Here are some news items you may have forgotten from the Sept. 27, 1957, issue of the school newspaper, The Nor'easter:
The Student Council announced plans to raffle off a British bike they had won in a competition to collect paper wrappers. Jim Brickley was president that year; Barbara Monrose was secretary, and Kathy Hutchins and Ralph Spaulding were among the councilmen-at-large.
William Nimroth, our senior social studies teacher, was appointed to the State Board of Education to serve on the Committee for Revision of the Social Studies Curriculum. (Say that phrase fast 3 times with peanut butter in your mouth!)
Marion Kline wrote an opinion piece with the headline "Mom and Pop vs. Bop". It was about the differing tastes in music between teenagers and their parents. Here's a quote from the closing paragraphs: Our lives sometimes seem so hectic we have to use bop to relieve the tension. And this our parents would deny. Don't worry, teenager. We know the world isn't going to the dogs, even if our parents try to claim it is. Most of us know that we'll grow into adulthood with a broader and better perspective on life than most of our elders have. And whether it's bop or a swoony-type love ballad, you'll still live, think and love music; sooner or later, your parents might even come to like it!
In the gossip column, called "Shooting the Breeze", one item went like this: "Roger Whitehead and Gary Lyens have both been running around with black eyes they say they got in football practice." And another item: "Celeste Cipriano must be having trouble with her homework. --her parakeet has been helping her!" And there's this comment about Rena Counts: "Her slumber party must've been really lively! What's this about smoking pretzels?" On the going steady list at the time were Barbara Menees and Ron Crosley, and Hazel Davis and Fred Archibald.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Night I Met William F. Buckley
Feb. 27: William F. Buckley died today, well known for his books, his TV show ("Firing Line") and his ability to use 5-syllable words all in a row.
I met him one night in the Panama Canal Zone, an experience I won't forget. As an English major, I admired Mr. Buckley's ability to put words together. Buckley was visiting in Panama (the treaty discussions were going on then), and a friend of mine, Doug Schmidt (president of the Pacific Civic Council) invited Buckley to his house for a small get-together.
As I was waiting for the man to arrive (feeling like waiting for a "rock star"), I wondered what the experience would be like. Well, I couldn't have predicted it.
Buckley, a very tall and thin man, strode into Doug's Florida room, tossed his coat jacket on the couch, and the first words out of his mouth were, "Can someone get me a beer?" I decided that this man was a real human being.
I didn't agree with him on his views on the new Panama Canal treaty (he was all for it), but I never forgot what it was like to be in the same room with a down-to-earth celebrity.
I met him one night in the Panama Canal Zone, an experience I won't forget. As an English major, I admired Mr. Buckley's ability to put words together. Buckley was visiting in Panama (the treaty discussions were going on then), and a friend of mine, Doug Schmidt (president of the Pacific Civic Council) invited Buckley to his house for a small get-together.
As I was waiting for the man to arrive (feeling like waiting for a "rock star"), I wondered what the experience would be like. Well, I couldn't have predicted it.
Buckley, a very tall and thin man, strode into Doug's Florida room, tossed his coat jacket on the couch, and the first words out of his mouth were, "Can someone get me a beer?" I decided that this man was a real human being.
I didn't agree with him on his views on the new Panama Canal treaty (he was all for it), but I never forgot what it was like to be in the same room with a down-to-earth celebrity.
Pepper Tree Demon
Tom Fincher, one of our classmates who's a published author, reports he's getting orders for his novel Pepper Tree Demon, a story with its setting in Florida (including landmarks you'll recognize).
Just to give you some "flavor" from the book, here is an excerpt from the prologue, spoken in the voice of the story's narrator:
....The dead relative is all part of the Randolph family history. That's my clan. My name is Graham. It seems that Al Randolph, the man who would someday become my grandfather, was fishing in a Tampa Bay inlet called Coffee Pot Bayou. To his way of thinking, fishing beat working any day.
Don't ask me why a body of water would be named after a coffee pot. It doesn't look like one. At least not one I've ever seen. Maybe somebody threw one in there one time.
You just never know about some things....Anyway, one beautiful sunshiny Florida day, Gramps is fishing from the Snell Isle Bridge which crosses the bayou to Snell Isle, where a lot of rich people live.
Hey! I know this one. It's called Snell Isle after Mr. Snell who developed the place, but back when I was a kid I used to think people were mispronouncing snail. Never said I was a smart kid. Come to think of it nobody else did either. But what I lacked in smarts I made for with lack of ambition.
Tom's storytelling is a fun read. You can order up your own copy for $15 by contacting Tom at thetomcatman@aol.com And if you ask, he just might autograph the book for you.
Just to give you some "flavor" from the book, here is an excerpt from the prologue, spoken in the voice of the story's narrator:
....The dead relative is all part of the Randolph family history. That's my clan. My name is Graham. It seems that Al Randolph, the man who would someday become my grandfather, was fishing in a Tampa Bay inlet called Coffee Pot Bayou. To his way of thinking, fishing beat working any day.
Don't ask me why a body of water would be named after a coffee pot. It doesn't look like one. At least not one I've ever seen. Maybe somebody threw one in there one time.
You just never know about some things....Anyway, one beautiful sunshiny Florida day, Gramps is fishing from the Snell Isle Bridge which crosses the bayou to Snell Isle, where a lot of rich people live.
Hey! I know this one. It's called Snell Isle after Mr. Snell who developed the place, but back when I was a kid I used to think people were mispronouncing snail. Never said I was a smart kid. Come to think of it nobody else did either. But what I lacked in smarts I made for with lack of ambition.
Tom's storytelling is a fun read. You can order up your own copy for $15 by contacting Tom at thetomcatman@aol.com And if you ask, he just might autograph the book for you.
News That's 50 Years Old
I just KNEW that I had a bound book of Nor'easters in my boxes of stuff--the newspaper I edited my senior year at Northeast. And sure enough, last week, I dug far enough down in one of the boxes to find the collection of a now-yellowed year's worth of issues.
Here is a selection of items from the Sept. 3, 1957 issue. (More snippets from other issues will follow in later postings.)
