The Scratch Sheet, Volume 10

May 6, 2009

IN THIS ISSUE

1. PLANS FOR FOUNDERS DAY 2009
2. BILL (VIC) EVANS SUMS UP THE BEST AND WORST OF THE HUM
3. REPORT FROM THE REUNION COMMITTEE
4. REPORT FROM THE CLASS GIFT COMMITTEE
5. THE INFIRMARY
6. CLASS OF 60’s MILITARY SERVICE
7. MEMORABILIA

A. PLANS FOR FOUNDERS DAY 2009

This year Founder’s Day is Saturday, May 16. The Class of ’60 has plans for a number of gatherings during that weekend. This will be the “big” weekend for the Class of ’59, but we hope to use it as an opportunity to gather, and to plan our own weekend next year. The schedule for this year is the following. Please act immediately to let the people mentioned in the Calendar below whether you plan to attend.

Friday, May 15

8AM: Alumni Association Golf Outing at Island Green CC on Red Lion Rd.

We know the “usuals” will be there: Ben Bertino, Toby Caplan, Joe Frigiola, John Kane, and Pete Shoemaker. Everyone is invited. For more information give John Kane a call at: 215-343-5769

5:30PM Buffet Dinner and Planning Meeting. This dinner/meeting will be held at Jack’s Firehouse at 2130 Fairmount Ave., just across the street from the entrance to Eastern State Penitentiary. There is a large for-pay parking lot at the corner of 22^nd and Fairmount. All classmates are welcome to join. Along with dinner, we will spend about an hour on 50^th anniversary planning. Whether or not, you are on one of the planning committees we need your input, so please come by. And we even welcome the input of your wives, and significant others, if they can stand all that reminiscing. BUT WE NEED TO GIVE THE FIREHOUSE A HEADS-UP ON HOW MANY OF US TO EXPECT. SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US, PLEASE GIVE JOE FRIGIOLA A CALL AT: 609-702-0503.

And here’s the good news. Dinner is financed by a generous contribution of a few classmates. You only have to cover your drinks. Call Joe NOW.

Saturday, May 16

10AM Chapel Service

If you haven’t been to the Founders Day chapel service in the last few years, those who have, have found it to be a truly emotional experience. The Class of ’59 will march down and back up the aisle as if it was their graduation. You remember those guys. For those of us who were in the Hum in first grade, they were the second grade biggies in our West End Housing. After that, during our 3^rd grade year in Junior School, they were our compatriots in Sections 1-8. Though they may have been our nemeses many of them were also our best friends. Along with sharing time in our residential accommodations, they were also teammates, band mates, and tormentors. They were “full of themselves”, but then ask the Class of ’61 about us. After graduation, they have clearly been major contributors to the “cause of the Hum.” So try to get there. For people who want to participate, we plan to gather in front of Merchant Hall around 9:30AM.

11:30AM Lunch in the Armory

The Alumni have lunch in the Armory. We are planning to gather there around 12PM. It’s a buffet, and you can really get fat, and the food is not bad. We can commandeer a number of tables. The cost is $7, tickets available in the morning at the Alumni tent at the NW corner of the Chapel, about a buck more, if you buy your tickets at the Armory.

6PM The Alumni Dinner at Founders Hall

Cocktails are at 6PM. Dinner is at 7PM. Minimal speeches, just a good time with your classmates. Bring your spouse. A sport coat works, but if you want to be more casual, that will too. $55 per person. You need to make a reservation with the Alumni at 215-232-8882. Or you can just show up, and pay a little more.

Sunday, May 17

11AM: Brunch and Planning Meeting at Jack’s Firehouse

Here again, everyone is welcome, including spouses. Food costs are also covered by previously received donations. But you need to let Joe Frigiola know that you are coming: 609-702-0503.

Hope to see all of you at one or all of the events.

