Hixnews - June 2002 : Volume 2

Old Newsletters

Newsletter for the Alumni and Friends of
Hicksville High School Hicksville, New York

The Editors:
Buffalo Bob Casale '61	Linda (Piccerelli) Hayden '60
Pat (Koziuk) Driscoll '56	Bob (Gleason) Wesley '61

Contributing Editors: Bob Gillette & Walter Schmidt

Webmaster: Roger Whitaker

To contact the editors, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

June Birthdays

1: Michael Calma, 1972
2: Stephanie Schlegel Manning, 1968 (CA)
14: Tom Chupka, 1970 (L.I.)
24: Robert Cazares, 1974 (WA)
Belated birthday wishes to Carl Chris Calma, 1976 (FL), May 1st

Anniversary Wishes

?: Emmett and Loretta Goodman, 42 years (FL)
6: Lynne (Boardman) and Walter Lehman
13: Tanya (Hawrylowicz) and John Radgowski (GA)
Belated anniversary wishes to June (Olsen) and Ed Cullen, 33 years on May 19th (FL)

News and Notes

Dear HHS Newsletter,

Unbelievable! My computer sits next to a TV set in my office and while I was reading the newsletter and saw the article about Sal Mistretta (1962) and his appearance as Attorney Jacobs on "Law and Order" I realized it was on right now. So I changed channels just as he was introduced as somebody's lawyer! How lucky is that? Anyway, we hope to see him at our upcoming reunion in August. (Details in Reunions section. Ed.)

Thanks for a great newsletter and keep up the great work!

Best regards,
Joe Carfora '62
Hello Editors...

Even though I don't know most of the people you refer to in your newsletter. I love receiving it. Brings back memories. When I graduated in 1971, I left Hicksville to attend the University of Bridgeport and settled in Connecticut. Currently I am the Principal at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Connecticut. I am urging the parents to form an alumni association and have told them about this newsletter. They were very excited and hopefully an alumni association is in the works. I have suggested that, besides a newsletter, they focus on one project - A "Wall of Honor" - where a committee nominates alumni, who have climbed the ladder of success in their field, then 5 per year are chosen to be honored at a dinner. Current student leaders would be invited to the dinner to "rub elbows" with alumni from all classes. A plaque with picture and bio would be hung on the walls in the school. Hopefully this will help our students strive to do their best in whatever career they choose.

Well - I just wanted to say thank you for volunteering to keep the memories of our high school years alive. I share every issue with my siblings, they all graduated from HHS after me...Helaine, Vincent, Larry and Carol Ann. Don't ask me what years...I left and never returned...LOL..can't remember...but I'll have to get them on the computer and reading the newsletters.

Arlene L. Gottesman, Class of 1971
Dear Sir or Madam,

May I please be put on your mailing list for the Hicksville newsletter?

Also, if you could please put in your newsletter, if you have such a column or could create one for Most Wanted Persons....

I have been searching for many years now for a long lost friend from Hicksville a Rosemary Jonassen or Jonasson. "Rose" used to live on HIETZ Place, in the upper story of a duplex with her sister and her Mother. Rose and I were best friends through Hicksville Sr. High, (graduating class would be that of 1975), but then I moved to Canada and Rose was going to join the Rockettes and start a dancing career, so we lost contact with each other shortly after my move to Canada in summer of 1975. We used to hang out with a Candy or Candace Cucci whose Mom ran a dance studio in Hicksville. If Rose sees this or anyone knowing how to contact her sees this I would sincerely appreciate being put back in contact with my dear, dear old friend whom I've been searching for some 20+ years now.

Thank you for putting me on your mailing list and if you could be so kind as to include the "looking for" message above, I would be forever in your debt.

Thank you.
Susan Greene Pawley, 1975 formerly of 35 8th St., HX
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Engagement Announcement:

Arlene (Andrade) Kamen and Victor Sahadachny got engaged on May 5th 2002. They were reunited after 45years, thanks to Brooke Nelson, Wendy Karen & Phil Fulco through Classmates.com & the upcoming 45th Reunion. Both are 1957 HHS graduates.

Arlene is a resident of Boynton Beach, Florida and Vic is a resident of Bowie, Maryland. She is retired and he will be retiring on October 11th, 2002 and moving down to Florida after attending the 45th reunion on October 19th. A summer wedding is planned.
Jan Bartlett Wood (1973) writes to tell us that her son Ryan's Eagle Scout Court of Honor will be held at 2 pm., on Saturday June 22, 2002, at Holy Family Catholic School Auditorium, the Church is located on Newbridge Road (Route 106) in Hicksville, NY.
Hello Sweeties and thanks for adding my name to the list. I am Stephanie Schlegel, HHS Class of '68. My birthday is June 2. I would love to hear from others who graduated in 1966, 67 or 68. I am particularly wondering if the Robert Gottlieb who graduated in 1968 is the same Robert Gottlieb who is publisher/editor of the New Yorker. Anybody know?

