Comments (2011-2012)

01/11/17 by Franklin S. Goins (frankana@aol.com)

Greetings to all! I’m alive and well, now living in Surprise, Arizona. Retired ESL teacher, NYC BOE; Retired Federal Reserve Bank of NY employee; Retired Lieutenant colonel in USAR. Thanks for the memories.

12/18/2012 by Keith Schaefer (island@fairpoint.net)

I may be opening up a can of worms here, but in the past our reunions were held approximately the second week in November. This year that would not have worked. I’m saddened by the impact that Sandy had on so many but thankful for all of us that the LEC decided to have the reunion in the Spring.

7/26/2012 by Arthur Jerome Heyderman (heydermana@mchsi.com)

So many thanks to so many folks who made this reunion and all the past ones a huge success. Renee and I had a wonderful time with wonderful folks. Only truly sad part was going thru the “In Memorium” list and seeing so many old friends.

7/26/2012 by Myron Meisner

From Myron Meisner remfamily@cox.net. Mr. Lieberman was not only the homeroom teacher for the entire three years but was our chemistry and physics “guru” whose idea of teaching was to hand out single spaced mimeographed sheets for us to memorize in order to pass tests. Do you remember LSMFT? LIEBERMANS SHEETS MAKES FLUNKING TOUGH instead of Lucky Strikes Means Fine Tobacco.. Ah yes, then there was the marvelous demonstration when he created chlorine gas caused a sizeable flash and calmly asked, was that green gas or a blue explosion? The original secret WMD, Jake Lieberman, various chemicals, and a lit Bunsen Burner in a classroom.

5/8/2012 by Keith Schaefer (island@fairpoint.net)

At the 50th reunion there were 10-3/8 members of Miss Tallman’s homeroom. I believe that that is the largest group from a single homeroom at the reunion.
Also, my recollection of the homeroom members is slightly different from the list, above. Fred Grieg, Matt Deming and Ismawan Basorie are missing from the list. I also believe that Fred Oringel and Curtis Yamoka were in that homeroom. I know that there were changes during the 8 semesters; hence the 10-3/8 count.. Finally, one person, Steve Physter, chose to go back to his neighborhood high school after the first year.

5/6/12 by Artie Hecht

About the reunion, Saturday night gala: Truly a wonderful evening, congratulations to the committee. We can’t stop talking about all the details of a well planned reunion. Thank you! Artie and Nancy Hecht

5/4/12 by Allan King (aking@littler.com)

I am unable to attend but I want to post this remembrance partly to confirm that I am still of sound mind. I noticed that my homeroom classmate, Allan Kleinman, will be attending and he figures prominently in this incident, so I hope he can corroborate this memory.

It occurred in George Eifert’s woodworking shop. Eifert was a Neanderthal who somehow slipped through whatever form of psychological screening then was in effect and into Stuyvesant. I had never known anyone, let alone a teacher, who actually used a spitoon, swore regularly at young teenagers, or made repeated references to “red-assed monkeys.”

Kleinman was a wiseguy from Brooklyn who as a sophomore was among the shortest of us, all of whom were no match for the oversized Eifert. On this day something happened to set Eifert off on one of his regular bouts of fuming, swearing, and intimidation. I have no recollection of what specifically was said, but Kleinman made some smart-ass comment in the midst of Eifert’s rant, and the room went silent. Eifert, already steaming, became even more infuriated.

Being in a woodworking shop, there were blocks of wood readily at hand and Eifert picked up one and squares around towards Kleinman. He then rears back and throws the block of wood directly at Kleinman as hard as he could. It seemed as if the block of wood hung in the air forever and Kleinman’s life was about to end. Then, in what remains one of the most amazing feats of quick-thinking I have seen to this day, Kleinman holds out his shop apron so it becomes a trampoline, and the block of wood hits it and falls harmlessly to floor. At that point, Kleinman doubles over with laughter and my memory fades to black …

4/28/12

See John Anselmo’s recent book about coming of age on streets of Little Italy, including his years at Stuyvesant: http://www.thenewsstandbook.com/

