Thanks for the Memories!! Let's do it again!

This whole elementary blog idea started in 2000 when a few RHS classmates' emails spread like wildfire. This blog consists mostly of conversations regarding our 40th reunion and, of course, memories from our elementary days. As we approach our 45th reunion, please share your comments, memories and wishes on our RHS Class of '70 Facebook page. Let's start with...
Are you interested in reuniting with your elementary classmates again in 2015?




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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Hello, Judy Schoneman Beirne

Hi! My husband, Marty and I have four grown sons and two grandchildren. We live in Naperville, IL, a western suburb of Chicago. I am currently teaching second grade, maintaining our school's website and co-directing a Christian youth puppet ministry at our church. I am having a great time reconnecting with classmates that I never thought would remember "little 'ol me"! I am looking forward to seeing Ridgewood friends at the Willard and RHS reunion in October!

20 comments:

  1. I have fun recalling these memories of my days on California Street: trips to the Corner Store and Ben's 5&10. Walking the Ho-Ho-Kus Hill. Peggy reminded me of Blind Man's Bluff on the roof of the storage shed at the side of the school. Coming home for lunch every day!

    I had Mr. Slicker in 4th and 6th grades as well as Mrs. Curley in kdg, Miss Millspaugh in 1st, Mrs. Hay 2nd, Miss Talbot 3rd and Mrs. Johnson in 5th.

    Mr. Slicker was my favorite teacher. I teach second grade now. During a master's project, I had to write about a favorite teacher. I hunted up Mr. Slicker and had some great communication with him about 15 years ago. He moved his family to Rhode Island and became an education prof at the University there. Last year, I did a Google search on him again and found an Amazon link to him: http://www.amazon.com/phrase/Clyde-Slicker/ref=cap_bod_10
    I was very curious as it mentioned Susan Slicker (she was born when we were in his class). I ordered the book and read it. It is OUR Mr. Slicker, all right. It's VERY sad but I can see Mr. Slicker's gentle, nurturing personality come through.

    On a lighter note, I am proud to say that I can still sing Mrs. Curley's "Georgie" song and recall the "Tap, tap, tap, tap go our little hammers..." from our kindergarten Christmas program! AND, I still have my script from being Winnie the Pooh (getting stuck in the rabbit hole!) in our 4th grade play! or was it 6th grade?

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  2. Judy Hall Saydah asked: I thought you lived next to the Willard playground on California , but you say next to Carol Scholl. Was your mom the girl scout leader? I still make snickerdoodles and credit your mom with the recipe.

    Let me know so I can sleep. Haha

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  3. Gail Brightman Davis recalls: i thought your house had a bigger porch! i'd always associated you & your house with sunniness!!

    did carol scholl graduate with you guys?

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  4. Gail, Thanks for your kind words! Your memories are really making me smile! It must have been mid-elementary school that my family added a back "porch" (today, we'd call it a family room). It had three walls of windows and was a warm, sunny room. Our living room was rather dark due to the front porch which had screens when we moved in.

    Did your house have lots of trees in the backyard? I remember it to be very woodsy. I really liked our neighborhood. I miss the hills and trees of Ridgewood!!

    Carol moved before jr. high. Irene is working on tracking her down.

    It is so much fun to re-connect! Stay in touch:)

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  5. Gail responds: we had a neat backyard..woods & trees & fishless fish pond & a beautiful stone wall way in the back...it changed quite a bit when my grandparents built an addition on in the back..

    and yes, the trees & the neighborhood rivalled no others! how blessed we were to partake, i agree; there's no other place where the greens were so abundant and varied; was back there years ago & couldn't believe how the trees just embraced sherwood road..it was like a tunnel going thro it!

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  6. Ladies, maybe you can help me with this one... Who was the girl that lived towards the bottom of Upper Blvd or Hillcrest who's Dad worked for NBC (I think)? I think her name was Jan? She invited "the girls" over for first-run showings of the Shirley Temple movies! A real movie in someone's house! Amazing!

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  7. Peggy Figlar tries to help: Hey Judy, the original Shirley Temple movies were issued in approx. 1938. I think that's a little before our time. The only person that lived down at the bottom of Upper Blvd. was Roberta Walker. Stan Brown lived down that way too. I don't remember a "Jan" except for Jan Istok in GW?

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  8. Judy Hall adds: Roberta Walker? Angela DiFranco? Betsy Rodie? Those are the only ones I can think of who may have lived there. I was not invited

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  9. Bob Elgin chimnes in: I know it wasn’t Betsy. She lived across the street from me (and Rick) and her dad didn’t work for NBC.

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  10. Alice O'Gara Durnan adds: The only family I remember that actually worked for a film company or TV network
    was Walter Edele( my parents friend) - he lived on Belmont Rd and my family did watch movies at his home before they were shown at the movie theaters.

    And in sixth grade, I was playing barbies with Virginia Zabriskie and never attended any boy/girl parties!!! lol Was way too shy!!!

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  11. Peggy Figlar: It's great hearing that there were other kids that didn't really want to grow up. Too bad we were all in the closet about it. We could've all played together!!

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  12. We could have had a whole Barbie town!!! How many Barbies can share a townhouse before it's "bad?" And then there's Ken...

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  13. Bob Elgin adds: Sounds like Ken would have had it made:)

    But wait! Why am I the only guy on this message? Could this be a trap? Did I fall in?

    I can hear a whistle in the air as the rocks come flying towards me …

    Why was I dumb enough to answer this?

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  14. Ya know, Bobby, if Peggy and I only knew, I bet we would have let you play Barbies with us!

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  15. Irene brings us back to the question: Yeah, I don't remember a Jan either...Janet Kuhn from GW is all I remember. Wonder what ever happened to her!

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  16. I remember the Willard basement had a distinctive smell during the summer for that "summer school." Lanyards and potholders!!

    How about the Corner Store!!!!!!! Saving the soda bottles (pop bottles here in the midwest) to get 2 cents worth of candy! "Why, in those days a candy bar.......!"

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  17. Bob Elgin adds: Definitely “soda”. Don’t ever let those people out there corrupt you. They probably never heard of an “egg cream” either.



    Indeed, the Corner Store was a unique phenomenon. I recall it being there for the longest time – ie, when I’d return to Ridgewood it would still be there. I can’t believe its still there – must have been turned into a 7/11 by now. It was great because you could get there on your bike. I also remember buying cigarettes there with Danny Hird. He had forged a note, ostensibly from his mom. That would have been 4th grade – 9 years old. True sophistication.

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  18. Pam Simonsen responds to question (12 entries above!) Is it Jan Farnham?

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  19. Bob Elgin: I think Jan Farnham was somebody who came and went during our GW years. She did live on Upper Blvd. though. She was Doug Watson’s girlfriend for awhile. Remember Doug Watson? He was a good guy. Sorry to see him move away – back to Chicago. I always wondered what became of him. I’m not suggesting an all-out search though. Just curious.

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  20. If you remember Jan Farnham living on Upper Blvd. , I think it WAS her!

    If I was still playing with Barbies with Peggy in sixth grade, no doubt I'd be excited about Shirley Temple in jr. high! It may explain why some of the girls do not remember being invited... YOU were at the boy/girl parties!

    Anyway, I am content on putting closure on the Shirley Temple movie house search. Thanks Jan Farnham! I have Shirely Temple movies in my dvd library that I share with my Granddaughter thanks to you!

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