Say Goodbye to the Pay Phone

According to the news today we won't have pay phones to kick around much longer. It appears New York City is taking the lead. The Mayor's Office unveiled an ambitious plan to roll out a free city-wide municipal Wi-Fi network that officials say will be the fastest and most wide-reaching network of its kind in the world.

"At a press conference at City Hall, the city unveiled LinkNYC, which will rely on thousands of kiosks that will be deployed at locations currently occupied by pay phones. The kiosks will be installed in as many as 10,000 locations throughout the five boroughs and will offer Wi-Fi service of one gigabit per second within a radius of 150 feet. They'll also offer free domestic voice calls to all 50 states. The first of the kiosks is expected to begin service in late 2015."

The memorable Jim Croce song will no longer make sense after all the pay phones are gone. If you take it one step further, will anyone ever need to call the operator again?

"Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)"

Operator, well could you help me place this call

See, the number on the match book is old and faded

She's living in L.A

With my best old ex-friend Ray

A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

But isn't that the way they say it goes

Well let's forget all that

And give me the number if you can find it

So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine, and to show

I've overcome the blow

I've learned to take it well

I only wish my words 

Could just convince myself

That it just wasn't real

But that's not the way it feels

Operator, well could you help me place this call

'Cause I can't read the number that you just gave me

There's something in my eyes

You know it happens every time

I think about the love that I thought would save me

But isn't that the way they say it goes

Well let's forget all that

And give me the number if you can find it

So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine, and to show

I've overcome the blow

I've learned to take it well

I only wish my words 

Could just convince myself

That it just wasn't real

But that's not the way it feels

No, no, no, no

That's not the way it feels

Operator, well let's forget about this call

There's no one there I really wanted to talk to

Thank you for your time

Ah, you've been so much more then kind

You can keep the dime

But isn't that the way they say it goes

Well let's forget all that

And give me the number if you can find it

So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine, and to show

I've overcome the blow

I've learned to take it well

I only wish my words 

Could just convince myself

That it just wasn't real

But that's not the way it feels

NY Ranger Sunday Matinees at The Garden

On beautiful autumn afternoons like today I am reminded of the many occasions we went to Madison Square Garden for a New York Ranger hockey game with a 12:00 PM start time. If the game was on TV the players would slick back their hair back and shave so they would look good on camera. There were no masks or helmuts, except maybe for our goalie Eddie Giacomin.

The Garden Faithful, as we were charitably referred to in the newspapers and on TV, would chant our goalie's name whenever the mood struck or the action demanded it. We would call out, "Ed-die Ed-die!" till our ears started to ring.

Ridgewood Film

You Tube has a channel which I just became aware of this morning. It's called Ridgewood Film and is the brainchild of two RHS students, Spencer Muhlstock and Hayes Walsh. These guys are alright with me on so many levels. Firstly, what better way to acquire a useful and highly marketable skill than to make movies on your own computer. Secondly, to focus on you high school gives you all the material you will need for a few years, and then some for later. Lastly, what they are producing is good. Take a look at the one with scenes from a helicopter or the trailers they are producing for the New Players Company.

I give them a big thank you and congratulations for showing us all what a fine education they have been receiving. Expect many more delightful short pieces in the future.

What Is Ridgewood High School?

Ridgewood High School: Learning Commons

RHS Alumni Association Officers

The newly elected officers of the Ridgewood High School Alumni Association. Thomas Gorman, principal of RHS and a Class of '87 graduate, said more than a dozen people attended the Sept. 30 meeting where Keith Dawkins was elected president, Jacqueline Hennessey (Class of '87) was elected vice president, Steven Correll (Class of '88) was elected treasurer, and Siobhan Winograd (Class of '91) was elected secretary.

Left to right are RHS Principal Tom Gorman, Siobhan Winograd, Jacqueline Hennessey, Steven Correll, and Keith Dawkins.

http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/alumni-association-to-strengthen-tradition-1.1111356

Ridgewood High School Alumni Association!

"We are excited to announce the formation of the Ridgewood High School Alumni Association!

The Alumni Association will officially begin operating effective September 30, 2014. At the 7:30 pm meeting on the third floor of the Education Center, the Alumni Board of Trustees and officers will be elected and a vision for the Alumni Association will be laid out for the upcoming year. All alumni are welcome to attend.

To celebrate this new endeavor, alumni and friends have been invited to attend a dinner on October 2, 2014 at 8:30 pm at Novo Restaurant in Ridgewood. I will be attending and addressing the group, and hope to see many of you there. Seating is limited, so please contact Siobhan Crann Winograd (’91)(swinograd@hotmail.com) or me if you are interested in attending.

