HHS Early Years Newsletter Fall 2012
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Heidelberg High School Newsletter The Early Years, Classes of 1947 to 1965 Fall 2012 View of Heidelberg and the Schloß from above the Philosophenweg, copper engraving by Matthäus Merian, 1620 Memories of HHS and Beyond Cindy Beck Fox ’61 Dear Early Years Staff, My husband, David, and I look forward to the Newsletter, and reunions. Although Dave isn’t an Overseas Brat or DOD Alum, he was in the Air Force for 21 years and we were stationed at Hahn AFB, Germany (where I taught Kindergarten for two years); Itazuki & Hakata, Kyushu, Japan (where I substitute taught with my former 6th grade/Camp Drake, Tokyo, science teacher, Worth Gurley), and Tachikawa AFB, where I taught in the Middle School. So Dave definitely has a sense of my past experiences, added to the new ones we shared. I taught in the countries where I had attended school in my “army brat” years. And we did attend the Heidelberg, Germany reunion in 2006. We both love the stories you include in the Newsletter. Our favorite was Tony Donovan’s “A Quick Side Trip Down Memory Lane”. Who doesn’t remember Miss Fowlkes’s purple hair and her Shakespeare drama. Ms Kay was my homeroom and English teacher, and, if I recall correctly, the class of 1961 advisor. The fearsome Algebra and Geometry teacher that Tony spoke of was likely Ms Clauson. She was probably my favorite, because I loved math...and ultimately became a high school math teacher. Every time my mascara was too thick or I wore a pretty scarf, I thought of her. She was a very chic dresser, and had pretty blonde “coifed” hair. My boyfriend Steve Waters and I almost always did all the extra credit assignments because we enjoyed the challenge. I remember Mr Bova, 10th grade; Mr Schulman, 11th grade Chemistry (he taught us with the NY City curriculum & their regents exams), and Physics, Mr Tait, in 12th grade, who taught us the U of Maryland curriculum & books. We had pretty great teachers. As luck would have it, most of my friends were at HHS from 10th through 12th, so it was pretty wonderful. I will always cherish my wonderful Heidelberg High memories and experiences. Such wonderful memories and friends. I would love to hear from some of our classmates, who went on to the military academies. I know that sadly we lost Dean Matzko, USNA, in a plane crash early in his career. I saw Geoffrey (Alfie) Akroydd in Tokyo when he was the pilot for a general stationed in Korea (1974). I read that Tommy Swain was an Army General. I have seen names like Joe Colquitt and Karen Houlihan, who signed on-line to “classmates”. I stay in touch with Sally Bless Roberts and Clare Downey Graham. It would be great to hear from more of the class of 1961. [Call Cindy at 410-757-9220.] Speaking of the class of ’61: Cary Bowen ’61 is a lawyer and a farmer in the Richmond, VA, area and is looking for information on members of the classes of 1961 and 1962 who might be in his area. He is at cbowen@bowenlawfirm.com. HHS Early Years Newsletter 1 Fall 2012 Breaking news (October 8, 2012): Randy Loftin ’60 is running for Congress in the 5th Congressional District of California (around Sacramento). Is this a first for someone from HHS? Details at www.loftinforcongress.com. Additions to the Heidelberg Bookshelf Mary Williams Schaller ’61 wrote to Bob Hines on January 24, 2012: Shortly after Joan Dickson died in 2006, you telephoned me, singing the praises of my memoir HEIDELBERG DAZE that you had found among Joan’s papers. At that time, you suggested that I should get it published. Since I was working on two books, I demurred and shelved the idea for “later.” Then, after the wonderful Reunion 2011 in Heidelberg, my fond memories prompted me to pull out my memoir and glance over it – but I was up to my ears with promoting my latest book and felt I had to shelve it until “later.” Now that the New Year has arrived and I am facing my 69th birthday, I realized that “Later” had better be “Now” before it got to be way too late. In preparation for re-writing my manuscript, I have taken a long and poignant stroll down memory lane through my back issues of the Early Days Newsletter, beginning in December 1994. What a wealth of background information! Thank you, Joan, Glenda, and now Jan and you, for preserving so many great stories! In going through the more recent issues, I realized that my name did not appear among the “Donations.” I grovel in embarrassment! Enclosed is my check