B. BILL (VIC) EVANS SUMS UP “THE BEST AND WORST OF THE HUM”

Reflections on the Best and Worst Al Einstein described insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Al Goldstein, the whiny bed-wetting porn maven from Brooklyn, once sang, “Chancres Away!”, so here goes:

Collectively, the responses from the two recent survey questions were awesome and serve as a catalyst to reconnect us as classmates from over a half century ago. Responses are cushioned with rationality and nostalgia against the backdrop of what we considered the best and worst experiences at that point in time and place of our young lives. They are shaped by philosophical, interpersonal, and situational experiences as we journeyed through the guys’ world. If I can be a pseudo-intellectual nitwit for a moment, here are some reflections and thoughts on some common themes from our classmates’ submissions:

Camaraderie, great friendships, Joe Alberici’s ‘band of brothers’, and participation in sports receive positive hits. We learned and internalized these conditions as guy things. Suppose for a moment that girls were part of our class back then. Many of those favorite responses might change and those that found their Hum experience lacking because of no girls would probably come up with a different least favorite response. Just think of the changing dynamics of relationships that would probably culminate in a few dudevorces where two male best friends officially end their friendship over some lame disagreement, usually concerning a girl. Or bullies, think of the consequences if an alpha female kicks our Ass …..bummer! We have exhibited the capacity to have different looks at the same thing.

Uh oh, it looks like we have the potential for a food fight. In one camp there are Joe Baji and Dennis Bevans rolling up high fives with Pete Shoemaker straddling the fence with one hand there and the other with a thumb down linked up with Don Ratajczak and that one meal that Rocco D’Amico detested. My culinary favorite was the signature shepherd’s pie dish, ummmmmmmmm.

In my opinion, the food was mediocre institutional grub. I am constrained to give it a higher rating because it was one of the leading causes of bad breath. All one needs to validate this premise is to recall receiving a blast of diesel breath from ‘Ting’ Morrow, ‘Tilt’ Pereira, or ‘Doc’ White. Telling someone that they had bad breath was one of the ultimate put-downs guaranteed to humble and humiliate the receiver of this message.

The unfavorable marks on our swimming classes were memorable, especially the ‘little pool’ experience under the tutelage of Mike Groff. There was no colder day in our lives than those winter mornings when we stripped down to our birthday suits and went shuffling across the cold cement into an even colder pool area. To this day, casual recollection of this activity makes my skin shiver. However, there was one event that made it all worthwhile and that was when one of our classmates dropped a deuce (not a ‘Boogie’ McCloud) in the pool. Groff went freakin ballistic; it wasn’t a typical top floater, but a dense growler that just glared at Mike’s aging chiseled physique. It was nasty for sure, but it wasn’t until some 40+ years later that I really grasped the significance of this scatological deed. I was driving home from work listening to a drive-time shock jock wannabe, when he invited the listeners to phone in with their euphemistic descriptors of the bodily elimination process. One of the entries was, get this, “dropping the kids off at the pool”! It certainly puts this naughty act in perspective. Now all we need is for the perp to fess up; one of the great class mysteries of life would be solved,…… or not.

Since the publication of Scratch Sheet No. 9, several classmates have submitted expanded commentary worth sharing:

Joe Alberici echoed the sentiments of several classmates that Girard was deficient in providing guidance and counseling beyond a superficial pigeonhole. On a less serious note, Joe has fond flashbacks of John Tait blasting monster field goals over the uprights way into the night wearing his Hum brogues.

Dennis Lambrecht adds:

“We all seem to be quick to bemoan the treatment that we got at the hands of the housemasters and governesses. O.K., it wasn't a loving environment. But don't forget that while hindsight may seem to be 20/20, all of us have been changed by the passing of 50 years. We should not forget that what we now call cruel and unusual punishment was accepted and even applauded in the 1950's.

