Reminisces

Surfing Down Memory Lane
By George Smith

If you do not recognize these names, places and songs mentioned in this journey down memory lane, you either did not attend Livingston High School in 1958 or you slept through your senior year. The fact that you are reading this website material makes me hopeful that neither possibility applies to you. Trusting you don’t have long-term memory loss, I hope you enjoy reading this sojourn, as much as I did in writing it. May it trigger similar fond memories of your own to share with us at our 50^th Class Reunion or post on our Class of 1958 Reunion Website.

The current nostalgia for the 1950s sweeping this country is no mere accident of wishful thinking; rather it is a yearning to return to something rooted deep inside each one of us: memories of our youthful escapades….a call to return to places familiar yet faraway…. and recollections of people and events that produce a longing to recall our teenage years. Surprisingly, neither the passing of time nor the fading of memories will allow us to forget what happened to us, individually and collectively, from 1954-1958.

Oh, there have been many times when I pause to think about the magnetism of nostalgia, so powerful among us growing up in the 1950s. Yes, books have been written, songs have been sung, and movies been made to appeal to our yearning to return to the 1950’s. But my heart tells me that there is something else that triggers our memories to reflect wistfully upon our adolescent years with genuine warmth. May I suggest that the answer may lie in believing that ours was an age of innocence, and it was a time when we were allowed to be just ourselves, kids. We didn’t need "soccer Moms," car pooling, travel teams, manicured fields, and legions of "organized life" to direct our energies to fill our days and nights. We just did things…some good….some bad….some funny….and some cleverly imaginative.

And were we lucky to have grown up in the 50s! The young in the 60s, first inspired by then grieved over by a fallen President, became divided over a war while our cities burned; the young in the 70s, disillusioned by politics, protested and marched on college campuses, whereas the young in the 80s, giddily discoed and drank away their brief decade, before the X- generation finally arrived in the 90s. But we in the 1950s knew how to have fun.

Who among us didn’t frequently stop after school at one of the trifecta of sweets in Livingston: the Sugar Bowl, Seymour’s or Silverman’s? Friendship, companionship, and showmanship were as much a part of our after school pursuits, as were the ice cream sodas we drank. Some of us even had our first jobs in those meeting places. Heard in the background on juke boxes were "Who’s Sorry Now" by Connie Francis, "It’s Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty, the "Book of Love" by the Monotones, and "Blueberry Hill" by Fats Domino among many others. Associated with the rise of "rock ‘n roll" these pop culture songs were played on our 33 rpm records and 78 rpm records. Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis ushered in a style of music imitated later by such musical marvels as Elvis, Bill Haley & the Comets and Danny & the Juniors.

A suburban mall in Livingston? I never remember going to a mall in Livingston in the 50’s. Instead, we gathered at either Ralph’s Sweet Shoppe, the bowling alley, Don’s Drive-In, at the Colony Theater or even sometimes at Grunings on South Orange Avenue. Each gathering spot had its own legendary figures of Livingston fame, but none was more intimidating than the "Knockouts!" Their imposing jackets suggested the range of their power and influence, to say nothing of their beauty. Just remembering their monogrammed jackets still makes me shake!!! If we went to the movies we probably saw "Vertigo," "The Blob," or "Bridge on the River Kwai. If we stayed at home we watched on black & white TV "Bat Masterson," "Bonanza" or possibly "The Twilight Zone," and the beginning of some Hopalong Cassidy reruns!!! Ah, such innocence.

Perhaps no other TV show captured our fashions, music and interest in "other kids" as did "American Bandstand." Originating from Philadelphia, this dance show reflected our teenage values and pop culture. The ultimate showcase for the newest of dances, ‘American Bandstand" allowed us to watch others bop, stroll and do the Twist, so we were kept apprised what our nationwide peers were doing, too.

Other stores in Livingston heard our footsteps from time-to-time. Remember Pecht’s Bakery, the Hobby Shop and where the best cold cuts could be bought---Kramer’s Pork Store? Sam’s, Don’s Drive-In and The Arnold Shop were but a few other Livingston "classics." By any measure it was small town America, at least for that decade. Not only could our footsteps be heard in Livingston, but our bicycles were a mode of occasional transportation before the lucky ones who owned a car could drive to school. Recall the bike racks at LHS? Find one at a high school today, if you can. Now they have junior and senior parking lots for cars!!! I can even still remember horses ridden by Gary Bystrak on South Livingston Avenue back in the 50’s! Am I dreaming??? Shake the cobwebs!!!

Aside from these familiar places where we spent most of our hours and days, LHS was where new traditions were formulated, friendships were forged and "reputations" were earned! Gigantic figures in their own right were Bill Cooney, John Mazzone, Florence Pollock, John Edack, Mike Stroup, Till Peters and Natalie Slack, among many others, checking our hall passes. Bill Lowther, Dave MacNicoll and Charley Winters became legendary in their respective administrative careers. I am sure each one of us can recall a "story" worthy of repeating involving these highly respected individuals. They were our role models, friends too, and sometimes targets of our juvenile antics. Remember the tunnels??? Forget about the infamous cupola roundup? Recall the barracks where not armies were posted but assigned to us as adjacent classrooms? Now let me reiterate two incidents of abortive hooky.

