BF Coming of Age Part Two: Reality!

Coming of Age - it means so many different things to people - but it is definitely a combination of wonder, experiences, hope, love, fitting in - its all the things that contribute to your growing up, your attempts at love and the trials that come with that.

Above, yup that's me!

The opposite sex is always a major part of it - that journey through school - the struggles are all relative to the age you are but by the time you get to junior high, it starts getting more serious. I always felt way behind my friends when it came to girls - I knew I wasn't mature enough to handle some things in BF but I sure was observant about everything around me! I wanted to smoke. I wanted to wear the right clothes. I wanted people to like me. I wanted to get good grades. I wanted to be accepted. I put so much pressure on myself that it seemed impossible to achieve anything!

Honestly I loved BF but hated growing up during my 7th and 8th grade years - I had wished I could fast forward through it all.

The growing up thing had definitely distracted me from my schoolwork. I couldn't wait for the school year to end just to get away from the pressures I felt. Then there were the summers - that wonderful break between school years when not only the schoolwork would go away but all the social pressures that came with going to school too!

In the summers when I was 11, 12 and 13 I was a completely different person - I wasn't trying so hard to impress others and I was just being myself. I recently wrote in the Glen School blog about a girl I met in the summer for a fleeting moment when I was in 7th grade. It was at the beach. I saw her, asked if she would meet me on the beach later that night (it was early) and she said yes. There is something about being on vacation - nothing to lose - you won't see the person again if its a rejection ya know? Was I nervous asking her - definitely! Was I even confident she would show up - not really but I didn't care. I thought she was cute and the summer gave me the confidence I didn't have in school at that point - people don't know you when you're away - it gives you license in a way! I was able to be myself and be comfortable in my own skin as they say! It was a night I'll always remember and one where despite all the talk about girls - I didn't "try" anything - we simply talked. We were barefoot, tan - the ocean - it was perfect! But the kiss when we said goodnight - wow............ We wrote for a little bit and after a while didn't stay in touch but it was a great experience and great memory
- very special and I realized that hey I CAN deal with this thing called life! - that is until I got back to BF! I couldn't understand why I couldn't take the summer Ricky and merge him with the BF guy!

Above, click the arrow to watch a scene from "The Wonder Years" to the song "Seasons" by Elton John. That show was a lot of peoples lives and definitely mine!

Its funny looking back on friend's various takes on the fairer sex - each had an opinion on what we were supposed to do as boys - what was expected of us - what the girl expected from us! But it just starts out simple - there doesn't have to be a plan.

By 9th grade I was becoming more sure of myself but began hanging out with a guy who was definitely trouble. I learned a lot from him - you know about sex and things like that, drugs even, drinking - he was way ahead of me! I won't mention his name because that wouldn't be right but had I really gotten involved with him who knows where I would've ended up - he left high school - I couldn't imagine not graduating with my class. It was fun and exciting but I also wasn't a stupid kid - I navigated that episode pretty well!

Anyway by the time I graduated 9th grade I was a little more in the know.

By the time I reached high school - I would still struggle with schoolwork but developed a relationship with a girl from another town. For me it was an amazing relationship - one that was long term too. We had our ups and downs to be sure - there was heartbreak and moments of sheer joy but it would end a year or so after high school. There was the lunch time phone call on the pay phone at the main door at RHS - yes, I know - what love does to you when you're young! Still, dating someone from another school - it was exciting but the down side of course is less time at your own school. Oh there were times during a tough period in that relationship when I spied a girl at RHS - Robin Sleeman - gosh I thought she was so cute. She played field hockey and me and a friend would sit on the steps to the old gym and I would watch Robin practice. I remember saying to him "Gosh she's cute!" "I have to ask that girl out! Should I?" "Think she'll say yes?" It was just like Fred Strype in 7th grade when he asked me if I thought Nanci Hesse liked him - now it was me asking someone if they thought Robin would like ME! How I progressed! Finally, I did ask her out and I was so excited when she said yes! I was such a jerk to her - that is I wasn't mean to her but you can't - you should never go out with a girl when you're in a realtionship with another - either wait til its over or be honest - of course when you're 16, 17 years old mature thought isn't part of your life. Still - as shortlived as it was - I have the fondest memories of Robin - holding hands with her, walking her home - she probably has the opposite memory of me and I would deserve that to be sure. But holding hands with someone you care about - there's nothing like it. Anyway, all these rituals gave me  the coinfidence in high school to become a better student and helped to make me a lot more outgoing. I have often thought about Robin and I wish she knew how she had made me feel - I didn't handle that (as far as she was concerned) - very well......