In truth, the cruelest punishments that we faced were not from them, but from ourselves, We faced off against each other with the ferocity of a wolf pack (without their niceties).  (I did like the "Lord of the Flies" analogy) This was not done in anger or argument, but just to solidify our social pecking order. Dominance was there to be won or lost, and every eye was looking for a sign of difference that could be turned into a weakness to be exploited. Some of us seemed to be more eager than others to show how quickly they could act.

To paraphrase the words of Cartman from South Park (and some less notable people), "We have met the enemy and he is us!"”

Dave Phillips shares that the Hum was a source of sanity and structure and provided for a sense of ethics that helped him offset a dysfunctional home environment. Dave goes on to say:

“I think that the Hum also instilled in us a sense of decency. You know, I never really paid attention to much of anything or ever really studied. But I do have fond memories of being in Chapel and paying attention to the sermons and advice---not the voodoo or mumbo jumbo. Though I am a total atheist now, I do believe that my ethics were formed by the doses of religious teaching back then. And, I bet we produced a hell of a lot fewer criminals among our class than other representative samples.

I don’t know if we got a great education, but I do know that we had a library and a lot of time to read. I definitely remember taking out three and four books a week, and, when we were supposed to be studying, I would be reading Wouk, Gann, etc.

Another thing that I think a lot of us got (because we were “homeless”) was a willingness to relocate and take chances. I contrast myself with my half-sibs and see them living not more than a mile from where they were born. And look at you way across the country!

As far as what I didn’t like about the Hum, well, I think that some guys are ranting a little too harshly. We should be reminded that that was fifty years ago and the state of education and society was very different. Many of the travails that some are complaining about were the same that any young person went through in high school----teasing, bullying, isolation, etc.

Yes, there were some “certifiables” and incompetents, but, compared to public education sycophants, we were probably exposed to a higher level of mentors. However, I do admit that, over the years as I described the Hum, I would often say that “they beat the poop out of us.” Just two memories: Only a few weeks after I got there---eating supper in the big dining hall----not eating my stewed tomatoes---kept after dinner by Miss Boyd (she had cancer of the ass and sat on an inner tube)—she made me eat them, and I promptly barfed all over the table! She also was the one who would call you to her chair, hold one hand across your cheek, and slap you with the other.

Another much later memory was of Stubby Craig. Walt Grey and I were leaning back on our chairs in dining hall---got called to his table and walloped across the back of the head a few times---Walt got a black eye. Reminiscing with my mom thirty years later, I told her the story. She was shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I guess I just accepted it as normal. There was no one to turn to at Hum. You just sucked it up. Maybe it made us tougher in the long run.

Corporal punishment was acceptable back then. The air hole paddle and lady leg were administered with some sort of consequence. It was the other cruelties that I remember and dislike.

As I reflect back now, what was most missing at the Hum was love, even the idea of love. We had deep friendships and camaraderie, but, without girls or our parents present, we (I) did not know how to love. I did not discover love until my mid-twenties.

I will wrap it up by noting that, as we get closer to our 50^th, we are reminded of our mortality and are perhaps assessing our lives. Yeah, the Hum affected us, and yeah, we certainly were raised differently than others, but maybe we should celebrate our differentness and be proud of what we have accomplished.”

Note to Ken Werley:

I confess that I had a lol moment when I read your questionnaire responses. My spies indicated that you are not planning to attend the 50^th reunion. I hope that you will reconsider and come join us. I can’t tell you anything that might alter your perception of the Hum, but I would enjoy seeing you. Also, I suspect that many of us are different from what you might recall. If this doesn’t float your boat, maybe you could facilitate a focus group with present-day Hummers on the finer tactical points of hopping the wall, and thereby dispelling any notion to the stereotype that ‘White Men Can’t Hop’.

