JANUARY 26, 2024

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

Hi Deliverers of Weequahic Mailings,  

Roslyn "Roz" White Kelley (68) is now subscribed to the weekly “WHS Note” at  roz.kelley@yahoo.com.

Steve Newmark (6/61) and the WHSAA advise of passing of alums:

Sandy Simon (1/50), my step brother, passed away in late December 2023, at the age of 92. His obituary can be read at

Sanford Simon Obituary. Steve

The WHS Alumni Association sadly announces the passing of Gerald Beatty, Class of June 1957, in late December. A copy of his obituary can be found at 

Obituary for Gerald Beatty Gerald was a long-time member and supporter of the WHSAA and we send our condolences to his family and many friends. Thank you to the family and friends of Gerald who have generously contributed to the WHSAA Scholarship fund in his honor. Myra Lawson, Exec. Dir.

Esther Gordon (6/52) shares letter written to Judy Herr (6/64) in response to her personal inquiry of Esther after Judy’s Uncle Julius was mentioned in a commentary together with Sara Gordon (Esther’s mom) as parents with an interest adding Hebrew to the language curriculum at Weequahic High in 1948:

Thanks for the letter, Judy. I certainly understand when you write that your Uncle Julius was a lover of the Hebrew and Yiddish language and music. So, here is the story. One day in 1948, there was a program at Weequahic to which parents were invited. My mother Sara just happened to sit next to a stranger who was your Uncle Julius. Talk about fate. After the meeting, she told me of an idea he had. Since there was now a State of Israel, why shouldn’t Hebrew be taught at the high school just as Spanish or French were taught?

They spoke on the phone and set up a committee; the effort to have Hebrew taught at the school started. That’s all I know about the mechanics, except my mother used to get kids to sign up because there was a certain number needed before the Board of Education would let them have the class. Over the phone, she got additional kids from out of the district into Weequahic if they took Hebrew. Those students appreciated that.

To my fellow Weequahic alumni I supplement my commentary here by noting that Larry Lerner (52) was in that first Hebrew class. He is being honored this year by the WHS Alumni Association with induction in the Weequahic Hall of Distinction. There was a photo of the class with Mr. Chasen in the 1952 yearbook. It was a historic happening. A new language added to curriculum. Plus, at that time, only one other high school in the U.S. taught a Hebrew course

Peshine Avenue School memos:

Larry Lewin (1/55)

A word of thanks to Arthur Schechner (49) for his recollections of his years at Peshine Avenue School. I too lived on Renner Avenue (# 172) and recall most of the faculty and administrators you mentioned. I was a member of the class of 1951. Thanks also to Rich Cobin (Peshine/Linden 64) and Sharon Rous Feinsod (66) who shared their Peshine recollections.  Larry

Jack Lippman (50)

I seem to recall that Ms. Sosnow was the girls' Gym teacher and the other “Auditorium” teacher, at least back in the mid-forties, was Ms. Rostow. She is the one who played the piano. Easy to confuse the two names, both derived from the names of the places from which their immigrant parents or grandparents probably had come. Many such immigrants had settled in Newark before the restrictive 1924 immigration laws went into effect. Jack

Joyce Janoff Feder (6/60)

To the Peshine alumni who recently posted memories in the “WHS Note,” 8^th Grade teacher Agnes Kehrer was my neighbor on Huntington Terrace. She resided with her mother in a beautiful one family house. They were lovely ladies. You brought back such a nice memory. Joyce

Sheila Feldblum Kaufman (1/53)

I enjoyed reading the recent articles about Peshine Avenue School. I was a student at the school graduating there in 1949. As to Miss Nash and Miss Sosnow. I remember them being in the auditorium for Study Hall only. Never had them as teachers only “guards to shush us” as we [studied?]. Miss Kehrer was a Math teacher who I feared when she walked around with a ruler to call on you to answer as she cared out equations. I remember her being very tall. The picture of the June 1954 graduating class is so familiar. I wish I could find mine taken a few years earlier. Thanks for the memories. Sheila

In response to Audry Marcus Berton (6/63) and her mention of home carpeting as an indication that the family was rich:

Bette Krupenin Kolodney (6/60)

I have written before that I was a street urchin living in the 4-room attic apartment on Bergen Street between Lehigh and Lyons from age 2 1/2 to 12 1/2. This was a neighborhood of street-smart kids all living above the stores. We went outside to play with our friends unsupervised by parents, and we had a lot of fun. 

My best friend from K to about grade 3 was Roslyn Morris (Blumenfeld) (1/61). If you are reading this, Roslyn, please contact me. I think about you often. Since my mother worked, I was often invited to lunch by Roslyn's mother. We would walk from Maple Avenue School to Grumman Avenue where she lived in the first-floor apartment of a two-story. It was a real house with wall-to-wall carpeting.

My parents owned and operated restaurants, one at a time, and by 1955 had enough resources for us to leave Bergen Street moving to 755 Clinton Avenue. They bought all new furniture and put down wall to wall carpeting in every room. I left home when I married and my husband and I furnished our first apartment and bought wall-to wall carpeting. A few years later we moved to our first house and two years after that to the house I still occupy in Stamford, CT. And, of course, each house has wall-to-wall carpeting. I guess that is a piece of Newark, among myriad others, that has followed me through to what was recently my 81st birthday. Bette 

Jac Toporek (6/63)

After reading Cookie’s (nickname in high school) comment, I tried to think back as to whether any of my Meeker/Elizabeth Avene friends had wall-to wall carpeting. Could not recall anyone whose apartment homes had the luxury interior. Our apartment at 225 Meeker certainly didn’t. Hard-wood floors more like it. Maybe a throw rug here and there and at the door to wipe your shoes before taking them off. 

When we finally moved to Union in the mid-60s, (“moving on up,” sorta) mom made sure there was carpeting. Not sure if to let all know that we had “arrived,” or to spiff up the new digs. Perhaps, both. Yup, wall-to-wall carpeting in the connected dining/living room area. And, it was bright orange. And to top it off, there was luxury frame trimming bordering the ceiling in the area. We may still not have been rich, but the carpet was a “rich orange.”  Jac

Fond W-Recollections:   

Steve Bogner (66)

To Margie Bauman (60), the reason Weequahic did not do well in football during your high school years had more to do with coaching than talent. Interestingly, the addition of Mr. Ed McLucas IN 1962, a former Michigan State player, in changed everything. We became quite competitive --Narrowly missing the City League championship in 1965 and winning it in 1967 and '68.

Also, the win that ended a 3-season losing streak was against Linden. During your sophomore year we had the worst team in Newark history. Lost every game and were outscored by a mere 260 points on the season! Enjoy your next homecoming, at State, on the banks of the Red Cedar!   Steve

Robin Botnick 66

I am in total agreement with Jac Toporek (6/63) as to mentioning and honoring in the weekly newsletter those alumni of WHS who pass away. I do have gratitude for the WHS Alumni Newsletter. I love to read about some of the amazing accomplishment of our classmates and what they achieved during their lifetime. I indeed know that no matter how big or small they were, they all need to be remembered and honored. And that is why I am thankful for our quite unique publication. Robin