Part 3 - Photos from Tim Lavey's early Levittown collection

Click on photos to enlarge

By FRANK BARNING

Tim Lavey, a 1963 Division Avenue High School graduate, was an early Levittowner. His family, including parents Arlene and Ed, lived at 173 Orchid Road along with Tim and younger brothers Robin and Mitch. He has preserved several dozen vintage photos of early Levittown, primarily from 1951-53.

Today's photos include mom giving young Robin a bath in their ranch house kitchen and dad with Mitch and Robin siding the house. Both Mitch and Robin are shown on bicycles in front of the house, and there is a picture of Tim and Mitch with mom in front of their carport. We tried to identify the car and an expert on vintage automobiles believes it is a 1937 Ford "flatback".

Notice the flagstone path, and the immature bushes. This was early Levittown and it took time and money to put in cement paths and nature eventually created mature plantings.

"The Lavey Collection" is being presented here in several posts over the course of weeks or maybe months. This is part 3.

Part 2 - Photos from Tim Lavey's early Levittown collection

Click on pix to enlarge


By FRANK BARNING

Tim Lavey, a 1963 Division Avenue High School graduate, was an early Levittowner. His family, including parents Arlene and Ed, lived at 173 Orchid Road along with Tim's younger brothers Robin and Mitch.

Tim has preserved several dozen vintage photos of early Levittown, primarily from 1951-53. Some of the outdoor shots provide an idea of the immaturity of trees and scrubs and even show some of the automobiles of the day.

Today's photos include one of mom and her boys on Christmas in their Levittown kitchen; dad with the lads at Jones Beach; Robin on the lawn surrounded by a snake-like garden hose; the Laveys with friend Gary Lazeroff (left) in front of the house; and the brothers in winter coats behind their Levittown ranch with the big and often drafty windows behind them.

Tim, who lives in Upper Montclair, NJ, has generously shared his photos with us. "The Lavey Collection" is being presented here in four or more posts over the next week or so. Enjoy part 2.

Part 1 - Photos from Tim Lavey's early Levittown collection

Click on pix to enlarge

Tim Lavey has several dozen vintage photos of early Levittown, primarily from 1951-53. He and his younger brothers Robin and Mitch lived at 173 Orchid Road. In some of the photos you can see construction going on, and the outdoor shots give you an idea of the immaturity of trees and scrubs, while there also some of the automobiles of the day.

Today we include a grammar school picture of Tim, a shot of Mitch at the backyard picnic table, Tim celebrating a birthday in the family's kitchen and Robin riding his bike on Orchid Road.

A 1963 graduate of Division Avenue High School, Tim has generously shared his photos for the blog. "The Lavey Collection", as we like to call it, will be presented here in four or more posts over the next week or so.

As always, comments are welcome. And a big thank you to Tim Lavey for preserving some of Levittown's history and sharing it with us.

Back-to-the-past with a fabulous 1953 photo of Levittown boys enjoying the moment with their friends

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Tim Lavey, class of 1963, has a marvelous collection of early Levittown pictures that he has generously shared with us. Of the 20 or so in my file, the shot posted here is my favorite.

It's from around 1953 and was snapped on the front lawn of the Lavey home at 173 Orchid Road. Tim's younger brothers Mitch and Robin Lavey are shown with some friends.

If you grew up in early Levittown, you may remember when the trees and shrubs were immature and the houses had not been expanded, except for the occasional finished attic with extra bedrooms for growing families. The Laveys lived in a Levitt ranch and across the street are basic Cape Cod models.

Viewing this picture, I can smell the grass and remember hanging out with boys who lived down the block from our home at 10 Hyacinth Road. Many pleasant junior high days were spent with neighbors Louie Pascale, Mike Gurr, Steve Zwerling and Artie Reiersen from Primrose Lane, and the Giffords (Ed and Bob) who lived across the street on Hyacinth. Those were carefree days.

