123 Attendees So Far for NPHS Reunion Dinner!

Three more classmates have signed up for the May 2 reunion. Carol Martinez Weber from the class of 1968 will be attending. Mark Goldstein (above, center, with wife Cindy and Bill Orloff) and John Benassu, from the NPHS class of 1969, have signed up for the dinner. Altogether, that adds up to 123 total attendees. Sixty-six are coming from the class of 1968; 57 from the class of 1969.

Who Are the Teachers:? The Answers

Five days I teased you with a 1966 poster created by John Cregar promoting the NPHS school dance "Kicks." The poster featured caricatures of several teachers. Today, the teachers are identified (don't miss a diminutive Mr. Teets in the bottom and Paul Sincavage's "parole officer"). I particularly love LBJ being dropped in. It really caught the spirit of the times in which youth was supposedly against all authority. Teachers....parents....politicians.....anyone who made rules. Maybe that's why Mr. Messer was so against the poster.

New Attendees for May 2 NPHS Reunion

Still more class of 1968 and 1969 grads are signing up for the May 2 reunion. From the class of 1969, Marc Lerner (right) will be joining us (apparently flying in from California where he works as a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at University of California Irvine). From the class of 1968, look for Jeff Grand and Robert Polskin (they lived across the street from one another on Myrtle Ave.), Barbara Brodzik Tomalo, Janet Krehn Okray, Barbara Kuhne Harwell, Susan Krisburg, Jerry Ott, Irene Dec Sheredos and Bob Sheredos.

Conversation with John Cregar

John Cregar (right) drew the wonderful caricatures of the NPHS teachers that was posted on March 24. I thought this would be a good time to catch up with John and get some insight into the creation of his posters. On a personal note, John was a good friend and neighbor of mine from grade school through the middle of high school. He lived at 65 Willow Ave; I lived at 69 Willow Ave. His creativity and artistic talent always awed me. Together we wrote and he drew "Goop" magazine in 6th grade, which we sold at Harrison School. We also wrote the pamphlet "Things Every 12-Year-Old Should Know" (and I think I still have a copy).

What was the school’s response to the posters?
Did you ever hear from any of the teachers? Were they pissed….or flattered?
I didn’t get that much feedback. Only one teacher really got angry about his recurring role in my “marketing efforts”. His wrath did result in a few lively exchanges in Messer’s office.

Perhaps it was my vigilant passion to harness this teacher’s “star power” for righteous causes that blinded me. In hindsight, I now deeply regret any episodes of stress incontinence that I may have caused him.

I never harbored malicious intent toward anyone. Nor did my caricatures reflect a personal dislike for any faculty member. Frequently, quite the opposite was true.

Some teachers had a completely positive response. Nelson Ernest (NPHS music teacher) expressed his delight with a band concert poster featuring him riding that monster concert base drum on wheels. He really enjoyed the artwork and made a point of telling me so.

Why did you choose those teachers?
Having interesting facial features that are easy to draw make you a target of course. Teachers with unique physical attributes always made my short list of unauthorized “poster children” for school events.

I primarily chose teachers who were popular, or regarded as “intriguing” characters. Teachers have celebrity status whether they like it or not. I didn’t even know some of them. It wasn’t personal.

Didn’t you have some sort of run-in during Harry Hazeltine’s class?
No! I did not have a run-in with Mr. Azeltine. Harry never made a fuss or took issue with me personally. However, Bob Phelan once distributed a stack of my Azeltine flyers at the beginning of Harry’s class. They were promptly confiscated. A pity - I even used one of Harry’s own folksy expressions on these babies. Harry Azeltine sez: “This Dance Is Gonna Be A Real Barn Burner.”

Your talent was so obvious back more than 40 years. How have you used your skills professionally?
Yeah, sure: Ya want fries wit dat?

I’ve done some freelance illustration, animation and photography throughout the years. As my “day job,” I spent 25 years in the telecom industry developing content and software for marketing and interactive training projects. A misspent youth perhaps, when I should have been spewing visual venom on some Op-Ed page somewhere.

Decades of my visual art shenanigans are on display at my web site if you are curious. http://www.johncregar.com/.

Some Passion Pit Comments

Even though the Passion Pit Poll ended more than a week ago, I continue to get some interesting comments. For instance, I forgot that Harrison School was a low rent passion pit if you didn't have wheels. But what were we thinking? It was dark, scary and kinda creepy. But here's what one classmate wrote: "Harrison School should have been listed as one of the favorite spots to 'park.' Maybe we didn't go there in our cars, but many of us used the alcoved doorways to make out during or after a school dance!!! (Right Billy?) LOLOLOL." For the record, I have no idea who Billy is, but I'd love to find out.

