Senior Trip Memories
Editors' Note: Last month, we published a story by Ron Wencer about Senior Trips to Washington, D.C., via airplane in the 1950s and we included pictures from the 1956 Comet Yearbook. We asked for more submissions. What follows are those submissions. It's not too late to send more as we can continue this feature into the future if there is interest.
Scott Schutzman, Class of 1977
On the Riverboat I was playing cards [for money] with my crew. Mr. O'Daugherty approached us and asked "who is the best poker player of you degenerates?" He then shuffled the cards for a few minutes and dealt two hands in 5 card draw. I was dealt Kings over 10s, a full house. He drew three cards and was holding 4 aces. We didn't stop talking about that for the rest of the trip. He definitely taught us a lesson. I miss him.
Wendy (Elkis) Girnis, Class of 1977
Not counting graduation, the Senior Trip was the pinnacle of our senior year for the Class of 1977. We went to Washington, D.C., and Williamsburg, Virginia, in March of 1977. Each bus named itself after the teacher who was chaperoning that bus. Our bus was known as "Salver's Savages". I believe Ms. Crum, the school nurse, was also on our bus. Since the TV show Charlie's Angels was popular at the time, the boys hung up a poster of Farrah Faucet in the middle of the bus surrounded by balloons. The trip had a rocky beginning. There was a tanker truck accident in the Fort McHenry tunnel, and we were stuck on 95 for at least 6 hours, but we finally arrived.
Williamsburg, Virginia, was a lot of fun. We toured the Colonial village, saw a musket demonstration, saw oxen pull carts, checked out the blacksmith shop, and tried out the pillory. In Washington, D.C., we toured the Capitol, walked the Mall, took a Riverboat on the Potomac, visited the Smithsonian, and attended a wreath-laying by our class at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The most fun part of the trip, was rooming with friends. Remember, we were 17 and 18 years old. The history was secondary, unfortunately. As for rooming with friends, we had 4/5 of us in a room. I don't think we slept at all, except on the bus. The reason we didn't sleep was due to the nightly battles we had. We all packed water guns and shaving cream. Each night a battle ensued. At one point, I had on a green raincoat to stay dry and was sprayed with lime-scented shave cream. It definitely was a lot of fun, but as I said, we hardly got any sleep. The chaperones didn't get any sleep either. They kept the halls cleared by walking them all night. We definitely kept them on their toes.
It was fun to reminisce while going through my photo album. I have names on the backs of the photos, but unfortunately, after 47 years in a photo album, the photos are adhered to the pages. I recognize quite a few people, but not all. So, if you see yourself in any of the photos, and want me to put your name in the captions, please let me know.
Joanne Russo, Class of 1977
Some pics from our Senior Trip.
Kevin Clark, Class of 1977
This is the only picture I could find from the Senior Tip. My BF's Joe Licata and Ted Goussios on the bus (Krumm's Buns) to Washington, D.C.
Maryellen Little, Class of 1968
The Class of 69 was down in DC when Martin Luther King was shot. We were quarantined in our rooms in Virginia, and the next day, they put us on busses, and we went down to Virginia to get to Williamsburg. Spent the day there. I remember our parents were freaking out. We had to take the bus home instead of the train in DC. I remember the military was going into DC. You see, the army ranks were in total chaos.
Robert J. Karman
This is a picture of the Hicksville High School Class of 1938 Senior Trip to Washington, D.C., in April of 1938. The picture belonged to my Aunt Virginia Karman (Duer), who was vice president of the HHS senior class. Virginia was also secretary of the HHS Honor Society, a member of the Comet yearbook staff, and performed in the Senior Class play. Also a member of many clubs, Virginia played on the HHS Basketball and Field Hockey teams.
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Dr. Bart Savino submitted these photos of the Senior Trip from the Class of 1970
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