Palisades Amusement Park

How can you reminisce about the 1960s and 1970s and omit Palisades Amusement Park? It swang all day and after dark, as the old theme sang went. 

From Wikipedia:

Palisades Amusement Park was a thirty-acre amusement park located in Bergen County, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. It was situated atop the New Jersey Palisades lying partly in Cliffside Park and partly in Fort Lee. The park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most visited amusement parks in the country until the end of its existence. After the park closed in 1971, a high-rise luxury apartment complex was built on its site.

Site dedicated to preserving the memories of Palisades Amusement Park

I remember the park and the incredible hot ride home in the car before air-conditioning was ubiquitous and cooled your car instantly. If you were in the back seat like I was it would feel like an eternity before the cool would start to overcome our station wagon.

Our visits to Palisades Amusement Park were always fun times and even included a bit of freedom to roam around by ourselves. Though not too far from our parents and the cash they had for cotton candy, sodas, and tickets for rides.

These trips and those we made to State and local fairs were a close up look at a more desperate side of life. There were never too many smiles among the people working these events in the heat for long hours at a stretch. In retrospect you have to wonder if they chose this life consciously or had it thrust upon them. We never stopped to ask.

Laura Fleming

Courtesy of Tom Thurston who had a son graduate this past week from RHS. This is from the RHS Weekly View:

Laura Fleming has been teaching at Ridgewood High School for thirty years as a member of the History/Social Studies Department. She holds a Bachelor of the Arts in History, and a Master of the Arts in Social Studies Education. She is also currently continuing her education in the field of history.

One of Your Favorite Memories of Your Time at RHS:
One of my favorite memories was judging the pie-eating contest at a pep rally two years ago. I tried to give the seniors a chance to win, but the freshmen were too quick for them!

What Advice Would You Give Every Student:

My advice to students is to remember that nobody is perfect, but every one of us is perfect.

Something You Don’t Know About Me:

I was raised in Ridgewood, went through the entire school system, and was one of the first 1st grade students to attend Hawes School when it was built. I even had the chance to meet Henrietta B. Hawes.

Summer Days

If there was a summer time novel/movie for me it would be The Great Gatsby. It takes place during a lazy summer during the 1920s and is filled with observations about summer. A couple of examples:

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― Nick Carraway

“Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!” 
― Daisy Buchanan

The Daisy Buchanan quote always sticks with me because I usually miss acknowledging the longest day of the year and someone has to remind me or I think of it after the fact.

Though this year was different.

The summer of 2013 began for me returning from a short vacation at the Jersey Shore. Most times it would be the other way around and I would be planning a trip or wishing for a trip, once summer began.

This year we visited Atlantic City and I was able to feast my eyes on two of the remaining hotels from the Gatsby era: The Claridge and The Ritz.

Both of these gems have seen better days. The Claridge is part of Bally's and has a connection not depicted in this photo. The Ritz is now a condo. Neither of these facts takes anything away from my imagining them in their prime or wanting to stay at each for a night. This yearning would be for no other reason than to say I had stayed in a once magnificent hotel on what was once a premier vacation and honeymooning spot. I realize this makes me a throwback to another era but I don't mind that distinction, especially since we all know it's just in my mind and little else.

Yes, I have completed my summer sojourn to the Jersey Shore and feel the optimism of what the rest of the summer may bring. Hope you are able to do whatever it is that makes you feel like summer is here. Though don't wait for the longest day of the year as you have missed it!

What's Up With the July Jam?

After we captured lighting in a bottle at last year's reunion by forming a band of musical all-stars from the local area, we thought what a great idea it would be to do it again this summer. One super storm later and much contemplation of how much time, money, and energy this would require, the idea hasn't had much traction. That is until this week when it was brought up on FaceBook on our Class of 1977 page.

Now I realize not everyone uses FaceBook for social networking and I am fine with it. Though as a technologist and network engineer I find it curious that people would have such strong feeling about it and never participate. We have all seen in the news the wonders of "Big Data" and how governments use it to draw conclusions, whether it's the IRS or the NSA. FaceBook has been depicted as another organization which uses the information it collects, and no doubt it does. I simply accept this a fact and realize that both good and bad will result from the gathering of data of the findings which this sort of activity generates.

Anyhow, the July Jam is seeking volunteers to help organize and coordinate a smaller get together this summer. The band is raring to go according to JV and needs help with finding a location to play. If you are interested in helping contact JV by any means you feel comfortable: email, phone, or FaceBook. Hope to see you!

RHS Girls Volleyball Team 1976

RHS Volleyball Team Fall 1976.

Memorable Commencement Speaker

Borrowed these words from our classmate, Bob Rahm, who posted them on FaceBook:

Drew Houston, cofounder of Dropbox, MIT'06, was Phoebe's commencement speaker. He said his cheat sheet for life would have 3 things on it, a tennis ball, a circle, and the number 30,000.

The tennis ball reminds him that you have to find that idea that you will run through anything to capture, like a dog after a tennis ball. A problem that you will work on solving because you have to, not for money, not because someone tells you to, but because you have to for self satisfaction.

The circle is to remind himself that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose people that inspire you to achieve.

And 30,000, the number of days, roughly, in a lifetime. Use your days like the limited consumable resource they are. All of them.

He went on to say that the goal should be to make life interesting.

I would agree, the only thing we have to spend, that we can't get back, is time. The only thing we can get for it is memories. Choose wisely.

Definition of Home

The place from which we originated and the place which we return, occasionally. Much like this blog and the nether reaches of my mind where memories of growing up are stored. I go there from time to time when something or nothing at all prompts a recollection of a simpler time long since past.

My ability to recall may fade but the number of events is a constant. Hopefully I can continue to do them justice. Thank you!

The Sting-Ray Bicycle Turns 50

Good article in today's Wall Street Journal about the trendsetting Sting-Ray bike which turns 50 this week.



As you may recall this bicycle had butterfly handlebars, a banana seat, and optional sissy bar. I rode Tyler McCray's a few times around the neighborhood and loved it. It could do wheelies, patch out, and come to a fish-tail stop.

As the article points out, it was designed for show-offs and kids who desired an outlaw image. Looking back on it, it's easy to connect the dots and see it as the predecessor to the next big thing--all-terrain biking.

Camp Green

"It's funny how something that was part of our life for 5 short days can hold such great memories."

From the Glen School Class of 1967 blog

CAMP GREEN TODAY

In the Spring of 1973, Cooper Union's 1,000 acre Green Camp - affectionately known to Ridgewood, NJ 6th graders as "Camp Green" - was broken up and sold to the State of New Jersey. All but 173 acres were used by the state's Juvenile Justice Commission for a reform school called "Green Residential Community Home" - the center serves a maximum of 32 teens. The remaining 173 acres was designated as part of the park it is today I believe.

At the time in 1973, Cooper Union expected a windfall of $10,000,000 from the sale. While citing upkeep of the camp which was relatively small ($150,000 annually) - for school that was tuition-free and depended heavily on donations the sale would give them unprecedented cash for use at Cooper Union in the city.

Cooper Union actually attempted to sell the property in 1971 but was met with strong student and alumni opposition and resulted in the board holding off temporarily. But despite a $20,000 study of the camp the board was pre-disposed to the idea of the sale and the vote - 11 board members - would vote unanimously in 1973 to sell it and on June 28, 1973 it was shut it down. I like to think that the last ones to use the camp were 6th graders from New Jersey who experienced for the last time the benefits of Camp Green.

Words on a Distant Prospect of Ridgewood High School

With all apologies to Thomas Grey who wrote some wonderful poetry, including one that someone who considers himself or herself an educated person will be familiar with: "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College."

A pal recently wrote to me that it would be wonderful to be aware that you are living in the good old days when you are in them. This I believe is possible as you grow older and more than half of your life has passed. But don't try to tell a teenager a bromide like this or else they'll think you lost, or worse, old and in the way.

Thomas Grey does offer some solace:

To each his sufferings: all are men,

Condemned alike to groan;

The tender for another's pain,

The unfeeling for his own.

Yet ah! why should they know their fate?

