They created one of the largest, most active, and most successful high school alumni organizations in America - the Weequahic High School Alumni Association Weequahic Alumni will honor HAL BRAFF & SHELDON BROSS with a Testimonial Dinner on Thursday, May 19th, 6 p.m. at the historic Robert Treat Hotel in Newark Weequahic legend, NBA basketball player, championship coach, and executive Alvin Attles will be the Keynote Speaker and Hal’s son, Zach Braff, star of the popular TV show, Scrubs, will join us Proceeds will support scholarships and student activities at the high school To order tickets ($100) or to place an ad in our Journal, call us at (973) 923-3133 ("tax deductible as allowed by law") BRAFF & BROSS: PLANNED GIVING ALUMNI CALUMET THE VISIONARIES Did you know that individuals are is a publication of the the largest source of funding for non- WHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION It all began 14 years ago when the profit organizations? Giving USA Editor, Layout & Design: Weequahic High School Alumni stated that in 2008 charitable dona- Association was launched with a tions in the U.S. reached more than Phil Yourish, 1964 gathering of more than 300 alumni $300 billion. Of that amount 75% on a Friday evening in September at came from individuals. Proofreading: The Newark Public Library. The Dave Lieberfarb, Hal Braff, and vision for this endeavor came from Ensure the future of our Alumni As- Myrna Jelling Weissman attorneys Hal Braff, 1952, and sociation and its important work at Sheldon Bross, 1955. Weequahic High School by estab- Our thanks for articles and pho- They believed that the wonderful lishing a “planned gift” so that our tos from The Star-Ledger, memories and nostalgia of growing legacy can continue in the years to NJ.com, NJ Jewish News, and come. up in Weequahic could be trans- our WHS alumni and friends. formed to create new energy for bridging the older and newer genera- When you are doing your “life plan- ning,” consider “giving back” to the tions of the high school. And so the CONTACT US: vision took shape: high school that provided you with an outstanding education and so WHS Alumni Association It was not from our differences, but many countless memories. Below from the traditions that we have in are some options: P.O. Box 494, Newark, NJ 07101 common, that gave birth to the Weequahic High School Alumni Some specific “GIVING” (973) 923-3133 / (973) 303-5294 Association in 1997 - a unique op- suggestions for Weequahic [email protected] portunity to bring people together - www.weequahicalumni.org people who seemed so far apart yet Association Life Extension who have shared something signifi- cant and precious: their lives were Make a gift that will help to ensure shaped in their Weequahic years. the longevity of the Weequahic High RECENT DONATIONS: School Alumni Association beyond Since that auspicious debut, Hal, as Steve Dinetz, 1965 this generation. Ceil Fein Co-President, and Sheldon, as Treas- Dena Gittleman Greenstein, 1964 urer for many years, have provided Scholarship Fund Walter Hastreiter (in memory) the dynamic leadership for our phe- Judy Herr, 1964 nomenal success, including the fol- Establish a scholarship fund in your Steve Bogner, 1966 lowing: name, the name of your family, or in Swede Masin Family the name of a relative, classmate, Thomas Boose, 1959 Created a diverse organization favorite teacher, administrator, Warren Kessler, 1960 with more than 8,000 alumni, coach, friend, or your class. Beverly Tepper Alves, 1960 spanning nine decades. Howard Schnitzer, 1951 Special Student Project Provident Bank Raised more than one-half million Bank of America dollars and awarded $51,000 in Fund a special educational project at Newark Academy student scholarships in 2010. the school, such as tutoring, mentor- Class of 1939 ing, cultural activities, sports camps, Class of 1945 Sponsored student trips to Paris, educational trips, etc. Class of Jan. 1950 Montreal, and Washington, DC. Class of Jan. 1960 Facility/Programs Class of June 1960 Provided support for academic Class of 1963 programs, athletic teams, and the The high school is nearing eighty Class of 1964 marching band. years old. Fund a project that im- Classes of 1965 and 1966 proves and enhances the facility and Participated in the making of its programs, such as mural restora- CORRECTION: “Heart of Stone,” an award- tion; new signage; attractive fencing winning documentary about the around the school; landscaping; new Our apologies to Linda Whittle high school. trophy cases; new technology equip- Reninger (6/63) whose name was ment; team, band, and athletic uni- incorrectly placed on the “In Loving Established the Weequahic HS forms; musical instruments, etc. Memory” list. Alumni Hall of Fame. 2 Weequahic names new gymnasium