The Alumni Association will run very similarly to those seen on the collegiate level – it will promote alumni relations and activities, foster connections with alumni and RHS, and fundraise. Its official mission will be “[t]o celebrate and promote the collective experiences unique to the Ridgewood High School community and strengthen A Tradition of Excellence.” Its official Strategic Priorities will be to:

• Foster A Tradition of Excellence at Ridgewood High School
• Enhance the overall experience of existing students
• Strengthen communication and promote connections between alumni and the Ridgewood High School community
• Facilitate an active and dynamic alumni network
• Encourage participation in alumni relations programs

Alumni associations are quite rare among public high schools. The formation of ours is a testament to the enthusiasm and loyalty of RHS alumni. I hope you share my excitement for what I know will be a terrific venture."

Sincerely,
Thomas A. Gorman, Ed.D.
Principal
Ridgewood High School
627 Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-670–2800 x20501
http://ridgewood.rhs.schoolfusion.us/

A Tradition of Excellence

RHS Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees are Announced

The group consists of 10 athletes, one coach, one team and another team’s championship era.

The inductees include student athletes John Cerf, Boys Gymnastics (1976); Rachel Grygiel, Girls Soccer (1993); Nancy Hogan, Multi-Sport Athlete (1974); Jean Hughes, Girls Cross Country and Track and Field (1989); Michele Marangi, Girls Tennis (1984); John Marshall, multi-sports athlete (1971); Mark Romeo, Wrestling (2002); Don Taylor, Boys Basketball (1961); Paul Tornatore, Football (1987); and Chris VanNote, Boys Soccer (1981). Jim Bruni, Head Boys Basketball Coach, 1964-1971, will also be inducted, along with the 1913 “Ridgewood Invincibles” Football Team and the “Streak of 44” consecutive wins by the Ridgewood Boys Lacrosse Team.

RHS Class of 1979 35th Reunion

http://www.rhsclassof1979.org/

Dear Fellow Classmates,As many of you already know, our 35th High School Class Reunion has been set and is on Saturday October 11th, 2014 at the Sheraton Crossroads Hotel in Mahwah, NJ in the IllusionsLounge from 7:00pm-11:00pm.(www.sheratonmahwah.com) As was the case with our 30th reunion, we have organized this without the assistance of a 3rd party company and are relying on our classmates to spread the word to our others in our class about the event. The event includes a full buffet along with an open bar and is $99.00 per person.

RHS Class of 1984 30th Reunion

RHS Class of 1984 - 30th Reunion - September 26 & 27
FRIDAY:
Rich and Lindsey Barclay would like to invite you to their house for a few drinks and to catch up on Friday 9/26 beginning at 7:30.
The RHS Football game starts at 7:00 if you’d like... start there, then walk to their house, just down the road from RHS at 143 Brookside Ave.
There will be Beer, Wine, other beverages and Appetizers. To cover the costs, we are asking for everyone to chip in $25.
If people can give us a heads up on attendance for Friday, that will help us in the planning. Email Lindsey at: RLBarc@aol.com
Feel free to forward this to other 84’ers.

All welcome.

SATURDAY:
We also have the Elks club booked for Saturday night 9/27 at 7:30. Beer, Wine, Dinner catered by the Best Of Everything and Music. If you pay by 9/14, its $50. its $55after that and its $60 at the door
Mail to: Kelly Kennedy Rick
340 Fairway Road
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Make check payable to: Kelly Rick
Please let Rob Davis know if you will be attending The Elks club. rfdavisii@gmail.com

Conceptions of Friendship

In college, I had a sociology professor have us write an essay about why conceptions of friendship vary. I don't remember a word of what I wrote but have pondered his question many times since. There are thousands of quotes on the subject of friendship, a personal favorite is from the movie Stand By Me:

"Friends come in and out of your life, like busboys at a restaurant."

If I were asked today to tell about my friendships and what they mean, I would begin with what another professor of mine from college once told me on the subject: the basis of friendship is trust. Looking back on his pithy explanation almost 40 years later, it still rings true. I have lost and gained friends depending upon my belief in their reliability, goodness, and honesty. Though this doesn't answer the original question of why ideas of friendship will vary from person to person.

I know now that this question has no single answer and that my professor wanted us to use the books we had been reading as a basis for our essays. Still it would be helpful, and many hurt feelings would be prevented, if we all agreed on what friendship means and the amount of liberty we can take in the friendships that we make. This is, of course, impossible and everyone will always give themselves the benefit of the doubt, usually before they grant this gift even to a friend.

The friendships we have as children appear to us at the time as though they will last a lifetime. Though we all know this not to be the case. A small number will survive and can be renewed from time to time at reunions and by chance or scheduled meetings, letters, or email. It is these few that we cherish and long to keep and to not pass any more judgements upon.

