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.

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Obituary for Michael (Mike) Pakaluk

It is with sadness to report the death of longtime Hicksville resident Mike Pakaluk on August 14, 2011. He and his wife, Val, had just recently moved to Ave Maria, Florida after living in Hicksville their whole lives. Mike was very proud of his roots. He attended St. Ignatius Religious School and then Hicksville High School. He excelled at all sports and went on to play on the Semi-Pro Football team that Hicksville was well noted for. Mike was a 1948 graduate.

Mike was a carpenter by trade and worked on Levitt homes both here and in Levittown, Pennsylvania. Then with a wife and family to support, he changed careers working until retirement for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. During his retirement years, he continued working part time as an advertising salesman and Deputy Inspector for the Village of Williston Park.

He leaves his loving wife Valerie and children June (Les) Lewis and Michael (Catherine) along with 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. His son James passed away suddenly in 2009.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Farley Funeral Homes with interment at the Lee Memorial Park Cemetery located in Ft. Myers following a mass at the Ave Maria Oratory Quasi Parish.

Obituary for Howard (Howie) Schack

September 12, 1942 - August 20, 2011

The Hicksville community has lost a true patriarch who was not only a teacher to many Hicksville residents, but was also a friend who dedicated his life to education. Howard Schack passed away in August.

Howie graduated with the class of 1961. He attended college and received a degree in Education. Howie's lifelong desire was to be a coach and eventually realized his dream.

Howie met and married his wife, Lorraine McNamara, many years ago. Both shared a common trait of wanting to insure a better life for the many students they taught over the years. Lorraine and Howie worked in the Township of Oyster Bay in the Hicksville School District. Both were retired from that district.

The Schacks were residents of Farmingville, New York for many years and spent the winters from 2001 until 2004 in Lutz, Florida. Lorraine was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis early in 2000. Howie cared for her until she passed on April 17, 2004.

The news of Lorraine 's passing was sent via the Hicksville e-mail club to their members. The e-mail was sent by Aida & John Econopouly (class of 1949/1950) who were members of that club.

The note John sent said, 'Aida and I were personally very close to both Lorraine and Howard. Both worked in the Hicksville Sweet Shop during their high school and college years. They were part of our family.' The Econopouly family were original owners of the Sweet Shop.

Details of Howie's death are not known at the moment.

There will be a Memorial Mass At St. Ignatius on Nov 26th at 11:30.

UPDATE!!! - Hicksville Vietnam War Era Memorial Project

To be very clear, the revised dates, first announced last month, of the Vietnam War Era are from February 28, 1961 through May 7, 1975, as used by the American Legion. The dates we previously used were 1961 ' 1973, but the official dates were quietly modified over the years for veterans benefits purposes. In my haste to leave on vacation last month, there were a couple of errors made in making this announcement..

September was an excellent month with 84 new names added to the Memorial List for a new total of 1,676 individual Veterans who served our country during the Vietnam War Era! Also, more progress has been made in filling in missing data on the list.

In regard to missing data on the list of names, it continues to be important, even if you don't have names to send us, to review the list for missing information or information needing correction. The need for this data is shown in red on the list. Please email me if you can help us fill in the blanks. High school class year has been specifically noted, where we have it, to make this review easier for you to scan the list for people you may know. We again made good progress in filling in the blank information in July, so let's all pitch in to continue this effort!

As the list of names grows and before it is finalized, there is still much work to do; including site selection, approval by local authorities for site use, final design, fundraising, construction of the Memorial and finally its dedication. As announced last month, Bill Walden has agreed to lead our local efforts in Hicksville.

In the meantime, please see the Honoring Our Veterans Section of this issue for the latest project information and to access the List of Veteran's Names and what you can do to help this list grow, so that no one who deserves to be included is missed.

On behalf of the Project Team,
Joe Carfora, HHS '62

SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, October 6th, 2012
Class of 1962 '50' Year Reunion
7PM -12AM HOLIDAY INN, Plainview, N.Y.
Please be sure Karen Hubner Jenkins has your current e-mail address (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Our Reunion Website 62.hixreunion.com

The Newsletter

Photo Gallery

Bob Casale went to Macarthur Airport Friday morning before the reunion. Mary Jane (MJ) Gemuendt was arriving at 10am and wanted a tour of Hicksville because she hadn not been back since our graduation in 1961. Karen Hartig was at the Marriott and we picked her up on the way into Hicksville . Karen lives locally but was interested in seeing Hicksville.