Since sorrow never comes too late,

And happiness too swiftly flies.

Thought would destroy their paradise.

No more; where ignorance is bliss,

'Tis folly to be wise.

With flocks of new graduates heading off to college or the job market it is hard not to want to offer your perceived wisdom gained through long toil and hopefully some somber self-reckoning. I feel this every day for my two nephews who each has a decision to make, one about prep school and the other about college.

I guess the best advice I can conjure up would be to not fear failure as it will find you from time to time despite all efforts to the contrary. I would also say that you ought to dare to be good at something and to try on a number of hats to see which one fits you best. Lastly, I would offer a purely practical piece of advice: learn to code. Being familiar with the lingua franca of our society will open many doors and one of these just might be the right one at the right time. If nothing else you will have something useful to bring to the table and it might even allow you an opportunity to speak your mind.

The Great Gatsby and Shea Stadium

A friend from my Ridgewood days penned this wonderful article tying together F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Shea Stadium. Judy Johnson presented this paper at 

The 50th Anniversary of the New York Mets

Hofstra University ~  April 28, 2012

http://watchingthegame.typepad.com/files/literature-the-ny-mets-and-the-tug-of-baseball

On My Mind

Today's Inspirational Quote:

"As I grow older,  I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."

-- Andrew Carnegie

I could have left this blog post with only these words of Andrew Carnegie but something I just read about E.B. White and dogs in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Saturday edition has compelled me expand upon this entry.

First of all, the (WSJ) Saturday edition has come a long way in a short time. It has sections of general interest that rival my long time favorite, The New York Times Sunday edition. I don't want to start a polemic debate here, only offer up the news that this isn't my father's WSJ.

My Dad's WSJ, which I began reading in High School while taking a brand new course on the Stock Market, was filled with pages of stock prices. Today, nobody would think to look at the WSJ for the prices of any stocks they own as that is what the Internet is all about.

The old WSJ my Dad read in the morning on the train to New York and his corner office at 40 Wall Street. He would bring it home each night and my class would discuss it the next day. We were just newbies so the timeliness of the stock quotes were of little interest.

Today's WSJ had an article about E.B White and his affection for dogs. You know his work but maybe not his name. Here is the Wikipadia on him:

Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985),[1] usually known as E. B. White, was an American writer. He was a contributor to The New Yorker magazine and a co-author of the English language style guide, The Elements of Style, which is commonly known as "Strunk & White." He also wrote books for children, including Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan.

E.B. White owned dogs all his life. He wrote:

"A really companionable and indispensable dog is an accident of nature. You can't get it by breeding for it, and you can't buy it with money. It just happens along."

This is the truth as I have seen it play out all my life. 

Roger Sweeney Inducted into RHS Athletic Hall of Fame 2012

Mr Sweeney was always a favorite of mine. He taught Rob Lane and I the finer points of driving. One lesson he hoped we would always remember was about the "blind spot" in our rear view mirrors. I remember his words every time I back into the parking space in our garage. That along made him a good teacher, if his lessons are still being practiced more than 35 years later.

Thanks to Tom Thurston and his RHS Athletic Hall of Fame committee for paying tribute to a fine gentleman. See the other 2012 inductees here:RHS 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees

Roger Sweeney - Coach Head Football Coach 1959-1975 Growing up in the town of Ewing, New Jersey, Roger Sweeney attended and graduated from Trenton Central High School with the class of 1948. An outstanding athlete, Roger played both varsity football and baseball for the Red and Black. A two way player in high school football, Roger was a down lineman playing a guard position on the offensive side of the ball and an inside linebacker on defense. A steady infielder playing third base and shortstop on the baseball team, Roger hit for an average over .300 in each of his high school seasons.

Before moving on to college Roger did a year of post graduate work at Pennington Preparatory School in Pennington, New Jersey in 1948-49 where he was also a member of their varsity football and baseball teams. He was a center linebacker on the football team and starting shortstop on the baseball team, again having a .300 plus batting average at the end of his prep playing experience.

Roger enrolled at Trenton State College (Now The College of New Jersey) in the fall of 1949.After his sophomore year in 1951 Roger was called to active duty for two years as a member of the United States Air Force National Guard.

In 1949 through 1951 Roger started on both the varsity football and baseball teams at Trenten State.In football he was playing at the onset of the new thinking towards platooning players.On some occasions he would play on both sides of the ball as a down offensive lineman and interior linebacker, but when platooning was in effect he stayed on the defensive side specializing as a defensive interior linebacker.

In baseball Roger was the starting right fielder on his college team and stayed in that position for the duration of his collegiate career.

Upon returning from the service Roger also returned to Trenton State to continue his education and varsity athletic career playing both football and baseball again.

Roger was a lifetime .300 hitter at the collegiate level hitting .320 his junior year and .345 his senior season.He recalls one outstanding 6 for 6 day at East Stoudsburg University adding “days like that can do wonders for your batting average”.

Roger was the winner of the prestigious “Emonds Award” from Trenton State in 1954 designating him as the outstanding athlete for his class.

Upon graduation from Trenton State in the spring of that same year, Roger took a position for the fall as an elementary school physical education teacher in Wanaque,New Jersey. It was a job he would hold until his arrival at Ridgewood High school in the fall of 1957.Upon arriving at RHS, Roger began his teaching career in the health and physical education department as well as becoming an asst. varsity football coach under the tutelage of legendary Head Football Coach Frank Mozeleski (RHS HOF inductee class of 2006).Roger remained in his assistants position until the fall of 1959 when he was appointed the new Head Football Coach at Ridgewood High School

“So many memories,” Roger Sweeney said mentally recapping his 17- year career (1959 to 1975) as a winning football coach, the hand-picked successor to the late legendary Frank Mozeleski. Among his fondest are of his first sophomore team (6-0) led by Eddy Collins and Butch Heatherington, and in 1966, snapping highly regarded Fair Lawn’s 19-game winning streak sparked by the passing of Cliff Hendry to George Lewis on a memorable Thanksgiving Day. It was one of four instances when Sweeney’s Maroons stunned highly favored opponents, ending long winning streaks.

Quarterback Jeff Lockhart succinctly summed up Sweeney’s philosophy while accepting the Jack Stroker Award from the Junior Football Association a couple of decades ago. “It’s been great playing football here because Mr. Sweeney makes playing football fun,” Lockhart said. It should still be fun at the high school level.

Roger, who taught at Ridgewood High School for 34 years, truly cared for his kids. Caring was his inspiration to his football players. But he refused to take credit for motivating them. “The players psyched themselves,” he would say. “It boils down to being able to execute what you have to do.” He told them “they had to do on the practice field what they were going to do on Saturday.”

Lockhart, who became a doctor, shared quarterback duties on the 1972 squad that lost only to Hackensack in eight outings, 14-13, and captured the school’s first NNJIL title. The 1960 team featured All-County guard, Tom Dusel, and end Mike Henderson and earned Ridgewood’s first Group 4 state crown. In 1969 in its first foray into rugged Hudson County football, Ridgewood snipped North Bergen’s 21-game skein.

A cerebral coach, Roger at first walked in Mozeleski’s shadow. Then he carved his own niche in the annals of Bergen County football compiling a 91-56-4 record, including a 39-14 stretch 1970-75.He eschewed going for the nine wins he needed for membership in Bergen County’s prestigious Century Club. His son Peter was coming up and Roger didn’t think the boy needed his father for a coach. Roger taught him to placekick and Peter entered the school’s record book in that specialty under Dave Vanderbush.

Easter Egg Hunts

I'm not sure when we stopped having Easter Egg Hunts in our home. It probably was near the time I was about to turn eight and my brother six. We always knew there wasn't an Easter Bunny but searching for chocolate was fun all the same. Later we were simple given a chocolate Easter Bunny and told not to eat it all at one time or else we would spoil our dinner.

We would have an Easter dinner around 1PM and it was usually a ham laced with cloves and sometimes pineapple. Later in life I would learn the wonders of spiral sliced smoked hams when I worked as a retail manager in a Heavenly Ham store. Our Easter hams were much simpler affairs and my Dad would have to slice them. They were always a favorite as they made excellent sandwiches for days afterwards.

