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

One new and three repeat donors in June improved total donations by $170 to a new total of $18,902. After tax expenses last year, we have a total of $18,027 available to us, sufficient to build the Memorial, but not enough to maintain it after construction. Repeat donors have been very helpful, but we sure would like to see new alumni help in reaching our $25,000 total goal. Details on where to mail your donation check, continue to be shown in this month's Project Update, which appears in the Honoring Our Veterans tab of the newsletter.

In this month's Update, you will also see a summary of the latest reports from Bill Walden (local coordinator and project treasurer) and Terry Wallace (project construction chair). A number of good things continue to happen to move the Project towards completion.

Please remember, the Vietnam War directly affected many HHS graduates from the late 1950's through the early 1970's. It was an unpopular conflict and returning soldiers routinely faced public wrath, not respect for their service. The war did help our country define post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and from the war Americans learned to take their displeasure out on our political decision makers and not on our returning troops. As a result, today's soldiers are treated with the respect they deserve, just as those who returned from WWII and the conflicts before that time.

This is why a number of us who served during the Vietnam War Era remain committed to working hard to honor our Veterans from that period by building this Memorial in Hicksville. Please continue to help us accomplish our final goal to unveil the Memorial at the Jerusalem Avenue School Memorial Gardens on Veteran's Day, 2018!

In addition, should you have any new information to report for either the Confirmed or Unconfirmed Lists of Names, particularly to fill in the missing data on the Confirmed List, please email 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, HHS 1962

You are cordially invited to the Hicksville High School Class of 1977 40 year Reunion
Saturday August 12th, 2017
Venue changed to Gemelli's at Bergen Point Country Club
69 Bergen Ave.
West Babylon, NY 11704

See 77.hixreunion.com for details

Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2017

Write a note to yourself to check back where you are in 50 years. Many thanks to Billy Joel for addressing the graduating students and listen closely to his words of wisdom. Hope that some of you are as successful as Billy Joel has been and his success is due to hard work. Singing is a business like any other road in life. His was a hard track but perseverance pays big dividends.

Congrats to all!!!
The Editors at HixNews

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

The Lucky and Gorgeous Kids of Celebrities

Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson

Kate Moss and Lila Grace Moss

Brad Pitt and Shiloh Jolie Pitt

Gwyneth Paltrow and son Moses Martin

Moses with dad Chris Martin

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise

Uma and Maya Thurman

Denise Richards with daughters Lola and Sam Sheen (Charlie)

Halle Berry with daughter Nahla Aubry

Cindy Crawford with daughter Kaia

Tina Fey with daughter Alice

Michael Buble and son Noah

 

Sean Penn and daughter Dylan

Julianne Moore and daughter Liv

 

David Hasselhoff and daughter Hayley

 

Eminem and daughter Hailie Mathers

 

Sylvester Stallone and daughter Sistine

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Memory Lane

Past and Recent Photos of HHS Classmates

Casale's Corner

My name is Mike Malloy and I'm a junior at NYU majoring in Journalism. I used to write a column each month for the Comet newspaper at Hicksville High School . It was a great 3 year experience and whetted my appetite at a possible career with a major newspaper.When I graduated high school in 1965, I had to make a decision about schooling or the military. I had been accepted at NYU, Bucknell and Penn State , all great colleges. Several weeks before our June graduation, 21,000 more troops were being sent to Vietnam . The public was kept in the dark about much of the goings on in both North and South Vietnam . This added manpower was, however, known to all. This relocation raised the level of combat troops in Vietnam to almost 200,000.

I wasn't particularly enthralled about being drafted and winding up in Vietnam . However, going to school would be like playing roulette, you had a 50/50 chance (red or black) of having your number drawn in the draft lottery.

A lengthy discussion with my parents and we opted at playing roulette. My dad was adamant about me getting a degree because good jobs usually required furthering your education and getting a diploma. The next decision was where to go to school??? Most obvious was staying local. Going to NYU allowed me to live at home and commute back and forth to New York City .

Freshman year was a breeze and the commuting was okay. A little bit of a hassle because I was spending many hours sitting in a LIRR car or riding the subway. The real benefit was I could study while heading to school or back home.

Sophomore year started and the work load was a little more intense requiring extra time spent in the library doing research. This was an era when computers were in the infancy stage and it would be a long time before Google and Yahoo and Search Engines. Staying later in the city doing research found me on a train at odd hours and I was slowly becoming very fatigued. My parents realized the dilemma I was facing and they suggested I find a dormitory to stay at full time. So heading into October, I was prepared for the change.

There was no problem getting a dorm room as there were many available. Was paired with John Mackenzie from Steubenville , Ohio who was majoring in business. It was a home run because we seemed to be very compatible and able to keep out of each other's way but being there to help when necessary.

The first time I met Irene was while heading to the campus library in the beginning of October, 1966. She was stunning with long red hair and piercing green eyes. I was doing project research and just talking to her seemed to steer me in the right direction. I found this to be true during subsequent meetings.

Irene had quite an array of colorful clothing and I could never anticipate what she would be wearing. Sometimes it was a skirt and blouse; or pants suit or flowery dress. One day she caught me totally by surprise with her hair colored black and I hardly recognized her.

Regardless, Irene always had an ear for listening to me and it was very helpful.

I had a girlfriend, Carol Marsh when I finished high school and we totally enjoyed the summer of 1965 together. There was a slight logistics problem...I would be attending NYU and she was headed to the University of California , Berkeley 3,000 miles away. Carol spent the summer of 1966 at home and we made a lot of trips to the beach. She headed back to California in August and we kissed goodbye. Little did I know that I would get a "Dear John" letter just after Halloween. I remember Halloween because Carol and I would dress up for Halloween and hand candy to the kids when they came to the front door at my house.

Anyhow, it was quite a blow to my ego. The only way for me to combat the feelings I was experiencing was to visit Irene. I could easily pick her out from a distance because she was wearing a bright colored dress that was red, yellow and blue. She was great and very attentive listening to my every word and, by her expression, I knew she could sense the sadness I was experiencing. Being with Irene seemed to ease the pain.

Our almost daily visits continued into March of 1967. The roulette wheel stopped on my number and I was, instantaneously, going to be in the United States Army. I was scheduled to report for a physical on March 21^st and knew full well that I was fit for duty.

I rushed to see Irene to fill her in on what my future was going to be. I explained the situation that was on the table is the exact fate I was gambling with from the get-go!

Passed the physical with flying colors and told Irene that I would be heading to boot camp and then was being sent to Vietnam . I was trained for clerical work and eventually wound up in DaNang and away from combat. I was glad about that.

When my two year tour was over, I applied to continue my education at NYU and began my final quest for a degree in May of 1969. Was delighted to be out of the draft picture and happy to be home and finally safe.

It was over two years since our last meeting. I was on my way to the city to continue the education started back in 1965. Couldn't get off the train fast enough and I rushed to see Irene and she looked more radiant than I remembered. Still wearing bright colored clothing that complimented her figure.

I was more than  happy to see her and I know she will be there until a new mannequin replaces her.