lives in Citris Springs, Florida with his wife Susie. Dick is enjoying his retirement years, and says that he golfs at least three times a week.

Dick explained that after graduation from East High he worked at American Meter for three years. In 1956 he became a Pennsylvania State Police officer. One year later he was drafted and spent two years in Germany. He promised himself that one day he would return there.

After discharge he returned to Kane, Pennsylvania as a state trooper, and remained there for nine years. That is where he met his wife Susie. The Lewis’s have two children, Laurel, who lives with her husband in York, PA, and Richard who is stationed in Little Rock, Arkansa, in the USAF. Dick and Susie have two grandchildren.

After Dick was promoted to Sergeant, in 1967, he came to Erie where the Lewis’s built their home. Dick retired from the State Police in 1984.

In Florida, both Dick and Susie play tournament golf. Dick explained that Susie just won a tournament recently. Dick has numerous trophies and awards for his golf.

When not golfing, Dick said, "I enjoy visiting my old friend Rip Simmons (‘50 Harborcreek) in Wyoming where in 1991 Dick bagged a bull elk, buck mule dear, and an antelope in one season.

Dick said that Kermit Hultberg lives nearby and they often meet and socialize. Kerm just retired recently.

Living up to his promise to return to Germany, Dick and Susie returned and visited his German friend who has a vineyard. He said, "It was a great two weeks being in Germany and enjoying the reuniting with old friends. I actually worked in his winery."

Dick, the Class of ‘52 salutes you for your years of service as a state trooper. We wish you continue to have good health and admire and envy your golf handicap. r

From Mary Lill Gardner Colvin

Dear Dan,

Please continue featuring people in The WARRIOR. It is great to hear in detail about others.

My father died in `1985. My mother is now 85 years old and recently moved to a condo in Boca to be near us. So we are busy. One of my daughters lives here also and is happily teaching kindergarten and going to graduate school.

I enjoy reading the WARRIOR.

Mary Lill,

Boca Raton, FL

r

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From Jeanette Flowers Bisbee

Dan,

Please keep up the good work. I enjoy the newsletter very much.

Jeanette, Erie, PA

I talked to Ben Preston the other day. It seems that Boom Boom Oatman’s harassment has finally paid off. Ben said he is mailing you some photos that were not in the Sunrise.

I am self-employed and own the Ace Locksmith and Glass Block of Erie. My lovely wife, Louise, and I have been married for twenty-seven years and we have two children—Tom Junior, 23, and Mary Petroff Wentz, 25. We are proud grandparents of Brittany Michele Wentz who is five. I also have two children by my previous marriage—Eric Petroff and Alicia Donowski.

I have recently added on a new business—signs and banners.

_____________________________

The picture of the Red Suspender Gang brought me right back to high school. The darling boys of our class—every one of you a prize catch!

In December my brother Frank sent me the video of his reunion of the Class of 1954. I was surprised when I saw that Dan Conley had made the video. Wow, what devotion to our school

and so many classmates.

For those classmates that do not live in Erie, I am proud to announce that Thomas J. Ridge, a product of Cathedral Prep is now the Governor of Pennsylvania. His inauguration was grand with so many supporters. Many Erie organizations were represented in Harrisburg. The Grand Inauguration Ball was held her in Erie at the Avalon Hotel.

The 49 year old Erie native has charisma about him that charms people—warm, friendly, at east with people. The Governor has a sense of values that is above politics.

A bit of news for the cooks in our class. To this day a good wholesome easy dessert to make is good old Apple Crisp. I learned it in Cooking II, senior year. We had our days of popcorn and fudge too. Cooking together with the boys was fun.

A closing thought.. Exchanging and reading over our year books would be great at our next reunion. I love the words Sammy Raica had for me.

r

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Donna Dembaugh has recently retired from her university professorship. She now lives in Tampa. Her husband Howard will be retiring at the end of the hurricane season—around October. They will be moving to their new house in Lake Placid as soon as they sell their Tampa home. Both she and her husband are pilots, which means Howard may have to commute via their Comanche until October if they sell their home in Tampa.

r

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by Toots Cooper Hunter

I think it is remarkable how many in our class like to travel —including me. Last September Tom and I went to a friend’s daughter’s wedding in Hawaii. The following month we spent three weeks in Cooper City near Ft. Lauderdale.