This all reminds me of something Phillip Roth, the American novelist once said:

"American writers leave where they came from then write about it the rest of their lives."

While I am hardly a writer of any degree, I am an American blogger and I do write about a time and place I only rarely see in person.

I can't say I have ever read anything of Roth. According to Wikipedia, he first gained attention with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of American-Jewish life for which he received the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. Roth's fiction, was regularly set in Newark, New Jersey. Though I do believe he is going on my bucket list of writers to spend time with.

To me, any writer who can make an observation that hits home with you is somebody to read. I'll probably start at the beginning and see how it goes. He is a very prolific writer, spanning more than five decades, so maybe I will have to investigate him via Amazon and the Kindle Fire I was given by my employers to evaluate. As an apartment dweller I really don't have the space for books, even though I love them dearly. The tablet is, despite my initial misgivings, a good idea for space deprived city dwellers. Nothing wrong with collecting books and I admire any household which has the room to display all they have read or hope to read. My wife and I have made the decision to live in the city so it's either books or cooking gadgets. From the looks of things the gadgets have won!

Walking Around Town

I used to do quite a bit of walking around town, as well as riding and driving. Who knows how many miles, we didn't go in for the pedometers back then, and today's Fitbit and Jawbone Up had not been invented. Some of us had odometers on our bicycles and in our cars but it was rare that we looked at them to see how far we had gone around town.



At first walking was difficult and even a block or two seemed like a big effort when you were young. Then the strength of youth grows inside of you as well as the impatience and the walk isn't such an effort as it is a use of time.



It wasn't until I getting ready to go off to college and we were readying our home for sale so my parents could move back into Manhattan that I slowed my gait down enough to truly look around at my surroundings and circumstances. Though by this time it was too late to savor the safety and tranquility of our upper Ridgewood neighborhood. It all went away too fast, which was ironic as earlier in my life I couldn't cover the ground fast enough.

Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance,
plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity,
good speech, good silence and nothing too much." 
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Now on those rare occasions when I stroll about town I search my memory banks for why I was in such a hurry. Then it usually comes back to me in a saying I made up:

You can go home again, but only for as long as it takes you to remember why you left in the first place.

.

New Jersey is a Peninsula

You may have seen this already on the Internet by James Stiles:

"New Jersey is a peninsula.

New Jersey has the highest elevation along the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.

New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.

New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky.

New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi .) than Havana, Cuba.

New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US.

New Jersey has the highest cost of living.

New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation.

New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World."

New Jersey is home to the original Mystery Pork Parts Club (no, not Spam ): Taylor Ham or Pork Roll. Home to the less mysterious but the best Italian hot dogs and Italian sausage w /peppers and onions.

North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius.

New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland.

New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns; some of the nation's most famous: Asbury Park, Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, Long Branch, Cape May.

New Jersey has the most stringent testing along our coastline for water quality control than any other seaboard state in the entire country.

New Jersey is a leading technology & industrial state and is the largest chemical producing state in the nation when you include pharmaceuticals.

Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being the best you can buy.

New Jersey is the world leader in blueberry and cranberry production (and here you thought Massachusetts?)

Here's to New Jersey - the toast of the country! In 1642, the first brewery in America, opened in Hoboken.

New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940.

New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US,located in Elizabeth. Nearly 80 percent of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first.

New Jersey is home to one of the nation's busiest airports(in Newark ), Liberty International.

George Washington slept here.

Several important Revolutionary War battles were fought on New Jersey soil, led by General George Washington.

The light bulb, phonograph (record player), and motion picture projector were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park, NJ, laboratory.

We also boast the first town ever lit by incandescent bulbs.

The first seaplane was built in Keyport, NJ.

The first airmail (to Chicago ) was started from Keyport , NJ.

The first phonograph records were made in Camden , NJ New Jersey was home to the Miss America Pageant held in Atlantic City.

The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City. And, Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt water taffy.

New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area outside of the Middle East countries.

The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains.

New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world (Union, NJ!!!)

New Jersey had the first medical center, in Jersey City.

The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark, was the first skyway highway.

NJ built the first tunnel under a river, the Hudson (Holland Tunnel).

The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ, which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.

The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick in 1889 ( Rutgers College played Princeton ).

The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden , NJ, (but they're all gone now!) except there is still one in Vineland!

New Jersey is home to both of "NEW YORK'S" pro football teams!

The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson, NJ.

The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ, by Major Thomas Armstrong.

All New Jersey natives: Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifah, Susan Sarandon, Connie Francis, Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron Burr, Joan Robertson, Ken Kross, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughn, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Marilynn McCoo, Flip Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, Zack Braff, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Linda McElroy, Eileen Donnelly, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar Romero, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Nick Adams, Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti, Joe Pesci, Joe Piscopo, Joe DePasquale, Robert Blake, John Forsythe, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norman Lloyd, Paul Simon, Bill Muehleisen, Jerry Herman, Gorden McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Eva Marie Saint, Elisabeth Shue, Zebulon Pike, Natalie Muehleisen, James Fennimore Cooper, Admiral Wm. Halsey Jr., Norman Schwarzkopf, Dave Thomas ( Wendy's ), William Carlos Williams, Ray Liotta, Robert Wuhl, Bob Reyers, Paul Robeson, Ernie Kovacs, Joseph Macchia, Kelly Ripa, and, of course, Francis Albert Sinatra and "Uncle Floyd " Vivino, and of course the great Irene Taras.

The Great Falls in Paterson, on the Passaic River, is the 2nd highest waterfall on the East Coast of the US.

You know you're from Jersey when . . You don't think of fruit when people mention "The Oranges."

You know that it's called Great Adventure, not Six Flags.

A good, quick breakfast is a hard roll with butter.

You've known the way to Seaside Heights since you were seven.

You've eaten at a diner, when you were stoned or drunk, at 3 A.M.

You know that the state isn't one big oil refinery.

At least three people in your family still love Bruce Springsteen, and you know the town Jon Bon Jovi is from.

You know what a "jug handle" is.

You know that WaWa is a convenience store.

You know that the state isn't all farmland.

You know that there are no "beaches" in New Jersey--there's the shore--and you don't go "to the shore," you go "down the shore." And when you are there, you're not "at the shore"; you are "down the shore."

You know how to properly negotiate a circle. You knew that the last sentence had to do with driving.

You know that this is the only "New" state that doesn't require "New" to identify it (try . . Mexico, . . York ...! . . Hampshire -- doesn't work, does it?).

You know that a "White Castle" is the name of BOTH a fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich.

You consider putting mayo on a corned beef sandwich a sacrilege.

You don't think "What exit?" is very funny. You know that people from the 609 area code are "a little different." Yes they are!

You know that no respectable New Jerseyan goes to Princeton --that's for out-of- staters.

The Jets-Giants game has started fights at your school or local bar."

Then and Now

THEN

Gas was pumped for you, your windshields were cleaned and you went inside the station to get maps.

NOW

You pump your own gas, clean your own windows and maps are on your phone. Of course, in New Jersey they still pump your gas but they rarely do the windows.

Steve Callanan

Tim Daly:

I thought I would share one memory I have that has to do with Steve. He was a member of the offensive line that had the first ever running back to rush for 1000 yards (Paul Ferraro) at RHS. The line was left to right I believe, Brian McKinley, Rob McKinley, John Frazza, Steve and Rob Brierley. I was the tight end. I know there was much more to his life than this but I did not stay in touch with Steve over the years and this might be something that many of his friends or family don't know or simply forgot about. We were very proud of this accomplishment that was finally achieved on Thanksgiving Day 1976 @ Fair Lawn HS. RIP Steve.