Above, click the arrow above to hear the Elton John song "Friends".

The struggle to come of age has been around since forever - it's the one thing that never really changes. We all have to go through it - for some it can be extremely difficult - for others - like me - we laugh along the way - but we never forget these times that help to make us who we are!

The BF/GW junior high reunion - reserve your rooms now by calling the Woodcliff Lake Hilton 201-391-3600 if you'd like to stay over night. Don't miss out on something that will make you smile!

BF Coming of Age Part One: Innocence & Fantasy!

The 60's - the decade started with Doris Day movies and silly comedies and ended with the Woodstock documentary and movies that didn't leave much to the imagination. The music of the early 60's was tame  - Elvis was drafted into the army and Buddy Holly and others died in a plane crash. Still it was an exciting time with Kennedy's New Frontier and the Space Program. By 1964 though, the British Invaision began with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones rocking our young worlds. By 1967 - with the Summer of Love - a little something called the Sexual Revolution was raising its head - er, no pun intended! By 1967-68 the line between what we thought was cool and the older generation of America trying to convince us otherwise or not knowing how to react - well let's just say that the line was getting bigger by the year!

Above, the decade would start out with silly, non-controversial films like the Doris Day movies and end with the likes of "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice".

By the late 1960's, movies started to change - 1967 brought "Bonnie and Clyde", "Cool Hand Luke", "The Valley of the Dolls". 1968 brought "Barbarella", "Romeo & Juliet". In 1969 came "The Last Summer", "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice". In 1970, "MASH", "Catch-22" and "The Boys in the Band"! There didn't seem to be a subject untouched and there was no way you couldn't at least KNOW about these movies - through ads, movie trailers, magazines, conversation - talk about raging hormones!

Above, the cast of "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice".

As kids we were getting bombarded from all sides - the Vietnam War, riots, political assassination - and sex!! Whew...............but let me start with the innocence of it all!

When I was in first grade I remember hearing a joke told to me by a 5th or 6th grader. My oldest sister was married but at the dinner table this one night was myself, my sister Ginger and my parents. It was a routine night in the Flannery house. "How was your day at school Ricky?" my mom cheerfully asked me. "Hey I learned a new joke in school today!" and I proceeded to tell it without any prompting - something that had the punch line ".............rubber balls and liquor!" and I laughed practically before I finished,  innocently happy that I remembered it line by line - honestly having no clue what it all meant - I was very proud of myself! It just sounded so funny to me. Talk about stopping everyone in their tracks. Looking back my dad probably wanted to laugh, my sister did laugh but not because of the joke and my mom couldn't believe her ears! In the end, all that was said really was "You shouldn't tell jokes like that Ricky....." and I was left to frown and wonder what the fuss was about! The innocence of it was great!

In 5th grade, there was this guy that joined our class - Brian Marchese. Brian attracted everybody - the guys liked him because he was cool, he had the first Stingray bike. The girls liked him becasue he was cool too but the attraction was that he was the bad boy! Well, one of the first things I learned from Brian was the "F" word. Naturally - just as an innocent would do - I went home that night and was gonna get to the bottom of the "F" word - you know, it MUST mean something. I'll never forget this. My mom was outside planting flowers and I was throwing the ball around with neighbors. Before going inside, I went up to my mom: "Hey mom, do you know what "F***" means?" My mother nearly fell over and was speechless! She stumbled on a reply and said "Your father is shaving - why don't you ask him." "Sure!" So I went inside still seeing nothing wrong the word and said "Hi Dad! Hey do you know what F*** means?" After a pause in HIS reply he said something to the effect "You better ask your mother about it!" Really I thought? Why the run-around? Do they not know the meaning of this word? I got the dictionary - nothing! Well I pursued it until I asked an older kid down the street what it meant and after an explicit description of its meaning - now I was speechless - but became a little more in the know as they say!

