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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The big 40 - let's celebrate!

When: Saturday, August 1, 6 pm - 10 pm
Where: Northport Yacht Club, 11 Bluff Point Rd, Northport, New York 11768
Price: $80/per person

Hors d'oeuvres and dinner. Cash bar.

Make out checks to HHSReunion75. Mail to:
M Pape
62 Juniper Road
Kings Park, NY 11754
See you there!!

Any Interest In A Reunion For The Class of 1955???

Buffalo Bob and the Gang at HixNews We are trying to contact anyone from the class of 1955 to see who would be interested in a reunion for our 60th year??? Remember our 50th??? We would like to have it the end of July. Anyone interested have them contact me...

Muriel ( Maas ) Froehlich
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks

P.S. Those from adjoining classes who might be interested in attending, please contact Muriel!!!

Hicksville Vietnam War Era Memorial - PROJECT UPDATE

Donations reached $5,800 in May, just a $200 gain over April and still far short of our needed goal of $25,000 to build and maintain the Memorial. So far, 36 people, couples and companies or organizations have contributed. Just think where we could be if everyone reading this note donated at least $10 to this worthy cause! Please remember, all donations are tax deductibile. We are continuing an alphabetical list of current donors. To view it along with details you will need to mail in your donation, please see our monthly UPDATE in the Honoring Our Veterans section of this issue of HixNews.

Another new entry was added to the Confirmed Liist of Names in May for a new total of 1,896, but the Unconfirmed List once again did not change. We continue to need the help of all readers to fill in missing data on the Confirmed List and to help us qualify the names shown on the Unconfirmed List.

Bill Walden left on vacation right after Memorial Day, so we will have his report on the Hicksville Memorial Day Parade and the contacts he made regarding our fund raising drive in the July 1 issue of HixNews.

As in the past, when you visit this month's UPDATE, please remember that clicking on the two links near the bottom of the page will bring you to the complete Confirmed and Unconfirmed Lists of Names as of the end of May. And, If you have any new information to send us, please email it to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On behalf of the Project Team,
Joe Carfora, Project Coordinator

HHS 1962 - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

is proud to announce the appearance of a phenomenal band, "Dr. K's Motown Review" at the Damrosch Park Bandshell shown above in the photo on the right

"Midsummer Nights Swing Concert Series" FROM TEEN CENTER TO LINCOLN CENTER. A 50 year musical journey
Paul Korman, Hicksville High School, Class of 1969

Dr K's Motown Review is a unique band that features the original sound of Motown greats. The band embraces the sounds of Stevie Wonder, Martha & The Vandellas, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and other performers on the Motown label. Their history began back in the early throes of the new century when Paul Korman, a 1969 graduate from Hicksville High School, Hicksville, Long Island, New York decided to finally put together a group of musicians he has performed with over the years and feature the motor city sound. Their talent has overtaken the New York Metropolitan Area by storm. The initial presentation by Dr. K and his group was well received and favorable critiques bombarded the local media.

Paul is the bassist who blends nicely with an array of very talented musicians. The group has grown tremendously over the years and has a loyal group of followers who will go anywhere to hear them perform. Paul's musical career began when performing with his band, The Four Teens, in 1964 at the Teen Center located in Hicksville's Junior High School. The subsequent years of his musical journey proved interesting and culminated in the formation of his 11 Piece Band known as Dr. K's Motown Review referenced earlier.

Paul assembled his band from former musicians he played with over the years. Since its inception, Dr K's Motown Review has performed at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut; BB Kings in Manhattan; the United Nations; Central Park in midtown Manhattan; the Jones Beach Band shell; the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center; Eisenhower Park and the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts plus many other facilities. The band has shared the stage with such notables as Leon Russell; The Vanilla Fudge; Eric Burdon and Bobby Blue Bland and others.

When: July 4, 2015 at 6:30pm
Where: Damrosch Park Bandshell (62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam)
Time: 7:30 until 10:00pm
Tickets: $17.00 (Call 212-721-6500 or purchase at the box office)

This smokin' band will deliver family-friendly fun for all.

