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07/25/14 01:32 PM

#179

Lesley Dormen

Thank you, everyone, for the food memories...Wendy, that was above and beyond! Larry, I love black and white cookies and always thought they were a New York thing. Did you ever ask Zaro's how they got the name?

I just want to add one more item to my own list of memories. Typing is for me too probably the most useful skill I came away from Shaker with (Mr. Dodson?) When bored, my toes will still type out "I could get some hot dogs for the team." But the other skill, speaking of dancing, is the Scottish Sword Dance. No, not useful (at least not so far) but engraved just as permanently on the otherwise disintegrating synapses of my brain. I think I could get up from this chair right now, put my hands on my hips and do the damn thing. Why oh why did we learn that?

07/25/14 04:52 PM

#180

Lawrence M Fields

Ok. New subject. Florence Shapiro dance school. Many of us attended dance class in eighth or ninth grade with Miss Flossie (age 90 or more, I think) and her older sister playing the piano. We guys had to find a girl, all wearing white gloves, to walk into the dance hall as a couple, and bow or curtsy. I don't remember needing the cha cha since then, but I do remember whoever was driving us had to take us to shaker square for dessert. Since my mother, and I think my grandmother, also went to Shapiro, I was allowed to be in the B class for legacies! Lucky me. Today I am a terrible dancer. Correlation?

07/25/14 06:24 PM

#181

Lesley Dormen

Larry, some of us took dancing lessons at Carlos & Kay instead. No white glves but lots of cha cha, mambo and whatever that third dance is. I LOVED the cha cha. But not nearly as much as slow dancing and jitterbug at Plymouth Church near Shaker Square on Friday nights when we were seventh-graders. Clarks after for french fries. Bliss.

07/25/14 06:48 PM

#182

Joseph G Blake

Yes I do recall putting pennies on the rapid tracks. We lived only three houses from one of the stations. My older brother was just out of Wharton in 58 and lived at home until he moved to NYC. He would run to the station and jump aboard the car just as it was leaving. He was the only track star in a Brooks Brothers suit.
I also recall Clark's toy chest. Stouffer's frozen foods were almost an accident. The old ladies in the Moreland Courts liked to have the macaroni and cheese or spinach souffle to take home for lunch the next day- especially if the maid or cook was off.
But would someone tell me how you find growing up in shaker heights on Facebook?
Someone mentioned the Shaker tavern. That was the name of stouffer's at the square between 1928 and 1946. It had a few rooms on the second floor for guests in those days. Stouffer's took over in 1946 and made it their showcase restaurant for the next 40 years. The lobby and the main dining room remained very much the same during those years.
The lobby even had a desk much like a hotel where overnight guests signed in prior to 1946.
For many years stouffer's had what was called the circus bar. I can recall being fascinated by the murals of animals like lions and tigers as if at a circus. It was in a half moon shape. Later it was removed to accommodate the Tack Room around 1960 or so. I was fascinated with the bar's murals but only saw them from the distance if we ate in the middle dining room. Obviously a child did not go into the bar but I sure wanted to do so. The guest rooms obviously predate us but I know my parents had guests who stayed there prior to WW2. The shaker tavern/stouffer's reflected the work of ray Irvin, who was the house decorator for the Van Sweringens. Many of his interiors remain unchanged even today. For example, The Country Club is exactly as he did it in the late 20s. A product of Rorimer Brooks decorators, he set up his own company which was based at the square long after his death. His taste reflected the best of classic English design and style.
George Divoky suggests we read Crooked River Burning which profiles in a novel form the events of our childhood from the 1948 World Series to the Cuyahoga river fire in 1969. The author mark Weingardner has written brilliant profiles of events like the shepherd murder case or personalities like Louis Seltzer, Dorothy Fuldheim, George Bender, Paul brown vs Art Modell, and Carl Stokes. His fictional characters play to the east side versus west side divide. The one character is too closely based on Ray T Miller, the long time Democratic Boss in Cleveland. He lived on South Park after he was mayor of Cleveland. That characterization was too close to reality to work very well for me. Othe than that a good read and I found a used copy for a penny on amazon. See you next week.