George Salzman, Harry Steinhardt, Jim Willson, Jan Duggar, and Ralph Spaulding represented our high school at the June 23-29 meeting of Boys State at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Girls State delegates at the June 15-22 meeting, also in Tallahassee, included Trudy Andringa, Clarice Slover, and Sandra Creitz.
A front page picture on the Sept. 3 edition shows Barbara Monrose and Jim Brickley being welcomed back for a new school year by principal John Sexton. Some new department heads in the faculty included Merle Morgan, replacing Douglas Taylor who transferred to St. Petersburg High School; Mrs. Wentworth, replacing Mr. Sharpe as head of the social studies department, and Frank Bowles, replacing Mr. Swan as head of the science department.
The "Nehi Notable" feature in the Sept. 3 edition focused on Karolyn Bagg, who at age 7, had been the St. Petersburg Swimming Queen. For her senior year, she had an ambitious schedule of English IV, senior social studies, Current World Affairs, Public Speaking, art, physiology, and cheerleading. (And you thought YOU were busy in your senior year!)
The first football game of that season was going to be against Tarpon Springs on Sept. 27. The Vikings hoped to improve on their previous year's record of 2 wins and 8 losses.
Another news item mentions that these students had been junior DJs at radio station WTSP: Marion Kline, Gene Glennon, Melody Siplon and Bruce Little.
On the list of staff members for the Nor'easter for this edition were: News Editor, Marion Kline; Managing Editors, Linda Crain and Pat Williams; Sports Editor Bob Loeber, Ad Editor, Gene Glennon, and Proofreader, June Sharpe.
Here is a selection of items from the Sept. 3, 1957 issue. (More snippets from other issues will follow in later postings.)
George Salzman, Harry Steinhardt, Jim Willson, Jan Duggar, and Ralph Spaulding represented our high school at the June 23-29 meeting of Boys State at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Girls State delegates at the June 15-22 meeting, also in Tallahassee, included Trudy Andringa, Clarice Slover, and Sandra Creitz.
A front page picture on the Sept. 3 edition shows Barbara Monrose and Jim Brickley being welcomed back for a new school year by principal John Sexton. Some new department heads in the faculty included Merle Morgan, replacing Douglas Taylor who transferred to St. Petersburg High School; Mrs. Wentworth, replacing Mr. Sharpe as head of the social studies department, and Frank Bowles, replacing Mr. Swan as head of the science department.
The "Nehi Notable" feature in the Sept. 3 edition focused on Karolyn Bagg, who at age 7, had been the St. Petersburg Swimming Queen. For her senior year, she had an ambitious schedule of English IV, senior social studies, Current World Affairs, Public Speaking, art, physiology, and cheerleading. (And you thought YOU were busy in your senior year!)
The first football game of that season was going to be against Tarpon Springs on Sept. 27. The Vikings hoped to improve on their previous year's record of 2 wins and 8 losses.
Another news item mentions that these students had been junior DJs at radio station WTSP: Marion Kline, Gene Glennon, Melody Siplon and Bruce Little.
On the list of staff members for the Nor'easter for this edition were: News Editor, Marion Kline; Managing Editors, Linda Crain and Pat Williams; Sports Editor Bob Loeber, Ad Editor, Gene Glennon, and Proofreader, June Sharpe.
One Good Party Deserves Another One!
The South Florida Branch of Northeast High 1958 Alumni had such a good time (10 am to 5 pm) at their Feb. 23 get-together that another one is in the planning stages already.
Carolyn Gramling McAleece has offered her condo in Hollywood as the site for the next go-round, but the date hasn't been set yet. Barbara Monrose Parrish hosted the first session, and her husband Wes was such a lively part of the roundtable discussion that Carolyn just knew her husband George should get to meet Wes. Sandra Creitz-Logue of Boca Raton and Pat Teague-Fulton of Miami will also be on the guest list.
Carolyn Gramling McAleece has offered her condo in Hollywood as the site for the next go-round, but the date hasn't been set yet. Barbara Monrose Parrish hosted the first session, and her husband Wes was such a lively part of the roundtable discussion that Carolyn just knew her husband George should get to meet Wes. Sandra Creitz-Logue of Boca Raton and Pat Teague-Fulton of Miami will also be on the guest list.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Their Names Are In The Book!
If your name appears in the list below, your bio has been received for appearance in the Memory Book you can purchase at the Reunion. Those who do not submit bios will still have their names, addresses, email addresses, etc., included.
Here are the wonderful people who have sent in responses to the bio form:
Trudy Andringa, David Britner, Larry Britner, Rose Marie Cruz, Dale Davis, Jean Davis, Tom Fincher, Susan Goree, Judi Groves, Bruce Hugill, Kathy Hutchins, Frank Kapocsi, Mardi Kline, John Krege, Bob and Sarah LaBrant, Helen Leigh,Bruce Little, Fred McKenzie, Judy Nicholson, Virginia Payne, Rosa Lee Ramsey, Terry Reichelderfer, Jean Robertson, Clarissa Rogers, Pat Smith, Jean Sheridan, Eddie Stinson, Duane Tobey, Charles Welch.
If you need a refresher on what to include in the bio info, here's a summary: Name, current address, family (spouse, kids, grandkids, etc.), what you've been doing since high school graduation, education, military experience, places (cities, countries) where you have lived, types of work you have done, three achievements in your life that you are proud of, favorite teachers at Northeast, any advice you would give to the 2008 Northeast graduates.
Feel free to include or exclude any information. Send it to patful01@msn.com
Here are the wonderful people who have sent in responses to the bio form:
Trudy Andringa, David Britner, Larry Britner, Rose Marie Cruz, Dale Davis, Jean Davis, Tom Fincher, Susan Goree, Judi Groves, Bruce Hugill, Kathy Hutchins, Frank Kapocsi, Mardi Kline, John Krege, Bob and Sarah LaBrant, Helen Leigh,Bruce Little, Fred McKenzie, Judy Nicholson, Virginia Payne, Rosa Lee Ramsey, Terry Reichelderfer, Jean Robertson, Clarissa Rogers, Pat Smith, Jean Sheridan, Eddie Stinson, Duane Tobey, Charles Welch.