The Newsletter

Photo Gallery

Record Breakers Shown In Photos    (Continued from March 2015 Gallery)

The world's hottest place: Death Valley National Park
The highest air temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees Fahrenheit, at Death Valley National Park on July 10, 1913.

The world's coldest place: East Antarctic Plateau
On the high ridge of the East Antarctic Plateau, the temperature can drop to as low as -135.8 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in August, 2010.

World's most populated city: Shanghai
At a whopping 24,150,000 permanent inhabitants, Shanghai is the single city that is home to the most people in the world.

World's least populated city: Vatican City

With a paltry population of 842, the city-state of Vatican City is the smallest city and state in the world.

World's wealthiest city: Tokyo
That tower might as well be made of gold, since Tokyo tops the charts with a GDP of $1,520 billion
(only beating New York by a mere $310 billion)

World's poorest city: Kinshasa
Kinshasa is probably the poorest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the poorest country in the world,
at a GDP of $55 billion. Many of its residents live on less $1 a day.

Highest point in the world: Mount Everest
Towering 29,029 feet in the air, the top of Mount Everest is the closest you can get to touching space, while still standing on Earth.

Lowest point in the world: Challenger Deep

The lowest known natural point in the world is Challenger Deep, 35,797 ft below sea level at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Only three people have ever made it to the bottom, one of which was filmmaker James Cameron.

Most photographed place: The Guggenheim

Photos have always told stories, but in today's world of cell phone cameras and social media, that story is relayed as data to companies who monitor everything we do. Geotagged data was culled by Sightsmap using a Google-based image sharing software, and can now show us the most photographed places in the world, right down to the landmark. The Winner? The Guggenheim in New York .

The world's most popular country: Germany
The results of the annual BBC World Country Rating Poll are in, and Germany came out on top as the most positively viewed country in the world among people probably under the age of 85 (at a 59% positivity rating).

 The wettest spot on Earth: Mawsynram, India

Rainwise, anyway. In Mawsynram , India , it rains an average of 467.35 inches per year, and with a record of 1000 inches in 1985.

The driest spot on Earth: The Atacama Desert

The 600 miles of South America's Atacama desert is the driest place on Earth, no contest.
The Desert sees an average of 4 inches of rain every thousand years. Yes, you read that right.

 Sunniest Place on Earth: Yuma , Arizona

In Yuma , Arizona , the sun shines for an average of 11 hours a day. Its forecast is sun for 90 percent of the year,
averaging a total of 4015 daylight hours a year.

Most expensive city to live in: Singapore

The new champion of the world, Singapore has recently beat out Tokyo for the title of "most expensive city" for 2014. Cars can cost between 4-6 times in Singapore what they cost in the US or UK (for example, a Toyota Prius actually costs about $150,000.00 there).

Least expensive city to live in: Mumbai, India
At the other end of the spectrum, Mumbai , India , is the cheapest place to live in the world, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2014. For some perspective, a loaf of bread that would cost $3.36 in Singapore , would only cost $0.91 in Mumbai.

Country that consumes the most food: United States

I suppose there must be a reason why Americans have a food-related reputation when it comes to other countries:
we eat an average of 3,770 calories a day each.

The world's oldest city: Damascus

There's quite a bit of controversy over which city gets to officially claim the title of "oldest continuously inhabited city."
With evidence of civilization that extends back over 11,000 years, Damascus in Syria is probably the safest bet.

Youngest country in the world: South Sudan

The people of South Sudan were formally recognized as an independent country in 2011,
making it the youngest country in the world to-date.

The world's most visited city: London

After a several-year bout with Bangkok , London has regained its place as the world's most visited city (according to MasterCard's 2014 Global Destinations City Index). The city sees about 18.69 million international visitors annually, generating $19.3 billion in revenue.

The world's least popular country: Iran

On that same rating scale, Iran has come in dead last (at a 59% negativity rating).
Only 15% of people polled viewed Iran in a positive light.