Our oldest son Tom and his family live in Ft. Lauderdale. Tom’s third grad teacher is retired and now living in Coral Springs. It was delightful to visit with her. She and I were teachers at the same school in Erie.

It is enjoyable to read our WARRIOR ‘52 to find out what our classmates have been doing.

r

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Estes Park (Colorado) Trip Planned

by Patti Dench Maurer

Although I am not retired, I am really enjoying my husband’s retirement. For those of us who do not work outside the home, when do we retire? Good Question!!!

My husband, Mel, says I am not old enough to retire, so I guess I’ll just have to enjoy his retirement until I get old enough.

We have no trips planed until June we we will go to Estes Park, Colorado. Our two sons,wives and grandchildren are all meeting together. We are really looking forward to get together again.

When I got the last WARRIOR it prodded me into doing something I should have done weeks, months, years ago. While going through an old shoe box I came up with some old pictures that I do not believe were ever in our yearbook.

I hope they will bring back some pleasant memories. They have for me! Possibly some will end up in the newsletter. I value the editions of the newsletter highly and read them over often.

So Boom Boom Oatman, you got your way. Enjoy the photos. Now you can bug Chooch Conley for the pictures.

___________________________

by Dee Juchno & Jo Kruszewicz

The eleventh grade M-Club recently had their election of officers for their senior year. They are as follows: President, Rita Glance, vice president, Ruth Staynoff; secretary, Susan Myers; treasurer, Toni Marinelli; social chairman, Tessie Mando; publicity chairman, Dolores Juchno; service chairman: Joni Franz; program chairman, Dot Kupniewski.

St. Ann’s School Plans Reunion

Classmates who graduated in The Class of 1952 who attended St. Ann’s School are envited to a reunion planned for the near future. Ben Preston invites anyone who is interested in getting information about the reunion to write to him. He will pass your name on to the Reunion Committee.

Ben is particularly interested in getting the married names of the female classmates so information can be mailed soon.

Ben Preston

1328 East 8th Street

Those make-up stories by you and G George "Honeysuckle" Hahn are nothing but obvious fabrications you’ve dredged up from some abandoned gold mine out west there some where. Well, I’m here to tell you that all of those stories about me ain’t nothing more than a collection of glittering Arizona pyrite.

"Freddy" for instance, was Mr. Barber’s idea. The purpose behind the footprints all over the school walls was to get funding from the district to repaint the building. So Miss Lillis pressured me (along with Moose Pasarotti) to come in on weekends and make tracks of footprints. Believe me, I was totally innocent!

Incidentally, "FREDDY" now runs a boneless chicken farm in Edinboro, while recovering from an almost terminal case of athlete’s feet.

Still innocent,

Dick Petit

Ann Harbor, MI

PS: Dan, Dick Contino is looking for a drummer. I told him you had a set of drums upstairs in your bedroom, and now that you only work three days a week, you might be willing to do a gig with him in Vegas. Accordion with drums...Great!

Dear Dick,

It ain’t Arizona pyrite, it is pure gold. Your recollection about some things are correct. It was Mr. Barber, not Mr. MacDonald who discussed Freddy’s footprints on the wall.

As to where Freddy is now, I am surprised that he runs the boneless chicken farm in Edinboro. I would have thought he might be hiding down in the basement of East High, waiting patiently for some wacko kid like you to give him a rebirth in order to frustrate the faculty and administration at East.

I promise, from now on, I will not print anything that is even slightly tailored, Dick. For example, I won’t write anything about your fraternity pranks at Edinoro State—after all we are Brothers in the Bond of the Sphinx. Since we are to be forever loyal, I won’t remind you about the slightly off beat, dizzy, coed that you helped glue her carpet and all of her furniture to the ceiling when she was forced to move out of her off campus apartment.

r

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Hamot Hospital wants to contract services, but I have decided that I am going to take the summer off and think about it. Presently, I coordinate the Neuro/Ortho services line at Hamot.

In March I will be going to Huston, Texas. I will head for San Francisco in May, and Columbus in June. In July or August I will head for Myrtle Beach.

I have only one thing to say—"Love that retirement!!!"

___________________________

I can’t believe a lifetime has passed so quickly. I retired from Penn State, Behrend this past September, 1994. I worked at the Financial Center at Behrend for the past seventeen years.

My husband is still working, but so far, I love retirement. For one thing, I have much more time for my lovely four grand children and it is great!

Our cottage at Findley Lake is now completely built, and I’m having fun furnishing it. We spend as much time as possible there.