If you need a refresher on what to include in the bio info, here's a summary: Name, current address, family (spouse, kids, grandkids, etc.), what you've been doing since high school graduation, education, military experience, places (cities, countries) where you have lived, types of work you have done, three achievements in your life that you are proud of, favorite teachers at Northeast, any advice you would give to the 2008 Northeast graduates.
Feel free to include or exclude any information. Send it to patful01@msn.com
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Greetings from South Florida
Inspired by our Tampa Bay classmates, four of us (plus one spouse) held our first gathering today (Feb. 23) at home of Barbara Monrose Parrish in Coconut Creek. The reunion started around 10 am and went on for 4 hours before anybody picked up one of the Viking Logs to look at the historic photos.
Here's an update on Sandra Creitz-Logue, Carolyn Gramling McAleese, and Barbara.
Sandra, now living in downtown Boca Raton, recently retired as a high school social studies teacher and now heads her condo association. One of her recent victories was getting the needed repairs for the building following Hurricane Wilma. Sandra, Barbara and Barb's husband Wes Parrish all knew each other at University of Florida. Sandy later transferred to Florida Southern College in Lakeland to complete her education degree.
Sandra raised her two sons in Michigan and still "commutes" there frequently to spend time with them and her grandchildren. One of her "pranks" in high school was placing For Sale signs in front of Northeast High School.
Barb passed around childhood school photos of people such as Trudy Andringa, Madelyn Ringelspaugh, Aloyse Flood, Barbara Wells, and others. She also passed around a book that Dave Larson wrote, filled with anecdotes from his youth and from his marriage and family life with his wife Aloyse Flood Larson. (Editor's note: He's an excellent writer! In high school, he seemed to be an all-time guy's guy, but he was walking around with literary talent.)
Barb also shared a memory book that was produced for a Northeast reunion about 5 years ago, in which graduates from the classes of 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1958 all met together. Amazing photos, and once again, Sue Bagg-Foreman was one of the shakers and movers for the event. Former Northeast coaches Gerry Ramsberger and Lee Benjamin were speakers at the event.
For those of you (like me) who live in a "citified" environment--where vegetables come from the grocery store's produce department--Wes had an amazing vegetable garden--with real live plants growing in it. He's been doing this for the 30 years that he and Barb have lived in Coconut Creek, and his crops include large tomatoes, cucumbers, black-eyed peas, and lima beans.
One of the all-time funny stories shared at the gathering was from Carolyn Gramling McAleese. Seems that while she was enrolled in nurse's training at St. Petersburg Junior College and living in a dormitory at Mound Park Hospital, (now Bayfront Medical Center), she and her classmates encountered a very interesting person. The soft drink delivery guy who came to the dorm had a habit of ---shall we say, displaying his "assets" in public--and it only took the student nurses three months to report the offender to hospital authorities!
Here's an update on Sandra Creitz-Logue, Carolyn Gramling McAleese, and Barbara.
Sandra, now living in downtown Boca Raton, recently retired as a high school social studies teacher and now heads her condo association. One of her recent victories was getting the needed repairs for the building following Hurricane Wilma. Sandra, Barbara and Barb's husband Wes Parrish all knew each other at University of Florida. Sandy later transferred to Florida Southern College in Lakeland to complete her education degree.
Sandra raised her two sons in Michigan and still "commutes" there frequently to spend time with them and her grandchildren. One of her "pranks" in high school was placing For Sale signs in front of Northeast High School.
Barb passed around childhood school photos of people such as Trudy Andringa, Madelyn Ringelspaugh, Aloyse Flood, Barbara Wells, and others. She also passed around a book that Dave Larson wrote, filled with anecdotes from his youth and from his marriage and family life with his wife Aloyse Flood Larson. (Editor's note: He's an excellent writer! In high school, he seemed to be an all-time guy's guy, but he was walking around with literary talent.)
Barb also shared a memory book that was produced for a Northeast reunion about 5 years ago, in which graduates from the classes of 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1958 all met together. Amazing photos, and once again, Sue Bagg-Foreman was one of the shakers and movers for the event. Former Northeast coaches Gerry Ramsberger and Lee Benjamin were speakers at the event.
For those of you (like me) who live in a "citified" environment--where vegetables come from the grocery store's produce department--Wes had an amazing vegetable garden--with real live plants growing in it. He's been doing this for the 30 years that he and Barb have lived in Coconut Creek, and his crops include large tomatoes, cucumbers, black-eyed peas, and lima beans.
One of the all-time funny stories shared at the gathering was from Carolyn Gramling McAleese. Seems that while she was enrolled in nurse's training at St. Petersburg Junior College and living in a dormitory at Mound Park Hospital, (now Bayfront Medical Center), she and her classmates encountered a very interesting person. The soft drink delivery guy who came to the dorm had a habit of ---shall we say, displaying his "assets" in public--and it only took the student nurses three months to report the offender to hospital authorities!
Bruce Little: FBI Agent and Ordained Pastor
Bruce Little, writing from his home in Jackson, TN, gets the All-Around Nice Guy Award. Currently he is the chief caregiver for his wife Jeannie, who experienced a stroke in 2002, leaving her weakened on the left side, and who more recently suffered a stress fracture to her right leg, leaving her confined to a wheelchair 24/7. Gradually, she is learning to walk again, but Bruce is giving her all his attention.
His work includes being a staff pastor for Visitation Ministry for Grace United Methodist Church in Jackson, TN and a special Contract Investigator for the FBI and other federal agencies.
He says his nickname at Northeast High was "Charlie Brown", a name given to him by drama classmates. They took pity on Bruce's supposedly "innocent" nature, but Bruce says that appearance was just a "clever ruse I used to get popularity with the girls. It worked well!"
One of the things he's grateful for in his life goes like this: The grace of God through Jesus Christ who lifted me from a broken state (physically and emotionally following an injury), dusted me off, saw some value still left, gave me a new calling, reshaped me to a new purpose and permitted me to share the Good News that what He did and is doing me He can do for anyone. No "achievement" there--just the grace of God.