At Camp Green there was Mark Gorenflo - I met Mark at 6th grade camp - Camp Green. Ridgewood elementary schools always went to camp with another school in town - I think Mark was from Willard. Anyway, we learned Mark had a girlfriend - I remember us talking about that. I mean I was "sort of" going steady at the time with Cindy Pomeroy - I mean we had been longtime friends - I really liked her, we kissed, she had my id bracelet - I finally asked her to go steady but I was such an innocent that I didn't think to ask her to the movies or on some sort of date! Here was Mark and he was "really" going steady - "wow" we all thought - this guy is cool! How does he do it? How can I be better at this ritual? In my Camp Green diary among all the writing about mining for iron ore, bird watching and the like, I wrote "I like girls." - I guess girls were on my mind - but it wasn't so much a generalization about girls as it was about the bigger struggle of how to chart my choppy course through junior high.

Later on after I reached junior high school - 9th grade specifically - I remember plotting out the purchase of my first Playboy magazine! It was another right of passage and a "big deal" but how to do it? "Ricky, Drapkin's has them right out in the open!" a friend said. Sounds like a plan. So one day I walked uptown to hang out and went to Drapkin's in search of Playboy! There it was on the shelf like a beacon! I spent what seemed like a half hour trying to figure out how I was going to buy it. Of course there was now a girl behind the counter - OMG - can't do it now, but I was not about to leave. I thought if I could hang around long enough til she leaves and the guy gets back behind the counter again I can make my move! So I was leafing through all sorts of sports magazines, tool magazines - "harmless" magazines that wouldn't raise eyebrows. Oh wow - "How to Build A Short-Wave Radio" how interesting - don't you have to take a break or something I thought?! Finally the girl went somewhere else but I couldn't just walk up to the counter with Playboy in my hand - what if I see a neighbor or a girl from school or my mother! I'll be labeled a degenerate! So I grabbed the NY Times and slipped Playboy in between the sections - not to steal it but to hide it from those in line with me! "Hi! Um - er, I'll take the Times, oh and some gum and um, I guess I'll take this too" ya know, since it's there! Geez, I felt the heat in my cheeks but walked out the door truly thinking the owner was going to yell out "Just a minute young man!" When I got it home I didn't know what to do with it! But two things were certain - one, I had to hide it - two, I couldn't believe my eyes! Another right of passage - more knowledge - finally! When you're a kid you just want to at least know what it's all about!

Then there were movies with your parents. Anyone ever go to a movie with your parents when you were like 11, 12, 13 years old and realize that it was probably not intended for you to see that one but no one realized it until after the movie started? My parents took me to see tons of movies - it was always a blast going to the movies! I went with friends - went to the Stanley Warner Theater a lot when I was a kid. But there were a couple of movies my parents took me to which I probably shouldn't have gone to see though. One was a movie called "A Guide for the Married Man" (actually I couldn't remember the title but recalled that Walter Matthau and Jayne Mansfield were in it and Googled them). The storyline was teaching the art of philandering. Seeing Jayne Mansfield I was like - hello, how uncomfortable is this? I remember sitting there seeing these women up on the large screen and feeling increasingly uncomfortable sitting next to MY MOM! Granted, when I was recently trying to figure out the title, the movie was listed as a comedy - I mean Lucille Ball and Jack Benny among many others had small roles but there is no way my mom thought this was about what it was about - still though it was a harmlesss 60's movie.

Above, "A Guide for the Married Man" - innocent 1967 movie fare but still able to make an 11 year-old (me) go "Wow!"

Then there was Dr. Zhivago - when this came out in 1965 you have to remember we were seeing movies like Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music which I confess is one of my favorite movies. Zhivago is clearly a phenomenal movie, it's epic - I love it to this day but there was a scene where Julie Christie is raped by Rod Steiger and I was like whoaaa - I was 10 years old! Sitting there with my mom watching scenes like that - well you want to get some popcorn or something and check the box scores! Slowly I began to put it all together....................

When you're a kid you talk among your friends - "Did you hear about this movie?" Chances are you haven't or wouldn't see the movie you were talking about with friends but one thing was clear - you knew it was hot!