07/25/14 10:23 PM

#183

Dana Shepard (Treister)

I just came across the email I sent TEN YEARS AGO to the classmates who coordinated our FORTIETH reunion, and decided to share it again: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

To the 2004 40th SHHS ‘64 Reunion Committee, to the "LOMOND SCHOOL Gang", and to all the rest of our classmates who were able to attend last weekend's reunion ~~~

Before the memories fade, I wanted to share my reflections on last weekend -- in a nutshell, "Thanks For The MEMORIES"! Perhaps because I have lived in Chicago since 1967 (except for 2 years in the Philippines), perhaps because I am an only child, perhaps because my mother died 4 years ago (at the age of 90), or perhaps just because I'm nostalgic by nature, and getting older every day (!), but I LOVED reconnecting with so many of MY exact-contemporaries from MY past. Some of you were my friends in high school, some at Woodbury, some at Silvers Temple, some at Camp Wise, and a significant number from Lomond School kindergarten. Most of you I hadn't seen for 40 years; even more significantly, with many I hadn't really "connected" for more like 50 years, if we were childhood playmates but not high school buddies. And it was SO special to be able to relate to you over the weekend as "grown-ups", with a closely-shared beginning, but very different life paths.

I have not spent more than 5 minutes in a high-noise-level bar for many decades (other than, perhaps, to listen to my son, Nathaniel, play guitar with other under-age buddies in Chicago during their high school days, still probably a decade ago...), but I happily stayed at Club Capers for at least 3 hours Friday evening! I really like to "sleep in" when I'm on vacation, but I never considered missing Neil Glazer's high school tour Saturday morning! I love to dance, but never bugged my husband even once to get out on the dance floor, because I really wanted to TALK to all of you! And, for the same reason, I never quite made it to the dessert table, which I understand was yummy... I was exhausted by the time we got back to the Hilton Saturday night, but sat up until my eyes wouldn't stay open, compulsively TRYING to get through that voluminous Memory Book!

Thanks to the Committee for having arranged THREE events for us -- seeing all of you only Saturday evening would have been totally overwhelming -- having been able to connect with some Friday evening and some Saturday morning helped a lot. I thought the buffets Saturday night were super, too -- both the variety and the brilliant set-up, assuring no waiting to eat. The Memory Book is most impressive -- SO interesting to read who our classmates have become, proof-positive of the value of our education, and the foundation we had to pursue so many different avenues to personal success.

Neil's tour was super -- I, for one, had not been in the school since 1964. I was amused that truly the ONLY space that gave me a "Remembrance of Things Past" moment was the Dance Studio (where I once "performed" my own choreography to "March of the King's Children" from The King and I), since I was really NOT a dancer then, but AM now. Thanks to whoever suggested going around the Small Auditorium introducing ourselves, too.

This was SO different than I remember the 10th (the only other reunion I was able to attend) -- my recollection is that the turn-out Thanksgiving-Saturday '74 was much smaller, there was only one event, and we were all still so unsure of who we were, who we were going to be ...

I also want to thank my husband, Michael Treister (US '61), who was with me Friday and Saturday nights, joining into the conversations, reconnecting with some people he knew, too (especially Evie from Temple and Lew from Dysart Road -- GREAT stories, guys), being my personal paparazzi, armed with his brand-new digital camera, and helping me process and digest the whole weekend afterwards!

I hope that some of us will be able to stay in touch, at least via e-mail. Michael and I get an e-mailed "thought for the week" from a Nevisian (St. Kitts and Nevis) friend of ours. This week's just arrived: "Most of us spend our lives as if we have another one in the bank"

Apropos, no?!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And I'm sure the 50th will be all that and more...

DANA

07/26/14 02:39 AM

#184

Stuart Goldman

Hi Folks!

In particular to Jonathan Meyer's post #174...when you get that Geraci's pizza for your wife, please consider half sausage on that thing. But only if you want to take your marriage to a level past the (indeed worthy) pepperoni experience. I hope to be there first thing on arrival Thursday...Friday is that 7:00 Winking Lizard dining event.

Indeed, Mawby's Van Aken, till George went to the efficient circular rotating grill, losing that gene se qua to the ages. Ah, Friday's at Howard Johnson's on Northfield...all you could eat fresh lake perch, and the creamy clam chowder with the melting pat of butter. Precursor drug to Lipitor.

Corned beef at Dirty Danny Budin's...his girth was testimonial to his product. Spent too much time looking around for that legendary dirt. Dessert? Across the street to Artz's Avalon Drug, with a soda jerk making you that Heron's ice cream sundae or chocolate soda.

That's all, folks!

Stu

07/26/14 03:21 AM

#185

Stuart Goldman

A VERY PECULAR LESSON PLAN

Can any of the guys help me out here?

