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Topic: 1965 - There were special teachers; Mr Variali, Mr Abuwali, Mr. Dranoff, Dr/Mrs Vasey, Mr Kirby etc....

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Donald Blandford
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1965 - There were special teachers; Mr Variali, Mr Abuwali, Mr. Dranoff, Dr/Mrs Vasey, Mr Kirby etc....

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I am responding to a post entered 8 years ago, in 2012 - "Anyone out there know a Mr. Young?"

If I remember correctly he was, at least after some point in time, "Dr. Young."

He was never my classroom teacher.  However, I remember Mrs. Falk, my Spanish teacher, describing him as one of the last remaining gentlemen.  She said that after a storm made it difficult for teachers to drive home, Dr. Young single handedly shoveled every woman teacher's car out of the high snow.

Many, many years after I graduated (1980), I met him at the St Patrick's Cathedral complex on 5th Avenue.  I call it a complex because we were not in the church proper.  I think we were in the basement.  I had attended a community meeting.  I must have spotted Dr. Young - it could not have been the other way around.  I said, hi.  I told him my name and he thoughtfully asked me about my older brother, Peter, who had been his student.

I asked Dr. Young what he was doing in the church and he replied, I'm the Cathedral's historian. 

I nearly fell off my chair for several reasons.  One, I didn't think teachers had a life after they stopped teaching, (other than retirement). Two, I didn't know cathedrals had historians.  Three, I didn't think teachers had interests other than what they taught.  Four, I didn't think teachers had talents outside of the classroom.  As my father used to say, "Schmuck!," (I'm of course referring to myself.)

My memory was confirmed tonight when I conducted an Internet search.  There is an October 12(/13), 2011, New York Times article about St. Patrick's, which refers to "Thomas G. Young, the author of several books about the cathedral."

In that brief conversation, Dr. Young taught me an awful lot, and he was rather present.  Imagine what I could have learned if I had had Dr. Young for a whole year as a classroom teacher.  It seems Mrs. Falk's description of him was right on the money.  



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Anonymous
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Hi,

Rob Pucciarelli class of 84. I had Mrs. Vasi thought she was a great teacher, never forgot what she wrotein my yearbook, "May lady luck be your best gal" Total class act. Mr. Abuale passed in the past few years. Anyone out there know a Mr. Young? (Thomas)



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Anonymous
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I also graduated in '79 and remember and admired Mr. Kirby.  Morning announcements always ended with "thank you for your very KIND attention".  I could here him now.  What a great voice!

Dawn Amato Web Design and Marketing Long Island

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Anonymous
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a shame heavy sigh

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Anonymous
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Mrs Vasi....wonderful teacher and person. I kept in touch with her for many years. Sadly, she passed away in 1994.

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Anonymous
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Thats good to know!

Kirby was young in 1965 as Was Abuwali.  Vasey and Dranoff  were more middle aged in 1965.

By 1979  thier salaries would finally have started to correct to thier true value.  If they made it into the 1980's they would have been earning something much closer to thier true worth.......  very gopod to know.

I look at property tax on LI and Greater NYC area  and I still wonder how anyone survives down there with the onslaught of property tax.... 

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MB 1979
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Just wanted to letyou know that in the year I graduated-1979-Mr Kirby was the greatest Drama teacher, yes he was sill ther in 79'.  The other name you mentioned-Abuwali, Vasey and Dranoff were definitely still there when I was there.  So I thought you'd like to know that they were around for that long!

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Anonymous
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Brief follow up.

Teacher salaries really sucked back then  big time.  So  If you think a modest  3 bedroom ranch house in Massapequa sold for 19,000.00  in 1955.  The same house today was selling for 400,000.00.

Well most of you know what that means interms of property and school tax. 

Well nas the teachers we speak of retired,  the escalating property tax would have stressed their retirement and I would hve to suspect that alot cleared out of the NYC/LI metropolitan area.

It is also true that most of these teachers  would certainly be in thier 70's and some in their 80's.   Lets hope that somewhere along the line  they learned just how valued and important they are/were!


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Anonymous
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Yes  I remember that....

Only got hit with the 200 once.  that was enough.....

Both he and Variali  could certainly bellow and shake the walls......

BUT  sure did structure one to things properly and completely!

Who ever knew their first names so impossible to track  them.

Some lived in the greater Massapequa area others lived in queens and nyc.