Favorite teacher: Bob Challener became my model hero for all who are teachers in spite of the odds--where would any of us be without their encouragement and service?
His work includes being a staff pastor for Visitation Ministry for Grace United Methodist Church in Jackson, TN and a special Contract Investigator for the FBI and other federal agencies.
He says his nickname at Northeast High was "Charlie Brown", a name given to him by drama classmates. They took pity on Bruce's supposedly "innocent" nature, but Bruce says that appearance was just a "clever ruse I used to get popularity with the girls. It worked well!"
One of the things he's grateful for in his life goes like this: The grace of God through Jesus Christ who lifted me from a broken state (physically and emotionally following an injury), dusted me off, saw some value still left, gave me a new calling, reshaped me to a new purpose and permitted me to share the Good News that what He did and is doing me He can do for anyone. No "achievement" there--just the grace of God.
Favorite teacher: Bob Challener became my model hero for all who are teachers in spite of the odds--where would any of us be without their encouragement and service?
Duane Tobey's NEHS Memories
Duane Tobey, a former worker at the U.S. Embassy in London, England and the Tampa Field Office of the FBI, has these memories of his days at Northeast High:
Being in the band back in those days, it seems we were always getting on a chartered bus or schoolbus and going to either an away football game or a parade in another city or perhaps a band contest across the state.
And usually once a year, a trip to Daytona or Orlando was a perk if we could raise the money, but usually our parents got stuck with coming up with most of it. I'm sure most of the band members remember these trips...Most paired up with a girlfriend or boyfriend and this was a good chance to "make out" on the bus.
Favorite Faculty Member? It has to be Mr. Beeman, our band director. I got to know his family quite well, and his sons and I became close friends. When you think about how much he had to put into what he had to do and the responsibilities he had, I don't know how he had the time or patience. I guess we had a band made up of 70-100 of us and we weren't all "good" all the time. Trying to keep us in line when we went on trips wasn't easy. And trying to teach us music and come up with new halftime shows every week and compete in band contests would be more than most teachers would even imagine. His work load had to be tremendous.
One of Duane's favorite achievements is "being a pilot, accomplishing all my ratings and passing my physical, even at this age!!"
Being in the band back in those days, it seems we were always getting on a chartered bus or schoolbus and going to either an away football game or a parade in another city or perhaps a band contest across the state.
And usually once a year, a trip to Daytona or Orlando was a perk if we could raise the money, but usually our parents got stuck with coming up with most of it. I'm sure most of the band members remember these trips...Most paired up with a girlfriend or boyfriend and this was a good chance to "make out" on the bus.
Favorite Faculty Member? It has to be Mr. Beeman, our band director. I got to know his family quite well, and his sons and I became close friends. When you think about how much he had to put into what he had to do and the responsibilities he had, I don't know how he had the time or patience. I guess we had a band made up of 70-100 of us and we weren't all "good" all the time. Trying to keep us in line when we went on trips wasn't easy. And trying to teach us music and come up with new halftime shows every week and compete in band contests would be more than most teachers would even imagine. His work load had to be tremendous.
One of Duane's favorite achievements is "being a pilot, accomplishing all my ratings and passing my physical, even at this age!!"
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Gift of Laughter
I have always enjoyed laughter but I never realized it was good medicine until I went through a year of chemo-therapy 1983-1984. I learned in some reading I did then (specifically Norman Cousins' book on his own illness) that humor is therapeutic. When you are recovering from something such as cancer surgery (or other serious medical conditions), it helps to be around people who make you laugh; it helps to watch funny TV shows and movies rather than something gory and horror-producing.
I have long finished with the chemo-therapy but Carolyn Gramling McAleese in our recent visits and phone calls has reminded me of how wonderful it is to laugh. She has the ability, almost without trying, to crack me up...not so much with funny jokes, but the delightful way she has of saying things.
If you are re-connecting with classmates now, and you have the chance to see them or talk to them on the phone, enjoy those precious moments when you laugh together. I don't know the chemical name for it, but my understanding is that laughter causes some substance to be released in our bodies--and that's a good thing.
When we all get together in May, may the laughter never stop! We need every giggle we can get!
I have long finished with the chemo-therapy but Carolyn Gramling McAleese in our recent visits and phone calls has reminded me of how wonderful it is to laugh. She has the ability, almost without trying, to crack me up...not so much with funny jokes, but the delightful way she has of saying things.
If you are re-connecting with classmates now, and you have the chance to see them or talk to them on the phone, enjoy those precious moments when you laugh together. I don't know the chemical name for it, but my understanding is that laughter causes some substance to be released in our bodies--and that's a good thing.
When we all get together in May, may the laughter never stop! We need every giggle we can get!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Is Today Your "Someday"?
One of our classmates has submitted this to share with all of you--the source wishes to remain anonymous, but the words are universal:
I lost my Big Girl yesterday.
During a minor surgical procedure a blood clot slipped loose and took her
from everyone who loved her.
Scenes from my memories of her have been playing in my mind since I got the message.
She was a beautiful woman and the mother of two young men.
She and her sister are the pride of my life.
As sometimes happens with parents and their children a rift developed between us.
I kept thinking that someday the two of us would sit down to hammer it out.
Maybe we would cry but then we would laugh someday.
Now someday isn't coming.
For those of you having a rift with your children let today be your someday. Call them, hold them, tell them
you love them. And do it NOW!
I've asked Pat not to put my name on this because I could be Anybody.
I lost my Big Girl yesterday.
During a minor surgical procedure a blood clot slipped loose and took her
from everyone who loved her.
Scenes from my memories of her have been playing in my mind since I got the message.
She was a beautiful woman and the mother of two young men.
She and her sister are the pride of my life.
As sometimes happens with parents and their children a rift developed between us.
I kept thinking that someday the two of us would sit down to hammer it out.
Maybe we would cry but then we would laugh someday.
Now someday isn't coming.
For those of you having a rift with your children let today be your someday. Call them, hold them, tell them
you love them. And do it NOW!
