Hi Bob C., Pat, Bob G., Linda, Walt, Bob W. and Roger, 

Thank you for the Birthday card.  It was really beautiful, and what a nice idea.  And Jacquie Lawson cards are my favorite...I send them often to my friends.  I must admit when I read in the subject line, "A card from Robert Casale," I thought, "Why would Bob Casale be sending me a birthday card????  He couldn't possibly remember me!"   But then, I got it.  So on behalf of all the November Hicksville alumni, thank you for the card and for the connection.   

Keep up the good work, 

Best regards,
Kathleen (now Katie) Kennedy   Class of '62

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My 5 year term for fire commissioner is up this year and I am running again Dec. 9th at the fire house. If you know anyone who can vote in Hicksville, I would appreciate the support.

Charley Hearon, '71

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I am writing because I just read the note from Lauren Gonzalez asking if anyone knew her mother Hope Lambert while in high school. I did and was very sad to learn that she passed away. Could you please forward my email address to Lauren and ask her to contact me as I don't see how to contact her.

Thanks and regards for the wonderful service you are providing. The newsletter is getting better each month!

Warm Regards,
Ira Woods, '67    Las Vegas

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Hi all, 
Mike Regan here from the class of '66... 
Thought you might get a kick out of the enclosed (Below) link... 
Great tune, great photographs and packed with some awesome memories... 
"Great Newsletter"... Keep up the fine work & "Thanks" 
Catch ya' later, Mike

http://oldfortyfives.com/DYRT. htm

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Looking at the basketball photo, I think it might be Bob Malaby from Dutch Lane Elementary School that John Ebbecke was referring to in that photo. As I recall, Bob moved out there while we were in 9th or 10th grade. I knew Bob since the Dutch Lane Days and he always played bball up at the courts.

Bill Claudy 1973

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Hi all, 
  
     Wrote the enclosed story a while back and thought yourselves & readers might enjoy... Both Veterans & Non-Veterans alike... 
  
                                                                                                            Sincere regards, 
                                                                                                            Mike Regan 
                                                                                                            Hicksville High's 
                                                                                                            Class of 1966 
  
______________________________ ______________________________ ________________________ 

About five years ago, 3:00 AM or so on a Memorial Day, I found myself alone with thoughts of all the great guys I had served with while an infantryman with the 3rd Marines up around Vietnam's DMZ in '68... With special regard to those many who were lost in combat. And, yes, thoughts, too, of my parents (My father was a WW II Vet) who had passed on not so long ago...Depressing time, indeed...  
 
Should also add that I was also quite tanked up on about my 2nd 6-pack of Guinness and found myself staring at an 'ole typewriter in the corner of the room. No computer in those days, so I pulled out the dusty ink cartridge, rammed a fresh one in place and, simply put, wrote whatever came to mind. As you can guess, I was in a bit of a stupor and the words flowed out as free as a new found breeze... Even found some humor in a bad situation... Dozed off about an hour later, eventually found my way to bed, and conked out. Not giving thought to whatever I had written... 
 
Woke up at around noon, went out toward the kitchen to start up some much needed coffee. As I passed through the living room I spotted my wife sitting on my easy chair with the typewritten page she had taken out of the "Brother" in hand. Obviously, she had been crying... Big time... Suzy had lost her brother (And a good friend of mine), Gregg, during a fire-fight near the DMZ in March of '68 while serving with the 4th Marines and something, whatever it was in the writing, touched her about as deep as it gets. When she spotted me, she wiped some tears, got up and gave me one hell of a hug. Then I read what was written. And, as screwy as this sounds, we both cried and laughed for the next few minutes. For whatever this worth, we've both found some major solace in the outcome, no real thanks to me, but probably to the Guinness Brewery... 
 
To make a long story a bit longer, thought I'd share that story. It's below... Hope you, and anyone else out there who has lost a loved one or friend, find some share of both hope and solace in the words. No doubt, some of you may think me quite the nut case... But, screw it, I sometimes wonder if a teenager named Christopher Columbus was a bit tanked up (Not sure if Guinness existed in those days) while he stared through a telescope, watched the 50 foot mast of a sailing ship slowly sink into the horizon and came to realize (True story) that something out there was curved. By Golly...! The World Is Round...! And, of course, the most respected intellects of the time hung up on their "world is flat" definition wrote him off. At least for awhile... 
 
