1956-57 freshman basketball team. Coach Amen is between Nos. 8 and 13, while Dewain Lanfear is No. 7.
Click on photo to enlarge
By DEWAIN LANFEAR
Class of 1960 and DAHS teacher
My first real experience with Mr. Amen was freshman basketball in 1956. That team, 9-1, was the highlight of DAHS basketball for several years. He was a terrific coach and teacher. Whenever I watch a game on TV I see it through his eyes and how he taught the game. He taught us to understand the game. His overly enthusiastic "pats on the back" were well known.
I had the pleasure of teaching at Division while Jimmie was still there, and learning to address him that way and calling Mr. Jewell "Jerry" were tough steps to take. Anyway, Jimmie was an entertaining person to be around in the faculty room. He and the other coaches ate together at the "jock table" and pretty much dominated conversation. Lots of jokes and personal jabs - not a place for the thin skinned. These were definitely the days before PC was the rule.
They would collect ice cream slips from teachers who didn't want them and wind up with three or four desserts apiece. New teachers were always welcome at their table, especially if they were female and under 60. In the days before enlightenment, any birth in the faculty was required to be celebrated with cigars, and these guys would turn the air in that lunchroom blue with smoke.
Jimmie was well known for his general impatience. Famous quote was "I got things to do". We played in the teachers' golf league together; par for Jimmie was measured in minutes and hours the round took, not strokes. He rarely sat still and contemplation was not a familiar state for him.
During the teachers' strike in the late 1970s, I was walking the line with him one day and we took a break and were sitting on the curb in back of the shops. He was kind of down that day and said "Here I am after all these years coaching and teaching and I wind up here, sitting on the curb, eating peanuts." I recall feeling so bad then because the strike was so nasty and he was such a good dedicated man. He retired soon after that. His son followed him to DAHS years later and showed many of the same strengths and idiosyncrasies as his Dad.
Jimmie Amen left a wonderful legacy at Division Avenue and we are better for having known him
Howard Burtt's Division Avenue High School yearbook photo.
COMMENTS FROM CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS
Pat Kraft McDonald
My condolences to his wife, Geri and family. He was one of the sweetest and nicest people I ever knew in school.
Dewain Lanfear
Howard was a wonderful classmate. My sympathy to his family. He will be remembered by the class of '60.
Damon Solomon
I am so sad to hear about Howard’s passing. He was a fine gentleman and a good friend to me during our time at DAHS. Please give my deepest sympathy to his wife and family for me.
Tom Paturzo Baker
I remember Howard as being a very nice person in high school. He served as a Nassau County Police Officer. I had limited contact with him in our high school mechanical drawing class. Our next encounter was at the first class reunion in 1980. We had a lot in common because I also served as a police officer. I extend my sincere sympathy to his family.
Mal Karman
I will always remember Howard as one of the absolutely sweetest guys I knew in high school. Along with all who knew him, I mourn his passing.
Arnie Galeota
How sad. He lived around the corner from me on Cornflower Road during our schooldays. What a decent human being he was. A terrible loss! He and Geri were together for many years. My condolences to Geri and his family.
Bob Bond
I was real sorry to hear that Howie Burtt passed away. I was also saddened to hear that he had to endure a hospice situation. He was a good guy and I will remember him well.
Frank Barning
More than 50 years later, I can still see Howie's smiling face and great haircut. He touched a lot of us with his warm, pleasant manner.
Pat Stanley Share
Oh my, so very sorry to read this. He was in hospice care so perhaps his time had come. My love to Geri and his family.
Cliff Fromm
Our class of 1960 was small and we knew just about everyone. My deepest sympathy to his family.
Edward T. Murphy's name appears on the travelling Vietnam memorial exhibit
click on photo to enlarge
ABOUT BUTCH MURPHY
From a friend, Bill Newman class of 1963
About Edward Theodore Murphy. Everyone called him Butch including his family. He was the youngest and only boy of the Murphy family (Albatross Road a few doors down from the Koehlers). Butch died in Vietnam (May 22, 1967), close to the DMZ but not sure.
He was a decorated hero for valor trying to save others and was awarded the Silver Star. On a personal note, Butch always stood up for me and anyone who was picked on when we were kids. I've always missed him.
I'm not sure how many Division Avenue students lost their lives in Vietnam. Butch would have been in the class of 1962 but left high school to work and then join the Marines. Just before I was drafted (September 1965) I saw Butch one more time. He was home on leave and was the most proud I had ever seen him. He loved the Marines.
From Jack Jacobsen 1962
The story of Butch Murphy is one of much sadness for those who were his friends. It started with the accident on a trampoline in East Meadow. A bunch of us were at a place that had trampolines in the ground and paid by the hour to use. Butch over flipped on his face smashed into edge onto a metal rod holding the springs. The impact not only broke his nose, but also eye socket, cheek bones, etc.
It took Butch years to heal both physically and mentally. Butch went into the Marines with pride and honor. We who knew Butch have always felt a sadness and a loss. I have been to the Vietnam Memorial many times and have always spent time with his name on the wall.
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Photo of the Vietnam Travelling Memorial Wall by Jim Anton.
Did you really believe that after more than 50 years, the name of DivisionAvenueHigh School would be changed? Some of our readers took our April Fools Day story as being serious. Some were quick to catch on, while others were uncertain.
