The first Division Avenue High School yearbook was distributed 52 years ago

Click on autograph page to enlarge

"No wise man ever wished to be younger."

- Jonathan Swift

By FRANK BARNING

June 9, 1960 was a memorable day for me. It was my 18th birthday, so by law I could now be a patron of my favorite bars. Almost magically I was legal at the North Village Green bowling alley's (Bowlder Lounge) and the watering holes on Hempstead Turnpike near Hofstra College. Three months later, my freshman year at Hofstra began.

June 9, 1960 also stands out because it is inscribed in fountain pen on one of the first pages of my copy of Perspectum, the first ever Division Avenue High School yearbook. That day, yearbooks were distributed and there was much excitement in the halls of our school.

Dewain Lanfear was the editor-in-chief and I was co-sports editor with John General. Many of us on the staff had been involved in the planning of the yearbook, which was extensive because there wasn't a previous volume to use as a guide nor something upon which to improve.

Fifty-two years later, one of my favorite features of the "Pioneer" yearbook were the two pages for autographs. We did not request fellow seniors to sign here. Instead, we asked 1960 classmates to put an inscription next to their senior photos and looking at those in my copy sort of gives me an idea that people thought I might become a sports writer or announcer.

I filled up the first of the two "Autographs" pages with 43 signatures. Page two has only two. Most had great penmanship. After all these years, I am still in touch with several, mostly through Facebook. Many are on my "Early Levittown and Beyond" blog mailing list. Sadly, at least three are deceased. Many of the 43 are fresh in my mind, yet some I hardly knew.

So Happy Birthday to the first Division Avenue High School yearbook, a gift that keeps on giving. And thank you to those signees who are still in touch more than a half century later.

Those little darlings from Division Avenue's class of 1960

Click on image to enlarge


Starting at the top, left to right:
top row - Louise Nicolosi, Ira Selsky, Dewain Lanfear, Perry Bernstein

row 2 - xxx, Jane Kranzler, Dottie Caggiano, Lilette Levy

row 3 - MaryJane Stevens, Ronnie Schubert, Bob Bond, John General

row 4 - Mimi Brunette, Russ Green, Renee Gordon, Pat Kraft, Barbara Bond, Linda Votteler

row 5 - Karen Balos, Richie Glaski, Mary Scully, Howie Burtt, Veda Schneider

row 6 - Carolyn Flohl, Margaret O'Pray, Connie Drakos, Peggy Coe, Artie Kornfeld.

This is one of my favorite pages in the 1960 Division Avenue High School yearbook. My classmate Louise Nicolosi Hayn provided the caption information. One of the youngsters is not identified, so if you know who she is, please let us know.

Division Avenue High School principal James Reilly's letter in our first yearbook messed up the pioneer metaphor

Click on photos to enlarge

BY DEWAIN LANFEAR

I was looking through our Division Avenue High School's class of 1960 yearbook the other day and got as far as Mr. Reilly's letter. There was something about the letter that troubled me. He messes up the pioneer metaphor by first calling us pioneers and then calling the faculty pioneers and mixing their legacy with ours.

As much as I hold our teachers in high regard, they were for the most part not rookies, and Levittown was not a new place in 1960, and they didn't go on from there as we did to start new lives. So, I'm not a fan of the letter written by our principal. That's not to say that I don't feel we owe a great debt to the faculty, but we were the pioneers.

It is a rare circumstance to be "seniors" for four years. We set our own styles, helped along by American Bandstand, and followed a course that we set. We didn't "pay our dues" as freshman or any other underclass. We grew into a varsity sports program, we planned the proms, the newspaper, the yearbook, etc. the way we, with the help and advice of faculty advisers, wanted to do these things. There weren't any traditions until we did something.

I believe that this very unusual situation and opportunity shaped most of us in subtle but lasting ways throughout our lives. I think that a lot of us on many occasions in life chose our own paths rather than following established patterns, and that, to quote my most favorite poem, "has made all the difference". It's not a matter of being headstrong or obstinate, it's just a way of looking at the world - seeing not just the wellworn paths, but seeing the chance to make a new path. I think of Bobby Kennedy's quote about "seeing things that never were and saying why not".

Personally, I did so many things my way in college, the Army, teaching and coaching that I never even thought about it after a while. The results weren't always good and the creativity wasn't always appreciated, but I was who I was, and I attribute it to the unique position the class of 1960 occupied in the history of DAHS.

The incredibly creative people that our class produced, Woodstock, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tony Awards, Oscars, Emmys, etc make it seem obvious to me that something extraordinary happened with our class. These awards are just the tip of the iceberg as anyone who's been following this blog will know. Our class includes many remarkable people who haven't been recognized with these high profile awards, but who nevertheless were outstanding in their field.