Enormous population area to cover.  Teachers were in short supply then  so if a better deal came up I would think some would have switched districts etc...

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Steve
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Steve Barreres Class of 1969
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In 65 I attended Southedge JrHS and was a student of Pappas not once but twice.  I had the "privilege", as he said, to help him with the AV equipment.  Movie projectors and televisions were my bag and I made friends with Tom DeJoy and Larry Baum who also worked on AV squad and the Stage Crew.  These activities followed me through High School and became a very enjoyable career in television at ABC Network.

My relationship with Pappas was always on thin ice.  He seemed to like very few people, but I fondly remember him as a stickler for details.  "Everybody hold up your assignment pads", he would bellow and woe for anyone who was empty handed.  "Barreres, NO ASSIGNMENT PAD.  That will cost you a duce and you will write me 200 times, I will bring my assignment pad to Mr Pappas' class every day".

As it turns out, that assignment pad followed me through my life and was a handy habit to have.  I had tried to locate Pappas a number of times over the years to no avail.  All in all, he was one of the most positive teacher relationships I had.

 


Steve



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Anonymous
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RE: 1965
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Yep some of the teachers were outstanding.  there was no doubt about that.......  one other was Borelli  what a great sense of humor he had!

I can hardly believe I still remember their names......  obviously some of them left great impressions  not to mention skills.....  lets not forget mr. Comerford either.

I did notice someone as asking about Mr. Burns......  when I was in the district  he was a 5th grade teacher at Schwarting.  He was a man of great integrity.

and that is just about all I remember...  remember teachers more than I do classmates.  The years prior to 65  were such disjointed years as the student population kept kept expanding and changing so rapidly.....  it was just so big, as a class,  one became more a number than  that of relationships.  big reason I took so fast to upstate I also always hated the heat and humidity of LI.....  LOL

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Anonymous
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Yeah was one of those things  very rarely came back to LI

been, atleast, 25 years since I have been down there........ Just enjoyed upstatre so much I never returned.....

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Anonymous
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You say you never came back to Long Island since 65?

I went to Southedge I recall Pappas I never had him. My Brother Steve Barreres was from the class of 69.

I never had Lenrner but I do recall he was a good teacher.

I am going to ask my brother Steve to post here about Pappas he used to talk about him.

Mark

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Anonymous
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Hello Mark,

The last name is familiar......

Left the area for University in August of 1965  and never returned.

Wyt up in the Finger Lakes area of NY state.  Funny how much I had actually absorbed from Mr, Pappas in 7th grade.  Who knew I would wind up right in the middle of the area he focused on in teaching the history of NYS.  Who knew I would remember it all  LOL.

Who knew That Mr. Lerner would have prepared me so well for all the University stuff I eventually got involved in.......

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Mark Barreres
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Thanks for the post.
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Hello Bill thanks for the post. I went Plainedge High School I started this forum and put this page: www.shenandoahmusic.com/plainedge.htm
so people could connect with others for free and share web links.

I had moved to The Shenandoah Valley in 1987.
When do you live now?

Mark Barreres class of 1973
www.WebPromotion.com

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bill haffey
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1965 - There were special teachers; Mr Variali, Mr Abuwali, Mr. Dranoff, Dr/Mrs Vasey, Mr Kirby etc....

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just happened to come across this board....

It was interesting to look at the years that people were talking about.

my graduation class was  1965......

For younger folks, reading this, you need to remeber that the class of 1965 was an enormous class as it was one of the largest bulges of the baby boomers.

It was also a time that the entire area around the high school was turning into houses,  running south right down Hicksville rd. all the way to the Massapequa line.  Farms became waldbaums, other farms became pickens school etc etc......

The faces in the High school changed alot and frequently and it got bigger and bigger.  Really hard to get to know anyone very well.  There were also divides that developed due to some skirmiches that erupted between the clergies of various churches/synagogues etc.

was an interesting time.

I would say, however, the curriculum was very tough and it was rigorous.  the rules in the school were just as tough and there was not alot of room for messing around.

It was also true that the press was on for everyone to go on to college or to advance as far as they could in a trade.  So alot of my memories are more about making the grade to get onto the next level  which for me was college.  Of course that was after I woke up around 9th grade and realized what was really possible  with the education that was being offered..... There were special teachers; Mr Variali, Mr Abuwali, Mr. Dranoff, Dr/Mrs Vasey, Mr Kirby etc.... A number of them I can't remember them all no less spell them......



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