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April 2001
Volume 1 Number 7

March winds; April showers; May flowers, I sure do miss those things.

Here in Florida we usually tell the seasons by the changing colors of the license plates.

April is the driest month of the year. Hard to believe that we are only a three hour plane trip from NY.

Now I'm wondering ... where do you go to retire when you live and work in Florida??? (PKD)

Yahoo.com has made some changes. To get to the photos click:
http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/grandmagadget

Note from Mary O'Shaughnessy Cleary
Q and A
Links
The News in Brief
Back to Back Storms

Note from Mary O'Shaughnessy Cleary, Class of 1961

Let's all help Mary in any way we can. Her address Mcleary876@aol.com

" Class of '61 will be celebrating 40 Years. Many people have asked for a reunion. Since I was involved with running the three previous
reunions (10, 20 & 25) I have received requests to start this one running. I feel I have been "reunioned out". I can't seem to get
this thing going.

Maybe you can suggest a way I can contact just the Class of '61 and see if anyone else is interested in getting involved. I am pretty computer illiterate so I don't know how to break down all of the email addresses you have. I also don't know who is still on Classmates, but I will list a memo there. Thanks in advance for any suggestions."

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Q and A

From: Suzanne Garrett Cullen '56

Re: Ray Muller's questions

Robert Chevrolet was the Stop and Shop supermarket?* Scheiner's Drugs was on the west side of Broadway between West Carl St.
and the street before Nicholai St. ( I cannot remember the name) I'm not too sure about this Huettner's was on the southwest corner of West Marie and Broadway

The Hudson dealer was on the northwest corner of Broadway and Old Country Rd.

Bahrenberg's was one bakery and I do not remember the other Sweet Shop was 2 doors up from the corner of West Marie and Broadway on the west side (next to Bahrenberg's bakery)

A&P was on South Broadway at Lewis St. in the early 60's

Bohack was on the corner of Broadway and Old Country Rd on the east side but I do not know what replaced it

These are my questions....

Do you remember Schwartz's Furniture Store, Kantor's Tire Store, Olga's, and Beatty's Stationery Store, Starlight Shop and Repetti's
Candy Store where we could get the penny candy and the Greek's luncheonette too.

*By the way, I saw in our yearbook that Robert Chevrolet was formally MacPherson Chevrolet on First St. Ask Ray Muller if he remembers Lindemann's Soda Fountain (they were next to the Hudson dealership on Broadway). They only sold Horton's ice cream and the counter was made of marble instead of Formica.

I am not too sure of the street names as I get West Cherry St. and West Marie St. mixed up and I do not go to Hicksville except to go to the dentist.

Hicksville is so different now....ever since they elevated the railroad and took the whole west side of Broadway to widen the road.

Thanks for the newsletter as I really enjoy it!

Love,

Suzanne

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Links

NEW YORK - JUST A REMINDER
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 16:34:30 -0500
From: June Cullen class of 1958


These are nifty sites - Do take the time to explore all ... thought the
New Yorkers would enjoy these two sites:

Click here: NEW YORK, NEW YORK.

Click here: Welcome Back To N.Y. N.Y.

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The News in Brief

• Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2001 2:43 AM
  Subject: It's a girl!
  
  > My son Jason and his wife Cheryl had Megan Emily White at 6:55 PM in Murrieta
  > CA. Megan was 7 lbs 13 oz and is 20".
  > Baby, parents and grandparents are doing fine.
  > Jeff
  
  Jeff White '73
  
  CONGRADULATIONS, GRANDPA!

• Mary Jo Crabtree Morrow '71 started playing the violin in 3rd grade at East St. School in good old Hicksville. Presently she performs with the Central Florida Symphony Orchestra.

• Bits of news: Wife Dorothy and I retired last July. She was a teacher/librarian in the Half Hollow Hills school district, and I was a
  programmer (flight simulators) for Northrop Grumman. Son Peter is in a rock band that was just signed by Maverick Records (Madonna's label.) He starts recording in LA in a few weeks. Daughter Christine is a Hofstra graduate ('97) and a teacher's assistant in Cold Spring Harbor school district and will be finishing her Masters this May. Son Michael received his BS in
  business from Oswego State in '94 (same school as his uncle Phil HHS '58) and is the owner operator of Anselmo Landscapes, Inc., Huntington, Huntington Station, Dix Hills area.
  
  Regards,
  Mike Anselmo 1959

• In reply to your email, this is Claramae Gross Ceravino, Class of '64.
  
  My husband, John, is also class of '64. We have been married 31 years and have four grown children. I lived on Old Country Rd., right by the entrance to Wantagh Pkwy., in a big old farm house that was 105 years old when we moved into it, when I was 5 years old. Not too many kids would come over to play because most parents wouldn't let their kids cross Old Country Rd. Bach's Blacksmith's Shop was on the corner, then Louis Wesnofski, who was a potato broker, then us, then the Brumby Kennel, and
  Krummanacher Florist. I moved to 6th St. when I was 16, which is right off Division Ave. across from the high school. John lived across Newbridge Rd. on Milburn St

• My name is Diane (Burke) McGinn. Class of 1960.
  
