Monday, December 23, 2013

A Finish ...



You can access the story about the Rochdale Reunion that was in Newsday on Saturday, Dec. 21 via the following address.

If you cannot get in, give me a holler and I will show you how to do it.

http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/retirement/ex-residents-of-rochdale-village-reminisce-1.6642821

Sunday, October 6, 2013

WE DID IT!



The culmination of a lot of hard work, we finally had our Reunion on October 5. It looks like everyone had lots of fun, and I am happy that I was one of the four people who put this thing together.

For more information on the Reunion, please check Facebook. There will be plenty of photos and other memories posted there.

We will have a big spread in Newsday in the coming weeks. Please look for that.

And finally, a tip of our collective hats to our old neighborhood, Rochdale Village. Living there put a definite stamp on our lives, and we can agree to disagree about everything, but one thing we can all agree with---

 ROCHDALE LIVES!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Reunion Deadline

It seems that several people have just awakened from a slumber that seemingly began at the beginning of the year, and have discovered that we are having a Reunion on Oct. 5.

To those Rip Van Winkles: I am sorry, but the deadline has passed, passed you right by.

The deadline for getting us your payments was extended twice, and we can no longer add on any more time. September 15 was the absolute, drop-dead date for payments, and none--and I mean none--will be accepted at the door.

Things have been ordered, we have to tell the caterer this weekend the amount of people coming, and well, you had your chance.

One person on Facebook said that I was "threatening" people when I told them that the deadline had passed, but quite frankly, where have these people been the last nine of more months or so?

The committee is meeting this weekend to iron out the final details, and if you are an attendee, and want to have any input into the Reunion, please send me an email at l_lapka@yahoo.com. I would be more than happy to present whatever you have to say to the committee.

So, for those who missed out, sorry, but you missed the boat.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Final Attendee List

OK, here is the final attendee list as of today, September 21, 2013.

I hope you see yourself on this list.

Arkin    Lori
Ashkenazy    Debbie and Hymie
Banks and Spieler    Heide and Barbara
Benson    David and Mrs.
Berman    Jay
Bernstein    Eileen
Blumberg    Beth
Blumenstein    Larry
Bokser    Andrew
Brandon    Nancy
Charney    Gary
Chelmow    Marcy
Cohen    Lenore
Cutler    Arthur
Dean    Daveen
Dobshinsky    Allen and Edie
Eagle    Len
Efran    Howard
Fagen    Craig
Fagen    Brian
Feiwus LoPresti    Martha
Field    Lori
Field    Husband, Son, D-In Law
Fishelman    Joyce
Fredericks    Diane
Gezzi    Debbie
Gezzi    Laura
Godnick (Staloff)    Debbie
Goland    Lois
Gold    Billie
Goldbeck*    Dan
Goldberg    Larry
Goldfisher Levy    Michelle
Goldman    Fred
Goldstein Schain    Linda
Goldstein Winokur    Robin
Gononsky    Gerald
Gorbacz-Daniel    Hilda
Greene    Michael
Greenstein    Alan
Grossman    Gerald
Gugick    Arthur
Heckelman Behar    Sheryl
Higgs    Susan and Guest
James-Jones    Patricia
Jones-Randall    Diane
Kalish    Janet
Kalish    Kenny
Kanter-Wenger    Andrea
Kanzer and Niecestro    Caryn and Robert
Kaplan    Stew
Kirsch Shayowtiz    Fran and Barry
Klein    Hedy
Kornhaber    Joan
Kronenberg    Mindy and Guest
Kurland    Miriam and husband
Kurzer    Paulette
Labow    Alan
Lapidus    Cindy
Lapka    Carl and Phyllis
Lapka    Larry, Elena and Joshua
Levenson    Jeff
Levy    Drew
Lobel    Elliott
Markowitz Jacobs    Seena
Mashin Grosseto    Laure
Mazur    Joyce and Wayne
Mazur    Mitchell
Meginsky    Karen
Mendel    Ira
Mintzer    Barry and Debbie
Mizrahi    David
Moskowitz    Hal
Neiman    Laura
Newstat    Joyce
Orzick Spiegel    Teri
Paige    Billy
Pernick    Joe
Perrick    David
Perry    Susan
Raskin    Deborah
Raskin    Joe
Reich    David
Reisch    Bruce
Rennert    Steve
Roemer    Ira and Bonita
Rose    Helene
Rosen Montesano    Noreen
Rosen Rosenblum    Arlene
Rosing    Larry and Stefanie
Rosoff    Jerry
Scherer    Robert
Scherlag    Gary
Schlussel    Stephen
Schlussel-Oppenheimer    Barbara
Schneider Wahrsager    Miriam
Schulman    Larry
Schuman Kline    Roberta
Schuman Labovsky    Maxine
Schwartz    Arthur
Schwartz    Mara
Schwartz    Norm
Seleznow    Steve and Louise
Sherman    Marc
Siegel Sanders    Ellen
Silberger    Monte and Linda (Freitag)
Slatnick    Linda
Smiley    Margo
Solow    Michael
Sprung-Werbel    Debbie
Srulawitz    Pamela, Helen and Linda
Starr    Anita
Starr Scarfone    Janet
Steinfeld    Trudy
Stolls    Michele
Trink Roffe    Shelley and Saul
Unknown   
Weinrib    Karen and Debra
Weinrib    Mark
Welovnick    Stephen
Williams    Pamela
Yatkowitz    David
Youngworth    David

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Coverage

Yes, what you may have heard, or what perhaps you will read here for the first time, is correct.

Newsday, the Long Island newspaper, is covering our little get together.

They will send out a reporter to the Lynbrook location on Oct. 5, and there will be a story on the event that will run in their Saturday Part 2--generally geared to Baby Boomers--on a future Saturday.

They will be the only news organization there.

Here is a post from the Rochdale Reconnection Facebook site introducing the reporter to the Reunion attendees.

Cara Trager is writing a story about Rochdale Village and Long Island residents who once lived in RV. If you live or have lived on Long Island and are interested in being interviewed for the article or want to find out more about the story first, please send Cara your name, phone number(s) and the best times to reach you. 