After all this stuff getting thrown at you - some of it brought on yourself - you're asking yourself  "Man, am I ready for all this stuff?" My parents - they were the best parents a kid could have - whenever they found themselves in a situation like taking me to a movie I probably shouldn't see at a particular age - it was an innocent thing to them, they didn't make a big deal about it and nothing would be said and so I would be left to squirm in my seat! However, when it came to music it was a different story. When it came to music my dad was of that generation that said "I can't understand what they're saying!" Now, my mom, she would understand some of the words - that is she would know what she was hearing but the meaning would be lost! I will never forget this one day - I had purchased the new Beach Boys single "Do It Again". If you're into The Beach Boys you'll know that this song is strictly about The Beach Boys going back to their musical roots - surfing, girls and cars - kind of nostalgic for The Beach Boys - here's a verse:

Well I've been thinking 'bout,
All the places we've surfed and danced and
All the faces we've missed so let's get,
Back together and do it again

Well my mom yelled upsatirs to me "Ricky, that song is inappropriate!" Really? Really mom? Oh - I get it - the words "DO - IT - AGAIN........" - I nearly fell over with laughter - I did try to convince her it was about "old times", etc - well finally - I just turned down the volume a little! I think part of it in my case was that my folks were about 15 to 20 years older than most of my friends parents - a big gap when you consider all that was going on! Then when I bought Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" in 1969 - forget about it - "ah, ah, ah, ah, ah......." mom didn't even mention that one - probably just didn't know what to say!!!

I also remember trying to convince my dad that going for a haircut every other week wasn't a good idea anymore! Took a while but finally succeeded. Same with bell-bottoms - "Come on mom, everybody's wearing them!" Took a while but managed that one too. Growing up - there is a lot to it! Pop culture, sports, girls, physical changes you're not ready for. You're trying to fit in - you're not sure of things - you're sometimes wishing that all this was not happening with people you know around you!

Relive it all - come the BF-GW reunion Saturday November 12 at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton in Woodcliff Lake, NJ.

BF-GW Reunion Sat Nov 12, 2011!

So our big RHS reunion is in 2013. First we had the Glen School reunion and now its the BF-GW reunion Saturday November 12, 2011! It will be at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton in Woodcliff Lake NJ Saturday Nov 12. Cocktail reception 7-8, dinner 8-11pm. To make room reservations call the Woodcliff Lake Hilton 201-391-3600 and mention that you are reserving under the Ben Franklin / George Washington Junior High Schools reunion November 12. It's gonna be a fun evening!

Updated "Who's Coming List" - paid and confirmed: (people are coming from far away you guys!)

Paid & Confirmed  - If you think you're coming please let me know! I know some have expressed that they will come for drinks afterward and that's fine BUT if you're planning on dinner I definitely need your check so the hotel has a dinner for you! Thanks you guys! That's a pretty nice list! I know some have said they will pay at the door - THIS IS OK too - just assure me that you will pay for dinner - this way you can pay at the last minute and still have a dinner. I need to give an unofficial number to the WLH by next Tuesday Nov 8.

I for one can't wait!

Me!
Ann Rimmer
Katie Knight
Karen Eide
Cara Worthington
John Wescott
Terri Dimodugno
Ken Merrill
Maryanne Vaz
Cathy O'Neill
Helen Hudson
Anita Simos
John Sands
Daun Paris
Elaine Pedersen
Sue Yerger
Nancy Tanchak
Jim Appleton
Marjorie Appleton
Cathy Ratcliffe
Jeff Auger
Perry Inganamort
Denise Costigan
Ginny Curbelo
Sue Leahy
Katie Knight
Dan Scala
Gerilyn Melzar
Gayle Allard
Patty Dunne
Luann Speechley
Peter Sackrider
Mary Ann O'Rourke
John DiNardo
John's Guest - Marialyse (couldn't make out last name - sorry John!!)
Tad Shepperd
Sherry Shepperd
Frank Petrucci
Frank's Fiance Jenny
Tom O'Connor
Kim O'Connor
Fred Strype
Elyse Strype
Cynthia Hoogland
Rick Hartung
Corey Duvall (after 10pm)

BF Pop Culture: 1967-1970!

What defines us as we're growing up? A lot of things really - our folks, schools, our friends - then there's pop culture - you know, the tv shows, the movies, the music of one's life. Junior high was filled with pop culture.

Above, Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw in a still from the movie "Love Story" - a girl favorite.

