Welcome to the MHS '60 Website!

December 30, 2021

If you have not already read Paul Stephanus's letter in his email posting of December 27, you can find it in its entirety on his profile page [Click on "Classmate Profiles" in the blue sidebar of the web site's home page.] Or click on this link  https://www.montclair60.com/class_profile.cfm?member_id=2372358. Paul reflects on incidents and accidents in his earlier years that could easily have cut his life short. And he offers advice about healthy eating habits and companionship, with the hope that his insights will help each of us reach 80 and well beyond. 

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.

...............................................................

Dick Loomis writes, "2021 has been a busy and fulfilling year." The photograph below shows Dick in Spain, but much of his time and energy has revolved around his involvement with an organization called the Ouelessebougou Alliance -- a 35-year partnership between people from Utah and people of the Ouelessebougou region in Mali (West Africa). The Alliance aims to break the cycle of poverty and empower villagers to achieve self-reliance by collaborating in sustainable progams in health and education.  To read about the Ouelessebougou Alliance: https://www.lifteachother.org/why-mali/

Congratulations to Rick Boschen!

From TCPALM.com, Sunday, November 7, 2021

 

 

Here's a slightly abbreviated (but more legible) version of the text:

 

Congratulations to Rick Boschen, a sales professional at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty's Stuart office, for receiving the Habitat for Humanity of Martin County's 2021 Golden Hammer Award. This impressive honor recognizes Rick's dedication, passion, and commitment to raising funds for Habitat for Humanity Martin County through the Golf Tournament. ...

 

Rick was Chairman of MCRTC's Golf Tournament for its first three years and has served on the golf tournament committeee for the last seven years. Over the 10 years, Rick has been instrumental in soliciting sponsorships for the Hole-in-One, Par 3 Hole, Longest Drive Hole, and Putting Contests as well as Tee signs. He has hosted a foursome for all 10 years, and has been a member of the winning group for two years.

 

Rick said, "I am incredibily grateful to receive this award. Every year the golf tournament gets bigger and better, and through the generosity and hard work of the committee and participants, we have been able to raise more money year after year. I look forward to being a member of the Golf Committee for many more years."

Rick can be reached at 772 -5211-3535 or at flrickb2@yahoo.com. His office is located at 2363 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, FL

Mark Streuli writes, "things are good for me. living in Idaho missing Vermont. getting to the end game on building a house here. plan on heading east soon to set up a yurt on some land I have near stowe, VT.  

the picture is me this fall ...    the house is my work in progress.

 

Mark adds, "here is a thought that will not fly. we are getting to the point where we should be writing obits before we die. that way we could share our appreciation for each other's lives. Obits for me always seem to be too late. the person they are about should be part of it. oh well. just an idea."

 

Do you agree with Mark?  It seems in line with Paul Stephanus's idea that "Now is a good time to share reflections on our lives and how we got to be 80 years old."

 

If you would like to share your ideas about turning 80, you can post them on your profile page or send them to me (Linda.andre@verizon.net) and I will post your ideas for you.

Ourselves in Masks

Now, more than ever, we are still wearing masks and there's always room for more mask pictures!  

Send your photo to Linda.andre@verizon.net

Here are David Appleton and his wife Wendy sporting their new masks.  SEE MORE MASKED CLASSMATES BELOW!

..............................................................................

A. Who is this?

B. Who is this?

C. Who are they?

D. Who is this? (2 photos)

E. Who is this?

F. Who is this?

G. Who is this?

H. Who is this?

I. Who is this?

J Who is this?  (Hint: Guest member from MHS '61)

.

Now -- SEND YOUR PHOTO to Linda.andre@verizon.net

...............................................................................................

Mask Photo Answers

A. Patsy O'Shea in Oregon

Patsy explains that she is wearing a surgical mask while waiting to be called into a doctor's office for MOHS surgery that had been delayed due to the pandemic. 

Patsy adds, "I loved seeing Mike Brodie’s hilarious shot -- especially his array of “golf clubs.”

B. Mike Brodie in Connecticut (?)

Mike writes, "I took this picture of myself in home-grown COVID-19 attire."

C. Carol Letson Christensen and her husband, Erik, in Florida 

Carol writes, "Erik and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary outside, safely distanced, with neighbors."

D: Susan Becker Knight in Connecticut

E. Suzy Bruett Gumm in New Jersey

Suzy writes, "Mildred Ferrara Scola lives near me so on some nice days (which have been rare) we have had fun visiting spacing ourselves at least 6 ft apart. A  friend made my mask and now I am making some masks for a local organization and Mildred’s was more of a paper one."