Her email address is: carastrager@gmail.com

I was interviewed by her yesterday, and we had a very nice conversation.

If you are interested, contact her immediately. Thanks.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Reunion Countdown



Today is the 17th of September, and as the days wind down in the summer of 2013, so does the amount of time we have before the Reunion.

We have 18 days to go before the biggest bash of the year is held in Lynbrook, Long Island.

If you are one of the approximately 150 who are going to this event, all I can say is "Thanks."

You knew that this would be something memorable, and you put your money where your mouth was and decided that this was a good investment.

For those who have not paid, you might have missed the boat here.

Yes, I know, $65 is a lot of money during these hard times, and many of us are not employed right now.

For others, you have conflicting schedules, or you live too far away to make the commute.

I understand, believe me I do, and I thank you for at least having interest in this event.

For those who are still sitting on the fence, time is a'wasting.

You must get your checks to the above address this week.

The P.O. Box is being closed on Saturday, so if you send your checks late in the week, they will come right back to you like a boomerang.

So if you have finally made the decision to attend, SEND YOUR CHECKS OUT TODAY.

Please send them to the above address ONLY.

I will check the Box each day this week, but we need a full head count ASAP.

I hate to be so somber and direct here, but we have been publicizing the Reunion for the entire year, and why it has taken some people so long to make a decision is beyond my, or the Committee's, comprehension.

If there is a problem, please let me know pronto. My email address is l_lapka@yahoo.com.

Thanks, and I hope to see you there on Oct. 5.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Lateness



Remember when you were a kid in Rochdale, and you were late for school?

You had to bring in a note from your parents, stating why you were tardy.

Yes, you had a doctor's appointment.

Yes, you overslept.

Yes, you weren't feeling well.

As long as mom signed that note, everything was OK.

Fast forward to the present time, and the deadline for sending payment for the Reunion was September 15.

That deadline has passed, yet people are actually deciding now to come to the Reunion.

The committee needs an accurate tally this week. We cannot accept checks past this week, and actually,  checks really should have been in already.

We need to tell the caterer how many people we are having at this event, and we can't have people sending in checks next week for this thing.

Here is the deal: if you have finally decided to go to the Reunion, and you have not yet sent in a check, I would do it RIGHT NOW, ON MONDAY.

I will be checking the box this week, but there will come a point where we will not be able to accept any late checks, as THE P.O. BOX IS BEING CLOSED THIS WEEK.

So please, SEND IN YOUR CHECKS TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16.

No, Mom can't help you this time ...

Friday, September 13, 2013

Friday the 13th



I don't know if you are superstitious, but today is Friday, September 13.

Yes, Friday the 13th.

This is supposed to be a day where if you are superstitious, you really watch yourself.

As a kid, you did not step on any lines on the pavement.

You did not walk under any ladders.

You kept your fingers crossed as much as you could.

Maybe you carried a rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover on you on that day.

I don't have any real Rochdale anecdotes about Friday the 13th, because I am not a superstitious person at all.

But what I do know is that Friday the 13th marks just two days until you can get your checks to us to come to the Reunion.

Please get those checks to us as quickly as possible. The Committee meets again next week, and we really have to have our final headcount in place so we can alert the caterer as to how many people we are going to have.

No, you won't have bad luck the rest of your life if you aren't there, but you will miss out on the bash of the season, that is for sure, and probably the last large reunion of the Rochdale "kids" and others that will be held.

So please, send out your payments now!

Believe me, that will be the luckiest thing you do right now, because this is an event you do not want to miss!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Clothing

I am not much of a clothes horse, but there was a style of dress that we saw in Rochdale when we were kids.

The 1960s itself was a transitional period in dress. Just look at old TV shows and movies, and you will see us move from more formal attire to much more casual clothing as the decade played itself out.

So the years 1963-1975 were the real transitional wardrobe years in Rochdale, reflecting the times we lived in.

Kids dressed in dungarees and polo shirts early on, but later, that morphed into more free-flowing attire, certainly led by the emergence of such items as bell bottoms.



Bell bottoms certainly mirrored the time, and for many of us kids, they were so much preferred than the usual tighter pants, because you could get them on and off so easily, especially if you had your shoes on.

And the bigger the better. I think the big ones were known as "stove pipes," but I can't clearly remember.

And directly for the girls ...



Remember hot pants?

I guess they were kind of risque for the time, but to me, they were basically short shorts, shorter than the normal short.

But the girls loved them, and I guess us guys enjoyed them too, if you know what I mean.

Again, I don't know anything about clothes, but the styles were a'changing in Rochdale at that time, as they were in society, and Rochdale mirrored what was happening outside the gates, so to speak.

As for the Reunion, wear what you feel comfortable wearing, but take note of one very important thing:  many of the people you will be reconnecting with are probably people you haven't seen in decades. How do you want to appear to them after all that time?

No one will be turned away if they are wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but honestly, I would go with business casual, sort of dress-down attire that you would wear at work, so no suits, no ties, no gowns, nothing like that ... unless you are comfortable wearing those items.

Quite frankly, it is up to you to wear what you want at the Reunion, but wear something.

No nudes will be allowed in!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Skelly, Skully, Whatever You Call It



Probably the top game to play in the playgrounds in Rochdale during its early days was skelly ...

Or was it skully?

I never found out the true name of the game, but I knew how to play it, and I played it so much that my middle finger cuticle on my right hand remains misshapen from it to this day.

You take a good bottlecap, fill it with crayons, leave it on the heater in your room, have the crayons melt, let it cool, take it outside, rub it so the bottom is flat, and you are ready to go!

The idea of the game is to move around the board to various numbered boxes until you get to the end.

In the meantime, you can knock your opponent's pieces out or move them to various spots on the board with a flick of your finger.

During the early days of Rochdale, this game, seemingly a variation of marbles, was all the rage.

I believe I read that it was actually created in the streets of Philadelphia, but the game kind of moved over here too, in different variations than the original.

