Jeffrey Allen White

                Jeff with Grandson, Legend

I had been living in California for 25 years and worked as a music teacher and actor, singer appearing in over 200 productions in 35 years,  We then moved to El Mirage (Phoenix) as I retired early due to health Reflex Sympathy Dystrophy (RSD)  I can still get around pretty well but often have 'down days but am very well these days for now.  It is a dystrophy where the nerve coatings are dying away leaving me in agonizing pain but have meds and resting a lot.  Most RSD sufferers are wheelchair bound in 3 years because of loss of feeling and muscle atrophy and I am at year 17th with just a few times I was completely bedridden and I hide my disabilities very well most of the time.   Except for some added weight I feel the same or at least age 40 (my best year) !  LOL  And I still have ALL my hair.  Thank God!

My wife Dianna (married in 85) and I have seven kids and eleven grand kids in CA and AZ.  My youngest daughter Laura (23) is getting married in AZ 11/11/11.  Pastor Dennis Carter (72) will officiate and Herb Bradenstein (73) will provide the music.  (He's so good!)  I am so honored and so proud of them both in their respective careers/vocations.

Our oldest son passed away Dec 27, 2009 after a two year battle with terminal brain cancer.  He was a firefighter and the cancer was work related and he was memorialized by city, county and state (CA) as an Honored hero with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a guest speaker at the CA state capital.  He leaves a wife Hallie and a son Hunter (10).  But the good Lord helped us through it all and Eric suffers no more.

I am enjoying early retirement and my wife Dianna plans to retire in two more years so we can travel more,

I taught music(Violin, Piano, Voice) in public, private, church and music studios for over 25 years before retiring and acted nights and weekends. I won a prestigious ITL AWARD) in '95 for my role of Otto Frank in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.  I also was presented an award from the Museum of Tolerance for my role also.  My last shoe before I moved to AZ was ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (Buffalo Bill) and went out on top after 200 productions, two movies and an appearance on the David Letterman Show.  I also directed the LA revival of THE KING AND I in the early 90;s.

I am now working on family Genealogy ( myheritage.com  The White Family Tree) and traced my wife's family back to the year 270 (documented)  In my family I can only get back to the early 1800's as they were Polish Immigrants and their names were changed at Ellis Island)  But I am still searching.  I also research for friends and help them start a family tree.

I also write and will self-publish a novel (ABEL IN PARIS) this January.  I have six more finished unpublished novels as of yet.  I have written for magazines and for the State of Alaska among other venues.

I keep in touch with a bunch of HHS friends and hope to see more before I leave on Nov 3 back to AZ.  My wife and I may return this spring.  All friends are invited to come and stay with us for a visit anytime.  I can be reached at 951-375-9717 or on SKYPE (stagemanjw) or email: stagemanjw@aol.com as well as Facebook.

I am also going to visit some grade school friends (Cross Street School/Williston Park 59-66) on Friday. Being back in Hicksville , it was wonderful to see the fall foliage which I have not seen in 29 years,  I recognize most places but there are major changes too.  Seeing old friends have brought back many memories, all very good.  I am missing my wife, kids and grand kids after 10 days here but will go home next Wednesday.  I remember every minute of my four years in Hicksville Jr and SR HIGH.  One of the most fabulous times in my life.  Hicksville is now multi cultural and a melting pot of people but the Old Sweet Shop where we used to bring dates is still there as well as the Empire Dinner. 

I hear most of my old hangouts are still there also.  The neighborhoods look a little more fuller with aged trees but most of the homes are still the same sprinkled with remodeled every so often.  The skies have clouds (we never have clouds in Phoenix hardly - (350 days of sunshine every year).  It took me four months to acclimate to the heat (which goes up to 127 sometimes)  but it is very dry and actually bearable most of the year (in doses).  After four years in AZ, I have grown to love the sunshine everyday and know when to go out and stay in.

I baby sit my sons' two youngest boys Chase (6) and Legend (22 months) a lot and I miss them. as well as all our grand children. I  love my family and we are all very close and proud of them all.  We have two dogs, a sheltie, Shelby and a Shitz-su, Lilly.  Life has been great except for a few moments here and there.  I love to find friends online and on Facebook and welcome all calls from old friends.

I look forward to our 40th reunion 2013 and pray I am in good health to return to see old and very dear friends again.  Also the mini reunions we have every time I visit NY which is usual two times in a year every five years.  I am still searching for many friends and am very sorry to learn friends have passed like Mike Gradzinky, Mark Greenberg and Roy Hansen.  There are more but sometimes I cannot remember the names (old  age is awful)  I am surprised to see how many friends have become Dr's, Pastors, City Officals and managing large corporations as well as the entertainment industry (Lorraine Bracco (72) and Billy Joel (just recently) as in high school we always worried about passing tests, dating and cutting classes.

I regret not keeping in touch with friends from 74 through the 20th class reunion where I hooked up with great friends again. Life, family and careers tend to dominate our lives and we move all over it seems. (except for my good friends that are in and around Hicksville still.

All my nieces and nephews are adults with children of their own now and I have been seeing them throughout my stay in Hicksville .  I keep looking for old friends at stores and local places hoping to recognize someone after almost 40 years. No luck yet. 

Hello to my face books friends, Ken, Julainne, Mark, Gary  and others. You know who you are.