OCTOBER 7, 2022

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

Hi E-Pal-quahics,

W-Cyber-addressing:

Barbara O'Neal Barnes, Barbara (1/63) has changed e-address to mabarn6621@verizon.net.

Ira Megdal (Union) joins the weekly W-newsletter subscriber’s list at iramegdal@comcast.net and writes, “I did not graduate from Weequahic. However, I lived my early years on Scheerer Avenue, was Bar Mitzvah at the Schley Street Shul and I had a paper route for the Newark News in the Weequahic section. My grandfather owned Megdal’s Bakery on Bergen Street and much of my family lived and grew up in the Weequahic District. My immediate family moved and I graduated from Union High School and I went to college at Newark Rutgers with many of my friends from Weequahic.”  

Reaching out to WHS alum:

Norman Merlis (1/61) and Sandy Mayers (6/60), both living in Israel, are wondering if there were any other Weequahic grads living there. If you are a WHS grad and residing in Israel, please contact Norm at norm@merlis.biz. Norman lives in Herzliya and Sandy, a Jerusalem resident, is moving to Tel Aviv in late November. She can be reached at alysara@gmail.com.

Esther Gordon (6/52) seeks contact information for Abraham Kaplowitz or for relatives of the former WHS teacher. Responses can be sent to Esther at egordoneditor@comcast.net. 

Rich Gerber (6/63) and Gil Lustig (1/60) engage in exchange about stickball in the W-Hood:

Gil, were there 2 or 3 stickball boxes at Bernheim’s lot. I recall your box that said Gilly. The other was Dave Swimmer’s (59). Was there a third? Oh, BTW, do you still switch hit with that Mickey Mantle stance? Lol. Richie

There were three stickball boxes painted on the back brick wall of 408 Leslie Street, which was the parking lot for Bernheim Funeral Parlor. I believe I was 10 years old when I painted those boxes with leaded white paint. That is probably why they lasted for almost 60 years. I put my name over the center box and painted Dave Swimmer’s name over the box nearest Chancellor Avenue. The third box had no name.

You may remember we played stickball and long ball in that lot for many years. Kids from other neighborhoods used those boxes, as well. That is why I put our names over the boxes. Across Hobson Street was a vacant lot and a billboard. We always used the billboard as a stadium wall and if you hit the ball over it, you had a homerun.

The last time I visited New Jersey was in June 2019. Of course, I made the drive through the old neighborhood. The wall with the stickball boxes has been painted over in white paint. The boxes are gone. To keep you happy, I found a photo of the lot, below. Enjoy!

As for switch hitting, at 80 years of age I can still hit a ball from the left side of the plate, but forget switching to the right as I would probably split my upper body off the lower.

I played industrial and recreational softball until I was 56-years-old and stopped playing after my first heart attack in 1998. I retired from teaching the next year and moved to Arizona.  Gil

Total Recall; almost:

Chet Cohen (6/59)

One thing that I I do not remember in the neighborhood was a pool/billiards hall. Near the corner of Schley and Chancellor (across from Margie's) was a TV repair shop and the fellow in there used to take some of us over to Bennie's Pool Hall on Springfield Avenue. If he wasn't available, I used to take the Number 6 bus. It opened my eyes to a great game that I found fascinating and which I still would play if I could. 

I almost forgot that Lyon's Lanes had a couple of tables and the bowling alley over in Hillside had some tables. There were also pool halls on Springfield Avenue in Irvington and across from City Hall in Newark. Chet

Marc Tarabour (6/63)

Some nostalgia from the not too often mentioned Clinton Hill District of our hometown. My wife Sheila and I were in downtown Madison and stopped into a cupcake bakery. This brought back memories of when I was 7 or 8 years old. I told her that the best cupcakes I have ever had come from the Woolworths 5 and Dime on Clinton Avenue on the hill in Newark. I also reminisced about the chocolate covered Graham crackers which were to die for. And they sold parakeets and goldfish and endless aisles of dry goods. I can remember the creaky wooden floors and the stools at the lunch counter. Marc

Alan Ginter (64/65)

As an experienced bass player of 6 months at the age of 13, I knew Ron (Ronnie, as I knew him) Elberger (6/62) as one of the "older" players and a hard, rock 'n' roll tenor sax player. I had seen him playing at various "Y" dances; he had that perfect, rough, rock 'n' roll sound.

