More P. S. 217 1952 Graduates

Searching the out-of-the-way corners of this ol' house that we are leaving behind after thirty-five years, I discovered a mutilated copy of The Log, an eight-page mimeographed pamphlet produced by students of P.S. 217 in June of 1952.  The entries seem to have been written not by the students but by the teachers and  were designed to inculcate a moral. For example: "Class 8-1 has made many things in cooking, shop, sewing and arts and crafts. The girls under the supervision of Miss Willig have baked many good cookies and cakes while the boys, under the supervision of Mr. Kaminsky have made expertly constructed pieces of furniture. In grammar we have learned to diagram long sentences and are beginning to excel at it. On Graduation Day, when the girls wear their beautiful organdy dresses which they themselves made, they will be very grateful for the instructions they received from Mrs. Ennis." The bottom line: "you may have run wildly amok, you horrid little creatures, and created ruckus after ruckus, but some day you'll appreciate us, we hope hope hope."

Also In The Log,  and far more interesting and useful than the forced feeding of pre-nostalgia, is a list of the 1952 graduates of our fabled elementary school.

A month or so ago, I posted on this blague a formal picture of the assembled graduates, and, with the help of a committee of distinguished volunteer mnemosynists, was able to identify about half of the members of the class. With the discovery The Log, I am now able to to list the remaining students who graduated from P. S. 217 that last Truman June.  Here's hoping that my enthusiastic comrades will now be able to assign faces to the following seventy-seven most musical names: Carol Berse, Diane Goldberg, Norma Harris, Rosalind Symons, Sheila Slovis, Dorothy Steinfeld, Sara Steinman, Harriet Young, Robert Derwin, Harold Schienkoff, Myron Sklar, Maryann Abrahams, Sheila Carp, Ria DeCastri, Anita Friedman, Ricki Gottlieb, Marcia Katz, Sheila Katz, Sandra Kopelton, Rochelle Miller, Diane Spatz, Janet Solomon, Eleanor Troy, Appolonia Yacovelli, Carole Zietlin, Thomas Bellavita, Donald Carbone, Joseph Cassano, Robert Cohen, John McKay, Arne Neilson, Toby Anker, Renee Dickson, Sylvia Gordon, Francine Herskowitz, Marguerite McGinty, Florence Rosenthal, Yvette Rosenthal, Doris Sippel, Hope Steuer, Michael Gerber, Alan Lipis, Stuart Stillman, Stanley Weinberg, Michael Welch, Carol Coniglio, Carol Gerber, Marline Gold, Leah Goodman, Evelyn and Norma Greenberg, Laurie and Roberta Katcher, Selma Schnier, Edith Snyder, Robert Goldstein, Leslie Shernoff, Barbara Bider, Ann Cacioppa, Sheryl Jerome, Patricia McCabe, Marilyn Snow, Barbara Williams, Ruth Wintheil.

Identifications as well as news of our friends and companions are solicited.  Who are these people?  What paths in life, glorious life, did they tread?  Did they embark on careers of baking, or furniture making, or sewing long dresses?  Did they ever truly excel at diagramming long sentences? Your contributions are most welcome. 

Comments

[Don Z. Block]

Who was the tie-wearing student whose throat was seriously cut in shop? It may have been the brother of Gerald Luloff. Was his name Stephen? I'm probably wrong and would welcome a correction. Truth is a casualty of the present administration, but it lives in this blog. That large scab on that student's throat made an impression on me and convinced me to stay away from power tools and ties.

Incidentally, Gerald Luloff was a character, who had a prematurely gray spot of hair.

[Don Z. Block]

Kaminsky, the shop teacher, took great pride in keeping everything in that shop room neat and organized. It bothered him that he actually had to give a student a hacksaw if something needed to be cut or sandpaper if someone needed a shave. And he had a great speech about the danger of wearing ties. He would tell the story about a student whose tie got stuck in one of the machines and nearly had his throat ripped out. There was a student in 217 who could be seen walking around with a large scab on his throat, so the incident probably happened.

Ennis? Supposedly she was related to Phillies' outfielder Del Ennis. But they pronounced their names differently. Teacher Ennis, I believe, pronounced the opening vowel of her name as if it were a long A. (Or is that wishful thinking?) She was my homeroom teacher in grade 7, and the best thing she did was get sick often.

