Allen has such an amazing career, it would take me forever to write about it in detail, that is why I have included his web sites for all to enjoy.
At present Allen resides in Orlando Florida,he has three wonderful, children, and three grand children to be proud of as well. His older son is CEO of the sports Museum of America, and of course so very proud of that as well.
His College, Polytechnic University in Brooklyn has acknowledged and recognized his accomplishments and success by choosing him for their Distinguished Alumni Award, the plaque which, hangs in the lobby of that institution in downtown Brooklyn. He has 5 masters degrees and his is success in the sports, entertainment, and the investment industries has made him a master in his career ..
Enjoy his web site as I did, you will be amazed at what he has accomplished in his lifetime...
Thanks Allen, for letting me share your wonderful career with all our Madisonians. I am sure they will agree with me that your accomplishments certainly do deserve recognition.
Sherry
Type into your search engine...enjoy
http://allenschwalb.com/
www.InvestinSports.com
www.TheSportsMuseum.com
www.ModernWomenInc.com
www.CheyenneME.com
Friday, October 17, 2008
ADRIAN HORN.....Class of.....1954
Adrian G. Horn, Director of the Finger Lakes Choral Festival, has had a lifetime of involvement in virtually every aspect of choral music. He sang with Robert Shaw for two years while still in high school, received a BS in vocal performance at SUNY Fredonia (where he was Captain of the baseball team and also played semi-pro football with the Fredonia Orioles) and a Masters Degree specializing in Choral Music from Columbia University. Adrian then entered the Navy and was appointed Director of the Naval Aviation Cadet Choir while undergoing training as a Naval Aviation Officer.
After completing his tour of duty, he became a professional chorister with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera. Subsequently, he entered the doctoral program at Columbia University, but was sidetracked from completing a thesis on developing community choruses by the priority of putting his ideas into action. What followed was a remarkable adventure of choral activities, including:
Founding Director, San Francisco City Chorus, for which he was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the City of San Francisco for bringing great music to the people of the city
Director, Olympic Athletic Club of San Francisco Men's Chorus
Founding Director, Women's Chorus of San Francisco
Director, San Francisco State University Chorus, where he built the chorus from 35 to 225 members in five semesters
Founding Director, San Francisco Festival of Carols
Founding Director, San Francisco Choral Society, a 250 voice symphonic chorus, regularly performing before sold-out houses at Davies Symphony Hall
As a conductor, Adrian has an extraordinary ability to inspire singers to bring passion and meaning to their music. Singers stay on their toes because they don't want to miss any of his colorful comments or unique musical insights. At one rehearsal, before a chorus and orchestra of nearly 500 performing the Berlioz Requiem at the cavernous San Francisco Civic Auditorium he quipped, "All I wanted to do was get some people together to sing, and the whole thing got totally out of hand."
At the height of his success with the San Francisco Choral Society, after conducting three sold-out performances of Carmina Burana at Davies Symphony Hall in October 1992Adrian left San Francisco to pursue perhaps his most rewarding career, stay-at-home-Dad for his three young boys. But music always seemed to follow, as did the Directorship of the Sequim Community Chorus in Washington, and after relocating to New York, the Jamestown Choral Society.
The Finger Lakes Choral Festival, now entering its sixth season, is the current focus of his life-long obsession with bringing people together to sing great choral music.
Well done Adrian, You followed your dreams and you have proved that Madison has turned out another shining star.
After completing his tour of duty, he became a professional chorister with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera. Subsequently, he entered the doctoral program at Columbia University, but was sidetracked from completing a thesis on developing community choruses by the priority of putting his ideas into action. What followed was a remarkable adventure of choral activities, including:
Founding Director, San Francisco City Chorus, for which he was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the City of San Francisco for bringing great music to the people of the city
Director, Olympic Athletic Club of San Francisco Men's Chorus
Founding Director, Women's Chorus of San Francisco
Director, San Francisco State University Chorus, where he built the chorus from 35 to 225 members in five semesters
Founding Director, San Francisco Festival of Carols
Founding Director, San Francisco Choral Society, a 250 voice symphonic chorus, regularly performing before sold-out houses at Davies Symphony Hall
As a conductor, Adrian has an extraordinary ability to inspire singers to bring passion and meaning to their music. Singers stay on their toes because they don't want to miss any of his colorful comments or unique musical insights. At one rehearsal, before a chorus and orchestra of nearly 500 performing the Berlioz Requiem at the cavernous San Francisco Civic Auditorium he quipped, "All I wanted to do was get some people together to sing, and the whole thing got totally out of hand."
At the height of his success with the San Francisco Choral Society, after conducting three sold-out performances of Carmina Burana at Davies Symphony Hall in October 1992Adrian left San Francisco to pursue perhaps his most rewarding career, stay-at-home-Dad for his three young boys. But music always seemed to follow, as did the Directorship of the Sequim Community Chorus in Washington, and after relocating to New York, the Jamestown Choral Society.
The Finger Lakes Choral Festival, now entering its sixth season, is the current focus of his life-long obsession with bringing people together to sing great choral music.
Well done Adrian, You followed your dreams and you have proved that Madison has turned out another shining star.
PETER MARK..Class of...1957
Peter Mark a graduate of James Madison High class of 1957. A "Leader" indeed. A talent that almost everyone would love to have. I guess we all at one time or other as a child at bed time, laid on our backs in bed and conducted some sort of big band, or even perhaps a wonderful symphonic orchestra ...Waving our arms back and forth to the music only in our heads. Peter fulfilled his dreams, and went on to become "MAESTRO". world renown. He Has accomplished what many have not been able to in our young daydreams. For Peter's daydreaming became his wonderful reality. His bio is quite extensive. I would like to include a link for you to enjoy so you will see what he has accomplished in his career over the years. It will give you an idea of how strong his love and commitment to his music took him to where he is now. Here are some of his reviews for the new opening season
******************************
The large orchestra, under the baton of Peter Mark and provided by the Virginia Symphony, was in fine form opening night, playing with passion and consummate sensitivity to the dialogue between pit and singers.
Maestro Peter Mark guides the over forty-piece orchestra with the lush, rich colors that define Tales of Hoffmann
******************************
Musically, matters were at the same high level. Peter Mark conducted, and this too was one of his best performances in recent seasons. Tempos were sensible and dramatically apt. He maintained excellent balance between stage and pit, and coaxed some beautiful string and wind performances from the Virginia Symphony musicians.
******************************
Virginia Opera started their season off with a bang. This production was absolutely amazing. I can’t imagine a better opener. This production had all the elements needed for a wonderful evening. I strongly urge everyone to see it. I promise you won’t be disappointed if you do.
******************************
The Virginia Opera's orchestra, under the baton of longtime Artistic Director Peter Mark, produced a rich, romantic sound that underscored each singer's talents.
******************************
Again, Peter Mark was outstanding as the conductor. He is the most giving of operatic conductors as he handles his singers with "kid gloves" throughout and yet he gently coaxes them into full intensity without overwhelming them with the music.
******************************
Virginia should be very proud of this traveling opera company. The huge standing ovations for all of their operas at the George Mason U. Center for the Arts attest to the fact that they are loved for their professionalism and quality.
******************************
This is a masterful production by the VOC, and kudos must go to maestro Mark for reviving it from the company's vault and putting it on display.
******************************
Enjoy the following links, on the top of the first one click on each Opera.....Copy and paste them into your search engine...
http://www.vaopera.org/
http://www.vaopera.org/html/currentoperas/popup_castCrew.cfm?opera=1&castCrewMember=1094
I thank you Peter for sharing your accomplishments with me, and giving me the opportunity to share your amazing career with all our Madisonians as well.
You have mastered an amazing career "Maestro," and by doing so, have brought beautiful music to the ears of the world. Keep up your continued good work.
Another distinguished Madisonian to be proud of.
******************************
The large orchestra, under the baton of Peter Mark and provided by the Virginia Symphony, was in fine form opening night, playing with passion and consummate sensitivity to the dialogue between pit and singers.
Maestro Peter Mark guides the over forty-piece orchestra with the lush, rich colors that define Tales of Hoffmann
******************************
Musically, matters were at the same high level. Peter Mark conducted, and this too was one of his best performances in recent seasons. Tempos were sensible and dramatically apt. He maintained excellent balance between stage and pit, and coaxed some beautiful string and wind performances from the Virginia Symphony musicians.
******************************
Virginia Opera started their season off with a bang. This production was absolutely amazing. I can’t imagine a better opener. This production had all the elements needed for a wonderful evening. I strongly urge everyone to see it. I promise you won’t be disappointed if you do.
******************************
The Virginia Opera's orchestra, under the baton of longtime Artistic Director Peter Mark, produced a rich, romantic sound that underscored each singer's talents.
******************************
Again, Peter Mark was outstanding as the conductor. He is the most giving of operatic conductors as he handles his singers with "kid gloves" throughout and yet he gently coaxes them into full intensity without overwhelming them with the music.
******************************
Virginia should be very proud of this traveling opera company. The huge standing ovations for all of their operas at the George Mason U. Center for the Arts attest to the fact that they are loved for their professionalism and quality.
******************************
This is a masterful production by the VOC, and kudos must go to maestro Mark for reviving it from the company's vault and putting it on display.