Exited Northern Parkway at South Oyster Bay Road. Drove south past Old Country Road to my old stomping grounds that was in front of the Days Inn.

Delaneys where I spent almost every Saturday night for dinner and drinks. Delaneys was one of the premier places to dine in Hicksville . The people who lived there knew where to eat. And Happy Hours were the best.

Not too far from Delaneys is the border of Hicksville and Levittown ( Spindle Road ). Many of us were very close to that border of two school districts. It was that close and then we would be off to Levittown Division (UGH!!!) 477 Division Avenue was on the border, only three houses from Spindle Road, but On The Hicksville Side! MJ and her brothers remember that house. Because they lived there.

We drove up Thimble Road passing by the Fenigstein, Rosenwasser, Polanski, McCarron homes. Sabatella and Maryann Miller lived on Lantern. Made a right heading toward Fork Lane School and passed by my house on the corner of Berry Lane (#2). The 2nd Renovation that was sometime around 2005. Those who used to live in a basic ranch can appreciate the change!!

Fork Lane School. Oh what memories.

We drove up Spindle Road . During the summer, we used to head to the West Village Green near Newbridge Road. A community pool kept us cool during the summer months and many of us were on the swim team.

The three of us traveled up Newbridge Road. MJ was shocked to see this one lane in both directions roadway now widened considerably. We cut into the Glenbrook Homes shooting down Glenbrook Road toward Division Avenue. We drove through the neighborhood passing by homes once occupied by Tisdale, Buckman, Farrell, Blust, DeBrock, Siegel, Carbe, Smith, Sherman and many more. Oh, I lived at 14 Edgewood Drive.

Up Division Avenue to pass by the high school. Then to Jerusalem to pass the Junior High (Middle School)

Karen wanted to see her old house on Charles Street, so we headed east on Old Country Road to the first left past the elevated tracks. We went to 32 Charles Street.

We headed back to Old Country Road this time heading westbound. We went to Broadway and turned right heading toward St. Ignatius. The shot below is just past the church. In the distance, the elevated train tracks are visible. The next block is Marie Street and Whelan drugs used to be on the north corner on the right. A closer look you can see a Sign A Rama occupying that space today. Back in the day (1910), Henry Huettners store was where Sign A Rama is now. Notice the structure above the store. Has not really changed in 101 years.

We drove down Bay Avenue and checked out Sears and Mid Island Plaza. Then we headed to the Sweet Shop for lunch.

We headed back to the Marriott for the Friday early arrivers get together at the Lounge scheduled for 7pm.

From left to right: Jim Aragoncillo, Linda Mastrosanti Aragoncillo, Bill Canham, Volena Henningsen

From left to right: Bunny Reid, Bonnie Scharr, Diana Urena

From left to right: Pat Hunchick, Ginny Kolenik, Mary O, Elaine Kraus

From left to right: Ed Delaney, Larry Anton, John Bagley

From left to right: Rozanne Ehardt, Volena Henningsen, Ann Samoray, Sue Schwartz

From left to right: Gerry and Merrilee Collock, Ginny and Richie Romanek

From left to right: Ronnie Gilson Birk and Bob Birk, Regina and Gerry Gilson

 More Reunion Pictures

The reunion committee did a terrific job in creating a tremendous atmosphere that all could enjoy casually. The accommodations were extremely comfortable and the staff at Marriott did everything possible to make our reunion a total success. The food was terrific. A gesture engineered by Howie Zuckerman culminated when a plaque was presented to the committee acknowledging their long and arduous adventure as coordinators of a major event. They did it, they pulled it off! It is so hard to say good-bye. Below is a parting shot but that does not mean this is the end of those photos. There are many more that will be presented in subsequent newsletters.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Honoring our Veterans

US Navy Seal of Honor

Memory Lane

Politically Incorrect Classic Ads

Casale's Corner

Dogs Know...

This really is a great story!

Lucky Dog

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character.

Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she would die of this disease...in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her....what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim , he was Mary's dog through and through.

If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.

He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky. He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember.....live every day to the fullest. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours!