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August 2003
Volume 3 Number 11

FROM THE EDITORS:

Each month many newsletters are returned with the "mailbox over quota" message. If you have missed a copy and wish to have another sent to you, please let us know.

The really old issues have been archived by Bob Casale. He can be contacted at bufbob@juno.com.

Recently we have been made aware that SPAM killers are rejecting the newsletter. If you know of someone who has not been receiving the newsletter, please tell him or her to add hixnews@atlantic.net to his or her "friends" list. This may have something to do with us sending out the newsletter using the blind carbon copy. However, with 457 addresses now on the distribution list, it would make the newsletter 2 pages longer and many people do not want their email made available to everybody.


Hicksville High School has honored many of its alumni throughout the years. There is a hall of fame within the school, and nominees from years past are listed there. These students, our friends, have distinguished themselves in communities throughout the United States. In certain instances, their impact has been noticed worldwide.

We feel we have only touched the surface in recognizing some of our alumni. We have established a Hall of Fame that is set up at classmates.com ...link to Hall Of Fame Hicksville High School

http://group.classmates.com/user/photoalbum/album.tf?album_id=113425

Please take the time to look at the site. Those listed have certainly impacted our lives. There are many others that are deserving of being included for obvious reasons. We want to see them listed but need help in establishing the criteria that warrants their inclusion.
Take a moment soon and please think about someone who has gone beyond the norm that should be part of our Hall of Fame...
Look at the following and see some of your friends from years past...link to Brooklyn Bridge Photo circa 1969

http://group.classmates.com/user/photoalbum/photo.tf?photo_id=2534726

Regards...HHS Editors

In Memory
News and Notes and Memories
Reunions
Trivia

In Memory

Katherine Claire O'Donnell, age 53, of Harleysville, PA, died on July 3, 2003 after an extended battle with cancer. Born on December 20, 1949 in Brooklyn, NY, she was the daughter of William J. and Muriel C. O'Donnell. Always known for her straightforward approach to life, she was the president of the Cold Spring/Garrison Chamber of Commerce for two terms.

Katherine was an entrepreneur, managing Elaine's Restaurant in NYC for many years before running a number of restaurants on her own and then creating the Main Street Café in Cold Spring, NY.

She is survived by her Mother, Muriel C. O'Donnell of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, two daughters, Katie Nora Tillman and Mary Tillman of Pennsylvania and one grand-daughter, Makayla Tillman. Also surviving are 4 siblings, William J. O'Donnell, Jr. of Colorado, Kevin O'Donnell of Pennsylvania, Brian O'Donnell of Cold Spring, NY, and Charlotte O'Donnell of Colorado. In addition Katherine is survived by her ex-husband, Jerry Tillman.

Private cremation took place in King of Prussia, PA. A private celebration of her life was held on Saturday, July 12th in Pennsylvania.

(Her brother Brian wrote the above)

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News, Notes and Memories

• Long Island's premiere band
  "Mid-life Crisis" will be at Singleton's Bethpage outdoor BBQ/happy hour this Friday Aug. 1st, from 5:00 'til 11:00! Join us for a great time as we play the tunes you love to dance and listen to!!! Located on the NE corner of Rte 107 & Hempstead Tpke (731-7065)

• Thanks for the newsletter. Nice to see what people are doing. For what its worth:
  
  I (Roslyn Goldmacher) graduated 1971. My twin sister Shelley "graduated" with a Special Ed degree in 1972. Our older sister Beth graduated 1967. Beth was the first female trumpet player in the Hicksville bands. She and her husband Mark are attorneys in Westbury. Shelley lives in Rockville Center and works at the Nassau AHRC Workshop three days/week, at Beth's law office on the computer one day/week, and at my company one day/week. I am President/CEO of the Long Island Development Corporation, a not for profit regional economic development corporation which makes loans to small businesses in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and provides free counseling to help them obtain government contracts. LIDC has made $650 million in loans to small LI companies and helped them obtain over $610 million in government contracts. Our main lending program is a long-term, low fixed rate subordinate mortgage loan program to help small businesses buy buildings on Long Island. My mom and I continued to live in Hicksville until last year. Then, after 42 years in Hicksville, we moved to Westbury. Recently, Shelley and I threw ourselves a 50th birthday party at Huntington Town House- with 240 attendees, games, music and lots of fun. Among the Hicksvillians attending:
  
  Arnie (Debbie) Arnesen-class of 1971- now in New Hampshire- has had an interesting career as a New Hampshire state legislator, then a writer, professor at Harvard, now a radio talk show host
  
  Lynne Ann Lombardi- class of 1971- actuary with Price Waterhouse Coopers in NYC- (Happy July 4 birthday to Lynne)-after years of dancing at Pegge O'Connor's School of Dance in Hicksville, Lynne is still at it, although now she dances with the likes of Liza Minelli at a studio in NY.
  
  Missing from the party but still in touch with:
  Vicki Mehr-class of 1971- violin teacher in Buffalo NY
  Robin Jacobson- class of 1971-writer, performer, nationally recognized poet in San Francisco, Calif.
  Patty Kurtz- class of 1971-attorney retired from international corporate law, residing in NYC and eastern LI.

• Hi,
  I graduated in 1961. I live now in Naples, Florida after living in New Jersey, Chicago, San Francisco area, and Los Angeles, California. My husband passed away about 8yrs ago from Cancer. He gave me very fond memories and two great daughters who have given me 4 grandchildren. Would love to hear from some of my classmates who live in Florida!
  Looking forward to our reunion next year!
  
