Built

By an 8 to 1 vote, theErie School board aprroved school superintendent James Barker’s plan to replace the 74 year old building. He said the new school would become a magnet school in language arts and the media, with a state-of-the art curriculum.

The School Board approved Baker’s plans and the first application to Harrisburg has been sent to begin planning for a new school.

Ground breaking for the new school could start as early as September. Although the school district owns several properties, the largest is the existing school site which is almost ten acres.

Bevery Potts, head of the East High Alumni Association said, "I want to see a new high school." She said, "The alumni will probably hate to see their old building torn down, but the new school is needed to help rejuvenate the neighborhood."

Superintendent Barker said he thinks taxpayers will be convinced about the need for a new shcool. "The best way to explain it is this. How many people live in a house where the toilets don’t work, where you don’t have heat, the electricity goes on and off, and where they don’t know what’s in the basement? he asked. (Ed. Sounds like nothing has changed much since 1952.)

Est High’s principal Helen Jackson said that the students and people of East Erie have been neglected and a new East High would be something to be proud of.

Jackson said that when the school district’s architects toured the school cafeteria they expressed a keen interest in some of the equipment—because the equipment would be considered an antiques, she said.

East High School students are not unanimous that they need a new school. Some students think the existing building could be renovated. But they want some thing done to improve the old building. Senior Kathy Majersky, a member of the swim team, was blunt in describing the schoool’s non-existent ventilation system: "It stinks!"

The new school will be built to house 1,200 students. Currently 750 students attend East High. Enrollment projections show that a larger school is needed.

Kevin Allen, a 1972 East High graduate said he will work with Beverly Potts, head of the East High Alumni Association, to begin a letter writing campain in support of the new school.

_____________________________

Letters to the Editor:

From Mary Lilt Gardner Colvin

Dear Dan,

Please continue featureing 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

From Jeanette Flowers Bisbee

Dan,

Pleasekeep ut the good work. I enjoy the newsltter very much.

Jeanette, Erie, PA

by Tom Petroff..

I talked to Ben Preston the other day. Seems Boom Boom Oatman harrassment 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 Locksmit and Glass Bock of Erie. My lovely wife,Louise, and I have been married for twenty-seven year and 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 Catherdaral Prep is now the Governor of Pennsylvania. His inaugaration was grand with so many supporters. Many Erie organizations were represented in Harrisburg. The Grand Inaugeration Ball was held her in Erie at the Avalon Hotel.

The 49 year old Erie native has charisma about him that charms people—warm, frindly, 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 wholsome easy desert to make is good old Apple Crisp. I learned it in Cooking II, senior year. We had ourdays 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.

Donna Dembaugh has recently retird 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 H

oward may have to commute via their Comanche until October if they sell their home in Tampa.

_____________________________

by Toots Cooper Hunter

I think it is remarkable how many in ourclassl ove to travel—inclucing 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 teach who is retired is now living in Coral Springs. It was delightful to vistit with her. She and I were teachers at the same school.

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

_______________________________

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 enoughto retire, so I guess I’ll just have to enjoy his retirment until I get old enough.

We have no trips planed until June we we will go to Estes Park, Colorado. Our two sons,wives andgrandchildren 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 photos.

Classmates who graduated in The Class of 1952 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 students so information can be mailed soon.

Ben Preston

******Address

_

Dear Mr. Editor,

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

Your recollection about some things are correct. I appologize, it was Mr. Barber, not Mr. MacDonald who discussed Freddy’s footprints on the wall.

As to where Freddy is now, I am surprized that he runs the boneless chicken farm in Edinboro. I would have thought he night 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 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 Phynx. I won’t remind you about the slightly off beat coed that had you help her glue all of her furniture to the ceiling when she was forced to move out of her off campus aprtment.

_____________________________

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

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 Mrtly 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 Septemer, 1994. I worked at the Financial Center at Behrend for the past seventeen years.

My hustand 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 classmaers have a great New Year.

Dear Dan,

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

Pauline Lpchik 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 colapse.

______________________________

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

The building of a new East High most certainly keynots 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 eyr so managementis not ready to make any offers because they want people to stay. This year any way.

—-So maybe next year.

Kerm Hultberg

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 togetherwith Dic and Suzy 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?

LETTER TO THE EDDITOR:

Dan,

Would you please mail me a 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 forty classmate interviews.

Dan C.