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

The final Confirmed List of Names, organized alphabetically by graduating class year, just as it will appear on the actual Memorial is what we will continue to publish from this point forward! To review the final list, please go to this month's Update in the Honoring Our Veterans tab of this issue of HixNews.

We start our 19th year with the October issue. HixNews has come a long way since 2000 and the success is because of participation. It seems we begged so long for information from "you all"! The begging has ceased and the editors want to thank everyone for contributing information that piques the memories of many!

There have been disappointments where the editors have tried to implement an idea for a "special section" only to see it fail. Obviously, some of you have ideas for such a section. Please submit your ideas to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. but be prepared to offer your time as a contributing editor who will collect, organize and maintain that particular "special section."

F L A S H B A C K
A Tribute to Holly Horton

The untimely death of Holly Horton in 2000 saddened our hearts. She was a very spirited person who enjoyed life and enriched those she touched with unselfish commitment. Holly was instrumental in bringing Hicksville High School (HHS) together again just prior to a mega reunion, organized by Anton Mure and Rich Delia, that was attended by a wide variety of alumni on September 22^nd, 2000.

Holly authored a mailing list that she put onto a website. Her sometimes daily updates of names and addresses were eagerly anticipated by the growing list of alumni. Her emails were augmented by a collage of tidbits and trivia, a result of feedback from others. She put up special photographs that we all enjoyed and that effort united a wide bracket of HHS students. She did this because she wanted to give back special moments to others by providing a source that could be accessed by all of us.The only thing missing from that reunion was Holly herself who looked forward, with obvious anticipation, at the prospect of seeing some old friends and sharing remembrances of times past. It was several days prior to the reunion when an uncontrollable asthma attack ended her life; a tragedy in itself for a person who battled this malady all her life just to survive.

Holly was attending Hicksville High School when her family moved to Massapequa prior to graduation with the class of 1961. She graduated from Massapequa High School in 1961. Her obituary is at the bottom of this document.

A fitting way to pay respect to Holly was to continue what she started. That challenge was accepted by Pat Koziuk Driscoll (Class of 1956) and Linda Piccerelli Hayden (Class of 1960). They did this out of respect for Holly but also because they see the enjoyment others realize from their effort. It's a way to introduce coming events; such as reunions for various classes. It's an avenue for contacting friends and sharing information that we all treasure. We have the capacity to put up pictures, at various web sites, for all of us to enjoy. In other words, the newsletter is a perfect vehicle for keeping people apprised of "what's happening!"

I want to personally say 'THANKS" to Pat and Linda for all that you do for me and for the alumni of Hicksville High School .

Buffalo Bob Casale 1961

The Newsletter

Photo Gallery

Absolutely Amazing!

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Memory Lane

Maxine Talking About Senior Citizens

Senior citizens are constantly being criticized for every conceivable deficiency of the modern world, real or imaginary. We know we take responsibility for all we have done and do not try to blame others.

HOWEVER, upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT senior citizens who took:

• The melody out of music,
• The pride out of appearance,
• The courtesy out of driving,
• The romance out of love,
• The commitment out of marriage,
• The responsibility out of parenthood,
• The togetherness out of the family,
• The learning out of education,
• The service out of patriotism,
• The Golden Rule from rulers,
• The nativity scene out of cities,
• The civility out of behavior,
• The refinement out of language,
• The dedication out of employment,
• The prudence out of spending,
• The ambition out of achievement or
• God out of government and school.
  

And we certainly are NOT the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!

And, we DO understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country

Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts, as they stand at attention, when the American Flag passes by in a parade!

YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN!

• I'm the life of the party... even if it only lasts until 8 p.m.
• I'm very good at opening childproof caps... with a hammer.
• I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up.
• I'm smiling all the time, because I can't hear a thing you're saying.
• I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere.
• I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.
• I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life! Now if I could only remember who sent this to me, I wouldn't send it back to them. Or, maybe I should send it to all my friends anyway. They won't remember, even if they did send it.

Spread the laughter! Share the cheer!

Let's be happy While we're here.

MAY GOD BLESS America AND MAY AMERICA CONTINUE TO THANK GOD !!

Share the cheer!

Class of 1986 - Then and Now

Eric Altman

  
James Anglin

  
Melanie Artoglou

  
Chris Asta

  
Marianne Aversano

  
Michelle Bayer

  
Christine Beggs

  
Barbara Benetos

  
Alyson Berger

  
Ed Bilello

  
Serena Bisgeier

  
Charlie Blaha

  
Drew Blake

   
Deborah Boccio

  
Ann Bomberger

Casale's Corner

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?

I dreamed that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ' This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received. I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section. The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there.

There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing.

"This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed."How is it that there is no work going on here? 'I asked.

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments!"

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked.

"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord."

"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."

"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.

"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation. You are ahead of 700 million people in the world."

"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."

"If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare."

"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm; you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.

OK, what now? How can I start?

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are

ATTN: Acknowledge Dept.

"Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it. If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you send it on? I thank God for everything, especially all my family and friends!