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Published: September 22nd 2014
Travels with Snowbirds, September 11 2014 to September 16 2014, Mineola High School Class of 1964 50
thReunion
Greetings regular readers and welcome new ones. This blog is a little different than most as it is not really a Snowbird trip for a winter break in FL, but a (newly) southern lady’s trip out of the deep south into the north for her 50
th High School reunion. Its purpose is to share the memories with both the classmates who attended and who were unable to join us, and share the fun with my regular readers. Enjoy.
Thursday September 11 2014 Wilmington NC to Cinnaminson NJ
A memorably sad day to be travelling. Flags hung from many overpasses along the way, and I even saw more than a few overpasses in NYC that had fire trucks and police cars with folks in navy blue shirts waving at us with flags extended from their arms. I honked. I dropped Winston off at A Dog’s Dream Kennel at 8:00 and was on my way. The first part of my trip is always the longest; the 120 miles from my driveway until I connect with I95 North. While most of it is highway and (soon to be Interstate) I795, it is still a long and frustrating trip to head so far west before I can head north. But, it sure is easier driving my car up the highway at 80 then driving the RV at 60. Easier on the pocketbook too – 25 mpg vs 9. I made it to Fredericksburg, VA easily and quickly, and mostly doing 80. When I had to slow down to 60 to stay with slowing traffic it seemed like I was crawling. I opted for 295 thru DC to Baltimore and that was a good choice for middle of the day travel. While I didn’t breeze thru, I moved along well. I was very tempted to stop at Dover Race Track Casino for an hour or two, but passed by quickly and sailed over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and up I295 to US130 when I came to a dead stop and it took me over an hour to go 2 miles. Along the way I passed Pennsauken NJ’s 9/11 Memorial with what seemed like 3000 flags on the tiny lawn. They have a very impressive piece of steel rubble and a pleasing monument of people, although I could not tell what that was all about. This memorial sits right along the road, US130N, in a small triangle pocket park. You cannot help but see it when you are stuck in traffic. Good placement, if you ask me, although eerie that I passed by on 9/11.
I spent Thursday night catching up with Ginnie, my RVing buddie with the 2 dobermans, Linus and Alfie. Always a treat to spend time with her and “the boys,” and she cooked a fabulous gluten free dinner, but I splurged on desert leftovers from her belated birthday lunch with friends.
Friday September 12 2014 Cinnaminson NJ to Melville LI NY
Up early and was on the road at 9:00, after a fabulous bacon/egg breakfast. I was hoping to miss the rush hour traffic and I did. I opted to go the way I knew best, thru Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, out Southern State to Route 110/Huntington. All was very well until I hit Staten Island. Happyily, my very old and underused EZPass worked!!! Of course, I had to hold it up to the windshield as those fuzzy sticky things are long gone when I traded the Lexus. I am using this new iPhone GPS app, WAZE. WAZE plots a route for you, shows you traffic, accidents, items on the roadway, and fellow WAZERs on the road. It offers a chat to other WAZERs; wft? I don’t chat while driving, bad enough I have to pinch the screen every now and then. WAZE suggested alternate routes, but none of them looked any better than I278 across the Outerbridge, then Verrazano. So, I listened to my book. Unfortunately, I did not do a pit stop for a bio break before entering this hellhole. It is tough when you do not have an RV and bathroom behind you when you are stopped dead in traffic. Once across the Verrazano and into Brooklyn, I moved slowly, but consistently. I cruised along Southern State to somewhere in Hempstead and really had to ‘go’. I exited and found a great looking diner on Hempstead Turnpike. Clean bathroom, ginormous menu. I settled on a Cheeseburger Deluxe (fries, lettuce/tomato pickles/cole slaw/2 wonderful fried onion rings) and an unsweetened iced tea. $16 including tip. Geography shock for me. I forgot I was in New York. Land of potholes, narrow crowded roads, and expensive food.
I arrived at the Melville Marriott around 1:30 or so, very excited that I could see General Hospital at 2:00. I easily checked in with the help of excellent bellperson, Luis. General Hospital does not go on at 2:00 in the NY viewing area, it goes on at 3:00. Growl. So, I toured the lobby and met a few classmates who were checking in, then back to see the end of GH and get ready for the Friday Night Welcome Reception.