There were the movies. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'd say for the girls that among the movies that defined their years at BF were movies like "Love Story", "To Sir With Love" to name a couple - remember Lulu's hit theme song? I remember the girls talking about "Love Story" and Ali McGraw and unable to hold back the tears - you know, "Love is never having to say you're sorry" - the original chick movie! For the guys there were James Bond movies, Matt Helm, Bonnie & Clyde and The Dirty Dozen. The Graduate was one movie that defined the time - when Ben (Dustin Hoffman) is relentless in his pursuit of Elaine (Katherine Ross) and arrives at her wedding "Elaine!!!", "Ben!!!" 2001: A Space Odyssey, Midnight Cowboy - wow what a difference a few years makes right?

Above, Katherine Ross and Dustin Hoffman in the movie "The Graduate".

Above, click the arrow above to hear Lulu sing "To Sir With Love".

Above, click on the arrow above to play the song "Mrs. Robinson" from "The Graduate".

Television was at its peak and was still a novelty and something we all loved. The variety shows were huge with my parents - Hollywood Palace, Dean Martin Show, Kraft Music Hall and (gulp!) Lawrence Welk! I would watch Hollywood Palace once I realized they had bands on there like Ed Sullivan. We had our own variety shows in the mid-sixties in the afternoon that had girls and bands - "Shindig!", "Where the Action Is!" and "Hullabaloo!" - loved those shows - remember Go-Go boots!?

Above, click the arrow to play The Yardbirds playing "I'm A Man" on tv's Shindig. I loved that song. Note the go-go dancers! As soon as you play you'll see a 15 second clip of who presented this video - once you get past that - very cool!

Then there was the endless stream of sitcoms - "I Dream of Jeannie", "Bewitched", "I Love Lucy" reruns, "Partridge Family", "Brady Bunch", "Batman", "The Monkees", "F Troop" - it was endless! Other shows that kind of defined our generation included shows like "Room 222", "Lost In Space", "Star Trek" and "Mission Impossible".

Above, the trials and tribulations of "Room 222" made an impact on tv at the time.

There were 2 shows that I remember made an impact for me at BF. One was "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" which we always talked about at the bus stop on Tuesday mornings - repeating the classic lines! It was such a cool show at the time - full of double entendres! Then there was Goldie Hawn! She was my favorite star as a kid - I had a huge poster of her in my room - I thought she was so funny! Listening to some of her clips from Laugh-In she's just hysterical!

Above, Goldie Hawn!

Above, click on the arrow above to play a short clip of Goldie Hawn at her best!

Another show I really dug was "The Smothers Brothers Show" which was cutting edge at the time and marched to its own drummer particularly where the Vietnam War was concerned and opinions go. I thought it was a very cool show. And its why they cancelled it in the end.

Above, Jim Lang hosted "The Dating Game"- a popular Saturday night show - pick him! pick her! and the chaperoned "overnight" trip/date!

Above, click the arrow to play Simon & Garfunkel's "For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her" - "What a dream I had, Pressed in organdy, Clothed in crinoline, Of smoky burgundy, Softer than the rain......" - are you kidding me? Truly one of the simplest and most meaningful love songs! Adjust your volume - I couldn't find a better version.

There were the game shows too like "The Dating Game", "The Newlywed Game" and "Let's Make A Deal". I used to make a list of all the things I'd bring with me if I ever made it to the "Let's Make A Deal" show - you know, for the end of the show when Monte Hall would say things like "I'll give you 500 dollars if you have a buffalo nickel!" When I was 10 I thought it funny too that young married couples would get together with other couples and trash each other on tv all for the sake of winning a washer!

Music by far was the best - I started to discover all sorts of music! I loved music as far back as I can remember thanks to my sisters Sharon and Ginger. Watching The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" with Ginger was memorable - my sister took me into the bathroom immediately following that February 9, 1964 show and tried combing what hair I had down into bangs! The weeks leading up to the Beatles arriving in New York were cool - I'd sit on the counter in the kitchen with Ginger while she was doing homework or whatever and we'd be listening to the radio - WABC-NY am radio - remember Cousin Brucie? - for those weeks leading up to Sunday February 9 it was "The Beatles are coming! The Beatles are coming!" and they'd play a song that was called "We Love You Beatles" - incredible build-up for a band  - I thought these guys must be amazing! It was timely to have such a distraction so soon after the death of JFK. By junior high The Beatles were singing "Hey Jude" and the White Album had come out - seemed a long way from the days of "It's A Hard Day's Night" but wonderful! Before we left junior high, The Beatles would break up!