C. REPORT FROM THE REUNION COMMITTEE

We had a productive meeting on April 9 at the Pub. Attendees included Adams, D'Amico, DiRomaldo, Ferro, Frigiola, Kane, Lane and Quinn. Chet Snyder was kind enough to pick up the tab, but was unable to attend because of a medical emergency with his Mom. (She's fine now)

 Returns for Survey 2 (Personal Data) have slowed. We've received a total of 33 so far. A number of guys have indicated their stuff is on the way, but we’re still waiting. John Kane shared the Hotel price information he has collected so far (i.e.. Sheraton Society Hill, Hilton Garden Inn at 11th and Arch, and Radisson Valley Forge). He will also get info on the Crown Plaza City Line, and the Union League, Center City. We need to make a selection soon.

A call will go out soon, for old pictures from our days in the Hum. Dan Ferro, Ed DiRomaldo and Bob Culver will handle collection, scanning and return of of pictures. The pictures will be used in producing materials for the Reunion activities. Follow-up looks like a job for the Contact Volunteers.

Mike Quinn and Ed D will visit the Hum Audio Visual Dept to determine what AV support they can provide including projection and sound equipment, video taping, editing and DVD production, etc. One idea is to produce a DVD of our big Weekend, starring us! Mike Quinn, with years of television producing experience has volunteered to coordinate this.  Ed D will continue his work compiling a slide show. (His first cut was previewed in Tampa to rave reviews). The final version will include more of the old pictures and will be presented with narration.

Rich Adams suggested that the Friday Class Dinner be covered for all attendees to encourage maximum participation, an idea deemed well worth considering. He also volunteered $2500 to establish the funding. That should cover over half the cost of our get together in the Hum Library next year. Thanks Rich! Other contributions will be most welcome.

 Finally, the reunion committee’s next two meetings will be on Founders weekend this year. (See Section A above.) Remember the Committee is now considered a Committee of the Whole. All classmates are invited to attend any of our meetings. Mike Lane, and Mike Quinn joined us for the first time at our April 9 meeting. They were a refreshing addition, contributing new perspectives, and ideas.

Mike Lane

Mike Quinn

Seated: Lane, Adams, Kane, Frigiola;
Standing: DiRomaldo, Quinn, D'Amico, Ferro.

D. REPORT FROM THE CLASS GIFT COMMITTEE

The good news is that we are doing well in the campaign for the Class of 1960 Gift. To date we have raised over $100,000 with another $29,000 pledged. In addition, six classmates have sent in $7,500 to be used to underwrite certain expenses associated with the planning of the event, as well as to cover certain expenses of the event. While that is good news, we still haven’t heard from 58 classmates.

To those of you we haven’t heard from yet, there are two myths we’d like to dispel.

MYTH #1) The Girard Estate has ample money to run Girard College and the school doesn’t need any more from me. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, there are fewer students this year than last. There will be fewer students next year than this year. And there will be fewer students the following year than next year. The reason? Pure and simple, LACK OF FUNDS. The Estate does not have enough money to meet the needs of the school at an enrollment level that makes prudent sense. You will see in the coming years a major fund raising effort initiated by Girard in order to close this gap. Our Class Gift can help.

MYTH #2) The Class Gift fund seems to have enough money already and my contribution of $25, $50, $100, or whatever, won’t make a difference. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. In every fund raising activity, it takes many contributions, both large and small, to reach the goals set. That is why we set a very lofty goal of 100% participation. We want and need every classmate to participate. You can also include a gift in honor/memory of a deceased classmate. Your contribution, no matter what size, is important. We are a great class with a lot of pride and we want to be remembered for support from each and every one of us. Look at it this way. What do you think it cost for your education at Girard from the years 1949-1960? $2,000 per year? $4,000? $6,000? (It’s now $37,000 per year per student.) That’s the amount of benefit you received back then. More importantly, that’s the amount of benefit your mother received back then. So, in thinking about whether or not you can afford to give back to the school that provided up to 11 years of food, shelter, and education to you, think of giving in memory of your mother.