Hugs to all. Write to me.
Stephanie
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Thanks for adding me to your mailing list. We spent 20 years in the army, retired and worked for the Department of the Navy until 1985. We have been living in Maine since 1976, in my wife's hometown area. I look forward to hearing news from Hicksville.

Harvey Weiss 1947
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Reunions

CLASS OF 1957

Saturday, October 19, 2002 at the Islandia Marriott (exit 58 of the L.I.E.), cocktails at 7 p.m., dinner to follow. Cost is $65 per person. Hotel is giving us a discount rate for those who wish to stay there, including free transportation to and from MacArthur airport. We'll also be meeting for brunch on Sunday morning, before everyone heads home. Invitations have been sent to all the classmates whose street addresses we have. We're still waiting to hear back from some of those registered on Classmates.Com.

Thanks,

Phil Fulco
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
10 Kendall Green Drive
Milford, CT 06460
Phone: (203) 878-7154
CLASS OF 1962

Saturday night, August 10, 2002, at the Imperial Manor, 345 Hicksville Road, Bethpage, L.L., NY

Cocktails starting at 7:00 pm, Buffet Dinner Dance at 8:00 pm with unlimited food and open bar!!
Cost is $80 per person, spouses, significant others and guests of classmates are invited.

If interested, please contact Marcy Lipschutz Seus (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Karen Hubner Jenkins (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Joe Carfora (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) right away.

Our mailing went out in mid-March, but we are still missing addresses. If you have the mailing and haven't RSVP'd yet, please do so right away and mail your check too!
CLASS OF 1992

Elizabeth "Liz" Jurgensen Comito and Kristin Sneyd class of 1992 attended their 10-year Hicksville High Reunion. Even though the girls did not want to attend, their Moms persuaded them to go.

They had the best time! When will our children ever listen to us? Kristin's Mom and Dad are Gail Cluxton Sneyd and Tom Sneyd class of 1963. Liz's Mom is Joyce Thorburn Jurgensen class of '67.

The girls have been friends since they were 2 years old. They both attended East Street School. Kristin was Liz's Maid of Honor and is now Godmother to Liz's daughter Jessica.

By the way...This was the year Billy Joel was given his diploma...Not even a flower was sent by him.

Joyce (Thorburn) Jurgensen (1967)

p.s. I feel so much older. My "baby" had her 10 Year Hicksville High Reunion.

Trivia Quiz

Contributed by Linda Piccerelli Hayden (1961)

What occurs more often in December than any other month?
What separates "60 Minutes" on CBS from every other TV show?
Half of all Americans lives within 50 miles of what?
Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common?
What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the year?
What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (1908-1989, voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most ironic?
What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?

Trivia Answers

Spotlight: Carolyn Wood, Part 3, by Bob Casale

Tom's new endeavor, the Night Riders rock band, was continuing their impact at the Point. His new recruits, Bill Jordan and Jimmy Walker, were on the scene and rehearsals were an obvious necessity. The group had all the right ingredients and the fact they had played together for years solidified their performance. They were an instant success and highly touted.

AUGUST 1966, Old Country Manor, Hicksville

The mellow sounds coming from somewhere else was wild, a young couple thought. The sound of great music excited their senses and they simply had to see who was responsible for creating such a pleasurable sound. They exited the room where a family get together was boring them to tears. The sound they followed grew louder as they made their way down the hallway. Inside the room next door, a bridal party was rocking the walls in a fashion not unfamiliar to a party. Strange to the couple was the bride and groom performing for their wedding guests. The two standing outside the entrance to this banquet room were joined shortly by groups of people crowding the hallway, eager to listen to the not so typical wedding music.

The formal wedding ceremony for Carolyn and Tommy was at Holy Family Church on Newbridge Road. The reception was at Old Country Manor located several blocks north on Old Country Road. The affair, attended by about 80 guests, included several members of the West Point band. At the reception, they did all the conventional things like having pictures taken, cutting the cake and kissing whenever the glasses chimed. They even hired a band to play so they could relax and enjoy their special day. In the excitement, however, they actually wound up entertaining others at their own wedding and continued alternating with the hired band. The trumpet and saxophone players from the Night Riders joined in.

"Toward the end of 1966, my involvement with Tom and his rock band became more intense," Carolyn, remembers. " I had some exposure prior to getting married and remember rehearsing with the group. I have vivid memories of driving to West Point on Wednesday to perform at the service club on post. I was usually late for work Thursday morning, "Carolyn says with a smile. This was a time when girl groups were getting some serious recognition."

