JMHS 50th
Reunion KUDOS
Dear Classmates,
To all of the 850 alumni who were at any and all of our seven weekend events,
thank you for celebrating with us over the 50th Reunion weekend, October 13,
14, and 15, 2006. Only a 50th could have gotten so many people,
from all parts of the country, together once again. You talked, we listened,
and came up with the greatest Madison Weekend Reunion ever held. I
was pleased as punch to see us all smiling and reminiscing. It did my
heart good to be there with you. Thank you for being there with me.
 |
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Jane
Castorina Gordon '56 |
Merle
Rubin Hecker '56 |
Steve
Slavin '57 |
Martha
Weinstein Alpert 'Marty' '57 |
We provided, with your help, a Reunion Remembrance Journal with information on your long lost classmates and a gorgeous tote bag with the OFFICIAL MADISON INSIGNIA, and we still have some. There are also a few JMHS Alumni Directories left over which list the names of over 10,000 Madison Alumni, some of whom may be your dearest high school friends.
I wish to thank the Reunion Committee, BettyJane Zimmerman Erani ’55, Stephen Seidner ’55, Bob Parke ’56, Annette Lisker Mont ’57 (owner & hostess of the Wykoff/Bennett Mansion), Charlotte Epstein Wein ’58, Louise A. Schoenberger Robinson '57, and a special thank you to Merle Rubin Hecker ’56 (our treasurer), Martha Weinstein Alpert ’57 (Marty), and Steve Slavin ’57 for all of the long hours they put in to making this event such a huge success..
Thanks also go to Jodi Green Cohen '89 (Assistant Principal at JMHS), Loretta Baum Neuman '56 (centerpieces), Sherman Gottlieb ‘56 (event planner), Ron Carner ’57 (Walk across Brooklyn Bridge), Charles Castorina ’55 (DJ) David Hershkowitz ’57 (arranged Brooklyn College alumni tour & lunch), Anita Dropkin Gittelson (Madison Buttons), Will Levins '56, Paula Wallenstein '57, Marilyn Krance Litwak '55, Linda Levy '56, Michael Matican (graphic designer of covers and pages in the Remembrance Journal), Jillian Batchelor '96 (auditorium sound system), David Shapass (Reunion Journal coordinator).
Don't lose touch with us. Please keep us current with all your email addresses and/or phone numbers from now on. It's not over 'til it's over.
Best Regards,
Jane Castorina Gordon ‘56
Co-President JMHS Alumni Association
Dear Jane,
I just want to tell you AGAIN what a fabulous job you did in putting this wonderful reunion together. I know you said you had a great time in the process, but I know how much work went into it and I repeat, you were superb.
I hope you had a great day with your granddaughter yesterday and that the memories of this past wekend will delight you for some time.
My thanks, my very best to you and yours.
With affection,
Marilyn (krance) Litwak ‘55
Dear Jane,
Do you remember when we took violin lessons together and I painted my fingernails each a different color so I could know which string was which, by color name? You still have lovely red hair?
Claire Jaeger ‘56
Jane:
This year's reunion, our 50th, for the class of 1956, was the first one I had ever attended. To say that I am glad to have done so doesn't begin to get at the waves of nostalgia the weekend brought my way. I have always felt that my years at Madison were among my happiest of times--not necessarily as a student, which I wasn't, but rather because of the friendships I had made in those four years from 1952 to 1956.
The reunion reinforced those memories for me, as I got to see many people I hadn't laid eyes on for 50 years. I moved away from NY in the early '60s, and spent my career as a journalist in Wash., DC, which is a fast paced existence that caused me to lose touch with my friends from Madison. You, and your team who produced this wonderful weekend of memories for us truly out did yourselves. I love you for the job you did and the time and energy you all must have put into this project.
Even my wife, Cheryl, who is a Texan by birth, enjoyed the weekend and even rode the subway to our school--no small accomplishment on my part, I tell you. Outside the main events of the reunion, we were able to enjoy New York, having lunch and dinner with friends from long ago, and even had a chance to get in a little sightseeing. I certainly hope we remain in touch, and perhaps I won't wait another 50 years to attend my next Madison reunion.