  Have a great 4th of July!
  Best Wishes,
  Shelly
  Rochell Herman Baron, 1961
  Caring5555@aol.com

• Bill (1962) and Vi Mathon (1968) Reilly have lived in Carrollton, TX for the last 30 years. They are new readers to the newsletter and are very interested in a reunion.

• Thank you for yet another interesting newsletter. Because I lived overseas for many years, I never made it to a class reunion. I am very interested in l959 class reunion, and would appreciate any information you may have.
  Lillian (Giller) Gordon, 1959
  liligordon@houston.rr.com
  
  (Gene Yetter - are you out there?)

• Hi my name is Eileen Kessler Lee (63). I'm looking for old friends from HS and neighbors from Salem Road.... my email is: Gmaeil3@aol.com

  Hope to hear from you really soon....

• Chris Andersen, 1967, is collecting old yearbooks and sends the following note:
  
  "Great newsletter as always. Bob Casale sent me a lot of the old newsletters, which I enjoyed. I picked up my '51 yearbook last week and I'm enjoying that. Here's a 1950's style question, "which tavern did your father frequent?" I bet that would generate a lot of good stories for the newsletter! My father went to Petsky's, which was on Woodbury Rd. We lived on Smith St. so he could just walk up the block. Thank God for small favors! [No driving necessary]
  
  The owner used to have a little farm right there at the bar. There was a bull and many chickens on the front lawn. Later it became the Hiway Tavern and was frequented by my age group. It was knocked down in the late 1980's (Jan. 1988, I think) and there are houses on it now. It was a good neighborhood place right up until the end. I miss it. Take care, Chris "

• Hi Hicksville,
  
  I moved to Orlando, Florida in 1957 with a football scholarship to the Univ. of Florida. I've been in the finance business for the past 40 years.
  
  Married with four children, my youngest son is a senior at Columbia Univ. in NYC. I'm thankful he's the last! My oldest daughter is a Pediatrician, my oldest son is a busy building contractor and my youngest daughter is a grade school teacher.
  
  I missed the 57-class reunion due to a death in the family; I was looking forward to attending. I look forward to hooking up with all the class of 57 Floridians. I'm excited, God Bless All.
  Tel.No. 866-293-2092 Fax: 407-331-0466 Email: steve@bankersservicecorp.com
  
  Steve Goldsmith, 1957

• I recently bought The Essential Bill Joel, a two CD album and one of the pieces is Waltz # 1 (Nunley's Carousel) and it brought back many memories to me. How many of you remember Nunley's Happyland on Hempstead Turnpike? The last time I was there was on a rainy Sunday afternoon with my children - way back in the 1960's. They loved the boat ride and the Skee Ball.
  
  Pat Koziuk Driscoll, 1956
  

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Reunions

Sunday, July 27, 2003 9:32 AM

Went to Delaney's last night for dinner. The mini reunion didn't really happen, but dinner was superb.

In addition to Ed and Maryanne Delaney, John Pizzariella from the Class of 1959 was there and several friends, Karen Wieman, Gary and Colleen Holstein and Joe and Eileen Reinhardt. The discussion covered a wide range of topics. For the most part, there were always several conversations in progress with everyone adding their two cents to whatever was being said.

One thing we did discuss was a real mini reunion perhaps in October when the rigors of summer are over and there is a return to normalcy. We vowed, too, never to do it again during the summer months...that's a promise.

So, if you are really interested in a mini reunion in October, please convey your interest to Bob Casale at bufbob@juno.com Pizza and I got into a discussion about the reunion the class of 1961 will hold next May.

It is time for the class of 1959 to have their reunion...the 45th. There is a lot of interest from that year and wouldn't it be appropriate to combine 1959 with 1961. We already have several people from the class of 1960 and the class of 1962 that have announced they are going to attend the reunion in 2004.

I remember the last 1959 reunion. There was a nice representation of alumni from that class. My presence at the reunion was the fulfillment of a promise...to represent my sister Eileen Casale and my "special" friend, Christine Heidt. Both said they would attend the next reunion, and it is time. They both live in Las Vegas.

There will be an announcement in the September newsletter concerning the particulars of the 2004 reunion.

Please let us hear from any alumni from 1959 through 1962 about joining the class of 1961 at their 2004 reunion.
Bob Casale
Class of 1961

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Trivia

Reprinted from Mystery Guild Food & Cuisine Newsletter:

When Bad Coffee Was Grounds For Divorce

By the 16th century, the Turks were hooked on coffee. Turkey had become the world's leading coffee distributor--with markets in Syria, Egypt, Persia, and Venice--despite the fact that the country did not actually produce coffee. And the beverage was just as important to the Turks as the product was to their economy: Not only did wealthy Turks employ full-time coffee stewards, but Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family's pot filled with coffee.

The story of coffee begins, however, in Ethiopia. According to tradition, it was here that a goat herder named Kaldi observed his charges getting rather frisky after eating the berries of a certain bush. The curious Kaldi sampled the berries himself and found that they had a similar effect on him. His discovery was especially welcome among the local monks, who were likely to fall asleep in the middle of their lengthy prayers without it.

Muslim pilgrims who ventured into North Africa, Turkey, and Persia brought coffee with them, and the drink's popularity grew when the Koran forbade the consumption of alcohol in the early 1400s. Eventually, coffee made its way to Europe, where coffeehouses in London, Paris, Venice, and Vienna became places where members of all classes met and conversed.

Today, coffee is a huge part of the global economy. The coffee trade employs more than 20 million people (5 million in Brazil alone), and 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed every year--a third of them by Americans.

Pat Koziuk Driscoll, 1956, FL
Linda Piccerelli Hayden, 1960, NJ
Bob Casale, 1961, HX and PA

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