4/25/12 by Andrij Szul

I have no negative recollections about my teachers. Mr. Keyshore, our Freshman Science teacher had no clue about successful classroom management of hormone crazed geniacs and was odd, but still not a bad guy. Some others, I felt, also were eccentric in some ways, but it was their attention to helping make the classes meaningful, and their evident command of the material that remains with me as consistent and deeply appreciated to this day. For years later, I recall with such joy Physics with Dr. Ephron (whose terrific textbook we used, and to which I hung on for decades!), a particularly inspiring pedagogue. Ms. Haeseler (German) was a genuine, wonderfully nurturing person, as was diminutive Dr. Rose Pascal (Russian) in her way. Mr. Loewenthal was stern but still I genuinely felt his warmth and caring over our impossible gang. My Creative Writing Honors English class was particularly wonderful. I got through all my schooling, Stuyvesant, college, and law school, in somewhat of a dense fog because I was always doing some other things that made those days so very long, and calendar deadlines stress palpable. The only person who was not a “friend” was Mr. Harris, Glee Club director. When he found out that I was studying at Juilliard (1954-1962,) he reacted strangely. He said I couldn’t join because I was “already singing” at a music school and I had to give someone else a chance (huh?…) He didn’t even allow me to audition as an accompanist. Yet Dr. Bart , Concert Band, treated me nicely; he let me perform a concerto movement as a piano soloist at a year-end concert. And then there was Dr. Fliedner. He gathered our small group into his principal’s office one day to give us our diplomas in January. Our ersatz Carnegie Hall graduation festivity was meatballs and spaghetti at Mama Leone’s on Times Square. The fact that I was a Stuyvesant grad has lasted me a lifetime of real, solid street cred in the academic and professional worlds alike.

4/23/12 by Harry Malakoff

I had Dr. Zucker for 5th term English and somehow wound up with a grade of 95. This earned me a space in Loewenthal’s honors English class. For some totally unknown reason, Loewenthal had it in for me from day one. He incessantly embarrassed me and publicly poked fun at me on a daily basis. Today those actions would surely earn him time in a DOE “rubber room” and maybe a civil rights suit. His actions towards me were beyond belief. After fifty years, the painful scars remain. Hopefully, he is not resting in peace.

On the Death of Two Classmates in 1960

4/24/12 by Dan Turner on the death of Eric Hartman

Eric wasn’t a friend of mine, particularly. As a matter of fact, he was quiet and withdrawn even by Stuyvesant standards. But when, one morning, Big Ed McGarry announced that Eric had died, I was stunned. I mean, I was 14, and 14-year-olds didn’t die. We had this whole, wonderful future (with all that “potential” we were always told about) ahead of us. I was stunned. So I took up a collection in our home room to buy certificates for trees in Israel in his name and mailed the certificates to his parents along with a note. I don’t remember if I ever heard from his parents – which isn’t the point. I did it, in some inexplicable way, for me. Like sitting ‘shiva’ is a form of ritualized mourning whose beneficial effects I never understood as a kid. But I have come to appreciate it, as an adult, after seeing the problems people have as a result of not being able/knowing how to mourn.

4/23/12 by Alan Dombrow on the death of Richard Nickel

(also see several other memories of Richie Nickel under “Homerooms,” scroll down to Loewenthal’s homeroom)

Richard Nickel was a close friend of mine since elementary school. As pre-teens, we played at his home and his mom and dad took us to the movies. He was an only child who had rheumatic fever as a child, which kept him home schooled for a number of years and on crutches, until the 8th grade when he returned to Public School 88 in Queens, seeming very healthy. Richard was our 8th grade Valedictorian. All through elementary school he was very bright and influenced me greatly. He always questioned the common wisdom, seeking the truth to questions he never hesitated to ask. He and I both went on to Stuyvesant in 1958. Richard died during his sophomore year and was buried on March 10, 1960. Knowing how to get to the cemetery by subway, I took our homeroom class to the burial. After Richard died, his parents had two more children: an adopted son who died in 1991 at age 31 and a daughter who still lives at the same address in Queens. Richard’s mom died in 1989 at 65 and his father in 1995 at 72. They were a wonderful family. I think of them often. —

________________

4/9/12 by Peter Imrey

Mrs. Midonick was older, a bit stiff, and kind underneath her formality. But unfortunately my most dominant memory is of her undoubtedly well-intended morning injunctions, as we left for first period, along lines of: “Boys, do well today, and remember that all you do counts on your permanent record.” Not what a teenager wants to hear, and an attitude I spent much of college and grad school reacting against.

Mr. Rothenberg was, indeed, remarkable. The phrase I remember most vividly is “diarrhea of the mouth.” Behind the pugnacious persona he cared very seriously about disciplined writing, and I’m certainly grateful for the class(es) — I think it was a year — I had with him. My cousin Megan Breslin currently teaches English at Stuyvesant. If she hasn’t heard about him, she will have by the end of our reunion.