******************************
Enjoy the following links, on the top of the first one click on each Opera.....Copy and paste them into your search engine...
http://www.vaopera.org/
http://www.vaopera.org/html/currentoperas/popup_castCrew.cfm?opera=1&castCrewMember=1094
I thank you Peter for sharing your accomplishments with me, and giving me the opportunity to share your amazing career with all our Madisonians as well.
You have mastered an amazing career "Maestro," and by doing so, have brought beautiful music to the ears of the world. Keep up your continued good work.
Another distinguished Madisonian to be proud of.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
RUTH (GAMZER) GRUENER..A Survivor
Ruth (Gamzer) Gruener, Attended Madison for only one year . Her story is so incredible I thought it a perfect time to have her story told, especially this time of the year. I had the good fortune to be able to speak to Ruth many times, and we have been e-mailing since. Ruth stated that her one year at Madison was an especially wonderful and happy time of her life. She started classes there in 1949, she was in awe at how all the teachers and students welcomed her into their midst. Being fluent in German, and not so in English, some of the teachers suggested that she copy homework from other students,(can you imagine if we did that??) as to help her improve her English. Her friends always picked her up in the morning walked to school and walked her home as well..She felt so at home with all these wonderful kind things happening to her, she felt safe and she had new friends.
She was invited to become a member if a Social Club as well, the club was "Citiai" from the Latin word Friendship. Her best friend was Ruthie Kagen who I am trying to locate for her. Following is her story,
=================================================================
Over sixty years ago, Joanna Zalucka hid a young Jewish girl in her bedroom for eight months, saving the child from the Nazi killing spree in their native Poland.
Ruth Gruener - was reunited with her old friend from Poland in 2005 finally returning a lifesaving favor by hosting her World War II benefactor for two weeks.
"It is just so wonderful that no words can describe how I felt," said Ruth, who was sobbing as she and Joanna now 81, hugged in their emotional meeting.. Although the two have corresponded over the decades, they hadn't seen one another since 1944. "Its a miracle" Joanna said in Polish
Ruth's survival in their hometown of Lvov, Poland, was a miracle as well; she and her parents were the only ones from an extended family of 300 who survived the Holocaust. "Luncia" her nickname in Poland was a cheerfull eight year old girl growing up in 1930's Poland. But then the Nazis arrived-and Luncia's world was shattered.
Her father smuggled her out of the ghetto under his overcoat and placed her with Joanna's family because he expected to be slaughtered.
Ukrainian nationalists had already begun ransacking Jewish homes at night. Families disappeared in waves, presumably taken away to concentration camps.
"I heard screams every evening," Ruth said. "To a child's ears, it was just horrible."
Ruth then spent most of her eight months at Joanna's home just sitting in a chair, afraid to even look out the window from Joanna's bedroom. Joanna, then 18, was in charge of keeping an eye on the girl.
When visitors came, Ruth would hide under Joanna's bed or duck into a trunk. She spent so much time silent and immobilized that she had to relearn how to walk and speak normally. After eight months, Ruth was brought to the home of another Christian family that hid her parents and was hidden for another two years.
Once World War II was over, Ruth and her family went to Munich and then to Brooklyn. Ruth eventually married another Holocaust survivor, Jack Gruener, and started a family.
Jack's path to freedom was more traumatic. His parents were murdered in the Krakow ghetto when he was 13. He then spent time in a series of concentration camps before being liberated at Dachau in 1945. None of his other relatives lived.
"To this day, I can't figure out how I survived," he said.
Joanna spent two weeks with Ruth and Jack Gruener and her family, a turnabout that was a long time coming.
Joanna would likely have faced the death penalty if she had been caught harboring a Jew during the war. The family was never found out, but Joanna herself was later imprisoned, first by the Germans, then by the Soviets, as a suspected member of the Polish underground.
The pair were reunited by The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, which was created in 1986 to provide assistance to non-Jews who risked their lives to rescue Jews during the Holocaust.
The foundation has been providing Joanna with a pension and helping her pay for medical care. So well deserved.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over time Ruth has become a docent at the Museum Of Jewish Heritage where she volunteers every Monday, Her Hubby Jack, a survivor of 10 concentration camps ,along with Ruth speak in public around the country to Hebrew and Catholic schools, where they tell the children their stories of survival. She has also completed her education in Interior Design, (which we found out we have in common) and she also teaches piano.
She has written a book "Destined To Live" by Ruth Gruener which should be in the book stores this year so do look for it and learn more about a brave little girl who survived a grueling time and grew into a loving and caring mother and wife. Such a splendid women.
. Thank you Ruth for befriending me, You are a joy and I shall treasure your friendship . God Bless You,and all who survived that horrible time.
Sherry Gordon
She was invited to become a member if a Social Club as well, the club was "Citiai" from the Latin word Friendship. Her best friend was Ruthie Kagen who I am trying to locate for her. Following is her story,
=================================================================
Over sixty years ago, Joanna Zalucka hid a young Jewish girl in her bedroom for eight months, saving the child from the Nazi killing spree in their native Poland.
Ruth Gruener - was reunited with her old friend from Poland in 2005 finally returning a lifesaving favor by hosting her World War II benefactor for two weeks.
"It is just so wonderful that no words can describe how I felt," said Ruth, who was sobbing as she and Joanna now 81, hugged in their emotional meeting.. Although the two have corresponded over the decades, they hadn't seen one another since 1944. "Its a miracle" Joanna said in Polish
Ruth's survival in their hometown of Lvov, Poland, was a miracle as well; she and her parents were the only ones from an extended family of 300 who survived the Holocaust. "Luncia" her nickname in Poland was a cheerfull eight year old girl growing up in 1930's Poland. But then the Nazis arrived-and Luncia's world was shattered.
Her father smuggled her out of the ghetto under his overcoat and placed her with Joanna's family because he expected to be slaughtered.
Ukrainian nationalists had already begun ransacking Jewish homes at night. Families disappeared in waves, presumably taken away to concentration camps.
"I heard screams every evening," Ruth said. "To a child's ears, it was just horrible."
Ruth then spent most of her eight months at Joanna's home just sitting in a chair, afraid to even look out the window from Joanna's bedroom. Joanna, then 18, was in charge of keeping an eye on the girl.
When visitors came, Ruth would hide under Joanna's bed or duck into a trunk. She spent so much time silent and immobilized that she had to relearn how to walk and speak normally. After eight months, Ruth was brought to the home of another Christian family that hid her parents and was hidden for another two years.
Once World War II was over, Ruth and her family went to Munich and then to Brooklyn. Ruth eventually married another Holocaust survivor, Jack Gruener, and started a family.
Jack's path to freedom was more traumatic. His parents were murdered in the Krakow ghetto when he was 13. He then spent time in a series of concentration camps before being liberated at Dachau in 1945. None of his other relatives lived.
"To this day, I can't figure out how I survived," he said.
Joanna spent two weeks with Ruth and Jack Gruener and her family, a turnabout that was a long time coming.
Joanna would likely have faced the death penalty if she had been caught harboring a Jew during the war. The family was never found out, but Joanna herself was later imprisoned, first by the Germans, then by the Soviets, as a suspected member of the Polish underground.
The pair were reunited by The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, which was created in 1986 to provide assistance to non-Jews who risked their lives to rescue Jews during the Holocaust.
The foundation has been providing Joanna with a pension and helping her pay for medical care. So well deserved.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over time Ruth has become a docent at the Museum Of Jewish Heritage where she volunteers every Monday, Her Hubby Jack, a survivor of 10 concentration camps ,along with Ruth speak in public around the country to Hebrew and Catholic schools, where they tell the children their stories of survival. She has also completed her education in Interior Design, (which we found out we have in common) and she also teaches piano.
She has written a book "Destined To Live" by Ruth Gruener which should be in the book stores this year so do look for it and learn more about a brave little girl who survived a grueling time and grew into a loving and caring mother and wife. Such a splendid women.
. Thank you Ruth for befriending me, You are a joy and I shall treasure your friendship . God Bless You,and all who survived that horrible time.
Sherry Gordon
Robert S. Walbaum M.D....Class of 1954
Ever since James Madison High School began turning out graduates, back in the 20's, a steady stream of highly educated
and totally competent young people began joining the various professions including medicine, engineering, law, the arts, religion, science, military, etc. The contributions to the community, the state and the nation were priceless and have been so since the very beginning.
One of those graduates who entered the medical field was
Robert S. Waldbaum, M.D. now clinical Professor of Urology at the Cornell University Medical College. Doctor Waldbaum is also Chairman Emeritus of the Urology Dept on Long Island's
North Shore University Hospital.
Bob's early education involved a lot of saying goodbye ahead of schedule. He attended P.S. 197 and left early after the 6th grade in 1949. Then it was off to Cunningham JHS, grades 7-9, leaving early in 1952. Then he moved over to our favorite High School, Madison from 1952 thru 1954. He was to graduate in 1955 but because he was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship, he left Madison at the end of 1954 to attend Columbia College. He graduated from there in 1958 qand went on to the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, gettin g his M.D., degree in 1962 and completing his internship a year later. Then it was off to the Marines for two years, serving as Battalion Surgeon of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marines Division, in Okinawa and concluding his service at the Quantico Naval Hospital in 1965.