I've asked Pat not to put my name on this because I could be Anybody.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Story of a Prom Dress
Clarissa Rogers-Hamilton shares this story about her prom dress (see above), which turns out to be one of those "feel-good" stories that seem to surround our high school reunion.She writes: My mother worked and she didn't have time to come shopping with me for the dress. She suggested I go around with some friends and look at dresses. When I saw one I liked she would meet me there and we would decide on buying it or not. Well, I looked and looked and couldn't find any I liked. At the time the net was popular and it was itchy.
I found one that would be OK, then I went to the upscale store and found the dress we finally got. I knew it was too much for my mother to buy; it was $85 and that was a lot then. I don't know what that would translate to in today's dollars, but it was a lot then. We went to the story with the itchy net dress and I tried it on. Then I said I had found one I wanted her to see on me, but I knew it would be too much. I just wanted her to see it.
Well, I put it on and she loved it as much as I did and put it on lay-away. I know she really sacrificed for that dress. A year or two later, my mother was working with a young woman who was raising her younger sister. The co-worker was having a problem in getting money for her younger sister's prom dress. My mother suggested my dress to her.
I don't know if she gave it to her or if she paid a little for it. My mother was the kind to give it away if she knew somebody needed it. Sandy got it for her sister, and she was so happy with it...wore it to the prom and felt like a princess, just like I did that night.
Monday, February 18, 2008
SlimFast and Oil of Olay
NOTE TO MALE READERS: You may want to skip this posting. It has to do with female readiness for the Reunion.
Carolyn Gramling-McAleese, who, it turns out CAN be part of a four-way reunion in South Florida Feb. 23, wants to pass along this information to the "rest of us girls" in the 1958 class:
I'm living on 180 calories a meal from SlimFast and I am conducting close consultations with Oil of Olay. She indicates that a thick layer of youth-restoring facial cream is part of her bedtime routine.
She also clicks off a checklist of fingernails, hair, eyebrows, special dress regarding "things to do" to get ready for the Reunion. We will let the White House solve the small problems such as the War in Iraq; we women will attack the big problems of cosmetics and hairstyles.
Carolyn Gramling-McAleese, who, it turns out CAN be part of a four-way reunion in South Florida Feb. 23, wants to pass along this information to the "rest of us girls" in the 1958 class:
I'm living on 180 calories a meal from SlimFast and I am conducting close consultations with Oil of Olay. She indicates that a thick layer of youth-restoring facial cream is part of her bedtime routine.
She also clicks off a checklist of fingernails, hair, eyebrows, special dress regarding "things to do" to get ready for the Reunion. We will let the White House solve the small problems such as the War in Iraq; we women will attack the big problems of cosmetics and hairstyles.
A South Florida Mini-Reunion
Following the tradition of our classmates in the Tampa Bay area and in Colorado, some of us in South Florida are doing our bit to get ready for the 50th anniversary.
Originally, the plan was for Carolyn Gramling McAleese, Sandy Creitz-Logue, and me to meet at Barbara Monrose-Parrish's home in Coconut Creek Feb. 23. However, Carolyn's son who is recovering from surgery in Sarasota needs her assistance, so it will be a three-way.
Carolyn has left strict instructions that the three of us are not to laugh, enjoy ourselves or enjoy any good refreshments. We are to save all that until Carolyn can be with us for the next time. She has threatened that she will be there in spirit and will know if we disobey orders.
However, as an alternative plan, I'm meeting with Carolyn tonight after my Monday night English class that's 5 minutes away from her place. I will take three of my Viking Logs (1955, 1956 and 1958) and we will re-discover people to our hearts' content.
Next Saturday, I will take the same yearbooks with me because Sandra's are stored at her son's place and Barbara doesn't have the 1955 issue (our freshman year, remember?)
If it weren't for the enterprising work of people like Sue Bagg-Foreman and Woody Reed Tanner, I wouldn't even know that these three women live within driving distance of me.
So, on Feb. 23, if you hear in the distance faint peals of laughter, it will be three Viking classmates in a pre-reunion reunion, practicing for the Big Time when we all meet in St. Petersburg in May.
Originally, the plan was for Carolyn Gramling McAleese, Sandy Creitz-Logue, and me to meet at Barbara Monrose-Parrish's home in Coconut Creek Feb. 23. However, Carolyn's son who is recovering from surgery in Sarasota needs her assistance, so it will be a three-way.
Carolyn has left strict instructions that the three of us are not to laugh, enjoy ourselves or enjoy any good refreshments. We are to save all that until Carolyn can be with us for the next time. She has threatened that she will be there in spirit and will know if we disobey orders.
However, as an alternative plan, I'm meeting with Carolyn tonight after my Monday night English class that's 5 minutes away from her place. I will take three of my Viking Logs (1955, 1956 and 1958) and we will re-discover people to our hearts' content.
Next Saturday, I will take the same yearbooks with me because Sandra's are stored at her son's place and Barbara doesn't have the 1955 issue (our freshman year, remember?)
If it weren't for the enterprising work of people like Sue Bagg-Foreman and Woody Reed Tanner, I wouldn't even know that these three women live within driving distance of me.
So, on Feb. 23, if you hear in the distance faint peals of laughter, it will be three Viking classmates in a pre-reunion reunion, practicing for the Big Time when we all meet in St. Petersburg in May.
Feedback from Clarissa Rogers Hamilton
Clarissa Rogers Hamilton offers these comments in an email, related to the phenomenon of our NEHS 1958 50th anniversary: I just wonder if any other 50th reunions has been so successful in contacting so many classmates. I know a friend took her mother to her 50th reunion and there were something like ten people there!! Of course I don't know how many were in her class, maybe only eleven!!
You are so right in what has come from just the planning. You mentioned what you have learned about diabetes from fellow classmates, then there is Barbara Menees. I did send her a card and did call her. She seemed so upbeat when I called her. ...Even if she is still in rehab, I encouraged her to come to the dinner in her wheelchair, if she wasn't up and walking.