All the best,
Andy Mandala
Hi Jane, What can I say except the reunion was FABULOUS and I can't express how wonderful it was to reconnect with old friends. Here are some pictures:Again, thanks for making the reunion such great fun. Love,Gloria Dienst Kemna ‘56
Jane
Thank you for thinking of me. My mother is doing OK, though still in the hospital.
Again: you did an incredible job with the reunion.
Larry Lefkowitz ‘56
Dear Jane, My thanks to you and the organizing committee for putting together a wonderful weekend. the reunion was deeply touching and i saw people I haven't seen in 50 years. In gratitude, Esther Jacobs Kahn ‘56
It was nice seeing you and everyone else.
I like to see someone like you with the same passion and nostalgia for a
childhood we can only wish for our children and grandchildren. I think we
were very fortunate.
Wish you the best.
Ron Carner ‘57
Hi All, I had a fabulous time at the REUNION in NYC a couple of weeks ago. Lots of faces I haven't seen in 50 years and some that I've seen a little of over these years. Many memories. Everyone agrees that our youth was a SPECIAL ERA. Last Friday night TINA and I had dinner with HOWIE RAKOWSKY and his wife SHEILA along with MIKE ROSEN and his wife GAIL. The ladies got along great and the guys relived the 50's including pre and post JMHS until we went our separate was. Howie and Mike hooked up 3years ago by coincidence. Now I hooked up with them. The last time I saw them was in the early 70's when Stan Yagoda had all the ASD guys to his house with their wives and/or gals. While talking one of our brothers, who I had been told passed, is in fact alive. Another did pass that I had not known about. Those that passed are Shelly Perr, Stan Yagoda, Ralph Bernstein, Chuck Weiss and Bruce Fauser. JACK FISCHER...914-669-8038 P.S. One of our sister graduates recently dubbed me a combination of Hedda Hopper and Louela Parsons. She can't be right I'm not that old.
In response to your open email letter here are some photos for the Newsletter
I think an enviable job was accomplished in putting together the reunion. Frankly, I expected to be disappointed but instead was delighted by the turnout and events planned. Glad I made the 3000 mile trip. Also, my husband had a good time!
Thank you,
Arlene Saslawsky (Howard-Noel) ‘56
Jane,
It was so good to see you again.
You and Merle did such a fantastic job. I can only imagine how hard you worked to pull the reunion off.
Please keep in touch,
Regards.
Ina Zelay Mika ‘56
Sorry it took so long to say what a spectacular job you did for us all. Truly a weekend to remember. Bless you Jane for your caring... LoveArlene Kay Jaffe ‘56 June 1956
Hi Jane:
This is to
thank you and your staff of Madison Reunion workers who did such a fabulous
job on the reunion. I hope, at least, it was as gratifying for you as it
was for us. Would love to keep in touch, even though I'm in Tampa. If you ever come down this way and need a place to stay please feel free to
stay at my place. No sleep couch. Private
room and bath, beautiful view, pool, great weather, good food. What
more can you ask.
Take care.
Arlene Lewis ‘56
I want to thank you and your committee for doing such a great job on the reunion. The whole experience was wonderful and it was so exciting to be there. You absolutely blew me away when you recognized me instantly.
I know you spent many, many hours and months planning for the weekend. I hope you are as pleased and excited with the outcome of all your hard work as I am sure all the attendees were.
Thanks again for a very wonderful weekend. I know your daughters live in Florida, so please get in touch with me when you are here. I would love to have you stay with me, as well. I have plenty of room. I live in Boynton Beach. I don't remember where you told me your daughters live. My home phone number is (561) 865-1628 and my cell is (305) 479-5986. Sure hope to hear from you soon.
Sylvia Loeb Center ‘56
Dear Jane,
Just got home. It was delightful. I wish I had bought the tote bag. I was sitting with Ed Schulman and he said. "You gotta get the bag." Too late! I couldn't' find you anymore. It was fun meeting you and there were also some other people who said they recognized me. Will wonders never cease.
