Where Are They Now?
Articles highlighting HHS Faculty lives in the present.
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- James Wittenborg, Class of 1974
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Hi. My name is James Wittenborg, a proud alumnus of Hicksville High School’s class of 74. Although it’s been a long journey to where I am now, Hicksville and the friendships I made over fifty years ago still play a part in my life today. In fact, I’ve made it a point to mention names of classmates and Hicksville landmarks in every novel I’ve written! So how did a student in the 70’s with no interest at all in reading books wind up writing novels? It was something that just came about recently in my journey. After a couple of years in college, followed by a couple of years in the military, I found myself working as a technician at a remote satellite tracking station in Thule, Greenland. This was my introduction to space stuff. After a few years there, I was back in the US, and on a random drive around the country, I stopped in Houston and visited the Johnson Space Center. I knew right away that this was where I wanted to be. After a few phone calls, I secured an interview on a Thursday, was hired on Friday, found a furnished apartment on Saturday, and showed up on Monday for my first day of work. After sitting on console supporting the second Space Shuttle flight in November 1981, I was hooked. After the Challenger accident, I left Houston and relocated to Huntsville, Alabama, to work at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Seven years later, amid a contract change, I packed up and accepted a job at the Canadian Space Agency outside Montreal, Canada. A wife, three kids, three dogs, and three moves later, I found myself back in Huntsville, Alabama! And today, I still work as a Senior Systems Engineer supporting the Space Launch System for the Artemis Program.
Ok, so how and when did the writing start? It started innocently enough after a conversation I had with a colleague about the assassination of JFK. We both had our opinions of who we thought was responsible, and afterward, I thought, what if I had the ability to be back there at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, at one o’clock, knowing it was about to happen? I could see with my own eyes what really happened. We already have books and movies about time machines and time travel, but what if, through our dreams, we could visit the past? This became the premise of my first three novels: the Dream Traveler trilogy. This is not science fiction, but rather delves into the vast unknown of what our minds may be capable of.
The fourth and most recent novel is called The Five. It’s a standalone book about five men from Long Island in their late forties who have known each other their entire lives. Almost every year, they get together for a guy’s getaway trip, but on their latest trip to upstate New York, sinister secrets of a small town threaten not only the friendship among them, but also their freedom to get home. In addition to this book being published this past November, it was also released as an audiobook in March of 2026. You can read more about my story and the books, and make any purchases on my website: www.jameswittenborg.com.
Click on each title to read about my novels:
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- Wendy Elkis Girnis & Stefanie Cedar Shames
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Hal Blackman
Class of 1977
Hal Blackman is a Hicksville High School Class of 1977 graduate. He is the president, CEO, and founder of IST Management Services. Hal built IST into a national company. He graduated Cum Laude from West Virginia University in 1997. Presently, he lives in Georgia. His two sons, Joshua and Sean, both graduated from the Naval Academy and served in the US Navy. Hal was kind enough to take time out of his extremely busy day to update Hixnews.com about his life and accomplishments.
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- Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
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Scott E. Schutzman, Hicksville High School Class of 1977, has a law firm in Huntington Beach, California. Throughout the years, he has been involved in cases that may be of interest to our readers. One such case involves Theodore Greenberg, another Class of 1977 graduate. Ted won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for Standing in the Shadows of Motown. You may enjoy this 2015 interview with Ted.
Thanks to the editor of the Santa Monica Observer, HixNews has permission to reprint this article:
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- Wendy Elkis Girnis, Class of 1977
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Submitted by Wendy Elkis Girnis, Class of 1977
Many of our age group consider ourselves lucky to have attended school in Hicksville. We had amazing teachers that we fondly remember and still hold dear. One important aspect of the Hicksville school district was the myriad of extracurricular activities available to a broad range of students. Whether you were in the ski club, participated in varsity or junior varsity sports, worked on the newspaper, yearbook staff, or supported the theatre shows, you had a great time with a great group of people. One favorite extracurricular activity for many was participating in the marching band. Even though I was a violin player in the orchestra, I was able to be in this august organization. Although violins were not part of the group, I was asked to play glockenspiel, which for those unfamiliar, is pretty much a portable, upright xylophone. We had a great time in marching band, between working out our routines, attending
Marching Band 1980 football games, and marching in parades. We were kept busy.
Click here to continue reading Mr. Don Larsen, Music Teacher
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- Dr. Giedre Kumpikas
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Dr. Giedre Kumpikas, previously featured here on Hixnews, has written an article, "The Old Lady Watching the Sea", in the 2025 annual Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School Magazine. Her article starts on page 28.
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- Stefanie Cedar Shames
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Mr. Joseph Scalia was a beloved English and Creative Writing teacher in Hicksville for 33 years. He taught in both the junior high and high schools.
Mr. Scalia profoundly influenced many students, but Rob Dircks (Class of 1985) and Dave Dircks (Class of 1980) credit Mr. Scalia's teaching with forming the foundation for their future careers. Visit Goldfinch Publishing to see Rob and Dave's unique publishing company.
Click here to continue reading Mr. Joseph Scalia, Retired Hicksville Teacher
