Early Levittown NY and Beyond -- By Frank Barning and Friends

Part 2: Steve Mohr sails his boat to Hawaii, but only after enduring some bumps in the road and an oncoming freight train

2012-02-09T22:30:00.001-08:00

By STEVE MOHR

Class of 1960

The adventure continues . . .

When it finally came time to launch we contracted a professional boat mover and with much trepidation and a lot of really big jacks, we got it loaded on his truck. That turned out to be the easy part.

The day of the move, we headed our vessel across our backyard and up onto the railroad right of way. The boat mover couldn't quite make the turn from our yard, so he jumped the tracks and of course, got stuck half way across. Now, this is a main line and the freight trains don't run on schedules, so you never know when one is coming.

You probably guessed it, but it wasn't five minutes after we became stuck that I saw the light of the approaching freight train about a mile away. After police, railroad personnel, helicopters and a complete change in the color of my hair, we got the train stopped and finally got the boat off the tracks. It took nine hours to move it 40 miles from Northridge to San Pedro, California. Without any more horror stories, we launched the following day and were finally in our slip in San Pedro Marina. The date was Aug. 29, 1983.

At that point, we sold our home and moved aboard our dreamboat. We spent the next three years completing what could not be accomplished in our backyard; the masts, the rigging, the sails, the electronics, the anchoring systems and so much more all had to be completed in the water.

Never having even stood on a boat of this size, much less sail one, undaunted, we began the learning process, and soon became very comfortable handling her, in all kinds of weather. Linda and I often sailed her together with no other crew. We took numerous trips to Catalina and all the Channel Islands.

After much preparation on June 28, 1986 we departed San Pedro for a 2250-mile cruise to Hawaii. We had a small crew mostly of family members, our two daughters among them. As we passed Catalina Island, and headed out into open ocean, I realized for the first time, that I was the skipper and responsible for all the lives on board. I almost turned back with that sudden realization. Nevertheless, we had a beautiful crossing of 14 3/4 days, with few problems.

When we reached the Trade Winds the waves were big, some 25 feet, but "The Linda Marie" handled them with ease. We arrived at Kahului, Maui right on the button and that's in the days before GPS and satellite radios or satellite telephones. We navigated mainly by a sextant and the stars. In all that time, across all that ocean, we never saw a single boat, not even a contrail from an airplane.

Most of the crew then returned home and Linda and I spent most of the next year cruising the islands and doing all the things you would expect in paradise. We encountered some severe winter storms, where we had to take refuge behind other islands as there are no safe harbors in Hawaii, except for Honolulu. But, for the most part, the weather and the sailing were magnificent.

Nothing lasts forever though, and it became time to return home. No one was looking forward to the trip back as it's cold, wet and you are driving into the wind the whole way. It took more than 28 days because you have to sail way north up near the latitude of Seattle before you can tack over and sail south.

We arrived home in one piece and returned to our San Pedro Marina where we continued to live aboard for many happy years before selling her as that time of our life had passed. We spent more than 25 years involved with our beloved "The Linda Marie". The memories and the photos that you see here will continue to remind us of our excellent adventure.

Part 1: Steve Mohr's adventure of a lifetime. Building a yacht for a cruise to Hawaii.

2012-02-07T05:17:00.001-08:00

By STEVE MOHR

Class of 1960

As with most great adventures, this one began with an innocent introduction to something new. It was in the early 1970s that my wife, Linda, and I snuck away from the four kids and my auto repair business for a quickie weekend getaway. We headed to San Diego and stayed at the Mission Bay Hilton.

They had a small boat dock on Mission Bay and rented little tin sailboats. We thought we would try it, and after floundering around for an hour or so, we finally figured out how to make it go forward! I guess we got a little hooked on our success, and wanted more.

It wasn't long before we owned an 18-foot catamaran, similar to a Hobie and got involved in a San Diego yacht club and became involved in racing almost every weekend. One day while sitting on the beach between race heats, I said to Linda "How about I build you a sailboat and we go around the world?" She said "YEAH!".....and so it began. As the saying goes, a journey begins with a single step.

Now I know it sounds a little crazy, but after some research, and I mean very little research, we decided on the boat that we would build. Having only seen pictures in magazines, I purchased a set of plans from an Australian naval architect. Naturally they were drawn and worded to be used by someone familiar with building boats, which I was not, but I was always a quick learner and worked well with my hands.

We had a large home on almost an acre of property that backed up to the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, and over the next seven years the boat slowly took shape. Now mind you, that this was a 55-foot deep-keeled ketch rigged blue water yacht, at completion weighing over 80,000 lbs. This was built almost 100 percent by my wife and me while still raising those four kids and running the same automobile business.

Steve Mohr's story continues in about two days in our blog. Stay tuned for some thrills.

BEYOND LEVITTOWN: Globetrotters . . . Travel photos from early Division Avenue graduates. The ninth of a series.

2012-02-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

Warren Zaretsky (1960) in Moscow at St. Basil's Cathedral, 2011

Karen Biro Hewson (1960) at Stonehenge, England

John Koehler (1960) with sons Kevin and Robert in Kauai, Hawaii.

Jim Halpin (1960) in Huiling, China with his wife SuLin, 2009

Rudyard Kipling:

“The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it."

Memories were triggered with the discovery of this photo from 1958

2012-02-02T21:52:00.001-08:00

Click on pix to enlarge

By FRANK BARNING

Precious few photos have survived from my Levittown days, 1954-1966. Believe it or not, my mother tossed them in the trash when she and dad moved to California in 1985, along with my baby pictures and other treasured family memories. You read about people going into burning homes to save photo albums at incredible risk. Yes, I have had to do some therapy over what mom did.

So when this picture was found in a box of old personal memorabilia recently, it was an important discovery. It was taken behind Division Avenue High School in the spring of 1958, our sophomore year. Shown are the infielders on the junior varsity baseball team coached by Mr. Robert Simes, one of our math teachers.

From left to right in our baggy uniforms are Steve Patascher, Richie Lohman, John Reardon, Richie Bernhardt and yours truly. It is truly amazing that three of the five of us all lived on Hyacinth Road. Lohman and I lived virtually across the street from each other, the Lohmans at #11 and the Barnings at #10. Reardon was at #66. Our 1960 classmate Ed Gifford, not a baseball player but an excellent wrestler, lived at #13.

Others on the JV team included Mike Caldararo, Artie Kornfeld, Jack Leahy, Doug Gibson, Jim Beebe and Stu Ronk. Gibson and Patacher eventually graduated from Levittown Memorial High School but nothing has been unearthed about Ronk who did not finish at our school.

A few readers of the blog have asked why I have put in innumerable hours creating Early Levittown and Beyond. There have been nearly 500 entries since I started this in July 2010. Maybe the reason is that my mother threw away the photos of my youth and I have had a desperate need to connect with those happy, care-free days. And it's cheaper than therapy.

____________________________________-

Mr. Simes' obituary...

Robert L. Simes of Smallwood, a 10-year area resident and a retired teacher for the Levittown School District in Levittown, LI., died Thursday, December 19, 2002, at the Achieve Rehab and Nursing Facility in Liberty. He was 80 years of age.

The son of the late James and Mary O'Brien Simes, he was born August 23, 1922, in Rhode Island.
A World War II veteran of the Army, attaining the rank of sergeant, he served from 1943 to 1946. Mr. Simes was a member of St. Joseph's Church in Mongaup Valley.

He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Cathy and Michael Lorino of Smallwood; a brother, Ralph B. Simes of Honesdale, Pa.; a sister, Vivian Schomer of Connecticut; three nieces, Peggy Simes, Janet Crawford and Eugenia Hyman; a nephew, Jeremy Schomer; and two grandchildren, Robert and Brandon Lorino.

MORE BEYOND LEVITTOWN: Travel photos from early Division Avenue High School graduates. The eighth of a series.

2012-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

Ira (1960) and Eileen Selsky recently traveled to the Galapagos Islands.

Don Davidson (1960) visited Ibiza, Spain in 2010.

Sandy Kelly Mincher (1961) sailed through the Panama Canal.

Karen Biro Hewson (1960) at St. Paul's, London.

Mal Karman (1960) in Persepolis, Iran in 2006. He spent a month there.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

Four inseparable Division Avenue High School class of 1960 friends

2012-01-30T05:28:00.001-08:00

1960 Division Avenue High School yearbook photo of John Koehler

1960 Division Avenue High School yearbook photo of Mal Karman

1960 Division Avenue High School yearbook photo of Frank Barning

1960 Division Avenue High School yearbook photo of Bob Castro

By FRANK BARNING

Four of us were inseparable in high school. Bob Castro, Mal Karman, John Koehler and I spent untold hours keeping each other company. We shared similar interests such as girls, sports, music and girls. Did I mention girls?