After all that, Bob completed his surgical residency at Columbia in 1966 and an additional 4 year residency in urology in 1970 at Cornell. Then it was one more round of "goodbyes" as he left in 1970 to move to Manhasset, Long Island New York to begin private practice.
Now, one might think that after a hectic schedule like that, one might want to slow down a bit. but this is not the case with Bob.
For example.......
Bob has just been appointed to the Medical Advisory Board of the Florence and Robert Rosen family Wellness Center for Law Enforcement and military personnel and their families.
He has just been awarded the William P. Didush Art and History award by the American Urological Center.
He was selected as Best Doctor of the USA from 2001 to 2007 and best Cancer Doctor in the USA from 2004 to 2007.
He has been a recipient of the National Kidney Foundation John Kingsley Lattimer Award for excellence in Research, Teaching & Patient Care. The list of awards, honors and other professional recognition goes on and on and to list them all might mean you would spend so much time reading them, you would miss celebrating two of your own birthdays.
But this next achievement is truly over the top....literally and figuratively. In 2006, Bob and his wife Ruth, a psychiatrist, completed a climb across the Himalayas in Bhutan.
Much of the climb was at almost 86 hundred feet above sea level. What followed was amazing especially for a man of 68 years of age.
A few days after returning home, Bob complained of feeling "puny" but he continued with his busy surgical schedule. Then it was out to dinner where he felt tired and lost his appetite and this was definitely out of the ordinary, so it was off to the North Shore University Hospital Emergency room and after a series of tests,it was found he had experienced a tear in his aortic wall which interrupted the flow of blood.This was serious big time and is life threatening. A surgical team was rapidly put together and off they all went to the OR. The surgery took about 11 hours and was deemed a success,two weeks later, Bob was home recuperating. So, is he now a couch potato? Not on your life. He has resumed his full surgical schedule and on any given Sunday, you will find him jogging several miles, swimming some 30 laps or so, playing 18 holes of golf and is also often found on the tennis courts. In fact, he says he is in better shape now than he ever was.
and totally competent young people began joining the various professions including medicine, engineering, law, the arts, religion, science, military, etc. The contributions to the community, the state and the nation were priceless and have been so since the very beginning.
One of those graduates who entered the medical field was
Robert S. Waldbaum, M.D. now clinical Professor of Urology at the Cornell University Medical College. Doctor Waldbaum is also Chairman Emeritus of the Urology Dept on Long Island's
North Shore University Hospital.
Bob's early education involved a lot of saying goodbye ahead of schedule. He attended P.S. 197 and left early after the 6th grade in 1949. Then it was off to Cunningham JHS, grades 7-9, leaving early in 1952. Then he moved over to our favorite High School, Madison from 1952 thru 1954. He was to graduate in 1955 but because he was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship, he left Madison at the end of 1954 to attend Columbia College. He graduated from there in 1958 qand went on to the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, gettin g his M.D., degree in 1962 and completing his internship a year later. Then it was off to the Marines for two years, serving as Battalion Surgeon of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marines Division, in Okinawa and concluding his service at the Quantico Naval Hospital in 1965.
After all that, Bob completed his surgical residency at Columbia in 1966 and an additional 4 year residency in urology in 1970 at Cornell. Then it was one more round of "goodbyes" as he left in 1970 to move to Manhasset, Long Island New York to begin private practice.
Now, one might think that after a hectic schedule like that, one might want to slow down a bit. but this is not the case with Bob.
For example.......
Bob has just been appointed to the Medical Advisory Board of the Florence and Robert Rosen family Wellness Center for Law Enforcement and military personnel and their families.
He has just been awarded the William P. Didush Art and History award by the American Urological Center.
He was selected as Best Doctor of the USA from 2001 to 2007 and best Cancer Doctor in the USA from 2004 to 2007.
He has been a recipient of the National Kidney Foundation John Kingsley Lattimer Award for excellence in Research, Teaching & Patient Care. The list of awards, honors and other professional recognition goes on and on and to list them all might mean you would spend so much time reading them, you would miss celebrating two of your own birthdays.
But this next achievement is truly over the top....literally and figuratively. In 2006, Bob and his wife Ruth, a psychiatrist, completed a climb across the Himalayas in Bhutan.
Much of the climb was at almost 86 hundred feet above sea level. What followed was amazing especially for a man of 68 years of age.
A few days after returning home, Bob complained of feeling "puny" but he continued with his busy surgical schedule. Then it was out to dinner where he felt tired and lost his appetite and this was definitely out of the ordinary, so it was off to the North Shore University Hospital Emergency room and after a series of tests,it was found he had experienced a tear in his aortic wall which interrupted the flow of blood.This was serious big time and is life threatening. A surgical team was rapidly put together and off they all went to the OR. The surgery took about 11 hours and was deemed a success,two weeks later, Bob was home recuperating. So, is he now a couch potato? Not on your life. He has resumed his full surgical schedule and on any given Sunday, you will find him jogging several miles, swimming some 30 laps or so, playing 18 holes of golf and is also often found on the tennis courts. In fact, he says he is in better shape now than he ever was.
Harvey E. Schlesinger..Class of ...1958
Honorable Harvey E. Schlesinger
United States District Court
Jacksonville, Florida
Class of 1958
It was back in the mid 60's on NBC television when entertainer Sammy Davis Junior coined a new comedy line that struck with viewers. Davis pranced out in front of the cameras wearing judicial robes and a white wig of the style worn by British Judges and as he danced his way across the stage he chanted the following words: "Here come de Judge ! Here Come De Judge !" It was a funny line but it left us asking the critical questions: "What Judge and where is he coming from?" It didn't take long but we finally figured it out.
He was coming from the area around Bedford Avenue and Quentin Rd. in Brooklyn where James Madison High School is located. We are talking about Harvey E. Schlesinger. He was born in 1940 and for a while, it looked as though his career was going to be in the U.S. Army. Undergraduate school was the prestigeous The Citadel, the military college in Charleston South Carolina where he was considered a distinguished military student. Graduation came in 1962 but before heading off to active duty with the Army, it was off to law school at the University of Richmond School of Law in Virginia from 1962 until 1965. There he was President of the Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity and a member of the National Moot Court team in 1964. He was also the recipient of several other University of Richmond School of Law honors.
Now, one might think it was now time to begin the practice of law but first, there was a military committment to complete. This meant putting on his Army uniform and beginning courses at the U.S. Army Logistics Management Center at Fort Lee Virginia. As might be expected, he graduated with honors. From there, it was off to the Judge Advocate General's School (JAG) in Charlottesville, Va. But, we are not finished. From 1975 to the present time, Harvey has attended seminars ranging from three days to one week dealing with the procedures and laws used in U.S. District Courts. What does that lead to? Well, in part it leads to his being qualified to practice in front of some of the most important courts in the land. They include, in this order:
Supreme Court of Appeals, State of Virginia.
Supreme Court, State of Florida.
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia.
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth District.
U.S. Court of Military Appeals
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Fla.
Tax Court of the United States.
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh District.
Now, those were the court in which he was deemed qualified to practice. Now, come the major leagues of "lawdom" (to coin a phrase).
From 1965 until 1968, Harvey was a Captain in the US Army, attached to the Office of the Army Staff Judge Advocate Headquarters, Third United States Army, Fort McPherson, Georgia.
1968 to 1970: Corporate Counsel, Seaboard Coastline Railroad, Jacksonville, Fla.
1970 to 1975 Chief Assistant United States Attorney, United States Department of Justice, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville, Fla.
1975 to 1991: United States Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Fla.
1991 to the PRESENT: United States District Judge, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. Appointed by President George Herbert Walker Bush.
Now, that is about as impressive as it gets but would'nt you know it, it gets even more impressive. Not only does Judge Schlesinger preside over one of the most important courts in the land, he teaches law at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington DC. Also, between 1975 and 1980 he could also be found teaching at the Attorney General's Advocacy Institute in Washington and for a brief time at the John Marshall School of Law in Atlanta.
During his years practicing law and while seated on the bench, Harvey has been appointed to many committees and task forces by US Supreme Court Chief Justices Warren Burger and William Rehnquist. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, The Florida Bar Association, The Virginia Bar Association, the Montana Bar Association and probably every judicial committee extant in the world today.
I would also delve into the number of awards and honors he has received including "Boss Of The Year" by the Jacksonville Legal Secretaries association. The Boys Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award, The Army Commendation Medal and the George Washington Medal of Honor for Patriotism. He is listed in Who's Who In America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who In The United States, and if there was such a book, I would expect him to be listed in Who's Who in the Whole Wide World.
James Madison High School, in Brooklyn N.Y. has produced an amazing procession of Outstanding Americans in a very wide array of fields of endeavor. Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger ranks at the top of that list as he brings not only glory to our school but also pride, honor, and distinction. And he brings those same
attributes to America and causes us to stand out among nations.
Harvey you are awesome...well done and thanks..
