a.k.a. Levittown Division Avenue High School Class of 1960 Update (DAHS and Levittown memories and updates on DAHS class of 1960)
>From Frank Barning:
Our class Updates will be edited by Louise Nicolosi Hayn ( lbh1142@aol.com ), so any correspondence relating to the Update should sent to her.
Both Louise and Barbara Wittenberg Taylor ( barbken143@aol.com ) should receive any address changes.
blue-dragons.com is posting this excerpts edition with the co-operation of Frank Barning.
We want to: (1) help find a few more circa-1960 grads as they go online and search for DAHS
-and- (2) share these interesting essays and stories with all our alumni, teachers, etc.
Any grad may freely read this for their own nostalgia-tripping and enlightenment.
Those with a special interest in the Class of 1960 (including, for example, Classes of 1961 to 1963): read on. If you like what you see, write in to get on the mailing list.
Guidelines for submissions: The newsletter asks its subscribers to write in on targeted subjects. I'm sure unsolicited works are appreciated if they're really cool -- (look over these excerpts to see what's gone before).
>From Frank Barning ( fbarning@yahoo.com )
Since December 1998, I have been gathering information on members of Division Avenue's Class of 1960 and sending it out mostly to those of us who have e-mail. It has been a fun project and I expect it to continue on, long after our 40th reunion in July 2000.
Below are some of the more interesting items from those class mailings. Since there are a lot of newcomers to our mailing list thanks to the efforts of reunion coordinator Barbara Wittenberg Taylor ( barbken143@aol.com ), it seemed worthwhile to repackage this information. I hope you enjoy getting to know some of your old classmates.
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>From Barbara Wittenberg Taylor and Ken Taylor ( barbken143@aol.com ), who are planning the July 21, 2000 Class of 1960 40th reunion:
"It was a dark and stormy night, yada yada yada." Actually we met on the North Village Green in 1955. Ken was a clown diver for the Levittown Water Shows that went from pool to pool each Sunday and put on a show. Barbara was a diver.
Sunrise Supermarket was on the Green. Artie Hertz worked at the soda fountain inside the drug store. Abe the deli man worked next door. Barbara was sent home from Division High for wearing TWO pair of sweatsocks with her penny loafers and poodle skirt. Barbara went to the school recently and the gym smell is still the same.
Ken worked at Jolly Rogers (food) and then Nunley's amusement park next door on the merry go round (I could set the "Gold" ring and pick who would get it.) After three years as a scuba diver in the service we were married. Ken became a Nassau County police officer (because he was able to run very fast with Vic Lawson, and never got caught). Barbara worked for Seaman's Bank, then for Chase Bank. We had four great kids and a ton of animals. We are now retired and have one grandson and one on the way.
This reunion stuff started when Ken (Class of 1959--Memorial High) went to his 20-year reunion and it was a BOMB. On the way home Ken said to Barbara "If someone does your reunion, I hope they do a better job." The next day Barbara started the 20-year reunion for Division Avenue and out of 202 classmates we found 182 and 35 teachers. Not too shabby. We hope next July 21st is as sucessful. Our house looks like the New York Stock Exchange with reunion papers all over the place. Barbara is already setting up for, God help us, a 50th reunion in 2010.
>From Don Albaum in Michigan :
I have just retired after 33 years. I worked 13 years as vice president of sales of a division of McGraw Hill. For the past 20 years I have owned a publisher's rep. company, representing many national consumer magazines including: Vanity Fair, Allure, National Geographic Traveler, Ladies Home Journal, Traditional Home, Consumer's Digest, Four Wheeler, Harper's, In Fisherman, and many others.
I also got involved in the restaurant and bar business. I owned two places which I sold about two years ago. I was married for 25 years and got divorced about six years ago. I remarried four years ago to a lovely woman and we are very happy together. My two sons are both in the advertising business. One works for Golf Magazine in Atlanta and the other owns a rep company in the Detroit area. Both my wife and I are very anxious to attend the class reunion. If I can help in any way, please let me know.
>From Tom Baker in Pennsylvania:
We were the war babies and teenagers of Levittown; together we walked to elementary and high school and shared the human experience. We danced in the sun of the Levittown pools and beaches. We played together; a special generation that did not have anything yet we had everything! I remember you well.
Most of you remember me as the "Paturz" (Tommy Paturzo Baker). I started out as the Fonz and later converted to a collegiate like Richie Cunningham with a varsity sweater. I majored in wrestling and minored in football, track and parties. However, I did read some psychology books and became the class psychologist and matchmaker.. all unlicensed, of course. This interest resurfaced in graduate school as a counseling and psychology major.
