Welcome to the MHS '60 Website!

September 21, 2022

Does this photo take you back to our high school days when we carried our books home in our arms (no backpacks) and parked cars on the street (no parking lot). Thanks to Sanford Sherman for sharing this photo that he took in 1958-59. 

Sanford identifies Richard Yaeger, Jerry Brown, and Otto Mills. Is that Pete Snyder on the far left? Who is on the far right?

NAVIGATING THE WEBSITE 

I've created a few new sections in the blue sidebar on the left side of this website. 

New Contact Information

Stories from David Appleton

Remembering Montclair

Good Works

60s Wearing Covid-19 Masks

These sections contain articles and information that have recently appeared on the home page of this website, but must be moved now to make space for future contributions. For more details, scroll down near the bottom of this page and look for ****************"Navigating the Website************** 

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Here's a terrific (!) new story about the youthful adventures and indiscretions of our master storyteller, David Appleton and his band of co-conspirators. Don't miss it!

DRY ICE BOMB

by David Appleton

It was sometime around 1950-51 when a bunch of us kids found a pile of dry ice in the street in front of the Watchung Plaza Delicatessen in Montclair, NJ.  We were generally ok kids, but ne’re do wells in the eyes of Lieutenant McHugh (?) of Montclair’s Juvenile Squad based on Chestnut Street (some of us were repeat offenders).  We were quite mischievous and thoroughly enjoyed all things explosive.

So we viewed this mound of dry ice a valuable find with some worthy potential.  We weren’t sure what, but gathered it up, carefully, avoiding touching it with our bare hands (I’d already suffered a blister on my left hand due to careless touching of this stuff). Bagging it carefully in a paper bag, we took it home to my house a block or so away on Park Street.

Once there, we explored its potential near Tony’s Brook, a minor Montclair waterway that originates near Edgemont Pond and passed my Park Street backyard near Essex Way on its way downstream to the Montclair High School Amphitheatre then south on Park Street and beyond. 

One test involved immersing a chunk in water and watching it: It smoked with a weird smoke that went down instead of up, the way most smoke from fire entered the atmosphere. It seemed to expand.

Next we took a chunk and confined it in a capped bottle with water. It did expand indeed and pushed the cap off the bottle. EUREKA!  We had discovered the veiled potential in our find. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide and turns directly back into a gas as it heats up. When you submerge dry ice in water, it heats up quickly and produces a thick smoke…and as a gas, it expands! In later life as a theatrical producer and director I used this characteristic as a dramaturgical special effect.

A plan ensued quickly. We agreed on a worthy method to create an explosion, a large bottle 25% filled with water and dry ice, using the remainder of our “mother lode” gathered on Watchung Avenue. This brew would fill the remaining 75% of the bottle with expanding gas eventually blowing it apart. 

So we found a large glass jug, perhaps two gallons or so. It had a screw-on cap, so it had explosive potential. We began chunking up our dry ice treasure and feeding it all into the jug. It was ready for priming.

Next we thought about a worthy POE (Point of Explosion). Someone came up with the idea of the High School. Several of us had enjoyed exploring sewer pipes throughout the town for years. Montclair High School had several large sewer pipes running under the gyms on the north side. We knew these underground pipes well, having ventured into them several times, using various vocal and other sound sources to explore the ambient echoes, and thought them an ideal POE since they would further confine the explosion and perhaps maximize the impact.

We were confident the explosion would provide minimal damage but maximum auditory impact since these sewer pipes ran all over town.

We were not disappointed.

We prepared the bomb and worked our way down Tony’s Creek through the backyards along Park Street and Midland Avenue, suffering a few “soakers” (slipping a foot into the water) along the way. 

Once at the mouth of the sewer pipes at the High School’s north end, we added water and sealed the bottle using waxed paper under the tightened screw cap. We then made our way quickly into the largest pipe and carried the bottle deep as we dared into the depths of the sewer. We got pretty deep into the network, deepest I remember going, and deposited our burden there. We then ran as quickly as we could toward the mouth of our tunnel.