My pockets were full of skully caps, and so many of the crayons my mother bought for us were melted down and used with these caps.

As we got older, the game started to wane in popularity, but back in 1964 to about 1969, just about every park in Rochdale had a skully board drawn into it using chalk.

The one in the building 9/12 playground was right at the entrance to the park from the back of building 9. You just walked into the park from that exit, turned left, and that is where it was.

Kids today would probably scoff at this game, but heck, it was better, and more socially involving, than playing video games all day.

Skully, skelly, whatever you want to call it, was just one of the now old-school park games we used to play in Rochdale, along with hopscotch, SPUD, and punchball.

We all have memories of those games, and I will bet those memories will come up pretty regularly among the conversations at the Reunion.

Time is moving fast, and you have just four days to get your payment in, so do it today!

And bring some skully caps; maybe an impromptu board can be drawn up, and we can get into that flick of the finger once again, for old times' sake.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Horseshoes, Nails and the Like ...



Rochdale Village was constructed on the site of the old Jamaica Race Track, and various buildings had to be razed for the residential project to be built.

But as I remember it, in the early days of development, one could always find remnants of the old race track here and there.

I distinctly remember finding old horseshoes and lots of nails out and about during those days.

One day, my friend Ira and I decided that we were going to build a tree house, and we took what tools we had, some wood, and marched over to the deep end of Rochdale, somewhere near where I.S. 72 eventually was built.

In our seven year old minds, we figured that a tree house was a necessity in the wilds of Rochdale, I guess, and where better to put it than quite a ways away from where we lived in Building 9?

Anyway, we marched over there and started to put up this thing.

One thing led to another, and whatever we constructed fell down, and for me personally, that was the end of my building career, as I learned at an early age that I was not very handy.

But I do remember one other thing about this experience.

We were both wearing sneakers, and Ira stepped on a nail that had to be a couple of inches long that was buried in the ground. It was rusted, and I think that is when our little project stopped.

It punctured his sneaker, went into his heel, I believe, and he had to go right to the doctor to see if he was OK or if a tetanus shot was needed.

Funny how I remember this, but I do, and I don't think I ever ventured over to that part of the development again until I.S. 72 was built.

Flash forward to today, and we are in something of a horse race.

There are only five days left to send in your check for the Reunion.

Don't make this into a photo finish--make it into a Win, or at least a Place and Show.

You don't want to finish out of the money, so to speak, so send in your payment now!

I will bet that it is a decision you will not regret!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Music



During our time in Rochdale in the mid 1960s through at least the mid 1970s, music permeated our neighborhood.

You could hear everything from pop, rock, soul, jazz and classical music from one corner of the development to the other, and like today's kids with their iPods, we had our own music devices.

Who can forget our home Hi-Fi systems, which pretty much consisted of a turntable and speakers? Sure, pretty primitive by today's standards, but back then, this type of system came in all shapes and sizes, and was even portable.

My family had one, and we moved everything from the foyer, where the system was normally kept, to our rooms when we listened to our records, 45s and LPs on a spindle that would play one on top of the other.

And for even more portable music, we all had transistor radios of all shapes and sizes.

That plays into one of my favorite memories of Rochdale, one that I will never forget.

Otis Redding was on the verge of becoming a huge star, crossing over from black radio to AM Top 40 with numerous songs like "Try a Little Tenderness.

He was about ready to become huge when he died in a plane crash in December 1967.

His record label rushed out "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay" to honor his death, and I remember that it shot up to the top of the charts, eventually reaching No. 1.

And in mid-December, I did my usual bicycle riding from one mall to the other to buy comic books.

Incredibly, from one corner of Rochdale to the other, kids had their transistor radios out, and seemingly all you heard, from one end of the community to the other, was "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay."

It was an incredible memory, one that showed the true power of the music we listened to.

Whether it was from A--the Animals--to Z--the Zombies--music was everywhere in the old neighborhood, and the music that made our lives during those years will be heard at the Reunion.

If you have any suggestions, please note them. They will all be presented to the committee, who will, in turn, probably make up a master list of tunes to the DJ.

Hopefully, you will hear your favorites.

I have mine, and I hope that the DJ plays them too.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Become An Official Attendee Now!



Remember those kid-oriented clubs we used to belong to, the ones that asked us for a nominal amount and we would be a member forever?

A lot of those "clubs' were linked to comic books and TV shows that we watched.

Fast forward to 2013, and you are also being asked to join an exclusive club, one that you already belong to.

Yes, you are being asked to join the list of official attendees to the Rochdale Village Reconnection Reunion, being held on Oct 5.

And although the "dues" aren't as cheap as those clubs on long ago charged, the benefits are just as enormous.

You can meet up with people you haven't seen in ages.

You can have a nice meal.

You can have somewhere to go on a Saturday night.

You can't beat that, can you?

All kidding aside, time is running out for you to get your checks in.

The deadline is September 15, just a few days away.

You already belong to the club; now is the time to get those "dues" in!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The Fountains

Do you remember the two fountains that ran in Rochdale from 1964 to about 1969 or 1970?

They spouted plumes of water, cascaded by lights, and they stood as probably the centerpieces of the development during the time that they worked.

If I remember correctly, one was between sections two and three, and the other one was by the Community Center.

(I do not have a photo of the old fountains, and I do not even have anything that approximates those fountains. Does anyone have a photo that they would like to share? I will give you full credit if you send one to me at l_lapka@yahoo.com, and it might be one that we add to our picture collection for the Reunion.)

I remember that when we played ball in the Building 9/12 playground, on a windy day, we could be cooled down by light feeling of water on our skin, very light, barely touching us, but coming from the fountains.

The fountains also became a major hangout place for teens, and during the summer, hordes of young people used to sit and chat and smoke and just have fun around the fountains.

I never really hung out at the fountain--my hangout place was the aforementioned Building 9/12 playground--but I knew many people that did, mainly kids who were three and four years older than I was.

Did anyone actually ever go into the fountain, or at least put their feet in?