I talked to Madelyn Ringlespaugh and I also found and talked with Jean Robertson. She said she is definitely going to the reunion; she was so excited!
When I met again with Ben Wall, it was like we graduated yesterday and just met for lunch. It is so easy, like time never passed, I was surprised. I would imagine it will be like that at the reunion, only more so since there will be so many more people. I took a neat picture of us, put him and I now and on the side, pictures from the yearbook. Also a picture of the front of the yearbook.
You are so right in what has come from just the planning. You mentioned what you have learned about diabetes from fellow classmates, then there is Barbara Menees. I did send her a card and did call her. She seemed so upbeat when I called her. ...Even if she is still in rehab, I encouraged her to come to the dinner in her wheelchair, if she wasn't up and walking.
I talked to Madelyn Ringlespaugh and I also found and talked with Jean Robertson. She said she is definitely going to the reunion; she was so excited!
When I met again with Ben Wall, it was like we graduated yesterday and just met for lunch. It is so easy, like time never passed, I was surprised. I would imagine it will be like that at the reunion, only more so since there will be so many more people. I took a neat picture of us, put him and I now and on the side, pictures from the yearbook. Also a picture of the front of the yearbook.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
A Personal Thank You
If it hadn't been for my re-connected friends in this Reunion project effort, the recent two dark weeks I spent in diabetic problems might have been entirely different.
Mardi Kline and Charles Welch offered me invaluable tips on dealing with Diabetes 2. I have been diagnosed since 2000, but I had dodged learning to use the glucose meter because the technology intimidated me. My understanding of nutrition for the diabetic was less than basic.
An effective doctor, a change in medication, a crash course in learning to use the glucose contraption, and some verrrrry helpful information in emails from Mardi and Charles helped pull me through.
Amazing what a high school reunion can do for you!
Mardi Kline and Charles Welch offered me invaluable tips on dealing with Diabetes 2. I have been diagnosed since 2000, but I had dodged learning to use the glucose meter because the technology intimidated me. My understanding of nutrition for the diabetic was less than basic.
An effective doctor, a change in medication, a crash course in learning to use the glucose contraption, and some verrrrry helpful information in emails from Mardi and Charles helped pull me through.
Amazing what a high school reunion can do for you!
Got Reservations?
Carolyn Gramling McAleese and I were having a phone chat a couple of nights ago, when we discovered that both of us had skipped the reunion held in 1978 for the same reason: we were both newly divorced, embarrassed to show up at the party where we'd have to explain that our marriages had gone bust.
We now realize that the classmates we meet at a reunion don't give a rip whether we've had one or two or four or no divorces. They don't care if we went bankrupt or flunked a course in college. They don't care if one of our kids may have been a frightful disappointment.
Instead....the friends at the reunion are just glad to see us. So, for whatever it's worth, if you're reluctant to come to the reunion because there may be some bad news in your background---we just want to see YOU. You can tell us what you want to about yourself and keep to yourself what you don't want us to know. Just come and be with us. The very fact that you've lived 50 years beyond high school graduation is an achievement in itself.
And besides, none of us are competing to be the youngest. We're all the same age anyway.
Carolyn and I will be helping to staff the Information Room at the Hampton Inn in St. Petersburg (Beach Drive)...and our goal is to help you get checked in to the Reunion, find people and information that you're looking for, and be of assistance in any other way possible. Let us be your startoff to an enjoyable re-connecting with people you knew a long, long time ago.
We now realize that the classmates we meet at a reunion don't give a rip whether we've had one or two or four or no divorces. They don't care if we went bankrupt or flunked a course in college. They don't care if one of our kids may have been a frightful disappointment.
Instead....the friends at the reunion are just glad to see us. So, for whatever it's worth, if you're reluctant to come to the reunion because there may be some bad news in your background---we just want to see YOU. You can tell us what you want to about yourself and keep to yourself what you don't want us to know. Just come and be with us. The very fact that you've lived 50 years beyond high school graduation is an achievement in itself.
And besides, none of us are competing to be the youngest. We're all the same age anyway.
Carolyn and I will be helping to staff the Information Room at the Hampton Inn in St. Petersburg (Beach Drive)...and our goal is to help you get checked in to the Reunion, find people and information that you're looking for, and be of assistance in any other way possible. Let us be your startoff to an enjoyable re-connecting with people you knew a long, long time ago.
What Our Reunion May Mean to Barbara Menees
One of the most extraordinary spinoffs from the plans for our 50th anniversary reunion has been the spontaneous effort, instigated by Larry Britner, and followed up on by so many of you alums, to contact Barbara Menees.
Barbara has been confined, in very ill health, in a St. Petersburg convalescent home. When Larry visited her and sent out an email alert, many of you responded with cards, calls, prayers, best wishes--all of which must have been like medicine itself to Barbara.
Some high school reunions are big one-night or weekend events--and that's it. Our Northeast High 50th reunion has been so much more than that. Friends all over the world and all over the U.S. and all over Florida and all over St. Petersburg have become re-connected, discovering new things about each other that they never knew, finding fresh value and mutual interest in people they knew--and perhaps haven't seen--for 50 years.
Thanks to all of you who let Barbara know that she is not alone and she is not forgotten.
Barbara has been confined, in very ill health, in a St. Petersburg convalescent home. When Larry visited her and sent out an email alert, many of you responded with cards, calls, prayers, best wishes--all of which must have been like medicine itself to Barbara.
Some high school reunions are big one-night or weekend events--and that's it. Our Northeast High 50th reunion has been so much more than that. Friends all over the world and all over the U.S. and all over Florida and all over St. Petersburg have become re-connected, discovering new things about each other that they never knew, finding fresh value and mutual interest in people they knew--and perhaps haven't seen--for 50 years.
Thanks to all of you who let Barbara know that she is not alone and she is not forgotten.
A Side Trip for Reunion Week
Sharing old class photos from elementary schools has been one of the themes in Larry Britner's round-robin email, now flourishing undeniably. One of the spin-offs from that has been a trip that Larry and Charles Welch made to North Shore Elementary School.
