Ridgewood High School Newspaper

      I was asked to answer a few questions by a writer for the High Times, detailing differences in school life in the 1970s and now. The writer had come across this blog for the RHS class of 1977. Here are the questions and my responses. I told him I was highly opinionated but all and all very supportive of Ridgewood High School. We'll see how well he understood this when the article appears before Christmas. I'll post a link in any event. 

     Alex Pajusi School Life Features Article Q: How has school life changed from when you went to RHS? A: In the 1970s life was surely different. 1. Moms stayed at home and were around when we came home for lunch from elementary school. 2. Kids were skinnier because our mothers made us go outside to play. 3. Kids had part-time jobs like delivering newspapers, raking leaves, cutting grass, and shoveling snow. These jobs gave us a sense of what it takes to succeed in life and exposed us to all sorts of types of people in their neighborhood. These sort of jobs are also the best way to help children learn positive work ethics. 4. Kids were not over-scheduled and we had to figure out our own “play dates.” 5. Kids in elementary school were part of the Safety Patrol. I was a Captain and it taught me lessons in citizenship that I cherish to this day. I still have the Honor Squad pin they gave me in the 6th grade. We patrolled in all kinds of weather and believed it to be a normal part of life to make small sacrifices for others. The Safety Patrol has since been replaced by retirees who receive pay. Q: Are these changes for the better? A: No. Moms are overworked, children are obese, and there is less interaction among neighbors. The Safety Patrols have been disbanded. Q: What did you like most about school when you went? A: Competing in sports and hanging out with my friends were always my favorite activities. Whether it was ad-hoc games in the school yard or organized teams, these were the things I enjoyed the most. Q: What did you like the least? A: Sitting in class when there was a substitute teacher. Q: What were some of the fads and trends when you went to school? In the 60’s there was a time when all the boys parted their hair down the middle and grew it long on the sides. There was also the yo-yo. In the 70’s we dressed in terrible looking bell-bottom pants. Q: How have the buildings changed? A: All the schools have cafeterias and the kids in elementary school have to stay in school at lunchtime. I do like all the computer equipment and the high-speed networks, though I am biased as that it what I do for a living http://www.forsythe.com. Q: Are the class offerings different? A: More computers. Q: Was there ever any school spirit? (Since school spirit presently is very low) A: There was always a sense of spirit but it’s more something you recognize after you graduate than while you are attending school. Whenever we have a class reunion we always marvel at our school spirit. Don’t be concerned you will notice this too. Peace.

Remembered Spaces

We carry with us footprints of vanished places; houses we moved out of years ago, ice cream stores like T&W (Terwilliger & Wakefield) that went out of business, bars like Espositos which stopped serving, neighborhoods where only the street names remain the same. This is the long gone geography of Ridgewood.

These were places, and I'm sure you all could add many more, we knew almost by intuition until they vanished, leaving behind only the strange sense of knowing our way around a world that no longer can be found.

Thanks to Verlyn Klinkenborg for the inspiration.

Homage To Small Hometowns

Ridgewood will always be a small town to me. No matter how many restaurants it has and how few empty lots remain without a McMansion.

I saw this today on the James Lileks site:

"If you grow up in a small town, your love is inevitably unrequited. Which is why you return, the grey swain, flowers in hand. Remember me?"

If anybody could ever sum up why I have a blog and a web site devoted to the Ridgewood High School class of 1977 James Lileks could. He is a writer living in the midwest who loves New York city for the same reason I do: The Buildings! Please visit his web site. You won't regret it.

The Value of Blogs

Blogs As A Disaster Relief Tool

Though not directly applicable to my memories of Ridgewood philosophy it does serve to remind us all of the Blog's possibilies. -Paul

As noted in Technology Daily this morning:

Two researchers at the University of Maryland have proposed that the federal and state governments use Internet-based communities built around blogs, social networks and collaborative "wikis" to aid disaster relief, Nature.com reports.

RHS Distinguished Alumni

     RHS LAUNCHES DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD PROGRAM RHS principal Jack Lorenz announced that his office is now accepting nominations for the newly initiated Distinguished Alumni Award. Chosen on the basis of their achievements in their fields or contributions to society, the award winners will have plaques hung in their names in the main vestibule at the Heermance Place entrance to the building. 