Here is a summary of total contributions to date:

$10,000 and above
Rich Adams Don Ratajczak Rich Page Peter Shoemaker
$5,000 – 9999
Toby Caplan Rocco D’Amico Joe Frigiola
$2,500 – 4999
Dennis Bevans
$1,000 – 2499
Anonymous Bill Evans John Kane Matt Mills	Nelson Mishkin Rich Popella Dave Phillips Dave Ross
$1-$1,000
Joe Alberici Joe Baji Art Garfein	John Houghton Ron Saracini
Contributions have been made in the memory of:
Ed Coccagna Sterling Gedraitis Cathy Kane (John) Walt Grey Bob Himmelrich Judd Johnson	Jim Ritchie Carl Sehl Jim Stidham

In closing, please make a pledge or send what you can to either of us. We’d love to hear from you. Toby Caplan 412/821-4256 and Pete Shoemaker 813/908-8773.

E. THE INFIRMARY

Well you know we are getting old, losing teeth, hair, potency (except, of course, Chet Snyder.) We will have a regular feature in future Scratch Sheets where we report on guys’ health. Unfortunately, the Hum no longer employs Ms. Waterhouse, so I guess will have to be satisfied with Ms..Suter. We report in this issue on some positive developments for two of our classmates. In the past few years, both Byron Orrs, and Frank Rieg have been diagnosed with lung cancer. (They, of course, were charter members of the Allen Smokers’ Association.) However, they have both been through chemo, and radiation, and both report very positive results. Byron has been cancer-free in his last two check-ups, and Frank has come through with flying colors in his first re-examination. He plans to join his golfing classmates, next year at the fiftieth. If you would like to give these guys a holler try Byron at 602-264-7829, and Frank at 610-866-1960.

F. CLASS OF 60’S MILITARY SERVICE

Of the 25 guys who have responded to Survey #2, which asked for their Military Service, 20 responded with the particulars. This is extremely surprising to me. We had 2 4-Fs, Ferro, and Mills. Additionally, I’m personally aware of at least 10 other guys who served. These are all recorded below. Minimally, 11 of the 30,of who’s military service we are aware, served in Viet Nam. This are clearly low figures for the Class. We have no info on 70% of the Class. Even those who responded were mostly brief, so we’re not sure what their involvement was.

Survey Responses

Adams - US Army, 1965-7

Alberici – US Army, Pennsylvania National Guard, 28^th Infantry. Attained the rank of Sgt. E-5 squad leader, 1964-70

Baji - I entered the U. S. Navy in June 1960. After recruit training I attended the Navy’s School for Enginemen. My first duty assignment was aboard a submarine tender (USS Orion) which was home ported in Norfolk, VA. I was assigned to the after engine room. The main dety of the Orion was the care and maintenance of submarines therefore we spent very little time at sea. I volunteered for, and received a transfer to the USS Proteus which was home ported in Holy Loch, Scotland. The mission of this ship was the same as the Orion, and my duties remained the same. While stationed onboard the Proteus, I met Elizabeth, who I later married. When the Proteus was scheduled to rotate back the the U.S., I requested and received a transfer to a floating dry dock that was in Holy Loch. It was there that I ran into John Heaney who was stationed on one of the submarines that we dry docked. When it came time to reenlist, I wanted out of the hot engine rooms, so I requested and received a specialty change to radar operator, so it was off to school again. Upon completion of radar school, I was assigned to a communication ship off the coast of Vietnam. Upon completion of this, I attended a year of electronics schools learning to repair various radars, and their associated equipment. I was sent back to Vietnam, stationed onboard an LST that operated up the various rivers around Saigon, and Da Nang. I finally got shore duty, and was assigned to recruiting duty in Nashville, TN. After that, I attended more Navy schools, and became an Operations Specialist, and was assigned to a civilian ship that had a small complement of Navy personnel. The ship operating with Navy units. When operating around Navy ships, I was an advisor to the ship’s captain on Navy tactics. My final military assignment was instructor duty at Little Creek, VA, where I taught ship’s combat systems personnel survivor tactics against hostile missiles, and weapons. I retired as a Senior Chief Operations Specialist in August, 1980.