Andy Cahill

A farewell tribute from David Rorty:

"I have too many great times spent with Andy Cahill to mention....for too many reasons. My first sushi experience was with Andy at Tawarwa in Ramsey. The first and only time I was forced to make egg nog at 2am Christmas Eve with real eggs was with Andy. The first and only time I made egg rolls from scratch was with Andy. The first and only time I was pulled over by a cop and admitted I was drunk and the cop let me drive away...was with Andy. The first and only time I hauled a 1/2 keg of beer up to Pine Meadow Lake was with Andy. The first and only time Leyden's Father Jack yelled at us to keep off his dune was with Andy. The first and only time the same Jack Leyden served us beer, wine, sangria and sandwiches was with Andy. My first camping "trip" as owner of Pork Island was with Andy. Many of the best Turkey Bowls were with Andy. I would never had helped jam entire Christmas trees in Leyden's lit basement fire place if it were'nt for Andy. I will never miss some one so much that I have'nt seen for so long if it were'nt for Andy. Thank you for so much fun and so many great times Andy. Love- Dave

Parking Meters, Telephone Booths, and Mailboxes

It cost me $0.25 to park in Ridgewood for 15 minutes this morning. The Bank (HSBC) I was hoping to deposit a check at via the ATM had been moved to Ramsey. What do we do about the parking meters? Already we have a scandal in Ridgewood where someone in charge of counting the money has lost their job. If we rip them out then the local shopkeepers will park for free and the parking situation might grow worse. If we rip them out and install devices for paying on every block or so then the upfront costs might prove too daunting for the idea to pass. Folks, this is just about parking meters! The village reportedly faces projected deficits as a result of salaries, benefits, and pensions that will raise property taxes 40% over the coming years. I realize the days when teachers and policmen living in Ridgewood are long gone, but how about anyone making under $250,000 a year? The telephone booths in the village are a minor problem, these could be removed or fitted for cellular connections, if they aren't already transporting cellular data. Mailboxes have been going away for over 35 years and I understand this trend will not change. The village needs to figure out ways to raise money and not taxes. The consequences are too dire to contemplate. Peace.

RHS Class of 1963 50th Reunion

Best of Luck!

Ridgewood N. J. Class of 1963 Fiftieth High School Reunion

Our reunion is scheduled for:

October 18, 19 and 20, 2013

RHS Class of 1963 50th Reunion

RHS Learning Commons

Take a peak at what the plan is for the RHS library: RHS Learning Commons

Bicycle Inspection Day

It was usually a Saturday morning in the early autumn when we would line up our bicycles at Willard School and have them inspected under the watchful eye of the Police and a few local Dads. As my father was a lawyer, the Principal, Dan Daley, would often ask for his assistance. My Dad would give each bicycle a sturdy twist of the handle bars, then check the chain and the condition of the tires. If the passed these cursory tests then the bike was given a license.

One year when I was in the 6th grade and was the current Safety Patrol Captain for our class, I was asked to join the inspection team. I mostly kept the kids in line and looked to see that they knew where the serial number was on their bicycle so they could complete the license application form.

In latter years I can remember riding down to the Police Station on a prescribed day and having an officer complete the same type inspection. I can't remember ever having anyone question me as to whether I had a license but I do know that it made me feel official and law-abiding when I knew that my bike was officially licensed.

Re: Coin Collecting

I have to disagree with my friend Paul on coin collecting. It's not a lost hobby, it's still lots of fun.

I own several coin collections, and enjoy updating them and sharing them. The Franklin half dollar is fun to collect and relatively affordable. I inherited an incomplete collection and have been filling it in slowly over the years.

The current Silver Eagle series is also a wonderful issue, beautiful, historical, and readily available.

The State Quarter issues were beautiful and educational as well. I am proud of my complete albums of uncirculated issues from both the Philadelphia and Denver mints. Now on to the National Parks series!

Sure, you're probably not going to pull a super-valuable coin out of circulation. But the truth of the matter is, you were probably as unlikely to do that in years past as you are today. While Paul looks for Wheaties, his parents probably looked for Indian Heads. Now, most of those Indian Heads are worth about a dollar, while the Wheaties are worth about 75 cents. Nobody is getting rich collecting pennies, but we are sure having a lot of fun!

The people collecting super valuable coins were rich in some other venture prior to collecting these coins. For the rest of us, coin collecting offers the same level of enjoyment, albeit centered around less perfect examples of the very same coins. It's the most egalitarian hobby I can imagine!

Sandy Hook, CT

A post from the blog of a high school pal I am proud to call a friend, Stephanie Jones: Here's the link.

This Time, I Won’t Let You Forget …

December 17th 2012

Not one of the Sandy Hook teachers was a “job creator.” Probably none of the Newtown first responders measure their “success” by how much money they manage to earn, sock away and shield from taxes. Yet it was the first responders who ran into, not away from, the gunfire that once again shattered a community, and it was teachers who stood between a madman and other people’s children.

So, when we go back to arguing about who is and isn’t contributing to society, and why and how we should invest our resources, let’s remember Victoria Sota, Dawn Hochsprung, Mary Sherlack, Lauren Rousseau, and the other teachers, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics to whom we entrust our children, our families, our communities, our safety, and our lives.

It is time for politicians to call a halt on the ugly and cynical attacks on public workers. I don’t want to see you wringing your hands at memorial services for the Sandy Hook victims and then, the next day, hear you call their colleagues thugs and leeches. The workers you besmirch and belittle are the same people who protect our beloved ones when we’re not with them and step into the line of fire while we’re running as far as we can in the other direction.

They aren’t job creators. But on Friday morning, we didn’t need job creators. We needed public servants to charge into the bullets, to throw themselves on top of our babies, to keep their cool and soothe our terrified children until other public servants could ensure they were once again safe. And, thank God, they were there.

I’m not going to forget that. And I won’t let you forget that, either.

Coin Collecting

This used to be a serious hobby and one open to everybody. Now with the increase in the number of coins and the systematic way in which coins are distributed, this 20th century hobby is a lost art. I still have the penny and nickel books my grandmother gave me. Though I can't say I have updated them lately. I also still search for old pennies (wheaties) in my change and set them aside. Nothing much of interest in my change these days but old habits die hard. The valuable cons were taken out of general circulation years ago by collectors. And there is no chance the mint is going to make a mistake and create something knew to collect. Heaven knows the original coins they produce now are worth no more than face value, even when they are packaged up nice for potential collectors. I think the loss of coin collecting as a legitimate hobby has contributed to our country's lack of a sense of history. When you go through your old coins and see that they changed to steel during World War 2 it gives you a sense of the collective drama we were enduring during those years. Nothing will give you a clearer idea of what's happening in your country than to look at your money and see that its changing because our nation is at war. This sort of change hasn't occurred since and it is no surprise we haven't been on "All In" on a war since World War 2. Can you imagine people being asked to ration and recycle to support our efforts in Afghanistan? It might have been a good idea instead of paying for our latest wars with off the budget expenditures. Who knows when the bill will come due? Though you can be certain it will come due and sacrifices more extensive than changing the composition of our pennies will be required.

Apple Cider

The one smell and flavor which instantly causes me to recollect my growing up is that of Apple Cider. It doesn't matter where it is from or what time of year, if I am having a cup of cider I feel young again.

This may have to do with having lived in Northern NJ and NY State for most of my life. They are both prime apple producing regions. Combine this olfactory sensation with an appetite for almost any one of the 2500 varieties of apples grown in these United States and you have the essence of my time machine. Additionally, throw in some autumn foliage and I am usually ready to recollect and write about my past experiences. I feel lucky that such simple pleasures bring me remembrances which go beyond the ordinary. Not that I am touting all my postings but I can say that what goes through my mind is quite extraordinary. Hope it never stops and the smell and taste of apple cider can allow me to linger in the past for a brief moment once again and also allow me to keep writing long into the future. What's that old saw about an apple a day? ;-)

Mr Rogers

He was a little past my time growing up as he started in 1968 with the Mr Rogers Neighborhood, that is his hallmark. From Wikipedia:

Distribution of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began on February 19, 1968. The following year, the show moved to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). In 1971, Rogers formed Family Communications, Inc. (FCI), and the company established offices in the WQED building in Pittsburgh. Initially, the company served solely as the production arm of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, but now develops and produces an array of children's programming and educational materials.