Anyway, the computer came into play a few years later and I shot off a copy to each and every faculty member of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). No doubt, there's some screw-ball Irish Professor, dumpin' one brew after another, working out a solution even as you read... Enjoy 
 
Keep The Faith, 
Mike 
 
______________________________ ______________________________ ____________________ 
 
"Keepin' The Faith" 
 
The story regards a small group of Marines, haggard and tired from day's events, sitting at their jungle outpost as night approaches and attempting to find solace after the loss of friends in battle. Ceremony, designed to sooth, and which normally surrounds loss of those close to us is not to be. Mingling among family and friends at the wake, kind words from the preacher, the funeral procession to the cemetery for more kind words and capped off with roast turkey, drinks and even a bit of laughter as the pleasant memories take over. To be able to pay respect. In a proper way, to a friend. None of this was to be. Simply there one moment, with talk of the future and, of course, tales about the incredible babes back in "The World". And gone the next moment, with the unceremonious zipping of a body bag. 
 
For reasons only an infantryman can fathom, the talk turns to the atom. It seems, according to one Marine, that every thing as we know it, the wind, the rain, the hub cap off a '55 Chevy, even those of us, are made up of different combinations of only eighty some odd atoms; each with its select number of electrons orbiting at various levels above a proton/neutron nucleus. 
 
"Did ya' know?" he adds, "That the ratio of the nearest electron to its nucleus is greater in distance as compared to the earth from the sun.". His friends are impressed. "Not only would you need a million atoms, piled on top of each other, to equal the thickness of a page, but to be able to compress the electrons into the nucleus would also mean that you could fit an entire sky-scraper into the eraser head of a pencil." Now his friends are amazed. 
 
A few moments of silence. "Kinda' makes you wonder about the guys." another Marine suggests. "I mean, if all those millions of bucks were spent to split a single atom, are they really dead? Seems to me that those electrons are still goin' through a spin cycle." 
 
Discussion continues, cigarettes are smoked in cupped hands and, bingo, ARE is founded. Atomic Recovery Employment systems. Until someone pointed out that ---- ------- would be ticked off if recovered with the head of a moose. A long moment of laughter, and they pondered some more. 
 
To the scientist, there is the atom. To the theologian, there is spirit. To that young group of Marines, having found their solace, there is Comparable Atomic Recovery Employment systems. CARE. 
 
Seeming to sum things up, one of the Marine's who has remained silent throughout, simply listening, finally speaks. "You guys are gonna' think me wacko on this one, but when I was a kid my family went on a cross-country trip and at one point I found myself in one of those rare moments in a large family. I was standing alone with my Dad. We were at the very lip of the Grand Canyon, gazing at the awesome beauty, when he says to me, completely out of the blue, and we're not talking a religious fanatic here, "Ya' know, sport, I think this is what Christ had in mind when He said, probably in frustration, "The Kingdom of Heaven is here, now." 
 
Heads nod, cigarettes are snuffed, and talk comes to an end as a Marine glances at his watch, stands with an M-16, and heads off to guard duty. 
 
"Catch you guys later." he concludes. 
 
Semper Fi, 
Mike Regan, 
3rd Marines 
Vietnam's DMZ, 1968

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Click here: NY State Senator John J. Flanagan Honors John Andrew Thorburn, Ra The Rugged Man's Father - GRANDGOOD    

From Joyce (Thorburn) '67. This is my brother John Andrew Thorburn. We are very proud of him, unfortunately, as I said before he has lung cancer stemming from Agent Orange.

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Hi

I was surprised not to see my birthday listed among the November celebrants.  It's the 29th.  My year of graduation was 1958.  Kathleen M. Donovan (maiden name) Agiesta (married name).

Also I must congratulate Vicky Penner Whitaker et-al for the fine job they did on our 50th reunion.  I know Vicky had been working on it most of this year and continues to do so by being the intermediary for a number of people.  Thank you again Vicky

I enjoy reading the Hixnews ......keep up the good work

Kathleen Donovan Agiesta

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Bob,

You can still get your cheesecakes from the Princess Bakery; you just have to travel a little further. They also make incredible jelly donuts! They consolidated into the one in Massapequa on Route 107, 1334 Hicksville Road, Massapequa. They are in the same shopping center as the Massapequa Key Shop, owned by Steve Egglinger (class '68) and Marshall's.

Rich Delia, '68 (HX)

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    Tom Burns Happy birthday bro

Herb Pearce, '62

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Absolutely loved the special greeting for my birthday.  As always, enjoy reading HHS Newsletter.  Living in Plainview, I get into Hicksville every week.  It's not the same Hicksville most of us enjoyed, but we have to go with the times.

Keep up the good work - we all appreciate what you do for us!

Ellen Boos Bruwer, '54

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Hi "Newsletter"! 
 