I recall a gym class, led by Mr. Rice, in which I was introduced to the most novel and surreal LESSON PLAN I'd ever, or thereafter, experienced. Three segments to the plan:

1) "OK, put all the tumbling mats together in the center of the gym."

2) "OK, now, it's the Jews verses the Goys (capitalized, as we were now teams)."

3) "OK, now the last guy remaining on the mats WINS the event for his team, as well as himself."

There were, uh, no rules to this competition. I was likely first one off the mats...don't tell my teammates.

As the decades have passed, and life has awakened me, I appreciate how telling of the times and pathetic was this lesson plan.

To Mr. Rice's only credit, it did save some time choosing up teams the normal way...

07/26/14 08:50 AM

#186

Dan Lesnick

I love the food/restaurant reminiscences, but another standout out for me was “doo wop” from the middle 1950s into the early 1960s. – which I started listening to anew about 10 years ago.

[This reminds me of Miss (can’t remember her name). I think she taught history, was short, and had straight bangs across her forehead. I remember her talking about “real music”, the big band music of her youth – Benny Goodman, Kay Kyser etc.]

Some standouts for me: Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers), Come Go with Me (The Del Vikings), Little Darlin’ (The Diamonds), Get a Job, (The Silhouettes), For Your Precious Love (Jerry Butler), A Teenager in Love (Dion and the Belmonts), Stay (Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs), Blue Moon (The Marcels)

07/26/14 08:54 AM

#187

Dan Lesnick

Marshall and Lesley – I've always regretted that I didn't take typing. Back then I thought only secretaries needed typing, and I sure wasn't going to be a secretary! (What a snob!)

07/26/14 10:18 AM

#188

Lawrence M Fields

Stu,

I remember exactly the lesson plan, Jews vs. Goys. Perhaps not the way one would control leaving the gym to the showers in an orderly fashion in today's world. While I think it might have been about 50/50 in number count, I think I was also a very early exit! Do you remember our drives out Northfield Road, with Ronnie Simon and Jeff Feder, to play Putt Putt? You were the first to a drivers license, so you controlled the itinerary.

Sorry I won't be with you all next week. Life intervenes. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Larry

07/26/14 11:39 AM	#189
Alan M Cohen At Mercer we had Mrs van Deusen ? Sp as primciple. You remember her super super superior awards and how they multiplied over the years. At Flossie's I remember all the boys on one side and the girls on the other. When our children attended Bryon Mr Marx and Mr Mercer were still there near retirement.

07/26/14 12:04 PM

#190

Patricia Ann LaMond (Berman)

I'm replying to several of you.

Dana Shepard (# 186) -- Loved your summary of our 40th reunion. I was too shy to stay long at the Friday evening event. Without name tags, I just found myself lost. This year I promise to walk around and introduce myself to everyone.

I attended Onaway from kindergarten through 6th grade. Many of us grew up together. We spent 5, 6, 7 years together. At Woodbury and then the high school, we changed classes -- sometimes only having one class with some people over all those years. I'm looking forward to connecting with those Onaway people for sure, and I look forward to reconnecting with those persons with whom I knew only slightly.

Leslie Dorman (# 184) -- You're referring to the Canteen at Plymouth Church. I think those of us from Woodbury attended the canteens -- was it once a month or twice a month? It was really our first experience in regular couple dance situations. The "girls" checked their purses behind the candy counter for security. We must have paid a dollar or two to enter. My parents were some of the adults collecting purses and selling soft drinks.

Dan Lesnick (# 189) -- The history teacher's name was Dorothy Lungmus. I had her for two history classes. She was really into Latin American countries. I recalled she used to travel with my Spanish teacher.

Yes, typing was more important than we ever knew. It was helpful to be able to type our term papers in college. Look at us now ......typing out our memories.

See you soon. Travel safely.

07/26/14 01:56 PM

#191

Lesley Dormen

Joseph Blake: Growing Up in Shaker Heights and Fans of Hough Bakery are two Facebook group sites. Just go to Facebook and type in those eact names. There's also one called Shaker Girls! Btw, I also read Crooked River Burning, thought it was well done. See you (well, meet you!) this weekend.

Dan Lesnick: I have fond memories of Miss Buehler! She wore capes and drove a VW. Something Prime of Miss Jean Brodie-ish about her. I think she dated the French teacher. Anyway, we were obviously both in that 11th grade American Lit class. Look forward to seeing you this weekend.