United States District Court
Jacksonville, Florida
Class of 1958
It was back in the mid 60's on NBC television when entertainer Sammy Davis Junior coined a new comedy line that struck with viewers. Davis pranced out in front of the cameras wearing judicial robes and a white wig of the style worn by British Judges and as he danced his way across the stage he chanted the following words: "Here come de Judge ! Here Come De Judge !" It was a funny line but it left us asking the critical questions: "What Judge and where is he coming from?" It didn't take long but we finally figured it out.
He was coming from the area around Bedford Avenue and Quentin Rd. in Brooklyn where James Madison High School is located. We are talking about Harvey E. Schlesinger. He was born in 1940 and for a while, it looked as though his career was going to be in the U.S. Army. Undergraduate school was the prestigeous The Citadel, the military college in Charleston South Carolina where he was considered a distinguished military student. Graduation came in 1962 but before heading off to active duty with the Army, it was off to law school at the University of Richmond School of Law in Virginia from 1962 until 1965. There he was President of the Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity and a member of the National Moot Court team in 1964. He was also the recipient of several other University of Richmond School of Law honors.
Now, one might think it was now time to begin the practice of law but first, there was a military committment to complete. This meant putting on his Army uniform and beginning courses at the U.S. Army Logistics Management Center at Fort Lee Virginia. As might be expected, he graduated with honors. From there, it was off to the Judge Advocate General's School (JAG) in Charlottesville, Va. But, we are not finished. From 1975 to the present time, Harvey has attended seminars ranging from three days to one week dealing with the procedures and laws used in U.S. District Courts. What does that lead to? Well, in part it leads to his being qualified to practice in front of some of the most important courts in the land. They include, in this order:
Supreme Court of Appeals, State of Virginia.
Supreme Court, State of Florida.
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia.
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth District.
U.S. Court of Military Appeals
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Fla.
Tax Court of the United States.
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh District.
Now, those were the court in which he was deemed qualified to practice. Now, come the major leagues of "lawdom" (to coin a phrase).
From 1965 until 1968, Harvey was a Captain in the US Army, attached to the Office of the Army Staff Judge Advocate Headquarters, Third United States Army, Fort McPherson, Georgia.
1968 to 1970: Corporate Counsel, Seaboard Coastline Railroad, Jacksonville, Fla.
1970 to 1975 Chief Assistant United States Attorney, United States Department of Justice, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville, Fla.
1975 to 1991: United States Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Fla.
1991 to the PRESENT: United States District Judge, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. Appointed by President George Herbert Walker Bush.
Now, that is about as impressive as it gets but would'nt you know it, it gets even more impressive. Not only does Judge Schlesinger preside over one of the most important courts in the land, he teaches law at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington DC. Also, between 1975 and 1980 he could also be found teaching at the Attorney General's Advocacy Institute in Washington and for a brief time at the John Marshall School of Law in Atlanta.
During his years practicing law and while seated on the bench, Harvey has been appointed to many committees and task forces by US Supreme Court Chief Justices Warren Burger and William Rehnquist. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, The Florida Bar Association, The Virginia Bar Association, the Montana Bar Association and probably every judicial committee extant in the world today.
I would also delve into the number of awards and honors he has received including "Boss Of The Year" by the Jacksonville Legal Secretaries association. The Boys Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award, The Army Commendation Medal and the George Washington Medal of Honor for Patriotism. He is listed in Who's Who In America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who In The United States, and if there was such a book, I would expect him to be listed in Who's Who in the Whole Wide World.
James Madison High School, in Brooklyn N.Y. has produced an amazing procession of Outstanding Americans in a very wide array of fields of endeavor. Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger ranks at the top of that list as he brings not only glory to our school but also pride, honor, and distinction. And he brings those same
attributes to America and causes us to stand out among nations.
Harvey you are awesome...well done and thanks..
Dr.Robert Dallek...Class of..1952
Doctor Robert Dallek, Ph.D.
It is a sure thing that each one of us has had to sit through a test in which
we had to struggle with a bunch of historical events and write down the year in which they
occurred. You remember having to name the event that took place in 1492 or explain why December seventh, 1941 was important.
Well, who would ever have thought that one of us would take all that stuff seriously and not only
enjoy it but would also carve out a very distinguished career as one of this nation's
formost historians. Thats exactly what former Madisonian Robert Dallek, class of 1952 did.
But, not right away.
You see, back in those days, the fifties they had the same problems as entering freshmen have today.....they would have trouble getting into the college of their choice even with good grades and the students would have to sign up for majors in subjects where there was room. Robert Dallek became a Pre-Dental major. Okay, open wide and say..."He did what?" The idea being to get your foot in the door and then change your major to the field you were really interested in. It worked. Besides, Doctor Dallek confessed to me that math and science were not his strong points but he got on quite well in history and english classes.
But now, allow me to digress for a moment. Like most of us, Rob't Dallek was an habitue of Kings Highway like the rest of us and often could be seen with members of his "social athletic club", the Spades, patrolling that marvelous street as we all did, checking out the lovely ladies. Of course the base of operations was Cohens Ice Cream Parlor.
After attending James Madison for four years,it was off to the University of Illinois where he quickly abandoned the wide open field of dentistry and graduated in 1955 with a B.A. degree in history. From there, it was off to Columbia University where in two years he was awarded a Masters Degree in the same subject.
Now in the world of academia, the number of degrees you hold can often determine how rapidly you advance in your field and so, Bob began work on his Ph.D in, what else, history. To do this he had to get an honest job and as you might expect, he became an instructor in History at Columbia Univ. until 1964.
Not bad for a kid from Brooklyn. The story however, does not end there. His classroom career blossomed. From 1964 until 1994, Bob moved from Assistant to full Professor of History at UCLA. He was also the Graduate School adviser to folks seeking advanced degrees in history. But his astronomic rise was not over yet. From 1972 to 1974, Bob became Vice Chairman of the History Department at UCLA. Then it was off to the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute where he was a research associate from 1981 through 1985. In 1993, he traveled across town to Pasadena where he was a visiting professor at Cal Tech and from 1994 until 1995, he was a Visiting Professor at Oxford University. Now lets wind it up with 1996 at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and professor of History at Boston University and Dartmouth Univ.
After reading of all the schools where Robert Dallek taught history, one might think that he would sit back and take it easy. But that was not the case. It appears that between classes, Bob was writing...a lot. His prime subject was and is Presidents of the United States. Bob considers his finest work to include his three volume study of Lyndon Johnson, his work on Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. His books also look at American Foreign Policy, The Cold War and former President Ronald Reagan. Add to that a seemingly never ending list of printed articles, interviews and work that total some 200 works.
Needless to say, Bob has won countless awards. He has served on more committees than I could count and his expertise is known around the world. If I were to name every honor, every article, every book and every school that bear the imprint of Robert Dallek, you would be reading for a week.
Bob Lives in Washington DC with his lovely wife Geraldine. They have two grown children Matthew and Rebecca.
If you want to know more about Bob Dallek, Google his name, Robert Dallek and you will find several websites devoted to him and his work.
An amazing career, another Madisonian to be proud of.
It is a sure thing that each one of us has had to sit through a test in which
we had to struggle with a bunch of historical events and write down the year in which they
occurred. You remember having to name the event that took place in 1492 or explain why December seventh, 1941 was important.
Well, who would ever have thought that one of us would take all that stuff seriously and not only
enjoy it but would also carve out a very distinguished career as one of this nation's
formost historians. Thats exactly what former Madisonian Robert Dallek, class of 1952 did.
But, not right away.
You see, back in those days, the fifties they had the same problems as entering freshmen have today.....they would have trouble getting into the college of their choice even with good grades and the students would have to sign up for majors in subjects where there was room. Robert Dallek became a Pre-Dental major. Okay, open wide and say..."He did what?" The idea being to get your foot in the door and then change your major to the field you were really interested in. It worked. Besides, Doctor Dallek confessed to me that math and science were not his strong points but he got on quite well in history and english classes.
But now, allow me to digress for a moment. Like most of us, Rob't Dallek was an habitue of Kings Highway like the rest of us and often could be seen with members of his "social athletic club", the Spades, patrolling that marvelous street as we all did, checking out the lovely ladies. Of course the base of operations was Cohens Ice Cream Parlor.
After attending James Madison for four years,it was off to the University of Illinois where he quickly abandoned the wide open field of dentistry and graduated in 1955 with a B.A. degree in history. From there, it was off to Columbia University where in two years he was awarded a Masters Degree in the same subject.
Now in the world of academia, the number of degrees you hold can often determine how rapidly you advance in your field and so, Bob began work on his Ph.D in, what else, history. To do this he had to get an honest job and as you might expect, he became an instructor in History at Columbia Univ. until 1964.
Not bad for a kid from Brooklyn. The story however, does not end there. His classroom career blossomed. From 1964 until 1994, Bob moved from Assistant to full Professor of History at UCLA. He was also the Graduate School adviser to folks seeking advanced degrees in history. But his astronomic rise was not over yet. From 1972 to 1974, Bob became Vice Chairman of the History Department at UCLA. Then it was off to the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute where he was a research associate from 1981 through 1985. In 1993, he traveled across town to Pasadena where he was a visiting professor at Cal Tech and from 1994 until 1995, he was a Visiting Professor at Oxford University. Now lets wind it up with 1996 at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and professor of History at Boston University and Dartmouth Univ.