In retrospect it would have been nice growing up with both Captain Kangaroo and Mr Rogers, but I have no complaints. I appreciated Mr Rogers more when I saw him many years later. Here is a picture and caption which says it all about the man from FimmakerIQ.com

Most people have heard of Koko, the gorilla who could speak about 1000 words in Sign Language, and understand about 2000 in English. What most people don’t know, however, is that Koko was an avid Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fan. When Fred Rogers took a trip out to meet Koko for his show, not only did she immediately wrap her arms around him and embrace him, she did what she’d always seen him do onscreen: she proceeded to take his shoes off.

Would-be "Occupy" bomber living in Ridgewood

      My home town of Ridgewood was probably never the bucolic small town of my memory. But I doubt this sort of nonsense was going on:

A New York doctor who was active in the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011 was charged Saturday with possessing a large quantity of chemicals used in bomb-making, hours after authorities conducted a raid on the Ridgewood house in which he lived, officials said.

Roberto Rivera, 60, a medical doctor, was charged with recklessly creating a risk of widespread injury or damage after FBI agents and members of the Bergen County bomb squad found precursor chemicals used in the making of explosives, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said in a release Saturday afternoon.

Molinelli called at least one of the chemicals "highly volatile," but authorities did not disclose the names of the chemicals found in the house.

       Yikes! I am glad they stopped this guy before he completed whatever it was he was up to. Of course, we know from the press that the "Occupy" movement was peaceful.

Odd/Even Gas Rationing

Wish we had remembered this sooner. As soon as they instituted it in NY the longs were cut in many places by over an hour. Admittedly, this is sketchy evidence but when you take have the cars out of the lines it becomes pure numbers adventure. I stumbled upon a gas line yesterday afternoon on Long Island and had a 15 minute wait.

Odd/Even rationing was used with the same results in the 1970s and took much of the fear and uncertainty out of finding and deciding whether or not to wait for gas on a line. Glad we will be doing it for a while so people can just calm down and get back to their normal lives or trying to restore their lives to normal.

Voting by Fax and Email in NJ

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Voters in New Jersey now have two more ways to send in their ballots in an already unusual election season complicated by superstorm Sandy: via fax and email.

The Christie administration said Saturday that the additional options are aimed at giving displaced residents and emergency workers another way to vote and that the ballots would be cast provisionally. Administration officials urged people who could to vote early or through the normal process.

The administration said people could cast those ballots in two steps. First, they should email or fax an application for a mail-in ballot through their county clerk's office.

Once that application is approved, voters can email or fax the ballot by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

"This has been an extraordinary storm that has created unthinkable destruction across our state, and we know many people have questions about how and where to cast their vote in Tuesday's election," said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, who doubles as the secretary of state and oversees elections. "To help alleviate pressure on polling places, we encourage voters to either use electronic voting or the extended hours at county offices to cast their vote."

People will also be able to vote somewhere other than the county in which they are registered, the administration said.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5.

Gas Rationing

What's old is new once again. Another generation gets to experience the emotions of gas rationing. These emotions include fear, boredom, and dread. The system is the same as back in the 1970s:

License plates with an odd number as the last number in their plate can get gas on odd days, while plates with in an even number as the last number can get gas on even numbered days.

This time there is the added problem of people being without power. Some folks in Ridgewood have been without power for almost a week. Included are the schools which may be forced to stay closed for another week. I can't say that I can recall a similar calamity during my time in Ridgewood. Maybe that's why these are called 100 year storms.

Though I would dare to assert that because we use more electricity than when I was growing up, and are more dependent upon the power grid, these sort of tests of our patience and fortitude will occur more often in the future. Certainly more than every one hundred years. It's simply part of the challenges we face as a society with an ever growing demand for goods and services which require energy to produce, deliver, and consume.

I don't want to turn back the clock and have our modern marvels restricted or eliminated. I do want to investigate ways to reduce our consumption of energy from the power grid so that storms like Sandy don't leave us feeling afraid for our safety and dreading to go outside. Not to mention the sheer ennui of having to sit in a gas line during a cold early morning.

The good news is that people are working on ways to reduce our use of energy. Not merely by having us sit around in 60 degree homes in the winter but by clever monitoring of consumption via cable set top boxes. If you could program your heat and air conditioning in your home from an app on your I-Phone or I-Pad then you might be able to save energy and money with very little inconvenience. More on this in future postings. Stay safe and only drive these next few days when necessary.

Trick or Treat

The last time I went out to Trick or Treat I was in the 8th grade. By that time it was a toss-up as to whether this tradition ought to be left to younger children. By the following year it was a no-brainer and all one had to do was walk down the hall at school and ask whether someone was going out tonight and the answer came back in the negative 100% of the time. It wasn't that the treats weren't good, only that our size and supposedly growing maturity made going out in a costume somewhat embarrassing. Our relative lack of enthusiasm for the phrase, Trick or Treat, also helped make the decision easy for us. Today I wouldn't dream of putting on a costume and Trick or Treating, or even going to a Halloween party. I have left those traditions behind and know that new generations will gladly pick up the torch and see them continued. Though I know most people do not share my opinion on this matter, and Halloween has become a huge holiday for adults. To each his own I say and have a scary good time! I wouldn't dream of bursting your bubble and tarnishing your memories of childhood marches through your neighborhood with a bag ready to burst with candy. Nor would I want to dissuade you from attending grown-up parties where all the attendees come in costume. These gatherings are harmless enough and produce good memories which linger. Just please don't expect to see me out and about in a costume. My days of dressing up as a hobo are long past and might appear politically incorrect these days. But a hobo was not a slap at anyone when I was younger. In fact, it was an homage to a life style from the last decades of the 19th century in our country. Hobos were workers who wandered. All we had to do in order to dress like a hobo was put some charcoal on our hands and faces, where some old clothes and stuff some leaves in our pockets. It was a fast and easy costume which was readily recognized by people when we rang their door bells and shouted our in unison, Trick or Treat. Have fun tonight.

Edward S. Hallahan

These type mentions about life-long Ridgewood residents who go on to work for the village and then retire always give me pause for thought on how much things have changed since I was a boy growing up. I've noted before about the intangible richness a town receives when multiple generations inhabit a village. It gives young and old alike an idea of how the other half lives and makes for an environment of understanding and compassion. When you are young and only see other young people on a daily basis you are missing the tell tale signs of one of Life's great lessons regarding aging. When you are young and see all ages of people everyday then you are more cognizant of what the future might bestow upon you and your family's lives.

Edward S. Hallahan, 85, died on Oct. 23.

He was a life-long resident of Ridgewood and graduated from Paterson State College. He joined the Ridgewood Fire Department in 1950, retiring in 1980. He was a naval veteran of World War II, a member of FMBA Local 47 and NJ State Local 500 and a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, where he served many years as an usher.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy (Stack) of Ridgewood; his children, Edward F. Hallahan and wife Debra of Leesburg, Va., Mary T. and husband Thomas Mayer of Romansville, Pa. and Nancy E. and husband John Kendzulak of Flemington; and his grandchildren, Caitlin, Michael, Tatiana and Alexandra.

A funeral Mass was celebrated on Oct. 26 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ridgewood.

Silent Ball

The teachers we had at Willard were a clever, hard working bunch. Though the prize for sharpest tool in the shed certainly belongs, in my opinion, to the person who invented silent ball. Truth be told it likely didn't originate at Willard so it didn't really take a genius to import it into our classrooms. It was the saving grace for many a teacher's sanity on a cold or rainy day when we couldn't go outside to blow off some steam in the schoolyard or the gym. If you recall, everyone sat on their desk tops and were not allowed to move off them or say a word while a ball made of yarn was passed or thrown around the room. A bad throw or a dropped pass and you had to sit in your chair. This went on until one person was left and the teacher had been given a half hour respite of the usual din which emanated from normal elementary school classrooms. Looking back it was a counter intuitive act as the game of keeping silent and staying in one place actually burned up some of the stores of energy we had in abundance. The game was largely self-governing as a spoken word meant you were out and the teacher didn't need to be judge and jury, as one's peers in the games kept everything in line. Yes, it's easy now to see how a simple yarn ball could have such a powerful calming influence on a room of growing children. Though at the time we weren't on to the true story of how teachers could need quiet and a moment to reflect on their next lesson, or might simply have a headache and a few minutes of silence was all they were asking for to see them through the day.