This event was held in the atrium/lobby of the hotel and was arranged by Russ Ketchum. Marilyn Vokoun created nametags for 115 of us with pictures from our HS yearbook and maiden as well as married names. Boy did we need them, but we now know for the next reunion we have to make the font larger as a lot of folks were squinting to read the names, either that or they just wanted a closer look at the girls’ chests. Laugh. It was amazing how many people looked the same as they did in High School. Most notable TO ME of these was Frank Vasek, Trudy McDonald Ogilvie, Steve Davidson, Mark Reiss, Angela Lupo and Pat Kolakowski . Those who changed the most were Jimmy Cicero, Russ Ketchum and Alan Gramet (those last 2 just because of the lack of hair). Alan had invited Class Advisor, Mr. Anthony Valeri, and expected he and his wife to join us, but a last minute illness kept them sadly away. Cash Bar and hors d'oeuvres were served.
Jimmy Keane found a working link to an on line MHS64 Signet. You will see a handwritten page with the link address in the shutterfly.com pictures posted on facebook or in the link that was sent with this email.
A highlight for me was getting the 1960 “Corpus Christi Graduates” picture, which we took many many many, then it evolved into, “The Women of Corpus Christi.” We got chased out of the atrium at 11:00. Those that live locally went home; some went out to eat; some went to eat in the restaurant; and, I joined a group in the lobby bar to catch up. It was a group of people who were friendly in HS, but not besties, (Trudy McDonald and husband Mac Ogilvie, Jimmy Keane and wife Denise, Carol Healy Duffner, Eileen Behrens and husband, and me) but somehow we all had the same memories and it was wonderful listening to life stories on a smaller scale with more time to really liste. The playing field is somehow leveled at the 50
th reunion. At 10 and 20 year reunions we were still showing off our diamonds, bragging about out high paying jobs, brilliant children and fast women/men, faster cars. At 50 we are happy to be upright, sharing illnesses, war stories (literally) grandchildren stories, death, divorce, and a general feeling of understanding what the others are going thru. It was excellent just to sit back and talk with contemporaries. I made it to bed around 1:00, tired, but happy.
Saturday September 13 2014 Melville NY
A big day Saturday. I got up early and GPS’d St Charles Cemetery which is 4 miles from the hotel. Too bad they do not GPS the graves, as I had some difficulty finding the family plot where my mother is buried. I walked a bit before I found it, I have only been back to LI about 5 times since graduation, and visited the cemetery each time, but the last time was 10 years ago, and they removed the water faucet landmark I always used.
Next a tour of Mineola High School, arranged by Al Gramet. We met Principal Ed Escobar (young enough to be one of our kids) in front of the school that was hosting a girls’ volleyball tournament and was a very busy place. MHS now holds grades 8 thru 12, with 200 students in each grade, total school enrollment about 1000. Very different from the 400 in each grade 9 thru 12 we remember. The lobby looks the same. The administrative offices still look the same. The hallways and lockers still look the same. We looked in the library, which was completely renovated within the past 5 years. Numerous computer workstations and still some books are spread out in the very large space. Off the library is what we remember as the Senior Courtyard and here Mr. Escobar beamed. He is proud of the changes he has been involved in, you could tell by the way he glowed when he spoke, and one is the courtyard. We remember it as a senior privilege. He inherited it overgrown, not used and generally awful. They recently cleaned it all out, trimmed bushes, planted new ones and flowers, and cleaned the cement paths. He says when the weather is warm the doors are left open and all students can pass thru on the way between classes. Alan walked up to a plaque on the wall, and it was the bronze sundial our class gave the school as our Class Gift. Principal Escobar knew it was there, it had been moved from its original home in the ground of the courtyard to the wall during the renovation, but he never realized it was our classes’ gift. The inscription reads, “Time Takes All But Memories.” What a tender moment for all of us.
We walked up the three flights of stairs to the math and science area and lot of good stories were exchanged about Mr. Rubentein. Principal Escobar opened up that classroom and we all sat in it for the great photo op. Then Principal Escobar took a picture of us in the seats so he could show the teacher who now teaches in that room. A fun moment. Steve had a good time looking in the room that housed the school newspaper, “The Question Mark”. No one remembered that I worked on the paper senior year as well. I was Correspondence Editor, responsible for sending the newspaper out to all the other Nassau County High Schools, and I even wrote an article or two, occasionally. On to the gym, where pennants hang around the ceiling listing the various sports championships the school has won, and there was our year (63 for fall sport) Football, Basketball, and Wrestling banners….in red, black, and white. We hunted down the trophy cases, but were unable to find any 1964 trophies. Continuing around the first floor, fond memories were exchanged in the cafeteria (with round tables), the chorus room, and down the hall we saw the Valedictorian and Salutatorian Plaques with Georgina Nemecek and William Gronfein’s names proudly captured forever….in red, black, and white.