Above, The Beatles had changed quickly from the days of 1964 and Beatlemania - 1967 brought "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"  - wow - talk about a game changer!

I bought tons of records by the time I reached junior high - 45's were only like .59 cents. Started out buying the one hit wonders, then The Beatles, Beach Boys, Monkees, Rolling Stones. Then in 1968 the album "In A Gadda DA Vida" came out - now that was different - is it possible to keep up with it all!? Simon & Garfunkel, Dylan, Lennon's solo albums - I would get lost in the lyrics. To this day I still love discovering new music. Music was another bus stop or school conversation subject - "Have you heard the latest album by....?" I love all kinds of music - Simon & Garfunkel was certainly up there as far as music that was meaningful. I mean just listen to some S&G songs like "The Sounds of Silence", "Kathy's Song", "For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her", "The Dangling Conversation" or "A Most Peculiar Man" - the lyrics are amazing - how can someone write like this?

Above, click the arrow to play Simon & Garfunkel's "Kathy's Song" - its a beautiful song.

The price of color tv sets came down in 1967 making it easier for many to get color tv. I'll never forget when my dad brought the first one home. It was such a monstrosity! You know - they were the stereo, radio, tv combo! We were like "Wow!" "Ooooohhhhh!" - for sports it was "Look at the grass - its green!" We were so impressed by such things! There were peace signs, discoteques, granny glasses, mod clothing and Smiley Faces. There were posters, love beads and the Polaroid Swinger camera.

Twiggy led the way with the Mod's!

It was a great time to grow up but with lots of sobering things going on outside our bubble called Ben Franklin Junior High!

Be sure to come to the BF/GW reunion November 12 - no matter what year you were and rediscover your classmates and make new friends!

September 1967: Welcome to Junior High!

The last day at Glen School - 6th grade - all I could think about was what was it gonna be like in 7th grade? At Ben Franklin Junior High School in general? How different? I have 2 sisters but now both were married and no one was there to tell me what it was gonna be like. All I knew was I wanted to change, to be different than I was - especially after going to 6th grade camp (Camp Green). In fact sometimes I wished that I could've gone to a different school - start a clean slate - its hard to change when people think they "know you" and look at you being a certain way - in a new school - I thought - they wouldn't know me and I could start over.

There would be no more walking to school - no more home for lunch - we would take the bus now. I was looking forward to the cafeteria - but who would I sit with? At the age of 11 the social jockeying was a little intimidating. What I had going against me was that I was a quiet kid in junior high - didn't miss anything but never wanted to make a fool of myself - just couldn't break out. Whereas now I don't care so much what people think, back then I cared a lot about what people thought! Just like in Glen School - I admired a great many of the kids I went to school with at BF. Weird writing such things when I know people are reading this but when you write a blog you tend to put it all out there I guess!

Above, a scene from the 1967-68 school year in our BF cafeteria.

It's not that I wanted to be someone else but I sure as hec wanted to have the confidence of some of these people I knew! Vuke, Frank, Cancelmo, Artie, Tad - Rusty - I mean nothing fazed Wescott - that crew seemed to move with no issues! How do they do it?

What was BF like? It was big, fun, imtimidating - and more!

Homeroom - this was a new thing for us - having a base in the morning and late afternoon before you went home even if you didn't have a class with that teacher. In homeroom you received all your school info, school newspaper - they took attendance. We had homeroom sports teams. My 7th grade homeroom teacher was Virginia Colbeth - she was pretty cool - always smiling. Homeroom 209. Among those in my homeroom were Kathy Stella, Janet Helms, Kevin Marshall, Nanci Hesse, Fred Strype, Bob Whitehead and Colleen Moran.

Above, the back side of BF - the cafeteria is on the right. Above the door in the corner (at the right angle) was where I entered every morning when the bus dropped us off. The second set of windows above and to the right of the door was my 7th grade homeroom - 209. As high school seniors we would return to BF one last time when we graduated high school. Our parents had decorated the BF gym and set up food in the BF cafeteria for an all-night party after our big graduation dinner. BF would be the last place we'd see on our final day in the Ridgewood school system.