I seem to remember that I did, but I do not remember the circumstances. I didn't go in for a long time, but yes, I was one of those people who did, and I seem to remember feeling coins at my feet, but I won't swear to that.

I guess plenty of people made wishes at those fountains, and I hope those wishes came true.

Today, the last I heard, for several years the fountain area has been home to satellite dishes, but maybe somebody can confirm that for me.

I just remember that when they were finally turned off for good--I think it had to do with a New York City water crisis in the late 1960s or early 1970s--it was the clear signal that things were changing in our neighborhood.

I am sure that there will be plenty of talk about the fountains at the Reunion. Remember, the cutoff date for payments is September 15, so get your checks in now!

They have been coming in like plumes of water at this point in time, and you don't want to miss out on the event of the year, so don't miss out!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Pictures Wanted



We are looking for any and all photos having to do with growing up in Rochdale. Any photos that you might have that might look well in a presentation at the Reunion would be appreciated. 

Simply scan the photos and send them to l_lapka@yahoo.com, and please, Rochdale-related photos only.

Some of the photos that have turned up at this site--and other Rochdale sites--will be part of this presentation, but we are looking for "new" ones too.

Don't hesitate--please send the photos to that email address.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Siblings



I was the first-born in my family in April 1957, and after my arrival, my parents wisely waited some time before having child No. 2, my sister, who was born the day after Christmas in 1959.

I was told I was a real-life "Dennis the Menace" when I was little in those pre-Rochdale years, and I guess my mother, in particular, did not want two holy terrors in the house back to back.

Anyway, my sister and I shared a room in Kew Gardens Hills, and when we moved to our two-bedroom apartment in Rochdale, we continued to share a room during our seven years there, as we went from little kids to teens.

It is never easy sharing a room with a sibling, and it is even more difficult when you share a room with a sibling of the opposite sex.

The line of demarcation is very, very clear, and it certainly was in our room.

My parents put up a divider in the middle of the room, and that split the room roughly in half.

I had the part of the room near the door, my sister had the other half.

We had our beds lined up the same way on both sides of the room, but that is pretty much where the similarities ended.

I had a typical boys room, with pictures all of my sports heroes--Yankees and Knicks--all over the door and on my walls.

I remember that when the Knicks won their first championship in 1970, I stapled caricatures which I bought of each member of the team on my door, and at one point, stapled my hand to the door.

Don't ask.

I had a TV by the window, an old Zenith black and white TV, my comic books were kept on shelves right by the door, and I had my desk pretty much in the middle of my side of the room next to my dresser.

But if you crossed the line of demarcation, you were in my sister's side of the room.

And you knew it wasn't "Boys Town" anymore.

My sister had pictures of her music and TV idols all over her walls, culled from magazines like Tiger Beat. Early on, it was Davy Jones, but soon after, David Cassidy was all over every inch of her walls.

She also had a desk and a dresser, but David Cassidy looked down on every inch of that room.

However, when she got a little older, I was barred from the room in the morning, because even though David Cassidy could look down from the walls, my sister needed her "privacy" as she was maturing, so I would get dressed for my daily activities in my parents' room.

Looking back, the great thing about sharing a room with your opposite sex sibling is that there is a constant stream of opposite sex friends constantly making calls to whatever side of the room you aren't on, but alas, I was too young to take advantage of that, and to a certain extent, my sister was too, although she was much more savvy in that regard than I was.

And sharing a room for all those years kind of brought us closer together, although she probably didn't think that when, on occasion, I stood behind the curtain in the room and scared her when she was trying to go to sleep.

Hey, what's a big brother for?

I don't know if my sister is coming to the Reunion, but I do know there will be plenty of siblings there, and the shared experiences these siblings have will probably make mine pale by comparison.

Don't forget, the cutoff date is September 15, and brother (or sister), you won't regret being there!

Friday, August 30, 2013

Holidays

With Labor Day on Monday, and the Jewish New Year coming up, I thought it was a good time to write about the holidays, and primarily, the end-of-the-year holidays and how many of us celebrated them in Rochdale.

I don't remember much about how we celebrated Labor Day--we spent the Jewish New Year holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in synagogue--but Christmas and Hanukkah-or the way many of us spelled it back then, Chanukah--were another story.

It was a joyous time in Rochdale during these two holidays, because Jews and Christians alike could put out their greatest finery to celebrate these two wonderful occasions.



Christians decorated their houses with trees and other holiday ornaments, including stockings. Windows were absolutely gleaming with tinsel, and many doors had holiday wreaths on them.

If they had terraces, tinsel and holiday lights hung from them in proud display.



Jews celebrated by posting menorahs in their windows, but the world was becoming more modern, and although there were a lack of Chanukah ornaments back then, the world had come out with electric menorahs, which shone so brightly and were safer than regular menorahs.

My family had one of these, and our menorah was placed in my parents' room's window to show that we were celebrating the holiday.

And out that window was one of the most memorable sites I can ever remember from Rochdale.

I would look out that window straight across the Building 7--we were in Building 9--and the array of holiday ornaments was astounding.

It was a virtual light show as so many people put up Christmas lights and menorahs in their homes. You could look up and down that building, and seemingly every apartment had something up at that time.

I always thought that that display of holiday cheer was, every year, the defining time of Rochdale, proving that yes, even with great odds stacked against us, we could live together in the proverbial "peace and harmony."

I really, really wish I would have taken a photo of that scene, but I never did.

If I had that photo, I know I would show people what happened during the holidays there, and I would prove to them just how special it really was.

We are still several months away from the end-of-the-year holidays, but we can all bring that "holiday cheer" to the Reunion.

I guess that date for all of us will be something of a holiday, and I wish you all peace and harmony for that day and forever beyond that.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Pets



Do you remember any pets you had in Rochdale?

Yes, I know that dogs were not allowed--even though some people had them, more about that later--but what about the cats, the fish, the hamsters, the turtles, the birds and other pets that we, and our friends, had in Rochdale?

I had one friend who had a few hamsters, but I seem to remember that they died soon after he had them.