Click on this photo to enlarge it and take some time to contemplate a spectacular back-to-the-past image.

Early 1950s memories of Orchid Road and the glorious sump

Click on picture to enlarge it
Tim Lavey calls this photo of him and his brother Mitch, "Building Levittown".

By Tim Lavey, class of 1963

My brother Mitch and I lived at 173 Orchid Road, between Skimmer Lane and Violet Lane (about halfway between Jerusalem Avenue and Newbridge Road). The picture was taken in 1950 or early 1951, behind our house before the sump was built.

You can see an old culvert behind my brother Mitch's head. He graduated from Division Avenue in 1965. The houses in the background are probably those on the southern leg of Blacksmith Road." According to Jeff Peyton, class of 1961 and my childhood friend, "The sump was even with, or just south of the Old Motor Parkway, a place to my young eyes that was filled with wildflowers and Queen Anne's Lace, oversized brown locusts, and toads. I loved that place."

I remember one time a whole bunch of us were hiding out around the culverts in the underbrush playing war games in the early evening just as it got dark. My dad sneaked up on us and shouted to wake the dead. I’ve never been so scared in my life. As he took my brother Mitch and me back to our house, I can remember him lecturing us on properly setting up a perimeter to avoid being surprised by the enemy. Dad passed away in 1995 after a considerable struggle with the effects of Alzheimers. I miss him greatly, of course, and so do all those who knew him.

I also have wonderful memories of days exploring the forbidden tunnels inside the sump. We weren’t supposed to be in the sump much less going into those tunnels, but it seems that almost everyone did it. I forget just how far I crawled under the streets of Levittown exploring the sewer system, but I believe I got pretty far north. I remember being somewhat frightened about not being able to back track to the sump after making too many twists and turns into and through adjacent underground tunnels. It would have been exceedingly embarrassing to have become hopelessly lost and then ignominiously extricated by town authorities.

One more thing comes to mind. I recollect that before the sump was built in the very early 1950s that we had major flooding all along Orchid Road during a heavy rain. I think my dad was out back with other dads doing what they could to stop the water from cascading into our yards and houses. I always thought (incorrectly I’m sure) that the sump was built shortly thereafter because that flooding had occurred. It’s much more likely it was already on the drawing board.

Photo courtesy of Tim Lavey

Early Levittown New York was safeguarded by the Lavey brothers of 173 Orchid Road

Tim Lavey, class of 1963, has a wonderful collection of family photos taken in early Levittown. Here he is with his younger brother Mitch (Division Avenue High School class of 1965) in a picture that he refers to as "Safeguarding Levittown." In those days, unlike today, the houses and trees were small.

Tim wrote: "The picture was taken in my backyard about 1951 or possibly 1952. The historic Old Motor Parkway was behind us. However, they were building a sump on the stretch behind our house at that time. They destroyed part of the Old Motor Parkway in building it. The houses in view behind Mitch and me were on Blacksmith Road. Those to the left in the picture were on Pelican Road. Michelle Fromm's home was just a tad further west on Woodcock along with Dave Amster and Joe Imperato, all from the class of 1963."

If you like seeing this photo, we will post additional vintage shots from the Lavey collection. Please let us know.

Remembering the late David Peyton, a wonderful teacher

By Tim Lavey '63

“I was saddened on multiple levels to hear from Jeff Peyton '61 that his father, David Peyton, had passed away on January 2. He was a wonderful role model and teacher at Division Avenue High School and he was a close family friend.

My mom and dad had met and become friends with a number of families who were fighting against the intolerance of the Levittown School Board around 1956 or so. This group included the Peytons, the Fitzsimmonses, the Thibadeaus, the Kebabians and others. For decades thereafter, they remained fast friends. We were continually going to the beach with the Peytons in the warm weather months.