Thanks to their efforts, principal Nina Deason (who used to teach with Charles at Meadowlawn Middle School) has agreed to offer a tour for North Shore alums at 10:30 am, Thursday, May 15. At the conclusion of the school tour, you will have the chance to eat lunch with some schoolkids a few years younger than you. You can purchase a lunch or brownbag it.
Again, thanks to Larry and Charles for making this an upcoming part of the Reunion Week schedule.
Thanks to their efforts, principal Nina Deason (who used to teach with Charles at Meadowlawn Middle School) has agreed to offer a tour for North Shore alums at 10:30 am, Thursday, May 15. At the conclusion of the school tour, you will have the chance to eat lunch with some schoolkids a few years younger than you. You can purchase a lunch or brownbag it.
Again, thanks to Larry and Charles for making this an upcoming part of the Reunion Week schedule.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Where We Live
Today I started my preparation for the Memory Book, which you'll see at the Reunion, with the chance to purchase a copy. I'll try my best to get bio information on as many of you as possible, so that you can have a comprehensive view of how far your 1958 graduating class has come (and that's far---with many accomplishments to brag about!)
I thought you might be interested at a preliminary observation I made about where we ended up as far as our mailing addresses. (The following data is subject to change as we find more classmates before May.)
Approximately 44 of us are in St. Petersburg or Pinellas County (although I lumped Clearwater in with the "other places in Florida" category.) About 72 of you are living elsewhere in Florida, ranging from Key West to the Panhandle. The one farthest away is Len Scipioni Scott, who's in Australia. The rest of you (and I haven't created an official count for each of these states yet) are in:
Georgia, Alabama, New York, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina (7 of you), Hawaii, Arizona, Tennessee, Texas, Washington (state, not DC), Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
Maybe there was something sunny about the Sunshine State that kept a lot of us close to home, but the stories from the rest of you will be interesting to hear when we get together in May.
PS. Several of you are two-address families: you live in St. Petersburg part of the year and then elsewhere (usually North Carolina) for the other part of the year. Lucky you!
I thought you might be interested at a preliminary observation I made about where we ended up as far as our mailing addresses. (The following data is subject to change as we find more classmates before May.)
Approximately 44 of us are in St. Petersburg or Pinellas County (although I lumped Clearwater in with the "other places in Florida" category.) About 72 of you are living elsewhere in Florida, ranging from Key West to the Panhandle. The one farthest away is Len Scipioni Scott, who's in Australia. The rest of you (and I haven't created an official count for each of these states yet) are in:
Georgia, Alabama, New York, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina (7 of you), Hawaii, Arizona, Tennessee, Texas, Washington (state, not DC), Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
Maybe there was something sunny about the Sunshine State that kept a lot of us close to home, but the stories from the rest of you will be interesting to hear when we get together in May.
PS. Several of you are two-address families: you live in St. Petersburg part of the year and then elsewhere (usually North Carolina) for the other part of the year. Lucky you!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Looking for a Publisher
You may know that Tom Fincher published a novel Pepper Tree Demon. I'm currently editing his manuscript for a novel called Mad Cat County, a suspense tale that takes place in a rural Florida county, starting in the 1960s.
Tom has a knack for grabbing the reader from the first page and keeping up the plot interest. You keep turning pages and get fascinated with some of the weird characters he creates. (There are some normal people, but the weird ones keep it interesting.) There's a sheriff who rules the county, a preacher who "services" his female parishioners, and a wild, hairy kid named BB who lives in the woods.
The novel deserves a publisher, so if you have any connections or if you know someone who does, drop an email to Tom or me with contact information.
Tom has a knack for grabbing the reader from the first page and keeping up the plot interest. You keep turning pages and get fascinated with some of the weird characters he creates. (There are some normal people, but the weird ones keep it interesting.) There's a sheriff who rules the county, a preacher who "services" his female parishioners, and a wild, hairy kid named BB who lives in the woods.
The novel deserves a publisher, so if you have any connections or if you know someone who does, drop an email to Tom or me with contact information.
Picture This Story in a Movie
Bob LaBrant recently sent in a joint bio for himself and his wife Sarah Emery LaBrant. The story is good enough to have its own movie...but until a producer comes along, here's a summary, using Bob's words:
Sarah and I started dating on Jan. 10, 1955 (Editor: We were all freshmen then) We went to the old Fourth Street Drive-In on a double-date with Bob Vannatta. To this day I can't remember who he was with.
Sarah became my soulmate. She was so easy to talk to and hasn't stopped since then. Sarah became a diligent housewife and I worked for Florida Power Corp. for 8 years, finally leaving as a lineman. We produced three lovely daughters during this time.
We went into the hospitality industry as innkeepers in Balsam, NC. With my parents, we operated the Balsam Mountain Inn Hotel for 21 years. (This was a large 60-room inn built in 1908.) Sarah and I also worked seasonally at Al Lang Field, where my uncle owned the concession rights. We did that for 32 years.
In 1990, we bought our own little bed and breakfast (The Friendship Lodge) in Black Mountain, NC. We still own it and operate it seasonally. For 15 years after being at Al Lang Field, we worked at Derby Lane seasonally.
Our three daughters met and married their spouses in North Carolina, and all three live there now. Each has two children. Probably the greatest accomplishment Sarah and I have achieved is our family and the love derived from it.
When asked what we could do if we could live our lives over again, we both agree: we would do it all over again.
For the last 39 years, we have lived at 3600 Poplar St. NE in St. Petersburg (33704) for six months, across from Crisp Park. The rest of the year we have lived at our NC location. Our Black Mountain address is P. O. Box 877, Black Mountain, NC 28711.
Editor's Note: The fact that this tribute to his happy marriage is written by the husband makes the story even more special. We females can easily become sentimental but Bob is one Class Act to share these thoughts about his relationship with Sarah. This would be a movie with a very happy ending.
Sarah and I started dating on Jan. 10, 1955 (Editor: We were all freshmen then) We went to the old Fourth Street Drive-In on a double-date with Bob Vannatta. To this day I can't remember who he was with.