We're spread out now, Mal in northern California, John in Florida, I live in Las Vegas and Bob plans to move from Suffolk County to the Phoenix area. All four of us were good students who headed off to college after graduating in 1960. Before too many years, we went in different directions but there is still the bond of youth.

We always had a friend to hook up with, if not two or three. There were poker, stick ball, touch football games and dozens of activities that were enjoyed together. Hundreds of hours were spent in Mal's large bedroom on the second floor of the Meander Lane residence of the Karmans. He was the best man at my wedding in 1968.

John was a great athlete and his buddies were proud of his many accomplishments. Mal was a fantastic artist and writer and we enjoyed his creative efforts. Bob was a great story teller who kept us entertained with his tales, some cleverly embellished. He was also Levittown's foremost air guitar player.

I treasure the times we shared.

**************

Check out Mal Karman's website, MOVIE MAYHEM

http://www.moviesandmayhem.com/

BEYOND LEVITTOWN: Travel photos from early Division Avenue graduates. The seventh of a series.

2012-01-28T05:28:00.001-08:00

Annjoy Herman Romdalvik (1960) enjoys a snack in the Black Forest,

Germany

Larry Bory (1960) and his wife Marellen on snorkeling trip in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Jim Halpin (1960) and his wife Huiling in Shanghai.

Warren Zaretsky 1960 in Shenzhen Park, China.

Dotty Caggiano Pribish (1960) in Alaska. She commented, "I am with my 91-year young husband of 38 years, Vincent, the father of our five children and of my two stepdaughters. We were on a day glacier cruise out of Whittier, Alaska this past June. Our seven children funded this vacation in honor of my husband's 90th birthday to fulfill a dream of his. What a great eight days; what great kids!"

Click on photos to enlarge

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After his retirement, Winston Churchill was cruising the Mediterranean on an Italian cruise liner. Some Italian journalists asked why an ex British Prime Minister would chose an Italian ship.

“There are three things I like about being on an Italian cruise ship” said Churchill. “First their cuisine is unsurpassed. Second their service is superb. And then, in time of emergency, there is none of this nonsense about women and children first”.

A shake, rattle and roll vacation experience in Montserrat

2012-01-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

Click on photo to enlarge

By MARILYN MONSRUD FRESE

Class of 1963

My husband Don and I vacationed on the island of Montserrat in 2007, just before Christmas. The island, which is in the British West Indies, had a terrible volcanic eruption back in 1995, which wiped out about one third of the island and buried its port city capital of Plymouth. Of the 13,000 people who lived on the island, 8,000 left and never returned.

It's a beautiful and super friendly island, black sand beaches mostly, and the people who remained on the island are just wonderful. This volcano is in the Sourriere Hills area, overlooking their port of entry and capital. The island is only about nine miles long and about six miles wide. The volcano erupts every few months. It sometimes just covers the island in volcanic ash, other times larger and with more damage.

The latest large eruption, re-burying much of the "exclusion zone", which is miles of dangerous area around the volcano, occurred on 2/11/10. The islanders live with this threat on a daily basis, but the new volcanic observatory built after the 1995 eruption has a warning system now in place on the island. The volcano is constantly monitored by the observatory.

One day we were sitting around the pool of this beautiful private villa we had rented. It had acres of land with amazing gardens and it was right on the top of a cliff with a 300 foot drop into the ocean. Suddenly everything started rolling and shaking. Waves started breaking across the top of the pool.

One reason we had rented this villa was because it was as close to the exclusion zone as was permitted, just on the edge of the danger zone. It has a view of the volcano, which is beautiful at night. Light from the fire inside makes it glow in the dark. We thought we were having a good size eruption and ran to see the volcanic mountain erupting (in hindsight, not too intelligent), only to find out it was an earthquake instead! A very different kind of vacation experience. Nature at its finest.

This is a link to the story and video of the eruption(s):

http://www.youtube.com/user/ptvmontserrat (may need to be copied and pasted to view.)

BEYOND LEVITTOWN: Travel photos from early Division Avenue graduates. Chapter six in a series.

2012-01-24T06:40:00.001-08:00

Karen Biro Hewson (1960) on QE 2 in 1989.

June Johnson (1963) at the Great Wall of China.

Sandy Kelly Mincher (1961) on a 2010 eastern Caribbean cruise with husband John.

Frank Barning (1960) at Wat Prakaew in Thailand, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Don Davidson (1960) in Portofino, Italy in 2010.

According to author Bill Bryson, whose specialty is humorous books on travel:

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”

Beyond Levittown: Photos of early Division Avenue graduates at the Great Wall of China. Chapter 5 in our travel series.

2012-01-22T06:26:00.001-08:00

Jim Halpin (1960) at the Great Wall of China in 2009.

A freezing Frank Barning (1960) visited in 2006.

Franne Newman Lee (1960) at the Great Wall in 1986.

The Badaling entrance to the Great Wall of China.

A Great Wall of China souvenir stand. All items were made in China.

Chinese New Year 2012 - The Year of the Dragon - begins on January 23. Division Avenue High School graduates know about that ferocious creature because our mascot was a Blue Dragon.

However, only a handful of early Division Avenue High School alumni have had the good fortune to visit China. A can't-miss attraction is the Great Wall of China.

The Barnings had a chilly three-hour stop there while on an Asia tour in 2006. We visited the Badaling section of the Great Wall which is reputed to be the best preserved and the most popular one amongst all the sections. It is more than 3,281 feet above sea level, and commanded a strategic position for transportation and defense in ancient times.

Badaling, literally meaning “reach eight directions”, got its name because the maze of its ridges stretches in all directions. It is easily accessible and has easy walking conditions.

According to the China Highlights website:

"The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world. The longest wall in the world, it is an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over rugged country and steep mountains takes in some great scenery.

"The Great Wall is the building project with the longest duration and greatest cost in human lives, blood, sweat and tears. It deserves its place among "the New Seven Wonders of the World" and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China."

BeYoNd LeViTtOwN: Travel photos from early Division Avenue graduates. Chapter 4 in our series.

2012-01-20T06:13:00.001-08:00

Frank Barning (1960) at Sydney, Australia's famous opera house in 2005.

Ira Selsky (1960) in the Golan Heights in northern Israel in 2008.

Pat Stanley Share (1962) in Kenai, Alaska. According to Pat, "The fish is a sock-eye Salmon, not edible to us in the lower 48, as it is getting ready to become bear food." She also does a lot of fishing in the Key West, Florida area.

Don Davidson (1960) in Queens Garden in Seville, Spain.

Eddie Rotker (1962) in Edinburgh, Scotland at an Adam Smith statue.

Cruising Levittown in a 1953 Chevy Bel Air with no particular place to go

2012-01-18T07:16:00.001-08:00

Mike Caldararo in 1958 wearing his Division Avenue High baseball uniform. He was a pitcher.

By FRANK BARNING

One of my first high school friends to have his own car was Mike Caldararo. Many of us who took driver ed. with Mr. David Peyton at Division Avenue High School, soon passed our road test and acquired a license at the infamous Nassau County DMV office. But few had their own wheels. Mostly, we bummed rides and occasionally were given the privilege of driving the family car.

I remember driving around Levittown with Mike in his 1953 Chevy Bel Air and a few other class of 1960 friends, probably including Ron Albaum and John Gentleman. We had no particular place to go but it was so freeing, so grown up, to take a spin around town or roar up and down Hempstead Turnpike.

Once Mike was stopped on Division Avenue by a policeman who wanted to make sure that a bunch of young teenagers were not joy riding in a stolen vehicle. Although he was not a hood, Mike had a hairstyle that might have fooled the fuzz. Mike was courteous to the cop and he was soon free to drive on.

One afternoon as he drove us around, Mike pointed out that he was almost out of gas. The term used in those days was running on fumes. We were asked to chip in for a refill and as was typical of most Levittown guys in the late 1950s, there was little or no change in our pockets. Mostly we had lint. Sheepishly, we contributed what we could and handed it to our sweet-dispositioned driver.

Mike headed to the nearest service station and 28-cents worth of gas was pumped into his car, which was enough to buy a full gallon. Someone wiped off the windshield and then off he and his buddies drove.

A Chuck Berry lyric captures the moment....

" Cruisin' and playin' the radio
With no particular place to go."

BEYOND LEVITTOWN: Travel photos from early Division Avenue graduates who are hungry for more. Chapter 3 in our series.

2012-01-16T07:33:00.001-08:00

Larry Bory (1960) rolling dough at a bakery in Hungary in 2011.