I hope that all of our classmates have a great New Year.

____________________________

From Clare Bukala, Bob Miller, Bob Laskowski, Marion Fabin, Pauline Lipchik, Steve Kowalcxyk, Patricia Green, Pauline Lipchik, and others.

New East High to be

Dear Dan,

I don’t know whether you have heard, but Erie is going to build a new East High School. The old school is or was deteriorated so that they voted on a new building.

Pauline Lipchik Berti

Erie, PA.

Dear Pauline,

If my numbers are correct, the building was 31 years old when we graduated. Last spring I visited Helen Jackson, the principal at East High. Since it was after school she allowed me to walk around. Except for the old tile drinking fountains, almost everything was changed. The old wooden floors were replaced by tile. The French doors to the classrooms were replaced by solid doors. Only the cafeteria seemed unchanged.

I had the feeling that if Aggie Kudlock could get her cheer leading squad to get the students to make a boisterous cheer, the auditorium walls and floors would collapse.

______________________________

I’m sending you one section of our newspaper. I was going to cut out the East High article, but though you might be interested in our Erie news also.

The building of a new East High most certainly keynotes an end to a wonderful era.

I am still here at the G.E. I raised my hand hoping they would offer me something—but they have 750 locomotives to build this year so management is not ready to make any offers because they want people to stay. This year any way.

—-So maybe next year.

My wife and I are enjoying our life in Florida. We are on the West Coast, in Hudson. The winter here has been a little cool at time but no complaints. My wife and I get together with Dick and Susie Lewis often and have a great time. They are really great friends. I enjoy reading the newsletter.

I wonder if there are any chances that Ben Preston will ever give Bob Oatman those high school photographs?

Dan,

Would you please mail me a video copy of our 40th Class Reunion.

Thanks.

Dee Juchno Sibs

Rochester, NY

Dee,

I am sending you two tapes—ours and also the Class of 1954 40th Reunion held last summer. Tell me what you think of the ‘54 fortieth classmate video interviews. By the way, Dee, thanks for the 50 plus articles you sent us. They will be an integral part of our WARRIOR ‘52.

Dan C.

Ms. Jackson, the Principal of East High School, agreed to let us tour the high school at the end of a spring school day last year. My grandson, Joshua, who is now a freshman at East, accompanied my daughter Abby Conley and I on a non-guided tour. We thanked Ms. Jackson and immediately walked across the hall to the auditorium.

I noticed that the Roman numerals stood out clearly on the balcony clock. It read **2:17, but it was obvious that the clock had stopped a long time ago. I wondered if it had stopped during the rumbling of a student pep rally as hundreds of students pounded their thunderous feet on the auditorium floor.

Maybe the clock stopped unceremoniously at exactly 2:17 a.m. in the silence of the night. Possibly clocks, just like human hearts age, tire and tick no more.

I wondered, "Why had it not been fixed or repaired?" They do heart transplants, don't they? It may be true that all things, large or small, one day ring silent--to stop, to end, as time moves on without them.

Now forty years later I look at the stage through the opened curtains to the gym.

The familiar red stage curtains are now.** The wooden gymnasium floor has been replaced with tile. *** The high ceiling windows still have the original caged screens. The graffiti on the walls is the same, only the names are different.

A flash of the past strikes me. I see the faculty playing against the varsity basketball team. The faculty Howard Mischler, Bob Arrowsmith, Duke Detzel, Harry Massing, and Mr. Mac Donald, with his long skinny legs, looks out of place. He makes a basket, then two more.

A mosaic of images erupt in my mind as I stare at the empty stage. I see Mary Ann Osiecki, Ruth Cagara, and Patricia Orzechowski, singing to Artie Bierzonski, Sina Morris, Corky Pietrzak. They are singing "I want to be loved by you, by you, and nobody else will do." It is Sadie Hawkins day, 1951.

My thoughts are interrupted by a soft feminine voice. "It brings back pleasant memories, doesn't it Dad?" I nod at my daughter, Abby. How could words possibly express the multitude of memories we have of high school?

My grandson Joshua Daniel exclaims, "This sure is an old auditorium!" I was struck by the irony of the moment. The three of us standing in the auditorium--my grandson Joshua looking at his future, my daughter looking at the present, and I viewing the past.