Lots of people had fish, and they kept them either in small fish bowls are larger aquariums. The same with turtles.

Birds would sing to their hearts' content in many Rochdale apartments.

I had one friend who had a cat that I swear was as long as a football field ... well, not quite, but this cat was quite long, seemingly well over a foot or two in length from head to tail.

Every time we played a board game--and I distinctly remember this happening when we played with the Ouija board--the cat would walk across the board, messing up all the pieces or moving whatever was on the board.

The cat was very territorial, but my friend loved it, as it was part of his family.

Now for dogs.

As you know, dogs were all around Rochdale. People in the vicinity of Rochdale who owned homes had them, and certainly, there were hordes of dogs that wandered just outside, as well as inside the development, strays that our parents told us to stay away from.

But some people actually had dogs in the development, dogs that they cared for that became part of their families.

My family actually had a dog for a very short period of time.

It was late 1970 or early 1971, and my parents had just put a binder down on a house.

We knew we were moving, and what better way to live the "American Dream" than to own a dog in a house with a white picket fence?

My father thought this was a great idea, and he bought a dog, a very, very young newborn pup who was a mutt. He figured if we could raise the dog literally from scratch, it would be easier for the dog not only to adapt to us, but to the new surroundings after Rochdale.

The dog, who we called Melvin, was very, very young, and when he brought the dog home, my mother nearly blew her gasket, because she was as surprised as we were about the new member of our family.

To make a long story short, my sister and I loved that dog for the few days that we had it. We walked it outside by building 9, we slept with it, we fed it.

But the dog was not house trained, and my mother was not ready for dog "kisses" all over the place as well as liquid manifestations in the house, so my father had to give away the dog, and he did, to somene who went to the same service station he did across the street from Rochdale.

My sister and I cried and cried when Melvin left us, and my father cried too.

Years later, both my sister and I became dog owners, so the memory of little Melvin lived on, and still lives on, for decades.

Many of us had pets, and I am sure the subject will come up during the Reunion. Get your checks in, because the deadline of September 15 is fast approaching.

Don't "dog" it; send your payments in today!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Substitute Teachers


We had great respect for our teachers when we went to the Rochdale schools, but that did not extend to substitute teachers.

Substitute teachers, or subs, have generally acquired the same academic level as their faculty peers, and sometimes, they even have more education under their belt than those on their respective school's faculty.

But if this isn't the worst job in America, I don't know what is.

To borrow a line from Rodney Dangerfield,  substitute teachers"get no respect, no respect at all."

The problem is that subs are put into a position in a classroom with a bunch of kids who are used to their regular teacher. With that teacher out of the room, the sub is in a strange class with kids he or she does not know, and that really sets forward a lot of awkward situations.

I remember that one day in I.S. 72, the sub was taking the class roll to make sure everyone was in class.

She went down the list, and she came to Russell Ruvinsky. She called his name and he said he "Here."

The sub looked up and said, "You aren't Russell Ruvinsky, you are Monte Silberger. Where is Russell Ruvinsky?"

Russell once again said that he was Russell Ruvinsky, but the sub would not listen to reason. Others in the class, including myself, went up to the teacher to say that that was, in fact, Russell Ruvinsky, but she could not, and would not, be swayed.

And no, Monte Silberger was not on the class list.

Russell Ruvinsky got written up on the section sheet (remember those?) and yes, he had to deal with it the next or two when they came to check up on the section sheet information.

You simply cannot win being a sub. Some kids listen, some kids don't, and some subs are left without lesson plans and things for the students to do.

It is a thankless job, pays little, and does not often lead to a permanent appointment.

I know, because yes, at one time, many years ago, I was a substitute teacher, and although I never had a situation where I mixed up a Russell Ruvinsky with a Monte Silberger, I did experience some situations which I can laugh at now but were far from funny then.

At the Reunion, I am sure the subject of teachers will come up, and I am sure we all have our own funny stories about a particular teacher or substitute teacher that we can tell everyone at the Reunion.

Be there--Oct 5--and if you are wondering where to send your check, the address is at the top of this Blog.


Monday, August 26, 2013

Mischievous Activities


We were kids way back when we lived in Rochdale, and let's face it, kids will be kids.

We do things that often defy logic to any adult, but make perfect sense when you are seven or eight years old.

We all participated in some mischievous activities when we were kids, and some we were willing participants in, others, well, we were just almost guilty by association.

The most common of these activities was walking on the grass.

There were signs on every patch of grass in the community that read "Keep Off the Grass," and they weren't talking about anything other than that green stuff.

But we all walked all over it.

Living in Building 9, there was that big expanse of grass at the back of the building, and that is the path that we used when we walked to I.S. 72 and when we went to the first mall.

There was also a makeshift stickball court on the far side of the rear of the building that was near the fountains, so it was a big hangout place.

Beyond the grass, we also wandered into areas that we were not allowed access to.

One day, I remember that my friend Ricky Kaden and I found that the door to the bomb shelter that each building had was slightly ajar.

We had always wondered what was in that shelter, so we walked in.

We saw tubs of everything from crackers to water to other non-perishables, flash lights, everything that anyone would need to survive a nuclear holocaust.

We were in there for about two minutes, and then from behind, a few maintenance men literally grabbed us by the seat of our pants and threw us out of the shelter, and they were very quick to close and lock that door.

When my friends and I were new to the development--we couldn't have been more than seven or eight at the time--we were playing catch with a rubber Spalding on the top of the storage boxes in the building nine playground. About four of us were sitting there--Ira Dannenberg, Howie Efran, David Perrick, and myself, and there may have been others--and Arnie Epstein was throwing the ball back and forth to us facing the storage boxes.

Everything was fine, but then Arnie uncorked a throw that got past all of us.

We all turned around to see where the ball had gone. An elderly woman was sitting in back of the playground on the benches, and the ball whizzed by her head, but maybe 50 to 100 fee away from her.

She must have seen the ball coming near her out of the corner of her eye, she flinched, and lost her balance, falling to the ground.

She hit her head, and all of a sudden, a pool of blood started to form.