Warren Zaretsky (1960) in the Forbidden City, Beijing. He lived in China for two years, teaching English.

Michelle Fromm-Lewis (1963) in

Peru

with one of the locals. Well, two of the locals.

June Johnson (1963) at a Bratwurst stand in Dresden, Germany.

Bob Mattera (1960) in Torres, Brazil in 2008.

BEYOND LEVITTOWN: Travel photos from early Division Avenue graduates who groove on roaming the globe. Chapter 2 in our series.

2012-01-14T05:01:00.001-08:00

Ira Selsky (1960) in Quito, Ecuador. Not a bad idea for an NYC franchise, Ira.

Annajoy Herman Romdalvik (1960) in front of the Duomo in Florence, Italy.

Frank Barning (1960) in a crowd at the Pantheon in Rome. The building was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD.

Larry Bory (1960) in Brataslava, Slovakia, bracing with a French Hussar. The name Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century.

Sue Chasin Ross (1962) and husband Patt at Iguazu Falls which is in both Argentina and Brazil.

Our new series of travel photos premiered in our most recent post. There has been a positive reaction and a few old friends including Ira Selsky, Larry Bory, Don Davidson and Steve Mohr sent pictures. There were already dozens in my files.

I am looking for pictures of Division Avenue graduates, classes 1960-63, taken in foreign countries, plus Hawaii, Alaska and Canada. As you can see from those posted last time and now, they should have interesting backgrounds and the sender must be in the photo. They can be old or recent. We look younger in the old ones.

Beyond Levittown: Travel photos from early Division Avenue graduates. The first of a series.

2012-01-12T04:36:00.000-08:00

Frank Barning, class of 1960, in Tallin, Estonia in 2003. The sign helps to tell the story.

June Johnson, class of 1963, at the Leaning Tower of Pisa in

Italy

. "I was trying to adjust the leaning," she said of the photo.

Annajoy Herman Romdalvik, class of 1960, on safari in South Africa at Kruger National Park.

Eddie Rotker, class of 1962, in Scotland at a fossils finding area in Northern Skye (Scottish Highlands). Eddie was truly off the beaten path.

Warren Zaretsky, class of 1960, on Isabela Island in the Galapagos just a few days ago.

By FRANK BARNING

A new concept is being introduced to our blog with this entry. We have done almost 30 posts of childhood photos, and now start a series of travel pictures, shots of Division Avenue alumni in foreign lands plus Alaska and Hawaii. We will skip the lower 48 at this time.

The photo at the top of this page is of me in Tallin, the capital of Estonia. It was a stop on a cruise that Vivian and I took in 2003 that started in New Orleans and sailed as far as St. Petersburg, Russia. One of the really nice things about some cruises is that you visit ports that you would never have considered while planning a vacation, and then you sometimes have great memories of having been there.

Tallin is such a place. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, 50 miles south of Helsinki, west of St. Petersburg. Tasmania, an Australian island 150 miles south of the continent, comes to mind. Also, in that category is my travel experience to Madeira, a Portuguese archipelago in the north Atlantic. I long to return to both of these exotic destinations.

While traveling, I go out of my way to find signs that tell me where I have been. Travel on a cruise ship can be a blur when there are several ports, so signs help me label my photos. My Tallin photo is a perfect example of this. There is no doubt where this was shot, but I have hundreds of photos about which I am clueless. Hey, it is difficult to find a sign in a rain forest in Mexico or on the Great Barrier Reef.

So, you can look forward to photos of Division folks in China, South Africa, Italy, Peru, Scotland, Slovakia and other lands of enchantment. The name of our blog is Early Levittown and Beyond, so this truly is "beyond."

More vintage photos of Division Avenue High School grads

2012-01-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

• Michelle Fromm-Lewis '63 and brother Cliff Fromm '60 in 1951.

• Marilyn Monsrud Frese, class of 1963, on the left in the nifty hat with her best friend and next door neighbor, Linda Morris. This shot is from approximately 1952. Note the Levitt houses and immature trees in the background.

• Roberta Landry Bremmer, class of 1961, with her dog Lucky when she lived on Union Avenue in Bethpage in 1948. She was four years of age.

• Toni Crescenzo Gelfer '68 and her brother Jimmy (Levittown Memorial 1959) in 1954.

• Perry '60 and his sister Jackie Berns in 1959 at Bradley Beach, NJ.

Tom Urban's North Village Green drug store memories

2012-01-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

A long way from his old Levittown NY drug store job, Tom Urban on a beach in Tahiti.

By TOM URBAN

Class of 1960

The owners of the North Village Green drug store in Levittown were Al Averbach and Milt Schulman. They were brothers-in-law. My brothers Norm, Jim and Dale and I all worked for them in age sequence. Al and Milt were generous and benevolent employers who treated our family with kindness and opportunity.

To this day, every time Kathy or I crack open a hard boiled egg, we think of counterman Artie Hertz, father of Division Avenue High School class of 1961 alum Sandy. Artie would make the egg salad which, in the process, would smell up the store. he would say "if it came out of your a _ _ it would smell too." He was a funny character and a single dad who taught me numerous Yiddish curse words. He would say something to me and I would run to Marv Bellows (the pharmacist) and he would translate. What a hoot!

Officer Chuck Kelly's brother Bill worked with me and my brother Norm at the Levittown post office. Chuck, who patrolled the North Village Green area, was a great beat cop as were two others I got to know well.

Since I worked at the NVG Drug lunch counter all through high school, I had an opportunity to bridge the Rock-Jock gap by serving all the local characters as well as the families who lived nearby and frequented the store (too many to name here). I got to hear all the gossip and the job served me well as a growth opportunity. So many memories revolve around my experiences at North Village Green Drugs.

Carol Ackley's memories of working at Woolworth in Levittown

2012-01-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

"One summer I was working at Woolworth in Levittown, and the store was trying to get rid of hula hoops, so I volunteered to sell them in front of the store," Carol Ackley remembers. "Needless to say, I saw everyone from Division Avenue High School that day, and I could not make the hoop spin. My 1960 classmates Frank Barning and Russ Green thought that was the funniest thing."

Aside from Carol's little story, how about the prices on the Woolworth menu which is probably from 1957? Click on the image to enlarge it.

Did we dress this way in high school? Certainly not. Here are some image-changing recent photos.

2012-01-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

• Biker Jim McGrath, class of 1960. No one could have projected this side of the now retired Nebraska school teacher. Maybe he was born to be wild.

• Tie-dyed Ava Berg, class of 1960, at a craft show. Ava was born to be an Earth Mother. A marijuana advocate, she posted this about herself on her Facebook page: "Jewish hipster in touch with inner sista. A hip soul is my goal." Power to the people, Ava.

• Sandy Adams, class of 1960. Wrote Sandy, "This is from one of my Sweet Adelines International competitions which was in Calgary in 2010. When we made the top 10 finals, we competed as New York City waitresses aspiring to make it to Broadway." Sandy, bring me a ham on rye and hold the pickle.

• Jim Anton, class of 1961, as Beethoven. Well, this isn't surprising. He may be best remembered from his high schools days for wearing a female cheerleader outfit at a talent show. Truth be told, he looked good as a girl.

• Larry Bory, class of 1960, at a Renaissance Festival. This is so out of character for the Larry we knew in school where he was our designated preppy in how he dressed and comported himself. Whimsy becomes him.

Those of us who went to high school in the 1950s and early 1960s in Levittown were mostly straight-laced, conventional types in how we dressed. About the only ones who deviated from the norm were the so-called rocks, the hoody types, of both sexes who tried to look tough. And I stress the word "tried."

So here are some recent photos of early Levittowners in unconventional garb, especially considering their roots.

Mays Department Store on Hempstead Turnpike was an important element of our teenage years

2012-01-01T18:39:00.001-08:00

We shopped at Mays, a few of us worked there and it even served as a popular hangout. It was a short walk from Division Avenue High School, a focal-point during our teenage years. Oh yes, some of us even shop lifted at Mays, or so I have been told.

Marilyn Monsrud Frese, class of 1963, had these memories:

Ah, I remember this well. Square dancing behind Mays Department Store on Saturday nights. That's me in the front (see top photo), doing such a lovely curtsey. I see Bonnie Green in the dark v-neck sweater on the left, then Corrine Norgren next to her, then Darryl Dittko in dark Bermuda shorts and white top to the right of Corrine. This photo was from the local newspaper and is shown in the Levittown Museum collection.

