The Third Annual 50th Reunion Planning Party in Tampa, FL

The Scratch Sheet, Volume 15

December 28, 2009

Your Class of 60 Communications Committee, D’Amico, DiRomaldo and Gries Extends:

The Happiest of Holidays to Each of You

Do you remember?

“Good Night are songs are sung, Good Night are games are done. Good Night we now must say. So happy and gay, our Christmas Day, has passed away. The brightest hour must end, the brightest day reach night. The tapers we see, have burned to the tree. Good night, our songs are sung, good night our games are done. And darkness must follow light. Good night. Good night.

“Keep me oh father mine, father of Jesus ? Thy light around me shine. Make me thy child. Bless thou all those who pray to thee on Christmas day. Amen.”

Not exactly appropriate for our Jewish classmates, but a beautiful piece of music. Bob Culver is putting together a CD of Hum Music for everyone.

In This Issue:

A. The Third Annual 50^th Reunion Planning Party in Tampa, FL

B. Gene Daub Wins National Competition to Create Rosa Parks Sculpture

C. Class Gift Update

D. Need a 1960 Corinthian?

E. The Great Revolt (A Fable)

F. Class List

G. Upcoming Events

H. Memorabilia

A. The Third Annual 50^th Reunion Planning Party in Tampa, FL

Mark your calendars for a date not to be missed! Our third and final 50^th Reunion Planning Part in Tampa, FL is scheduled for February 19 – 21. For those of you who struggled in English with Caz MacGregor, that’s not our final planning session, just the final one in Florida.

We are just beginning our planning, but the weekend will include, but not be limited to, the usual events and activities: a room block at the luxurious Quality Inn Motel at a nightly rate of approximately $68.00 (unless you are Saracini and can negotiate an even better rate), dinner Friday night at Villagio’s (a friendly neighborhood Italian}, golf Saturday at Avila Country Club (something will be planned Saturday afternoon for the non-golfers), dinner and festivities at the Shoemakers’ on Saturday afternoon and evening, and finally, the not-to-be-missed Sunday farewell brunch at the Quality Inn. Last year we had a great turnout of approximately 20 classmates and spouses. Let’s try to double that number this year. You’ll be hearing more about it in upcoming Scratch Sheets.

So, mark your calendars, book your reservations, and come on down to sunny Florida in February! If you’re planning to come please let Pete Shoemaker know: 813-908-8773 or shoemakerp@gisx.com.

B. Gene Daub Wins National Competition to Create Rosa Parks Sculpture

Eugene Daub and Rob Firmin, principals of Daub & Firmin Studios, have been selected as the artists to create the Rosa Parks sculpture for the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. A panel formed by the National Endowment for the Arts selected finalists from over 100 artists nationwide. The winners were chosen from the finalist group by the Joint Committee on the Library of the United States Congress. The announcement today is auspicious as it is the 54^th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, and became “The spark that ignited the modern civil rights movement,” as stated by Dr. Martin Luther King.

The winning design emphasizes Rosa Parks’ courage and her defiance that sounded the horns that brought down the walls of discrimination. The full-figure portrait strives to capture her character as she sat immovable against the full force of Jim Crow, and symbolizes her context in the American civil rights movement.

According to Dr. Firmin: “We have created a number of monuments to the African American experience, were familiar with the story of Rosa Parks, and had great respect for her. But our extensive research into her life, as part of this national competition, has deepened our respect immeasurably.” Mr. Daub added: “Our composition reflects her courage, her years of suffering from and witness of horrific discrimination, and the fact that her action was built upon centuries of African American resistance, first to slavery, then to Jim Crow.” The sculpture is the first for the National Statuary Hall since the 1870s mandated and funded by Congress. Daub & Firmin Studios, LLC has studios in Kensington and San Pedro, California, and its offices in Kensington. Many of its public monuments are intended to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to be aware of their history, and to raise their awareness of what is possible.