When I went to DAHS starting in 7th grade, it was a bit awkward for me to be around Dave Peyton. For one thing, I had to get used to calling him Mr. Peyton. He was otherwise “Uncle Dave” to me. The awkwardness was compounded when I had him for Industrial Arts in 1958 (and later Driver Ed). I had no discernable skills in Dave’s Industrial Arts class, but he helped me make a carving of a Roman soldier.

In many ways, the DAHS years are a blur. In my hazy recollection, it seems that there was one big, endless party at the Peyton house on Snowbird Lane. I can’t remember ever being there when there weren’t dozens of people in the house. While Dave was an integral part of this scene, most of it was surely due to Dave’s wife Sybil, my “Aunt Sybil”, a big-time extrovert if there ever was one.

It was a pleasure to reconnect with both Dave and Jeff back in 2009. Jeff stayed a night at my house in NJ, and I visited with him and Dave at Dave’s apartment in Gramercy Park (see photo above). I’m so glad I got to see Dave one last time.

I’m sure everyone would agree that Dave had a gruff exterior, but he was a warm, loving person to those of us who really got to know him. I’m happy that I was one of them.”
_____________________________________________________________
Comments from Mr. Peyton's students

Jim Anton '61: I was lucky enough to have Mr. Peyton for shop. He was a dedicated teacher. May he rest in peace.

Marilyn Monsrud Frese '63: I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. Peyton. He will be remembered fondly by so many people whose life he touched. I had the privilege of getting to know him better when I worked at Division Avenue.

Mark Rotker '68: He was a good guy. Had him for print shop in jr. high and then in driver ed. Played sports all year so I had to take it in the summer. Mr. Peyton asks who wants to drive first, so of course I volunteer. Pull out of the parking lot behind the school onto Division Avenue. There are just three of us guys plus him. Figure he's gonna take us behind Mays on the first day. Nope. Left on Division, right onto Hempstead Turnpike, right onto Merrick Avenue (past Salisbury Park) and right onto Old Country Road. Pretty gutsy on his part, but lotsa fun. Amazing he lasted so long after all those years teaching kids to drive in those situations.

Alan Lerner '60: Our condolences to the Peyton family for the loss of a wonderful human being. We lost a real hero.

Daria Marusevich '61: I've known Mr. Peyton a very long time. I am very sorry to hear of his passing. Rest in peace Dave, we'll miss your wonderful smile.

Brian Fisher '61: I had Mr. Peyton as my metal shop teacher, and I enjoyed his class very much even though I wasn't that good in metal shop. I am truly sorry to hear of his passing.

Arnie Galeota '61: Mr. Peyton was great man who leaves a tremendous legacy. I'm truly sorry.

Memories of Levittown being built in assembly-line fashion

Q & A with Tim Lavey, Division Avenue class of 1963

Where did you live in Levittown, when did you move there and where had you lived before:

The Lavey family moved to Levittown in June 1950. Prior to that, we had resided at 225 Parkside Avenue right off Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. My grandfather was the building super and so was able to get us in the building when my dad returned from the service in late 1945. Our house was on Orchid Road about half way between Newbridge and Jerusalem. We were actually right off Skimmer Lane which led up to Pelican Road and Northside School which opened in 1951.

What were some of your earliest memories of Levittown:

My very earliest memory of Levittown was going out to see our house being built. I think only our foundation had been laid, but there were workmen busy hammering on many others up and down the block. It looked like a building assembly line (although I’m sure I didn’t know what that was at the time). What’s truly amazing is the quality of the workmanship these guys displayed as they erected our houses day after day.

Along with everyone else, I remember those totemic elements of our town like the Village Greens, the public pools and the Old Motor Parkway. The OMP ran right behind my house and was a place filled with wonder due to its overgrown vegetation and general wildness. It stood in stark contrast to the quite barren look of the early yards each having just a handful of straggly trees and shrubs.

Another very early memory was the Japanese Beetle infestation. Those jars in the trees filled with insecticide and dead Japanese Beetle bodies were sure spooky. Way later, of course, I can remember the earwigs showing up and even later the gypsy moths.