I was a revolutionary who hated teachers and school, in spite of the love and attention they bestowed on me. I was the kind of student they were out to save, definitely a challenge. My indifferent attitude was typically demonstrated by absences and little interest in academics.
My scholarship was sparse as demonstrated by my teachers when I turned in my books at the end of the year in pristine condition. The teachers would remark, "Your books look new!" I would comment, "I don't intend to pay for damaged books." My locker was a safe place to store them because it was dust free and I would not become contaminated by the knowledge. The only problem was that by the end of the year I could not remember the locker combination.
I showed distain for learning and writing papers. My position was simply, "This must be a right-wing conspiracy designed to turn me into a human being." Something I feared desperately because I wanted to be a hippy and live in the Village.
I was free in those days, as free as I would ever be again. However, there is a time to grow up and face adult responsibilities. Once a wild thing, now a tamed thing. Once a rebel without a cause, now a rebel with a cause.
My penalty for all the fun we had in those days was to do penance. I must spend the rest of my life in school, living the good life. For I have become the very thing that I said I would not be... A teacher and an educator of youth. Doomed to read all of the books I failed to read, writing all of the papers that I never turned in to my teachers. My fate has been to attend every class that I missed at Division High School a thousand fold. A form of punishment like Dante's Inferno, with secret delights.
Occasionally, I encounter a student like me and challenge him or her not to be what I aspired to be in my youth. My teachers' words seem to flow as naturally as apple pie. What are you going to do with your life? There is life after college and sports! Take it from one who knows; I have been there! I know some day these words will echo in their minds. Maybe not today, possibly tomorrow or the next day.
The thing I detested I became; reluctantly at first, struggling to avoid it, but ultimately surrendering.
My conversion was complete when I married my wife, Jane, a former educator, counselor and assistant dean. She was my primary socializer into society.
My betrayal is now complete because my daughter is considering becoming a teacher. Who knows, maybe my two grandsons will become teachers.
To become a teacher of youth is not the worst thing that can happen; learning can be fun. My hope is that learning can give you the joy in your lives that it has given me. Best Wishes,
Tom... A professor working in an ivory tower and living in the suburbs
>From Karen Balos in California :
News about me. Graduated from Antioch College in 1964 with a degree in biology. Worked in the Bronx at Albert Einstein College of Medicine as a medical researcher for a few years before going back to school and getting a Masters in Social Work from Hunter in 1969. Very active politically during those years, especially in the Civil Rights movement, including working in Selma, Alabama on voter registration.
Moved out to San Francisco Bay Area in 1969 and participated fully in the Human Potential Movement. Learned about painting, poetry, and other forms of self exploration and free expression. Ran into Malcom Karman at a hot-tub party where he looked at me and said, "We never did THIS in Levittown," or something to that effect. Participated in women's consciousness-raising groups. Had a great time.
Earned my living working as a psychiatric social worker for the State of California for seven years, emptying the State Mental Hospitals and placing people in local communities, in line with the best principles of community mental health at the time, inadvertently laying the foundation for the current mentally-ill homeless problem.
Started a private practice in psychotherapy in 1972, and continue this work to this day. See individuals, couples, groups. Have worked for many years running support groups and programs for parents of infants and toddlers with Down Syndrome. Have recently started working with young adults with DS, many of whom I knew as infants. During this time have also had a non-lucrative parallel career as a visual artist (painting, sculpture, stained glass, paper cuts) with gallery and museum shows.
Six years ago, feeling like a "formerly smart person," and believing in the "use it or lose it" philosophy, I went back to school and got a Ph.D. in Visual and Social Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies here in SF. Quite a roller coaster ride, but I do think it did help me integrate my intuitive and intellectual "knowings."
In 1985, to the great relief and by then surprise of my parents, I got married. Explaining to them that I had done a lot of interviewing in order to find the right person didn't even get a laugh from them. My husband, Jim Tepperman, is a scientist at U.C. Berkeley's Plant Gene Expression Center. He does "designer gene" work on plants, studying their response to light on a molecular level. He also has a non-lucrative career as a singer, and is currently singing in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Jim came as a package with his son Sam, whom I have been privileged to help raise. Sam is doing great, and is currently a junior at Harvard.
So, is that a summary of a life? Not very nuanced, but what the hell. Looking forward to hearing from and seeing you'all.
>From Frank Barning in California:
I graduated from Hofstra University in 1964, and then served without distinction in the New York State Army National Guard for six years. In college I was thrown out of ROTC, which turned out to be a blessing because many of my ROTC classmates served in Vietnam. I served in Freeport.