     "The purpose of the wall is to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves through their achievements in their fields or contributions to society," said Lorenz. "The recognition wall will serve as an inspiration to students attending RHS each year." In the first year, he said, the program will recognize several distinguished alumni posthumously to reflect the early history of RHS.

     The public is invited to participate in the nomination process. Please send nominations to RHS, Distinguished Alumni Selection Committee, c/o Principal's Office, 627 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood NJ 07451. Nominations should include a detailed description of the nominee explaining why the candidate should be honored as a Distinguished Alumni of RHS as well as the individual's special recognitions, honors, awards, or accomplishments. The deadline is Friday, March 23, 2007. The Distinguished Alumni Award recognition program will be held on a biannual basis, alternating with RHS Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

Ridgewood Is A Restaurant Town

     This is so painfully obvious that even someone who is visiting Ridgewood for the first time would be able to tell on a simple drive through town. What they might not notice are the people who live in Ridgewood who are overweight, especially the school children. I hypothesize that there is a direct correlation between the number of restaurants in town and the number of school children who are corpulent. This can be corroborated by the increase in families who have both parents working, thus they have less time to devote to cooking and eating at home. My hunch is that if people could make the time to eat at home and cooked their own meals then kids might not weigh so much above average. Of course, it doesn't help that children spend time passively watching TV, playing video games, and surfing the Internet. I hate to sound like an old fogey but since there weren't a lot of video games 30 years ago when I was growing up in Ridgewood, and no easily accessed Internet, we went outside, or were ordered out by our parents, and couldn't simply recline statically to play. I like to cling to this idea that we played outside a greater share of the day than kids do now. Do I consider that my childhood environment was healthier for kids than the current one? It certainly was different and seemingly centered around outside activities. Though I don't begrudge kids their video games and Internet access as we saw our fair share of TV, too. I only wish kids would spend their time behaving like kids, and less like couch potatoes because it shows all too often when you take the time to look and you notice their portliness.

The Upper Ridgewood Community Church

     It's been five years since Ana and I were married in the Upper Ridgewood Community Church. Of all things, we were married on a 70 degree afternoon in late January. It was so warm we took our wedding photographs outside without our coats! This is the very same church I was confirmed in and attended while living in Ridgewood. We held our reception in one of its rooms that had been recently expanded and renovated and used to hold my Sunday School classes. They even gave us permission to drink wine and champagne to go with the reception for the 50 or so invited guests. All in all it was what one guest called a "grown-up wedding reception" as we did it simply yet elegantly, and in an environment that was convenient for all. What could have been easier than to leave the church, walk down a hall, then be handed a glass of champagne with a strawberry floating in it? If you had told me all those years ago while I was attending Sunday School that I would one day be married and drinking inside those same four walls I never would have believed it. The best part is that I still smile when I think of the fun we had that day, and the fun we continue to have in our married life.

Dr. Bitzer

It wouldn't be a complete blog about my memories of Ridgewood if I didn't mention my dentist, Dr. Bitzer. Dr. Raymond Bitzer has been my dentist all my life, even when I haven't lived in the immediate vicinity of his practice. Seeing him and his son, Bruce, who joined the practice in the late 80's has always been a good reason for me to return to Ridgewood for a visit.

It may sound eccentric to continue to see the same dentist but I have always appreciated their skills and honesty. The few times I have had to see other dentists they have always said the same thing, "You need to have your wisdom teeth removed." When I tell this to Bruce and his father they always ask the same question and follow it with the same recommendation, "Are they giving you any problems? If not, leave them alone."

This kind of integrity combined with the chance to catch up on the news of Ridgewood always leaves me feeling better in both body and spirit. I know most people have trouble seeing a visit to the dentist in this light but it works for me.

The Next Class of 1977 Reunion

When we do have another reunion this is how I hopefully will look:






That's me and my dog Angus in a park in Forest Hills, NY circa 2006.

As for the next reunion, all I can say is that they take a tremendous amount of time and effort. Unfortunately, I travel too much to work on the next planning committee but would be glad to do what I can remotely. That is to say, I will maintain our web site and blog.

Please look me up in the old phone book when you hear any news.

Your classmate from years ago,

Paul