My Brooklyn

Richard Knox

SBHS '63, BC '67 . . . I thought I'd just do this by stream of consciousness . . . SBHS: Mr. DeLeonardis on the picket line . . . Hurricane Donna the first day of school . . . Nominating Marvin Sachs (fictitious student) for SGO president . . . the tree of knowledge . . . living on the same block (E. 18 St.) as Mr. and Miss Sheepshead (Mike Levinson and Andrea Kantor) . . . Math with Mrs. Gottfried (ugh) and Mr. Venezia (yea) . . . Mr. Newman (physics) proving the phlogiston theory while almost setting his room on fire . . . Rico Petrocelli signs with the Red Sox! . . . trips to Stratford, Conn. . . . great buddies Steve Shapiro, Howie Kirsch, Billy Wagner Cunningham: School was 2nd in USA on Iowa tests . . . 2 with mustard and kraut from "Pop" the Sabrett vendor . . . snowball fights in Kelly Park . . . burger and fries at luncheonette on Coney Is. Ave. and Ave. S . . . Miss Finkelstein (wow!) P.S. 206: Buying baseball cards at Saltzman's candy store (Neck and 22 St.), . . . do you have the "set" yet?? . . . Miss Keyes' perfume . . . the day the music died . . . take cover drills . . . running bases . . . your own man says you're out! . . . Chinese hand ball . . . Sadie and Lou's candy store (19th and Neck) . . . Bobby Kahn, Mike Singer, Mitch Silverman, Bob Kantor . . . The neighborhood: go to the 2nd car and buttonhook . . . I'll hit you with a pass . . . FraMar on 23rd and U . . . my folks' shoestore (Arlene Bootery) on U and 18th . . . Cookieburgers on U, M, and J . . . Three Star (still there!) . . . waiting for a local at the Neck Rd. station while 3 expresses whip past . . . the smell of burning leaves . . . The call of the "I Cash Clothes" man on Sat. mornings . . . Howdy Doody and Rootie Kazootie . . . Hopalong Cassidy and Gabby Hayes (ya darn tootin'!!) . . . Grand Army Plaza library (wow . . . this is big!) . . . Happy Felton's knot hole gang before the Dodger games . . . Charcolette (later Big Daddy's) on C.I.A. and Y . . . the lampposts in the middle of each intersection on Ocean Pkwy . . . the Staten Is. Ferry (no bridge then) . . . Brighton private . . . the Oceana, Avalon, Mermaid, Graham, Ave. U, Kingsway, Mayfair, Sheepshead, Midwood . . . two films and a bunch of cartoons . . . special color coded student passes . . . jelly apples and pez . . . Junior's burgers and a flick at the Brooklyn Paramount, Fox, or Albee . . . shopping at Mays with mom . . . summer trips to the Catskill hotels (Schenk's, Raleigh, Windsor, Nemerson, Flagler, Granit) . . . Weiner's bungalow colony. All in all . . . Those Were the Days My Friend.

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