I have lived in San Diego since 1982 and from 1979-93 was editor/owner of Baseball Hobby News, a national magazine focusing on baseball cards and other sports collectibles. Two years ago, Vivian (my wife for 31 years, most of them happy ones) and I were elected to the National Sports Collectors Convention Hall of Fame.
We have one offspring (can't call him a child anymore), Randy, who just finished his first year in the two-year MBA program at the University of Texas (Austin). This summer he interned at Dell Computer.
Vivian (Babylon High 1963) and I are semi-retired and sell baseball cards at trade shows and more recently via eBay. I am a columnist for a former competitor, Sports Collectors Digest. My column, Barnstorming, got its name from classmate Artie Kornfeld while we were at Division. He told me that someday I would be a columnist and would need a catchy column name. Little did I know that this would happen. I have used "Barnstorming" for more than 25 years.
Over the past year and I half, I have visited with several classmates here in California including Rich Humbert, Ira Selsky, Artie Kornfeld and Warren Zaretsky. A few months ago, I vacationed with Bob Castro in Las Vegas.
Don Davidson lives about eight minutes from me here in the San Diego/La Jolla area and we get together every few weeks for breakfast. Don is one super guy and very successful. He has lived here almost as long as I and our sons attended the same high school, but I did not "find" Don until about six months ago when Steve Zwerling gave me his address. Recently, I learned that Jeff Lincer lives here too. San Diego is as much like Long Island as Pat Boone was like Little Richard.
For about eight months, my big project has been building a class of 1960 mailing list. As a result, I have been in touch with many people from Division, some of whom have become good friends via e-mail. We have exchanged many tales about the old days.
>From Larry Bory in Virginia:
Came to Washington to go to graduate school after college; did some work on the Hill for UPI Newsfilm during the summer and got interested in lobbying. I've worked for two engineering trade associations and two engineering firms in marketing. Came back to lobbying this year with NSPE. Got married in 1965. Lee and I have two daughters, both finished college and are working now.
Have been back to Levittown twice in the last 10 years; once when I was attending a convention in New York, and last year when my nephew got married and we took the girls to see the house I grew up in and the schools I attended. I was surprised that the fences don't allow driving on Summit Lane behind DAHS anymore.
>Jay Citrin writes:
I received a very surprising and enjoyable phone call from Artie Kornfeld. It was great recalling our days at Division and discussing the whereabouts our our former classmates.
My wife and I have been married for 32 years and have three children. We have lived in Port Jefferson for the past 22 years. Our oldest daughter is getting married this January so needless to say it's been hectic around the Citrin household.
>From Dewain Lanfear(who has retired since this was written):
It is so great to have a way for some of us "old" friends to reestablish contact and stay in touch with some important people in our lives.
Just to bring you up to date, I'm teaching English to juniors and seniors at MacArthur; I was at Division until 1980 and then got switched. Arnie Mark teaches with me and John Reardon is a Nassau County cop who works as a sub pretty regularly. There are a lot of Division grads in the schools. Levittown has turned out many good teachers. Arnie and I are both looking forward to making this our last year if the contract is settled in our favor.
I graduated from Boston College in 64, did a year of grad school in Boston, and subbed in Levittown for two years before giving the Army the time I owed them from ROTC. I spent a year in Pleiku, Vietnam as a Captain, came home to Levittown and started teaching for real.
I got married just before I went overseas, and Marti and I have been married for 30 years now. We have one daughter, Wendy. She got married his August and is living in Georgia. Seven years ago we bought a house in Maine [for retirement purposes] and we spend our summers there. It's too cold there in the winter, so we found a place in Georgia about five years ago which will be our winter quarters once we retire.
I tell my students more than once a year, treasure your high school friends and your experiences, because they will probably be the nicest memories you'll have.
>From Midge Bollinger Finck:
I really don't see many people from our class, but I'm in touch with a few. Cathy O'Brien still lives in Levittown, as I do. Howie Burtt and his wife Jerri Robson (1962) still live here also. I am still very close with Andy Leporati Rago, she married Bob Rago, who just died in 1995.
I also see Carole Doyle as she is my sister-in-law, and has been for 34 years. She and my brother live upstate in Oneonta. She has 2 children and one granddaughter. I have three very grown children out of college, and the two oldest are married, and have given me 3 grandchildren. Life is good, but grandchildren make it perfect.
I have been married to Eddie Finck (Memorial 1960) since 1965. I work at the Jericho Public Library, and have for 18 years.