  Have been in touch with; Judy (Grandy) Reid, Pat Hanagan, Joann Gorman, Bruce Brady, Joe Germain, Jean Lodato and Carol Barberi. Found a few of them through Classmates.com.They are also class of 1960. It was really fun to e-mail and catch up with everyone. Hope this is of some help. I guess everyone knows, Mabel Sassatelli Roth passed away in June. Was trying to reach Linda Plotsky (I know she is in Florida somewhere) and Dot Haggerty.

• Our deepest sympathy to Ken, Gayle, Debra and John Philcox. Their mother, Margrethe, passed away on March 7, 2001. Mrs. Philcox was a teacher and director at Trinity Lutheran School for 35 years.

• Mr. Richard Evers (The Official Historian of Hicksville) has published a book on the history of Hicksville titled "Image of American, Hicksville". The book can be purchased from Mr Evers for $20.00 at 24 S. Elm St, Hicksville 11801-4364
  
  It is my understanding that there are many photos from past to present. Mr. Evers was a teacher at the Junior High and I am sure when you send for the book he would be thrilled to hear from you.
  
  Mr. Evers was my favorite teacher. Thanks to him, no matter where I have lived, I have always searched out the history of the area. (LPH)
  
  Mrs. Evers died this past February. Following is part of the article in antonnews.com about her. Mr. Evers would probably enjoy hearing from his old students at the above address.
  
  NEWS: Long-Time Resident, Co-Author Anne Evers Dies
  
  Long-time Hicksville resident Anne Evers, who co-authored many Hicksville history books with her husband, Richard Evers, died
  Friday, Feb. 9 surrounded by family. She was 84. Mrs. Evers was waked at Stocks Funeral Home. Father James Carmody
  celebrated her Mass at St. Ignatius Loyola Roman Catholic Church in Hicksville Tuesday, Feb. 13 with an interment following
  at Calverton National Cemetery.

• We received the following letter from Gene Yetter 1959.
  
  Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 09:52:32 -0500
  From: gyetter@worldnet.att.net
  
  Hi,
  
  Great job with the newsletter. Thank you for the plug of our Class of 59 site (www.comets59.org). It's been fun putting it together. My first choice for a domain name was "hhs59.org." That name turned out to be already in use by the Highland High School, Albuquerque, N.M., Class of 1959! I wonder how many other HHS's there are out there. But comets59.org will do fine as our domain name.
  
  I am looking forward to many updates on our illustrious members. If you haven't looked at the site lately, I just added a golf page. I am hoping that many of our classmates will come clean with their golf memoirs. Tom Pilko has broken the ice and the story of his life on the links has been uploaded. Tracing the whereabouts of some of the missing classmates is a problem, as I am sure you are aware. Carl Probst is really the one who has been on that job for the Class of 1959, with assistance from Joyce
  Clements Anglim, Janet Luna Marcus, Eileen Walters Toscano and a few others. Perhaps with the Hicksville newsletter's reach among all the classes some of the lost 1959 Comets will be identified and returned to the fold. I'll be watching your issues for information.
  
  All the best,
  
  Gene Yetter

• Date:
  Fri, 9 Mar 2001 08:12:11 -0500
  From:
  "Hannaman, Kathy" AKA: "Cookie" Koziuk '60
  
  Subject: Helping others win. By Caring. .
  
  Today's reality check and they call some of these people "retarded"...
  
  A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry.
  
  The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back......every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better."
  
  Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing
  down and changing our course. If you pass this on, we may be able to change our hearts as well as someone else's....
  
  "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle"
  
  

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Back to Back Storms

It was late January, 1978. Most of the communities on Long Island awoke to a beautiful and horrific spectacle. A cold front had slipped down from Canada and met a mass of rain coming up from the Gulf of Mexico. It was not a significant amount of rain but the mixture of temperature and water coated everything in sight...trees, shrubs, houses, power lines and all the roads that were treacherous for cars venturing out this particular morning. It was beautiful to see. The sunrise was magnificent because the icing of everything in sight gave the effect of being in a house of crystals that glistened in so many different colors. The unfortunate part of such a storm is the power outages that result from downed lines. The problem was compounded because the temperature stayed at or below zero.
Homes that lacked power, and heat, were freezing up as well. The cold that freezes water adds a little touch of expansion and that
insignificant little touch is enough to crack copper pipes that carry water throughout most homes to provide heat. You don't realize the damage exists until power is restored and houses start to warm and leaks make puddles that grow larger and spread water to all points of the house and it makes you cry...but the tears only make larger puddles.

As the island started to recover from the ice storm, an early February Nor Easter descended upon us. My brother-in-law, Otto Gabrielsen, and I drove into Long Island City early that morning. The prospect of snow prompted us to alter the schedule our trucks would follow this day. We had a business that delivered carpeting throughout the five boroughs, New Jersey and Connecticut. We always started early but to insure that we could get into and out of New York City before the snow started, we left at about 3 A.M.

