April 15, 2011

1957 Summit Lane School: Mr. Ben Murphy's sixth grade class

Click on photo to make it larger

First row: Marilyn Monsrud, Tyler Asdorian, Peter Barnett

Second row: Noreen Donlin, the late Bob Benn, Leslie Wohl, Judy Lewis

Third row: Aaron Gurwitz, John McCormick, Leslie Wohl, Brian Williams, Joanne Leib

Fourth row: Darrae Cabre, Richie Ligouri, Kathy Stahlman, Bob Leporati, Jeff Harriton

Back row: Charlie Kawada, x, x, Mr. Ben Murphy, David Lounsberry, Ricky Hofer

MARILYN MONSRUD'S MEMORIES

Remember how all the girls had to wear skirts to school, pants were not allowed? With those stupid garter belts to hold up our stockings. And fixing 'runs' with clear nail polish. And we still had stockings with seams up the backs, while now it seems that only the ladies of the evenings wear.

Imagine how great it would have been to wear jeans and sneakers to school every day instead of skirts and stockings? Tough riding a bike to school in those skirts...either tightly fitted slim skirts or full skirts with lots of crinolines, as many as we could get under the full skirts. And remember the socks we wore? The more pairs of socks you could get on your feet, the better. We all looked like we had casts on our ankles, and they made our shoes so tight. And our quilted full skirts and poodle skirts.

Our styles in Levittown were so influenced by American Bandstand. I remember ironing only my collars on my white cotton shirts, because we only showed our collars under a crew neck sweater. So why iron the whole thing? And the backward cardigans, buttoned up the back with a scarf tied around our necks? Hey, the kids today have nothing on us.

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Many of these kids eventually graduated in Division Avenue High School's class of 1963. Photo courtesy of Marilyn Monsrud Frese. We could use help with the names of kids marked with an x.

3 comments:

Marilyn Monsrud Frese said...

I believe that is Sandra Gormley in the 2nd row next to Leslie Wohl. And that's Joanne Leib in the 3rd row next to Brian Williams. They both graduated from DAHS in '63. This was such a GREAT class! Mr. Ben Murphy-amazing man- deceased at a far too young age! He touched so many of our lives forever!! Mr. Murphy had most of us 6th graders as 5th graders also (Summit Lane). Story goes that he liked our 5th grade class so much, and us him, that he worked it out to get most of us for a 2nd year. He was a teacher who had a lifetime impact on us youngsters in his 5th and 6th grade classes.

Kathy said...

Mr. B. Murphy was also my favorite teacehr, and mentor. The girl identified as "Sandra Gormley" in the 2nd row is Judy Lewis. Jo Ann Leib spells her name as Marilyn indicated, not as is in the photo. Good Germans would say she pronounces it "wrong" because of the placement of the "ei" rather than "ie", but it was her name to pronounce! Our 5th gr. photo was more creative Kathy Stahlman Zinn '63

Wendy Max Dunford '68 said...

The same thing happened with my 1st grade class, 1956/57. Mrs. Shirley Victor liked our class so much, she asked to be "promoted" with us, so we had her for 2nd grade as well.