It's a long time since track greats like Larry Ellis ran on it…or Bob Beamon…or Ato Boldon…or Uncle Miltie Blatt. Yes, it has seen better days…great days. But now the lean times are soon to end. Construction is planned for a completely rebuilt field and rubber-surface track. The Field House and tennis courts have already been completely refurbished. Funds for the reconstruction are to be provided through the Mayor's Office and
Take the Field, Inc., a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to rebuild public high school athletic fields. Generous donors are being sought who can help make the new field a reality for Jamaica students. Interested donors are invited to identify themselves to Mr. Dickler, JHS Principal, by mail or e-mail to jamaica@jamaicahighschool.org so that a discussion of details can be arranged.
SEVEN GROUPS PLANNING REUNIONS
Class of 1951 50th Anniversary Reunion Celebration
Saturday, October 6th, 7:30 PM to 12:30 AM at Holiday Inn, Plainview, at Exit 46 of the Long Island Expressway.After a visit to your old haunt on Gothic Drive on Friday there will be a cocktail hour with hors d'ouvres and unlimited open bar followed by an elaborate buffet dinner with open bar all evening along with continuous dance music of the late 40's & early 50's.
Alumni will reconnect, enjoy unusual entertainment, receive an updated directory of classmates, win prizes for unique categories and accomplishments and take home souvenirs of the evening.
All inclusive price: ONLY $85pp. Transportation and lodging to be arranged individually. ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. To register and for information respond ASAP to Jocelyn Sharp Weiss, 6190 Windsor Farm Rd, Summerfield, NC 27358. (336) 643-7376, e-mail
JJWJWW@aol.com or Gerry Sugarman, 816 Bentwood Dr., Naples, FL 34108. (941) 597-5444 e-mail gandp4@juno.comAlso, see the detailed announcement and survey form on our
webpage.We are, of course, frantically looking for 1951 JHS graduates. Even if you can't be there, please rush any such info to Jocelyn Sharp Weiss or Gerry Sugarman ASAP at above addresses and/or phone numbers.
CLASSES OF '52-'53 50th REUNION
Thurs. Dec 12, 2002. 7PM in Ft Lauderdale .’52 alums should contact Jackie Resnick Cowit at
jaxon@surfree.com or 17058 Boca Club Blvd #6, Boca Raton Fl. 33487, 561-998-8346.’53 alums contact: Faith Williams Campbell, 8562 Duchess Ct E, Boynton Beach, FL 33436, 561-369-1466 or at
Auggal@prodigy.net.We found Lawrence Boes, Valedictorian. Mary Villegas, Class President, and Zita Silverman, great pianist. All you guys and gals, where are you?
CLASSES OF '59-'62 40ish REUNION
Contact Larry Schnitt '60 at lary@aol.com or Stan Shapiro '59 at sshapiro@aol.com
CLASS OF '71 30th REUNION
Chicago, July 13-15, 2001. Contact: Marion Mito: hwyx@aol.com
CLASS OF ’73 30th REUNION
Call Arthur Weinwurm 561-479-2281
CLASS OF '81 20th REUNION
Sat, October 27, 2001.7:00 PM in New York. Contact: Marsha Kirschner Perrotta at MARSHA163@aol.com
CLASS OF '82 20th REUNION
in 2002, place and date to be announced.Contact: Gail Gugerli,
jhs82reunion@earthlink.net or at 4010 Chastatee Drive, Duluth, GA 30097-7948 or register at the committee site: http://www.jamaicahighschool1982.com
JAMAICA T-SHIRTS AND BEAVERS
are available. Large or X-Large.The shirts are finest quality cotton(99%) and polyester(1%), generously styled and pre-shrunk. $10.00, plus $2.90 shipping and handling = $12.90. Polyester stuffed Beavers (5.75" high) are $5.00 plus $2.90 shipping and handling. Make checks payable to Jamaica High School Alumni Association.
Pictures and a printable order form are on our web site, and on the back of the enclosed letter from the Principal.
ALUMNI IN THE NEWS.
We mourn the passing of BEAT Author and Composer Paul Bowles, '28., author of The Sheltering Sky and associate of Ginzberg, Kerouac and Burroughs, of a heart attack at 89 on 11/19/99 in Tangiers.
We also remember Milton Blatt, ’28, teacher and track coach for many years at Andrew Jackson High School. Known affectionately as Uncle Miltie to his team members and colleagues, he passed away in 1997 at the age of 87.
Charles Menzer, Fac, ‘78-’96 passed away in 1996.
Did you know that Walter O’Malley, owner of the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers was JHS ’22 ? And that Josef von Sternberg, famed silent screen director and cinematographer was JHS ’14 ?
