Rainy Sundays in August

There were days like we are having today with Hurricane Irene when we were growing up. They felt much more isolating than today, no doubt thanks to the invention of the Internet, Social Networking, and precise hurricane tracking maps. People criticize the Internet for allowing people to socialize without seeing one another face-to-face. I can tell you for a fact that as a kid I would have liked to have seen anyone during one of those storms, which left the streets and sometimes our basement flooded.

Today I have friends all over the map to touch base with, as long as the power stays on, and my assorted Internet connections stay up. I am a techie so I have redundant paths to the Internet and numerous backup batteries. As a kid we would have had the radio and TV, until the power went out, then we were alone and on our own. It didn't matter how many Three Musketeers bars my mother might offer us, we still felt alone and had no place to go.

When the storm had ceased we would go out and inspect the damage and the flooding. I can remember streets in my neighborhood where the water would be standing up to my knees. We would walk through it anyway, especially if there was no power and we had nothing better to do.

During these storm events I can remember the Hohokus brook would inevitably flood over its banks and people nearby would have to contend with a stream that was now on steroids. I have seen the improvements which have been made to the flood control system in and around the Hohokus brook and will be curious to hear how these modifications handled today's deluge.

Oh well, the only thing now is to wait and see, just like we did when we were younger. I think the fact that I recall Sunday storms in August infers they must have been memorable and somewhat traumatic. I'm sure this one will have its own set of difficult circumstances. What's more, now I am the adult and the one who must be brave. Wonder where the Three Musketeers bars are anyway?

Stay dry and indoors. The flooded streets will be there to wander through after the all clear has been sounded.

Randi Engle

This story was told to me by Russell Engle, RHS Class of 1977. It concerns his sister:

"Randi Engle is an Assoc. Prof. of Education at UC Berkeley. She just received tenure on July 1st. She is married with 2 daughters, ages 8 and 15.

With all the good things in her life, Randi has also been fighting pancreatic cancer for a year now, the condition was bad at that time. Though it hasn't stopped her P.C. research fundraising website at:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/randi-engle/raisethecureforrandi

She's raised $42K so far and even traveled from Berkeley, CA to Wash, DC to lobby congress to increase federal funding. Thankfully, her disease is stable right now on the chemo she is taking."

Whenever I hear of story like this it makes me stop and wonder how I would handle the same situation. Would I lay down and stop fighting, or fight even harder like Randi has been doing? Nobody can say until they are placed in this sort of situation, and then their true character begins to show.

Glad to hear her condition is stable and I hope she keeps fighting as people like Randi are an inspiration to us all.

RHS Class of 1991 20th Reunion

The Official Reunion will be held at the Women's Club of Ridgewood, located near George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood, NJ. The Event will take place Saturday November 5th, 2011 from 7-11PM.

Tickets are $80.00 per person on or before September 15, 2011 and include beer, wine and a variety of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres. After September 15, 2011, the ticket price will increase to $90.00 per person. Guests are welcome and can be added to your ticket order online. Due to space and other restrictions, children, and/or anyone under the age of 21, are not permitted at this event.
We will have a special table set up where people can share business cards and gather to network and discuss business ventures. We hope that we can facilitate some valuable conversations and contacts among our fellow classmates. If you are interested in displaying any thing other than business cards, please go to the “contact us” link to send us a message with your contact information and a brief description of what you are interested in displaying. A reunion committee member will be in touch with you to discuss your request.

Overnight accomodations are available at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Paramus, NJ at a special rate of $99 per night. The rooms are blocked for both Friday and Saturday night. For reservations, please call (201) 262-6900 or visit the website: www.crowneplaza.com/paramus.
The Ridgewood Women’s Club is located at 215 West Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. It is close to mass transportation and within walking distance (less than ½ mile) from NJ Transit train/Ridgewood train station.

Broad Street 100 Years Ago

Thanks to our friends at the Ridgewood Patch! This is what Broad Street looked like roughly a century ago. Photo Credit Courtesy of the Bolger Heritage Center at the Ridgewood Public Library.





Ridgewood Patch Editor, James Kleimann:

"It's still known as the transit hub of Ridgewood, just as it was a century ago. But things have changed on Broad Street since the early 1900s, notably the name.

Back in 1906, the street that now houses Smith Brothers, Mediteraneo, Bagelicious and the train station was called "Rock Avenue" and even then featured some of the same landmarks that gives the thoroughfare its unique look.

According to a Ridgewood Herald article from June 28, 1906, property owners lobbied the village trustees to have the street changed to "Broad Street" though the reasons why were not disclosed in archives.

"Mr. Brackett opposed changing the names of streets but his was the only negative vote on a motion to instruct the counsel to prepare an ordinance complying with the request of the petitioners," the article stated."

Class of 1977 35th Reunion Weekend

My favorite poet, William Butler Yeats, penned a poem which I long ago committed to memory: "When You are Old."  It inspires me to this day, and hopefully will reveal to you the purpose and reason behind our 35th Reunion Weekend next summer. It begins, "When you are old and grey and full of sleep, and nodding by the fire…"

These lines suggest a comfort in old age. The poem also briefly traces the journey from youth to old age. It suggests we need to gather as many beautiful memories as we can during our short time on this planet. I hope this Reunion becomes just such a recollection for us all.

The Saturday night party will be held at the Marriott in Park Ridge, NJ on July 21st 2012 starting at 7PM.
Tickets are $95 and may be purchased online via our web site with a credit card or a PayPal account.
Rooms for both Friday and Saturday nights are $99.

More details regarding deadlines will be posted on our web site and on Facebook. Hope you all can make it.

August Days

It was always about this time of the summer when as a kid we used to feel out of sorts. The usual routines around school and friends had been broken, and the new school year was still a month away. We easily lost touch with our friends whenever someone went on vacation. We had no Internet or text messaging capabilities to tie us together like kids do these days. In August there always seemed like there was plenty of time, or too much time, and the days would sometimes drag.

This all wasn't a totally bad thing. The lack of routine combined with the oppressive heat of August always seemed to prompt one to do some brutal self-reckoning and maybe even take a chance or two like riding our bicycles through a different part of town or playing around with kids we previously had never hung around with. When we were old enough to drive there were trips to the Jersey Shore unaccompanied by adults. These sort of eye-opening activities seemed appropriate in August as we anticipated the coming of Labor Day and the beginning of the new school year.

In late August we always made a trip to MacHughs to buy new clothes for school. There was also a trip to Bill Lyons Shoe Store to buy shoes, and a trip to Perdues or Bernards to buy sneakers. These constants kept us grounded during this period. The malls had arrived and were beginning to grab our shopping attention but there was still enough customers for the local merchants.

The shopping also sparked our thinking once again about our friends from school, who might be our teachers, and who would be in our classes. I suppose we could have found out in advance if our parents had asked, but I doubt this would have alleviated our fear and excitement one iota. There was plenty of time before the natural flow of events would reveal these details. Besides, it was August and we were wearing shorts and often times were barefoot. There were BBQs still to attend, watermelon to eat, and fireflies to catch. All simple pleasures which would help propel us through the August Days of our youth.