We would take classes like woodshop, graphic arts, science, health among all the others. We took language now - French or Spanish. I had 3 great Spanish teachers. The first one was Wilma Farina - I liked her. My 8th grade Spanish teacher was Mavrovitis - she was the one who would make me stand up at my desk and roll my R's - my name was Ricardo and I always seemed to say it like you would say Ricky Ricardo - you know, very American sounding! I would stand there before the class and go "Me llamo Rrrrrrrrrrrrrricardo! Me llamo Rrrrrrrrrrricardo!" I could barely keep from laughing but it worked nonetheless! In the 9th grade it was Dona Maria Garcia. Spanish class that year boasted a pretty good group - Colleen McCarthy, Willie McKee, Elisa Foca, Robin Gneiting (dear Robin!), Sue Nunno and Sandy Toney.

Rea Mavrovitis - my 8th grade Spanish teacher wrote "Good luck to a nice boy - Dona Rea" - boy do I know my Spanish! (well not really I'm afraid - I looked it up!)

We had lockers for the first time. We would shoot hoops after lunch outside the cafeteria. I made some woodshop projects that took no imagination - a wooden stool, a pine shelf - run of the mill stuff - all this while a 9th grader was putting the finisihing touches on a grandfather clock that he started building in the 7th grade! Pine stool - grandfather clock - oh well! Wanamaker made sure to point all this out to us when we first entered his class - we all thought it was downhill from there!

For the first time, we would take showers after gym class - this was new! The biggest thing was avoiding the snapping towels - but hey we gave it back too! We didn't have the greatest food in the world but it was edible! If the day's lunch menu didn't measure up there was always Linden's chocolate chip cookies!

There was the corridor patrol - where's your pass? - some teachers would give you the simplest pass, others would have elaborate,  foot long pieces of wood with the classroom number on it you had to carry. Corridor patrol was great cause you could catch up on your homework - I wouldn't know about that!

Above a member of the corridor patrol was stationed at the end of each hallway to monitor student traffic - "Let me see your pass!"

There was Mr. Higgins and his drama workshops if you were so inclined. BF actually put on some extravagant shows that would rival any high school today. We had 2 great art teachers - art class was elaborate for junior high. The teachers were 2 BF classics - Art Weil and Peter Tilgner. Mr. Tilgner had taught for a year in England when we were in 7th grade - he traded spots with Mr. Trueman who spent a year with us.

Above is a montage of rehearsals for "That's the Way It Is!" - our 8th grade production.

Above, my sister Ginger as a toy soldier in the 1960-61 BF production of "Babes in Toyland".

Above, the entire cast of "Babes in Toyland" at BF in 1960-61. Look at the costumes - this was a junior high school production - pretty cool! My sister Ginger is among the toy soldiers on the lower left - click on the pictures to enlarge them.

We signed yearbooks - I was friends with everybody or I liked to think I was - that is to say I genuinely liked everyone and the thought of perceived status, money, ethnicity, etc. really meant nothing to me. Yeah, I do have the usual "You're a nice kid", "Have a great summer" and "See you next year" signings in my yearbooks but that's ok - looking at my 8th grade yearbook it seemed like just about everyone signed it - a way to feel accepted I suppose. Despite my lack of great grades - I did love BF and made it through!

Above, in 7th grade we did our signings on a sheet of paper!

There were the dreaded "laps" around the field on the hill seemingly every gym class no matter what the season!! There were the guys that never took their gym shorts & shirts home to wash! There were spit balls - tons of them - using Bic pens was the best way to "shoot" them! Penny football in the cafeteria - the tables were perfect for it! Mr. Murphy and Mr. Nelson - Principal and Vice-Principal in 7th and 8th grade and Mr. Watts and Mr. Swinkin in 9th. Chris Tilgner, Cobb, Yennie, Bennett, Mrs. Pade, Latham, Lamm, Garcia, Gooding, Kalina, Bleeden, Kim, Geils, Cobb, Cooke, Collis, Pierro - there were so many classic BF teachers - for good or bad how could you forget them?

Above, the classic Bic pen - take it apart and it made the perfect spit ball shooter!

Above, behind the backstop (where I played baseball one year) was the hill - at the top of the hill it was flat and it went the entire length of the BF field - this is where we ran our laps - Yennie and Bennett seemed to take delight in making us run no matter the season! For several years we always had our baseball tryouts at the BF field.

There was the bookstore. "Franklin Speaking" - our school paper. The BF shows. They included: "The Inspector General" in 7th grade, "That's the Way It Is" in 8th grade and "Up the Down Staircase" in 9th.

There were also the long walks home for some of us if we missed the bus.