When we saw this, we dispersed pretty quickly up to our apartments.

However, somebody--the person shall remain nameless--told security who we were, and the next thing we know, we all were summoned to the executive offices of the development.

I know that I was as scared as I ever had been up to that point. I thought we were going to get kicked out of the development only a few months after we had moved in.

The only thing that I remember is that I left with a lollipop, and everything was hunky dory.

By the way, we later heard that the woman survived, but she did sue Rochdale.

That is all I know about what happened.

I can laugh at that incident now, but boy, as a seven year old, I was really shaking in my boots on that one.

Anyway, did anybody go to the top of the buildings and throw water bombs down to the ground?

Did anybody speak back to the rent-a-cops and make their lives miserable?

Did anybody go into the laundry room and learn to make the machines work even without putting in money?

You can talk about all of these memories at the Rochdale Reunion.

Just send your check to the address posted above.

Remember, the due date is Oct. 5, and don't walk on the grass getting to mailbox to send your letter out!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Super Response

The recent response to the Reunion has been amazing, to say the least!

Several dozen of our fellow Rochdale family members sent in their checks during the past few weeks, and more will certainly be coming as we wind down to the due date of September 15.

At first, the response was tepid, because the date was so far off.

Now, with the date coming up so quickly, people have finally taken notice--

And that is a good thing!

Remember, if you are sitting on the fence about this, October 5, the date of the event, is right around the corner.

There might never be such a big gathering of the Rochdale family again, so NOW is the time to decide whether you can attend or not.

Please send your checks to the above address only, and please check in at this site regularly to see updates, reminiscences from the past, and really, anything to do with Rochdale the way it used to be.

And don't forget the Rochdale Reconnection Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/groups/264933322680/ (just paste this address in your browser).

The committee welcomes all of you and will see you on Oct. 5!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Senior Citizens



We were the youngest people to live in Rochdale, the kids, but there was a large, vibrant, older generation of people who also lived in the development.

They had many things to do in the development, groups set up for them, and each section had their "older" group, many of whom sat on the benches and held court with one another.

I generally remember the group that lived in Section 3, Building 9, 10, 11, and 12. (Thanks to Arnie Epstein for the photo.)

They were my grandparents' age, probably even older, and they were from an earlier generation, many of whom were born in the previous century, and part of a generation that went through World Wars I and II, Korea and the Depression.

They were honed on a different lifestyle, and many of them did not understand us kids.

It was a real generation gap between many older and many younger people there; they didn't understand us, and we didn't understand them.

To some of them, we were just juvenile troublemakers who were seemingly living off the spoils of their labor.

They yelled at us for going on the grass, for playing our transistor radios too loud, and for generally running amuck in this new development.

We kind of knew that they didn't like us, and we called them "Old Fogies."

Heaven knows what they called us, but I don't think it was anything very nice.

And then there was a group that was the same age as the others, but much more progressive.

They saw us for what we were--young kids--and treated us with the utmost of respect, and we gave it back to them.

Even though there were many years of age difference, we kind of saw eye-to-eye with each other.

Many of them had grandchildren living in the same development, and I think that closeness with their grandkids allowed them to think a little differently than those who didn't have grandchildren or at least, didn't have grandchildren living in Rochdale at the time.

One of my friends had his grandparents living in Rochdale very close to his family at the time, and they were very, very nice people.

His grandfather always had a smile for us, and it really was from ear to ear.

Seeing his grandparents reminded me of my grandparents, one set of whom lived in Brooklyn and the other living in another part of Queens.

Today, many of us Rochdale kids are grandparents ourselves (not me, not yet anyway), and I wonder how our relationship with the older citizens of Rochdale shapes our relationship with young kids today?

That is something to talk about at the upcoming Reunion on Oct. 5, and yes, there will be several grandparents there to share your stories with.

And "Old Fogies" they are not!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The Supermarket(s)



We were pretty lucky when we lived in Rochdale.

We had two malls, one indoor and one outdoor, and we could pick and choose which supermarket we would go to to do our family's food shopping.

My mother liked the first mall's Co-Op Supermarket better than the second mall's supermarket. She found it larger and much more convenient to shop.

Occasionally, she would send me to pickup some items she may have forgotten, and maybe once or twice, we used the home delivery service that they had in the first mall's store (I don't remember if they had this in the second mall).

At that point in time, we only ate Kosher meat at home. My father was a butcher early on in our time in Rochdale, and he brought home everything we needed.

When he became a cab driver, that was all over, so my mother bought from the Kosher butcher. She never bought meat in the supermarket, because if my memory is right, they either didn't carry Kosher meat or the selection wasn't too good. I honestly don't remember.

But she was very, very picky.

As a young child, I just remember the first supermarket, that ramshackle shack that we actually lined up at to get into, before the first mall opened its doors.

I remember waiting with my mother for seemingly hours before we could get in.

The selection was very limited--a lot of White Rose off-brand stuff, as I remember--and I absolutely remember my mom buying Happy's Ice Cream, with the stick figure of a "happy" guy on the box.

Now, just about every time I go food shopping with my family, I think of those old Rochdale days, the first supermarket we had, and the other two supermarkets that we came to depend on.

We can all reminisce about the supermarkets, the malls, and just about everything else at the Reunion on October 5. Don't forget, the due date for payments is September 15, and that date cannot be extended.

So get your checks in if you haven't already done so.

And here's to the Co-Op Supermarkets of those days.

They provided us plenty of food for thought, didn't they?


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

First Loves, Puppy Love, Crushes



We have spoken about a number of topics here, and inevitably, we've worked ourselves up to this very intimate topic.

First loves, puppy love, crushes and the like ...

We were kids in Rochdale, and many of us made it to our teenage years and beyond in the old neighborhood.

So, of course, we had our first inklings, twinges, whatever you want to call it, of Cupid's arrow while in  Rochdale.

It could have been a teacher, it could have been someone that was in your class, or someone that you admired from afar, but those twinges were there, no doubt about it.