When we get to the end of our lives we hopefully have learned to make amends, say our apologies, and enjoy the time we have left to explore our memories of times and places long gone. I can't say that this prospect is easy, but it's certainly worth the effort for everyone involved when slights are forgotten and the true meaning of what our friends mean to us is considered anew.

Home

Found this quote while reading a memoir by Judy Johnson, Watching The Game. I think it fits the tone of this blog and intimates at what I have been trying to write about for a long time.



"Meditate upon the name. Home is an English word virtually impossible to translate into other tongues. No translation catches the associations, the mixture of memory and longing, the sense of security and autonomy and accessibility, the aroma of inclusiveness, of freedom from wariness, that cling to the word home and are absent from house or even my house. Home is a concept, not a place; it is a state of mind where self-definition starts; it is origins--the mix of time and place and smell and weather wherein one first realizes one is an original, perhaps like others, especially those one loves, but discrete, distinct, not to be copied."

--A Bartlett Giamatti, Commissioner of Major League Baseball for 154 days

R.I.P. Robert D. Sullivan

Robert D. Sullivan, age 84, died in Waltham, Saturday morning, August 16, 2014, after a brief illness. Born in Medford, Robert was the son of the late Helen M. (Maxwell) & Daniel J. Sullivan. 

Bob was raised in Medford and was a graduate of Medford High School, class of 1947. He attended Cardinal Newman prep for a year, 1947-1948, and then went on to graduate from Worcester State College, class of 1952, where he was class president. He earned his masters at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, in school administration in 1954. While attending UMass-Amherst, Bob began his teaching career with a teaching fellowship, 1952-1954. His years at UMass-Amherst were very special to Bob; this is where he met his future wife, Kathleen Eunice Garvin. They married in Medford, at St. Joseph Church, in 1953 and have been married for 61 years. 

In September of 1954, Bob began his career in education in the Ridgewood, NJ public school system. He also continued his education in New Jersey at Peterson, Montclair and Rutgers Universities. He taught grade six elementary, he was a principal, administrative assistant to the superintendent and in July of 1970, he became the Director of Personnel for the district, retiring in October 1989.
In January 1955, Bob joined the United States Army and proudly served during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged as a Specialist 3rd class in December, 1956. Bob then went on to continue his career in education in New Jersey. 

Bob was very active in civic and professional organizations in New Jersey. He was a member of NJ Education Association, National Education Association, American Association of School Administrators, Association for school, college and university staffing, of which he was a member of the Board of Directors, 1981-1984, and was president in 1982-1983 of the Middle Atlantic Association for school, college and university staffing. Bob was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for recognition of outstanding contributions to the teaching profession by the Jersey City State College in 1985.
Bob was also a football and basketball official in New Jersey and New York. A member of the NJ Football Officials Association and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, NY Chapter, for football. In Ridgewood, NJ, Bob was an official in their recreational basketball program.

Bob was a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Ridgewood, NJ in 1974- 1975, and chairman of their youth foundation from 1980-1989. He was a board member of the Valley Hospital Home & Community Health Care and chairman of the personnel committee from 1987-1989. After Bob retired, they settled in Mashpee on Cape Cod. Bob and his beloved wife K. Eunice loved to golf. They were members of the Quashnet Valley Country Club in Mashpee from 1990-2005 and the Spanish Wells Country Club, in Bonita Springs, FL, where they wintered, from 1989 to 2012. 

In addition to his beloved wife K. Eunice (Garvin) Sullivan, Bob is survived by his daughters, Dr. Kathleen A. Hoye and her husband Dr. Stephen Hoye of Taunton, Patricia M. Boylan and her husband Denis Boylan of Harrison, NJ, and Susan J. Waddick and her husband Matthew of Waltham. His devoted sons, Robert M. Sullivan, his wife Evelyn-Sue of Woodbridge, NJ, and William D. Sullivan and his wife Lisa of Woburn. Bob is also survived by 10 loving grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Helen Sullivan. 

Funeral from the McLaughlin-Dello Russo Funeral Home, 60 Pleasant St. WOBURN, Thursday, August 21st at 9:30 AM. Followed by a funeral mass celebrated in St. Brigid Church, 1979 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington at 10:30AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours Wednesday, August 20th 4 thru 8PM. Services will conclude with burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. 

It has been requested that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions be made in Bob's name to Worcester State University Division of University Advancement, General Scholarship Class of 1952, 486 Chandler St., Worcester, MA 01602.

RHS Class of 1994 20th Reunion

"We now have a date and location for our 20th reunion!