F. Mildred Ferrara Scola in New Jersey

G. Rosemary DiGeronimo Sternbach in New Jersey

H. David Appleton in Pennsylvania

I. Linda Linnard Andre in Maryland.  "I made my mask out of cloth from an old ironing board cover.  I made my husband's mask out of his old plaid flannel pajamas."

J. Wayne Hansen, MHS '61.  "This is not exactly what is being suggested or recommended here on Massachusetts. But had this mask from doing field work in a chemical plant many, many years ago.

...................................................

Jim Cestone sent these photos of the pandemic of 1918.  It looks like we have a lot in common with these people from about 100 years ago when our parents were  young.  Thank you, Jim.

Here's a poem that's just as good now as when it was written.

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! 

............................................................................................

I've moved a few things around --

I moved four of David Appleton's stories to the  "Stories From My Past" section. (Click on it in the blue sidebar on the left side of the home page, 6th item from the top.)  

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.

There must be a lot of good stories from our past out there, just waiting to be told.  If you have your own stories to share, please send them to me (Linda), and I will add them to the site.

If you're looking for Jack Brigham's, Ralph Davidson's, or Lawrence Robinson's genealogy stories, just click on "Genealogy" in the blue sidebar on the left. If you have your own genealogy stories to offer, I'll be glad to add them any time.

If you'd like to write a memoir about a family member or friend, there's a link to a "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!

Looking back to graduation 

Here's the 9th grade graduating class from Mt. Hebron.

(The photo is split up into 3 parts, kindness of Rick Boschen).

How many classmates can you name?

Mt. Hebron Update:

Mt. Hebron is now officially "Buzz Aldrin Middle School.  It is a STEM magnet school (Science, Technology, Engineering and math) with an enrollment of about 640 students in grades 6-8.

There have been quite a few changes in the Montclair Public School System since "our day."  Take a look at their website https://www.montclair.k12.nj.us/  To see the website of your old school, find the black horizontal band at the top of the page and click on "Select a School."

Here are a few changes that I noticed:

- Edgemont Elementary (K-5) is now a Montessori School. 

- Nishuane (K-2) feeds into Hillside (3-5).  Both have a Gifted and Talented focus.

- Edgemont and Hillside both feed into Glenfield Middle (6-8) which is a Visual and Performing Arts magnet school.

Charles H. Bullock (55 Washington St.) is an elementary school with an environmental science theme.  It feeds into Renaissance at Rand Middle School.

Bradford, Northeast, and Watchung elementary schools all feed into Buzz Aldrin Middle (formerly Mt. Hebron Jr. HS)

George Inness Jr. HS is now the "9th Grade Academy."  It houses the entire 9th grade for MHS in what is now called George Inness Annex. 

Here's the Feeder diagram so you can see for yourself!

While you're at it, check out the courses that MHS offers these days at https://mhs.montclair.k12.nj.us/academics/course_syllabi

Scattered among all the old familiar courses are titles that show how times have changed: Robotics, African-American Literature, Satire and Protest Literature, Environmental Science, Forensic Science, Global Studies, Women of the World, Digital Design, Mandarin, and more!

.................................................................................................................................

Surely you recognize this man. 

But do you know WHERE he is? 

Lawrence Robinson alerts us to a recent article in The Montclair Dispatch entitled

"Lost in History: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Visit to Montclair High School." 

The article of September 11, 2018 begins:

52 years ago, during a firey time in the United States and around the world, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made a controversial visit to this very town, possibly at the peak of his notoriety. Just two years prior to his assassination and untimely death, King arrived in Montclair, making town history by stopping into the Montclair High School band room.

The article tells how Dr. King went to Montclair to speak to a local church congregation.  But so many people in the larger community wanted to hear him speak that he appeared first in the high school gym, and later spoke to the church congregation in the high school auditorium. As he waited in the MHS band room before going onstage, protesters were demonstrating outside on Park Street. A plaque commemorating Dr. King's speech at MHS has been placed in the band room.

The entire article gives you a good sense of the mood in Montclair in 1966, six years after our graduation.  You can read the whole article here:

https://montclairdispatch.com/lost-in-history-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-visit-to-montclair-high-school/?fbclid=IwAR0o0uJdQj88pTuz9AywzCx9nJqGiKj4cyBC4gpJGuBgxbydH0Pi4qbePqI

Thank you, Lawrence, for sharing the article with all of us.

...................................................................................................

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 directly under "Home Page."  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.

Do you have any reunion (or other) 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) 

What would you like to tell your classmates about reunion weekend? Send me your stories, thoughts, memories, and I will post them here.

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!

...........................................................................................................................................

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? For example, I teach ESL (English as a Second Language) to adult students and would love to find out whether any other classmates do the same. 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)