after the late Principal Ron Stone By Phil Yourish, 1964, WHSAA Executive Director remember the old gym so well - tiny for today, but big enough then for our basketball I games. The wooden bleachers open on both sides hugging the playing court. The ropes and rings hanging high near the ceiling. The horses and parallel bars pushed to the side. The white backboards made of wood. The balls with leather covers. Students packed tightly into the stands - eyewitness to the action unfolding on the hardwood. The cacophony of collective voices. The vicarious pleasure of watching Weequahic basketball at its best. And the glorious memories of so many unforgettable moments in the 60’s. Three state champion- ships, an undefeated season, and the number 1 team in the country. Our heroes: Pervall, Friedman, Bembry, Talley, Layton, and Lewis to name a few with Coach Fein choreographing more than a decade of hoops success. Could going to school be any better than this! Read on... gym was in 1971. That was 40 years ago. Since then, the bas- We’ve all been waiting so long. We began to think it would ketball teams have been playing at George Washington Carver never happen. Promises were made and promises were bro- School, an elementary school on the corner of Clinton Place ken. We always seemed to be on the bottom of the new con- and Lyons Avenue. And fitting for such an occasion, the girls struction list. We wondered how a school with such a stellar launched the new arena with a victory over Bloomfield, con- basketball tradition could be overlooked so often. For too tinuing their fine play and winning ways. many years, frustration and disappointment abounded - and Weequahic’s new athletic facility, constructed in Chancellor then we saw the blueprints and the rendering … Avenue playground, facing Goldsmith Avenue in the front, So you can imagine how emotional I was at age 64 in the year connected to the high school in the back, and adjacent to Un- 2011 when I entered the new building erected in a place where termann Field, is what they call a state-of-the-art building. It we used to play knock hockey, touch football and “HORSE” has a 2000-seat basketball court large enough to host tourna- on the asphalt and where generations of kids spent their after- ments; the Indian logo at center court; two professional- school and weekend hours. Then I heard the balls bouncing in looking electronic scoreboards; a huge gymnasium that divides the new gym... into three areas for physical education classes; locker, training, and exercise rooms; offices for the Athletic Director and Phys- On Thursday, January 20th, something spectacular took place. ical Education staff; a multi-purpose room for large meetings; I didn’t know it was going to happen, so I was surprised when booths for selling tickets and food - and so much more. In the announcement came. At 4 in the afternoon the Weequahic front of the building there is a parking area and another park- girls’ basketball team would be playing Bloomfield High at ing lot across the street. the Ronald G. Stone Community Gymnasium - the high school’s new athletic complex. Soon the banners will be hung and the basketball court (seeking approval) will be named to honor the memory of The last vestiges of waiting were over. After so many years of Weequahic’s greatest basketball coach, Les Fein, and a formal anticipation, the new gym was finally open. Yes, this was a opening will take place. Can being an “alumni” be any better remarkable day. To understand the grandeur of this moment, than this! you have to know that the last home game played in the old 3 Remembering the Weequahic Dream Team From The New York Times, June 18, 1974 Weequahic High School in 1965-66 and 1966-67 had what some observers felt DENNIS “MOE” LAYTON was the finest schoolboy basketball team ever to play in New Jersey, and quite possibly in the entire country. Each of the five starters played college ball, and Phoenix two reached the National Basketball Association. "Yes, that was quite a ballclub," College reminisced Les Fein, then Weequahic coach. "Not only were the boys excellent Moe started his players, but they were gentlemen." college basket- The players were Dennis Layton, Dana Lewis, Leroy Cobb, George Watson and ball career at Bill Mainor. Layton, a 6-foot-2-inch guard, played with Phoenix and other teams Phoenix Col- in the NBA after a brilliant college career at Southern California. Lewis, a 6-101/2 lege and was center with a fine outside touch, was the Philadelphia 76ers' first round draft one of the top choice. Mainor, a 6-3 leaper, played at Fordham, and Cobb, 6-61/2, and Watson, players in the 6-8, played at Southern Cal with Layton. school’s histo- ry. He led the Cobb died of an embolism while undergoing team to a 35-1 surgery a couple years ago.