Being in the pioneer class of 1960 was a wonderful gift that many of us have used well.
______________________

Dewain Lanfear, a frequent contributor to this blog, was the editor of Division Avenue High School's first yearbook. Now retired, he taught English at Division for 18 years and a total of 32 in Levittown.

Division grads share memories of their high school yearbooks

By Frank Barning
My 1960 copy of Perspectum is like a family album to me. We look so young, so innocent. Some of the inscriptions that classmates and teachers penned in my yearbook are fascinating. Several wished me luck in college, a few consoled me for being undervalued by coaches, and a few mentioned the several years we shared the same homeroom.

Miss Eisenhauer, a fabulous teacher, wrote: "Best wishes to a sincere and industrious student." That meant a great deal to me. Mr. Kalinowski asked if I were going to continue French in college. Years later, I ran into him at a Mets game and gave him a positive answer to his question.

John Mulligan and Bill Stanley both referred to the time in a junior varsity basketball game that I drove to the wrong basket. John called me "Wrong way" and Bill wrote, "Remember the time you went the wrong way with me chasing you."

Pete Cybriwsky mentioned some of the good times we shared and concluded: "These bring back memories of our past and a continuing friendship in the future." Pete died in his 20s.

The late Sterling Morrison wrote: "Don't forget the good times we had here." He was one of the founding members of the rock group The Velvet Underground. His music lives on, despite his passing in 1995.

John Reardon captured a personal lament: "To the best first baseman who ever rode the varsity bench." That should be chiseled on my tombstone.

Yes, my 1960 yearbook, Division Avenue High School's first, is a family album to me.

THE READERS WRITE
Readers of this blog who attended Division Avenue High School were asked the current status of their yearbooks.

Alice Nutini Pecoraro 1961: My yearbook is long gone, since 1969. It was a difficult year. I had to move and couldn't take anything that didn't fit in a car with my three (at the time) children. I'm sure we have all had some difficult times. When I saw Roberta Landry (1961) a few years ago, she brought the yearbooks of 1960 and 1961 and we had so much fun looking at them. My sister Ann was with us. She went to Levittown Memorial.

Marilyn Monsrud 1963: I have a four-year series...starting with the first graduating class, 1960, and ending with my class, 1963. Nothing like a yearbook to help clarify the memories. They say a picture is worth a thousand works, and it's so true with yearbook photos. It's also great to see photos of old classmates as they look now (as posted in Facebook) and then looking that person up again in the appropriate yearbook. As far as I can see, the years have been kind to DAHS grads. Must have been something in the potato field dirt!

Sandy Kelly Mincher 1961: My story is not very noteworthy but it has caused me great regret as well as an important life lesson.

When I went away to college, in Oswego, NY, I ended up staying in that small city after graduation. I liked the slow pace, friendly people, and snowy winters. After a few years my mom asked me to go through my stuff at home and take what I wanted to keep. I never thought about my yearbook being among the less important things I had left behind. Being a procrastinator, I kept putting this chore off until I completely forgot about it.

The time came, of course, when I became nostalgic for the treasured memories of my school days in Levittown. When I asked my mom where my yearbook was she told me she had thrown out all that stuff when she moved. I was devastated, but realized it was a consequence of my habit of procrastinating. One of many lessons I have learned the hard way.

Diane Dewey Adolpho 1961: I do not have them but sure wish I did. I had mine stored in a shed in Hawaii in the back of my mother-in-laws house and we had some very bad rain storms and the shed got flooded and the box my yearbooks were in got totally ruined and the books just weren't able to be saved. That was many years ago.

Ann Crescenzo Fazzino 1961: I still have the 1960 and my 1961 yearbooks. They are packed away in our attic closet with all my special memorabilia. The last time that I perused both yearbooks I laughed, I cried, and enjoyed reading all the great comments. What makes many of the comments more meaningful today is the fact that many of our classmates aren't here any longer. What they personally wrote to me has much more meaning. I don't believe that I will ever throw away my yearbooks. I cherish both of them as they are filled with wonderful memories of Levittown's first and second graduation classes at Division Avenue High School.

Dr. Michael O'Boyle 1960: Mine was destroyed by Hurricane Ike. Our house in Galveston, Texas took on 4 feet of salt water, we were not able to return for about two weeks, so pretty much everything in the house below 4 feet, especially books, was trashed. We did have good insurance, moved back after repairs about 7 months later. I like to view it as a learning experience. One bit of advice, keep an inventory of your possessions, especially big ticket items, in case you ever have to make a claim ( It's very arduous to do this after the fact; pictures or a video of your things, invoices, are of great help).

Sandy Adams 1960: Yes, I do have it! It’s not in A-One condition, but it is intact. My kids got a hold of it once when they were very young – oops!