We followed the results of the poll you answered. About 50 people voted, and the vast majority said they wanted our reunion to be in North Jersey during Columbus Day weekend.

So let's get together on Saturday, Oct 11th from 8pm until midnight, at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel's Bar/Restaurant in Mahwah (180 Rt 17 South).

More details to come (payment, hotel room discounts, etc.), but in the mean time WE NEED YOUR HELP to get the word out to our classmates. We have over 200 people on this Facebook page, which is good, but also means about 150 people aren't getting the message.

PLEASE EMAIL OUR MISSING CLASSMATES. If you want, cc me or Jon Donnelly on your note (armenmeyer@gmail.com or jondonnelly1@gmail.com), and we'll get them into an email list for future updates. Or just post the email addresses of anyone you see missing from this page as a comment here, and we'll take care of it.

More to come. Jon, Tom, Adam, and I are looking forward to all of us getting together again on October 11th."

Ridgewood Schools Solar

Very cool site which shows the amount of Solar power being generated by each of the Ridgewood Schools.

http://live.deckmonitoring.com/?id=ridgewood_schools_portfolio

This site demonstrates a "real-time software solution that integrates renewable energy system performance data with financial management." Extra energy which is generated and not used by a school facility can be returned to the power grid.

Let the sun shine in!

Palisades Amusement Park

Palisades Amusement Park finally closed its doors following the 1971 season, though this picture from the Vintage Bergen County photo web site seems to make it come alive.

All the amusement parks, state and county fairs from my youth are all starting to blend into one happy memory. Time will do this to each of us. I do recall a few rides home from Palisades Amusement Park in our family station wagon, which was without air-conditioning. We didn't know any better and just endured it, along with the long line of traffic to get out of the park.

By the end of a day at Palisades you were a combination of tired, hot, and full of foods like hotdogs and cotton candy. There was never much talk of doing anything else once we got home but go to sleep.
In the morning the prizes we had won the day before may have lost some of their luster though we couldn't ever shake the fact that we had expended a tremendous amount of energy in a short period of time. This was much to our parents delight no doubt.

Water Fountains and Water Bottles

As children we drank from water fountains and garden hoses. I can't imagine doing either today. We would line up to drink from the fountain at the playground at Willard. If the line was long there was an unspoken time limit for each person. Usually the oldest person on line would arbitrarily determine when someone younger was done. This is how many things were settled in the school yard, like who's turn it was to use the stickball court or the best patch of field for a football game. In these latter cases the older boys would simply say the game was over and that was it. Though in the case of the water fountain a tad bit of mercy was displayed and cutting in line was not highly thought of by anyone.

I saw this same outside Willard fountain vandalized more than once. The water flowed down the steps and onto the dirt playing fields. After a while when the flood became to noticeable a janitor would come and shut it off. It would remain off until the time came that someone in authority believed the kids who played at Willard had learned their lesson about vandalizing water fountains. Last time I looked the fountain was gone. I suppose it was tampered with too often.

When the fountain was out of order, or we were not near by, we would drink from any handy garden hose. It didn't taste too bad as I recall if you let the water in the hose run out and you were drinking from a fresh flow.

Today we have water bottles. You can't go anywhere without seeing them littered about or clutched in some sweaty person's hand. We had litter of all kinds as kids but nothing to compare with today's water bottles. This is my observation and nothing empirical. The water bottle I expect will be regarded by history as a bad thing, despite all efforts to recycle them by charging a deposit on each one. I say this because they have helped in the decline of a very useful social custom, that of waiting one's turn. Whether it was waiting for a chance at the fountain or a turn at the hose, these moments of delayed gratification could be viewed as character building.

This is just one man's view, and a slightly old school one at that. ;-)

70th Aniversary of D-Day

Pont du Hoc.

Brave, brave, brave. This is all that comes to mind when I think of these volunteer soldiers. They landed on a beach in France and knew there were no boats coming to take them back. Only boats with more people like themselves.

This day always gives me pause for thought, especially now that pictures can be easily displayed on the Internet in a wide variety of formats. I truly wouldn't have it any other way if they prove to be an inspiration to, or an education for someone.

Peace.

Biltmore Tuxedos of Ridgewood

Order it from Biltmore Tuxedos, pick it up, and then bring it back after the graduation party was over. This was and remains the routine for male graduates of RHS. I'm not sure what they did before this store appeared in downtown, but they sure did make it easy for us.

The store stands where it always has for the last 40 years on Ridgewood Avenue. They must be doing something right.