Carl Collins and I decided to go fishing at Verona Lake rather than attend school one fine spring day. Fishing poles, tackle gear, and a can of worms were hidden behind our garages the night before. Carl hadn’t bought his infamous maroon Mercury yet, so we hitch-hiked on North Livingston Avenue towards Roseland, poles over our shoulders, truly incognito! Right! Well guess who should appear and stop his car, as we rushed for our ride? None other than Charley Winters. But like a Dutch uncle, he warned us against the evils of fishing on a school day but never reported us nor did he call our parents. I learned a valuable lesson about forgiveness and grew to appreciate his qualities as a human being. He left an indelible mark on many of us.

Another short tale…Larry Cotton appointed himself and another miscreant as "stage managers of sound equipment" for an exchange assembly program at Caldwell H.S. where Jimmy Frey’s band was performing. Of course Larry didn’t know a drum from a guitar but he knew how to jump aboard a truck driven by our janitor Mr. Erb. Mr. Winters was waiting for Larry as he was descending outside from a 2^nd story window at Caldwell H.S. How do I know that? I was holding the ropes inside the window of a band room. Sadly, Larry returned to LHS that day not in the sound truck but in Mr. Winter’s car, and Larry never said I was with him. A friend forever!

Remember Littell’s Pond behind the high school before the football field was built? It was a gathering place in the winter months for skating. I can still visualize Larry Umbreit and Paul Havas demonstrating their artistry on ice long before marveling at their greater artistry on canvas. They were amazing! Littell’s Pond was my last-minute source for collecting the butterflies, insects and dragon-flies for the year-end biology project required in Mr. Stroup’s Biology class. Remember having to collect, mount and identify each insect using Latin terms? The more creative opportunists, such as Bob Klenner and Jimmy Bredahl, were observed, according to reliable sources, driving a car on Hobart Gap Road with a butterfly net hanging out the window at dawn for five consecutive nights prior to the due date. I always thought they were geniuses and incredibly funny---and certainly original thinkers!

Being a new high school, LHS provided many opportunities for us to select and vote upon such matters as school colors, class rings, yearbook themes, a mascot and a host of other seemingly important matters at the time---and they were. Some of this began in our sophomore and junior years, in collaboration with the Class of 1957. Both being small graduating classes, we had much in common but best of all we loved their musical talent. Who could forgot the assembly program when Mr. Lowther has to rush to close the stage curtain after an "inside joke" was uttered? Called the Rhythm Ramblers, this rock ‘n roll band long remained a local favorite and even appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour.

Before closing I have chosen to relate one last incident, to which only I can attest! However, this matter is widely known in some "inner circles" thus its veracity can be confirmed. It happened in 9^th Grade Homeroom when a sullen new student, Richard Hickler, sultry-like walked silently to his seat….besides me, unfortunately. Now you may not remember him but I certainly still do! Back then I thought that he was 21 years old when he claimed his chair next to me. He even had Army or Marine tattoos on his upper arms, which bulged beyond belief. Sleeves rolled up 50’s style like Jimmy Dean and Marlon Brando, he said nary a word to me. He grunted, closed his fist and punched me in the arm. Before I could utter a cry or whimper, his fearsome, steely eyes said, "Say nothing!" He hit me again and again whenever Mr. Stroup looked away. To this day, I still remember the awesome power of his brute force. I was helpless, defenseless and destined for hospital treatment at St. Barnabas Hospital. A mere childhood memory associated with his toughness? No, looking back now, I feel it was just a part of growing up, taking your "medicine like a man." Do you think he remembers me? I hope NOT!

People not places, I truly believe, significantly mould our character and influence us far beyond what we imagine when we are young and so impressionable. My memory may not be as vivid nor as strong as it once was but I can still remember….clearly

Incidentally, who among you reading this can remember the answers to these three questions?

1. Who was the speaker at our Baccalaureate Program on June 15, 1958?

2. Who won our 1^{st Honors Award} and 2^{nd Honors Award as} Valedictorian and Salutatorian?

3. Who was the Yearbook Editor-in-Chief for the 1958 Crossroads?

Unlike many other graduating classes at LHS, the first several, us among them, were instrumental in establishing traditions that now 50 years later are as much an integral aspect of school life, as is the foundation of brickwork that constitutes Livingston High School on the campus of Memorial Park. Yet somewhere between ‘traditions" and "brickwork" are memories. Not surprisingly, it is those powerful memories that most cause us to gather together, like returning geese, at class reunions to renew and recall those special days of high school. Incidentally, my metaphor about geese does not imply any "geezers" among us.

If one can ever close a fifty-year chapter of high school memories, I, for one, choose to remember people more than places during this personal meandering down memory lane. Still having the luxury of recall, I truly believe the memories of our high school years are especially worthy, poignant and fitting to recall and even recant, as our 50^th Class Reunion approaches.

Join me in celebrating this occasion by adding a "story or two" to this website. Yet most important of all, I hope to see you September 19-20 at our 50^th Class Reunion!

George N. Smith
a.k.a.
"Corky"