Robey aka Jeff Scott Roberson

Robey is too cool for words as he combines family life, musicianship, baking, and gardening. Glad he is a member of the RHS Alumni All-Star Band also, and has agreed to play at next summer's Music Fest 2013. Site to TBA but we are pretty solid on the date: Saturday July 20th 2013. Stay tuned. Check this link for a review of Robey's latest CD: My So Called Cool Parade

One Big Cohesive Society.

We no longer live in one big cohesive society. Now this is not to suggest that by growing up in Ridgewood in the 1960s and 70s we comprised one big cohesive group. More to the point it was many small cohesive groups. Though in sum they appeared as one because the differences were slight and based more on geography than opinions or culture.

We all had the same news sources, whether they were the TV or newspapers or radio. No barriers existed which excluded anyone from turning on their TV sets or radios and hearing the same news as everyone else. Newspapers were subscribed to and delivered, usually by young boys on bicycles who would also make the rounds and collect the subscription fees.

These communication methods same rather quaint now, especially since parents today would likely not allow their children to go out collecting cash from their paper route customers, nor would large corporations concerned about liability costs want them doing this work either. The radio is much less democratic too with the options of satellite radio and its monthly fees making free terrestrial radio, as its called today, something of a non-entity, except for Sports Talk and Business News. Top 40 songs? we get those off of YouTube or download them one at a time at the I-Store. Nobody drives around waiting for their favorite tune to be played by Cousin Brucie every hour on the hour. Cable Television and DVR recorders have made TV something that doesn't need to be watched in real time any longer. We might still talk about last night's game or popular show the next day around the water cooler but there is no guarantee that we watched it "live" or didn't fast forward through the commercials.

What has the plethora of choices given us? Leaving aside whether or not it is better, can say it is simply very different and much more individualistic. The ties the bind now have to be cultivated in different ways. Whereas we might have volunteered for a paper drive and gone around the neighborhood in station wagons picking up bundles from people's garages and basements, today in Ridgewood public service is a mandatory part of the school curriculum. So there are less spontaneous acts and more prescribed. This falls in line with the more structured lives children have these days and the fact they spend less time outside just playing around and figuring things out. There once was a time when asking the question, "What do you want to do?" might be met with a blank stare or an, "I don't know, what do you want to do?". Today's multitude of choices seemingly has eliminated boredom and the number of valid choices is much more appealing than our climbing trees, going down to a pond to try and catch some wildlife, or walking in the woods. These latter choices require both physical exertion, leaving the comfortable surroundings of home, as well as a curiosity which is more deeply ingrained than simply being curious about making it to the next level on a video game or endlessly texting one's friends about what happened at school today.

Can we or will we ever go back to anything which resembles the society where cohesion was the mainstay? Hard to say and harder still to want to repeat history's mistakes like the racism, prejudice, and intolerance inherent in the earlier era of which I speak. I will say I like the potential of our current age and remain optimistic about our future. Let's just say I wish kids would get outside a little more often and pause to wonder as what they ought to do. They don't realize that video games can be played forever but a crisp autumn Saturday afternoon comes much less often and they will rue not having seen more of them when they get to be my age.

The Corner Store

There once was a time when the Corner Store on Glen Avenue offered fresh cut meats. I believe the owner at the time was a professional meat cutter and kept an abundant meat cooler in the back of the store.

Today this would be regarded as a culinary delight by the residents of Ridgewood and Midland Park. The high quality meats and the closeness of the store would have surley enticed many people from the neighborhood used to paying top dollar for fine meats. In the 1960s and 1970s an energetic meat seller might have been able to make a go of the Corner Store. Though as time went on and his energy faded and he sold the store the idea of local meats couldn't compete with the supermarkets. I can recall four A&Ps in our immediate town which could easily undercut the prices of a corner store. Yes, we had to drive to them and we didn't recognize the meat cutters who prepared are meats but the prices couldn't be beat and we could get everything we needed in a single trip.

I often asked my Mom why she didn't buy more from the Corner Store. The answer was always the same, that the Corner Store was more expensive. Little did I know my parents were scrimping and saving to put three boys through prep school and college. The pennies added up and they did eventually send my brothers to prep school and all three of us to college and graduate school.

I passed the Corner Store last week. They now deliver pizza.

Writing About The Past

It dawned on me recently that I have spurts of remembrance about growing up and then I have periods when I can't remember a thing. Not to worry, I feel this is the natural reaction of all the work we put in and the experiences we all had at our 35th Reunion this past summer.

Now we are in October and the weather is cooler and perfect for those touch football games we used to have on the dirt field at Willard or at "Fireman's Field" next to the Corner Store and Ridgewood firehouse on Glen Avenue.

Today I can easily recall fingers which were bent in unnatural ways and stayed sore and swollen for many months after a touchdown catch. We had no touchdown dances in those days and I am sure if one of us had been so bold as to do a dance they would have been mocked or given a block that they were not expecting which landed them on their back. It wasn't that a touchdown was unimportant, only that making the opposing team look bad after a score was something we didn't contemplate. This likely was because we changed teams faster than today's NFL players do,  even when it seems that professional players in all sports  change teams every year. We knew all too well that we changed teams two or three times every sunny Autumn afternoon and couldn't be aggravating our future teammates. I am always amazed that today's players have so little regard for the feelings of their opponents. One who had played the game for a while would seemingly understand how badly it feels to be scored upon. I guess because we played both offense and defense we felt these slights all the more.

I miss those games and cool afternoons from so long ago. The sore finger are just minor annoyances that healed quicker than they do now at my age. I think it is these small injuries that keeps me on the sidelines. I know that I don't have the time to heal that I once did, or even half the patience.

RHS Alumni All-Star Band 2012 Set List

They will be hard pressed to top this set list at the upcoming Music Fest 2013 next summer. But I bet they do!

RHS ALUMNI BAND SONG LIST
SET 1
American Girl, Tom Petty
Bitch, Stones
Show Me The Way, Peter Frampton
I Shot The Sheriff, Eric Clapton
This Ol Cowboy, Marshall Tucker Band
Can’t You See, Marshall Tucker Band
Franklins Tower, Grateful Dead
One Way Out, Allman Brothers Band
Melissa, Allman Brothers Band

SET 2
Napoleon House, Jeff Roberson
Forlorn and Forgotten, Jeff Roberson
We’re An American Band, Grand Funk
The Joker, Steve Miller Band
10th Ave Freeze Out, Bruce Springsteen
Just What I Needed, The Cars
Stir It Up, Bob Marley
Feelin Alright, Joe Cocker version
Superstition, Stevie Wonder
Rocky Mountain Way, Joe Walsh
Roadhouse Blues, Doors
Fight For Your Right, Beastie Boys

Shattering Norms

As the glow from our 35th Class Reunion slowly fades from my imagination I am beginning to understand why we have reunions and why, more importantly, that people, in some cases, travel a great distance to attend them.

Reunions shatter the normalcy of our lives by placing us back among people who we may not have seen for quite some time. These events also give us a chance to see friends we have stayed in touch with and notice how they react to the folks re-entering their lives for what is usually a New York minute.

 In my opinion, the people who organize and attend reunions have come to terms with their high school days. They realize that whatever once happened they are safe now to be among their friends and classmates. It dawns very quickly on people that the time spent at a reunion is short and the contacts made so brief that it's over before we know it. What's more, the memories of whatever some people might have inadvertently or foolishly done a long time ago don't matter.

 It's not that reunion attendees have forgotten their past or still don't feel the sting of some slight. No, they have only buried for the time being their memories of youthful indiscretions and unrequited passions. This allows them a fleeting moment to consider what might have been and also what has come to pass.