In the summer of 1960, at the Fabyan Cabana Club, I would hang around the juke box area watching the older kids dance. Too shy to ask anyone to dance. Just like the song says, "And then one day, one magic day he passed my way," Ronnie walked right up to me and said he heard I played bass. “Did I want to join a little orchestra they were getting together at the Cabana Club for a Saturday night performance to be conducted by Lynn from the Lynn and Conway Dance Team & Studio.” We would be playing the overture to "Oklahoma" while accompanying singers and a couple of other pieces. I was thrilled and so nervous but it was a huge success. In my memory, we were the N.Y. Philharmonic. 

I have since become a fairly well-known bass player among the industry and have performed and accompanied singers all over the world. But it was that first experience playing in a real show that hooked me, all thanks to Ronnie Elberger. I remember it as if it was last week. After reading of your passing, I want to say, “Thanks, Ronnie, I'll never forget you.” Alan

Rosemarie Meola Cerone Lindia (66)

Mr. Scocozza was our music teacher at Madison Jr High also. Rosemarie

Jacqueline Kaufer Klein (66)

Barry Gruber (1/54), I loved the story about the "Max Herzberg" ring! I have a little ring story also. When I was in about 2nd grade at Maple Avenue School, a girl in my class had a hologram ring with Polly Parrot on it. Loved her ring and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Asked her if she would trade rings with me. She said she would; so, I happily traded a beautiful gold ring with a cultured pearl on top which my beloved uncle had given me for my birthday.

I came home from school and proudly showed my mother my new Polly Parrot ring. She was horrified. As soon as she closed the store that night, we went to my friend's house and my mother explained what had happened. I got the gold and pearl ring back. But was so sad to give back the Polly Parrot ring. I found the Polly Parrot ring, a few years ago on eBay, but, somehow, it wasn’t the same. Jacqueline

Ronnie Reggie Weinstock

To Brenda Allen O'Neill (1/63), thank you so much for your wonderful memories of my mother Tillie and the sandwich shop. Yes, it brings back great memories of Bergen Street and the wonderful people that lived in that neighborhood. I remember picking you up at 5:30am for work. Those were great times. 

My mom lived at 1006 Bergen Street in Newark. After the unrest in Newark, we moved to Elmora Avenue in Elizabeth, New Jersey and opened up another sandwich shop which gave us the same great memories. My mom passed away many years ago. These comments really bring joy to my heart.  

Hearing all those great stories from Weequahic people is great. I also hope the people of Weequahic remember me too. Brenda, thank you so much for thinking of me and my family.

I went on to be a football official for 25 years and work for the NJFOA. I did have the pleasure of working one or two Weequahic games at Untermann Field. That brought me great pride and joy to officiate my alma mater and, of course, the Weequahic team won both those games. Ronnie

Howard Rosenof (66)

I was saddened to read the news of Ron Elberger's (62) passing. Ron was my judo instructor when I was a student at Chancellor Avenue School. I didn't know, but am not surprised, that he was also a talented musician. I once ran into him "down the shore" and we went together to one of the carnival games in Asbury Park. In short order, we were walking back to Bradley Beach with three giant stuffed bears, a sum to which I had not contributed. He was gracious enough to let me keep one. Howard

Elaine Sheitelman Furman (6/56)

I write as a follow up to the comments on Schley Street and Nelson Chester’s family who lived next door to us on Schley. In the summer time we often brought our beach chairs out into the driveway to catch a cool breeze and chat with our neighbors. Our front stoop was great for playing a ball game (I don't know if it had a name). We would throw the ball against the stoop; you got 5 points if it bounced on the second set of steps, 10 if it didn't and 100 points if the ball was thrown onto the edge of the brick step (which caused it to bounce very high. We also had a little hilly driveway which was great for winter sledding.

Across the street lived the Katz brothers. Their father Ralph was a great joker. I

sometimes baby sat for them. Next door to the Katz family lived Harvey and his brother Sidney Morganstein for whom I also baby sat. I knew most of my neighbors then which is more than I can say for now.  

I live in Jacksonville, FL now and for the last 40 years. I came here for a job. One of my children lives here, too, down the block from me. Her two married daughters live in the area. My brother and sister finally moved here also so that they could be close to us. Elaine

Roberta Blake Abramson (1/54)

I went to Madison Jr. High School with Barry Gruber (1/54) as I lived across the street. I also knew Billy Pollack (1/53) as a star athlete and vividly watched him make a great touchdown when I was a twirler at Weequahic. Glad see old friends on this blog still sharing old memories. Roberta