07/26/14 05:57 PM

#192

Dana Shepard (Treister)

I absolutely remember those Fri evening "Canteen mixers at the church, and dancing with BOYS! I can't believe I have GRANDCHILDREN starting high school this fall! Of course they are starting high school in 9th grade, and I don't think we understood that 9th grade WAS actually part of high school!

DANA

07/26/14 07:17 PM

#193

Kenneth Rehm

Growing up in Shaker Heights was a privilege that set our whole lives in a positive direction. Listening to you guys speak of dancing lessons, and white gloves and cha cha cha, and dances at Plymouth Church on Friday nites make me yearn for those past values.

I was looking forward to seeing you all at the reunion but I came down sick and can't travel. My special hellos to Leslie Dorman, Tommy Osher, Stu Goldman, Bob Wolkin, Bob Chernett, Neil Glazer, Tommy Fuerst and all my Akiba friends, Howard Lake, Myrna Passov, Lilly Adler, Gene Schwerin, Kenny Verbic, the Greensteins, Paul Wasserman, and all the others that made my high school years such a formative experience with such great memories.

07/26/14 10:01 PM

#194

Joseph G Blake

In re Heron's ice cream, oh yes. Before there was Hagen Das there was Heron's. It was a very rich creamy ice cream that was hand packed for home use. You bought it in pints or quarts for special events or holidays. My mother would bake for weeks in prep for thanksgiving or Christmas. If we had pumpkin pie it was topped with a scoop of Heron's ice cream. And Xmas desert options always included Heron's vanilla and home made fudge sauce. Or if you had seconds it would be apple pie and Heron's. But if you were an adult you had plum pudding and hard sauce well laced with brandy.
Our house was built in 1930 and prohibition was the law. My father liked scotch. So we had a panelled fireplace wall. One of the panels hid the liquor. Many houses had secret panels, doubled bottom drawers or even rooms on the basement. Regulation is the mother of innovation. Prohibition was no exception.
In re the Wagon Wheel on Larchmere, I only ate there once but I was told many times it was the best French cuisine in Ohio. I am no gourmet so I cannot say but has onyone else heard that.
I also recall Gruber's at Van Aken Center but my father did not like it. So we rarely went there. At the Square there was Caminat's which was very nice as I recall and we went there when my father wanted an alternative to Stouffer's.
Until the mid 50s there was a bar called the Old Well on Chagrin. It may have been stlill called Kinsman then. As kinsman changed, shaker and east opted for Chagrin. When the Old Well closed my father bought 4 of their bar stools for his wet bar. They were solid oak with leather seats. But he had to have them to remind him of all the good times he and a few drinking buddies had there. I am confident that my mother and other proper Shaker wives were never seen there. But every town had a place for the men to escape. Enough said.

07/27/14 10:14 AM

#195

Alan M Cohen

I remember Caminatti's. Dad always loved it. When Grubers closed there was another restaurant that opened across the street called the Virginian. Had live music. My mother displayed some of her paintings there. The Ryans were the owners.

07/27/14 10:37 AM

#196

Ken LaVetter

I remember going to Canteen on Friday nights and slow dancing - hot stuff - with Ann Harper. I think the family moved away, though not because of Ann and me slow dancing. Actually, I think the Harpers owned or were part owners of The Gun & Tackle Shop (I think that's the right name) at Shaker Square.

Florence "Flossie" Shapiro's Dncing School. Really didn't like going, but did learn to dance. Jon Mielziner livened up one class by bringing small fire crackers.

07/27/14 10:42 AM

#197

Ken LaVetter

Maybe the store was called the Tack Shop -not to be confused with Stouffer's Tack Room.

07/27/14 11:38 AM

#198

Dana Shepard (Treister)

Anyone else remember the DECEMBER 1961 NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL TRIP?

This upcoming reunion is triggering major nolstalgia -- I just pulled out the scrapbook I kept in high school and college and wanted to share newly-triggered memories of the school-sponsored trip to NYC some of us enjoyed during our SOPHOMORE year-- Dec 26-31, 1961. We departed by train 2 days after my 15th birthday. Teachers Mr. Heinlein and Mr Morris were the leaders, with their wives coming along as chaparones for the girls. I think they offered this trip several years running, open to any SHHS students.. Cost was $91 - which incuded the train, hotel, theater tickets, tours, etc. - everyting other than food and spending money. Girls needed "high heels and stockings" for the theaters....