I truly missed the folks who didn't make the reunion or couldn't for a very good reason. My sense of loss is felt more keenly every time I think about how much we put into these reunions. Not only the organizers but the people who muster up the courage to be present, especially those who decide at the last minute that this event has to be attended. The last minute types were some of my favorites. (Even if they were consciously crashing the event and hadn't bought a ticket!) The last minute ticket buyers were all so apologetic about not making their minds up sooner, and after the party was over even going so far as to gently admonish themselves for even considering being a no-show. No apologies were necessary in my mind, and the self recriminations were completely unnecessary. I just noticed how happy they were to have faced down their fears (real or imagined) and had taken to time to show us all how they were getting along. That's really all reunions are about: taking time out to acknowledge what we once were and will never be again; spending time with fellow alumni who you might never see again; and hopefully coming to some understanding as to how important it is to change things up and break our old routines. Nothing quite like a reunion to get you out of a rut. It might even help set you on a course more favorable than the one you were on or couldn't have possible imagined without the assistance of a night of reminiscing with old pals.

Willard School Class of 1971

Standing:
Cindy Nieidig, Bill Nolan, Carol Nelson, Jens Larson, Paul McCubbin, Marty MacMillan, Mary Gross, Clare Probert, Kathy Keeler,
Sitting:
Brian Haworth, Linda Johnson, Kathy Weaver, Ann Clifford, Liz Potter.

Our 35th Class Reunion

It was a wonderful weekend. Too many memories come to mind to list or even try to recapture in words. Maybe that is why we are organizing a Music Fest next summer in Ridgewood. It will be different and decidedly not a traditional class reunion but it will allow for people to gather and swap stories, and tall tales if they are so inclined.

I may not be able to sum up our reunion in a blog post but I do have the speech I was given the opportunity to present to our class on Saturday night. One is offered so few chances later in life to speak to the people who knew you when you were young, that I choose to give it some thought and also read what others had done and posted on the Internet. So it is not entirely original though I gave it my own twist. Unfortunately, I have lost the footnotes that would have gone with it. Here it is as I posted it to FaceBook. I repost it because I realize that a blog is a bit more permanent than a social networking site might ever be, and that by using a blog a wider number of people might feel included, ever so slightly, in what turned out to be a reunion to remember.

I want to begin by saying the group of people who organized this Reunion Weekend stood on the shoulders of giants. These shoulders were those friends of ours who organized our previous reunions, like Cindy Neidig, Chris DuFlocq, Peter Branigan, and Bill Nolan. No doubt I have missed a few names, but you know whom you are and that we are all grateful for your efforts.

This year’s reunion was organized and planned by what I have dubbed the “Cloud Crew”. We assembled online via FaceBook and worked virtually. I wasn’t sure a Reunion could be organized in such a manner but since I had never worked on a Reunion before I didn’t dwell on this fact too often.

The Cloud Crew is Cesca, Becky Deetz, Lois Pinta, Laura Fleming, and Joanne Hunter.

I want to mention that this Reunion would never have happened without the financial and moral support of a great many individuals.

Our Individual Patrons:
Francesca Cavallaro Wall
John Dyon
Megan Carmen
Jim Velordi
Chet Douglas
Karl Olsen
Tony Bazzini and Bill D'Amico
Jane Ramsdell
Frank O'Connor
Cindy Neidig
Susan Raymond
Jeff Roberson
Dave Rorty
Debbie White
Lois Pinta
Laura Fleming
Joanne Hunter
Becky Deetz
Hank Bordowitz
Tressa Senger
Kathy Carley

Our Business Patrons:
Schweinfurth Florists
Keiser Associates
Tarvin Realtors
Ridgewood Movers
Advice 5 Cents Bed + Breakfast
What's Your Bag

I have racked my brain on what I wanted to say to you all. A few ideas came to mind like:

1. What do I now know that I wish I had known 35 years ago?
2. What do I now know that I wish I had known last week?
3. What do I now know that I wish I had known before last night’s debut of the RHS Alumni All-Star Band?

Though none of that seems so important now. Instead, I would like to offer an observation or two regarding our futures.

Something that struck me through this process, particularly as people shared reasons for NOT coming, was how difficult a night like this can be for people and if we are to be honest, that High School was not often an easy or pleasant experience for some. As we shared stories on FaceBook preparing for this event there were moments of honesty and regret. Perhaps tonight may offer opportunities for confession and acknowledgment that people Can and sometimes Do change. Perhaps it even offers us a shot at Redemption?!

If nothing quite so lofty, tonight at very least affords each of us a moment for some reflection. As life progresses the amount of people who have known you for a long time or have known you at Key Moments of your life is obviously less. This makes tonight valuable, perhaps in ways you haven’t realized. Please don’t take it for granted. There will be lots of laughs, but I encourage you to also value what it is we share and the possibilities this occasion holds for our futures.

Finally, Don’t worry too much about how you look. They say everyone is beautiful at 53!

I’ll leave you with the words of Mark Twain, someone we all read in school but might not have read lately:

“"Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile."

I want to thank you all for coming to our 35th Reunion Weekend. We are really proud of it, and everyone worked very hard to make it a success.

Music Fest 2013

July 20th 2013 is the date for Music Fest 2013. It will mark the return of the RHS Alumni All-Star Band to Ridgewood. If you saw their debut performance at Blend Bar then you know how they blew the doors off the place. We expect nothing less from their new set list, and we expect a bigger crowd. Keep your eyes open for further details in this space, our Facebook page, and our Reunion Web site.

Party at Blend is On!

The RHS Alumni All-Star Band, despite reports to the contrary, will make its debut tomorrow night at 8PM at Blend Bar in Ridgewood. We have rented the bar and are asking for a $15 contribution at the door for an open bar, healthy snacks, and a well-rehearsed band performing in a huge venue. Smokers have an area outside. People who want to talk will be able to hear one another while the band plays. Everyone else can see the band up close.

RHS Alumni All-Star Band Debut July 20th at Blend Bar in Ridgewood

The newly formed and well-rehearsed, RHS Alumni All-Star Band makes its debut performance in Ridgewood on July 20th 2012 beginning around 8PM inside Blend Bar at 17 Chestnut Street. The band is led by Jim Velordi, RHS Class of 1977. His band includes fellow class of 1977 alumni Chris DuFlocq, Jeff Roberson, and Joanne Hunter. In support on drums is class of 1976 graduate and Ridgewood resident Steve Tenney. The concert is the kick-off event of the Ridgewood High School Class of 1977 35th Reunion Weekend. Please visit our web site for more details. Admission to the show is free so get there early.

Mr. Chase

For those of us boys who attended GW Junior High School there was one teacher everybody had all three years: Mr Tice Chase. He passed away on June 11th 2012. No surprise that he lived to be 86 since he was always in shape, and that was his job as our Gym Teacher and Coach. Long after he retired he could still do a one-handed push up, much to the surprise of people who met him in the local gym. As far as teachers being scene as role models for children, Mr Chase exemplified this in spades. There was nothing he ever asked us to do that he wouldn't do himself. He led a life that was dedicated to showing us how to take care of ourselves, mind and body. He will be missed.

Layoffs: Then and Now

Growing up in the 1960s, when someone in the neighborhood received the news that they had been fired or laid off it was not something neighbors readily talked about out loud. Many times people hid the fact and quietly put their houses on the market. Other times we only heard a family was moving because somebody's father had been transferred to another town. We never really knew if they were gladly accepting this transfer or doing it to just keep bread on the table.

Times have surely changed. Today one would be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't been laid off, fired, or terminated at least once or twice. It is so commonplace that people do not speak in hushed tones or try to change the subject like my parents might have when I was younger.

To find someone like my father, who worked at the same law firm for 30 years, is nearly impossible. Of course, he was part of a different generation, some call the Greatest Generation. We honor these people today on the 68th Anniversary of D-Day.

I cannot even imagine what these men and women in the Armed Forces were thinking, and the fear they must have felt, when they were told they were going to invade the continent of Europe. Hitler was clearly a threat to the world, that could be seen clearly then as it can now with the 20/20 hindsight of history. But how were people not directly involved in the making of war made to feel it was their duty to help rid the planet of this menace? The truth is, whether they knew it or not, they possessed a sort of courage I can only hope to have in the face of a similar call to demonstrate this highest of human qualities.