The world's most dangerous city: San Pedro Sula, Honduras

In San Pedro Sula , Honduras , there are over 3 murders a day.
The violence stems from the city's role as a major hub for illegal drug and arms trafficking

Most caffeinated country in the world: Sweden
The coffee in Sweden will put a spring in your step, and hair on your tongue.
The Swedes consume an average of 388 mg of caffeine in coffee per person, per day (that's almost 5 Red Bulls).

Most drunken country in the world: Belarus

In Belarus , each person above the age of 15 drinks an average of 4.62 gallons of alcohol every year.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Memory Lane

This day in History

June 1
1862 General Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate army outside Richmond after General Joe Johnston is injured at Seven Pines.

June 2
1942 The American aircraft carriers Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown move into their battle positions for the Battle of Midway.

June 3
1888 The classic baseball poem "Casey at the Bat," written by Ernest L. Thayer, is published in the San Francisco Examiner.

June 4
1911 Gold is discovered in Alaska's Indian Creek.

June 5
1930 Frozen foods are sold commercially for the first time.

June 6
1862 The city of Memphis surrenders to the Union navy after an intense naval engagement on the Mississippi River.

June 7
1654 Louis XIV is crowned king of France.

June 8
1968 James Earl Ray, the alleged assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr., is captured at the London Airport.

June 9
1945 Japanese Premier Kantaro Suzuki declares that Japan will fight to the last rather than accept unconditional surrender.

June 10
1864 At the Battle of Brice's Crossroads in Mississippi, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest defeats the numerically superior Union troops.

June 11
1927 Charles Lindbergh, a captain in the US Army Air Corps Reserve, receives the first Distinguished Flying Cross ever awarded, for his solo trans-Atlantic Flight.

June 12
1931 Gangster Al Capone and 68 of his henchmen are indicted for violating Prohibition laws.

June 13
1940 Paris is evacuated as the Germans advance on the city.

June 14
1922 President Warren G. Harding becomes the first president to speak on the radio.

June 15
1932 Gaston Means is sentenced to 15 years for fraud in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping.

June 16
1955 The U.S. House of Representatives votes to extend Selective Service until 1959.

June 17
1799 Napoleon Bonaparte incorporates Italy into his empire.

June 18
1928 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to cross the Atlantic by airplane.

June 19
1867 Mexican Emperor Maximillian is executed.

June 20
1941 The U.S. Army Air Force is established, replacing the Army Air Corps.

June 21
1834 C. H. McCormick patents the first practical reaper.

June 22
1930 A son is born to Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

June 23
1944 In one of the largest air strikes of the war, the U.S. Fifteenth Air Force sends 761 bombers against the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania.

June 24
1861 Federal gunboats attack Confederate batteries at Mathias Point, Virginia.

June 25
1950 North Korea invades South Korea, beginning the Korean War.

June 26
1918 The Germans begin firing their huge 420 mm howitzer, "Big Bertha," at Paris.

June 27
1864 General Sherman is repulsed by Confederates at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

June 28
1942 German troops launch an offensive to seize Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus and the city of Stalingrad.

June 29
1950 President Harry S. Truman authorizes a sea blockade of Korea.

June 30
1936 Margaret Mitchell's novel, Gone With the Wind, is published.

Casale's Corner

SIX BOYS AND 13 HANDS

Each  year I am hired to go to Washington , DC , with the eighth grade class from  Clinton ,  WI where I grew up, to videotape  their trip.  I greatly enjoy visiting our Nation's Capital, and each  year I take some special memories back  with me. This  fall's trip was especially memorable. On  the last night of our trip, we  stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial. This memorial is the largest  bronze statue in the  world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in  history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising  the American Flag at the top of  a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima , Japan , during WW II. Over  one hundred  students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the  memorial.  I noticed  a solitary figure  at the base of the statue,  and as I got closer he asked,  'Where are you guys from?' I  told him that we were from  Wisconsin.

"Hey, I'm a cheese  head, too! Come  gather around, Cheese heads,  and I will tell  you a story."

(It  was James  Bradley who just happened to be in Washington , DC , to speak at the  memorial the following day. He  was there that  night to say good night to his  dad, who had passed away. He  was just about to leave when he saw the buses  pull up. I  videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his  permission to share what he  said from my videotape. It is one  thing to tour the incredible  monuments filled with history in Washington , DC  , but it is quite another to  get the  kind of insight we received that night.)

