MARCH 14, 2025

TO RESPOND WITH A COMMENT OF YOUR OWN, PLEASE CLICK ON WHSALUM63@AOL.COM.

Hi Guardians of the Weequahic Realm,  

W-Chat contact amendments:

Howard Megdal (Cherry Hill E 88)—howardnegdal@gmail.com) (new)

Vivan Rosenberg (66) -- vivianr@rcn.com (new)

Greg “Tank” Tannenbaum (Union 82) -- gtankkt64@gmail.com (change)

Sad news on the passing of a non-Weequahic alum who kept the deli legend alive:

The Star Ledger and central jersey press reported last Saturday the passing of Harold Jaffe (Columbia 61?). Not the usual for the “WHS Note” to include an obit for a non-Weequahic grad, but Jaffe’s ownership of the Clairmont Diner after its ownership by the Weequahic Diner Bauman family pushed the editorial limits a bit. The fans of the Bauman restaurants became the patrons of the Jaffe empire of dining places from the Clairmont to the heralded Harold’s NY Deli in Raritan Center, Edison, NJ. Yup, the home of them large sandwiches, tall cakes and overloaded portions. He single handedly, according to some, kept the legend of the Newark Jewish style diners alive in the Garden State. The Star Ledger obituary and that great picture of Jaffe and “Harold’s” 24’’ meat sandwich appears at Obituary for Harold Jaffe. 

Paul Kiell (South Side 49) “pools” Weequahic and South Side memories:  OK

Take a look the article pictured, below. In 1953, Ron Sheppard of Weequahic broke my 1948 city record for the 100-yard backstroke which I set as a member of the South Side High School swim team. I always wanted to meet him. Through this newsletter, I located him in 2009 and we’ve become close friends.

I wrote something for our local master’s swim publication. Highlighted is my treasured January 1947 photo (below) of the not-too-famous 1946-47 Newark, NJ South Side High School swim team. It was taken at the old Newark YM-YWHA on High Street. Richard Schreiber (second row, second from end on right) transferred to Weequahic in February, 1947. Weequahic began having swim teams maybe a year or so later. However, the subject of my master’s swim article is the young man on Richard’s left, Bernie Marcus, who had been mentioned in previous newsletters and was the founder of Home Depot.

Bernie and the rest of us would swim to a zero-win season, but over the years to follow, would produce an architect, a psychiatrist, a pediatrician, a mathematician, a police chief, an accountant, a few lawyers, a pharmacist, and one or two businessmen. Bernie was the guy who, when going to the swim competitions, would sit in the very back of the bus, holding court, cracking jokes, and always regaling us with his stories and his philosophy of life. XXX

A little more about Bernie as a “Son of Newark” and a “Newark Notable,” first generation American, youngest in a large family, lived in the poorer section of Newark and worked after school and summers in a drug store. A South Side alum, but he shared Newark, the South Ward and many of our community institutions, like the High Street Y and pool, with me, my South Side classmates and so many residents of the South Ward including the Weequahic District.  Paul

Alan Ginter (64/65) continues commentary about the W-Music Pop Scene in the 60s:

We were invited to play at Maplewood High School for their Jazz Club, and also played dances at Clinton Place Jr. High. We also played regularly at Friday night dances at London Fair. I was thinking last night that London Fair Ballroom was probably on lower Hawthorne Avenue. According to Thom McCloud, the Ballroom was, indeed, on Clinton Avenue, not Hawthorne. It was upstairs from the closed down Hawthorne Theater, later a furniture store and still later a church. Or the other way around. We won first prize at a talent show at the movie theater on Chancellor Avenue in Irvington (the Mayfair?). That band was the most fun I ever had at Weequahic in all 4 and 1/2 years.  

We were our own racial integration program. Don't know if I should reveal this, but some of the Jewish girls who had black boyfriends obviously couldn't meet them. I was delegated to pick up the girls and deposit them with said boyfriends. Before I had a date with Gwen McClendon, I had to spend an hour taxiing girls to their rendezvous. The parents thought that it was me they were going out with. Got busted when the mothers met at Mah Jong games. I won't mention any names but y'all know who you are.   

I remember that Jackie "Moms" Mabley was a featured performer on one of our London Fair gigs. Most weekends, Jeff Davis and I would play Friday night at London Fair, then go to whatever bar Thom McCloud's brother was serving as "mixologist." Saturday mornings, there was WHS Marching Band practice and then football games. Saturday night, and often Sunday as well, we would play wearing tuxedoes with Alan Brown (6/63) on piano and Ritchie Mintz (6/63) at various catering halls and synagogues for Bar Mitzvahs and weddings.  

Weekday nights, Thom and I would usher at the Mosque Theater. When we weren't playing, Thom and I would frequent many of Newark's music bars (underage as we were) like the Playbill on South Orange Avenue to which we went to see the luscious Rhoda Scott. There was the Cadillac Club and the Key Club downtown to see Joe Thomas (Dionne Warwick's then husband) and so many others. Once, Jeff Davis and I went to the headquarters on Springfield Avenue of Leroi Jones (well-known poet and author, later took the name Amiri Baraka; father of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka) to see Sun-Ra upstairs. What a time! Alan

Communicating W-thoughts:   

Elaine Hersh Kusch (50; alias “Hershey Bar”

I recall Bamberger’s well. My uncle Harry Tepperman was the Assistant Manager of the store and ran the dining room there for many years. It was a big treat to go to Bam’s for lunch. Mom took me for special occasions. It didn’t become Macys for a long time. My mom would always kid me about not having a great sense of direction. She’d say, “If Sissie goes out the wrong door of Bams, she doesn’t know where she is.” Elaine

Bernie Kotkin (1/56)

Below, is a YouTube link to a video of Newark postcards. These were gleaned from the internet. I don't have the actual postcards. The audio is from Bensound (free on the internet). If you have not seen the video, yet, you might find it interesting. Guaranteed to bring up many memories of the city of our youth. Includes WHS building and Weequahic Park posts. Access to the video, LINK to video. Bernie

Jac Toporek (6/63)

Although hardly a parade as described by prior “WHS Note” commentary, does anyone else remember the motorcade parade on Broad Street featuring President Kennedy? What a thrill to actually see JFK’s face peering out from the back window and waiving to the crowd lining the streets. Cannot recall the reason he was visiting Newark, nor any political event. Jac

The WHS NOTE is emailed to you by the WEEQUAHIC HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION for the CLASS OF 1963 ASSOCIATION and editor, Jacob Toporek.



PLEASE BE CAREFUL - YOU MIGHT UNSUBSCRIBE BY MISTAKE:

The WHS Note and WHS Alumni Bulletin are sent through Constant Contact, the WHS Alumni Association mailing service. At the bottom of the page, there is an unsubscribe link.

If you unsubscribe from either or both the WHS Note or the WHS Alumni Bulletin, you will be removed from the mailing list by Constant Contact and will no longer receive any future communications.

Also, if you forward the Note or Bulletin and that person unsubscribes, you will also be unsubscribed by Constant  

The NOTE can also be found at the WHS Alumni Association website under the menu item Publications. The link is weequahicalumni.org.