"I am heart broken about the name change. Maybe we didn't think the name was inspiring, but it defined us and where we lived. That was enough for me," wrote a class of 1963 member. "It will always be Division Avenue HS to me. Once again another precious memory is gone; how sad."
From a class of 1961 grad: "This could open a racist can of worms. Isn't it ironic that Jackie Robinson couldn't buy a Levitt house even if he wanted too (in the late 1940s and early 1950s). They now want to name a high school after him. Maybe some guilt is creeping in?"
"I think that the change of name is a wonderful thing, given that there was racism in the selling of the houses in Levittown in the 40's and 50's," wrote a 1962 graduate. "Jackie Robinson is an icon in the civil rights movement, the Interboro Parkway is now and has been for a long period the Jackie Robinson Parkway. So why not? A team name could perhaps be the Robinson Dodgers."
A 1963 grad commented: "I think it is great name for our school. It is ironic, given our past, but great. I am okay with it as long as we do not forget or deny our past. The history should be taught in civics class. I think we used to call it Citizenship Education. I was certainly surprised to hear about the name change."
From a 1960 graduate: "There is no doubt Jackie Robinson deserves to have at least a school named after him for his grace, courage and abilities. But in Levittown?, one of the last communities in Nassau to fully integrate? Seems a bit absurd." Absurd and ironic were the ideas behind the April Fools prank.
"I like it. Synonymous with pride, courage and character," wrote a Levittown Memorial High alumnus. "Any change would have been good but this is special. Levittown has come full circle." In case some readers did not know, Memorial no longer exists. Now that is sad if you went to school there.
Among the most distressed was a 1968 grad who Facebooked this to friends. "I'm so upset right now, just found out they're changing the name of my high school, after all these years! No more DAHS!!! And they're changing the team name, too!! It's just wrong."
She followed this up with, "I know it seems like a silly thing to be upset over, but a huge part of my life was spent in that school. I have no problem with the choice itself. I have always admired Jackie Robinson and his accomplishments. It's just the emotional tug of there no longer being a DAHS and the Blue Dragons."
One of her friends, also a Division grad, responded with "Idiots just can't leave anything alone."Another friend stated, " Interesting choice, since Robinson (my first baseball hero) wouldn't have been permitted to buy a house in Levittown in the early years because of the restrictive covenant."
A class of 1960 alumnus wrote: "To quote The Bard, 'A rose by any other name smells just as sweet'. Call it what you may, it will always be DivisionAvenueHigh School to me. If it must be renamed, Jackie Robinson’s name is quite appropriate. He was a great pioneer, as were we, and he went on to be an inspiring source for change. I think it is a great tribute to a great man I couldn’t be prouder of the name change. Of course, the nickname would have to be Pioneers."
On the other side of the coin, some of our blog readers caught on immediately.
From Jim Healy, class of 1960: "Me thinks this is an April Fool scam."
"I am distraught," wrote Jack Jacobsen. "I just had a Blue Dragon tattooed next to a Terrapin (U of MD) in celebration of the Class of '62 anniversary. Now I will have to have a tattoo placed on my back with #42 sliding into home plate. I am sad to see the name change (not counting the additional pain I will endure). I would have preferred Gil Hodges. Now I think the mascot name should be the Sliders. Happy April Fools Day."
NICKNAMES
Levittown was built on potato fields. Understanding our town's history and that the story was a put on, Marilyn Monsrud Frese suggested Spuds and commented "I always thought Division Avenue High School sounded like an elementary school (Summit Lane, Wisdom Lane, Abbey Lane)."
Arnie Galeota, a 1961 grad, offered: "How about for the Yankees fans nicknaming the school instead of Dragons, Clippers in honor of the Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio?"
Never for a loss of words, Warren Zaretsky from the class of 1960 wrote, "I think Jackie Robinson HS is a silly name, given the town was so white bread, had no rhythm, its clothing style came from Mays, its main food was Skippy peanut butter sandwiches, and Jackie wouldn't have been caught dead near a town called Hicksville."
Warren came up with a creative nickname, incorporating the potato theme, The Levittaters.
When informed that she had been scammed, one of the most upset people wrote, "I have never been so happy to be fooled on April Fools Day. I completely forgot about it. You got me good." Another who mourned the changes had this to say. "I can't believe I fell for that. LOL. I will get even."
This final comment was aimed, perhaps jokingly, at your blogger: "I say name them Shitheads, after you, for April fooling an innocent idiot like me".
• Dance recital in early 1950s. Sandy Adams (1960) is in center of first row and behind her is Martha Traystman (1960). Sandy provided the photo. We need help identifying other dancers.
•Cathy Burner, class of 1963, in 1958. Photo compliments of Toni Crescenzo Gelfer, class of 1968,
• Tim (1963) and Mitch Lavey early 1950s.
• Carol Binninger (1964) on a pony Sept. 1949 on Cord Lane in Levittown.
• Tom Filiberto (1963) at 18 months of age in 1947.
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 DivisionAvenueHigh 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 LevittownMemorialHigh 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.
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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.
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 QueensGarden in Seville, Spain.
Eddie Rotker (1962) in Edinburgh, Scotland at an Adam Smith statue.
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 DivisionAvenueHigh 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."
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 IguazuFalls 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.