After reading of all the schools where Robert Dallek taught history, one might think that he would sit back and take it easy. But that was not the case. It appears that between classes, Bob was writing...a lot. His prime subject was and is Presidents of the United States. Bob considers his finest work to include his three volume study of Lyndon Johnson, his work on Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. His books also look at American Foreign Policy, The Cold War and former President Ronald Reagan. Add to that a seemingly never ending list of printed articles, interviews and work that total some 200 works.
Needless to say, Bob has won countless awards. He has served on more committees than I could count and his expertise is known around the world. If I were to name every honor, every article, every book and every school that bear the imprint of Robert Dallek, you would be reading for a week.
Bob Lives in Washington DC with his lovely wife Geraldine. They have two grown children Matthew and Rebecca.
If you want to know more about Bob Dallek, Google his name, Robert Dallek and you will find several websites devoted to him and his work.
An amazing career, another Madisonian to be proud of.
Dr.Richard J. Meyers.....Class of ..1950
Dr.Richard J. Meyer teaches film at Seattle University. He was the Distinguished Fellow of Film and Media Studies at Arizona State University in 2007 and the Distinguished Fulbright Professor at I’Universita’ del Piemonte Orientale Amedeo Avogadro in Italy for the spring 2005 trimester. Dr Meyers is Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Professor of Telecommunications Emeritus at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and Visiting Professor at the Center for Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Hong Kong.
In 2001, he was a Fellow of the Asian Cultural Council in Hong Kong. Prior to his appointment to the endowed chair, he was Fulbright Scholar at National Chengchi University in Taiwan where he studied Chinese Silent Films at the Beijing, Taipei, and Hong Kong Film Archives. Richard received his BA and MA Degrees from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from New York University. His post-doctoral fellowships were at Columbia University and the East-West Center in Honolulu.
While pursuing a career in public broadcasting as a producer and executive with WNET, New York and CEO at KCTS Seattle and KERA/KDTN Dallas, he maintained a passion for film by experimenting with the medium as noted by TV Guide in April of 1969. He has been published in Public Opinion Quarterly, Journal of Broadcasting, Educational Broadcasting Review, Film Comment, NEA Journal, Time (Asia) and other periodicals and books. His chapter “Blacks and Broadcasting” appears in the book Broadcasting and Bargaining published by the University of Wisconsin Press. His section on “The Films of David Wark Griffith” is featured in Focus on D.W. Griffith, published by Prentice-Hall. His piece “Reaction to the ‘Blue Book’ ” is presented in American Broadcasting published by Hastings House.
Richard has written about the Pordenone International Silent Film Festival for American Way Magazine, the Dallas Morning News and other publications. In addition, he has produced two CDs, “Piano Themes From the Silent Screen” and “Piano Portraits of the Goddess” and two DVDs, the 1934 classic Chinese film “The Goddess” and the 1931 Shanghai hit “The Peach Girl.” His book, “Ruan Ling-yu: The Goddess of Shanghai,” was published by Hong Kong University Press in 2005.
Throughout the United States, Asia, Southern Africa, and Europe, Richard has been a broadcasting consultant, technical and media advisor to public and private schools, cultural groups, the State University of New York, UNESCO, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the United States Information Agency, and various radio and television institutions. He has worked in all phases of film and educational television production.
The series “Communications and Education”, on which he served as Executive Producer, won the Ohio State Award in 1968. His film “The Garden of Eden” was responsible, in part, for saving the Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas. He has been a speaker at the Buster Keaton Celebration, the Taiwan International Symposium on Public Media, the International Film Studies Conference, the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Congress, and numerous venues about film and broadcasting.
Richard was a member of the President’s Communications Council at Howard University, an associate of the Columbia University’s seminar on public communications, and an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of North Texas. He was a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, the board of managers of the Public Broadcasting Service, the board of directors of the Public Broadcasting Service, and the president of the Washington Educational Network.
He served on the Executive Committee of the American Program Service, the Executive Board of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, and as a member of the National Advisory Council of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and a Director of the National Museum of Communications.
Presently Richard is President Emeritus of The San Francisco Silent Film Festival. He produces and introduces restored silent films accompanied by music at various "LIVE CINEMA" presentations.
Richie is a certified scuba instructor of the National Association of Underwater Instructors. His underwater photographs and articles about diving have appeared in various magazines.
Richie's second book "Jin Yan The Rudolph Valentino Of Shanghai" was completed this year and will be published by Hong Kong University Press. The introduction was written by award winning Historian and Madison graduate Dr, Robert Dallek who wouldn't ya know, lived across the street from Richie on Kings Highway. Richie, you did good, and still going strong. Thanks for sharing your many accomplishments with me and all our Madisonians.
In 2001, he was a Fellow of the Asian Cultural Council in Hong Kong. Prior to his appointment to the endowed chair, he was Fulbright Scholar at National Chengchi University in Taiwan where he studied Chinese Silent Films at the Beijing, Taipei, and Hong Kong Film Archives. Richard received his BA and MA Degrees from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from New York University. His post-doctoral fellowships were at Columbia University and the East-West Center in Honolulu.
While pursuing a career in public broadcasting as a producer and executive with WNET, New York and CEO at KCTS Seattle and KERA/KDTN Dallas, he maintained a passion for film by experimenting with the medium as noted by TV Guide in April of 1969. He has been published in Public Opinion Quarterly, Journal of Broadcasting, Educational Broadcasting Review, Film Comment, NEA Journal, Time (Asia) and other periodicals and books. His chapter “Blacks and Broadcasting” appears in the book Broadcasting and Bargaining published by the University of Wisconsin Press. His section on “The Films of David Wark Griffith” is featured in Focus on D.W. Griffith, published by Prentice-Hall. His piece “Reaction to the ‘Blue Book’ ” is presented in American Broadcasting published by Hastings House.
Richard has written about the Pordenone International Silent Film Festival for American Way Magazine, the Dallas Morning News and other publications. In addition, he has produced two CDs, “Piano Themes From the Silent Screen” and “Piano Portraits of the Goddess” and two DVDs, the 1934 classic Chinese film “The Goddess” and the 1931 Shanghai hit “The Peach Girl.” His book, “Ruan Ling-yu: The Goddess of Shanghai,” was published by Hong Kong University Press in 2005.
Throughout the United States, Asia, Southern Africa, and Europe, Richard has been a broadcasting consultant, technical and media advisor to public and private schools, cultural groups, the State University of New York, UNESCO, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the United States Information Agency, and various radio and television institutions. He has worked in all phases of film and educational television production.
The series “Communications and Education”, on which he served as Executive Producer, won the Ohio State Award in 1968. His film “The Garden of Eden” was responsible, in part, for saving the Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas. He has been a speaker at the Buster Keaton Celebration, the Taiwan International Symposium on Public Media, the International Film Studies Conference, the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Congress, and numerous venues about film and broadcasting.
Richard was a member of the President’s Communications Council at Howard University, an associate of the Columbia University’s seminar on public communications, and an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of North Texas. He was a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, the board of managers of the Public Broadcasting Service, the board of directors of the Public Broadcasting Service, and the president of the Washington Educational Network.
He served on the Executive Committee of the American Program Service, the Executive Board of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, and as a member of the National Advisory Council of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and a Director of the National Museum of Communications.
Presently Richard is President Emeritus of The San Francisco Silent Film Festival. He produces and introduces restored silent films accompanied by music at various "LIVE CINEMA" presentations.
Richie is a certified scuba instructor of the National Association of Underwater Instructors. His underwater photographs and articles about diving have appeared in various magazines.
Richie's second book "Jin Yan The Rudolph Valentino Of Shanghai" was completed this year and will be published by Hong Kong University Press. The introduction was written by award winning Historian and Madison graduate Dr, Robert Dallek who wouldn't ya know, lived across the street from Richie on Kings Highway. Richie, you did good, and still going strong. Thanks for sharing your many accomplishments with me and all our Madisonians.
Dr. Sandra (Levy) Ceren..Class of ...1948
Sandra Levy Ceren, Ph.D. is a practicing clinical psychologist with over forty years experience.
As an expert, she appeared on many T.V and radio programs, such as OPRAH, and GOOD MORNING AMERICA and the BBC.
A Diplomate of the American Board of Family Psychology, specializing in marital therapy, she served on the Board from 1982-85. And she is a Fellow of the Academy of Family Psychology.
She has a B.A. Brooklyn College, M.S. City College of New York, completed doctoral courses at Yeshiva University, and earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from USIU. She also completed the training program at American Institute of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in New York.
She was editor: "The Family Psychologist" 1982-85, and Editor of The San Diego Academy of Psychologists monthly newsletter l985-1987
Sandy has been a weekly local newspaper columnist "Ask Dr. Ceren since 1978. Her columns focus on relationships and reviews of the latest psychological research.
However her accomplishments didn’t come easy. Self-supporting, she worked full time while attending college and graduate school. Rather than feeling deprived, she says she feels empowered by the process.
Although she was in the academic program at James Madison High School, she pleaded and was allowed to take a typing course in order to work after school. Typing proved very useful in her later professional career.