Your blogger found this anonymous post from 2006 online:

"I grew up in Levittown and for years Mays was the main store for back-to-school clothes and buying records. It was the anchor for the once thriving Levittown Shopping Center. When TV commercials started airing around the mid 1970s, the joke was "What Mays looks like that?" The Levittown store was always a mess and very dreary. The chain shut down in 1989. The Levittown store has been a Tri-County Flea market for years. When you walk into the building, the MAYS name is still on the floor and door handles."

Remembering Guy Lombardo, Mr. New Year's Eve and the sweetest music this side of heaven

2011-12-31T07:03:00.001-08:00

By FRANK BARNING

To me, New Year's Eve has never been the same since Guy Lombardo passed away in 1977. He lived in Freeport, on Long Island's south shore and owned a popular seafood restaurant there, Guy Lombardo's East Point House.

According to Wikipedia: "Lombardo's orchestra played at the Roosevelt Grill in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from 1929 to 1959, and their New Year's Eve broadcasts (which continued with Lombardo until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria) were a major part of New Year's celebrations across North America. Even after Lombardo's death, the band's New Year's specials continued for two more years on CBS. The Royal Canadians were noted for playing the traditional song Auld Lang Syne as part of the celebrations. Their recording of the song still plays as the first song of the new year in Times Square."

"Lombardo later became promoter and musical director of Jones Beach Marine Theater, which is a still-popular concert venue south of Freeport - the venue was built specifically with him in mind by Robert Moses, who regarded himself as one of Lombardo's fans. Lombardo's final production at Jones Beach was in 1977."

While in college in the early 1960s, I worked at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre for four summers as an employee of the Long Island State Park Commission, which was headed by Moses.

Some nights, Lombardo arrived at the theatre on his boat, a short ride from his waterfront home in Freeport. Most evenings, he showed up in a gleaming white Cadillac. His brothers Victor, Carmen and Lebert also drove to the theatre. I was a parking lot attendant, except for one summer when I was the night watchman, and remember waving to the Lombardo brothers each evening when they entered. Usually, they responded with a wave and a smile. The band's lead singer was the husband of Guy's sister Elaine, Kenny Gardner.

The Lombardos had private parking spaces next to the Marine Theatre. In front of each space, on a pole, was the first name of each brother. I remember that one summer someone painted the word "Wise" above Guy's name. It remained there for weeks, so I guess he was not offended.

As I write this, we are only a few hours away from the ball dropping on Times Square. The memories flood back of parties I attended over the years, old friends with whom I spent those fun times and perhaps most of all, Lombardo, a Long Island guy. With apologies to Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest, Guy will always be Mr. New Year's Eve to me.

More vintage photos of Division Avenue High School graduates

2011-12-29T07:40:00.001-08:00

• Perry Berns, class of 1960, and his sister Jackie Berns Karp in 1956.

• Jimmy Judson and Arnie Galeota (holding bottle) class of 1961 in 1959.

• Howard Whidden, class of 1962, visits Santa in 1951 at Macy's in Herald Square.

• Roberta Landry 1961 (left) and Dotty Kuppler 1960. They look classically innocent.

• Bill Stanley (No. 13) and Frank Barning, 1960 classmates. We were teammates on the junior varsity basketball team during the 1958-59 season. The photo was snapped by Owen Goldfarb.

Click on pix to enlarge

Warren Zaretsky, class of 1960, is still full of wander after all these years

2011-12-27T07:39:00.001-08:00

Click on pix to enlarge

World traveler Warren Zaretsky is among the most creative and humorous people your blogger has ever known. We graduated from Division Avenue High School in 1960 and it seems that he could not wait to get out of Levittown. For college, he went to Wayne State in Nebraska, never to return.

First we see Warren at age eight and then in a recent photo. Early in this century, he taught English in China for two years. I wish he would write an autobiography. Tomorrow he departs on a vacation that features visits to Ecuador and the Galapagos. The photos posted here are of Warren in Shenzhen Park, China, and Moscow.

Please check out Warren's comments that appear below.

• • •

Warren wrote: Yes, I've spent most of my 68 years wandering, creating and absorbing experiences -- east coast, west coast, three business careers, more than 30 countries, two marriages, a potpourri of multi-cultural amorous adventures of varying duration, two known children, three grandkids, a wonderful 90 year-old mother, two loving sisters, a supportive and best-friend kind of cousin, a handful of close friends, and a comfortable bank account. The bank account buys continued freedom to wander. The accumulated material possessions have been kept minimal and are expendable.

If I go quickly with my boots on, it's been fun -- If I linger a bit, I have my stock of memories to replay until I pull the plug. In the end, other than perhaps a few warm moments during visiting hours, all you've got is a silly backless hospital gown and your memories. So, to all I've encountered in my wanderings, I say thanks for the memories.

Life, including retirement, has turned out great for the class of 1961's Jim Anton

2011-12-25T15:37:00.001-08:00

Jim Anton has dealt himself an interesting life and is enjoying the fruits of semi-retirement.

By FRANK BARNING

Jim Anton, who lived at 27 Furrow Lane in Levittown, was a fun guy in school. Rarely did he take academics seriously. As a rule, he only worked hard the last few weeks of the school year, passed all his classes and even surprised some of his teachers with solid grades on his regents exams.

Jim and your blogger get together a few times each year in Las Vegas. He may not have been the academic type in school, but he is one sharp guy who matured nicely, has created an interesting life and married well.

Immediately after graduation in 1961, Jim joined the Navy. "My friend Jay Citrin (21 Furrow Lane)", he recalled, "went into the Navy in 1960 after his graduation. He tested the water so to speak and encouraged me to join."

After four years in uniform, Jim was discharged in California in 1965 and stayed in the Golden State. He soon met San Diego native Shirley and on the same day, June 25, he graduated from Division Avenue High School five years previously, they were married in 1966.

The Antons live in Rowland Heights, not far from Los Angeles. Among other things, the now semi-retired Anton, has been a very popular and successful DJ and photographer. His pride and joy is his seven-year old grandson Ceiveon. The Antons have two daughters and Jim's younger brother Jerry still lives in Nassau County.

"I am actively retired, meaning I work when I want to. I deal poker and other casino games on weekends as well as play poker a few times a week. I'm still a DJ about 20 times a year. Isn't being retired fun?"

And Jim Anton is still a fun guy.

The favorite holiday songs of the famous Levittown Mickey

2011-12-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Dressed for the season is Mickey, who lives in Levittown and is the companion of Marilyn Monsrud Frese, class of 1963. He is a three and a half year-old Yorkie.

How did Marilyn get Mickey to pose like this? "I put a red blanket on an armchair, then wedged the wreath in between the arms. Then I dropped Mickey in between the blanket and wreath and just talked to him so he would look at me. He really is quite cooperative."

These are his favorite holiday songs:

10. Grandma Got Run Over by a Rottweiler

9. We Three Canines

8. Oh! Holy Fire Hydrant!

7. Duke, the Red-Nosed Doberman

6. Sniffing Around the Christmas Tree

5. Jingle Bones

4. Wreck the Halls

3. I Saw Mommy Licking Santa Claus

2. Away in a Dog House

1. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Chew Toys

Ever wondered what happens when greeting card writers are having a bad day ?

2011-12-20T21:51:00.001-08:00

My tire was thumping.
I thought it was flat
When I looked at the tire...
I noticed your cat.
Sorry!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heard your wife left you,
How upset you must be.
But don't fret about it...
She moved in with me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking back over the years
that we've been together,
I can't help but wonder...
"What the hell was I thinking?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your wedding day!
Too bad no one likes your husband.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How could two people as beautiful as you
Have such an ugly baby?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've always wanted to have
someone to hold,
someone to love.
After having met you ..
I've changed my mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I must admit, you brought religion into my life.
I never believed in Hell until I met you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the days go by, I think of how lucky I am.
That you're not here to ruin it for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your promotion.
Before you go
Would you like to take this knife out of my back?

You'll probably need it again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Birthday, Uncle Dad!

(Available only in Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky & West Virginia)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

Happy birthday! You look great for your age.
Almost lifelike!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we were together,
you always said you'd die for me.
Now that we've broken up,
I think it's time you kept your promise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have been friends for a very long time ...
let's say we stop?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm so miserable without you
it's almost like you're here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy.
Did you ever find out who the father was?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your friends and I wanted to do
something special for your birthday.
So we're having you put to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So your daughter's a hooker,
and it spoiled your day.
Look at the bright side,
it's really good pay.

• • •

Writer unknown. Received in an email from Karen Biro Hewson, class of 1960

Some old photos of Division Avenue grads who moved to Florida; many Levittowners have migrated to the Sunshine State

2011-12-19T06:16:00.001-08:00

• John Sanzone, class of 1960, passed away on December 12. Here he is shown during his high school days playing guitar in Peter Antonio's band which was popular in Levittown. The photo is courtesy of Tom Paturzo Baker. John, a dental technician who lived in Melbourne FL, was a Vietnam veteran who had served in the US Navy.