[Don Z. Block]

Paul Pagnato is still confused. Some people never change. I assume he wants the Class of '55 photo because he thinks he is in it. Unless he was a genius and skipped a grade, he was in the class of '56 photo. We were the last 8th grade class to graduate from 217. And that historic event coincided with the last pennant won by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956. I still recall in the fall of that year, when I was a freshman in Midwood, being told that Larson had just thrown a perfect game in game 6 of the World Series, and that historic event took place in 1956. So Mr. Pagnato will have to accept the ugly truth that he was not in the class of '52 or '55. He was a memeber of the class of '56. Like most years, it was not a good one, but he is going to have to live with it.

Also, the girl he refers to as Lucy C was Lucy Consolmagno. I don't know how to spell it either, but my version is closer to what her name was. Another member of that class whose name I cannot spell was Anthony Kazmarczyck. He was a spindly asthmatic who subscribed to body-building mags, and damned if he didn't do something about his scrawniness. I believe I saw someone whose face resembled Anthony's crossing Coney Island Avenue. This guy had muscles on muscles, but the head definitely could have been Anthony's. Can anyone confirm that Anthony K is the weightlifter I saw? What an amazing transformation.

[Don Z. Block]

If Norm Kaufman is the guy who played football for Midwood, he was one hell of a player. He had breakaway speed, and I can still see him running for a + 60-yard touchdown against Boys High. However, in the P.S. 217 schoolyard, I do not recall a Norm Kaufman playing punchball. I do recall the Nasifer (sp?) brothers playing, and they could punch it. Does the schoolyard still exist? I am talking about that large expanse of concrete that fronted Coney Island Avenue.

[Dorothy Morris]

This is a question for Herman Bressel who wrote about his life on May 18, 2008. Herman you mention your good friend Norman Kaufman and I wonder if this is the Norman Kaufman who went to Midwood and played football? I graduated 217 Class of 1954 and went on to Midwood and graduated in 1958.

Dorothy Morris
Agoura Hills, CA

[bob goldstein]

Robert(bob) Goldstein Lives in Asheville NC.

Midwood Hs,Brooklyn College, Alfred University BA,Columbia University Doctorate, US Army Capt VietNam Era. MSD (Orthdontics) FDU. Practice 30 years Bridgewater NJ. Wife Leslie, 3 sons, 8 grandsons 2 grandaughters, all in Asheville NC.

Fond Memories of Miss Diehl, she took no nonsence,gave me a chance to excell.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1352179938]

I am so excited to find this. Stuart Stillman Esq. is my bro. 4 grades my senior. I too am one of the offspring of 217. I wll send him this url so that he can communicate. Of course I have pics but don't know how to upload them to you

[Paul Pagnato]

Please, does anyone have a class of 55' photo ?
Thank you.
Paul Pagnato

[steven coven]

I came across this blog when I googled my dads name and I am sure that he is in the bottom row third from the right(George Coven).I am sorry to say he passed away in 1983 at age 44.He lived in bellmore long island.

[Vivian de St. Vrain]

Thanks, Herman, for clearing up the confusion and for contributing a brief biography. Let's hope that others follow your example. V.

[Herman Bressel]

Dear Dr. Metablog,
I stumbled across your blog on P.S. 217 class of 1952 after speaking with a kid brother (class of 1955). Great Stuff! Was very happy to see names that I had forgotten. Brings back a lot of memories. Would just like to correct the way my name is listed in the caption of the graduating class. I am in the top row to the left of my old buddy, Norman Kaufman, but I am listed as "Herman Breslow". In real life I am Herman Bressel. Didn't do too well in high school (School of Industrial Arts & Midwood). Dropped out at 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Served for a bit more than 20 years. While stationed in France, got married. Did 18 months in Vietnam. Retired as a chief petty officer. Retired again in March 2005 from a management position with a containership company. Live in Long Beach, CA where I preside over our homeowners association and play golf. Enjoy gourmet cooking in rest of spare time. Turned 70 years young on May 7 and am in pretty good health. Best regards, Herman Bressel