Lilette Levy Bagwin-Fogel, from Denver, wrote:
It is a great idea to have a 40th reunion. I will come with bells on. Especially in the year 2000. It has a somewhat eerie significance... I went to NY last week and was driving down Hempstead Turnpike towards the Meadowbrook movie coming from Jerusalem Avenue. I just couldn't believe it. I barely could find Division Avenue. I recognized the skating rink because it still has a round roof even though it is a men's clothing shop now. I saw shopping centers and stuff I have never seen.
About Lilette Levy Bagwin-Fogel
Lilette was married for the first time in 1964 to Al Bagwin. She taught math at MacArthur High School in Levittown from 1964-1969. At that time she gave up teaching to have her family. A girl, Michele born in 1969; and a boy, Scott born in 1973. Michele is an internal auditor with Bear Stearn in NYC and Scott sells insurance and mutual fund in Denver, CO.
Lilette moved to Denver in 1973 and taught math and computer science in the high school until June of 1998. She divorced Al in 1986. In June of 1998, Lilette and Sid Fogel (originally from Philadelphia) were married. They went on a motor home trip to the Northwest and Canada for their honeymoon. It took five weeks. They just bought a new Class A Holiday Rambler Vacationer 1999 and are always looking for people to visit or travel with who also own motor homes.
Sid has six children and so Lilette is now a mother of eight. She tutors five kids a week in math and can't seem to stop making a difference in kids' lives.
Hello from Cliff Fromm's sister, Michelle Fromme-Lewis 1963 in Albuquerque, New Mexico:
With a brother in the class of 1960 and being only three years behind, I knew many of the folks who provided info in last month's newsletter. Karen Balos lived right next door to us. Jay Citrin's parents and my parents were good friends. In fact, I have a picture from a birthday party of my brother's (about age 11-12) and Jay is in the picture. Arnie Mark's parents and my parents were also friends, and Arnie's dad was my eye doctor.
Cliff says he would like to be remembered to classmates. His address is 35 Tor View Ave., New City, NY 10956, 914-634-5335. Say hi for me to the class of 1960. I can be reached at mfromml@msn.com .
>From Pete File in Virginia: (ccsroa@aol.com) (bad e-mail 2000.07.06)
I left Levittown right after high school for a stint at Indiana Tech, in Fort Wayne. Met my wife Carol the first day there - we'll be married 36 years in September. Got my BSEE degree in 1964 and moved back to the Island working for Grumman on the Apollo program - building Lunar Modules.
Did my graduate work at C.W. Post in Management Engineering. In 1968 we transferred 'temporarily' to Kennedy Space Center. I ended up as the lead engineer on the Apollo 11 Lunar Module launch team, responsible for all the cockpit controls and displays; got to work with most of the Apollo crews. In 1972 when the program was over, we decided to stay in Florida and I took a job as a sales engineer for a test equipment company traveling 14 states. That lasted about three years before I wore out.
I then worked for Harris Corporation in Florida and was very involved in the early development of fibre-optic communications: a patent, numerous articles and papers, etc. Harris's biggest competitor was ITT in Roanoke, VA and they lured me away in 1979. However, ITT in their infinite wisdom decided to move us all to Clifton, NJ about 2 years later and I left them to work for a local communications company as director of engineering - finally becoming VP just before the guy that owned the company asked me to resign in 1993. So, I did what most everyone else does in similar circumstances - became a consultant.
Carol and I lived in Argentina, Spain and Canada for most of the next 2 years building cellular telephone systems. To think, after the time Jay Citrin and I had with it at DAHS, I can't believe I can habla Espanol! In the meantime, Carol and I had gotten involved as mostly silent partners with a local restaurant. When we came back from Canada we tried to retire but instead, the restaurants got me busy. Now we have 6 here and I'm working harder than ever - where did I go wrong?
As far as the family goes we have three great kids, all grown, all employed and all living in the Roanoke area. Our oldest, Pete, and wife Julie have 2 children, Kris and husband Mark have one and Scott is getting serious with a lovely young lady.
Carol spends a good part of her time adoring the grandchildren. I do that too but we also manage to play a little golf (badly), enjoy hiking in the mountains here and fly with the Civil Air Patrol.
I'm looking forward to the reunion and to catching up with everyone - where did 40 years go? You can reach us at 7735 Old Mill Forest Dr., Roanoke, VA 24018, 540-989-3339 or e-mail to ccsroa@aol.com.
>From Jim McGrath in Nebraska: ( jmcgrath@radiks.net ) :
My life has gone through many changes during the past 39 years. How to quickly put it all together!