• Louise Nicolosi, class of 1960, in the summer of 1947. Louise now lives in and totally enjoys Florida. She has lived in Belleview for almost four years.

• "Some things never change," says Lynn Smith-Dos Santos (1964) about her husband Larry (1964) playing baseball in his backyard, circa 1955, with his Dad in the background. He lived on Albatross Lane. " Larry can still be seen on any given day here in Venice, in the same pose, playing on the Venice FL. Senior Softball League. I call them The boys of perpetual summer.”

• Karen Biro Hewson, class of 1960, in a 1945 photo. She has lived in Stuart, Florida for 17 years and does not miss snow.

About the geographical border that mandated who went to Division Avenue or Levittown Memorial for high school

2011-12-17T05:55:00.001-08:00

Your blogger emailed the following to some class of 1960 members who lived south of Hempstead Turnpike:

Maybe you can fill me in on some things.

What was the dividing line concerning who could go to high school at Division or Memorial? As my classmate Bill Stanley pointed out, it had nothing to do with Hempstead Turnpike. I had assumed that all you southerners had a choice, but that is incorrect.

You all lived south of Hempstead Turnpike, so I wonder if you had an option for the start of high school.

Did any of you attend Division in seventh and/or eighth grade? I know that Don Davidson didn't. Most of the kids in those grades at Division, when it was a junior high in 1954 and 1955, had attended Northside Elementary School.

This is a big puzzle to me, but worth exploring as part of the history of Levittown that I am trying to record.

Ira Selsky replied . . .

It was the 1950s and neither we nor our parents questioned authority. If the School Board said we had to go to Division instead of Memorial, we went.

I went to Wisdom Lane Junior High School. It was just around the corner on Center Lane, right across the street when we were able to cut through yards.

The fact that we were always in the “senior” class at Division made up for the trek across Hempstead Turnpike. And it was always a great stopping point at the shopping center.

Warren Zaretsky

No choice. Went to Wisdom Lane, then Division -- no idea why. Interestingly, my brother and both my sisters went to Memorial.

Don Davidson

Warren and I can attest to the fact the dividing line in our area was Chimney Lane. We were on Winding Lane, the next block over. The Chimney Lane guys all went to Memorial.

Bill Stanley

I just read your blog story, but I can tell you for a fact that Hempstead Turnpike was not a dividing line for Division vs. Memorial. All of the people I am about to mention, lived on the south side of the “Pike”. As for the following friends, here goes: me - Bluegrass Lane (A.K.A. doctors' row); Ira Selsky, Barbara Almquist - both Shelter Lane; Toby Rutner -Shotgun Lane.

Others who lived south of the “Pike” included Richie Bernhardt, Arnie Katz, Dick Heffernan, Peggy Coe, Don Davidson, Carol Doyle, John Mulligan, Kenny Kemmer, Nellie Ortiz, Warren Zaretsky and Perry Berns. I’m sure I missed some, but you get the idea. I have no idea how they determined who went to what school, but Hempstead Turnpike was not it in our area.

I went to Wisdom Lane School and then Center Lane School up to the seventh grade and then I went to Memorial for the eighth grade. Since I played baseball, football and wrestled, it was easy to make friends and I actually knew many of our Division Avenue classmates from Little League, Pony League and other kids sports organizations when I became a Blue Dragon in my freshman year of high school.

Photos of Division Avenue High School graduates from long, long ago. One lived, briefly, on a nearby farm.

2011-12-15T04:48:00.000-08:00

• Roberta Landry Bremmer, class of 1961 with her dog Lucky in 1950 at the Hanisch Dairy Farm in Plainview. She was six years of age.

• Jim Anton, class of 1961, and kid brother Jerry in 1955. Notice the Levitt houses in the background.

• Ira Shapiro, class of 1961, age 3

• Artie Kornfeld, class of 1960

• Don Davidson, class of 1960, age three in 1946. Nice pants, Droopy Drawers.

Click on pix to enlarge

Why did Roberta Landry live on a Plainview dairy farm in 1948? According to the 1961 graduate, "It was just the house my parents rented while they were building our Loring Road house in Levittown.

"As I remember, it was a little house, pretty close to the barn and cows. The owners of the farm lived down the hill and across the road. I had to walk down the hill to get the school bus and would get scared that the bull might be out. I attended St Ignatius in Hicksville for first grade then when we moved to Levittown, I went to Division Avenue for second grade."

The Loring Road house was not built by Levitt and Sons, one of the few non-Levitt houses that Division Avenue High students called home.

Levittown's pioneers share their memories of living in a spanking- new town

2011-12-13T06:05:00.001-08:00

In 1947, Marilyn Monsrud Frese's first Levittown home, 45 Cornflower Road

Click on photo to enlarge

Continuing on the theme of our recent blog entry by Marilyn Monsrud Frese, here are some additional memories of living in Levittown in the early days:

By MARILYN MONSRUD FRESE 1963

The Cape Cod model that we lived in was at 45 Cornflower Road (see photo above). And Cornflower, back then, was a pretty big main drag. The buses used Cornflower as an entrance from Jerusalem Avenue My grandma, on my mother's side, would come out from Brooklyn by bus quite often.

My other grandparents, who also lived in Brooklyn next door to the other set of grandparents, made visiting for both on the same weekend very easy. They owned a car and would drive east to Levittown. So we had Bus Grandma and Car Grandma. That's what we called them when we were little. In the early 1960s both sets of grandparents ended up moving to Levittown because their homes were torn down to make way for the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

By DOROTHY CAGGIANO-PRIBISH 1960

The unique cut-out design in the staircase was always a bit of interest. I recall my brother, Michael, and I sneaking a peek through these cut-outs at Christmas and so many other times to see what the grownups were up to. Every Christmas we had our pictures taken with us looking through these unique holes.

We moved in very early in Levittown's history to 7 Green Lane soon after my father returned from WWII. We began kindergarten through fourth grade while living at that address. The sidewalks were not all in yet, and the trees were just being planted. I recall we had an influx of Japanese beetles on all the trees. The boys would run up while we girls were under the newly planted saplings, and they would shake the tree so hard that it disturbed a dark cloud of beetles, and of course we girls screamed and ran away.

I also remember that since all the house occupants were about the same age with children around our age, even the grownups went sledding down the hills with us, and had block parties.

After moving away for two years, we returned to the apartment house next door to Division Avenue High School for a few years before moving into another Cape Cod nearby. Everything was within walking distance. Three village greens with playgrounds, shops, and best of all the fantastic free pools. What fun that was growing up and hanging out with our friends each summer day from sixth grade to graduation.

I fondly remember when I was new to Division Avenue and was extremely shy. I was in Mr. Dunlop's sixth grade and was seated behind Pete Cybriwsky, thank heavens. Every time Mr. Dunlop was looking for an answer I could duck behind Pete's wide shoulders or hide under my desk pretending to tie my shoe. I could go on and on.

By TIM LAVEY 1963

I have vivid recollections of the radiant heating in the floors of the Levitt homes. I grew up with many cats and a few dogs. The cats absolutely adored the heating system. You could always tell where the hot spots were in the flooring during the cold months because they were continually occupied by our furry friends. It was only later when I was older that I was told that radiant heating was a unique feature of Levitt homes introduced by Levitt and Sons.

Photos of Division Avenue High School graduates from way back when

2011-12-11T04:53:00.001-08:00

• Louise Nicolosi Hayn, class of 1960, age three in 1945

• Linc, class of 1963, and Carol Binninger Mondello, class of 1964, in 1948

• Cliff, class of 1960, and Michelle Fromm, class of 1963 with their mother Sylvia, in 1947

• Tim Lavey, class of 1963; grammar school picture

• Steve Mohr, class of 1960, age eight in 1950

Click on pix to enlarge

Our Levittown house was a very, very, very fine house with a cozy fireplace

2011-12-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

Marilyn Monsrud Frese in front of her family's rental, 45 Cornflower Road in 1948

Click on photo to enlarge

By MARILYN MONSRUD FRESE

Class of 1963

I remember the warm and cozy fireplace in our Levitt house. I believe it was in 1948 that my parents purchased a new Levitt ranch, but we had to rent a Cape Cod model (see photo above) while the ranches were being completed. The Capes were put up first because of the extra time it took to install the fireplaces in each ranch house, and speed was a necessity as so many people needed to get into a house ASAP.