Herb Cox, '55, Charlie James, '55, Berman Patterson, '55, William "Buzzy" McClane, '55 and the late Warren Corbin, '55, Doo-wop Pioneers of the Cleftones have a new album of hits: The Best of the Cleftones on the Wea/Atlantic/Rhino label.
George Vecsey, ‘56, has edited Subway Series: A Year of New York Baseball. NYT, Dec, 2000.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin, ‘57, women’s issues writer, was Principal for a Day here just a few years ago.
Stephen Jay Gould, ‘58, science writer and Harvard Professor, has a new book: The Book of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth. W.W. Norton & Company; 2001
Lola Pashalinski, ‘58, Stage and screen actress who won an OBIE Award for Gertrude and Alice, a play she co-wrote about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, has appeared in a new play: The Wax.
Bailey Whitfield Diffie, ‘61, cryptographer and inventor of public key cryptography has written: Privacy on the Line: The Politics of Wiretapping and Encryption, MIT Press. 1999.
Bob Beamon, ’66, Olympic Champion Long Jumper has written and with his wife has published a new autobiography: The Man Who Could Fly: The Bob Beamon Story. Genesis Pr Ltd; 1999.
Sheila Jackson-Lee, '66, U.S. Congresswoman from Texas, 18th District, has been reelected to the 107th Congress for her fourth term.
Mark S. Weprin, '79, Has been reelected to his 4th term as New York State Assemblyman, 24th AD.
Links to web sites for these alumni and others are collected on the Jamaica High School Homepage, where you can also click on all the other sites listed below. If you know of other JHS Alums worthy of mention here, please let us know:
Unofficial Alumni Association Homepage Marilyn Terman, Webmaster
Jamaica High School Reunion 50's-60's From Larry Schnitt, ‘60 and Stan Shapiro, ‘59
Class Of '69 - '70 Web Site. All about their 30th Reunion Celebration, October 23, 1999:
Class Of '82 Web Site. Then and now photos and more. Dave Ratisher, ’82, Webmaster
FACULTY RETIREMENTS
June ’01: Carolyn Taylor, Librarian, after 30 years; Ann Rombone, Science, after 18 years; Mike Yeager, Math, 33 years; Naomi Stolar (Amkraut, Schindler), JHS '61, Math, 35 years; Arlene Madonick, Math, 27; Carol Seigel, Art, 22 years.
January ’01: Marvin Underweiser, Social Studies, 43 years; Maria Rodriguez, Guidance, 30 years; Barbara Kupferberg, Foreign Language, 26 years; Joann Kennedy, Guidance, 30 years
June ’00: Richard Bomer, Special Ed, 15 years; Dave Borah, Phys Ed., 30 years.
June ’99: Ken Trell, Assistant Principal, Org, 35 years; Mark Friedman.
Sept. ’98: Gus Tomkus, Science.
June ’98: Chris DiMisa; Henry Blaustein; Ken Wachtel
June ’96 Jim Berlin, Math and Science, 31 years; Linda Kornrich, Science, 10 years.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the JHS Alumni Association brings you together with the other men and women who have attended Jamaica High School since the school was first opened in 1892. An estimated 50,000 strong, you and your fellow students all worked hard to succeed at a school which has always maintained the highest academic standards possible. Some of you overcame great obstacles during your years at Jamaica, some of you went on to achievements that have been publicly recognized. You have all eventually found your own way to contribute toward making America great.
For a $10.00 one-time membership dues payment you will receive occasional informative newsletters filled with news about your fellow alumni, upcoming reunions, current school developments, faculty and staff, time capsules and opportunities to purchase Jamaica High School t-shirts and other Jamaica-branded items. You will also participate in the development and enrichment of the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund for the support of worthy JHS students.
Faculty, staff and all persons friendly to Jamaica High School are also encouraged to join our group.
A printable form can be found at our
website:and on the back of the letter from Jay Dickler, Principal, that was enclosed in the newsletter mailing. Fill it out and send it in with a $10.00 check, to:JAMAICA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
167-01 GOTHIC DRIVE
JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11432
If you are already a member, please consider making a supplementary donation. Also, please pass this message along to other JHS Alumni you may know and encourage them to get involved.
OLD YEARBOOKS
Some May be Available for Sale. Another option is your old yearbook on a CD for about $30.00. Contact D. Jensen at
jamaica@www.jamaicahighschool.org for info and tell him your year. We need 20 people per year to get a yearbook put on CD.JAMAICA TEAMS
Jamaica teams are still a threat. Soccer Girls finished last season 17-3-1, losing to Bayside in the Q’finals. Soccer Boys: 9-7. Girls Basketball, no seniors and one junior, is rebuilding: 7-14. Boys Swim Team: 3-5. Fencing Team: 0-6. Varsity Baseball hopes for a better season after last year’s 4-8. Bowling: 1-8.