Among her early jobs were those in the Catskills where she was dining room hostess at the Concord learning the art of matching people at dining tables and enjoying the association of many entertainers. As a young woman, she worked as receptionist in a variety of interesting settings, arming her with useful knowledge about the workplace.
She married in 1963, divorced in l975. The mother of two children she raised them on her own. She is now a grandmother of four grandsons. She remarried in 1986 to Ely Levinsky, a aerodynamist she knew since 1980. They live in Del Mar, California.
She is especially pleased to have an early dream fulfilled. The impact of managed care played havoc with her psychological work, forcing her to work fewer hours, but leaving her time to pursue her passion for writing fiction.
She is a published author of two psychological thrillers PRESCRIPTION FOR TERROR, and SECRETS FROM THE COUCH, featuring Cory Cohen, a Brooklyn raised psychologist/sleuth. Scenes are set Brooklyn, as well as the North Coast of San Diego.
An avid reader, she always enjoyed writing. Encouraged at James Madison High School, she decided to major in English, but her dream evaporated after her first English assignment at Brooklyn College. Her psychoanalysis of Hamlet received a dismal, disappointing grade.
Devastated, head down, she practically crawled to her next class-psychology, catching the attention of her sympathetic professor who asked her to stay after class. When he asked what was wrong, tears rolled down her face as she showed him her paper. He read it and cheerfully said he’d have given her in A. He suggested she change her major to psychology.
A very wise decision. Writing and other creative arts can be frustrating careers where hard work, dedication, talent and perseverance do not assure success, and Sandy needed to earn a living. Psychology offered that and a chance to make a difference in people’s lives.
She is pleased to be able to work in professions that offer the opportunity to use her creative resources.
For further info on Sandy click on http://www.drsandralevyceren.com/
As an expert, she appeared on many T.V and radio programs, such as OPRAH, and GOOD MORNING AMERICA and the BBC.
A Diplomate of the American Board of Family Psychology, specializing in marital therapy, she served on the Board from 1982-85. And she is a Fellow of the Academy of Family Psychology.
She has a B.A. Brooklyn College, M.S. City College of New York, completed doctoral courses at Yeshiva University, and earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from USIU. She also completed the training program at American Institute of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in New York.
She was editor: "The Family Psychologist" 1982-85, and Editor of The San Diego Academy of Psychologists monthly newsletter l985-1987
Sandy has been a weekly local newspaper columnist "Ask Dr. Ceren since 1978. Her columns focus on relationships and reviews of the latest psychological research.
However her accomplishments didn’t come easy. Self-supporting, she worked full time while attending college and graduate school. Rather than feeling deprived, she says she feels empowered by the process.
Although she was in the academic program at James Madison High School, she pleaded and was allowed to take a typing course in order to work after school. Typing proved very useful in her later professional career.
Among her early jobs were those in the Catskills where she was dining room hostess at the Concord learning the art of matching people at dining tables and enjoying the association of many entertainers. As a young woman, she worked as receptionist in a variety of interesting settings, arming her with useful knowledge about the workplace.
She married in 1963, divorced in l975. The mother of two children she raised them on her own. She is now a grandmother of four grandsons. She remarried in 1986 to Ely Levinsky, a aerodynamist she knew since 1980. They live in Del Mar, California.
She is especially pleased to have an early dream fulfilled. The impact of managed care played havoc with her psychological work, forcing her to work fewer hours, but leaving her time to pursue her passion for writing fiction.
She is a published author of two psychological thrillers PRESCRIPTION FOR TERROR, and SECRETS FROM THE COUCH, featuring Cory Cohen, a Brooklyn raised psychologist/sleuth. Scenes are set Brooklyn, as well as the North Coast of San Diego.
An avid reader, she always enjoyed writing. Encouraged at James Madison High School, she decided to major in English, but her dream evaporated after her first English assignment at Brooklyn College. Her psychoanalysis of Hamlet received a dismal, disappointing grade.
Devastated, head down, she practically crawled to her next class-psychology, catching the attention of her sympathetic professor who asked her to stay after class. When he asked what was wrong, tears rolled down her face as she showed him her paper. He read it and cheerfully said he’d have given her in A. He suggested she change her major to psychology.
A very wise decision. Writing and other creative arts can be frustrating careers where hard work, dedication, talent and perseverance do not assure success, and Sandy needed to earn a living. Psychology offered that and a chance to make a difference in people’s lives.
She is pleased to be able to work in professions that offer the opportunity to use her creative resources.
For further info on Sandy click on http://www.drsandralevyceren.com/
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Jane (Castorina) Gordon..Class of 1956
Photography brings to Janes mind memories of some of the most wonderful times in her life. Since she was born the one constant in her family was the camera. Her father, besides being an attorney, was a great photographer. It was from him that she developed her love of photography. Throughout most of their early years her brother and she were involved with their SLR's, movie and video cameras. They still view the many family skits which they wrote, produced, directed of which they were the entire cast. When her dad lived in Lincoln Center, he still belonged to their photo group at age 93, learning PhotoShop on his 8th Computer.
Thanks to her fathers tutelage she became the ‘unofficial’ photographer in Pelham Middle School where she taught mathematics (for 31 years). As she go through her many photo albums it occurs to her that this is a visual history of her life. Her albums tell her story. Her relatives, friends and vacations are not only in her heart but are right here, visually, for the world to see. It is her legacy to her two daughters and little granddaughter.
Creativity, for Jane, has taken many forms, and after she retired in June of 1998, she seriously pursued photography. She gathered up her camera and joined a photo class at the Westchester Photographic Society where her photography really took off. She won 3 Medals and 38 Plaques and 14 Ribbons for her work. Then, two years ago she was presented with the much coveted ‘Photographer of the Year' award. She received her first creative award when she won the James Madison High School 2 Year Art Medal in the 1954. The WPS awards rank right up there in importance.
There is currently an evolution going on in her photography. Her unique style was emerging. Although, to her delight, having done well in all categories, lately she is leaning towards black and white photography and computer assisted ‘Open Mind’ works. She can feel herself falling into a trance-like state when she enters her creative world, and she experiences a deep sense of satisfaction when she sees what her subconscious mind has produced. She believes that there is a connection between the mathematical and the creative mind and she feels very lucky to be blessed with both."
Janes photograph was hanging in the Main Lobby of the Empire State Building until July 31st. 2007 as part of the magnificent exhibit of the Westchester Photographic Society.
For your enjoyment, the entire slide show will be open for all to see through their web site http://wpsphoto.org/ Enjoy
Way to go girl.
Thanks to her fathers tutelage she became the ‘unofficial’ photographer in Pelham Middle School where she taught mathematics (for 31 years). As she go through her many photo albums it occurs to her that this is a visual history of her life. Her albums tell her story. Her relatives, friends and vacations are not only in her heart but are right here, visually, for the world to see. It is her legacy to her two daughters and little granddaughter.
Creativity, for Jane, has taken many forms, and after she retired in June of 1998, she seriously pursued photography. She gathered up her camera and joined a photo class at the Westchester Photographic Society where her photography really took off. She won 3 Medals and 38 Plaques and 14 Ribbons for her work. Then, two years ago she was presented with the much coveted ‘Photographer of the Year' award. She received her first creative award when she won the James Madison High School 2 Year Art Medal in the 1954. The WPS awards rank right up there in importance.
There is currently an evolution going on in her photography. Her unique style was emerging. Although, to her delight, having done well in all categories, lately she is leaning towards black and white photography and computer assisted ‘Open Mind’ works. She can feel herself falling into a trance-like state when she enters her creative world, and she experiences a deep sense of satisfaction when she sees what her subconscious mind has produced. She believes that there is a connection between the mathematical and the creative mind and she feels very lucky to be blessed with both."
Janes photograph was hanging in the Main Lobby of the Empire State Building until July 31st. 2007 as part of the magnificent exhibit of the Westchester Photographic Society.
For your enjoyment, the entire slide show will be open for all to see through their web site http://wpsphoto.org/ Enjoy
Way to go girl.
Lance Corporal Nicholas J. Whythe Class of 2002
The recruiting slogan of the United States Marine Corps is..."We are looking for a few Good Men." In late 2003, when Nichalas J. Whyte walked into the Marine recruiting office,the Leathernecks knew they had found one of those Good Men. Whyte, a 2002 graduate of James Madison High School and an excellent student, looked just like those recruiting posters we have all seen. A Marine in dress uniform, standing ramrod straight, looking very intense...that was Nickolas.
In his formative years, he attended PS 221 and several prestigeous private high schools on scholarship, before returning to Brooklyn and Madison. At Madison, he was an out standing member of the swimming team.
He also spent a year, after graduation from Madison in 2002, attending Saint Francis College in Brooklyn Heights but now it was time to let the family in on his goals and ambitions.
Nicholas' dad Andre, a Jamaican immigrant, a Captain with the New York City Corrections Department was not surprised to hear his son express a desire to go into law enforcement. But Andre was not expecting to hear about the Marines and tried to talk him out of it. Nicholas prevailed and enlisted.
It wasn't long before he was sent to Marine boot camp at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina. Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine division of the 11th Martine Expeditionary Force. That was quite a mounthful but it suited Nick just fine.