Rentals were arranged for those who purchased ranches and had to wait. No Levittown house stood empty for more than a week or two.

In the ranch house, the front room kitchen (which was larger than the Capes' kitchens) is separated from the living room by an unattached standing brick wall with the fireplace opening on both sides, so it's enjoyed from both rooms at the same time. You could circle the brick wall from either side into the other room.

There was a movable cabinet that swung open like a room divider at one end of the fireplace wall. The divider had shelving/display cases, great for books, and a built-in closet to hang up coats. You could swing the whole unit away from the wall to create more privacy to either room, or swing it open to create a large opening between the rooms, great for when you had a party, which many of the neighbors did back in the early years.

No one had money to go out much, so home parties took place on many blocks each Saturday night. And the kids usually got some friends to sleep over because there weren't many older kids to babysit back then. We would hover on the top step to listen to what our parents were saying and watch them dance (always music and dancing) and my mom would always bring up plates full of snacks for us. No one ever told us we had to get to sleep. It was great fun.

That little brick fireplace brought such a sense of warmth and hominess to houses which were sparsely furnished with many hand-me-downs. It truly made the house feel like a home. I still live in the Levitt ranch, only now it's pushed out back and up. We still use the fireplace although the heated floors have been gone for decades. I am forever a Levittown girl!

Graduation totals varied in Division Avenue High's early years; class size grew because GI's returning from World War II started families

2011-12-06T18:47:00.001-08:00

Maria DiGiovanni, class of 1960, and her GI father in 1945 or 1946 in Coney Island. He had just returned from Germany. Her Baby-Boom kid brother Charles graduated from Division in 1967.

Click on photo to enlarge

The term "Baby Boom" most often refers to the dramatic post World War II population explosion (1946–1964). It had a big impact on the student population at our high school. No new houses were built in Levittown in the 1960s, so the number of students at DAHS was not inflated as a result.

CLASS SIZE (based on the number of senior photos in that year's DAHS yearbook)

1960

205 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1941 or 1942, in most cases.

1961

192 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1942 or 1943.

1962

206 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1943 or 1944.

1963

190 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1944 or 1945.

Note: War ended in second half of 1945 and most GI's mustered out late that year and early 1946.

1964

273 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1945 or 1946.

Note: Leap from 1963 to 1964 as well as 1964 to 1965. GI's returning from World War II made up for lost time so more babies were born. Many marriages were put off until the war ended. The result was larger graduating class sizes 17 or so years later.

1965

352 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1946 or 1947.

1966

360 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1947 or 1948.

Note: Largest class size in our survey of 1960-68 graduating classes.

1967

308 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1948 or 1949.

1968

286 graduates

Would have been conceived in 1949 or 1950.

Note: Toni Crescenzo Gelfer commented, "Looks like GI's slowed down by 1949."

Data contributors, with their graduation year:

Russ Green 1960

Marilyn Monsrud Frese 1963

Lynn Smith Dos Santos 1965

Bob Arthur 1966

Toni Crescenzo Gelfer 1968

Letters and comments concerning the late Lawrence Lasker, a most inspirational Levittown Division Avenue teacher

2011-12-02T17:05:00.001-08:00

Some of us when we die will be quickly forgotten. A few live on in thoughts and memories. Long-time Division Avenue High School teacher Lawrence Lasker had a profound influence on his students and is well remembered. He passed away on Feb. 6, 2011 and his obituary was posted in this blog on Feb. 20.

Recently, we received the following emails from Mr. Lasker's grandson Josh, and son Ken.

Mr. Barning,

My name is Josh Lasker, and I'm a current sophomore at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. I just came across your blog posts mentioning my grandfather, Lawrence Lasker, and just wanted to write a little note to express my appreciation for your tribute and all of the comments that it generated.

Soon after his divorce and retirement he followed my dad Ken, out to Jamestown NY right before my oldest brother was born. He lived there and watched (and helped) my brothers and I grow up for the rest of his life. He also fell in love again with a woman named Joanne, who was just as wonderful as he was. She passed away months before him in August of 2010 and he grew sick soon after. His life was full of tragedy but he never let it get him down.

I felt so close to him, and he was a hero to me, just like it seems he was to his students, and I cannot express how much I learned from him. I'm so happy so many others were touched before I even came to be. He never did stop inspiring people.

Thank you again Mr. Barning,

Sincerely,

Josh Lasker

• • •

I am Ken Lasker, Larry's son. My son Josh just sent me this link and the comments really touched me. My Dad and I were extremely close and he moved up here to Western NY after he retired and we were best friends, and he helped me raise my three sons, who he adored.

I probably met some of you while tagging along with my Dad at various functions at Division and I know how much he loved his students. He would've loved reading this and no doubt would've been misty-eyed doing so. Thanks so much for all of the kind comments. He was an amazing man. A great father and grandfather and incredible teacher. Luckily he has passed on so many of his wonderful traits to my sons to carry on his legacy of kindness and love for people. Thank you for thinking so much of him. I have a heavy heart this morning.

• • •

From Dewain Lanfear who graduated in 1960 and also taught at his alma mater:

Thank you for sending me the letters from Mr. Lasker's son and grandson in advance of your posting them, Frank. They are justifiably proud of him. I had the privilege of knowing him when I was a student and then throughout most of my career as a teacher in Levittown.

He was wildly popular with his students at DAHS, always caring and fair. As an assistant principal he was well liked and respected by the faculty, and unfailingly caring and just dealing with students in this role. . His responsibility was often to be a disciplinarian, but he usually sought out the cause of the misbehavior and found ways to resolve these problems. He "straightened out" a lot of potential trouble makers by listening to their problems and working to alleviate them.

I respected his ability to stay above the school district politics. He knew the game and the players, he just didn't compromise his sense of right and wrong for the sake of advancement. Wherever he went, he made his corner of the district a better place.

COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS POSTED ON HIS OBITUARY

From June Johnson, class of 1963
He was the best! I felt honored to have him as my teacher.

Brian Fisher, class of 1961

The news of Mr. Lasker passing away saddens me. I really enjoyed his cit ed class, and he was a very good teacher. I will never forget this man and his teachings. Mr. Lasker will always remain in my heart.

Marilyn Monsrud Frese, class of 1963

Thank you Frank for finding and posting this tribute to a wonderful teacher. He touched many in a way that many of our old teachers could never do. If you needed someone to talk about ANYTHING, he was the man! He helped shape many of our lives by his wise and amusing ways. He was a hero in both serving his country (he LOVED to tell old war stories) and in his influence on young people. He will be missed!

Susan Chasin Ross, class of 1962
I had Mr. Lasker for 7th and 9th grade Cit.Ed...and then moved away. I would come and visit him over the next few years. I called him about 10 years ago when I heard he was ailing, to let him know that he had meant a lot to me. I have always told my students and my daughter to let teachers that had a positive effect on their lives know. I don't think there is anything a teacher would rather hear than a student telling him/her this. My heartfelt condolences to his family. RIP.

Arnie Galeota, class of 1961
Mr. Lasker was my homeroom teacher. Always a pleasant guy. Don't remember hearing one negative comment from anyone about Mr. Lasker. I'm sorry he's gone. Didn't know he was in combat in Korea. He never spoke about it.

Kathy Stahlman Zinn, class of 1963

I had Mr. Lasker for 9th grade Cit Ed. He was a great teacher and had a wonderful sense of humor - always a twinkle in his eye. He was enthusiastic about his subject - at the time I thought of history as boring - and government - even more so! But he made it compelling. He was younger than I thought - I had thought he was a WW II vet. The world is poorer for his passing.

Bill Fey, class of 1968

I had Larry Lasker and I don't remember a single day from the time I met him as my teacher till I graduated in '68, where he didn't have a smile on his face or a twinkle in his eye. Hearing about his tour at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier...I can believe that for he was a special human being and they only took special people. Rest in peace.

Anonymous wrote:

Mr. Lasker sometimes talked about his Korean War experiences in Social Studies class. I vividly remember him telling us about the Korean national dish - fermented cabbage that was buried in the backyard for a time, then exhumed and eaten as a condiment. I thought he was making it up. Of course, he wasn't. In the years since kimchi has become a foodie obsession in this country.

Twenty years later I ran into someone else from D.A.H.S. at a pub in London, and we spent all night talking about Mr. Lasker over pints of Greene King Abbot Ale.

Rick DeMeis, class of 1964

What a wonderful person and great teacher--always approachable with a great sense of humor.