And another female classmate came up with another favorite passionate pit....and she sounds like she must have been a very naughty co-ed at the time. She writes: "It was Sleepy Hollow, Plainfield - because the cool guys were in Plainfield - dangerous and knew how to buy beer!!!"

Washington Rock State Park (above) wasn't bad either, because the fast chicks lived in Watchung and they knew how to score Mexican herbs in The Village. At least that's what the Plainfield guys told me.

Caricatures of NPHS Teachers from the 60s

John Cregar just sent this wonderful illustration from the 1966 Sophmore Sock Hop KICKS. There are 5 NPHS teachers in John's illustration plus a famous U.S. politician and an unknown cartoon character. Can you guess the teachers? Put your guesses in the comments section under this post. I'll reveal the names over the weekend.

John writes, "Please feel free to include them in your Class directory, Blog, or in any way you wish. I enjoy the idea that they may see the light of day once again (without the risk of my being sent to Mr. Messer's office).

I'll try to have more on John in a future post. In the meantime, feel free to visit his website at: www.johncregar.com

The Reunion Men's Clothing Poll -- Results!

The results are in for the NPHS Reunion Men's Clothing poll. The purpose of the poll is to determine what will men be wearing at the reunion and give a little guidance. 11% indicated that they'll have a suit. Another 11% said they would wear jacket and slacks (meaning no tie). No one admitted that they would wear whatever is lying on the floor that morning. But 44% of men said they would be wearing jacket and tie. As for me, I'll probably wear a suit without a tie.

NPHS Class of 1968 March 21 Update

So far we have 42 NPHS class of 1968 alumni coming and 17 are bringing a spouse or friend. Altogether, 25 rooms have been reserved for both classes. (Sign up before mid April to guarantee your super low rate of $79.) Gerry Burns reports that 29 classmates have responded saying they unfortunately cannot attend.

Here's the revised list of attendees for the class of 1968. Ed Adams, Lorrie Allen Jairdullo, Jim Antonisse, Bill Bennett, Barbara Brodzik Tomalo, Jonathan Brown, John Burke, Lou Carlucci, Joe Cioce, Rick Coleman, Kathy Dame Schmedes, Angela DellaVentura, Bob Dietrick, Rosemary Fineberg, Maggie Gabler King, Gerry Garatino Burns, Gail Gilbet Spinner, John Greco, Susan Henry Martin, Tom Hughes, Adrienne Jacobs Graubard, Bob Kelley, Karl Krawitz, Janet Krehn Okray, Barbara Kuhne Harwell, Linda Loalbo Chehade, Roberta Meiser Specht, Bradley Musson, Jim Nazemetz, Judy Nazemetz, David Schmedes, Linda Shebey Leugers, Michael Silveri, Bill Thompson, David Thompson, Nick Thul, Jeff Tuorto, Nancy Waller, Mike Watson, Kathy Weiss Greco, and Doug Williams.

We hear from a reliable source in Boston that Jeff Grand and Bob Polskin have just send in their checks and that they'll be attending.

Interview with Gerry Garatino Burns

Gerry (above left with Lou Carlucci) is the chairperson of the Class of 1968 Reunion Committee.

So how did you get the job spearheading the reunion for your class?
Some of our class officers tried to get a 5th reunion together but it never happened. I guess most people were trying to decide what to do with their lives back then. I was never a class officer, but I really wanted to have a 10th reunion. So I contacted a few friends and we literally scoured phone books from all over the state of New Jersey, and called parents and siblings to try to locate as many of the 268 classmates from the NPHS class of 1968.

Have you done it for all reunions?
Yes, started with our 10th in 1978 and have chaired ever since and I love doing it! It’s so exciting to contact my old friends and make new ones. This will be our 7th reunion.
Have you attended all the class reunions? Which one(s) was most memorable….and why?
Really can’t say that one stood out more… Each reunion was unique. While there are some regulars, we’ve been fortunate to have a lot of different classmates attend each one. Many traveling from all over the world. Over the years we’ve even had many faculty members attend the reunions too like Mrs. Abrams, Miss Bellino, Mrs. Besaw, Mr. Pecoraro, Mr. Stec, Mrs. Johnson, to name a few.