After graduating from college, my wife and I had two daughters Chris, now 35, and Kelley, now 30. I took a job teaching and coaching in Iowa for 3 years. In 1968 we moved to Ralston, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. For the past 31 years I have been a business teacher and Head Varsity Wrestling Coach. I have managed to stay close to the sport I loved while at Division Avenue. For the past 10 years I have also been the JV Football Coach at Ralston.
In 1973, after ten years of marriage, my first wife Susie died unexpectedly. That left the two little girls alone with me to raise. This threw fear into the hearts of many concerned friends. We did manage to make it.
I remarried and was with my second wife for 17 years. During those years I nurtured my growing interests in motorcycles and horses. Much time was spent traveling on my bike (California, New York, Texas, Florida, Canada, and Mexico.)
I owned two quarter horses and my daughter Kelley and I spent much time together riding and showing. Kelley became quite the rider winning many trophies at Quarter Horse shows.
Now for the "Can You Top This" category. I enjoyed raising my first two daughters so much that I thought I would start all over again. In 1992 I married again, this time a fellow teacher. In 1994 and 1996 we welcomed a son Nicholas (5) and a daughter Colleen (3) respectively (obviously, my wife Beth is much younger than I.)
We spend a lot of our time with my daughter Chris and her two children Tyler (7) and Ellie (4). It gets very confusing for people when we are all out together and two kids are calling me Grandpa and the other two are
calling me Daddy. Early retirement is not an option!
Currently, I enjoy camping, snow skiing, and being the commissioner of a 20 team Fantasy Football League.
Andi Leporati (Rago) in North Carolina :
Andi has three grown up offspring, ages 23 to 28. Her husband, Bob Rago, died in July 1995. After living in California and Texas, she moved back east to be closer to her four brothers and parents.
You can reach Andi at 4133 Lake Lynn Drive, Apt. 203, Raleigh, NC 27613
Telephone: 919-571-1268
>From Warren Zaretskywho recently moved to Los Angeles
I went to college in Nebraska, and then taught American Government for three years in southern California. Moved back to N.Y. in 1969 and worked for GAF in NYC producing and marketing educational programs; then Berkey Photo; then Gordon/Glynn Films; then started my own company in 1975 producing Corporate Marketing Communications film, video, and live shows... lived on 12th St. across from New School for Social Research, and had a farm upstate in Kinderhook (just north of Hudson).
Moved to San Francisco in 1983 (Mill Valley). Did productions for Silicon Valley folks, invested in a couple of feature film projects, a TV series, and then got contracts to do travel documentaries in 1989. The first contract was for a tape about Las Vegas (the second and third were about Italy). Here's where it all went Kablooie and I made the mistake of a lifetime (so far). I believed my own promotional writing about Vegas and moved there in 1990. Within a year my life was threatened twice and I was "blacklisted" (long story, someday to be a major motion picture). I fought them for too long but we finally escaped last year.
"We" includes my wife of 24 years, Elizabeth (opera singer, professional make-up artist for film/video) and two Akitas, Nickolas and Spartacus. I have two children from a first marriage that ended in California in 1968, a 36 year-old son and a daughter, 34.
Besides putzing around on the net, I'm currently writing "features" for a textbook on entrepreneuring, trying to hustle up a video or live show production, and struggling to get my favorite project off the ground -- Telling Stories. TS is a 27-minute TV series pilot I produced that features everyday people in their 70's, 80's, 90's+, telling simple stories about their time, their lives, and what they've learned. So far I've got a bunch of $ invested and two years trying to get it on the air.
About four months ago I started focusing on trying to get distribution directly to Senior facilities and schools (as an "intergenerational program") bimonthly like a magazine subscription... slooooow going dealing with government agencies and built-in bureaucracies. If anyone out there has a spare mill' or two to invest, let's talk. Alternatively, I am planning to supplement my income as a male prostitute (this is not a formal solicitation, which can be made only by prospectus; see your broker for professional advice).
Best places to hang out in Levittown and vicinity during the 1950s.