4/8/12 by Martin Miller

Though friends and family find it hard to believe, Mrs McGillicuddy was, in fact, my home room teacher. I was a Bronx, IRT Lexington Ave Express boy who is now stunned by the reality of a 50 year reunion. Wish I was closer to more members of Stuy ’62 In any case, I’m looking forward to the Friday night fest.

4/3/12 by Philip Melnikoff

Memory: Mr. Cavalero hanging precariously over the track railing during zero period gym.Looking down from that perch, addressing us as “Men” and telling us we had failed in our responsibility to school, community, city and country…we were late in handing in our dental notes!!!!…

3/29/12 by Keith Schaefer

Re: Rothenberg writing for Mad Magazine. The only other misspelled word I remember him submitting was “embareassing”. It included a cartoon of someone with his ass sticking out.

Re: “Wild BIll” Hill. He was a Stuyvesant graduate, according to my father. No idea which class.

3/29/12 by Philip Melnikoff

wild bill hill’s homeroom class

3/28/12 by Anthony Pappas

Paul Pensig was also in Mrs. Midonick’s homeroom class.

3/21/12 by Neal Hurwitz

Greetings! Hope you all have The SHS Centennial Book.

http://www.ourstrongband.orgThanks! Neal

Neal H. Hurwitz NY NY 212-222-9112

2/24/12 by Jerry Ham

Just logged onto your site after receiving a Spectator indicating the upcoming 50th Reunion. I lost my year many years ago in a basement flood and have only been to one reunion over the years. Looking through the ’62 Yearbook I could have sworn my homeroom teacher was Mr. Penzer, but he isn’t shown under homerooms. The three or four classmates I remember, since we always lined up alphabetically, are not shown under any classroom or as attending the reunion. It hardly seems worthwhile to attend a reunion where you don’t know anyone and haven’t kept in touch with them. In view of this I wish you all the best for the reunion as I will not be attending. If you have an Ad Journal let me know and I will send something in. Regards to all, Jerry Ham 1962

2/02/12 Marvin Brown recalls:

Memory- Mr. DePalma requiring us to read the New York Times Sunday magazine cover to cover. We had to be ready on Monday to report on any article. To the great amusement of my kids, I still read the complete magazine every week just in case I accidentally run into him. I can still remember Mr. Leibel explaining how he prepared himself in the morning before he came to school. He had us in stiches with his account of his bath.

9/22/11 Arthur Heyderman(heydermana@mchsi.com) says:

SPQR, Stuyvesant’s Premier Class Reunion/ Makes sense to me.

11/28/11 Robert Greene says:

Getting excited about coming up to NY May 2012, Can’t believe that 50 years have passed since roaming the halls at old Stuy, taking the Canarsie Line, running up the stair to 1st Ave to beat the late bell, debuting at Carnegie Hall…. Goose bumps just thinking about it.

Hey. If I knew I was going to last this long, I’d have taken better care of myself…..
Looking forward to May 2012. Curious whether others feel as unprepared as I do to face the fact that 50 years have passed since our debut at Carnegie Hall….. and wondering if I could have had the resilience to deal with poverty and unemployment today…

10/26/11 Bernie Heller says:

Hey, Guys! Imagine, half a century ago we were at Old Stuy. That was also 90 pounds ago. Hope to see all of you at the 50th. Be there, or be a rhomboid!

1/21/12 Harry Oster says:

Gary- hope to see you this year- glad to see Milton Koch’s name as well as one of my JHS 50 (Williamsburg) mates Steve Wallach- see you all-

Graduation

1/25/12 Keith Schaefer (island@fairpoint.net) Writes:

To this day, I don’t know if anyone noticed that I came into the auditorium at Carnegie Hall carrying a suitcase. I was going upstate after the commencement and just couldn’t find a place to leave it for a while. I remember handing it to my mother over the heads of some other parents. This incident has scarred me for life!!!!

Open Mic format at the reunions

11/2/11 Neilhugh Hurwitz says:

Thanks! I spoke with Stan et al about the open mic before that day so it was pre-planned…

It will be on my tombstone that I “invented open mic” which has been used successfully by many classes we work with since…

Best, Neal
Executive Director
http://www.ourstrongband.org

The Caliper

11/20/11 Ken Baumel says:

What about the Caliper, which won a Columbia Journalism award?

Editor Reply: Maybe we will see a copy or two on this website soon. Stan

1/12/12 PS: Checkout the calipers on this site, under “Publications”