Do you work with the high school in organizing the reunion? I mean…is there somebody there who advises you or guides you in any way? Is there a book you can read like “Class Reunions for Dummies?”
I never worked with the high school. It was a labor of love to just start looking through local phone books (this was before personal computers) to try to locate people. Then contact parents and siblings that still lived in the area. Trial and error from there…I would send out letters and see what was delivered. Some classmates will send me contact information. With each reunion, the attendance has improved. When the internet became popular, I created a website www.nphs1968.org and I update the information often. The site has created a way for people to contact me with changes over the years.

Does going to the class reunion make you nervous or anxious in any way? (In other words….are you just like us?)
Of course I want everything to be perfect. After all these years I think I have it down to a science… but I do worry that something won’t go as planned. I have a great committee from my class that support me and pitch in where they can. Working with Kathy and Janice has been a pleasure. Kathy approached me several years ago wondering if I was interested in combining the classes for the 35th reunion. We had never combined in the past, so I wasn’t sure how it would go. But it worked out beautifully. We work together well and financially it allowed us to keep the event affordable for everyone.

Will our class be having a 45th class reunion? If so, any idea where it will be?
Yes, and God willing, I hope our reunions will continue every 5 years for a long time to come.

Class of 1968 Update for March 18

This just in from Gerry Burns. New attendees for the reunion are Barbara Brodzik Tomalo, Janet Krehn Okray and Linda Loalbo Chehade. Altogether, 41 graduates from the class are coming to the reunion dinner. Gerry says several others have promised to respond soon. There's an unconfirmed rumor from my cousin Bob in Dallas that Jeff Grand has expressed some interest in the reunion.

Gerry is busy compiling the class directory booklet in the next few weeks, so even if you're not attending, it would be great to have your information included. Gerry's contact information: gerib68@rcn.com

If you're planning on attending the reunion and staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, be sure to make your reservation by the middle of April to take advantage of the special reunion rate.

Remember the Doughboys

Gary Garwacke sent me a link this morning about the Plainfield band The Doughboys (check out website here). The band, led by Myke Scavone, used to play at the South Plainfield PAL dances. I believe I saw them play at NPHS circa 1966. Their hard rock style and look mimicked The Animals and The Rolling Stones. They really captured the sound. Apparently they are still playing according to Gary. And no....they won't be playing at our reunion. By the way, this band is not to be confused with the infamous The Midnight Hour led by Greg Mather, Randy Reay, Steve Bell, Warren Oliver, and Barry Dempsy. Please correct me and Gary if we have the names wrong.

Results of NPHS "Passion Pit" Poll

The results are in for the first ever NPHS Passion Pit Poll (also known as....where did you go parking in high school?). 30% preferred Johnson Drive in Watchung (great views, I must admit). 15% said Greenbrook Park (convenient, but a little close to some sketchy neighborhoods, so the privacy and darkness was not necessarily an asset). 15% weighed in for Howard Johnson's (not to be confused with Howard Polskin's) and good for them. You didn't check in to HoJo's -- $11! -- if you weren't very serious about your romantic adventures. But most telling, a whopping 30% of respondents admitted that they never got action in high school!

NPHS Class of 1969 Reunion Update for March 15

NPHS class of 1969 attendees for the May 2 reunion (new signups in boldface): Colleen Bersch Brown, David Billman, Dennis Cecchini, Jan Cooper Leah Lamb, Jolaine Dow Peace, Suzanne Dumont Millan, Nancy Eddy Hanna, Alan Feigenbaum, Edward (Ned) Fitzgerald, Gary Garwacke, Beverly Gaston Kochard, Barbara Green Elbeze, Marilyn Gross Stillman, Janice Hansen Lake, John Hieb, Karen Hultburg Pirozzi, Leo Kopsaftis, Karen Kretschmer Kochanski, Michael Maresca, Janet Medinets Doctofsky, Carl Mehlhorn, Kathy Miller Senna, Carol Mingione Greene, Janet Morris Smith, Jack Muldowney, Robert Munzer, Wendy Perslin Trimarche, Emily Polskin Zylber, Howard Polskin, Joseph Ricci, Robin Roselle Oratio, Richard Senna, Beat Steiner, Andrew Thomson, Joyce Triol Blanding, Frank Vastano, Robyn Waldron Massey. Altogether, 35 class of 1969 graduates are coming and half of them are bringing a spouse or significant other.

Jan and Kathy tell me that they have heard from several classmates who will be sending their payments this week. They’d also like to hear from classmates who are not able to attend so we can ensure their information is current for the directory. Any questions, send Jan an email: janice0222@verizon.net

Jan is doing a great job pushing ads in the on-site program (11 have been sold already). She says that ads are a great way to let classmates know what you are doing. Ads can include pictures, business cards, a personal message, or anything you want to share with old classmates. Contact Jan at the above address if you’re interested.