When  all had  gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words  that  night.)

"My  name is  James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin . My dad is on that statue, and I wrote a book  called 'Flags of Our Fathers'. It  is the story  of the six boys  you  see behind me. Six  boys raised  the flag. The first guy putting the pole in  the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps  with all  the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type  of game. A game called 'War.'  But it didn't turn out  to be a  game.    Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines  in his hands.  I  don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima  were 17, 18, and 19 years old, and it was so hard that the ones who did  make it home never even would  talk to their families about  it."

(He  pointed to  the statue) "You see this next guy?  That's  Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire . If you took  Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and  looked  in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph...a photograph of  his girlfriend Rene put that in there for protection because he was  scared.  He was 18  years old.  It was just boys who won the  battle of  Iwo Jima .  Boys.  Not old men."

"The  next guy here, the third guy in  this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank.    Mike is my hero.  He  was  the hero of all these guys.  They called him the 'old man' because he  was so  old. He  was  already  24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp,  he  didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's  die for  our country' He knew he was talking to little boys.    Instead he  would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to  your  mothers."

"The  last guy on this side of the  statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona .    Ira Hayes  was one of them who lived  to walk off Iwo Jima . He went  into the White House  with my dad.    President Truman told him, 'You're a  hero'.    He told  reporters,  'How can I  feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the  island with me and  only 27 of us walked off alive?' So  you take your  class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun,  doing everything  together.  Then all  250 of you hit the beach, but  only 27 of your classmates walk  off alive.  That was Ira Hayes.  He had images  of horror in his  mind.  Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down,  drowned in a very shallow  puddle, at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was  taken)."

"The  next guy,  going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky .  A fun-lovin' hillbilly  boy.  His best friend, who is now 70,  told me, 'Yeah, you  know, we took two cows up on the porch of the  Hilltop General  Store.  Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get  down.  Then we fed them Epsom  salts.  Those cows crapped all night. ' Yes, he  was a  fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on  Iwo Jima at the age of  19.  When  the telegram came to tell his  mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop  General Store. A  barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's  farm.  The neighbors  could hear her scream all night and  into the  morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter  of a mile away."

"The  next guy, as  we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley,  from Antigo, Wisconsin , where  I was raised.  My  dad lived until 1994,  but  he would never give  interviews.  When Walter Cronkite's producers  or the New York Times would  call, we were  trained as little kids to say 'No,  I'm sorry, sir, my dad's  not  here.  He is in Canada fishing.  No,  there is no phone there,  sir.    No, we don't know when he is coming back.'  My dad never fished or  even  went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting  there right at the table  eating his Campbell 's soup.  But we had to tell the press that he  was out fishing.  He  didn't want to talk to the  press."

"You  see, like  Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a  hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes,  'cause they are in a photo and on a monument.    My dad  knew better.    He was a medic.  John  Bradley from Wisconsin was a combat caregiver.  On Iwo  Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died.  And  when boys  died on Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed,  without any medication or help  with the pain. When  I was a  little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero.  When I went  home and told my dad that, he  looked at me and said, 'I want you always to  remember that  the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come  back.'"

"So  that's the  story about six nice young boys... Three died on Iwo Jima , and  three came back as national  heroes.    Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle  in  the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out,  so I will  end here.  Thank you for your time."

Suddenly,  the monument  wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of  the top.  It came to  life before  our eyes with the heartfelt words  of a son who did indeed have  a  father who was a hero. Maybe not a  hero for the  reasons most  people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.
Let  us never forget  from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and  all the wars in-between that  sacrifice was made for our freedom...please pray  for our  troops.

Remember  to pray  praises for this great country of ours and also ....please  pray for our  troops still in murderous  places around the world.
REMINDER:  Every day  that you can wake up free, it's going to be a  great day.One  thing I  learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not  mentioned here is... look at the statue  very closely and count  the number of 'hands' raising  the flag,  there are 13.

 When the man who made  the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said "the 13th hand was the  hand  of  God."