We were in the city at 4:30, completed our early deliveries by 6:00 and were back at the warehouse in LIC before 6:30. The snow was to start around 9 A.M., so we opted to send our employees home after we loaded the trucks with the next day deliveries.

Around 8:30, a light snow began to fall and by 9:30, streets and sidewalks started to show some accumulation. Otto and I decided to leave and were saying goodbye when Jane, who worked for Consolidated Carpet, asked if we could take her home. It was sorta on the way, so we agreed to drop her at home. She lived in the vicinity of Shea Stadium. We jumped into our van after putting about a thousand pounds of cement and flash patch in the back for traction.

The snow was piling up at a maddening rate now and everybody that worked in and around New York City was going home at the same time, around 10 A.M. We worked our way slowly down Northern Boulevard because the traffic was creeping along. Visibility was bad and most vehicles were not equipped to handle this amount of snow in such a short period of time. People were already getting themselves stuck and Otto, who was driving, weaved his way through the mass of cars that just couldn't move. The time...about 11:30 A.M. Jane was great giving directions. "Otto, go left; go right; go left," until we finally reached her block.

We got close to her house and then it was go nowhere. We dropped her off and waited to see if some of those stuck vehicles would get unstuck. Forget about it. We could move but couldn't go anywhere because people were in our way. We wasted about an hour helping push and dig, dig and push, push and dig...until, finally, we were able to get around the blockage and headed for Northern Boulevard, again. The plows were working but only on main roads because side roads were mostly blocked. We got to Northern Blvd
about 1 P.M. and a plow was working...but heading back toward Long Island City, and we were heading East, toward Long Island. For the next three hours, we would travel approximately 10 miles, getting stuck behind cars that couldn't move. At one point, we helped dig out a police car that was stuck in a drift of snow. I think they were in hot pursuit of a cup of coffee when they slid sideways into a huge pile of snow. We got them out of their dilemma but were entering into a new dilemma, the "unknown zone." Where, you ask, is that? At this point in time, with about 15 inches of snow on the ground, and still coming down like nobody's business...the "unknown zone" was everywhere...but our "unknown zone" was (and just visualize this) on Northern Blvd, at the top of the hill in Queens and we are heading east to the top of the hill on the other side and it's snowing like crazy and we can't see too much, but there weren't too many idiots who even wanted to attempt what we were about to attempt. Just as we were entering the "unknown zone," a plow appeared at the top of the mountain, and he said, "Get behind me and I'll take you to the other side." Guess what we did???

On the other side, the plow turned around and headed back toward Queens with a caravan of cars following close behind. The roads on the Nassau side were barely passable. We managed to limp along as darkness was closing in on us and making it even more difficult to see. I would say it was around 4:30...conception of time at this point was unnecessary...getting home safely was the chore.
We made it past Lakeville Road and were heading toward Manhasset. There is another monster hill going east on Northern Blvd that was just impossible to climb. We tried three times and got to a point where we started sliding backward. Otto turned around and we headed back to Lakeville Road. There really weren't too many cars on the road that were moving...our Dodge van was doing real well and I'm sure the extra weight on the back helped tremendously.

Otto made a left on Lakeville Road and we headed toward the Long Island Expressway that was only about a mile away. Thank heaven for no traffic and a good head of steam and we made it to the entrance to the expressway that was off the service road just east of Lakeville Road. The entrance ramp had a decent coating of snow and our concern was if we could make it through and onto the expressway. Plus, what did the expressway look like??? We walked the ramp and found it probably passable...the expressway was totally socked in and we decided to stay on the service road. When we made it back to the van, a strange noise filled the air. We turned to see a bright light heading eastbound on the expressway...the light was attached to a plow...what a break. We scrambled into the van
and pressed forward through the snow that covered the entrance ramp and made it onto the expressway that had just been plowed. The plow had about five or six vehicles directly behind it and we took up our place in the queue. The driver of the plow had orders...like Horace Greeley said go West, young man...this guy's boss said, go East young man. and east he went...and east....and east...all the way to who knows where because we exited right onto the ramp that leads to the Northern State Parkway...the parkway was plowed all the way to Wantagh Parkway...and Wantagh parkway was plowed..all the way to Hempstead Turnpike. We were flying along as the snow continued to fall...all the way down Hempstead Turnpike...down Gardiner's Avenue to North Jerusalem...and I got off and walked across the street to my house at 7 Wafer Lane. It was almost 7 o'clock. What a trip.

But Otto had to get home and he lived on 22nd Street in Jericho...that's a little east of Route 107 near to Northern State Parkway...Otto made it to Route 107 in front of Sears, across from the Mid Island Plaza...shut the van off and walked the remaining blocks to his house!!!

That was the storm of the century...not like the one that hit us a few weeks ago. That's one trip I will never forget.

Bob Casale - Class of '61

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