We had no idea how long our explosive bottle would take to blow, nor how loud or violent the explosion would be…. So we ran through the tunnel (a 6’ diameter pipe) as quickly as we could with flashlights ablaze. Once emerging into daylight, we continued running north on Tony’s Brook, soakers bedamned, to get far from the expected explosion, and probable blame.

We were almost to my house some 15 or so houses upstream from the High School when the “EVENT” happened……  VARROOOOMMMMM!!!!!

It echoed through the sewer system all over town with remarkable volume and auditory definition and geographical resonance. We were awed/shocked at first then vastly amused. We started laughing uncontrollably.

Then, less than 5 minutes later, the sirens started all over town. This only enhanced our amusement, rolling on the ground laughing…. But then we thought of our potential jeopardy. So we continued running to my house and hid in the basement for a couple of hours. The sirens continued. We muffled our laughter.

I don’t recall any news reporting on this event in The Montclair Times,… but then again I didn’t read it regularly at that age, and I certainly didn’t want to draw attention to my potential implication in this explosion by asking about it. So I kept mum as did my fellow conspirators.

Such was our Dry Ice Bomb Event. Thankfully no one was injured and the only damage was a bunch of shards of glass in the sewer under Montclair High School, & perhaps Montclair Police Force’s mystification and embarrassment.

But those of us involved in the formulation and execution of this event still enjoy a hearty laugh as we recall the sound of the explosion and the sirens that followed, even 60+ years later. 

David Appleton, 9/13/2022

dwapple@verizon.net

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Current Events

Nancy Pierson Tolley has lived with her family in England for many years.  I asked her if she had any observations to share about the events surrounding the recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Here is Nancy's report:

"It has been an amazing week here since the Queen died a week ago Thursday. The nation is in mourning, all flags are at half-mast, and a public holiday has been declared for Monday, the day of her funeral. No one does pageantry like the British, as shown on TV. Apparently many Heads of State are coming for her funeral. She knew everyone who was anyone in world affairs and was held in high regard by all. Those who knew her well have remarked on her wit, wisdom and lively sense of humour.

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Michael Brodie would welcome your comments on his new photograph entitled An Important Question. The question on the TV screen says, "ARE WE GONNA BE OK?"  Michael calls his image "timely and relevant."

How do you respond to Michael's image and its pressing question? Is this an eye of anxiety? Alarm? Urgency? Tranquility? Worry? Belief?  And whose eye is this?  What is it seeing?

Could it simply be a close-up from an over-the-top made-for-TV story that arouses our emotions? Or has this eye seen too many harrowing real-life events that TV brings into our homes? Perhaps this eye is looking out at us, appealing for our assurance that "we are gonna be ok" in our very uncertain world. Does it matter that the chair is empty and nobody is paying attention?

Michael says that he recently entered this photo in a contest called "The Spider Awards," which (according to the contest website) is "one of the biggest black-and-white photography contests in the world." You can read about the contest at https://www.thespiderawards.com. Thank you, Michael, for sharing your achievement with the class! We wish you well in the contest.

What does Michael's photograph mean to you? I'm happy to post your comments. Just send them to me at Linda.andre@verizon.net

You can respond to Michael personally through this website or at mbrophoto@gmail.com

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BECOMING and BEING 80

Do you have an 80th birthday story to share? Or do you have advice on how to thrive as an 80-year-old?  Just send it to me (Linda.andre@verizon.net) and I will be happy to post it for you on this web site. 

Advice and observations from Paul Stephanus:

I am amazed and surprised that I am 80.   ...The latest thing that caught up to me is cataracts. You can lose your eyesight if they are not removed. An eye doctor will tell you that you will need that operation before your eyes get really bad because you can get used to it somewhat before you know it. You will notice it most in seeing lights at night time.