I’ve retained one very negative early recollection. We had a cat (the first of many) that we had brought to Levittown from Brooklyn. It disappeared, but then my brother Mitch and I saw it further up Orchid Road at the house of the Greenwood sisters (Ann & Ellen I believe). They were older than we were, and they wouldn’t return it. When I complained to my parents, they told me and my brother we were mistaken, but I remained unconvinced. To this day, I can’t think of the Greenwood sisters without attaching the appellation “evil” in front of their name. Hey, it’s not easy to hold a grudge for going on 60 years.

Who were some of your first friends in Levittown:

I think the first Levittown kid I ever met was Bob Berman who lived a bit further up on Orchid Road toward the East Village Green. We weren’t five years old yet, but I started poking fun at him because of his weight. Later we were in the same classes at Northside where everyone hurled insults at him. Our group of tormentors included Charlie Newton (younger brother of Mike '60), Gordon Bradberry, Ricky Coward, Bert Heilmann and Robert Fink (who had an older brother named Stephen who some may remember). I’ll never forget my mom coming out of our house one day to give us all hell for tossing Berman’s hat over the sump fence where he couldn’t retrieve it because of his weight problem. I think that was the first instance of my becoming aware of the cruel nature of children, and I was embarrassed for myself.

In my early days at DAHS, I hung out a bit with Bob Leporati, Brian Williams and Richie Liqouri. However, my main cadre of buddies included Linc Binninger, Bart Thibadeau, Fred Barash, Bob Brooks, Joel Bienstock and Bob Berman.

I was also friendly with a few girls. In grade school, I hung out a little with Elyse Jacobs. In early high school, Pauline Spadafore and I were friendly. In my junior and senior years, Linda Bishop and I were an official couple.

Was attending Division Avenue High School a good experience, any teachers you really enjoyed:

My two best teachers were Mr. Chapman for English (10th grade) and Ms. McGuigan for Latin (8th and 9th grades). I’ll always remember Mr. Chapman telling the class he was leaving DAHS to teach in California as it had the only progressive school system in the country. Other teachers I liked were Mr. Lasker and Mr. Fenter for Cit. Ed., Mr. T.E. Murphy for math and Mr. Peyton for shop.

You and some of the other 1963 grads seem to have a nice bond. The gathering of 1963 classmates at the class of 1960's 50th reunion this summer, to me, was memorable. Anything to comment on here:

I really enjoyed the DAHS reunion. I had connected with several members of the class of ’63 via Facebook so it wasn’t at all difficult to see them again after 47 years compared to what it might have been like going in cold. My wife and I sat with June Johnson, Pete Weiss, Michelle Fromm and Len Sandok.

While none of us had been particularly close back in the day, we all discovered just how much we liked being in one another’s company. At Michelle’s suggestion, we’ve even made a plan to get together next year in Albuquerque where she resides. By the way, June had arranged a brunch for the ’63 group the Sunday following the reunion where we got to see some other classmates who hadn’t attended the reunion (Judy Lewis, Chris Jacobsen and Sue Blank).

When you graduated in June 1963, what was the next step in your life:

I attended Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA following graduation. I learned about Lycoming because they used to play sports against Hofstra. My degree was in History. I then went to graduate school for a year with an assistantship at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb.

Tell us about your career:

In 1968 after tiring of school, I joined the business world. I was hired and worked my entire career for the Guardian Life Insurance Company. I oversaw the contracts and finances of their sales force retiring as a Vice President in 2005. For my first 30+ years, I worked in our building located in Union Square in Manhattan. The company moved downtown in 1999 to Hanover Square (on Water Street just down from Wall Street and the South Street Seaport). I commuted through the World Trade Center every day. Fortunately, I always came in quite early and so missed being there when the planes hit the buildings on 9-11.

