SCHOOL WAS OUT....
In the summer of '59 we added an extension and a garage onto our house. The builder was a fellow named Tex Lanham. His children went to Floyd. Donald was a year ahead of me and Shirley was going into her senior year. I think I first became aware of Shirley when she stopped by our house with her mother to talk with Tex. Girls were now getting equal time in my 12 year old brain along with cars and music. I didn't see her again until school started that fall but she occupied a special place in my hormonal system that entire year.
Because of all the time I missed in 7th grade, I found myself in the 8-4 class when I went back in the fall of '59. Classes were graded 1 - 4 in order of the administrations pre conceived notions of dealing with learning aptitude. I was only there for a few weeks when Mr. Young (the guidance counselor) summoned me into his office. "Kenneth I'm moving you up into 8-3 starting next week and I want to see you in 8-1 by the spring ok?" His pep talk ran out of gas with me shortly afterwards though, partly because of my loose association with Walter Seiler, a kid I had met in shop class the year before. We both did a lot of class cutting together then. Walter was a year ahead of me (shop classes were combined) and eventually would become a pal of my brother. They both quit school and joined the Navy together.
Now I'm not blaming Walter for my behavior, but he sure was an enabler and fun to cut out of school with. He even had the audacity to tell my homeroom teacher Mr. Ringhouse that we had part time jobs in Patchogue and had to leave school at noon. Ringhouse checked with Ostroski and nipped it in the bud. So it was back to using other methods. One place I used was the loft in our new garage that Tex Lanham built. Hookey at Home what a concept! I was talking with Frank "Butch" Coppola at the reunion this past summer and was surprised to learn he too spent a lot of time on personal field trips with Seiler. Butch btw recently retired from a very successful career in Suffolk County Police Dept.
Everyone at school though seemed to be very aware that we now had a senior class. They seemed to be the focus of the entire year and had all types of social activities and fund raisers going on to heighten that awareness along with a yearbook ! I remember hearing about the senior picnic at Smith Point when several of them led by Ralph Perra jumped off the Smith Point Bridge much to the extreme exasperation of newly crowned High School Principal Ed Orr. His newly formed football team alone was giving him a stroke, but at least that was only the first half of the year. I heard there were a lot of pranks played on him that year including the placing of limburger cheese on his cars exhaust manifold. Like I say although I wasn't in school much you still hear things ya know. I heard a few other things that are probably best left to the memories of the direct participants even though the statute of limitations has expired.
By springtime it was becoming apparent these were the last few weeks I was going to see a lot of faces I had known since at least 1956 and some even back to 1952. I did know I was going to miss seeing Shirley Lanham in the halls. That spring I set my sights on what I thought might be a more realistic goal.... a girl in my own class. That would be Leonore Rogoyski who I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with on a sanctioned field trip with Miss Kanowitcz's art class. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and newly opened Guggenhiem Museum of Modern Art in NYC. On the bus ride that day the Everly Brothers Cathy's Clown must of played 5 times. The next day in school she seemed to not even notice me and that song came rushing back. Today when I hear it I sometimes still think of her and of Shirley.
Leonore in 1962
I hear Leonore is in Colorado and has been married to Nicky Dukes (class of '62) for many years. Sadly I heard Shirley passed away from cancer a few years back.
From June of 1952, when my sister Gerry graduated 8th grade out of a 3/4 finished building with wet paint and scaffolding in the halls , until June of 1960 when there were two graduations a week apart, much more happened than the few little things I talked about here .... just to give you an idea of how the place grew take a look at the teacher roster for the official opening day in September of 1952.
Opening Day Sept 1952 17 Teachers for Grades K - 8
Jeanne Fechtman was my Kindergarten Teacher. I would have Janet Tribble for 3rd Grade and Mildred Raynor for 6th
Pearl Chewens would become Pearl Wilshaw.
NOW CONSIDER THAT IN 1960 THERE WERE 37 TEACHERS
THERE FOR GRADES 7-12
and most of that growth happened between 1956 - 1960
BUT THE TIME HAD COME FOR THIS FIRST BUNCH TO MOVE ALONG
AND MAKE SOME ROOM FOR THE REST OF US
And This Is What They Left Us.....
I noticed Shirley Lanham worked in the school store. There were two smiling girls working there on that first day I went shopping there. I still like to think it was Shirley who sold me that patch and pencil in September of 1956 !
and so on the Monday Evening June 27th 1960
SCHOLARSHIPS WERE GIVEN OUT TO THE SMARTY PANTS
Notice "my girl" Shirley got one!
And Here Is What The First Floyd High School Diploma Looked Like
FIVE DAYS EARLIER ON THURSDAY JUNE 23, 1960 THIS LIST BELOW OF 8th GRADERS FILED INTO THE GYM. COME SEPTEMBER MOST OF THEM WOULD RETURN TO PICK UP WHERE THE CLASS OF 1960 WAS BACK IN '56 ...... I SUPPOSE THERE WERE SOME JUNIOR HIGH KIDS WATCHING US FIND OUR WAY TOO ..... I'M GLAD I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO FIRST
AND SO THE BEAT WENT ON
Many Thanks to my new pal Phil Van Tassel for all his help on this
Other Floyd Links
WILLIAM FLOYD SCHOOL THE EARLY YEARS