I do remember the shoes being made of cardboard or something similar. They likely didn't want anybody to feel too comfortable in this ensemble, and then decide to keep it. The tuxedo certainly did make us look sharp on Graduation Day. I can't imagine what the turnout would have been like if our attire had been left up to us men. Correct that, I can imagine and it makes me laugh as it would have been awful. ;-)

Mother's Day

I sent her a gift despite my Mom's protests about it being a phony holiday. She liked the book I sent her written by Judy Johnson. Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

The Common Core Controversy

The Common Core is a federally approved (but not nationally mandated) set of standards that most states, including New York, have adopted.  According to the web site http://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-should-know/:

"The standards are designed to build upon the most advanced current thinking about preparing all students for success in college, career, and life. This will result in moving even the best state standards to the next level. In fact, since this work began, there has been an explicit agreement that no state would lower its standards. The standards were informed by the best in the country, the highest international standards, and evidence and expertise about educational outcomes. We need college- and career-ready standards because even in high‐performing states, students are graduating and passing all the required tests but still need remediation in their post-secondary work."

I don't recall ever having a teacher who would "teach to the test" or place more emphasis on standardized tests than what was taught throughout the year. I certainly recall the Iowa Tests and how these would take up entire days of our time. Though when they were over they were largely forgotten. Maybe I am just lucky to remember it that way now.

I do remember that we were all glad when the tests were over, including our teachers. Though in those days our teachers were not being judged on how well we did on the standardized tests. Even a child would have understood that it wouldn't be fair to rate a teacher on a test they had nothing to do with creating. Now I suppose the children understand they are being taught in a manner that will improve their test scores and help their teachers keep their jobs. Hopefully, they don't realize this too soon because it would be a shame to teach cynicism in our schools when it is so easily learned on the streets and in their homes.

Judy Lynn Johnson's "Watching The Game"

According to Judy: "Finally, here it is, friends and family - my modest and very personal attempt to give something back to the game that I have loved for most of my life. available in hardcover and paperback at amazon.com." Can't wait to read it.

From the book jacket: Watching the Game is the stunning memoir of Judy Johnson-English teacher, mother, wife, and lover of the all-American game of baseball. As a preacher's daughter growing up in New Jersey, Johnson was inspired to love two things, God and the New York Mets. Equally fluent in the language of the game and the poetry of Shakespeare, Johnson's gorgeous stories bring to life each decade and transition of her existence: trading baseball cards with her best childhood friend, dating while attending an all-girls school, taking a newborn baby to the ballpark, saying goodbye to her son as he joins the military. While time and seasons dance to a rhythm of change, one scene remains the same-men in cleats on a diamond, the reassuring crack of the bat, and a field aglow in stadium lights.

The 1964 New York World's Fair

It will be 50 years ago this month that the New York World's Fair opened. The fair ran for two six-month seasons, April 22 – October 18, 1964 and April 21 – October 17, 1965. I'm not sure whether visited during the first season or the second, but my guess is the second as a visit required much walking and for small legs that could be difficult no matter how interested we might have been in seeing the exhibits like Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.

Most of what comprised the fair was torn down long ago though a few items remain and the area itself is the well kept Flushing Meadows Park, not too far from where I now live. We have visited on more than a few occasions and the Unisphere, a 12-story high, stainless-steel model of the earth, remains a captivating site. The paths and their names remain almost unchanged from the days of the fair. It's comforting to have this park nearby where we can look at the trees, flowers, and water.

Here is what the site looked like in 2004, with the ruins of the Observatory Towers and the New York State Pavilion in the foreground:

Baseball's Opening Day

Casey Stengel was once asked about how he could manage a baseball team (The Mets) at such an advanced age. He said, "The trick is growing up but not growing old." I might also he not giving up because he managed awful teams which lost 120 games in their inaugural season. I believed he practiced what he preached and also lived by another quote attributed to him when asked about leadership. "The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided." There will only be one Casey Stengel and all the other colorful people who come along after will be compared to him.

The Corner Store

It hasn't been called "The Corner Store" for a very long time. I don't know when it lost this moniker but it doesn't matter as the spot will always be The Corner Store or "The Little Store" to me.

Through the years on my infrequent visits to the Ridgewood area I've stopped into the Corner Store to see its many incarnations. I never stay long as I always want to remember it the way I did as a very young child. Back then there was an owner who ran a meat counter in the back of store and wore a straw hat when he waited on people. He was an old time meat cutter, who had saw dust on the floor, and he dressed the part of a man who knew meat.

I learned many early lessons in economics from time spent in and around the Corner Store. Firstly, it was explained to me why we never shopped at the little store for anything essential. It was strictly a convenience store as the prices could never compete with the local supermarkets or even the Superior Meat Market in the center of town.

The other lesson I learned early was about inflation. I saw the packs of hostess cupcakes go from $.10 to $.15 and then to .$20 and $.25. The same thing with cans of Coca-Cola, packs of Sweet Tarts, and boxes of Milk Duds.