Carol Binninger Mondello, class of 1964

Larry Lasker was a wonderful...wonderful person. He was an excellent teacher, confidant and friend. The first word that comes to mind to describe him is..RESPECT! I was involved in Masonic activities through out my teens...Mr. Lasker was always there. He was one of the greatest influences on my life...my FAVORITE teacher...and friend...he taught with his actions. I am in tears...he will be missed...but I will remember him always because of the joy he brought others...

Jay Barabash, class of 1963
He was truly an inspiration and a profoundly positive influence.

From Susan Hill, class of 1965
He was my class advisor and truly was an inspiration to many, he will be missed.

Lou Zinser, class of 1966
I was in Larry's class and had a great time. It is amazing how little we know about the person. What an honor to be a guard for the unknown soldiers, they were hand picked and were the cream of the crop.

Note: Lou provided your blogger with Mr. Lasker's obituary in February and if he hadn't, all of these memories of a great Levittown teacher could not have been posted.

LAWRENCE LASKER'S OBITUARY

Lawrence J. Lasker, 81, of Lakewood, N.Y., died Feb. 6, 2011, in his home.

He was born June 13, 1929, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of Hyman and Ida Allen Lasker. He was a graduate of Brooklyn College, where he earned both a bachelor's degree in economics, and a Master of Arts degree in public administration.

A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he had served as a paratrooper and was very proud to have served as a guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.

Prior to retiring, he had been employed as a social studies teacher and assistant principal at the Division Avenue and Gen. Douglas McArthur High Schools with the Levittown, N.Y. public schools district.

He was a member of Temple Hesed Abraham, Mt. Moriah Lodge #145, Free and Accepted Masons, the Jamestown Shrine Club, Ismalia Temple A.A.O.N.M.S., and the Lakewood Rod and Gun Club.

Larry loved to dote on his grandchildren, enjoyed traveling, and was an avid reader. He was a big sports fan, but especially loved the New York Mets.

Surviving are a son, Kenneth M. (Abbie) Lasker, of West Ellicott; a daughter, Lois A. (Leo) Vatkin, of Patterson, N.Y.; seven grandchildren: Dan Lasker, of Long Beach, Calif., Eric and Josh Lasker, both of West Ellicott, and William, Ilana, Dylan, and Esther Vatkin, all of Patterson, N.Y.; a sister, Doris Drantch, of Hewlitt, N.Y.; three stepsons: Jeff (Debbie), Mike (Sue), and Gary Erlandson; four step-grandchildren: Kyle, Drew, Emelie, and Dan Erlandson; and two step-great-grandchildren: Finn and Owen Erlandson.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Joanne Erlandson Lasker, who died Aug. 2, 2010; and by a brother, Donald Lasker.

Once was lost, but now is found: my 51-year old Division Avenue High School diploma

2011-11-20T11:45:00.001-08:00

By FRANK BARNING
Almost all of us have moved a few if not many times in our lives. For me, it has been six times since I left my family's home on Levittown's Hyacinth Road in the mid 1960s.

Therefore, my 1960 Division Avenue High School diploma has been packed and unpacked that many times. While moving from San Diego to Las Vegas in 2005, I thought that the diploma had been safely tucked away. But maybe it had been inadvertently tossed with a few thousand pounds of stuff that we trashed. Why pay a moving van company to ship items that you no longer care about? But it was not like me to dump such a precious memory.

Last week, I was going through some old file folders and found two particularly interesting items, including the diploma. The other was a receipt dated March 31, 1928 from the Excelsior Stables on Adelphi Street in Brooklyn. My grandfather owned a company that sold dairy products, mostly butter and eggs.

To transport his goods, Grandpa Barning had trucks as well as wagons pulled by horses. I suspect that by 1928, many of the horses had been replaced with motorized vehicles. However, the receipt was for boarding one horse, $42.50 for a month. I had stumbled upon the receipt in his attic in Forest Hills, NY when I was about eight-years old, in 1950. I have no idea why I saved it, but now it is a treasure, a photo of which will be posted in my Ancestry.Com account.

Concerning the Division Avenue diploma, I wonder if many others who graduated in the 1960s still have theirs. With all the moves we make in a lifetime, it would be a miracle if many have survived. Surprisingly fewer than you might imagine still have their yearbooks.

If the Levittown Historical Society is interested, my diploma from Division's first graduating class will be donated to them.

Just published obituary of Kathy Rees, class of 1961

2011-11-13T16:55:00.001-08:00

The Hartford Courant on November 13, 2011

Dr. Kathy Rees, a psychotherapist, supervisor and, teacher died at home of complications after pneumonia on October 21, 2011. She was 68 years old.

Kathy said of her work, "I consider psychotherapy my calling rather than my job. My belief in the healing power of presence and relationship is the foundation of my work." A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Social Work in 1975, she received her Doctorate from the Smith College School for Social Work in 1982. Her dissertation, "Object Relations and Mourning in the Elderly," continued her interest in the impact of early childhood trauma. She studied and worked clinically with the complex post-traumatic stress reactions that stem from a childhood of chronic but subtle abuse and neglect.

As an adjunct faculty member of the University of Connecticut, she taught courses and led seminars on clinical social work, group work, women's issues, clinical supervision and the use of mindfulness-based techniques. Her foundation training in traditional psychoanalytic theory expanded to include feminist theory, body/mind approaches and, Eastern spirituality. Her workshops for the STEP Continuing Education Program of the University of Connecticut in West Hartford included "The Narcissistic Family: Fantasy Bonds," "Relationship is the Key: An Examination of Relational Theory From Object Relations to Intersubjectivity" and, "Integrating the Spiritual Dimension into Social Work Practice."

In her professional community, she was President of the Connecticut Society for Clinical Social Workers from 1988 to 1989. In 1990, as Co-Chair of the Social Work Vendorship Committee, she helped gain certification for social workers in Connecticut. She created beautiful gardens and was devoted to fostering growth in all around her.

Kathy was a deeply loved daughter, wife, sister, aunt, stepmother, step grandmother and friend. She was valiant in all her efforts. She will be in the hearts of all who loved her and who learned from her.

She is survived by her stepmother, Helen Rees, her husband, Frank Blackford, her sisters, Ellen Rees and Patricia Steier, her brother, Fred Rees, her stepchildren Loren and Evan Blackford, her step grandchildren, Zachary and Maya Dubno, her nieces, Beverly Bergund, Rachel White, Rebecca Croyle and Emily Petronis and her nephews, Benjamin and Ethan Rees. We will do as she urged us, "Live and let good come from it."

There will be a Memorial Service in the late spring. The date and time will be posted on the funeral home website in April of 2012. To send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.rowefuneralhome.net.

Dr. Kathy Rees, Division Avenue High School class of 1961, passed away last week

2011-10-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

From Pat Calderwood Pulda, class of 1961 . . .

I want to tell you the sad news that my classmate Kathy Rees died in her sleep. She had had pneumonia, was feeling better, and then simply died. I heard the news from Charles Hyman, Iris Orenstein's husband, who called me. Iris was in our class.

I thought he was calling about Iris, so was shocked to learn otherwise. Charles told me that Kathy's husband, Frank, called him; said there is no funeral planned, but there may be a memorial service in the Spring. I last saw Kathy last Spring when we went to New York to visit Iris.

Can't believe Division class of '61 lost its Princess. Kathy was the quintessential prom queen: smart, beautiful, loved by all. I can still hear her laughter in the halls.

COMMENTS ABOUT KATHY

Arnie Galeota, 1961
This is very, very sad news. That's the girl who set the standard for what a class queen should be. It's a very sad day. I haven't seen her in so many years but she was the sweetest, friendliest, most cheerful, girl in my class. Just a wonderful girl.

Patricia Kraft McDonald, 1960
There are no words to describe the sadness I feel because of the loss of this beautiful person.

Armand Tarantelli, long-time Division Avenue teacher
What a loss to all DAHS faculty, alumni and community. I knew Kathy's parents in the '50s and '60s. Yes, she was everybody's sweetheart. She never took shop but all the guys knew this freckled faced beauty. May she rest in peace. Armand Tarantelli a/k/a Mr. T. Industrial Arts.

Roslyn Haberman, 1961
Kathy was one special lady. I remember her smiles and good nature. It is funny how it all flashes back even now. She was beautiful in every way.

Susan Weldon, 1960
Kathy was a smart, sweet, beautiful soul. I'm shocked and very saddened.

Cliff Fromm, 1960
Such sad news. I remember her as such a lovely person. She will be in my prayers.

Marilyn Monsrud Frese, 1963
Awful news. Such a sweet and gentle person... remember her fondly from our Tri-Delt sorority.

Michael Haag, 1961
Sad and shocking news.

Kathy Stallman Zinn, 1963
I always admired Kathy for her warmth, intelligence, friendliness, and all around goodness. I am very saddened to hear of her death.