Then there was Marlboro Country. This is where you hung out and smoked before and after school. I've said this before in the Glen blog but when I arrived at BF I remember seeing all these people and realizing that I was definitely missing out on something here and I was definitely not cool - how I wanted to be out there - to be smoking! (Pretty funny to think of it that way - as if that was how it was supposed to work!) If I remember right I think the group started directly across from the main entrance of the school and then moved over by the cemetery. It was a Who's-Who group of kids.

Like with every school year, fashion was an inevitable part of the deal whether you liked it or not. More times than not you attempted to keep up with the times lest you be left out or worse have no reading at all on the cool meter! Speaking for myself, there was the Peacoat - I wanted one in the worst way and finally got one. There was the CPO shirt - usually in navy blue - had one. There were the half boot / half shoe um - shoes. The wide belt. Bright pants. Always the chinos too which went perfectly with your paisley shirts! Bell-bottoms. Even sneakers began a transformation. Slowly going away were the PF Flyers and Keds - in came Adidas and Puma's. I remember Chris Ferraro showing off his Adidas sneakers in class - everybody was asking about them - "Where'd you get 'em?" "How much?" "There's a running style AND a cross-country style?" The mini-skirt was in for the girls and frankly the guys didn't even notice anything else! You can mark the years just by looking at what a kid is wearing in photographs!

Above, the mini-skirt was a girl favorite and well, a guy favorite too!

Above the Peacoat - I wanted one in the worst way and finally convinced my mom to get me one!

Above, Artie wearing the popular paisley shirt, wide belt and chinos! L to r in front are Sue Nunno and Jill Neandross.

Then there were the girls! Lots of new girls - of course there were the girls you knew from church, Glen School and camp, but now there were girls from Somerville, Travell and HoHokus. I recall being in 7th grade homeroom - I sat next to Fred Strype - he had a wicked crush on Nanci Hesse who was also in my homeroom. Nanci - like all the Ridgewood girls - was cute! Fred would ask me: "Should I ask her out?" "Do you think she'll say yes?" "Where should I ask her?" We debated whether it be outside after lunch or afterschool! It felt great that he wanted my opinion!

Then there were the guys who were already going steady with girls seriously - you know, you'd go to class - as soon as you were out the door you held hands together (or more) til next class! I forget who it was - Mr. Gooding maybe? - anyway this teacher would walk the halls during the class change near the library. He would come up to an unsuspecting couple and he would split their hands with his arm breaking their grip and say: "There will be no hand-holding in the halls! Get to class!" He would battle the couples all year long.

All in all life at BF was new and exciting. Discussions about girls always on the bus ride home. Thoughts of "How can I buy a pack of cigarettes?" "What do I need to do to be cool?" Yes, it is ridiculous that one needs to ask such questions - to think that you need to plot how to be cool - it just doesn't work that way. However, the issue is huge when you're a kid though!

There were also the incredible struggles with math class - especially my 7th grade year - Mr. Bleeden was the best and spent a good deal of time with me after school helping me to understand it all. By 9th grade I always hated to ask questions - it stems from Mr. Kalina who said: "Any questions? No question is a stupid question." - oh, really - well, yeah I have a question and then I proceeded to ask it - Mr. Kalina responded: "Didn't you listen to anything I said in class?!" From that day on I had no more questions! Some teachers just didn't get it - sorry Mr. Kalina! That poor man broke a lot of chalk on the board - he had an amazing temper and no patience!

Anyway BF was a special place where you met a lot more people than the small world of grammar school.

In 9th grade, the HoHokus and Mount Carmel kids would join us and in high school the GW kids and kids from Mount Carmel would join us if they hadn't already in 9th grade - we doubled our size and ultimately graduated with 658 kids!

It's a cliche, but man if only I could go back knowing what I know now!

Miss You Robin Gneiting, Artie, Eddie O'Hara, Alex, Jerry...............

We'll always remember our classmates - how can you forget the people you grew up with? Here are some "kids" no longer with us - love you guys!

How is it possible these people aren't here any more?

Artie Brierley

Robin Gneiting

Eddie O'Hara

Bob Haring

Alex Kramer

Jerry Guarente

Not pictured: Pat Florence, Bill Lavery, Mark Garella - sadly I guess I'm missing some others..............its important to live for today but I can't help remembering too.......