The Corner Store is located on the edge of Midland Park and was surrounded by the homes of kids we went to school with and the Glen Avenue Fire House. It was a safe walk from my house near Willard and one we made countless times with no thought for our own safety. If we told our Moms we were off to the Corner Store they knew what we meant and the path we would follow. The homes in those days were filled with Moms looking out their windows as kids walked by. There were other keepers of the piece like the mailman who lived up the street from the Corner Store and who's mail route took him to all the homes in our Upper Ridgewood neighborhood. He was a kind man who didn't tolerate mischief from the kids in his neighborhood. He had no qualms about knocking on the doors and speaking to parents if he saw a child acting out.

It was quite a different time and we called things by different names than are used today. A mailman like ours would find empty homes or latchkey children today so probably wouldn't even bother with reprimanding the troublemakers. They have called the Corner Store many different names since I was a child but it will always be a place to me where got sweets and refreshments. It will also always be a place I recall learning lessons about life that have stuck with me to this day.

Doug and Tara Married in Ridgewood at West Side Presbyterian

Doug Walker and Tara Farrell were married today at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood. This photo captures the reason why we have reunions. They kindled a romance at our 35th and here they are less than two years later tying the knot in Ridgewood.

BOOM! - A Baby Boomer Memoir, 1947-2022 by Ted Polhemus

BOOM! was the first book I ever downloaded as I prefer something perceptible to the touch. This memoir was well worth the change of habit. It helps that I knew all the New Jersey references and had visited their childhood home accompanied by Ted's sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews. I had met their mother a couple of times and had always enjoyed seeing the sparkle in her eyes.

I spoil nothing by saying that the book is both insightful because of the truths it tells, and optimistic in its overall approach. To me, it's the sort of book a hippie writes after looking back on their life and seeing both the good and the bad. Ted is none too judgmental and tells a story that many will come to recognize as partly their own.

Here is the link at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009BBYM08/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

New "Golden Age" of TV

While there is very little I haven't seen in terms of classic television shows from the 50's, at least those which were saved, our new "Golden Age" is going to take me years to catch up on. Fortunately, it can be done without a trip to the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City. Though if you have never been it is worth the trip: http://www.ny.com/museums/MTR.html

The list of television series which I haven't seen at all or caught up with is extensive. It would take weeks of binge viewing to see them all. It's not that I don't want to see them, only one has just so much time to invest in television before someone comes along and says time to go to work. In the old days it would have been, "time to go to bed."

Here's a partial list from the last twenty years of shows that I want to see at least one episode of:
1. X-Files
2. Freaks and Geeks
3. The West Wing
4. The Wire
5. Arrested Development
6. Lost
7. Breaking Bad
8. Game of Thrones
9. House of Cards
10. Walking Dead

I will compose a list of books that I want to read next.

Cyndy Myer--Best-50-Women-in-Business

Here's looking at you, Cindy!

Cynthia Myer

Ridgewood Moving Services Co., President & CEO

Cynthia Myer, president and CEO of the Ridgewood Moving Services Co., is one of our 2014 Best 50 Women in Business honorees.
The women will be honored at an event March 24 at The Palace at Somerset Park. For more details, click here or please contact Melissa Sullenberger at melissas@njbiz.com or call her at 732-246-5737.

Here is the link:

http://www.njbiz.com/article/20140213/AWARDS/140219792/Cynthia-Myer---Best-50-Women-in-Business#slide

W. B. Yeats: To a Friend whose Work has come to Nothing

To a Friend whose Work has come to Nothing

NOW all the truth is out,

Be secret and take defeat

From any brazen throat,

For how can you compete,

Being honour bred, with one

5

Who, were it proved he lies,

Were neither shamed in his own

Nor in his neighbours’ eyes?

Bred to a harder thing

Than Triumph, turn away

10

And like a laughing string

Whereon mad fingers play

Amid a place of stone,

Be secret and exult,

Because of all things known

15

That is most difficult.

Self-Discovery

Online Holland Code Test results: SEC. This means one of the best career paths for me would be City Manager. Given the time I spend on FaceBook managing groups, web sites, and blogs, I'll take it as pretty accurate. Thanks to my wife, Ana, for showing me this test.

http://www.roguecc.edu/counseling/hollandcodes/test.asp

Suzie Baxter

 Suzie Baxter requiescat in pace.

Cindy Myer

This was reported in the Mahwah Patch last year and is very worthy of a shout out in this forum.