Lillian Smith Handleman, 1962
Oh, so sorry. I do remember her pretty face. And she was sweet. That is so sad to die so young, and so unexpectedly. But at least she went peacefully--all any of us can ask.

Sue Rutkin Villatore, 1962
Ernie and I are saddened to hear about Kathy. What a lovely, vibrant woman she was, and I am sure had been through her adult life. So sad to hear about any of our old classmates passing away at such a "young" age.

Annajoy Herman Romdalvik, 1960
It is always sad to hear of the passing of someone we know especially at an age that is no longer considered "old". The only consolation is that Kathy went peacefully in her sleep and doesn't seem to have suffered. May she rest in peace.

Sandra Kelly Mincher, 1961
This is really sad news, and hard to comprehend. Even though I didn't know her personally, I could tell that she was a good and special person.

Laurence Bory, 1960
It is unfortunately life's progress that after the happy events that draw us together, weddings, births, graduations, reunions, come the sad ones of parting.

• • •
Kathy lived in West Hartford, Conn. and was a clinical social work therapist who had a PhD. Her sister, Dr. Ellen Rees, graduated from Division Avenue High School in 1960.

AZALEA ROAD POOL CIRCA 1954 . . . AN INNOCENT TIME TO GROW UP

2011-10-12T19:59:00.001-07:00

Click on photo to enlarge

This photo is pure early Levittown and one of my favorites among the hundreds of vintage images that have been sent to me for this blog. There is a certain nostalgic magic, transporting me back in time. It was provided by Toni Crescenzo Gelfer, class of 1968.

Here are her comments about this picture:

By TONI CRESCENZO GELFER

The year is probably 1954. The lady on the bench of the Azalea Road pool is my "Aunt" Lena, in reality my Godmother. Her son Johnny is by my side.

What strikes me is her clothes. She is under 40-years old, but coming from the Italian enclave of Ozone Park (made famous, later, by John Gotti), she could be decades older. In the time of June Cleaver and Donna Stone on TV, she is a stark contrast. The occasional visits by our Queens relatives were in their own words "visits to the country."

My own parents, being very old world, never took the family on a vacation because they thought every day was one. All I know is that I appear seemingly ecstatic and in my world everything you see here was quite normal.

One final note. At the sign-in table you can see the suburban moms and kids right out of Life magazine. Oh, to have a little of that innocence today, for my grandkids.

1961 photo: Division baseball players with future baseball Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski

2011-10-11T05:02:00.001-07:00

Click on photo to enlarge

1st row: Bill Astman 62, Bob Benn 63, Bill Mazeroski, Skip McCarthy 62, Bob Spadafore 62, Jeff Harriton 63

2nd row: Jerry Reichert 61, Jack Lorenz 63, Bob Rolston 62, Frank Policano 63

3rd row: Jeff Peyton 61, John Fitzsimmons 61, Joe Panarello 62, Larry Orloff 62, John Stalberg 62.

Sadly, Bob Benn, Bob Rolston and Joe Panarello are deceased.
______________________

Photo courtesy of Jeff Peyton who wonders if there was a dress code that day.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES . . .

2011-10-09T10:24:00.001-07:00

At a Chicago Radiator shop:
"Best place in town to take a leak."
**********************
In a Podiatrist's office:
"Time wounds all heels."
**************************
On a Septic Tank Truck:
"Yesterday's Meals on Wheels"
**************************
At a Proctologist's door:
"To expedite your visit, please back in."
**************************
On a Plumber's truck:
"We repair what your husband fixed."
**************************
On another Plumber's truck:
"Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."
**************************
At a Butcher shop in San Diego:
"You can't beat our meat."
**************************
At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee :
"Invite us to your next blowout."
**************************
On an Electrician's truck:
"Let us remove your shorts."
******** ******************
In a Nonsmoking Area:
"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."
**************************
On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
**************************
At an Optometrist's Office:
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
**************************
On a Taxidermist's window:
"We really know our stuff."
**************************
On a Fence:
"Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!"
**************************
At a Car Dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment."
**************************
Outside a Muffler Shop:
"No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."
**************************
In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"
**************************
At the Electric Company
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment.
However, if you don't, you will be."
**************************
In a Restaurant window:
"Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up."
**************************
In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
"Drive carefully. We'll wait."
**************************
At a Propane Filling Station:
"Thank heaven for little grills."
**************************
Sign on the back of Septic Tank Truck:
"Caution - This Truck is full of Political Promises"
__________________________
Author unknown. Forwarded to us by Cliff Fromm, class of 1960.

Part 2: Division Avenue High's first graduation program - Click on pages to enlarge

2011-10-07T13:15:00.001-07:00

Here is a the continuation of the story with the remaining five pages of the class of 1960 graduation program. As mentioned previously, there were approximately 204 of us in the class. At least 28 class members are deceased.

The list of special awards, scholarship winners and class officers is interesting as is the information about who built the graduation "pavillion". We were an impressive group and much has been accomplished by 1960 grads in the 51 years since we proudly departed from Division Avenue High School.
__________________

Graduation program pages provided by Sandra Gail Adams, class of 1960.

Historical document: Division Avenue High's first graduation program

2011-10-06T05:47:00.001-07:00

Click on pages to enlarge

Fifty-one years ago, the first Division Avenue High School class graduated. The date was June 26, 1960. Among the 204 or so graduates was Sandy Adams who saved the program and invitation from that historic day and kindly scanned the pages.

The first page shown here is the invitation. It features a drawing of the school. Carole Arnesen gave the valedictory address and Ellen Rees the salutatory remarks.

The next blog post will include the remaining pages.

The dads of Levittown's Daisy Lane were teamwork personified in the old days

2011-10-04T05:49:00.001-07:00

By DEWAIN LANFEAR '60

Levittown was built primarily to provide affordable single family homes for the men returning from World War II. My dad and many of the men on our block, Daisy Lane, fit this description. They had “served for the duration” and were ready for the home ownership that Levittown offered. The habits they formed during their service carried over to the way they worked with each other on the block.

I remember one particularly heavy snow fall. Our street was just off Orchid Road, a “major” thoroughfare in Levittown. My how it has shrunk since I was 13-years old. Anyway, the town plows would work to clear the major streets first and then get to the side streets eventually.

This timetable didn't suit the men of the block, and after each had cleared his own driveway (if he had one – more on this later) or walkway, there was the street itself keeping them from getting out to the plowed network of roads. Their solution? A bottle of Schenley's whiskey stuck in the snow a few feet from the intersection with Orchid Road, some shovels and a lot of military style teamwork. With that bottle as incentive, the street was soon cleared and they all enjoyed a well earned reward.

I mentioned the driveways earlier. These same ex-GI's pooled their resources to build driveways and walkways for their houses. Remember that the original package came with a flagstone path from the front door to the sidewalk. Well when it was time to upgrade to concrete, the men of the block agreed on a time table and each dug out (or assigned the job to an offspring) his own path and on the agreed upon Saturday they had a cement truck make a drop to each house; they helped each other finish the walks and driveways. They saved a lot of money by ordering an entire truckload of concrete, and of course, being part of the team gave them motivation to finish the job.

Do you recall that the upstairs area, with its counterbalanced trap door, was unfinished? A popular project was to finish that space into living space. First the area needed electrical wiring. Enter the team concept again. The school district offered an Adult Ed class on wiring a Levittown attic. Twelve weeks, 12 enrollees. Each week the class was held at another class member's home. Wives were assigned the task of providing coffee and cake, while the class went upstairs and, under the guidance of the licensed electrician/teacher, installed the wiring on that house according to code. I remember this because that's how my dad wired my upstairs bedroom.

Our garage was built using the same team concept. After I finished digging out the footing, which was not a team job, Dad hired a carpenter and ordered the lumber and other things he needed to build his garage. One weekend, the carpenter arrived along with the rest of the men on the block and, with the carpenter's directions, they put the garage up in two days. I guess that this was what on old-time barn raising was like.

Dad had a strong sense of community pride. Do you remember the hedges at the foot of the main entrance to DAHS? Well, the weekend they were planted, some vandals came by on Saturday night and pulled them out. Dad saw this on his way to church the next morning and came back after church and replanted them. They might still be there. That's the way a lot of the Levittown dads felt about their town.

I want to name these men because they were such a good example and because so many of them had children who went to Division. There was my dad, Dewain, and Gene Sherman, Irv Weiner, Noel Heineke, Dick McCarthy, Bob Waddle and Bill Condon. These men and many of our teachers were veterans who developed some worthwhile values during their service. Let's remember them.
________

Photo by Marilyn Monsrud Frese '63