There are so many things that older people have wearing out on them, beside their old cars. I have hearing aids, but I do not wear them when I am working around the house especially when handling paper. Also, I dared not wear my hearing aids when working with our horse, not because he talks loud, but I do not want to have to find them in the manure. As for other things that wear out, especially for me is my teeth. My wife would not like me to brag about how few real teeth I have left. Then also there is that right knee joint that has been replaced.

For more comments from Paul Stephanus, read https://www.montclair60.com/class_profile.cfm?member_id=2372358

Here's an 80th birthday photo from Janet Kipp Tribus.

Janet says, "I took my family on an Alaskan cruise this June! "  Janet (in purple) doesn't look any older than the rest of her family.  Happy 80th Birthday , Janet!

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Sheila Albright Hogan (Hillside Jr. HS). I had an amazing 80th Birthday. All my children gave me a party in Phoenix that was spectacular. The backyard was big enough to invite everyone in the area. Anne Ramee Bennett, my lifelong friend, came to support me. The whole family showed up, except for two grandchildren. There was even a show with hula dancers, and that put everyone in a festive mood.

And while we're on the subject  of getting older, what do you think about living in a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community)? 

CCRCs are residential communities that provide a continuum of services and care, allowing older adults to "age in place." Residents may live completely independently upon entering the community, but may transition to Assisted Living or Skilled Nursing Care if needed. CCRCs are generally a collection of apartments, town homes, or cottages, and include common activity areas such as a library, activity and craft rooms, fitness centers, a restaurant-like dining room, an assisted living facility, and nursing home.  Our Poll (in the upper right of this page) asks "What are your thoughts about living in a CCRC? " Take the poll and let us know how you feel.

***************************NAVIGATING THE WEBSITE **********************

I've created 5 new sections in the blue sidebar of this website.These sections contain articles and information that have recently appeared on the home page of this website, but must be moved now to make space for future contributions.

"New contact information" - 4th item from the top of the blue sidebar on the left side of this page includes new addresses, phone numbers, or emails for any classmate who requests that I make their contact information public. I will not post any contact information in this space unless you ask me to. (But please keep me informed about changes to your contact information so that I can keep our database up to date.)

In Memory - 5th  item  from the top.  Recent notices about the passing of Joan Bookhart Malloy, Shelley (Rochelle) Caggiano Schait, Jenny Kelsey, Stephen Holzel, Patricia Payne Wallace, Ron Philpott, Frank Rubino, and Sandy Toth Guido have been moved to the "In Memory" section of this website. Click on "In Memory", then click on the classmate's name. To add your own tribute, anecdote, or memory, scroll to the very bottom of the page, then click "Post Comment." Write your message in the empty  box. Click "Submit" at the bottom.

"Stories from David Appleton" - 6th item from the top. In Aunt Elsie Reed and Miss Ardella Watts Bondurant, we meet two important women from David's youth. In Spit Valve Humiliation, we see David auditioning to play the trumpet in the Watchung Elementary School Bend. In Good Humor Man Career we drive with David on his ice cream truck. In Patsy's and the Allure of New York: Bringing in the '60s, we join David and his buddies on a drinking expedition to New York City.

"Remembering Montclair" -7th item from  the top. You'll find Roxine Clark Garriss' fond memoir of Montclair, especially her neighborhood around Glenfield School. There's also a photo of the entire 9th grade class at Mt. Hebron Jr. High School, information about the current feeder system of the of the Montclair Public School system, and an article about Martin Luther King's visit to MHS band room.

"Good Works"- 8th item from  the top.  Read about what Dick Loomis, Ben Ritter, and Rick Boschen have been doing to make the world a better place
 

"60s Wearing Covid 19 masks" -9th item from the top. Photos of classmates wearing masks at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Older Articles

If you're looking for genealogy stories by Jack Brigham, Ralph Davidson, or Lawrence Robinson, you'll still find them in the "Genealogy" section of the blue sidebar. If you have your own genealogy stories to offer, I'll be glad to add them .