C. Class Gift Update

We have topped the $140,000 mark and we are very grateful for the support shown by many classmates, but we still have a way to go to meet both our goals. To remind you, we established the goal of $200,000 and the goal of 100% participation from all classmates. New contributors since we last reported are Dennis Gries, Mike Quinn, John Hagerty, and Leland Giannini. To date, 33 classmates have made contributions, together with an additional 11 memorial gifts.

A listing of the current status of our Class Gift Fund is shown below:

General $128,855

Memorial $ 2,700

Help & Admin $ 8,675

Interest $ 3,000 (est.)

Total $143,230

$15,000 and above
Caplan

Ratajczak

Shoemaker

$10,000 - 14,999

Adams

D’Amico

Frigiola

Page

$5,000 - 9,999

No one yet

$2,500 – 4,999

Bevans

Gries

Mishkin

Myers

Singer

$1,000 – 2,499

Anonymous

Baji

DiRomaldo

Evans

Kane

Mills

Phillips

Popella

Ross

Saracini

$1 – 999

Alberici

Bullock

Ferro

Garfein

Giannini

Hagerty

Hill

Houghton

Jakoby

Orrs

Quinn

Sehl

Woods

Memorials
Barath

Coccagna

Gedraitis

Grey

Himmelrich

Heaney

Johnson

Kane, Cathy (John)

Paulson

Ritchie

Sehl

Stidham

These statistics indicate that more than half of our class has not responded with any contribution at all to date. Since we are now in the home stretch with only 5 months to go until our 50^th reunion during the Founder’s Day weekend, it is time to demonstrate class unity. Wouldn’t it be great to have every classmate’s name on our gift, including memorials to all those who are no longer with us…that would be 100% participation!

To those of you who have contributed, we thank you, but we urge you to consider giving more. Let’s really set the bar high for succeeding classes. To those of you who haven’t contributed yet, but intend to, we urge you to contribute sooner rather than later. Let’s show everyone we care. And to those of you who haven’t contributed yet and are inclined not to, we urge you to reconsider.

Our goal of $200,000 is clearly in sight, but why should you give?

To show appreciation for the opportunity Girard gave each of us to have a better life.

To acknowledge the disciplines and study habits taught us during our tenure.

To express gratitude for the food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and education we received for 8 to 11 years…all at no cost to us or our mothers.

To say thank you for holding our father’s social security payments in trust enabling most of us to go on to college.

To know that our acceptance into Girard helped make a better life for our mothers and siblings. Why not give in honor or memory of your mother?

To prove the Class of 1960 is the greatest class to graduate from Girard College.

It is time to do it!

Please send your check to Myron “Toby” Caplan, 110 DeAngelo Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15209. You will receive an acknowledgement letter from Toby and shortly thereafter a letter from the GCAA for tax purposes. Please make your checks out to “GCAA”, and insert in the memo line “Class of 60 Gift”.

Hail Girard,

Pete and Toby

D. Need a 1960 Corinthian?

Lost your Corinthian? Never got one?

Bob Culver is about to reproduce copies of our graduation yearbook. If you have lost your copy, or never had one due to your choosing to depart early, whether voluntarily, or under duress, Bob would be happy to make a copy for you. The production will be done early in February, so get your request in right away. Get in touch with Bob and put your name on his list. Bob can be reached at 973-628-0786, or at fabo2@verizon.net, or at 26 Henry Terrace, Lincoln Park, NJ 07035. Please get to Bob by January 31 to assure he gets a copy made for you.

E. The Great Revolt (A Fable)

Sometime around June 5-7,1960 the following happened. Victor Carlson and John Sosinski hopped the wall to buy beer for other classmates. Nelson Mishkin, Victor’s roommate says that this was a standard procedure for Victor, who earned some spending money almost every night by “gofering” for classmates for beer, and Mario and Phil’s steak sandwiches. (He clearly had inherited Mr. Girard’s entrepreneurial spirit.) Again he replicated Girard’s spirit in that he was in constant competition with the Cohrs, Fiore, Franco “pizza on the radiator” baking operation. As to Sosinski’s hopping the wall, we have no idea how that happened. Certainly Carlson could not have helped him with a push up, or a pull.

