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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HICKSVILLE VIETNAM WAR ERA MEMORIAL - PROJECT UPDATE

Donations reached $8,340 in August, a $1,340 gain over July! We continue to gain on our needed goal of $25,000 to build and maintain the Memorial and the donation amount for August nearly doubled over the previous month! The donor base now totals 71 individuals, couples and organizations.

Please remember, all donations are tax deductibile. An alphabetical list of current donors, along with details you will need to mail in your donation, can be viewed in this month's MEMORIAL UPDATE in the Honoring Our Veterans section of the newsletter. Note: If more readers will donate, our needed donation goal can be achieved.

There were no new entries to the Confirmed List of Names in August, so our total remains at 1,897 names. However, some progress was made on missing data for the Confirmed List. The Unconfirmed List remains unchanged. 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.

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 July. 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

The Newsletter

Photo Gallery

Photos

This was the tallest structure in Paris, the Eiffel Tower under construction in the 1880's.

NYC was a much less busy city, 1908.

Charging your electric car looked like this, 1905.

Roller skates were the hot new thing but still needed a bit of work, 1910.

Someone decided it's time pigs will actually fly, 1909.

These guys unveiled their motorbikes for the first time,　 William Harley and Arthur Davidson, 1914.

Beach Police officers made sure no swimsuit was higher than 6 inches above the knee, 1922.

King Tut's slumber was undisturbed and the seal to his tomb was unbroken, 1922.

The iconic London buses looked like this, 1928.

A new vantage point in New York. The opening day of the Empire State Building , 1931.

Women were demonstrating for a very important right, 1933.

The Golden Gate Bridge was still under construction and looked like this, 1937.

Oranges were sold for just one cent, 1942.

The Hollywood sign was still the 'Hollywoodland' sign. The last four letters were removed in 1949.

You got normal food and a full meals on flights, 1958.

Remote controls were cutting-edge technology, 1962.

Legends passed on their legacies, Bruce Lee playing with his son Brandon, 1966.

We first understood how small and alone we are, 1968.

A few people got to get there for a "small party," Woodstock , 1969.

You could get a Big Mac for 65 cents, 1970's.

Steven Spielberg gave the world "Bruce", the prop that was used to make "Jaws" in 1975.

The President had some impressive skills, Gerald R. Ford and Pele, 1975.

The Titanic took off for its last trip, full of dreams and promises, Ireland , 1912.

People queued for Al Capone's free coffee in Chicago , 1931.

Rush hour looked a lot different than it does today, Chicago , 1909

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Memory Lane

My Blessings Are Many

By Trina June Fiedler Class of 1968

I wanted to share a love story with you as it started in Hicksville Junior High School and has lasted over the last 54 years.

I am not sure how many of us have the privilege to have a best friend for a lifetime. I was so very fortunate to meet mine at the first day of homeroom in Hicksville Junior High School . I was very frightened as I knew no one. My family had just moved to Long Island and I did not know anyone attending the school. It was so large, filled with kids who had been together since Kindergarten. My parents moved to Long Island to be closer to my mother's sister, who lived around the corner. Her home was in Jericho . Our home was reassigned to Hicksville school district one month before school started. We had assumed that I would be going to school with my cousins. I was very upset and did not want to attend a "foreign" school. Well, that all changed on the first day of school.

A girl walked up to me that very first day and said, "You know, you look like me!" I did! And so the relationship began that would forever change my life. Christine Marie Flaherty and Trina June Fiedler, an Irish Catholic and a Jewish girl became best friends, and now as we call each other.. sister. Just a twist of fate brought us together. I do not believe in coincidences . Our love story was meant to be.

We have both been through a lot together. Always standing steadfastly by one another's side. I went to Nassau Community for two years , she went to Kings County Nursing School . I invited her to join one of our sorority functions, for the sole purpose of introducing her to a really great guy that I had met.. James Patrick Norton. Yep.. love at first sight. They have been married for 44 years and have 4 beautiful children and two precious grandchildren. We have both lost our parents, and unfortunately Chris also lost her sister, Margaret ( Peggy)'71. I transferred to the University of Oklahoma and moved to Florida after graduating. We never let the distance interrupt our friendship. I raised two wonderful daughters in Florida and the 6 kids grew up like cousins. We managed to get together at least twice a year. Our children are still close. We vacationed in Disney many times together. Our family went to NY for Christmas, as we did not celebrate. They came to Florida for Easter break. A week does not go by when we don't talk on the phone to catch up.

However through it all, we are and will always be sisters!! But for a change in school district, our lives would have taken different paths. I am so blessed and am very grateful for the love and friendship that I found on that first day of Junior High School!

Casale's Corner

...AND THEN IT IS WINTER

Even if you aren't old yet, there are lessons to be learned here.

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.  Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is... the back nine of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first hole and the back nine was so far off that I couldn't fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting gray. They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me, but I see the great change. Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory!  'Cause if I don't on my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit! And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did! But, at least I know, that though I'm on the back nine, and I'm not sure how long it will last. This I know; that when it's over on this earth, it's over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done, things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done.  It's all in a lifetime. So, if you're not on the back nine yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you're on the back nine or not!

You have no promise that you will see all t he seasons of your life. So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember, and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.  Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL!  ENJOY TODAY!  DO SOMETHING FUN!  BE HAPPY!  HAVE A GREAT DAY!  Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." 

LASTLY, CONSIDER THIS:

• Your kids are becoming you. But your grandchildren are perfect! 
• Going out is good. Coming home is better! 
• You forget names. But it's OK because some people forgot they even knew you!!! 
• You realize you're never going to be really good at anything like golf. 
• The things you used to care to do, you aren't as interested in anymore, but you really do care that you    aren't as interested. 
• You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV 'ON' than in bed. It's called " pre-sleep". 
• You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch.. 
• You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ??? 
• You notice everything they sell in stores is " sleeveless"?!!! 
• What used to be freckles are now liver spots. 
• Everybody whispers. 
• You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet, 2 of which you will never wear . 
• But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!"  Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!   It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE. SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

Do Not Regret Growing Older.   It is a Privilege Denied to Many.