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!
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