1. Swimming pools at Village Greens
2. Jahn's ice cream parlor (kitchen sink was about $6.50 for 10 or 12 scoops of ice cream)
3. Meadowbrook Theater
4. Caruso's restaurant
5. Sid's Deli
6. The basketball courts
7. North Village green bowling alley
8. Wetson's on Hempstead Turnpike
9. McDonald's on Hempstead Turnpike
10. After school... the Whelan's drugstore on the corner of Division and Hempstead Turnpike
11. Jolly Roger's drive-in and amusement park
12. The bike path along Meadowbrook Parkway
13. Under the bleachers behind the high school
14. The water tower on Azalea Road
15. Little League fields
16. Eisenhower Park (Salisbury Park (Nassau County Park))
17. Singing in the showers in the boys' locker room
Warren Zaretsky's list
1. Eugene Aiello's office
2. Wherever Anna Joy Herman was
3. Chris Wilkens' house.
4. Anna-Marie DeNardi's kitchen
5. Officer DeMayo's squad car
Karen Balos's Best Places to Eat (Levittown and environs)
1. "The Diner" (our American Graffiti experience)
2. Jolly Roger (deli for Jewish expatriates from Brooklyn)
3. Carvel (fattening precursor to frozen yogurt)
4. Jahn's (birthday ice cream freebies)
Jim Healy has a special memory of the bowling alley at the North Village Green. "I remember hatching a kidnap plot there after Eugene Aiello warned Kuhn, Mark, Ganim and myself that one more unexcused absence would result in no college references."
We asked our e-mail friends to tell us who their favorite teachers at Division were:
Bob Castro: I had some pretty good teachers, so picking a favorite is tough. Right up there are Reggio, Chenevey, Crane and Erath, math and science teachers. Language, Cit Ed and English don't bring back any positive memories.
The final vote is just in ladies and gentlemen ... it's Mr. Crane by a nose. Probably because he managed to survive an attempted electrocution, took us out to play softball when we told him we refused to stay in class one day because it was so nice outside and still managed to teach us something.
Jack Leahy: In answer to your question on our favorite teacher from high school my vote is Dick Streb. My rationale is he is the only teacher I know who is currently in jail. Unfortunately this is true as he was arrested for demonstrating at an Army base. The Congressman on Long Island have sent a letter to Clinton requesting pardon as he is ill, scared and 72 years old.
Lilette Levy: My favorite teacher was Mr. Chenevey because he used to make math come alive for me. This is probably why I became a math teacher myself. He was also kind of cute too!
I also used to like Mr. Fricke. He was an art teacher and since I couldn't draw very well, I remember him being very gentle about my pictures. He didn't try to describe them but just asked me what they were.
Others of my favorites were Mr. Keating, Mrs. Eisenhower (American history), Mr. Amen ( I used to visit him every day after school). I even liked our principal Mr. Reilly.
Bob Mattera: The teacher (class) that I remember as enjoying the most was Mr. Quirk, social studies.
Frank Barning: Mr. Chenevey was a fabulous math teacher. He brought out the best in me. The absolutely nicest person was Mr. Amen. We became friendly after high school and I found him to be a remarkable human being. I also appreciated Mr. Graff, Mr. Gabia, Mr. Reggio and Miss Eisenhauer.
Shifting gears, chemistry teacher Dominic Solimando was the worst teacher I ever had. He was a disgrace. Mr. Fischer, who became a librarian, was almost as bad in geometry, but at least he seemed sane. Jerry Jewell brings back a lot of negative feelings from former football players.
My friend Malcom Karman wrote a poem about Mr. Solimando, which I still remember 40 years later...
Old Solly had a Brooklyn lab
how silly can he be
To live a life as Captain Jet
and dream of chemistry
"I won't be dare on da regents test"
and we all did fail how true
But those who suffered now can laugh
Old Solly got the screw
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>From Warren Zaretsky
"My schoolmates would make love to anything that moved, but I never saw any reason to limit myself." - Emo Phillips
We asked our classmates with e-mail, "Was Levittown a boring or exciting place in which to grow up?This is what they had to say...
Larry Bory: In the 1950s, Levittown was exciting. It was accessible by bicycle when you were a kid to the Village Greens, the pools, the parks, the Roller rink; by car later on to the beach, Long Island Sound, Coney Island; by train and subway to ball games at three major league parks; to the Worlds Fair in 1964-5; and of course to the Big A (apple not Aqueduct). Mitchell Field was only a short distance away. You could see a B-25 landing over your head while waiting for the light on Hempstead Turnpike; Navy jets at Grumman in Bethpage. The movies were in East Meadow and later in Levittown. All in all there was a lot to do within an hour or less.
Dewain Lanfear: Levittown was a great place to grow up. The school had plenty of activities, the teachers gave of their time and energy to an unbelievable extent and the community provided loads of places for us to play.
I came from the Bronx when I was 12, and I was accustomed to playing softball only on asphalt "fields". When I moved here and saw those Little League and Pony League fields standing empty (with no "KEEP OUT' signs), it was exactly like being in heaven for me. Pseudo-sociologists can moan about the lack of basements denying privacy for family members, and how this deplorable condition forced children out on the streets to meet their friends, but I remember spending a lot of good times in friends homes when parents were around, and I also don't remember the streets being so terrible either. Look at the product to judge the "factory".