I certainly had mine ... I was a shy kid, and any girl who looked at me or talked with me at all ... well, all of a sudden, I was smitten.

That is my second grade photo, and yes, I had a major crush in that class, but I won't reveal who it was because I do not want to embarrass her.

And as for other kids around my age, my sister was younger than me, which means we had a steady stream of pretty young ladies entering and exiting our apartment all the time.

If I only knew what to do at that time ...

With girls in my own age group ... well, forget about it.

I admired many of them, but other than a mere wink and a nod, I never really had any relationship with any of them, but I did like quite a few.

In fact, at a Reunion a few years ago, I got up enough gumption to tell one of those that I admired that I had something of a crush on her way back when ...

And I did this with her husband standing right there.

We had a good laugh, and that was it.

I wonder if she knew way back when that I had a thing for her ... she and about 20 other girls at that time.

But those yearnings were not to last, because by the time I could have acted on them positively, and perhaps went out with these girls, I was gone, moving to another place where I virtually had to start over.

Anyway, who were your crushes, did you ever let on to them that you liked them, did you have any first dates in Rochdale, and yes, I know a lot of you followed through and actually dated and married fellow Rochdale people.

You can talk about all that at the Reunion, and perhaps meet up with one of your early crushes, and let them know just how you felt way back when.

The deadline is September 15, and we would "love" you to attend!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Athletics



Athletics were very important in Rochdale Village when we lived there.

Especially for the boys, it allowed us to compete against each other in friendly games, everything from baseball to softball to bowling.

And I can attest to the fact that it was lots and lots of fun!

I was in the Rochdale Village Athletic League from its earliest days in 1964, through its end in 1972. I was even in it when I didn't live in Rochdale anymore!

I think I played regular baseball first, then moved onto softball, where the competition, if anyone remembers, was pretty incredible.

I played for a variety of my friends' fathers, and I played for my dad, too. We won one or two softball championships during those years.

Below is a photo of Arnie Epstein. I played with him and his father, Julie, was my coach for several years.



I also bowled. The bowling league, first at United Rec (with the immortal Curt, telling us to "tern on the 'chines, yoo ken begin bowling) and then at Cardinal Lanes, was also extremely competitive.

Beyond the RVAL, there were many other sports, including Pop Warner football, which was also very, very popular, and roller hockey, which I believe was played in one of the playgrounds in Section 4, as was basketball, which was played "in your face" in that section.

I played just about everything in the RVAL, and I wasn't very good, but I loved to play.

I looked foward to those games every week, and every game was like the World Series to me.

One artifact I still have from those days is this video, which has been on YouTube for several years and has received nearly 1,500 hits.

It shows a different time in my life and our lives, and it is really a great time capsule for those years in both the RVAL and Rochdale in general.

For some reason, I can't embed a YouTube video on this blog, so if you are interested, simply paste this address in your browser to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuSm3ZS45Ks.

And sorry, girls, the RVAL's span was before Title 9. Girls at the time were not permitted in the RVAL as players, although many women worked in the background to get this thing going.

I remember one girl who would hang around our games. I can't remember her name, but she so wanted to play softball, but she couldn't because those were the rules at the time.

It was so sad, and I really felt for her.

And who could forget Mr. RVAL himself, Jack Kanner?

He took the game very seriously as an umpire and organizer, and I will never forget his scowl or his growl.

We played baseball and softball on first the dirt fields which soon gave way to I.S. 72, and later in the fabled gravel pit, where every ground ball was an adventure.

And those post-season RVAL award breakfasts--we had Ed Kranepool, Ron Swoboda and other Mets attend, and even though I was and still am an ardent Yankees fan, I was really impressed in meeting these athletes.

Anybody else have any fond memories of the RVAL or any other athletics in those days?

If you do, you can share them here and at the Reunion on Oct. 5, where you can see many of your old teammates again.

Don't hesitate; send in your check today!


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Extension!

The Rochdale Village Reconnection Reunion Committee has extended the date by which payments must be made.

THAT DATE IS NOW SEPTEMBER 15, 2013.

This will be the final extension, because the caterer needs to know how many people will be attending.

If you are "on the fence" about whether you are attending or not, now is the time to make a decision.

Please send your checks for $65 each person attending to:

ROCHDALE VILLAGE RECONNECTION REUNION
P.O. BOX 49
MASSAPEQUA PARK, NEW YORK 11762

If you have any questions at all about the Reunion, simply scroll down to the previous posts--mostly the early posts--and I am sure your questions will be answered.

If you have any other questions, please email me at l_lapka@yahoo.com.

Lists of guests have been put up on the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/264933322680/

Thanks, and the committee hopes to see you there on Oct. 5.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Hobbies

Did anybody not have some type of hobby while they lived in Rochdale?



Everything from collecting comic books to dolls to baseball cards were some of the prime hobbies that we all had in Rochdale.

Others collected sports cards, some made lanyards, others somehow put together hundreds of gum wrappers gotten from wads of gum to make intricate chains.



They were all hobbies, and they filled our idle time.

With the boys, most of the time we were collecting comics or sports cards, primarily baseball cards.

We traded them, we flipped them, and some of the baseball cards wound up on our bicycles, flapping away as we rode our bikes from one end of the development to the other.



With girls, it was dolls, lanyards, those crazy gum wrapper chains, and some even collected teen magazines and comic books.

We were the generation that collected just about everything that wasn't nailed down, and I am sure that I didn't list all the hobbies that were prevalent in Rochdale at that time.

Talking about collections, bring your collective memories to the Reunion on Oct. 5.



While there, you can talk about your various hobbies, and how you would be a millionaire if you still had that Tom Seaver rookie card or that particular Barbie or Spider-Man comic book.

It's on Oct. 5, and if you need details, just scroll down and you will find what you are looking for.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Religious Education



Religion was a very big part of our upbringing in Rochdale.

Whatever our religion was, and no matter how religious we were, it was woven into the fabric of our old neighborhood.

I remember how many people I knew took religious training at Christ the King Church. They left during the school day, and I am sure they received a fine religious education from that institution.

