JUNE 7, 2024

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Hi Odists in Praise of Weequahic Days,   

Deb Archambault shares obituary citing the passing of her father:

It is with great sadness that our family shares the news of the death of our beloved father, Joseph Werner, who left us on May 6, 2024, at the age of 89. Dad died suddenly after a brief illness, while surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Morristown, NJ, on December 8, 1934. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and then went on to become President and owner of T.Y. Ward Monument Co., in Hackettstown, NJ, where he worked for many years before retirement.

Always the funniest guy in the room, he had a quick wit; almost every sentence he spoke ended with a punchline. He was a foodie before being a foodie was even a thing: loved to eat and was a great cook. On a whim, he would take a drive to Coney Island for a hot dog, Philly for a cheesesteak or the Lower East Side for a bialy.

While dad lived in many places, Morris Plains, NJ, was the one true place that he called home serving in his beloved little town as a councilman and acting mayor. Prior to his passing, he moved to Virginia to be closer to family. During that time, he was able to make new friends, enjoy the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C., and, most importantly, he was thrilled to be able to hold his great grandson.

Joe was predeceased by his father Abraham, mother Fay, and sisters Ray and Elaine. He is survived by his sons Aaron (partner Rosa), Daniel (wife Sarah), and daughter Deborah (husband Mark, who Joe always considered a true son), grandsons Jake (wife Lindsey and son Crüe) and Eli (wife Kelly). Joe also left behind his best friend, Kitty Boy.

Joe was buried at King David Memorial Gardens on May 10, in Falls Church, VA, where his many close friends and family were in attendance to honor their father, poppa and friend. Aaron

W-miscellaneous:

Jerry (Krotenberg Kaye (60) writes, while in NYC for a wedding, visited the 9/11 Memorial; a very emotional and difficult experience prompting to ask did we lose any WHS alumni on 9/11? 

Elaine Einhorn Blumenfeld (6/52) notes that this month Alvin Blumenfeld (48) and I will celebrate our 72nd wedding anniversary. Graduating WHS on a Wednesday, they were married the next Saturday night. They just went to their son’s surprise 70th birthday; our daughter is 68. When did this happen? It went so fast, but good.

Jerry Miller (51)

I was thinking and talking about old friends and Ronnie Piper‘s (51) name came up. My mom was very close with his mother because, I think, the family had a knitting store in Newark and my mom was a great knitter. Anyway, years ago. Ronni used to constantly email me, but then it ended. The years have passed and have not heard from him. If any of our readers have any information on Ronnie, please contact me at cmjm1960@gmail.com. Jerry

Overcooking a bit more on summer family kitchen tasks with a side of Yiddish lesson: 

Arthur Schechner (1/49)

BTW, "Koch Aleyn” means "cook alone." Period. Arthur

Steve Newmark (6/61)

To Jac Toporek (6/63), I agree with your interpretation. “Koch aleyn” translates as “cook alone.” I never saw a place with a line of stoves. The little bungalow in Bradley Beach that we once rented for a week, was a single-family occupancy and was called a Koch Aleyn. It was attached to other bungalows as a group of Koch Aleyns. I haven’t written this much Yiddish in my life. “Gut gehzockt (stated well). Steve

Hedy Spiegel Mark (6/63)

Definitely NOT a “line cook.” Hedy

Don Stickler (6/51) shares story of a Laurel Gardens wrestler from Newark:

Reading about the wrestlers and Laurel Gardens reminded me of a close friend of mine who became a wrestler. We both went to Bergen Street School where Larry became very interested in body building. At one point, he was featured in a body building magazine as one of the best bodies on a 16-year-old. Larry used to train at the High Street YMHA with a number of friends. The few of I remember, are Harvey (I think) Posner, Hesh Schaeffer, and someone named Len. I would attend once in a while but was never as serious as they were.

Our junior high school was Madison where we were the insurgents since most came from and went to West Side High School. Once in a while, someone would affront us and I would say to Larry, who we called by his Jewish name, “Label,” give him a “zetz.(shot).” After a while, no one ever bothered us anymore and we became one of the crowd.

Larry went to South Side HS and we kept in touch until after graduation when we drifted apart. I ran into Larry in downtown Newark and he invited me to come to Laural Gardens to see him wrestle. He was then known as “Black Diamond Simon.” Larry shaved his head so his hair looked like a diamond and was the bad guy in the ring. When he was near me at ringside, and he was gouging his opponent, I yelled "give him a zetz, Label.” He started laughing. Later, Larry admonished me for doing that as he was the bad guy and could not laugh.