Just want to let you know that you did a wonderful job in getting this thing together. It must have taken up a huge amount of your time but it seems it was worth it.
What a gorgeous day for a cruise!
Let's stay in touch. Amazing! Fifty years! As Dan says, that's half a century!
Love,
Iona Bloom Konwaler ‘56
Hi, Jane.
All week after we got back from NY, I meant to get a note off to you, but we had SO much to do that I didn't get around to it. We're back in AZ now, and again, I would have sent you a note instead of an e-mail, but my address book is somewhere in transit in one of the boxes that I shipped (which has not yet arrived). So...
It's beautiful in the desert this time of year. Low 80s yesterday. The softball season kick-off picnic took place under a bright, cloudless sky, and last night was the Halloween Dance. Our kids refer to this place as "winter camp".
If you do get out to Sedona, we'd love to see you. As I told you at the reunion, we have plenty of room and are only half an hour from Sky Harbor.
I told Stef (my piano teacher) how much we enjoyed Charlie and Betty's music. That was so much fun, and I truly appreciated the way you and they made an outsider feel welcome. That is not always the case, let me assure you, which made your family's warmth even more noticeable!
Cheryl Mandala
Hi Steve,
I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you what a great job you and your helpers did in pulling off such a great undertaking. I can't imagine the hours you must of put in. Well, for all your hard work, it certainly paid off. It was wonderful getting back to a place in time where we were all young, worry free with our whole lives ahead of us. It was probably the only place we could go where no one could lie about their ages. The food was good, the hotel was lovely and everything was completely orderly.
I'm glad I finally got to meet you.
Again, thanks for doing such a great job.
All the best,
Joan Katcher Axelrad
Dear Marty,
Thank you for a lovely party. I appreciate your hard work, and I hope you had some fun during the preparations.
Sheila (Zamkoff) Charney
Dear Marty and all the committee: I want to thank you for making such a very special weekend to celebrate our 50th reunion, I had the best time and couldn’t have asked for anything more, I loved Saturday evening and had a great time on the boat.
it was a terrific weekend and it was wonderful to see so many faces from our past. Again I must say you did an amazing job and I had the best weekend, and so did many of us, I am still recuperating. Thanks again for such a wonderful weekend, hope to do again in 5 years.
Dara Bloom Levbarg class of “57”
Thank you and thanks to Jane and Merle and all the people that organized a great weekend.
Ellen Fox Goldberg
Dear Marty --Thank you! My wife and I had a great time. It was all wonderful. We especially liked the luncheon/cruise on Sunday. Took some really good photos on the cruise, and I sent a couple of them to Jane.
Mitch
Davis (class of '57)
mdavismaincourse@aol.com
Marty, please pass along to all who helped in the reunion, We had the time of our lives at the reunion events!!!!
The Madison tote bag with zippers is just so cool, perhaps you may wish to use it as a premium gift for the alumni membership. Trillions of pictures, too many to send in.
Thank you all for a great time!!!
David Hershkowitz
Oh Marty, what a wonderful gift you gave us all. So much work and dedication, commitment and love...you're amazing! Thank you for everything you did and all the time you put in to do it. It must have
been extra special for you to see all the joy...
The other night I realized that Reunion and Reunite are almost, but not quite, the same. We had a reunion so we could reunite...and it was so wonderful. I reunited with an old friend at dinner after the boat ride and we have future plans as well. How good is this! Thank you to "The Reunion Team" for all your gracious efforts. The reunion was PERFECT...as are Madisonians...forever. You're a beautiful soul.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
Sheila Tronn
Marty you and Jane and Steve and everyone else did a great job.
Ron Carner
I wish to commend you on a job well done and your good looks.
Steve Aidlin
Hi Marty
So great seeing you after the last reunion. I thank you so much for your wonderful effort in putting together our 50th Reunion. Your committee did an outstanding job.