together with my apologies and gratitude for the fine job you are doing for us aging Lions. I have not yet started the re-writes for DAZE, but I plan to do so in the next week or two. I hope to interest my publisher at the University of South Carolina Press in this book. Word of caution: do NOT hold your breath. My most recent book, DELIVER US FROM EVIL: A Southern Belle in Europe at the Outbreak of World War I, took me fourteen years to pull together, sell and get published. I am hoping that HEIDELBERG DAZE will be much faster. My publisher hopefully will be open to this new idea as DELIVER US FROM EVIL is selling very well. I did an author-invitation-only Book Fair at the National Press Club in DC in November 2011 and was very gratified by the reception that my book received there. So, I will strike while the iron is HOT. Yes, I will keep you informed, but first, I have to re-write the darned thing. Hope you all are doing well. I look forward to the next Newsletter – and again, thank you, Jan and all of you for such a wonderful gift as the Newsletter. GO LIONS! Hudson (Bill) Phillips ’52 has a new book of poems out, published July 25. While growing up, Bill traveled extensively as the eldest son of a military family. At the age of eight, he experienced a wartime evacuation from the Panama Canal Zone at the outbreak of WWII. As we from HHS know, he attended high school in Heidelberg during the post-war period of occupation. Following his graduation from Colgate University and Colgate Rochester Divinity School, his work led him through the breadth of American life: the ending of segregation in the South, the peace movement and the draft, the emergence of the counter culture, and extensive work with developmentally challenged youth and people with special needs. His poems are informed by these experiences. The book can be ordered from createspace.com. Your editor ordered hers right away and in August was able to take it to Bill and Betty’s home in Austin for signing. We had a great visit, remembering the fears, dangers and damages of war, but also the warm friendships forged between former enemies in the war’s aftermath. Midnight Shower, or High School Hi-Jinks Chick Williams ’55 For reasons that I can’t remember those of us on the second floor of the dorm planned a midnight raid on the seniors (class of ’53) down on the first floor. We set our alarms for midnight then went to bed and got up for the clandestine meeting in the shower room. The two guys in one room on the second floor were assigned the corresponding room on the first floor and one guy would carry the waste paper can full of cold water and the other guy would be his door opener. The idea was to skulk down the steps to the corresponding room below and wait for the signal. When we got the signal one guy would quietly but quickly open the door and the other guy would throw the cold water (winter time) all over them. Then we ran like hell back to our rooms and locked the doors. I don’t recall any repercussions that night or later on. Among those that we doused were: The Roosma brothers, Gross (Lucky) Jenison, Hal Lyon, Bill Henning, et al. PS - In the Heidelberg graduation video, that is my sister in the first close up. She was in the second pair to enter the seating area. That was also her that got up to get her diploma: Anita S. Williams. She is on your list and got the last newsletter. HHS Early Years Newsletter 2 Fall 2012 More Memories of the 1952 HHS Graduation Hudson (Bill) Phillips ’52 (June 27, 2012): Some have referred to the class of ’52 graduation as having been filmed on the “grounds of the Schloss and ... filmed by the Armed Forces Network.” This is not quite the way that it happened. Actually, the graduation ceremony was filmed in a closed building. We did go up to the Schloss for a Stateside version. It was better P.R. for the television audience. This happened about a week before the actual graduation. We all went in a bus. (I remember we sang a rousing rendition of “There’s a pawn shop on a corner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.” Why that song, I don’t know.) We went through the motions of a real graduation, but without the speeches, and some were called forward as if getting diplomas. (I think this was when Jim Skelly was filmed overlooking the city.) I mentioned the Schloss version when Donna Musil was producing the documentary, Brats: Our Journey Home, and I believe the Schloss graduation photos were retrieved from the archives.