Class Memories (1962)
from The Tassel, Cap and Gown issue of The Quill, June 1962

 
Sue Canders remembers the time she was playing tennis and slipped and fell in the mud as a result of trying to keep the tennis ball from bouncing into it.

Pat Ward remembers getting her brothers and sisters kicked out of the movies. (She was 3 at the time.)

Dave Almy remembers the time he hit Mrs. Williams (a substitute) in the ear with a spit ball. The funny part was that she couldn't get it out.

Donna Lance remembers the day some of the shorthand girls took squirt guns to class and Mrs. Zellner thought it was raining (another leaky roof).

Dick Monnell remembers throwing a five pound bag of flour all over the kitchen and then telling his mother it snowed.

George Hunkovic remembers the time he came to school and wandered around for an hour before some kind soul told him that school had been called off.

Norma Holt remembers being sent to the store with Craig Thomas in kindergarten and getting lost on the way back.

Joy Cooper remembers calling a cow "Bessie" in Miss Angelopoulos' class.

Bonnie Rogers remembers a time when her dad left the car running and she stepped on the gas and took off across the main street in Scranton for a pet shop. Some man jumped in half way across. (All safe.)

Faith Hancock remembers the day Mr. Cook made Cheryl Welch and her stand in the corner for talking.

Sharon Perkins remembers the time she got in the painting mood -- and smeared red paint all over the walls, floors, etc.

Barb Previte remembers cutting off her sister's pigtail and then washing her hair in the toilet with kitchen cleanser.

Rhea Scott remembers hearing about hos some of her loving relatives got her drunk one Christmas.

Bill Morton remembers swearing at Ken Wood in kindergarten, when Ken stole some of his clay.

Howard Yasharian remembers whe he put a snake in one of his teacher's desk.

Barb Wallis and Sally Fernald remember playing hooky in kindergarten (a little early!)

Jo Ann Biedlingmaier remembers stealing her brother's football when they kicked her off the team.

Joe O'Loughlin remembers (with help) the time his mother put a "DO NOT FEED" sign on him after he had been around filching from the neighbors.

Donna Green remembers the time she used some of Penney's potty chairs on sale on the main floor -- out of necessity.

Ellen Knapp remembers the time she climbed a tree and didn't have the nerve to come back down. The firemen sure appreciated it...

Sue Hurlbut remembers the time she got sent down to the office for hitting Jim Bloodgood with a sneaker.

Jane Bennett remembers the time she forgot to wear her skirt to school.

Judy Bigart remembers the time she swallowed ant poisoning and had to have her stomach pumped. It ruined her whole family's vacation.

Dick Panko remembers getting a flat tire on Poplar Hill Road late one night. (Wonder what he was up there for?)

Paul Lee remembers the time John Boland got hit with a flying pizza in the cafeteria.

Ellen Knapp remembers being pushed into a bucket of ice water at a baseball game. 


 


Commencement Invitation contributed by Kathy Haley
 

More Memories
40-some Years Later
(Please send some of your own.)


 
Dick Martz will never forget the time in 8th grade when he, Dale Caughey and couple of others were examining Bob Krivanek's spelling book. Bob had folded the book completely in half to fit into his back pocket. Mr. Garret thought this was total wanton vandalism of school property and marched us all into Mr. Tkaczow's office. While Dale calmly described Bob's "flexible book", Dick got a terminal case of the giggles. Mr. T. was not amused and asked sternly, "Who are you, the Good Humor boy?" which just made the giggles all the worse.

Then there was the time before band practice that Dick Martz knocked over a music stand as he jumped from the stage to the pit. Quick reflexes allowed him to save the music stand by letting go of the school's horn, dropping it onto the concrete floor. 

Mike O'Loughlin remembers:
1. During the late summer football (2 a day) practices, Dick Totman, Bob Brown, Ken Anderson and I would spend the 2-3 hour break laying in Dick's swimming pool drinking quart bottles of Pepsi instead of resting the way Coach Durbin asked. I'm sure the water made us tougher and stronger.

2. Class day at State Park when the park ranger came to quiet our rowdy group and John Boland, who had climbed a tree, poured beer on the good officer.

3. Mrs. Parsons asked me not to sing in any 2nd. semester Choir concerts after my display in the 1st. semester. She actually said to the assembled Choir "we have been singing 5 part music all semester, soprano, alto, tenor, bass and Mike O'Loughlin".