I got a chill entering James Madison after all this time. I am so proud to come from that school at that time. This reunion made me so more aware. I was thrilled to see that the neighborhood around JMHS is still so good.
What a treat to see Annette Lisker's Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead. I heard of it but was so oblivious at that teenage time, I had no clue the home was so close to Madison. Annette was so gracious to open her home like that.
I hope to see you again. If you are ever in the L.A area please give me a call.
Your '57 classmate,
Dotty Studley Sandford
Thanks for including me in your friends list. The feeling is mutual. I would love to get together at some time, after you recover from this ordeal. Take a break and just chill.
You did a great job-I had a ball. Thanks for your hard work. Hope to see you soon.
Sybil Morgenstern Starin
Hello Martha,
We had a great time at the reunion, thanks to all your hard work. It is appreciated. Here are a few pictures. Love
Arthur Fishman
DEAR MARTY
THANKS FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A GREAT EVENING SATURDAY. I CANT BELIEVE ALL THE PEOPLE I MET WHOM IVE COMPLETLY FORGOT ABOUT. 49 YEARS IS A LONG TIME YET IT SEEMED LIKE YESTERDAY. I WISH YOU ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE FUTURE. KEEP IN TOUCH
REGARDS BOB KONIGSBERG
Hi!
I am still on a high from the weekend. I find myself smiling at many things that happened and also all the laughs we shared. You all did a great job and you should be proud as well as pooped!!!! Hope to speak to you soon.
Love Margo Gordon Maron
Hi Steve & Marty,
I just wanted to thank you both, as well as the committee, for such a wonderful reunion. It exceeded my expectations. Seeing so many high school friends and acquaintances was great. I don’t think I stopped gabbing for a moment. To top it all off, 4 of us (Barbara Simon, Arlene Chernack, Joyce Berger and I) stayed over and had a ‘pajama party’ in our room, reminiscent of the one we had at Joyce’s house when we were Juniors in Madison. The boat ride topped of the weekend and I went home exhausted but happy.
Thanks again for such a great job. Hope we can do the same in 10 years. If you do, count me in.
Marlene Poppel Levitt
Hi Marty Darling,
You did a great job!!!!!! I had a wonderful time and it was great seeing folks I have not connected with in all these years. As always, the best is being with all of you. We will get together real soon the next trip. I should be coming back in December. Will let you know as soon as I know.
My Love,
Carole Bodenstein Schimmel
Marty: You and the other organizers
did a great job. I had a wonderful time meeting our classmates from
1957. My trip back to Madison was very exciting. Lets keep in touch
and get together with the old gang.
Ray Baltch
Marty,
Getting to know you better in my Senior years has been a bonus in my life. You are one of the nicest persons I have come across in my life and it is my good fortune to know you. Once again I want to thank you for a most wonderful weekend, and along with Louise I never could have had such a wonderful time. You only deserve the best and I hope you receive it from now on. My home in California is open to you and remember that.
Lots of love,
Sue Hirsch Kogen
Dear Marty,
I am loving having you back in my life. One of the reasons I came back to New York, like yourself, was for the friends I could connect with.
I had a grand time this weekend. I am on the coda section this morning, on my way to Brooklyn for a walk through of Brooklyn College with those Madison Alumni who also went to BC.
Love, Nancy Tribush Hillman
HI MARTY,
I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU DID FOR THE REUNION.
OVERALL IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A BIG SUCCESS .
ARTIE MILLMAN
Dearest Marty;
Your E-Mail was but a reflection of your loveliness, both inside and out.
How utterly wonderful it was to revisit old friends and for those marvelous hours spent with all of you to recapture my youth. Spending time with you, Sue, Anita and Louise was so very special to me.
Marty once again thank-you for that photograph (which by the way is already in a frame) but most of all thank-you for you.
With love;
Vinny Cucci.
Marty,
it was really wonderful seeing you again. all those memories coming back and all those special and often crazy times. just the mr. Danes window story alone was enough to make me smile for a year.