Big songs at the time were "Dancing in the Streets, Words of Love and Walk on By"!

"The boys wanted to perform some of these sounds so convinced me to don a mini skirt and put on white boots and they even gave me a tambourine." Carolyn said. "I was now background for Tom's lead songs and a lead singer for the girl songs," Carolyn chuckles when she remembers the outfit she wore.

You wanna see a picture?"

"It gets better," she recalls. "They had no keyboard or piano in the group and decided this would be a good thing."

"Why don't you play the keyboard?" the boys suggested. She was the only one not playing an instrument (I guess Tambourine is not an instrument).

"After I stopped laughing, I noticed they weren't," Carolyn said.

"Hey, you guys are serious," she concluded.

The consensus of opinion was that Carolyn was good at so many things, and she had the capacity to learn quickly, why not learn the keyboard.

"Guess what," Carolyn asks? "I memorized all the chords for all their current songs and continued that trend for all subsequent songs and that was that! I couldn't read music then and cannot, to this day."
"My exposure in dance prepared me for the success our rock band experienced at West Point," Carolyn remembered. "I was accustomed to performing in front of groups and was in my glory when given the opportunity at moving gracefully while dancing and singing...just doing something I really enjoyed!"

As the days passed, the time that Carolyn and Tommy would be "in the service" began to dwindle. They had very serious intentions of continuing their music when the military was behind them. There were several ongoing discussions amongst the band members from their high school days regarding focus and what their long-term goals were. Carolyn and Tommy knew theirs was precise, just the same as it had been for quite some time and they needed reinforcement from their friends, a sign that they were not alone.
"That came shortly when a series of visitors began an invasion of our living quarters on base," Carolyn remarked. "The visitors were band members we knew well and who were equally targeted at a future in music. Two of those friends were Richie Macioce and Jimmy Rosica.

"We rehearsed whenever we had time and it was convenient for all or any of those involved', Carolyn said. "Here we were, seven people, preparing to embark on a road to success, and our combined goal was the fulfillment of that vision." "I really believe that the people who influenced us most were those cadets at the point" she added.

"Their enthusiasm for us only amplified that deep feeling of commitment. We started something small but wanted more. I honestly think, too, that they were sad to see us leave."

In January of 1968, Tom and Carolyn departed West Point, bought a house in Selden and officially began civilian life. It was a pleasant memory, the army, the Point...but their mindset was establishing a musical career. Not an easy task, but certainly worthy of their efforts.

"We rehearsed continuously," Carolyn remembers. "We were in a hurry to get back into the public eye, a trend that started in high school days but was on vacation for several years."

The majority of sessions were at the homes of new members. The band consisted of Tommy and Carolyn, Jimmy Rosica, Shelly Davis, Joe Ruvio, Artie Cantanzarita, all from Hicksville High, and Richie Macioce from Rockville Center. Their concentration was on songs that were easily recognizable, that impacted music and that most people enjoyed. Several of those songs were, When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (Sam and Dave), Keep An Eye On Summer (Beach Boys), Cold Sweat (James Brown), A Girl Like You (The Rascals) and Day Tripper (The Beatles). There were other songs in their library, but this set they felt would most benefit their presentation.

Early, 1968

Betty Sperber, a successful manager of musical prospects, with several well known groups as part of her entourage of talent, had an idea. The highly competitive market was rolling now and rock was at a new peak. The trend was changing with a tendency toward a musical group consisting of instrumentation and voice in a package. Betty and other interested parties, decided to stage a contest, a "Battle of the Bands" it would be called, to get a look at talent in the metropolitan New York area that could influence the rising trend toward larger groups. They contracted to use the Cloud Nine A-Go-Go on Route 110 in Farmingdale as the site for the proposed battle. They established a tentative date in early March and set the ball rolling. Advertisement on radio and in local newspapers highlighted the upcoming event. Featured performers that night were Johnny Maestro and the Del Satins.

"We found out, through the grapevine, about the "contest," Carolyn remembers. "We, the band, felt confidant that our repertoire of music was worthwhile and that the presentation was excellent. We were eager to get involved and contacted the appropriate parties and guaranteed a spot for us in the "Battle of the Bands!"

They waited with nervous impatience for the night to arrive. If you've ever participated in any type contest, you can appreciate the feelings they all were experiencing.

Finally, on March 14, 1968, the night they anticipated arrived. Little did they know that the performance they were about to give would have a most serious impact on all their lives, and their future.

Pat Koziuk Driscoll, 1956, FL
Linda Piccerelli Hayden, 1960, NJ
Bob Casale, 1961, HX and PA

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June 2002 : Volume 2 - Issue 9