Many of us were Jewish, and Rochdale offered every type of Jewish center and school to attend--Reform, Traditional, Conservative, Orthodox.

You really had your pick about what shul you would go to.

My family was Conservative, and my religious education was at Rochdale Village Jewish Center.

I have to say that I hated every moment of it.

Led by Mrs. Wechsler--we called her "Wacky," but she did mean well--I was a horror at that synagogue, not doubt about it.

And it wasn't just me, no, many of us were off the wall when we had our religious studies.

After a long day at regular school, we had to sit and learn even more in Hebrew School, and I just wasn't about to be able to sit still to do this.

However, somehow, I received my Jewish education, and like many of my Jewish friends, I had my bar mitzvah, a day I will never forget.

And I did learn things in that Hebrew school, in between the flipping of baseball cards and acting up. Yes, I am amazed that I was able to learn, even though I could not sit still.

And I won't ever forget those Hebrew school days, where it wasn't just me, but we all seemed to run amuck in the respective synagogues we attended.

Was it how we were, the time we lived in, or something else that would not let us sit still for one moment?

Relive those days with your friends at the Reunion. I am sure everyone has stories about their religious training, or lack thereof, to share.

Monday, August 12, 2013

TV Shows



We were the first generation to be raised on television.

No, I didn't say that our parents necessarily plopped us down in front of the TV and used it as a baby sitter, but we were the first generation that literally grew up with TV as a presence in our lives.

And once the 1960s came about, TV was our way to learn about the world we lived in.

There were so many great TV shows that came out of the 1960s, and certainly during our Rochdale experience, everybody has their favorites.

Situation comedies were part of our regular viewing, as were action shows, westerns, science fiction, the news, and certainly sports.

Some great shows that were originally on when we lived in Rochdale were "Batman," "Gilligan's Island," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "Bewitched," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," and later on, "All in the Family."

We loved those shows, we really did, and a lot of times, our first "water cooler" talks we ever experienced were in school after we watched one of those shows.

What happened? What would happen next? How silly was the show? Who was on the show?

These questions all came up the next day after a show ran the previous evening.

At the Reunion, you can talk about these shows, current programs, or really anything else that comes to mind with your old friends.

And yes, that is Batman carrying away a bomb so it does not hurt the population of Gotham City.

Since Gotham City actually represents Manhattan, what could Rochdale Village have been called in this alternate universe of the "Batman" TV show?

Just thinking out loud ...

Friday, August 9, 2013

Hair-Raising Tales



Hair is one of our most important attributes.

We comb it, brush it, wash it, color it, braid it, and often try to replace it, but it never is the same as it was in our childhoods.

And Rochdale had plenty of places that you could go for the latest mod hairstyle or 'fro.

My friends and I generally went to the barber shop in the first mall.

I remember it had mirrors and more mirrors on the wall, and if you looked at it just right, you could see the reflection of the mirror that was behind you in the mirror in front of you, making for an illusion of a scene that would never end.

And I remember two barbers in particular: Hyman and Miss Elsie.

Hyman cut my hair on a number of occasions.

He would hold your head literally in his hand from the top, as it you were in a vice.

He held it so tight that if you moved, your felt as if your neck would snap.

I know I had Miss Elsie maybe once or twice.

She was the only female barber that I can recall there, and I think she was specifically brought in to cater to those kids who wanted the latest afro hairstyle.

The other barbers were all old and old school, and I don't know if they could handle such a style.

I know that for the ladies, there was a beauty parlor in the first mall that my mom went to.

When I was little, I would accompany her there on occasion, and the place reeked of hair spray, probably Adorn.

I would leave there with her, and couldn't wait for the next shower.

There were also some places outside the development, but those are the two hair salons that I remember the most, err, fondly.

Maybe it was the Rochdale air, but today, I wouldn't mind Hyman or Miss Elsie working on my hair, or even having it done in the beauty parlor ...

That's if I had any hair to work with.

I am pretty bald on the top, and I swear that Hyman's vice grip had a lot to do with this.

Of course, the nasal ingestion of the hair spray vapors could have done it, but one thing I know for sure is that Miss Elsie had nothing to do with it at all.

Anyway, you can talk about your own hair-raising stories at the Reunion.

Hair, Hair, to a great Reunion!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

School Days

Do you remember your days of school at P.S. 80, P.S. 30. I.S. 72, Springfield Gardens High School, and whatever other school(s) you might have attended while you lived in Rochdale?

Those were fun days, and they were difficult days too.

But that is where we were not only educated, but where we socialized, often meeting friends that we have kept to this day ...

Or friends that were special to us way back when but whom we haven't seen in years and years.

And that is what will make this Reunion extra special.

Funny, it has been my experience that when we meet up with friends like this, we speak with them without missing a heartbeat.

It's like the years evaporate before our eyes as we speak with them.

And I can almost guarantee that feeling at the Reunion.

By the way, the entire 1971 I.S. 72 Yearbook has been posted at the Rochdale Village Reconnection Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/groups/264933322680/. This photo posted here is just a sample of some of our schoolmates, kids we knew way back when.


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Payment Extension!

The Reunion Committee has recommended that the cut-off date be extended a month into the future.

From hereon in, all payments are due by AUGUST 15, 2013.

The reason for the extension is that checks are coming in every day, and they do not want anybody to be shut out from attending this great affair.

So, since the extension is in place, NOW is the time to make your payments.

Don't miss this great event--SEND IN YOUR PAYMENTS TODAY!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Accommodations

The Rochdale Village Reconnection Reunion Committee has asked me to post this information.

Although I am no longer on the committee--and have nothing to do with the Reunion at all--I continue to oversee this site.

They want everyone to know that if you need accommodations, they have made arrangements to have them at a discount rate, $139 a night.

Please use code RRG when making reservations. The price is good for Friday night too if anyone wants to come in on Friday.

Please contact the committee if you have any questions.


David Benson: technite73@verizon.net; 

Lori Field: lfieldrn@yahoo.com; 

Janet Starr: starrlcsw@aol.com.