Anita called me this morning before she left and filled me in on everything. vinny and i spoke about an hour ago and he filled me in on the guys.
the trip to jmhs was fun but the wycoff/bennett house was very special. i lived all those years perhaps 100 steps from there and never saw the inside. so the ability to walk through it was great.
we went to the "highway' and stopped by adelmans deli. it was awful and we couldn't even have a frank.
thanks for everything.
Gary Flyer
Marty,
I just had to write to thank you for all that you did to make this reunion an incredible success. You were even too busy at the dinner last night for me to go over and give you a proper ‘thank you’ (you were on cell phone and seemed to be surrounded at all times).
It takes a great deal of smarts, strength, determination and love to have put all this together. Congratulations on a job GREATLY done.
Pasha Lavker (Pat Zyman)
In a message dated 11/6/2006 11:02:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
altanenbaum@comcast.net writes:
Dear Marty,
The reunion was an incredibly special time. I did not know what to expect, but I saw a number of people from our past that touched me. We were a good group of people. It is fun to see how we all turned out and fun to see that Madison is still there and in decent shape. Even more than that, Madison has transformed from a (large) neighborhood school into a star among the high schools in New York. All the people who attended the reunion were open, friendly, and good to be with. My thanks to you, to Jane, to Annette and to Steve for your incredible hospitality, hard work and good planning.
Los Gatos, CA 95032.
Alan Tanenbaum
Los Gatos, CA 95032.
Dear Classmate,
Thank you for celebrating with us over the weekend. We enjoyed seeing you all and really appreciate that some of you had to travel great distances to get here. And, of course, we also appreciate all your support and encouragement. If you e-mail us your comments about the reunion, we'd like to post them on the alumni website (www.jamesmadisonalumni.org).
We'll also be posting reunion pictures. If you've have any reunion pictures you could send us electronically, we'll include them on the website. Please add captions identifying those in the pictures and email them to Jane Castorina Gordon at JANEGMSMADISON@AOL.COM.
It was such a pleasure to see you all. Confirmation that we grew up a nice bunch a kids at the very best time.
Fondly,
Marty Weinstein Alpert
Dear Jane,
I am still on a high from our Reunion. Often, we are not aware of our effect on other people, and when asked, we generally believe we could have had a more positive effect. Then, when people remember you in a nice way, it really feels good. I went to this Reunion with great trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised.
Jane, thank you so much for your dedication and hard work. Without you, this reunion would never have happened. I thank you, not only for your time and hard work, but, also for giving me the opportunity to learn something positive about myself.
HAVE A GREAT LIFE.
Sincerely,
Peter Gibbs ‘56
Dear
Jane,
LOVELY! BEAUTIFUL! HAPPY! LIVELY! are just a few adjectives to describe a fun
and enjoyable evening at our 50th Reunion Party.
It was my very first High School reunion attended and I had a Super Time reconnecting
with classmates of long ago. It was 1956 all over again as I stepped out of
the elevator and heard my name called out by the very frist friend I met when
I moved to my Flatbush neighborhood in 1949. (before JMHS).
Jane, you did a wonderful job organizing and putting together this delightful
evening. The music was superb and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. "Thank
You" and all your helpers for making this a truly memorable evening experience.
Regards,
Sandy Wilen Diamond, January '56
Good morning,
Hope you had a joyful Thanksgiving and are feeling well.
Needless to say I was thrilled with the reunion. You did a great job and looked terrific. We should have another one before 10 years goes by.
With love,
Marv Paull
'56
Dear Jane,
I've been meaning to write to you ever since I got home from NY. I wanted to
let you know what a wonderful weekend I had at the reunion. From the Friday
night gathering and singing the Madison songs in a crowded restaurant, to the
trip back to Madison, to the dinner sat evening, to the boat ride on Sunday
everything was great. I am attaching 5 pictures for you to put on the reunion
website if you wish.
If you need a vacation come on down to Florida. There are enough Madisonians
there to keep you busy. We are heading down to Florida on the 15th of December
and will be there through May. There is always a bed for you with us. (Donnie
says at a very nominal fee).
Love Susan Schiff Fidlow '56