Think of the amazing accomplishments of just our class alone, and not just from the Honor Roll crowd either. There must have been some good things happening in that town. I think we were all very fortunate.
Lilette Levy (Bagwin-Fogel): I thought Levittown was an exciting place to live. I moved there in the 4th grade and had so many people to play with. Every night after dinner we used to jump rope and play hide-and-seek and all kinds of street games. I see kids now that have nothing to do.
I loved going to recreation in school and making baskets, pot holders and other arts and crafts. The pools were great and that was how I learned how to swim. I loved the skating rink and the stores and Caruso's and Jahn's ice cream parlor. It also seemed like a very safe place and you could walk to most of your friends' houses. The schools taught well and I was well prepared for college.
Bob Mattera: Going to Sid's Deli on Hempstead Turnpike with phony ID and buying quarts of that great tasting Ballantine (or was it Rheingold) beer. Now that's what made Levittown an exciting place to grow up! It was that type of pure excitement during my teen years that made me hate to leave and spend the 1960s in San Francisco.
I'm certain there have been many wonderful Levittown moments, I'm just waiting for a flashback (love those colors) so that they may be remembered and shared. Actually, I am able to share a near-death experience with you. It was when my dad caught me entering the house through my bedroom window, after an evening of enjoying the best of Sid's.
Warren Zaretsky: The excitement was exhilarating. Nonstop energy, inspiration, adventure. Levittown in the 50's was a veritable hotbed of intellectual curiosity, scientific inquiry, artistic achievement, and most of all political activism. Moreover, it was also an international potpourri of ethnicity and colors that taught us so much about "soul" and cultural diversity.
The challenge was always finding the time to see and do it all -- the music concerts, live theater, art festivals, poetry readings, book signings. The social whirl was demanding as well, with the every-weekend baptisms, bar mitzvahs, klan initiations, and the annual, world-renowned Levittown Cotillion Ball. And the fabulous array of culinary delights, so plentiful we took them for granted -- Wetsons, Howard Johnson, Whalen's lunch counter, Fiesta, and Jolly Roger. I for one give thanks I was lucky enough to grow up in Levittown in the 50's... rather than Rwanda, Bangladesh, or Wantagh.
>From Malcom Karman; his recollection of Mr. Simes:
In 8th grade, our class was brought with others to the auditorium. Mr. Simes made a speech about no talking, whereupon I began immediately to strike up a conversation with my neighbor (as soon as someone tells me I can't do something, I gotta go do it, a habit I've never been able to break). And which has actually, on occasion, served me well.
Friends told me I couldn't move to Sweden and I did. People told me I couldn't write books and three got published. Newspaper people told me you couldn't make a living as a self-employed writer and, a century later, here I am.
Anyway, Mr. Simes sees me talking right after his no-talking speech, roars at me until he's red in the face, makes me get up on the auditorium stage in front of four classrooms and gives me a royal dressing down. Three years later, when I became one of his good math students, I recalled the story to him. He laughed and said he had absolutely no recollection of it happening. I remembered it though - one of the most embarrassing moments for me in high school.
Billy Joel, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on March 15:
"I'm from Levittown," Joel said, marveling after Ray Charles inducted him. "This is not supposed to happen to people like me."
Tom Urban reports on his most memorable sexual experience:
I was sitting on a bench in the mall when a young man with spiked hair came over and sat down beside me. The boy's hair was yellow and green and orange and purple. He had black makeup around his eyes. I just stared at him.
The boy said, "What's the matter, old man, haven't you ever done anything wild in your life?"
I answered, "Well yes, actually, I have. I once got drunk and had sex with a parrot. I was just wondering if you were my son."
With all of the media coverage because of the disaster at the high school in Colorado, you had to think how relatively safe it seemed at Division Avenue High School back in our days as students. The big problems were smoking in the bathrooms, chewing gum, talking and a few other things that now seem trivial.
In 1999, it's a host of things that we could not have imagined, from guns and bombs to AIDS. This is what some of our classmates had to say about the situation:
Larry Bory: I remember one incident that most people in the school didn't know anything about. Someone got a chunk of metallic sodium out of the Chemistry lab and flushed it down a john in the men's room next door. As I recall being told, the resulting explosion lifted the commode off the floor and blew out some pipes in the basement. But the 1950s were pretty idyllic. A few bare knuckle fights, a few switch blades.