Ridgewood Moving

MAHWAH (May 8, 2013) ─ Locally owned Ridgewood Moving Services becomes an interstate agent for Bekins Van Line today. It’s a move that Ridgewood owner Cindy Myer says will allow the company to offer more services to clients and position the company for continued growth.
Bekins Van Lines and its parent company Wheaton Van Lines Inc. is the fourth largest household goods carrier in the nation. Ridgewood Moving is the only Bekins agent in the Ridgewood and Mahwah communities.
Change is nothing new to Myer, who took over the family-owned moving company in 2005, after her husband’s unexpected and sudden death.  A stay-at-home mom with a degree in fashion, Myer’s only business involvement had been ordering uniforms. However, she was determined to keep the business, which had been in her husband’s family since 1966.
“Cindy has grown Ridgewood into one of the most respected moving companies in New Jersey, despite the circumstances and despite the economy,” said Bekins’ CEO Mark Kirschner. “Ridgewood’s mission of high customer satisfaction and community involvement is very much in line with Bekins, and that makes this an exciting new partnership.”
Since 2005, Ridgewood Moving has seen a steady climb, including a double-digit revenue growth in 2012. In 2008, Myer became one of the first female members of the New Jersey Warehousemen & Movers Association’s executive board. Ridgewood is a certified WBENC (Woman’s Business Enterprise).
Ridgewood Moving is the Senior Move specialist for The Alliance for Senior Services. Myer contributed and was part of the moving team for the book, “The Guide to Moving Mom,” written by Susan Bari Phillips which provides a resource for family members who have to make the difficult decision about moving elderly relatives.
A Ridgewood native, Myer is a member of the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Ridgewood and Montvale chambers of commerce, Woman President Organization, New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners and CEO Round Table member of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey.  Myer is a trustee on the board of Shelter Our Sisters, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter and support for women and children of domestic violence.
For more information about Ridgewood Moving, go online at www.ridgewoodmoving.com.

Paul Albus Remembered

From our friends in the RHS Class of 1973.


http://rhsclassof1973.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=5

Paul Albus was one of those guys liked by everybody. To those he was friends with he was a good friend and a lot of fun to be around. He also was a very good offensive football player for Ridgewood - both as a receiver and a running back. I thought I'd share some of his stats.

For the 1972 Season (Senior year Championship Season):

Paul Led the team with 441 yards rushing averaging 4.9 yards a carry and scored 24 points rushing.

Paul had 7 receptions for 85 yards and 6 points.

He led the varsity team with 5 touchdowns for a total of 30 points.

He made All-League Honrable Mention.

He also made All-Suburban 2nd Team.

In his last career game, it was a big one. Ridgewood would clinch the NNJIL title on Thanksgiving Day against Fair Lawn. Paul rushed for 108 yards in that game and scored Ridgewood's only touchdown. A safety would seal the deal for Ridgewood in a hard fought, cold game with a score of 9-7.

#22 was fun to watch!

There Are Places I Remember

From Rick Flannery's blog:

http://rhsclassof1973.blogspot.com/2013/08/lyons-stationery-store.html

Lyons Stationery Store

Lyons - most of us remember this place. It was located on the corner of Ridgewood Avenue and S. Pleasant Avenue across from Somerville Elementary School. When I was little, Lyons would be the place I would buy candy and baseball cards on the way home from church on Sunday. It was a soda jerk / newspaper / candy store. There were always bikes parked outside.

Around the corner from Lyons was the infamous Dale's Market - Dale's had the old-fashioned push-screen door with the metal soda ad sign. It was a deli and semi grocery store - the way I remember Dale's is it looked like it was frozen in time - 1940's time - old wooden floors and dusty shelves. Still it was a familiar place.

By the time I got to RHS Lyons became one of the places I bought cigarettes - how we grow!

The new color photo below was taken by my daughter a couple of years ago. The classic b&w one of Lyons back in the day belongs to Dave Roberts and he graciously gave me permission to use it here - thanks Dave!




There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more

RHS Distinguished Alumni Wall

I nominated our classmate Stephanie Jones and received the following reply from the Principal:

Thank you for the nomination.  The alumni walls only go through the process every two years.  I will keep this email on file and put the nomination forward when they meet again next year.  We will inform you of the process at that time.

Thank you.

Thomas A. Gorman, Ed.D.

Principal

Ridgewood High School

627 Ridgewood Avenue

Ridgewood, NJ 07450

201-670-2800 x20501

http://ridgewood.rhs.schoolfusion.us/

A Tradition of Excellence 

It was nice that he responded so quickly. Please watch this space for news about our progress.

Our Cars

I've been meaning to write a post about the cars which have been in our lives. Tim Daly wrote a nice one today on FaceBook.

