTunes tonight.