As can happen so often in the military, things moved fast and Nick found himself preparing for his first tour of duty in Iraq. He would be heading to the not so scenic town of Fallujah, an area considered quite dangerous. And so, Nick sat down with his dad who gave him sage advice about being careful and alert at all times. Off he went. That first tour, while nerve wracking, ended safely and Nick returned home in September of 2005. But there was not much time to sit around and loaf. Nick had already been notified that his second tour of duty, when the time arrived,he would be returning to Iraq, Nick sat down again with his dad to have a very serious talk. They both knew that this second tour would be riskier than the one before and they were of course very concerned. Nick's father had a premonition that this tour would not be like the first but he remained calm and as positive as he could under the circumstances continuing to be so proud of his son.
Then the time came to leave. But before he left, Nick had a few arrangements and requests to make. First, should anything happen to him, he named his father as the one who would take care of things. Nick was very devoted to and loved his ten year old brother Triston. They loved to roughhouse around the house and Nick again said, if anything happened to him, his brother should get his weights and his Xbox and he also directed the family to get a new house where Triston could finally have a pet. They said their goodbys and so it was time to go.
Back in Iraq, Nick found himself in the seriously danger filled town of Ramadi in Anbar Province. The insurgency was underway full blast and Nick had little time to rest or even to contemplate his return home in August.
June 23rd, 2006 was to have been Nick's 22nd birthday. It was now the 21st and Nick, who had just days before called his father at home to wish him a happy birthday, was on combat patrol with some other Marines along a dusty, dirty street in Ramadi when the sound of a sniper's rifle reverberated down the street.
Three days later, the doorbell at the Whyte residence in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn, rang. On the steps stood a contingent of Marines in full dress uniform with the message that Lance Corporal Nicholas J. Whyte had been killed in action.
Lately the word HERO is used a lot to describe a lot of people for one reason or another. But in connection with Nick Whyte, the word fits perfectly. Here was a life cut short way before its time. Here was a young man, filled with promise, who knew exactly where he was headed and why and who laid his life on the line and paid the ultimate price.
For young Triston Whyte, his big brother was a superb role model. A good student, an athlete but most of all, a loving and respectful member of the Whyte family.
We too have a tie to Nick. It comes by way of James Madison High School. Nick brought honor to the school and in so doing, anoints us with that same honor. The people at the school are proud that Nick was a Madisonian. Most of us never met him, but the connection is there nonetheless making us just as proud.
Nick, your fellow Madisonians send you love, respect and honor. Rest in peace.
"Sempre Fi" Nick
"Always Faithful"
In his formative years, he attended PS 221 and several prestigeous private high schools on scholarship, before returning to Brooklyn and Madison. At Madison, he was an out standing member of the swimming team.
He also spent a year, after graduation from Madison in 2002, attending Saint Francis College in Brooklyn Heights but now it was time to let the family in on his goals and ambitions.
Nicholas' dad Andre, a Jamaican immigrant, a Captain with the New York City Corrections Department was not surprised to hear his son express a desire to go into law enforcement. But Andre was not expecting to hear about the Marines and tried to talk him out of it. Nicholas prevailed and enlisted.
It wasn't long before he was sent to Marine boot camp at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina. Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine division of the 11th Martine Expeditionary Force. That was quite a mounthful but it suited Nick just fine.
As can happen so often in the military, things moved fast and Nick found himself preparing for his first tour of duty in Iraq. He would be heading to the not so scenic town of Fallujah, an area considered quite dangerous. And so, Nick sat down with his dad who gave him sage advice about being careful and alert at all times. Off he went. That first tour, while nerve wracking, ended safely and Nick returned home in September of 2005. But there was not much time to sit around and loaf. Nick had already been notified that his second tour of duty, when the time arrived,he would be returning to Iraq, Nick sat down again with his dad to have a very serious talk. They both knew that this second tour would be riskier than the one before and they were of course very concerned. Nick's father had a premonition that this tour would not be like the first but he remained calm and as positive as he could under the circumstances continuing to be so proud of his son.
Then the time came to leave. But before he left, Nick had a few arrangements and requests to make. First, should anything happen to him, he named his father as the one who would take care of things. Nick was very devoted to and loved his ten year old brother Triston. They loved to roughhouse around the house and Nick again said, if anything happened to him, his brother should get his weights and his Xbox and he also directed the family to get a new house where Triston could finally have a pet. They said their goodbys and so it was time to go.
Back in Iraq, Nick found himself in the seriously danger filled town of Ramadi in Anbar Province. The insurgency was underway full blast and Nick had little time to rest or even to contemplate his return home in August.
June 23rd, 2006 was to have been Nick's 22nd birthday. It was now the 21st and Nick, who had just days before called his father at home to wish him a happy birthday, was on combat patrol with some other Marines along a dusty, dirty street in Ramadi when the sound of a sniper's rifle reverberated down the street.
Three days later, the doorbell at the Whyte residence in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn, rang. On the steps stood a contingent of Marines in full dress uniform with the message that Lance Corporal Nicholas J. Whyte had been killed in action.
Lately the word HERO is used a lot to describe a lot of people for one reason or another. But in connection with Nick Whyte, the word fits perfectly. Here was a life cut short way before its time. Here was a young man, filled with promise, who knew exactly where he was headed and why and who laid his life on the line and paid the ultimate price.
For young Triston Whyte, his big brother was a superb role model. A good student, an athlete but most of all, a loving and respectful member of the Whyte family.
We too have a tie to Nick. It comes by way of James Madison High School. Nick brought honor to the school and in so doing, anoints us with that same honor. The people at the school are proud that Nick was a Madisonian. Most of us never met him, but the connection is there nonetheless making us just as proud.
Nick, your fellow Madisonians send you love, respect and honor. Rest in peace.
"Sempre Fi" Nick
"Always Faithful"
Don Harris..Class of ..'49--Karl Bernstein..Class of..'51.Arlene Kay..Class of..'56
Over the years, James Madison High School has produced a long line of highly skilled graduates who went into a myriad of careers that brought honor upon themselves and the school that began their training. One of them is Donald S. Harris, class of 1949. While at Don spent a lot of time in the gym and performed as a member of the gymnastics team. But even after school, he was busy. Shortly after graduation, Don was hired as an usher at the Avalon Theatre on Kings Highway and in a manner to be expected from a Madisonian, worked his way up to Assistant Manager and Chief of Service.
But Don would again to answer yet another call of service. He joined the U.S. Air Force and by 1951, he found himself in Korea with the very important assignment, flying wounded soldiers out of the war zone.
In 1952, he was attached to the US Air Force Exhibit Group and in that capacity traveled the country explaining to audiences how the Air Force spent our tax money. And to put the emphasis on equipment, he carried with him the belly section of the historic ENOLA GAY, the B-29 that dropped an A-bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
Don survived Korea and the service. Upon his return to stateside in 1953, he moved to California where he soon had a successful insurance agency. But that was not enough for him and in 1965 it was off to Southwestern Law School. Upon passing the bar exam, he began his practice until 1974 when he formed a new corporation, Educational Community Insurance Services, Inc. It was through that company that he began negotiating benefit packages for teachers all across the state of California.
Don and his wife loved travel and travel they did…to every country in the world except India. In 1996, Don retired and began taking care of his wife who passed away a year later. But Don still has not settled down into an easy chair. First, he watches with pride as his only child, a daughter, practices law in California. And Don is back in uniform, this time as a major in the USAF Auxiliary (CAP) Squadron 35 in Southern California, also known as the Civil Air Patrol. As such, he flies search and rescue missions for downed aircraft as well as lost skiers and hikers in local mountains and across the border in Mexico. Donald S. Harris is truly a Madisonian we and the school can be very proud of.
--------------------------------------------
Two years after Don Harris graduated from the hallowed halls of James Madison High School, Karl Bernstein, Class of ’51 accepted his diploma and went off to college to eventually become a science teacher. Thus began a 32 year career that included not only science classes but also a long and distinguished stint as an Assistant Principal. Karl says he feels he contributed a great deal to the youth of our society and we have to agree.
For Karl though, attendance at Madison had an unusual payoff. Karl played the cello in the Madison High orchestra and the young lady seated next to him always admired his musical abilities. It may be a good thing that she did not pursue music as a career because that young lady grew up to become United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Many years after orchestra rehearsals ended for them, Karl Bernstein was selected by PS 238 on East 8th Street,to present Justice Ginsberg with a special alumni gift. Just before the ceremony, Karl asked the distinguished jurist if she remembered him playing the cello in the orchestra and sitting next to her? She answered that she did indeed remember him and added that he played much better than she. Karl is still impressed by that compliment.
Karl, a dedicated teacher, a skillful Assistant Principal in the borough of Brooklyn and someone all Madisonians can be extremely proud of. That includes the long parade of students who were lucky enough to be recipients of his knowledge and his concern for them.
------------------------------------------------------
The purpose of these bios was to see the paths taken by various Madisonians as they followed careers in later life. Tales of wonderful, fulfilling and valuable endeavors were shared.