Less than a month to get the group rate at the Crowne Plaza for Saturday night! If you would like to stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Saturday night, we have reserved a block of rooms at the group rate of $79 + tax (single or double room). You are responsible for making your own reservation. Deadline for reservations at this group rate is April 10, 2009. When making your reservation please call, 732-287-3500 and advise them that you are requesting a room for the North Plainfield Class of ‘68 & ‘69 Reunion Rate. Check-in is 3 p.m. and Check-out is 12 p.m. Early check-in requests will be handled on an individual basis. Hotel phone number: 732/287-3500.

Interview with Kathy Miller Senna and Janice Hansen Lake

So how did you get the job spearheading the reunion for our class?

Kathy was the secretary of the class and always thought she needed to be involved in reunions. Kathy called Janice because she was local and Kathy and Janice have been organizing the reunions together ever since.

Have you done it for all reunions?

Yes.

Have you attended all the class reunions? Which one(s) was most memorable….and why?

Yes. The 20th reunion, held at Wurlitizer’s in Piscataway, was probably the most memorable because the actual location was so unique. The 15th reunion, held at the VFW in North Plainfield, was also very memorable because Kathy was due with her third baby in three weeks and “she felt big as a house."

Do you work with the high school in organizing the reunion? I mean…is there somebody there who advises you or guides you in any way? Is there a book you can read like “Class Reunions for Dummies.”

No. Kathy and Janice have figured out what to do by trial and error and, luckily, no one has ever complained. They have tried to keep the reunions affordable and fun over the years. As for finding people, they actually start gathering data as much as a year in advance of each reunion. For the earlier reunions, Kathy and Janice only had the phonebook and word-of-mouth to track down people. In later years, they have used the alumni directory, mailings and the Internet.

Does going to the class reunion make you nervous or anxious in any way. (In other words….are you just like us?)

Kathy and Janice want everything to go well at the reunion and want everyone to have a good time. Other than that, they’re just like everyone else, glad to re-unite with old friends.

Will our class be having a 45th class reunion? If so, any idea where it will be?

Yes, they currently intend to plan a 45th reunion. Kathy and Janice have been happy with the current location but they are always open to suggestions. If anyone would like to join the 45th reunion committee, please let them know.

Was there any thought to having a dual class reunion with the class of 1970 (no offense class of 1968)?

Actually, Kathy approached the NPHS class of ’70 and the NPHS class of ’68 ten years ago. The class of ’68 agreed for the 35th reunion and now this reunion. The class of ’70 was not interested when they were first approached.

Who's Visiting Blog from NJ?

So who's visiting this blog? By far, the biggest numbers of users come from New Jersey. No surprise there. Here are the cities that I've been able to track where users are coming from: New Providence (by far the most), Rocky Hill, Bound Brook, Rockaway, Toms River (Hey Joe!), Newark, Egg Harbor, East Orange, Kearny, Lavallette (who lives there....lucky dog), Lakehurst, Absecon, Waldwick, Cliftwood, Garwood, Phillipsburg, Millington, Flemington, Piscataway, Parlin, Iselin, New Brunswick, Somerville, Annadale, Egg Harbor Township and Pleasantville. I'm sure I probably mispelled some town names, but it's almost midnight and it's really time to crash.

Remember This?

Harrison School. Remember? Like Junior High School but with training wheels. I don't quite remember the exact function of Harrison, except to serve the 6th grade class. But it was a good way for Stony Brookers (me) to meet West Enders who seemed at first like exotic foreigners from a distant, unpronounceable country. I have no idea who uses it now, but my 6th grade experience was good.

Generic Picture of North Plainfield High School

Here's a standard shot of NPHS taken in November 2008. Timeless, right. Unchanged. Could have been snapped in 1968 or 1969.

March 8 NPHS Class of 1969 Reunion Update

Here's the latest update. We have 35 graduates coming from the NPHS Class of 1 969. Seventeen guests (spouses, partners....etc.) will be joining them. Our class has purchased 10 ads. Our attendees represent the following states: Arizona (1), California (3), Colorado (2), Delaware (1), Florida (3), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (1), New York (4), New Jersey (15), Pennsylvania (2), and Virginia (1).