I left the tour then, and went on to pass my ex, Richard’s, house and my house and took pictures. I also took pics of my next door neighbor Ed Moravick’s house and around the corner friend, John Heyman. Sue Kuffler lived across the street from me, and I did not take a picture of her house, I was sure since she lives locally she has been there, but she hasn’t been to the old neighborhood in many year herself. The last time I was in Mineola I took a picture, not much has changed, but some new landscaping since then. A cute story. I have a picture of the house when it was newly built in 1950. I copied it and sent it to the homeowner after that last visit, and the owner wrote back to me that they were the people who bought the house from my dad. I thanked them for not removing the horseshoe he hung over the garage door.
I then went to visit my Aunt Pat in Floral Park - my mother’s sister. I don’t get to see her that often, either. Like us, she is getting old, 85 now, but still pretty active – was taking a boat ride up the Hudson the next day with her girlies.
Then on to the football game. I GPS’d Hampton Street School, found a great parking space in front of the school…..the field is in the back…….I have no memories of Hampton Street, as it was not my school. I don’t even remember graduation ceremony being there. The game was already in progress, the stands were empty so it was easy to find our classmates. I have no idea of anything about the game. I know MHS got a touchdown in the first half., but I don’t know who won. Just before intermission, the announcer asked “All the Members of the Mineola HS Class of 1964 please report to the end zone. As soon as the team left the field for halftime, we were escorted to the 50-yard line and the names of those who were members of the 1963/1964 championship football team, as well as Cheerleaders, Rockettes (me) Twirlers, and Band Members. It started to pour. POUR. We ran to an empty equipment shed, and someone from the HS took pictures of the group and actually posted them to the HS web page!!! Here’s the link:
http://www.edline.net/pages/Mineola_High_School/Photo_Gallery/Class_of_1964_Reunion_-_9_13_1
Back to the Melville Marriott after the game for a quick put up of feet, a long tall Dunkin Donuts iced coffee, get dressed and downstairs to the cocktail hour and dinner buffet.
Everyone looked so elegant. 155 of us tonight, mostly duplicates from Friday night, but lots of ‘new’ classmates and spouses. Again, lots of girls squealing, and guys back slapping, and it was fun to watch. The cocktail hour was in the atrium again, with passed appetizers and a table of cheese, crackers, and crudités. On to the second floor room where Sue Razenson did an excellent job decorating the tables with Vinyl (record) chargers, long stem red roses, yearbooks, and other fun stuff. There were tables around the room with MHS memorabilia, a full issue of The Question Mark, a US map where we all stuck pins with our names on it where we lived, a lovely In Memoriam table with the names of our departed classmates, and a wonderful photobooth where we got costumed up with our friends for fun pictures. Alan Gramet acted as Master of Ceremonies introducing class President Dave Cohen and Valedictorian Georgina Nemecek who spoke briefly about the past and the future. Steve thanked the Reunion Committee and presented us all with Hawaiian leis and chocolate covered macadamia nuts, yum – brought all the way from Hawaii!! A very pleasant surprise, thanks Steve and Liane.
A group of classmates got together and presented each of the Reunion Committee with a thoughtful thank you card and bottle of champagne! Thank you Pat Grabowski, Frank Vasek, Fred Quan, and Denise Pratesi. That was a very touching memory for all of us.
Master of Ceremonies Alan posed a few questions to the class, and tiny Mustangs with MHS blankets across their backs was given to the classmate that had the youngest child (Richard Schuler, 22), came the farthest, other than Steve from Hawaii, (Richard Greene from Portland OR), most grandchildren and great-grandchildren, (Pat Shank, 11.) He then spoke about the change from maroon and gray to red and white, and somehow it seems Athletic Director, Mr. Bruce Gehrke was involved when the cost and availability of maroon and gray uniforms and equipment made it hard to get.
The food was wonderful, salmon, beef in gravy, pasta primavera and all the accompaniments you could imagine. Linda Todar mailed Steve 400 of her homemade chocolate chip cookies that were a big hit for all! Thanks, Linda.
It was wonderful having Stephen Schwartz in our midst – it is hard to believe he is so famous, but somehow he seemed just the same brilliant, talented kid he did in 1964. Cute story – he told me he spent the night before the banquet going thru the 64 Signet, and his wife commented to him that he seemed more nervous about attending the reunion than he was before attending the Academy Awards. Humbling moment for me, for sure.