If you'd like to write a memoir about a family member or friend, you'll find the "Family and Friends Memoirs" section, also in the blue sidebar. Brad Stark's memoir of his father is in that space. Please feel free to write about someone important to you. There's plenty of room for new contributions from you!

Are you looking for old reunion photos?  You can still see all of them in the "Photo Gallery" section of this website. 

Click on "Photo Gallery" in the blue sidebar. You'll come to a long list of "galleries."  Scroll all the way down until you see a lot of square pictures with paperclips in the corner.  The 2016 reunion photos are organized in two groups.  The 1st "gallery" is called "2016 Reunion - Friday."   The 2nd gallery is called "2016 Reunion - Saturday." 

Each photo gallery has up to 12 photos per page, and there may be several pages in a gallery, so be sure not to miss any. If you need help telling who's who, just hold your mouse over the photo and a caption should appear. Click on the photo if you want to enlarge it.

Our Class Fund

We have a considerable amount of money in our class fund.  Should we let it just sit in the bank in case somebody wants to plan a reunion in Montclair?  Should we rethink the way we do reunions?  Should we join forces with another MHS class? Should we split up the money and let classmates plan mini-reunions in various parts of the country? Should we forget about reunions and use the money to establish a Class of 1960 Scholarship for MHS students?  All ideas are welcome! 

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Do you have photos to share?  We welcome them all. If you want to post them yourself, click on the place at the bottom of any gallery page where is says, "Create Your Own Photo Gallery here. You should see instructions that tell you how to upload your own photos.

Don't like your picture?  If you would like me to remove a photo, just let me know which one, and I'll be happy to take it off the website. (Linda.andre@verizon.net)

If you'd like me to upload your photos, that is fine. Just send them  to me and I will be happy to post them on the website for you. (Linda.andre@verizon.net) 

This is a "mini-notebook" that we gave out at the reunion so that everyone would have a place to jot down a name, address, or email address during the evening. It is about 3-3/8 by 4-1/4 inches and fits easily into a pocket.  There are lined pages inside. We have about 24 left over. If you would like one, let me know and I will send it to you using our leftover stamps. Be sure to send me your correct address!

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SENIOR YEARBOOK PICTURES

We now have all the pages of our senior yearbook pictures posted on this website, thanks to Gene Mazzola, who brought me his yearbook to be scanned  To see them all, just go to the blue sidebar on the left side of this page and click on Senior Yearbook Photos. Many thanks to John Sproston for initiating this project, and to Gene and Chris Graber for providing pages.

Would you like to find out whether other classmates share your special interests or activities?  Let me know if you have special interests that you would like me to publicize on this website.

HOW TO SEND MESSAGES THROUGH THIS WEBSITE

We'd like to hear from you!

If you'd like to send a message to the whole class:

1. Go to the "What's New" page at the very top of the blue margin on the left side of this page.

2. Look for the gray box on the top that says "Post a Comment to the Class."

3. Write your message in the box that says "Share Your Thoughts with Classmates."

4. Include a photo or video if you like (that would be great!)

5. Click on the blue "Post Message" box.

If you'd like to send a private message to a Classmate:

1.Go to the classmate's profile page.  (Click on "Classmate Profiles" near the top of the left-hand blue margin on this page.)

2. Click on the envelope icon directly under the photo box where it says "Send [classmate's name] a private message." 

3. When you get to the message screen, type in your subject and message in the boxes.

4. Click the blue "Send private message" box.  That's all you have to do!  It's easy!

Guest Members on this website

It is now possible for a member of another MHS class to join our website as a "Guest Member."  Guest Members will be able to have their own profile page and they will be able to send and receive messages through the site. They will be able to remain guest members as long as they do not harass any class member or post objectionable material. If a member of another MHS class wishes to become a Guest Member, he/she should contact me directly to request guest membership and I will enter his or her information in the site's database and provide information about how to sign up. Nobody will be able to join the site without going through that process. If you have questions or concerns, please let me know. (Linda.andre@verizon.net)