I suppose this fortitude contributed to their reticence to speak about the terrible anguish they saw during WWII, and the suffering they endured. It also helps explain why so little was usually said about neighbors losing their jobs and moving away. When you have lived through a World War I guess the loss of a job seems rather trite. Maybe that is why people take losing their job so hard these days, even if it has happened more than once, and has happened to everyone they know. I suppose we lack a hardship to compare our job loss with. Or maybe our imaginations cannot conjure an image where the Hitlers threaten the world and we must act to defend all we hold true and good.

I lost my job last month and am not too anguished by it, especially on this anniversary of D-Day. It's not that I don't care or am especially brave. My only explanation is that many people gave their lives to support this current time in my life. The least I can do is honor them by peacefully going about making a fresh start, just like they would have done.

D-Day 2012

This is a day early and was written by Damian "Lou" Vidal class of 1978.

68 years ago to the day young American men landed on and behind a beach in Normandy France. They were there to liberate France and in turn the world from the darkness that was Nazi Germany. They were young and strong and full of life yet many made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in a free and prosperous world. As a child I watched movies about this time and its patriotic emotion and as kids we often emulated these rnen by playing war in the woods where we had do or die battles with the Nazis. But we never reaiiy understood the sacrifices these men, women and even children made during the war. We never comprehended how they stood on the edge of a precipice and looked into the abyss. We baby boomers were lucky to have grown up when we did beca use we enjoyed the fruit of those sacrifices never realizing that our Dad's had endured the trauma of war and never complained about it. We never understood how they faced death straight on and came through its dark hold. We never realized the strength of will and commitment that it took to face the Germans and Japanese, the two greatest military powers of their day and believe that they could be beaten. The term the Greatest Generation is a well deserved title. These were people who grew up in a depression, fought a World War and won and then carne home to create the greatest economic boorn even experienced. These were men, women, and children with an internal fortitude and work ethic that barely exist these days. These were our parents.

While traveling for work I stayed in a hotel where it just so happened that they were having a D-Day reunion of men who had landed on Normandy beach in 1944. While waiting for the elevatori stood next to an elderly gentleman with a cane who along with a younger man was also waiting on the elevator. The older man wore a red cap which read OMAHA BEACH D-DAY 1944. Being a history buff, l knew what had happened at OMAHA BEACH. lf you’ve ever see SA\/ING PRIVATE RYAN, you will also know what happened at that landing. I went up to the older gentleman and stupidly asked "\Nhere you on OMAHA?" The gentleman answered with a simple "yes sir". I stuck out my hand and said "then I would like to shake your hand and say thank you, Sir"Despite being in his eighties, the man shook my hand firmly and nodded affirmatively. I looked at the younger man and saw tears in his eyes. I realized that this was his son and I also realized how proud he was of his father.

When we were very young we saw our fathers as heroes, they were super men able to do it all. As we grew up and arrogantly told ourselves that we knew everything about everything we began to see our Dads as regular men, some with flaws. Now that we are older and many of our father's have passed we realize just how courageous these men had been. They had shown courage not only in facing bullets and Nazis but also in facing up to their responsibilities in life. They worked hard and prospered. They put a roof over their children’s head and made sure they had everything they needed. They overcame setbacks and illnesses and endured. They truly were supermen. So on this day and to all those men who lived through that time, I would like to symbolically shake your hand and say Thank you. It is the very least I can do.

RHS Class of 1977 35th Reunion

Ridgewood Blog

The 35th Reunion of the Ridgewood High School Class of 1977 is this July 20-22!

Please check out the list of Attendees. Class of 76 and 78 are most welcome to attend.

Bring your cameras, I-Phones, and video recorders. We’ll have a site where you can post your photos and movies. We are using Paypal for all ticket purchases.

We are encouraging our RHS and Hohokus classmates from the late 70s to attend any or all of the planned events. Please invite your spouses, significant others, and friends.The Weekend activities begin on Friday night with the debut performance of the RHS Alumni All-Star Band at the Ridgewood Elks Club. On Saturday morning at 11:00 AM there will be a tour, led by the RHS Ambassadors, of the newly renovated RHS. We will conclude the scheduled activities with a traditional Saturday night party with dinner, dancing, and door prizes at the Marriott Park Ridge.

RHS Class of 1977 35th Reunion Web Site

Mom Was Right: Go Outside

Nice article in today's Wall Street Journal, yes a Saturday edition. It's all about how our Mom's were right to tell us to go outside, especially when our presence underfoot started to grate on them. It never helped matters that air-conditioning didn't become ubiquitous in suburbia until the late 1970s. We didn't have it until 1975 and the basement was the coolest place in the house. The WSJ article goes on the say that the effects of communing with nature, instead of technology provide benefits across all age groups and raise our levels of creativity in ways that answering email, playing video games or posting to FaceBook will never be able to accomplish. The research suggests we need to make time to explore our surroundings, even if those are in the city. We need, "to make time to escape from everyone else, to explore those parts of the world that weren't designed for us." When we were kids this meant the nearby streams and ponds, or if we were feeling evil the roof of Willard School. I can still drive by Willard, even after it recent addition of a second story to what we always called "the New Wing" and see that the best way to get on the roof is still within my grasp. I will withhold the clues for fear you will try it yourself. This Memorial Day Weekend heed your old Mom or Dad's advice from long ago and Go Outside. If only to let people know what you have been doing when you eventually return to the tethers of the Internet.

Maurice Sendak 1928-2012

It has always been easy for me to recall sitting around on the carpeted floor at the feet of our librarian at Willard School while she read some book to us. Where The Wild Things Are was one of those books. It was at first glance scary to look at the Sendak pictures of monsters but as the story unfolded in the safety of the Library the fears were replaced by wonder. My life long love of reading was nurtured here in the Willard School Library and in our home. We had a rule at home that we had to read, it didn't matter too much what because our parents kept us supplied with books. we only had to be prepared to read to our father when he came home at night from work. We would sit together in his chair in the living room and read books like Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle. We had the complete set and it began like this:

Once upon a time, many years ago when our grandfathers were little children--there was a doctor; and his name was Dolittle-- John Dolittle, M.D. "M.D." means that he was a proper doctor and knew a whole lot.

He lived in a little town called, Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. All the folks, young and old, knew him well by sight. And whenever he walked down the street in his high hat everyone would say, "There goes the Doctor!--He's a clever man." And the dogs and the children would all run up and follow behind him; and even the crows that lived in the church-tower would caw and nod their heads.

This Dr. Dolittle was nothing like the Rex Harrison or Eddie Murphy versions. It was much more high-minded and serious, though mixed with moments to make children like me laugh and smile.

I'm so very glad to be a reader, even in a digital age where paper books are being replaced by digital ones. The important thing is still the same: to do the reading itself and hopefully in an encouraging atmosphere like the one I grew up in at the Willard School Library and on my Dad's reading chair.

Red Apple Rest

Found this photo on a site called Abandoned New York.

Abandoned New York

"The Red Apple Rest was a cafeteria-style restaurant along New York State Route 17, in the Southfield section of the Tuxedo, New York. The Red Apple Rest was a stopping point for many families headed to the Catskill Mountains region of upstate New York. Before the New York State Thruway was built, the travel time from New York City to the Catskill Mountains could be four or five hours. The Red Apple Rest, located almost halfway, became a major roadside stop. The restaurant was opened in May 1931 by Rueben Freed, whose clothing business went bust in the stock market crash. The Red Apple Rest boomed in business during the 1940s and 1950s. The Thruway, which was built in 1953, was not the reason for its demise, but the casinos built around the area. The Red Apple Rest closed in 2006 for no apparent reason but a sign on the wall that mentioning a vacation and graduation. The Red Apple Rest was condemned on January 23, 2007 for roof damage. Now, locked and lonely, the Red Apple Rest is the ruins of a New York long-dying, if not dead - The New York City that summered in the Catskills."

I can recall my friends and I riding our bicycles to this spot, having a huge meal like a stack of their pancakes, then turning around and riding home. It made for a good Saturday.

When we got older and could drive we also visited for those same stacks of pancakes and coffee.