Rich Humbert: We also had a parent at home most of the time instead of two working parents. Big difference. Also education was viewed by our community as a serious opportunity. This community was expanding upward and outward into an expanding economy. The social fabric was still of a piece, before assassination and betrayal, when the "system" still worked... or at least we thought it did and that might be the same thing.
And I agree, our access to the edge was quite limited. Kids today are as different from us as we were from our parents - duh!. We lived on the crumbling edge of a collapsing social order whose replacement is not in sight yet. We're still caught up in the disintegration. All of us, if we're honest, can see the future: one world, no more silly countries.
But "all of us" are kept divided and ignorant - fat, dumb and happy, if you will, by those who derive power from an ignorant and confused populace. I guess I'm not a Republican after all. Littleton was a just a tornado in different form. "You don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows".
Mary Anne McNally (Donato): I am very grateful to have grown up in Levittown. It seems like the kids in school today are living on another planet. I remember how safe Levittown was when growing up, I used to walk all over alone at night and was never afraid.
The only conflict I remember was an occasional fight across the street after school let out. Everyone would gather around and watch, but never to cheer or egg anyone on looking for the kill. I feel a real sense of sadness for today's students and also worry what it will be like for my two little granddaughters when they reach school age.
Anyway, I keep everyone in Colorado even remotely connected with this tragedy in my thoughts and prayers. It still does not seem real somehow.
Martha Traystman (Welch): I remember the day Mr. Reilly spoke over the PA system about having cigarettes and/or matches in school (there had been a fire in one of the bathrooms, can't remember if it was girls' or boys'.) and that anyone caught with either would be suspended. I had begun smoking by that time (unfortunately), late in our senior year, and had both cigarettes and matches with me in my pocketbook. I went to the library and Mr. Matthews allowed me to leave them there until the end of the day (remember I worked there lots of the time). That was the last time I brought them to school.
We asked our classmates with e-mail, "Where was the best make-out spot in Levittown or nearby area?" This is what they had to say:
Larry Bory: I remember two places for "intimate moments" in Levittown: Beach 9 at Jones Beach in the dunes and any party lit by Christmas lights, with slow dance music playing.
Malcom Karman: Best makeout spot in Levittown: Old Motor Parkway.
Best makeout spot on Long Island: Mount Misery in Huntington
Louise Nicolosi (Hayn): From what I remember "hearing" about...
1. Lilette's house parties...
2. In the side door alcove of the "new" wing of DAHS 3. Balcony of the auditorium...
4. Jones Beach at night...
5. Last row in the movie theater...
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>From Dewain Lanfear
It certainly has taken me a while to get out of the Levittown school system. On June 16, I taught my last class after 31 years of full time teaching. I spent 15 years at DAHS, 5 years in the middle schools, and the last 11 at MacArthur. I've always taught English, and the last few years I've had the 11th grade Regents classes and the 12th grade Honors class.
As with any job, there were periods when I had a hard time finding a good reason to get going in the morning, but such times were not common. If you haven't been around Levittown for a while, you might be surprised how similar the kids are to the way we were, no matter what "analysts" might say. I can easily see many of my students as friends if they weren't 40 years younger. Maybe that's why I always liked the job. I loved my subject, and tried to show them why that wasn't a foolish way to be.
Some of them caught on and I'm happy to say that some former students are teaching English. Even though they had many other English teachers, at least I didn't scare them away. I thought most of our teachers were pretty happy and satisfied. That attracted me to the career, and I'd say that I'm very happy with my career choice. The last day will show you why I feel so good. When I came in at 7AM, I was called to the cafeteria where my seniors had organized a breakfast surprise party. That day in class we exchanged e-mail addresses, and one of them set up a web site for the class that evening so we can keep in touch after graduation. That evening, the English department took me out to dinner in Wantagh. The good wishes from students and fellow workers are all I need to feel that my time wasn't wasted.
Future plans are pretty simple. My wife Marti and I will live in Maine from May to September each year, and we will live in Hartwell, Georgia the rest of the year. I plan to play a lot of golf at both locations. There are many books I still haven't read. The fishing in Georgia is excellent, and Budweiser is available everywhere. Sounds like a plan to me.
I also plan to stay in touch with former classmates and students by e-mail, and Marti and I will use golf as an excuse to do some traveling. If anyone has any suggestions, I'll be glad to hear them. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone next July 21 at our 40th reunion.
Regards,
Dewain (dewainlan@aol.com)
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posted 1999.08.15 - last edited 2005.10.03
Copyright 1999, blue-dragons.com and Frank Barning