4. While we are on the subject of Parsons, I remember in JV baseball when Lanny Parsons missed the "suicide squeeze" sign that Mr. Weckell had given. Instead of Lanny bunting while I was running to home plate he swung away, hit a home run, and nearly killed me. He got to run laps as soon as he crossed home plate. You don't mess with Mr. Weckell.

Vince Mee remembers:
I started my CV career at Port Crane -- Principal Miss Youmans -- notorious to us K - 3rd graders for breaking YAAAARRRDD sticks over unruly kids butts -- you all can imagine the stories told as truth by 5 - 8 YO's I'm sure Faith Hancock, Dave Almy , Etc., remember those scary stories. 

I have a short Mr. Fleming story: My mother was bound and determined that my brother Tim and I were going to be great musicians/entertainers. I mean we took everything from tonnette to trombone lessons, not to mention Tap, ballet and baton. I think it was when Tim was taking drum and I was taking trombone that Mr. Fleming sent the note to Mom: "Dottie quit wasting your money. Vince hasn't got any rhythm" (later proven by 5 kids using the Catholic church approved "RHYTHM" system of birth control).

Dick Martz also remembers Miss Youmans:
I "fondly" remember her spanking me to tears in front of the 7th Grade math class and then hugging me 'til I nearly died of embarassment.

Miss Youmansisms:

"We're all climbing fools' hill." 

"Did you kiss your mother good-bye this morning?" (with the implication that it might be the last time you saw her.)

"His hands in his pockets and his pockets in his pants!"

Any others . . .? 

Joan Larusso Gifford recalls:
The alma mater was written by our music teacher, Mrs. Huff. I actually remember going to music class early one day when she was working on it. She played the first few lines and asked me if I liked it. Not being musically inclined---I just nodded.
Joan also remembers Quick's Candy and Ice Cream Store across from the Port Dick School and Sammy's on the corner:
Remember Mrs. Quick would cut the gallon ice cream bricks in slices and the cones were rectangular --- not circular. Sammy is responsible for half of my dental bills----lots of candy. His daughter was in my sister's class and still lives in Binghamton. Sammy is at the candy store in the sky.
To which Dave Heller adds:
On Quicks, must have been a lot of bus stop action there as I remember Mrs. Quick chasing Mr. Quick out the front door with that knife!
Sammy's was cool, but I remember he was not happy when my Dad started selling bread at the Ice Cream Store across the street.
Sally Ferris remembers: My earliest CV memory is of the day when I first arrived at the school to begin the second term of 8th grade. I was surprised to see 2 familiar faces in the class. Ed Krajca had been my next door neighbor and best buddy in Syracuse when we were 4 to 7 years old. Bob Seeger was in my 4th grade class in Buffalo, though he wasn't my buddy. I had intercepted a love note that he had written to another girl, and wouldn't return it. He grabbed my skirt, and it fell to the ground. Imagine my horror on entering a new class room, and hearing someone at the rear yell, "hey, remember that time I pulled your dress off?".
My other memories of CV are much more favorable , but I do need to add that I wasn't half of a class couple by the time the awards were distributed.
Kathy Haley remembers:
Senior Sweatshirt Day - we were such rebels!
Singing Happy Birthday to the teacher who monitored the lunch room.
Midnight visits to the State hospital burial ground. We were lucky we didn't get haunted.
The Pig Stand.
Ed Krajca remembers:
Since 7th grade I would bring the best chocolate chip cookies with my school lunch. They became so popular that I began selling them in the cafeteria. The biggest customer was Joe O'Loughlin. Now I can see why his mother put a "do not feed" sign on him when he was a young boy. 
Alma Mater
We love Chen-an-go Val-ley
Its riv-er run-ning through
We love the hills a-round us
Reach-ing to the sky so blue.

When high school days are o-ver
We'll strive to paths a-new
And to the co-lors scar-let* and gray
We'll e-ver more be true.
Chenango Valley High School 1959-60 Student Handbook

(* Actually, I recall singing "red" instead of "scarlet" because it fits the rhythm of the music better. -Dick Martz)

Revelers include:
Peg Michael, Sandy Cushman, Sally Fernald, Joann Gay, Ouida Caswell, and ??
Joe Narsavage, Jim Cook, Bill Pomeroy, Bill Morton, Larry Friend, Wayne Dorsett, 
and Andy "straw-lip" Cullen

Did you go to Port Dick School? If so then check out the Port Dick Kindergarten Quiz.

Homeroom