Then in some bar, South of the Hum, they were accosted by Philadelphia’s finest. Somehow Sosinski escaped, but Carlson was hauled in, and showed a very salty disposition to the cops. (Certainly a disposition which none of us had ever experienced on Victor’s part.) Shortly thereafter, both John and Victor were “disappeared” from the Hum. It is not clear how John was identified, but certainly any witnesses description would have gone a long way toward pinpointing him.

In the next day or two the rumors flew. Neither of them would get to march down the aisle with us at our graduation, and both were subject to not even receiving their degrees. The Class held a series of meetings in the common area in the basement of Allen Hall. The proposition which was argued was that none of us would march down the aisle without John and Victor. Intense debate ensued. Surprisingly those who most hated the Hum were unwilling to risk not graduating, eg. Paulson, Rule, and of course, our man, Saracini. The final vote was that we were unwilling to be available for chapel services if both did not receive their degrees, and Sosinski was brought back for graduation. Carlson’s police involvement led was cited as a reason to not demand his appearance at graduation. Though we were political rookies we did recognize that we had some power, given we were Dr. Friedman’s first graduating class, and lots of people would have to be “disinvited.”

Then we were called to the auditorium, where we were confronted with a very smug group of administrators. We were informed that this type of behavior would not be tolerated in our last week at Girard. John Myers rose and turned the tables, announcing our decisions. All smugness disappeared. So it turned out that both got their degrees and John got to march down the aisle.

We have been told of a possible unintended consequence of The Great Revolt. A number of classmates have indicated that in the ensuing years requests for assistance from the Hum, e.g. scholarship assistance, were summarily dismissed. Did that great man, Karl Friedman blackball the Class of ’60?

The preceding is labeled “a fable.” I have heard multiple recountings of the events of that week, many of which do not correspond to the tale told above. Obviously we numbered 102, and we had substantial differences in the participation in, and recollection of these events. Please send along any additions, challenges to the descriptions, or other thoughts to Rocco. We would especially like to hear of John’s and Victor’s recollections. Rocco can be reached at Rdamico@ihsm.com, at 301-229-0834, or at 6405 Kenhowe Dr. Bethesda, MD 20817.

F. Class List

The communications committee is constantly receiving requests for contact information so that classmates can reach other classmates. Attached to this Scratch Sheet is a Class List which will facilitate direct contact between classmates. PLEASE NOTE. When we discussed this idea with other classmates, there was some concern about the email addresses being used to clutter all of our inboxes. Please do not use classmates’ email addresses to send jokes, or inspirational, patriotic, political, or religious messages to multiple classmates. ‘Nuff said?

G. Upcoming Events

January 7, 2010: Reunion Committee Meeting at Dan Ferro’s home. 11AM-4PM. All classmates are invited, even if you can stop over for only an hour or two. Trade stories, give your input on reunion planning, and revel in the gourmet cooking of Sandy Ferro. Dan’s at 3231 Adams Court N., Bensalem, PA 19020. Please give Dan a heads-up if you plan to stop by at: 215-757-7276, or dferrosr@verizon.net.

February 19-21: Third Annual FL Reunion, Tampa FL. See Item A above. Plan that trip to visit your Florida relatives around that three day event. For those who don’t want to see Saracini, he’s threatening not to come. We are threatening to send Seaman and Sosinski up to Ocala to get him, but be sure we will keep him bound and gagged when we get him to Tampa.

H. Memorabilia

Below are some photos contributed by the Mighty Python, John Mlynarczyk, leavened with a couple from the Mighty Asp, Bruce Singer. Get into the attic guys and send what you find to Ed DiRomaldo (see Class List.)