Classmates who are attending as follows: Colleen Bersch Brown, David Billman, Dennis Cecchini, Jan Cooper Leah Lamb, Jolaine Dow Peace, Suzanne Dumont Millan, Nancy Eddy Hanna, Alan Feigenbaum, Gary Garwacke, Beverly Gaston Kochard, Barbara Green Elbeze, Marilyn Gross Stillman, Janice Hansen Lake, John Hieb, Karen Hultburg Pirozzi, Leo Kopsaftis, Karen Kretschmer Kochanski, Michael Maresca, Janet Medinets Doctofsky, Kathy Miller Senna, Carol Mingione Greene, Janet Morris Smith, Jack Muldowney, Robert Munzer, Wendy Perslin Trimarche, Emily Polskin Zylber, Howard Polskin, Joseph Ricci, Robin Roselle Oratio, Richard Senna, Beat Steiner, Andrew Thomson, Joyce Triol Blanding, Frank Vastano, Robyn Waldron Massey.

Janice Hansen Lake informs me that time is running out to get information and/or payments to her for the reunion! We'd like to hear from classmates who are not able to attend so we can ensure their information is current for the directory. Time is running out to send your ads to Janice. Ads are a great way to let classmates know what you are doing.

About the Visitors to this Site

Some ramblings about visitors to this site. This is what I've learned. The vast majority of visits are from the USA (natch). But we have visitors from Canada (Harry Lewis?), England, Ireland, Romania (yep...that's right....Romania) and South Africa (I have friends there but they do not know about the blog)....There's a rumor that NPHS class of 1968 grad Jeff Grand has read this blog....My cousin Bob Polskin (NPHS class of 1968), who lives in Dallas, TX, has heard of this blog, but has not read it....My close friend and former college roommate David Noonan of Morristown, NJ, has shown this blog to his wife because she has her own blog....I know that this blog is getting traffic from the following states: Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota (lots of traffic there....who's out there?), Louisiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Ohio, Iowa, Penn., New York (loads), Mass., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and...ta dah....New Jersey with the most. No surprise....What does this mean? Probably that NPHS grads are scattered among those states....I have been able to determine that visitors to this site drill deeper than other visitors. More than 70% drill beyond the first page. Conversely, only 10% of visitors from Ohio drill deeper than the first page of the blog....Conclusion: that's why they found oil in Texas.

A Couple of Words About Couples

There are several couples for the NPHS classes of 1968 and 1969 who met in high school, married and are still together. There is Kathy Miller Senna and Richard Senna (pictured above in the center of the 2004 reunion photo with Beat Steiner and Karen Von Tish). Also from the class of 1969: John Mehltretter and Judith Stanislao Mehltretter. From the class of 1968: Judy Nagel Abbruzzese and Steve Abbruzzese; Laura Blauvelt Evans and David Evans; ; Irene Dec Sheredos and Bob Sheredos; Kathy Weiss Greco and John Greco; Lindsay Hopeful McHugh and Bob McHugh; and Carol Molinski Meaney and Jerry Meaney.

And then there's Kathy Dame Hardgrove and David Schmedes. They are getting married this September.

The Loneliest Place in North Plainfield (Part II)

Correction: I mistakenly wrote that Linda Shebey lived across the street from the library. Wrong! It was Gerry Garatino. And she really leveraged her proximity to the library. She worked at the library (35 cents an hour....bigshot!) shelving books. Her title: Library Page (kinda clever).

NPHS Class of 1968; March 3 Update

This just in: 52 people are signed up from the class of 1968. The entire list is below and new sign-ups are in boldface.

Ed Adams, Lorrie Allen Jairdullo, Jim Antonisse, Bill Bennett, Jon Brown, John Burke, Lou Carlucci, Joe Cioce, Ricky Colemen, Kathy Dame Hardgrove, Angela DellaVentura, Bob Dietrick, Maggie Gabler King, Gerry Garatino Burns, Gail Gilbert Spinner, John Greco, Susan Henry Martin, Tom Hughes, Adrienne Jacobs Graubard, Bob Kelley, Barbara Kuhne Harwell, Karl Krawitz, Roberta Meiser Specht, Bradley Musson, Jim Nazemetz, Judy Nazemetz, David Schmedes, Linda Shebey Leugers, Mike Silveri, Bill Thompson, David Thompson, Nick Thul, Jeff Tuorto, Nancy Waller, Mike Watson, Kathy Weiss Greco and Doug Williams.

Romania and Canada -- Who's Out There?

I've been checking traffic reports for this blog. This weekend, I noticed visitors from Kitchener, Canada (seems to be around Toronto), and Aiud, Romania (seems to be near....I really couldn't tell you). So who's visiting the site from those two countries? Could be Harry Lewis, NPHS Class of 1968, in Toronto. I'm stumped about Romania (see map above). We have multiple visits from London but I know the source of those hits.