I took my first Judo lesson on Saturday and was surprised and pleased to find out that my instructor is/was from HICKSVILLE!  I think he would have graduated around 1961, if he had not enlisted in the military. 
 
His website is below.  Pretty impressive.  You may want to contact him for details.  I sent him a copy of the last newsletter, fyi. 
Joanie  (Joan Komar Langlois '61)
 

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Joe Turchiano Judo Dojo of Long Island  http://www.dojos.com/ turchiano/index.htm

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From: Chris Andersen. Taken in April of 1960 East Street School Class 4-110  HHS Graduating Class of 1968

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Hi Pat, 

The bike ride went well. October 5th was a cold, wet and dark  morning. The sort of dreary morning that doesn't particularly inspire 
someone to spring out of bed. In fact, had it not been for the fact that everyone I knew was aware that I was supposed to be riding that day, I'm sure I would have stayed in bed. Instead, feeling accountable to my supporters, I pushed myself out into the pouring rain. 

In the end, I raised over $1100 and spent more than 7 hours riding my bike to complete the 100 miles. It was nearly an hour faster than my previous attempt (done in a training ride for the MS ride). I was left with a wonderful sense of personal accomplishment that I would not have had without the supporter of yourself and others. Thank you. 

Riding 100 miles is tough. I debated with my girlfriend, who recently completed the NYC Marathon, which was tougher. Marathoning or cycling 100 miles? I think marathoning is because it is more intense. But biking 100 miles is no joke. I am pretty active on my bike and ride to work most days, which is about 7 or 8 miles from Brooklyn to Rockefeller Center. To get ready for the ride, I started adding longer weekend rides. Starting with a few 25 milers and then gradually increasing to 30, 50, 65 and 100 on a day that was went to be only 75. I didn't train as much as "they" suggest and I'm sure it was tougher for it, but it went ok. I felt much better the next day than I would have expected. 

The ride itself was a challenge. As I suggested, it was a challenging day for a bike ride. After being soaked in the first few minutes, I didn't dry out until I was home. The sun didn't come out until the last hour of my ride. I also ride a beaten-up, hand-me-down bicycle that had been dragged under the hood of a car just the week before after my bike and I suffered an accident (the bike got worse than I). My 1980s Motobecane (a French racing bike) wasn't the type of bike ridden by most of the other riders, but it carried me through the day. The biggest challenge was mental, however. As we rode further and further away from the city (crossing into New City, NY at one point), I worried about my bike developing a serious ailment and how I would get home. It wasn't until we turned the corner and started heading back to the finish line that I really started to enjoy myself. AT about mile 75, there was also a group of Girl Scouts (or Brownies or the like) that were manning the water station and they gave a great cheer when I pulled in to fuel up and rest for a minute. Their encouragement also went a long way. It's nice to be done. Although I'm continuing to try to ride my bike all winter, I think the long rides are done for now. 
Thanks again for your support. 

Best, 
Matt Bruckner, '96

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Thank you for sending the e-mail each month as a reminder.  My busy schedule of teaching physics and family prevents me from remembering the past.  It is so pleasant to go down memory lane.  High school was such a fun time! 
Mary D'Amato Fenton, '60

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Hello, 
  
The HHS has started a Blog, http:// hicksvillehistoricalsocietyny. blogspot.com/ 
Perhaps it can be added under Historical & Informative Sites?  
 
While we're at it why not add the Hicksville Gregory Museum 
http://gregorymuseum.org/ 
  
Thanks, 
Richard Althaus 
  
President - Hicksville Gregory Museum 
Vice President - Hicksville Historical Society

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Dianne Gunnigle Burkhardt, '68 found Roseann Chiccarelli Cudlipp, '68. Here is the note sent to Dianne from Roseann who Cc: the newsletter:

 Hi Dianne,

I cannot tell you how many times you have been in my thoughts. Down to you wanting to get a house with the bedroom on the second floor because you liked the view from my bedroom window.

 We have been living in Tampa, Florida for the last 8 years. We are all well. Tina, will be 39 Dec. 30th lives nearby, works for Bank of America, Christopher, 37, is an executive producer for SPIKE TV, he is still in NY, and Gabrielle (did you know about her?) is 13. She makes it easier to pretend I did not graduate 40 years ago.

 Please tell Barbara, I have carried her senior picture proof in my Bible for 27 years. I hope both of your families are in the best of health.

 I'm so glad you found me!

Roseann Ciccarelli Cudlipp

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Thought you might like to read about the power of Hicksville kids collective success today in the current issue of the NYSUT publication November 20, 2008  http://www.nysut.org/cps/rde/ xchg/nysut/hs.xsl/ newyorkteacher_11500.htm

John Sherin, '56

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