Alene Weisman and I were roommates , and I know we spent some time wandering the streets of NYC unattended -- yikes! We stayed at the Hotel New Yorker @ 34th + 8th -- rm #1104. Alene and I enjoyed an exotic dinner at a FRENCH restaurant -- La Petite Marmite, and also ate shrimp at Cavanagh's @ 260 W. 23rd. Also Top fo the Six's (that's how it was spelled...), Leone's (good service, poor food - per my comments), Toots Shor (that one with my aunt, uncle and cousin "fair service, excellent food"), and Sardi's East (where Alene and I had clams and baked Alaska at 10:30 at night after wandering Greenwich Village - -did I mention we were 15, and suburban kids?!)

We had tours ("Who's buried in Grant's tomb?!"), climbed all the way to the head of Statue of Liberty, UN, Empire State Building. I do recall asking a policeman where nearby Rockefeller Center was, and he shrugged and replied, "I don't know; I'm from Queens"!!

We saw "Carnival" at the Imperial Theatre with Kaye Ballard as Rosalie, Anna Maria Alberghetti as Lili, Jerry Orbach as Paul as well as several other cameo character roles; directed and choreographed by Gower Champion. We saw the holiday show at Radio City, with the Rockettes and the Music Hall Corps de Ballet. That show included a screening of "Babes in Toyland" in Technicolor!

Who knows how many times I've visited New York since that very FIRST time? But none has been more memorable for sure!

DANA

07/27/14 01:09 PM

#199

Lesley Dormen

Dana, that's hilarious. I don't even remember such a trip being offered. You were certainly a good note-taker at fifteen. My first NY trip was the following year and also included Top of the Six's (lobster Newburgh: yuk) and a Broadway show (Oliver!). But no gallivanting around Greenwich Village with a girlfriend.

Does anyone remember Miss Snow (separated at birth from Miss Havisham), the English teacher at Woodbury? "Reach for the stars!"

07/27/14 01:33 PM

#200

Alaina Weisman (Zachary)

I am behind in responding to some of the most enticing posts. Regarding Florence Shapiro School of the Dance, IF you were invited, it was a stratified selection process, we discovered. The "popular" segment of the Jewish kids who were invited, were invited to Saturday night class. The rest of us went on Friday. I have somewhere a huge photo of a costume party class that she held where I went as a Chinese person and you would still recognize many of our class mates! I think later I also went to Tony and ?Carlos class as my parents loved to dance and especially the Latin inspired dances. To this day, with Broadway and tap classes and lots of choreography under my belt, I prefer slow dancing.

Dana! OH THAT trip to NYC changed my life. I don't recall that we were roomates but I remember everything else. We stayed at The New Yorker. My aunt Eunice lent me an alligator handbag. My first Broadway shows and presumably yours too were Carnival and The Sound of Music. Clearly that trip was have momentous. I have the menus from the places we ate at. There was a French restaurant, and Cavanaugh's on West 23dd which became my neighborhood many years later. I remember buying my dad a tie in the shop downstairs with a bird on it and he died soon after we returned. New Year's eve of 1963-64 as a matter of fact. Jim Erbe was my NYear's date and I remember what I wore and what we did.

As for that surprise party! I remember it but I didn't remember the occasion. I did to Israel for a portion of the summer of 1963. I got religion in a big way for a while. Funny that with the mini reunion with Laurie and Diane (and Marti) no one recalled that surprise party. Wow. You totally win for amazing memory and memorabilia.

07/27/14 01:41 PM

#201

Dana Shepard (Treister)

In addition to the menus and programs in my scrapbook, and the comments I wrote on them at the time, I also have in the scrapbook the letter from school announcing the trip, as well as the back of an envelope with my mother's notes! If only I had applied myself as diligently to school assignments...

DANA

07/27/14 05:44 PM

#202

Dana Shepard (Treister)

Lomond School Alum~

I just TRIED to post to this page Miss Cook's Lomond School First Grade Class, but I couldn't figure out how to post the picture. Won't let me "paste" anything... So -- if you want to see it (and everyone's names) I just posted it to my proflie page.

DANA

07/27/14 09:21 PM

#203

Robert A Davis

Hi to all the Moreland kids!

Do you remember names? Top Row Jeff Chokel, Barbara Anderson, Eddie Cantor, ?????, Laurie ???, Diane McCormack, Barbara Simon

Middle row: ????, Fran Abrams, Susan Skolnick, Lanny Yelsky, Fred Elephant,

Seated row: Paul Wasserman, Merle Pilus, Cheryl Kushner,Frank Anselmo, Joan ?????, Bob Davis

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