Dancing to songs of the 60s followed until I think everyone just got so tired………we aren’t as young as we used to be……….and I landed in my room shortly after midnight, a very happy girl.
Sunday September 14 2014 Melville NY to Fredericksburg VA
75 of us made it to the Sunday Breakfast buffet, planned by Janet Pannizzo Campanella. The menu included great scrambled eggs, bacon, and awesome sausage, a variety of baked goods, juices, yogurt, and fruit, yummy. There was a lot of coffee consumed.
It was sad saying goodbye to all, yes very sad for me. Such a long time in the planning, so quickly over. I was on the road by 10:30.
I made it thru Nassau, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and into NJ without stopping. How glorious. I travelled down the NJ turnpike, connecting where I could to I295 to save on tolls, and breezed thru Delaware and physically hit a wall. I pulled into one of those massive rest areas in the median on I95, found a tree to park under, opened the sun roof, put my phone in my lap and fell asleep for an hour. I literally passed out. This was one of the times I really missed travelling in my RV – when I hit that wall and I am driving the RV, I just park, pull the blinds down and lay down on the bed. I continued on and made it to Ikea at Woodbridge, VA and shopped until I dropped, buying fun storage items for the RV, but not getting the curtains or duvet cover I had hoped to find. I drove 20 miles further to Fredericksburg, VA, found a Best Western with a Red Lobster next door, and was in bed by 9, and managed to fall right to sleep even with my one hour nap. I was happy I made it past Fredericksburg, as that is where the traffic really seems to disintegrate
Monday September 15 2014 Fredericksburg VA to Wilmington NC
Monday morning I breezed the rest of the way home, and stopped by the kennel to pick up Winston at 1:30 – but they were closed until 4:00, growl. Just under 1400 miles for the weekend. I listened to 2.5 audiobooks and averaged 24 mpg. I got to see family. I got to say a prayer at my mother’s grave. I got to see people I haven’t seen in 50 years, and that was the best part. Special moments for me – seeing Gail Maser Parry who went on to Lenox Hill Hospital School of Nursing with me and she was in my wedding, and reminiscing about LOST classmate Barbara Curran, also an LHH grad. Seeing Judy Marshall Glancy in person after having fb chatted for almost a year. Getting the Corpus Christi graduates together and realizing that we have known each other since age 6 – wow. Standing on the football field, even though I truly don’t remember it. Walking down the third floor of the high school and remembering those classrooms, Mr Rubenstein, Ms Hobbs. Driving down Wilson Blvd, it looks so small and narrow, and my house seems so tiny and close together. It truly was a wonderful weekend. Thanks all for making it happen.
The end of my Verizon cellular billing cycle is the 15
th of the month. I had a lot of unused data this month, so I decided to use the iPhone app, WAZE as my only GPS on the way home. It’s a GPS type system that warns you of upcoming police activity, road hazards, accidents, traffic standstills, and weather conditions. I plugged in Ikea Woodbridge as my destination for the evening. It is probably a whole lot better if you have two people in the car as you can add your own hazards, but who wants to text while driving….???? Not me. But, what I wanted to tell you about this app, it warns the driver of standstill traffic and reroutes you when necessary. I was not paying attention to the WAZE voice ranting at all; I was listening to a book when the screen started to flash. When I looked, the words on the screen said something like, “OK, Stupid, this is it, get off now or you’re going to be stuck in a traffic jam for hours.” Maybe not exactly those silly words, but something along those lines. I got off, and by gosh and begorrah, it routed me around the traffic standstill. I certainly will use this neat little tool again even though it really chews up available data.
Next week I am off for a week RV camping with my girlies on the Chesapeake, including Ginnie and ‘the boys’ with a special visit from one of my oldest friends, Aunt Judy Coughlin. Then I am home until 11/8 when I go to UT to help Kristine after she has surgery to replace her severed ACL and repair damaged meniscus. Then home for Christmas, then on to 2+ months RVing in FL in January and February. 2015 will find me spending Mardi Gras in New Orleans and a few days in Disney World and another mini MHS64 FL reunion, so, for sure, I be blogging regularly.
Kat Out
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Vicki Kelly Troise
non-member comment
reunion recap
Ah, thanks for the interesting recap of the reunion weekend. We sure had fun. Keep traveling, and enjoying your ride.