I again lost contact until with him. Sometime later, I saw a wrestler, who was being interviewed on TV from some arena in Long Island, say, "All good wrestlers come from Russia." The announcer said, “There are the words of Boris Milankov from Moscow, Russia. It was Larry (“Label)” Simon from Huntington Terrace in Newark.  Don

Ken Teitelbaum (67) responds to posting of comment noting his father:

Ken Teitelbaum (67)

Thanks to Steve Epstein (6/63) for his kind mention (4/26/24) of the influence of my father, Dr. Maurice J. Teitelbaum (36), on his choice to become a dentist. My father was an extraordinarily accomplished person and loving family member. He was also a dedicated member of the Newark community for many years. (He and My mother Dorothea (37) moved their home and his dental practice to Livingston, NJ in 1970. His obituary can be found at: Obituary for Maurice Teitelbaum. 

I do want to make one correction to Steve’s comment, however. He had three (not two) children, all (like our parents) proud Weequahic graduates. Ronnie graduated WHS with Steve in June 1963; Barbara (65), and me (67).  Ken

To Jack Pinnas (57), clarifications on the location of the “Annex:”

Richard Hochstead (6/63)

Although I was too young to attend the Annex, I believe that it was based in Hawthorne Avenue School, not on Clinton Avenue. Richard

Ron Orbach (1/52)

In 1948, the Annex was on Hawthorn Avenue and Clinton Place across from Cohen's Knishes. Ron

Jack Lippman (50)

The WHS Annex was on Hawthorne Avenue, as was Cohen's Knishes, not on Clinton Avenue. One lesson I recall being taught there by an English teacher in the Ninth grade, a Ms. Vogel, was that it wasn't obligatory to finish reading a book once you started reading it. Perfectly okay to put it aside, even permanently if you didn't like it. Jack

Bette Krupenin Kolodney (6/60) 

The WHS Annex was in a school building on the corner of Hawthorne Avenue and Clinton Place. I lived on Clinton Avenue, a main street running parallel to Hawthorne and connected to Hawthorne by Clinton Place. Bette

Paul Goff (58)

The year I graduated Weequahic, the Annex for me was located at Hawthorne Avenue School. Cohen’s Knishes was up the block and across the street, but also Hawthorne. Paul 

Lynn Lustig (53), and Warren Sommer (6/58) also commented that the Annex was at Hawthorne Avenue School.

Lenore Kugel Velcoff (1/54)

Jack Pinnas wrote that the Weequahic Annex was on Clinton Avenue, but I am sure he meant "Place." It was on the corner of Hawthorn Avenue. My father's bar was diagonally across the street (Kugel's Tavern). Lenore

Fred Goldman (6/62) brings another of tale of youthful indulgence from his Weequahic based roots: 

This is a story about three Weequahic kids who learned a lesson that hard work doesn't always pay off, but quick thinking does sometimes. Let's go back to the summer of 1966 when I was dating my now current wife. She spent a lot of time down the shore every summer in Seaside with her parents. One time, when I went to visit her, I noticed that her father was cleaning up this old wooden boat, a small cabin cruiser. I asked him what was going on, and he replied no more boats for him. I asked if he wanted to sell it. Of course, he said take it away with the trailer for a $100.

The boat needed tons of work. I took it away but needed help, like a partner. No problem, my main man and classmate Frank Argenziano, came up with $50, and we were partners. Lucky for us, Frank's uncle owned a gas station and garage where he let us park the boat in the back (for free) to work on it. Now all the hard work started. We could only work on it in good weather, so it took almost a year to finish. 

We did have another Weequahic grad, Sy Yoskowitz (1/63), but he was only a helper, not a partner. I guess he knew better. Finally, at the end of the next summer, the boat was ready for the big test to see how it would do in the water. Frank and I hooked up the boat on the trailer and went down the shore to a Shark River spot to put the boat into the water. The slip owner said we could start putting the boat in, and he would come by to help after he did a few things. I backed up as Frank was telling me how far to go. We get about 75% in the water. I stop the car, Frank unhooks the trailer from the car, and we start pushing it in the water. All good so far.

We're up to our belts, but the boat starts taking on water really fast and is sinking just like all our hard work. The only thing we could do was jump back in the car and get out of there. As the boat was sinking, it was causing a mess blocking up the slip’s ramp and the middle of the river. So, like I said, not all the time does hard work pays off. Pictures, below, the boat and me.  Fred