Culver – New Jersey National Guard 1964-70. Spent one week quelling the Newark, NJ riots.

Deveney - United States Marine Corps 1964-77. Helicopter Pilot, Vietnam 1967-68. Air Liaison Officer, 2^nd Battalion, 3^rd Marine Regiment, 1968. Helicopter Flight Instructor, Pensacola FL., 1968-70

Devlin, Duke – Naval Flight Officer, Patrol Squadron 24. 7 years active duty. 20 years Navy reserves. Retired Commander.

Evans - U. S. Army, 1962-64.

Few - U.S. Air Force

Garfein - LCDR, USNR. Senior psychiatrist and Head of Recruit Evaluation Unit, Naval Training Center, San Diego.

Gries – Six years of NJ Army National Guard in the 1960s.

Hill - Drafted Feb. 1964 to Jan. 1966. Basic Training Ft. Dix NJ. AIT, Ft. Sill Oklahoma. Stationed at Ft. Riley KN, 1^st Infantry Division, 5^th Artillery. Last 4 months served in Vietnam.

Kane- 31 years Army National Guard. Engineering Officer and Transportation Officer. Retired with the rank of Colonel.

Koch – USNR, E4, Electrician Mate. Vietnam combat veteran. Brownwater amphibious landing ship tank. Swift boat LST 344 Bianco Co. 1967-67.

Lambrecht, Dennis - Crypto operator, U.S. Army, 61-64. Honorable Discharge. (I even got a good conduct medal. Go figure.)

Lane – 173 Airborne Brigade, Vietnam. MOS Combat Photographer/ Writer, Public Information office.

Minemier – US Air Force 1963-66, E-4.

Orrs – U. S. Air Force 1961-84. Basic Training, Lackland TX; Weather observer, and weather forecasting training, Chanute AFB, IL. Non-Commissioned Office Academy, Norton AFB, CA. Recruiter Training, Lackland. Stations: TX, IL, OK, S. Korea, Bermuda, KS, NE, NJ, AZ

Quinn – Army reserves 1967-73. Staff Sergeant, E-6. Ft. Bragg, Ft. Lee, Ft. Eustis.

Ross – National Guard 1969-75. 63^rd Army Band.

Saracini – 4 yrs. USMC.

Werley – PA Army National Guard

Others (by word of mouth)

Barath – Apparently served in Vietnam, and never adjusted on his return. He passed away in a VA hospital in 1995. Ed Coccagna visited him there.

Consavage- Was a career member of the USMC.

Heaney – Served for over 20 years in the USN. Always on nuclear missile submarines.

Houghton – Has already described his army experiences in a prior Scratch Sheet, and his battles with PTSD, since his return from Vietnam.

Johnson – Served as a JAG officer in Vietnam in the 1970s, where he had his first “breakdown.” He took his life in 1979.

Killen – Served in Vietnam, and was part of the Battle of Ia Drang. He never adjusted to civilian life, and died as the result of alcoholism in 1974.

Rule – Was a highly decorated Vietnam Vet. After his retirement he was a VA counselor.

Scheetz - Joined the army shortly after his 10^th grade departure from Girard. He retired in 1995 as a full colonel.

Sheitleman - Died in a VA hospital in 2000. His service is unclear. Dennis Gries visited him there.

Shoemaker – Was an army supply officer in Vietnam.

SO GUYS WE NEED A VOLUNTEER OR TWO, TO BRING THIS ALL TOGETHER, AND GIVE US REFLECTIONS ON THE MILITARY EXPERIENCE FOR THE CLASS OF ’60.

G. MEMORABILIA

The Wilkes-Barre Mafia: Adams, Phillips, and Murphy.

Clockwise from 12: Snyder, "Boss" Jackson, Chisowsky, Hensel, Kostelnick, Houghton, Phillips, Orrs.

The “Lookers”: Rullo, Ritchie, Snyder