If you can see the photo you can see that my odometer went to 123456 this past week, on our 2001 Chevy Malibu. Not that the number 123,456 is anything special but it took 12 years, 5 months(4513 days/27.36 miles per day, on average), to get there. My girls grew up in that car. They went from 9 to 22 and 4.5 to 17. I recall being in the yard doing some work and they would pull in from being out shopping or swimming or piano lessons and their heads were barely above the window line. I could see their little hands waving clearly, though. We have had the car for more than half of the years we have been married (22). It has been the source for getting from A to B, and back, thousands of times. Whether that is home to school, home to grocery shopping, home to the dentist or doctor, home to sporting activities; it has been a part of our lives through all of those things. Outside of my immediate family all my nieces and nephews (13 of them) have grown as well. The next generation has started in our family as my oldest niece has 2 girls and my oldest nephew’s son was born in August. I don’t know if I can say that I love that car but I do love the time it represents. On the other hand, we returned from Tokyo in August 2001 and were only home for a short 2 weeks before tragedy struck. I got in that car to go somewhere that had a TV. We had been staying in a hotel and were only in the house for 1-2 days when it happened. That car waited in many a “drop off” and “pick up” line. It got us to Florida and back at least 3 times. It got us/me to Norman, OK and back at least half a dozen times. I could go on with things that don’t mean anything to anyone but me/us. I think all of us remember, or still own a car, fondly. Not necessarily for the vehicle itself but for things that happened in our lives for as long as it’s wheels rolled underneath us.

Stephanie Jones

Here is Stephanie Jones RHS1977 being sworn in as  Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Transportation.



I am asking that our very own Laura Fleming find out how the RHS Distinguished Alumni wall located near the main entrance inside RHS decides upon new members. Also, what we as a group can do to further Stephanie's nomination along. If you have seen the wall then you know that it is reserved for alumni who have made a name for themselves in the public arena. It is a nice addition to the many accolades that already exist for athletes, and in my opinion, very much overdue.

Winter by Bill Nielson

The cold sometimes makes writers of us all. These fragments first appeared on Facebook:

"I'm gonna take a ride down the road to yesterday...Back into a time when life was free...Gonna turn the clock back for a little while ...Just to see the way things used to be ....Gonna turn the corners of my youthful days of old...Before the real world got a hold of me...back when everything was in black and white...Back before we had a color TV...Sipping a coke at Lyons on a spinning stool...ABC Radio playing all the hits ...Heading off to Kenilworth to play some ball ...Bring a bat a ball and all your mitts...When you're thru hop on your bike and take a ride ..A quick short journey down to Graydon pool..Do a cannonball off of the high dive board ...Its summertime and we were outta school...I always will remember the 4th of July..The fireworks and Ridgewood's great parade..We never really knew it back then at the time ...But people we really had it made...And soon the heat of summer turned into the fall leaves turning colors all around the town ...we would all look forward to Halloween ...and all the candy we could all chow down.



Winter came the cold air and the empty trees ...Wait to hear the fire whistle blow ...Oh yeah you could stay home in your bed ....School was closed on the account of snow ....Soon spring was upon us all the snow was gone ...It always showed up sometimes it was late ...But blink your eyes you missed it and there you were ...On the High School Field ready to graduate....Oh Ridgewood I was lucky to have you then..You'll always have a warm place in my heart...And though I don't know where my life will end...I know that it was you that gave it its start."


Bill Nielson, RHS Class of 1974

Paul Ferraro Update

According to the Bangor Daily News in Maine, our classmate dubbed "Coach" is on the move:

Defensive coordinator leaves UMaine football for University of Central Florida

By Larry Mahoney, BDN Staff

Posted Dec. 31, 2013, at 7:04 p.m.

Paul Ferraro, the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the University of Maine’s football team the past two seasons, has left to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida.

Ferraro played an important role in helping the 10-3 Black Bears capture their first outright Colonial Athletic Association championship.

UCF is the nation’s 15th-ranked team in the Football Bowl Subdivision and will play No. 6 Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday night in Glendale, Ariz.

Ferraro will replace Jim Fleming, who recently was named the head football coach at the University of Rhode Island, one of Maine’s Colonial Athletic Association opponents.

Ferraro is joining the Golden Knights for the bowl game but won’t be coaching.

Under Ferraro’s guidance, the Black Bear defense ranked among the top three in six categories in the 11-team CAA.

The Black Bears led the league in pass defense, allowing just 176.9 yards per game overall, pass defense efficiency (105.3) and fourth-down conversions allowed (28.6 percent); tied for second in turnover margin (plus-four) and were third in scoring defense (22.1 points per game) and total defense (342.2 yards per game).

In 2012, Maine led the league in scoring defense (19.5 ppg) and pass defense efficiency (107.6) and were second in pass defense (179.5 ypg).

We wish him well in sunny Florida.