Anything else you would like to add:

I had an interesting discussion at the reunion picnic with Pete File from the class of ’60. I was of the mind that our Levittown experiences weren’t really special as compared to those of other suburbanites growing up. However, Pete made the case that what we had was quite special because the ages of the parents and the ages of the children were all so close together. We had a homogeneity lacking in many other suburbs.

I remember hearing some statistics about Levittown back in the 1960s. I heard it said there were 17,000 or so homes and 75,000+ residents half of whom were 17 years of age and under. That made sense to me as there were just so many kids. I also heard it said the town was 50% Catholic, 25% Protestant and 25% Jewish.

It never ceases to amaze me when I look at the early DAHS yearbooks just how many names of underclassmen are familiar to me. It seems that virtually everyone I knew had brothers and sisters following in their footsteps.

Early 1950s memories of Orchid Road and the glorious sump

Tim Lavey calls the above photo of he and his brother Mitch, "Building Levittown."
click on the picture to enlarge it

By Tim Lavey, class of 1963
My brother Mitch and I lived at 173 Orchid Road, between Skimmer Lane and Violet Lane (about halfway between Jerusalem Avenue and Newbridge Road). The picture was taken behind our house before the sump was built.

You can see an old culvert behind my brother Mitch's head. He graduated from Division Avenue in 1965.My guess is that it was late 1950 or early 1951. The houses in the background are probably those on the southern leg of Blacksmith Road." According to Jeff Peyton, class of 1961 and my childhood friend, "The sump was even with, or just south of the Old Motor Parkway, a place to my young eyes that was filled with wildflowers and Queen Anne's Lace, oversized brown locusts, and toads. I loved that place."

I remember one time a whole bunch of us were hiding out around the culverts in the underbrush playing war games in the early evening just as it got dark. My dad sneaked up on us and shouted to wake the dead. I’ve never been so scared in my life. As he took my brother Mitch and me back to our house, I can remember him lecturing us on properly setting up a perimeter to avoid being surprised by the enemy. September 4 is my dad’s birthday. He would have been 90 this month. He passed away in 1995 after a considerable struggle with the effects of Alzheimer’s. I miss him greatly, of course, and so do all those who knew him.

I also have wonderful memories of days exploring the forbidden tunnels inside the sump. We weren’t supposed to be in the sump much less going into those tunnels, but it seems that almost everyone did it. I forget just how far I crawled under the streets of Levittown exploring the sewer system, but I believe I got pretty far north. I remember being somewhat frightened about not being able to back track to the sump after making too many twists and turns into and through adjacent underground tunnels. It would have been exceedingly embarrassing to have become hopelessly lost and then ignominiously extricated by town authorities.

One more thing comes to mind. I recollect that before the sump was built in the very early ‘50s that we had major flooding all along Orchid Road during a heavy rain. I think my dad was out back with other dads doing what they could to stop the water from cascading into our yards and houses. I always thought (incorrectly I’m sure) that the sump was built shortly thereafter because that flooding had occurred. It’s much more likely it was already on the drawing board.

Photo courtesy of Tim Lavey

In the beginning.....photo of early Levittown from Tim Lavey '63

Tim Lavey, class of 1963, has a wonderful collection of family photos taken in early Levittown. Here he is with his younger brother Mitch (class of 1965) in picture that he refers to as "Safeguarding Levittown." In early Levittown, unlike today, the houses and trees were small. The Laveys lived at 173 Orchid Road.

Tim wrote: "The picture was taken in my backyard about 1951 or possibly 1952. Michelle Fromm-Lewis '63 mentioned that the Old Motor Parkway was behind us. However, they were building a sump on the stretch behind our house at that time. They destroyed part of the Old Motor Parkway in building it. The houses in view behind Mitch and me were on Blacksmith Road. Those to the left in the picture were on Skimmer Lane. The Fromms were just a tad further west on Woodcock along with Dave Amster and Joe Imperato, also from the class of 1963)."

Click on the photo and it becomes larger.