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

Three new and one repeat donor in November brought in an additional $395,bringing total donations to $17,722. This was a good pickup from October. Total donations are now just under 71% of our $25,000 goal to build, place and maintain the Memorial.

With 168 donors, we have still received donations from less than 10% of the HixNews readership. So, if many of you who have yet to donate can spare as little as $10, we can easily achieve our goal. Please remember, all donations are tax deductible.

An alphabetical list of donors through September, along with details you will need to mail your donation, can be viewed in this month's MEMORIAL UPDATE in the Honoring Our Veterans section of the newsletter.

No new names were added to The Confirmed List of Names in November, so the total remains at 1,910 names. When you visit this month's detailed 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 June. 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..

Wishing you all the Very Best for the Holiday Season!

On behalf of the Project Team,
Joe Carfora, HHS 1962

Bill Walden, USMC, Semper FiPictured (left to right) - Nassau County Legislator Rose Walker, Commander Walden, Town of Oyster Bay Councilman Tony Macagnone, VFW member Michael Cullen (HHS '65), Military Order of the Purple Heart Commander Bob Chiappone, NY State Assemblyman Michael Montesano, Hicksville School District Superintendent Dr. Carl Bonuso, and Hicksville Board of Ed member Kevin Carroll.On Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, the United Veterans Organization of Hicksville held their Veterans Day ceremony at the Hicksville Middle School 's Memorial Park. Presiding over the ceremony was Hicksville Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander, William Walden (HHS '65). On display at the ceremony was the main plaque for the future Hicksville Vietnam Era Memorial. During the ceremony, Commander Walden gave a brief history of the project, pointed out where the memorial would eventually be placed, and it's current status. After the ceremony, a number of individuals approached Commander Walden and asked about donating to the project. After the ceremony the plaque was returned to the Hicksville V.F.W. Post where it is prominently displayed in the lobby of the Post building.

Hicksville High School class of '67 Reunion is being planned. But this is the Big One: 50th Reunion. It will be at the Joseph Barry Knights of Columbus, Hicksville. We are starting early to give people time to make plans.

Click here to see the attached flyer for a description of what's in the offing for the weekend and the registration form.

We are asking people to register early and spread the word, Comets '67 to reunite again.

The Newsletter

Photo Gallery

Westbury Drive In Levittown Roller Rink

Lollipop Farm, Syosset Wetson's

Huntington Town House circa 1975 (closed down in 2007). Our mega there in September 2000

Target acquired the property in 2012 and put a store there

Air Force mechanic trainees at Roosevelt Air Field in Westbury in 1943

It is now the largest mall on Long Island, Roosevelt Field shown above in 2016

Gardiners looking south from Hempstead Tpke Modern Day

Mays on Hempstead Turnpike back in the sixties

Mays on opening day in August of 1955

Mays is now the Tri-County Flea Market

Levittown circa 1948...Wolcott Lane lower right...Newbridge Road top

Levittown circa 2012, same area as above

Railroad tracks at Herzog Place and Broadway circa 1945

The elevated tracks in Hicksville, Broadway at Herzog Place

The same location after the widening of Broadway

Englerts Bake Shop and the Sweet Shop before widening

Broadway at Marie Street..Englerts and the Sweet Shop are where the southbound lane is now...in real time.

Eventual entrance to the Wollfer Estate Winery in Sagaponack

Entrance to the Wollfer Estate Winery modern day

Some of the Vineyard acerage

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Memory Lane

Fond Memories of a great lady...

Submitted by Joe Carfora 1962

Richard, (my husband), never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy 8 x 10 black & white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margaret with Bob Hope in the background and that was one of his treasures.

A few years ago, Ann Margaret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore.

Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the bookstore at12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing. When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot, and disappeared behind a parking garage.

Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book and no memorabilia would be permitted. Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home.

Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as 2nd in line, it was soon Richard's turn. He presented the book for her signature and then took out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it".

She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for "my gentlemen". With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him.

She then made quite a to do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them. There weren't too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if he was the only one there.

Later at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army", he said.

Richard, like many others, came home to people who spit on him and shouted ugly things at him. That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet.

I'll never forget Ann Margaret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband. I now make it a point to say Thank You to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces.

Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.

If you'd like to pass on this story, feel free to do so. Perhaps it will help others to become aware of how important it is to acknowledge the contribution our service people make.

Casale's Corner

This Box I found during a recent home remodel

Imgur is the best place to share and enjoy the most awesome images on the Internet. I subscribe and found the following that you might find interesting.

So my family and I have been living in our house we bought some years back. The house was built in the late 40's. I am a 35 year old do-it-yourselfer so I had remodeled everything on the first and second floors when it came time to remodel the basement.

We peeled back the walls and revealed some random writing and drawings. Nothing too special here.

More interesting wall art. Here it gets a little more strange. Are those swastikas? This place was built in the late 40s?

Time to remove the ceiling now and it sucks! There is a good 1/4 inch of dust on of the ceiling. We put up plastic to keep the dust out of the rest of the house and exposed then patched the air returns first.

This is interesting. I stumbled upon a box in the ceiling. Cool! A treasure!!!

The box was covered with layers of dust...I took the box outside and the wife and kids were behind me. There is something inside but it isn't heavy like it would be if there were coins. If it were old sports cards, that could be a bonus. Removed the shoelace that was wrapped around the box.

The anticipation of what was inside was intense.

Undid the clasp and began to open. The excitement took hold of us.

The box now open revealed a couple of packages wrapped in wax paper.

Removed the items and found the inside of the box lined with newspaper pages.

The paper is dated March 25, 1951.

There are three items that are wrapped in the wax paper and we see green showing through and it sure looks like money.

The first package contained all $20 dollar bills.

We were so excited when we opened the second package that had all $50 dollar bills and the third was all $100's. What a gold mine!

Some of the bills were rarer than others. Some brown notes, a gold certificate and some star notes nearly uncirculated. All bills were from 1928-1934.

The find is a total mystery and remains that way and will forever be a mystery.