Sarah became my soulmate. She was so easy to talk to and hasn't stopped since then. Sarah became a diligent housewife and I worked for Florida Power Corp. for 8 years, finally leaving as a lineman. We produced three lovely daughters during this time.
We went into the hospitality industry as innkeepers in Balsam, NC. With my parents, we operated the Balsam Mountain Inn Hotel for 21 years. (This was a large 60-room inn built in 1908.) Sarah and I also worked seasonally at Al Lang Field, where my uncle owned the concession rights. We did that for 32 years.
In 1990, we bought our own little bed and breakfast (The Friendship Lodge) in Black Mountain, NC. We still own it and operate it seasonally. For 15 years after being at Al Lang Field, we worked at Derby Lane seasonally.
Our three daughters met and married their spouses in North Carolina, and all three live there now. Each has two children. Probably the greatest accomplishment Sarah and I have achieved is our family and the love derived from it.
When asked what we could do if we could live our lives over again, we both agree: we would do it all over again.
For the last 39 years, we have lived at 3600 Poplar St. NE in St. Petersburg (33704) for six months, across from Crisp Park. The rest of the year we have lived at our NC location. Our Black Mountain address is P. O. Box 877, Black Mountain, NC 28711.
Editor's Note: The fact that this tribute to his happy marriage is written by the husband makes the story even more special. We females can easily become sentimental but Bob is one Class Act to share these thoughts about his relationship with Sarah. This would be a movie with a very happy ending.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Got Mementos?
The Viking Log yearbook for 1958 has been a topic of conversation in our blog and in many emails. But maybe you have, packed away in your boxes of "stuff", other items from your years at Northeast. If you'd like to bring some of those (ticket stubs, pennants, pompoms, whatever) and have them displayed, it would help bring back memories for your classmates.
Personally, I'm going to look for a collection of Nor'easter newspapers from our senior year. If I can locate them (it's like an archaeological expedition), I'll bring the volume to show at the reunion.
Personally, I'm going to look for a collection of Nor'easter newspapers from our senior year. If I can locate them (it's like an archaeological expedition), I'll bring the volume to show at the reunion.
Your Home Town Has Changed
For those of you who have been away from St. Petersburg for 10, 20, 30 or more years, the city has gone through some changes. For example, the downtown area, which was vibrant when we were in high school, went into a decline for a number of years, and then revived in the late 90s.
You will notice buildings downtown that weren't there when you were at Northeast...high-rise condos near the waterfront, a big movie-retail plaza complex that now draws a lot of pedestrian traffic, and even a supermarket (I think it's Publix) where Dew Cadillac used to be just south of Central Avenue.
If there are some places you'd like to re-visit when you get to town, leave a comment at this blog, so we can get you "touristy" information. The Information Center at the Hampton Inn which we will staff wants to help supply you with details, but tell us what you're looking for.
For those of you still living in St. Pete, leave some comments on what you'd recommend for the out-of-towners to check out for changes, improvements, etc.
You will notice buildings downtown that weren't there when you were at Northeast...high-rise condos near the waterfront, a big movie-retail plaza complex that now draws a lot of pedestrian traffic, and even a supermarket (I think it's Publix) where Dew Cadillac used to be just south of Central Avenue.
If there are some places you'd like to re-visit when you get to town, leave a comment at this blog, so we can get you "touristy" information. The Information Center at the Hampton Inn which we will staff wants to help supply you with details, but tell us what you're looking for.
For those of you still living in St. Pete, leave some comments on what you'd recommend for the out-of-towners to check out for changes, improvements, etc.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Memory Book Update
The Memory Books we plan to have available at the Reunion--with a page or half-page (depending on available data) on each of you--is still looking for bio information from a lot of you.
At the very least, if you do not send in the bio information, there will be a page with your name, address, and email address. But here are people who have shared an update of their lives so we can share it with you in the Memory Book:
David Britner, Larry Britner, Linda Crain Cocks, Anne Gloria Dillon-Langan, Frank Kapocsi, Pat Smith Kapocsi, Mardi Kline Zeiger, Judy Nicholson, Kathy Hutchins Hintz, Virginia Payne Pauley, Tom Fincher, Eddie Stinson, Terry Reichelderfer Stinson, John Krege, Trudy Andringa Krege, Clarissa Rogers Hamilton, Charles Welch, Bruce Hugill, Fred McKenzie, Helen Leigh, Jean Davis Brown, Jean Sheridan, Judi Groves, Susan Goree, Rose Marie Cruz, Rosa Lee Ramsey,and Sandra Creitz Logue.
Here's what we're looking for (put your details together and send it to patful01@msn.com):
Current address, name of spouse, names of kids and grandkids, any highlights of what you've done since graduation in 1958 (your choice on what to put in or leave out), your favorite teachers at NEHS, what you remember most distinctly about your years at NEHS, 3 lifetime achievements that you're really proud of, and what advice you would give to the 2008 graduating class.
At the very least, if you do not send in the bio information, there will be a page with your name, address, and email address. But here are people who have shared an update of their lives so we can share it with you in the Memory Book:
David Britner, Larry Britner, Linda Crain Cocks, Anne Gloria Dillon-Langan, Frank Kapocsi, Pat Smith Kapocsi, Mardi Kline Zeiger, Judy Nicholson, Kathy Hutchins Hintz, Virginia Payne Pauley, Tom Fincher, Eddie Stinson, Terry Reichelderfer Stinson, John Krege, Trudy Andringa Krege, Clarissa Rogers Hamilton, Charles Welch, Bruce Hugill, Fred McKenzie, Helen Leigh, Jean Davis Brown, Jean Sheridan, Judi Groves, Susan Goree, Rose Marie Cruz, Rosa Lee Ramsey,and Sandra Creitz Logue.
Here's what we're looking for (put your details together and send it to patful01@msn.com):
Current address, name of spouse, names of kids and grandkids, any highlights of what you've done since graduation in 1958 (your choice on what to put in or leave out), your favorite teachers at NEHS, what you remember most distinctly about your years at NEHS, 3 lifetime achievements that you're really proud of, and what advice you would give to the 2008 graduating class.
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