Letters/EMail

hi david,
sent to bob wilson and advised him that if he has a story that he can send it to you to post on the web. i do not know if any of these names ring a bell.... i asked joseph stanaitis if he recalled the fellow who helped harry the chef in the kitchen. i believe he had a spanish surname. i ran into him when i lived in the heights, the late 50s or early 60s. on my way to night school, gw hs. believe he, at one time, wanted to be a brother. dont know if he followed though. another name just came to me. i believe the first name was robert. the last name i could not forget.. larue..... always remembered the name of that cowboy, lash larue..... take care.... the best,
bern

hi david,
i recalled that i ate with the upper class, sat at joey hernandez table... can't recall the name of there groups... blank there... aquinas or ozman????

one day bobby la rue got ticked at a counsellor and smashed a plated over his head..... that group go the business.. jumped up and down all day... and la rue got it from coach.... luck for me i was in a lower group and i was not penalized, but our groups were confined to the grounds.. no outings for the week..... take care.
bern

Bernard,
There was a Joe Hernandez in my class or the class below me. I graduated 8th grade in 1951. Is this the one you are talking about?

Is bobby la rue real name Robert La Rue?
Thanks,
David

hi david,
i believe it was one and the same... they were in the upper class by a year or two..... i believe they were the last group to go to tappan zee high school.... we had the shop as an option or a trip to brooklyn, st vincents.

i remember that joseph "frenchy" grams, now known as brilli, was the last of that group along with a another name that came to mind, david crippen. they both were counsellors. crippen went to mr steven's electrical shop, along with marty crowe, counsellor at st josephs group, the cottages, by the lake. david crippen had bought a used car and parked it near the boiler room area, across from the coal bin. at the time, the electrical shop was the only one left.

at this time, joey hernandez had left the house for the city. i believe he once lived on hoe avenue in the bronx. he use to read the wanted columns in the local fountain shoppe were we hung out in the village on main street. i recall the big house, on the top floor, in the front, was a well made, two story, model house. some one had done a great job at carpentry. i was in the first year high, believe they called the group aquaines or ozman, not sure....

we were limited to two years and then you were out.. i recalled that we had an amateur singing group and we appeared in piermont, at a local dance.. at night, we snook out... i am sure that coach knew, but nothing was said. he may have told whitey hayward. tom kelly was there also.
take care,
bernard

hi david,
checked my file .. i graduated the 8th grade in june 1956. the graduation ceremony was held in the chapel on sunday, june 24, 1956, at 2:00 pm. i found an old post card that i had addressed to my parents.. that they kept. i have it filed away some where in a backpack, etc..

i believe it was sr. antoinette who taught the eight grade... that year i won the best penmanship award.. a 25 dollar savings bond.... a small write up in the local paper.... the best in the county.... you can say my claim to fame.. there was a another good penmanship writer and artist.. ishmael rodriquez...... never knew what happened to him......

i started out in the 6th grade. sr gertrude.. who was hard of hearing..... always addressed one as master name... 7th grade ..

mr griffin.... learned a lot in his class.... then there was a fellow nicknamed "wacky". do not remember his real name.... mr griffin asked him if he was whistling in the classroom hallway. no, he said... mr. griffin returned to the class. then he heard the whistling, again. come here, "wacky." then proceeded to twist his finger.... i guess it took some time for wacky to get the message.

wacky also repelled down a rope three stories up... the painters left a block and tackle outside... could not believe it. he climber out the side window and down he went... all he received were a few rope burns... do not know if you remember him.. was a head of our class...

on the football team there was also a hard charging running back, a good blocker named
joe alveido, not sure of the spelling... he came at you like a truck.... the only way to survive was to wait to the last moment and side step.... of course if you were playing defense, practice, once you saw the play take off and you ended up in the back field and no one blocked you.... then you knew that "smoking joe", his nostrils on fire, was setting you up for a crushing body block.

i am sure that other names will come to the surface, as time moves on. too bad we could not obtain the names of the eight grade graduates.. it would give us a good lead.

another fellow now comes to mind..... raymond negron.. im sure he became an electrician.
take care.
great site!
bernard

Bernard,
These guys are mentioned in your emails. Are these guys all House Kids?
bob wilson, freddie medina, eddie agosto, whitey hayward, calvin ziegler, dean dunn,
elpedio vasquez, ferdinand dubon and john mcllean.

David

all houses kids, except john mcllean and bill cowen..
bern