Four inseparable Division Avenue High School class of 1960 friends

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/

Old photos of Division Avenue High School athletes; Pete Cybriwsky, Jim McGrath and John Koehler were among the early standouts

Click on pix to enlarge

* 1960 baseball team stars included (L-R) Pete Cybriwsky, John Shibilo, John Koehler shown here with coach Joe DiMaggio.

* Class of 1960 voted most athletic: Pete Cybriwsky and Penny Stone.

* Jim McGrath, class of 1960, in 1958 as a sophomore with coach Floyd Kenyon (left). Jim wrestled at about 103 lbs. and was one of Long Island's best. With them is district athletic director Hugh Jack.

* Football standout John "Chez" Echezuria from the class of 1962.

* Artie Dorrmann on the freshman baseball team in 1957. He graduated in 1960.

Sports in the early years at Division Avenue High School featured a mixed bag of good teams and really bad ones. Wrestling and baseball were outstanding from the very beginning. It took a few years to establish football and basketball generally sucked.

Some interesting early Blue Dragons athletes are depicted here. Pete Cybriwsky, a fantastic pitcher, was the first Division graduate to play professional baseball. He had a brief minor league career and died tragically in his mid 20s. He is among the most fondly remembered of those in the pioneer class of 1960.

John Koehler, all league in baseball and football, was the first Blue Dragon to play varsity football in college. Now a resident of The Villages in Florida, running back Koehler started as a plebe (freshman) for Kings Point (United States Merchant Marine Academy) on Long Island.

Jim McGrath made a career out of his sport, wrestling. After winning many honors for Division, he wrestled at Wayne State in Nebraska. After college, he became a highly successful and influential high school coach in the Cornhusker State. Jim is retired, still lives in Nebraska and is grooving on the success of his son Nicholas, a high school star in, of course, wrestling.