The old wooden **seats have been replaced by comfortable padded seats. I recalled that as an underclassman we had to sit in the balcony. By the time we were seniors we sat in the first few rows. In reverie I hear Duke Detzel introducing the varsity football team. "At halfback this year we have team captain Tommy Domico. Jimmy Johnson ar right half. At quarterback Lee Cabelof. At center, Dick Lewis and at tackle Gene Rachoki." Each player seems ill at ease as he steps forward when his name is called.

After we left the auditorium we made our way to Pop Warren's Room 120. Suddenly, as though drawn by fate, a cleaning woman surfaced from no where and unlocked the room. New modern desks, overhead lightning, and green chalk boards add a brightness to the room. It was different, but somehow unchanged. I realized the desks were facing the same direction they were forty years before. I glanced at the front corner desk near the windows. I sat there for three years during home room. It is remarkable, but I went right down the row by the windows. Behind my desk was Gus Halupcinski, then Jim Nickelson, Lee Cabelof, John Szymczak. The next row was Kerm Hultberg, Shanks Harrington, Jim Keller, and Don Arnold.

As I stared at the empty desks of the now deceased classmates I felt a deep sorrow. Had their dreams and aspirations in life been fulfilled? The refrain of a song lingering,--"Only the good die young."

The hardwood floors of the hallway are now tiled. *** The French doors giving full visual access to classrooms have been replaced by solid doors with one narrow window.

Still filled with nostalgia, we thanked Ms. Johnson for allowing us an non-guided tour into yesteryear. She asked me if things had changed much since 1952. Just as I was about to answer I noticed the nearby drinking fountain. The ceramic tiled drinking fountains looked exactly the same--unchanged through time. Each student for the past 75 years has satisfied their thirst at these fountains.

I remembered that we often would take a straw from the cafeteria and siphon the water from the water well. Many unsuspecting classmates got a snout full of water as the water squirted their face. I explained the prank to my grandson. His eyes glistened with delight as though he stored the idea away for a future day.

I turned the handle of the drinking fountain, and to everyone's surprise, the water squirted two feet into the air. Ms. Jackson smiled and explained that tradition follows tradition at East High.

The late afternoon sun was brightwe walked down the cement steps of East high. I began to sense a feeling of relief as we walked toward Atkins Street. I felt the release of a forty year tether that bound me to my unchanged memories of East High. The tour allowed me the chance to see how the school had changed. It was all too evident it had aged and weathered and like us all--aged much over the past forty years. It had remained unchanged in my mind. Now I could let it go and somehow put the school in proper prospective.

Thousands of students over the last seventy-five years have opened and slammed its doors. Each generation has strained the bosom of the magnificence structure which stands noble like a regal queen. Millions of noisy footsteps have echoed the heart of her now sagging hallways. Her bright, but weathered walls have inspired the inquisitive, satisfied the ambitious and encouraged the wanting student. She has for nearly seventy five years opened her accepting arms to embrace the exuberant energy of young and sometimes boisterous adolescents.

She has served each one of us well and has earned her needed rest.

Photography sometimes serves history well. I wonder if we might place three photographs in the proposed Bicentennial 1995 Time Capsule to be buried at **Robbin's Landing (Public Dock). One hundred years from now, when they open the time capsule, they would find three photographs. One photograph of the beauty and splendor of the 75 year old East High School. One photograph of the architect's rendering of the new East High--and one of the balcony clock that will remain for eternity, exactly 2:17.

r

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There are times that I wished I still lived in Erie, because on May 16th I would vote for my daughter Abby Conley for Erie City Council.

To me she will always be the bundle of energy, carefree, and happy-go-lucky daughter with a tremendous sense of humor. The people of Erie see her differently. She has served you well as a representative to the State Democratic Committee in Harrisburg.

She gathered over twenty thousand signatures to get the library building issue on the ballot. She has single handedly spoken for the establishment of the Initiative and Referendum on the State of Pennsylvania ballot. Presently she is the Chairwoman for the Erie Bicentennial Time Capsule that will be buried for the next 100 years.

Please give her your vote on May 16th, not because she is my daughter, but because she is a worthy Democratic choice for City Council.

She will serve you well.

Just a note....

What are you planning to do during your retirement years?

Drop me a note, so I can list you in the next newsletter.

Peggy Lamb Kinney—Thanks for the scrap book. It will give our readers some interesting reading.

Photographs:

If you have some photos of our days at East that you think others will enjoy, mail them to me. Be sure to put your name on the back. I will duplicate them and return them to you promptly.

Dan C.