------------------------------------------------------
Another such tale is that of Arlene Kay class of 1956. Arlene's career path was not only one of service to others in the form of real estate sales but it was special because of the distance covered. First, lets take a quick look at the various aspects of her career. After Madison and traversing Kings Highway countless times with her best friend Glo, Arlene went to night school to get her college degree. She then begins teaching while at the same time getting married and having two kids. Then, unexpectedly, she got unmarried (is that a valid term?) All this happened on New York's Fire Island where for thirty years, she established a successful real estate agency. It was at the thirty year marker that Arlene made a major decision. It was on Fire Island, in 10 degree weather that Arlene decided she was in need of a change....to a warmer climate. And boy, was it some change......Acapulco, Mexico, where you can find those divers jumping off cliffs into the surf.
Acapulco is where Arlene can be found most of the year, engaging in her field of real estate. She does makes visits back to New York in the summer but she loves her home down there, calling it one of the most beautiful places.
Life is good Arlene, enjoy
Sherry
But Don would again to answer yet another call of service. He joined the U.S. Air Force and by 1951, he found himself in Korea with the very important assignment, flying wounded soldiers out of the war zone.
In 1952, he was attached to the US Air Force Exhibit Group and in that capacity traveled the country explaining to audiences how the Air Force spent our tax money. And to put the emphasis on equipment, he carried with him the belly section of the historic ENOLA GAY, the B-29 that dropped an A-bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
Don survived Korea and the service. Upon his return to stateside in 1953, he moved to California where he soon had a successful insurance agency. But that was not enough for him and in 1965 it was off to Southwestern Law School. Upon passing the bar exam, he began his practice until 1974 when he formed a new corporation, Educational Community Insurance Services, Inc. It was through that company that he began negotiating benefit packages for teachers all across the state of California.
Don and his wife loved travel and travel they did…to every country in the world except India. In 1996, Don retired and began taking care of his wife who passed away a year later. But Don still has not settled down into an easy chair. First, he watches with pride as his only child, a daughter, practices law in California. And Don is back in uniform, this time as a major in the USAF Auxiliary (CAP) Squadron 35 in Southern California, also known as the Civil Air Patrol. As such, he flies search and rescue missions for downed aircraft as well as lost skiers and hikers in local mountains and across the border in Mexico. Donald S. Harris is truly a Madisonian we and the school can be very proud of.
--------------------------------------------
Two years after Don Harris graduated from the hallowed halls of James Madison High School, Karl Bernstein, Class of ’51 accepted his diploma and went off to college to eventually become a science teacher. Thus began a 32 year career that included not only science classes but also a long and distinguished stint as an Assistant Principal. Karl says he feels he contributed a great deal to the youth of our society and we have to agree.
For Karl though, attendance at Madison had an unusual payoff. Karl played the cello in the Madison High orchestra and the young lady seated next to him always admired his musical abilities. It may be a good thing that she did not pursue music as a career because that young lady grew up to become United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Many years after orchestra rehearsals ended for them, Karl Bernstein was selected by PS 238 on East 8th Street,to present Justice Ginsberg with a special alumni gift. Just before the ceremony, Karl asked the distinguished jurist if she remembered him playing the cello in the orchestra and sitting next to her? She answered that she did indeed remember him and added that he played much better than she. Karl is still impressed by that compliment.
Karl, a dedicated teacher, a skillful Assistant Principal in the borough of Brooklyn and someone all Madisonians can be extremely proud of. That includes the long parade of students who were lucky enough to be recipients of his knowledge and his concern for them.
------------------------------------------------------
The purpose of these bios was to see the paths taken by various Madisonians as they followed careers in later life. Tales of wonderful, fulfilling and valuable endeavors were shared.
------------------------------------------------------
Another such tale is that of Arlene Kay class of 1956. Arlene's career path was not only one of service to others in the form of real estate sales but it was special because of the distance covered. First, lets take a quick look at the various aspects of her career. After Madison and traversing Kings Highway countless times with her best friend Glo, Arlene went to night school to get her college degree. She then begins teaching while at the same time getting married and having two kids. Then, unexpectedly, she got unmarried (is that a valid term?) All this happened on New York's Fire Island where for thirty years, she established a successful real estate agency. It was at the thirty year marker that Arlene made a major decision. It was on Fire Island, in 10 degree weather that Arlene decided she was in need of a change....to a warmer climate. And boy, was it some change......Acapulco, Mexico, where you can find those divers jumping off cliffs into the surf.
Acapulco is where Arlene can be found most of the year, engaging in her field of real estate. She does makes visits back to New York in the summer but she loves her home down there, calling it one of the most beautiful places.
Life is good Arlene, enjoy
Sherry
JOSEPH F. PAONE Lt. Colonel U.S. Army Ret. (D)..Class of ..1956
USMA is renowned as an historic and distinguished military academy, and a leading, progressive institution of higher education. Made legendary in books and movies, the Academy's "Long Gray Line" includes some of our nation's most famous leaders: Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George S. Patton, Omar Bradley, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Norman Schwarzkopf and Joseph Paone, Academy Class of 1961.
On Sept. 12th, Joe Paone a former student at James Madison High School, class of 1956reported for final muster as he was laid to rest among America’s heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking Washington DC.
Until Joe entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. he was one of the guys who often could be found on Kings Highway, at the Avalon Theatre or in the hallowed halls of James Madison High School. Joe's buddy, Carl Jensen described Joe as an average student who suddenly grew into a man far above average. You have to be above average to get an appointment to West Point and Joe did just that and if you had been there on that first day, you would have witnessed the start of a stellar military career that begin in 1957 and ended in retirement in 1981 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Early on in Joe’s career, he married his high school sweetheart Lucille Penzabene. herself a Madison graduate in 1957 and they went on to have two daughters and six grandchildren who made Joe swell with pride every time he saw them.
Being in the Army means travel and Joe surely did his share. Following his commissioning at West Point, Joe moved on as a brand new 2nd Lieutenant to Fort Benning Georgia for his officer training course. Then it was on to West Germany in 1962. Then, it was back to Fort Benning three years later. But Joe was still on the move. Would you believe he was transferred from Georgia to Manhattan where he attended NYU and classes to receive a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
It was about then that trouble was building in Vietnam and Joe was on the move again. His first tour of duty in Vietnam stretched from 1966 to 1967. He came thru that okay and was rotated home again and it was back to New York for more schooling. He was aiming for another Masters Degree, this one in Business Administration. As I mentioned military service requires a lot of travel. After being in New York from 1967 until 1969, Joe was sent back to Vietnam for his second combat tour.
Joe’s travels are far from finished. Returning from Vietnam in 1970, he heads back to his home base, Fort Benning, Georgia and stays there until 1973 when he is transferred again, this time to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is not there for long though. The Army decides they need him at the Pentagon and in 1974, his duty station is on the banks of the Potomac River. Not too long after that, Joe who is by now spouting a chest full of medals, citations and military awards, is sent to Korea and placed in command of a combat unit there.
Returning later to the Pentagon, Joe, in 1981, decides to experience civilian life once again and with Lucille’s approval, he retires to Manassas, Va. But after some 22 years in uniform, just sitting back was not Joe’s thing and so it was off to the business world. Joe became a representative for companies doing business with the Federal Government. It wasn’t long though before Joe opened his Paone Associates, Inc, a consulting and home improvement contracting company. And things were going well until there was a surprise diagnosis of Lyme disease in 1998 followed by another later, of cancer.
Joe passed away on June 21st, 2007 with his family around him. The family included
daughters Anne Gunsolus and her husband Don and their four kids, Brandon, Dustin, Max and Isabelle. Also Maria Coombe and husband Scott, plus grandkids Alyssa and Lauren.
Internment was at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. The Army band was there, a bugler, and an honor guard, all in full dress uniform. Joe’s flag draped casket was mounted on a horse drawn caisson as the procession moved to the chapel and then to the gravesite. As the casket was being lowered, the Army band, in the background Army Blues aka Aura Lee or Love Me tender. The Army General, who escorted Lucille during the ceremonies, expressed his astonishment at the turnout to bid farewell to a fellow soldier. And Joe’s long time buddy Carl Jensen said lots of tears were shed that day. The men gathered around the gravesite were members of Joe’s Academy class of 1961 and men who served with him in Vietnam.
They were all there to honor a man who devoted his life to protecting his country and at the same time, his family and friends. Joe’s devotion to duty, love of country and love of those he gathered around him or who chose to be near him, was in large measure, instilled in him early on while he, along with the rest of us, attended classes at James Madison High School. And Joe’s life is also a testament to the education he got, that turned a young kid into a young man our nation can be proud of and who James Madison High School can be proud to call its own.
Most of us never had the chance to meet Joe but I am sure there is a bond between us now that stretches from our hearts, thru the halls of Madison, to Joe. Rest in peace, Colonel, we’ll see you later.
On Sept. 12th, Joe Paone a former student at James Madison High School, class of 1956reported for final muster as he was laid to rest among America’s heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking Washington DC.
Until Joe entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. he was one of the guys who often could be found on Kings Highway, at the Avalon Theatre or in the hallowed halls of James Madison High School. Joe's buddy, Carl Jensen described Joe as an average student who suddenly grew into a man far above average. You have to be above average to get an appointment to West Point and Joe did just that and if you had been there on that first day, you would have witnessed the start of a stellar military career that begin in 1957 and ended in retirement in 1981 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Early on in Joe’s career, he married his high school sweetheart Lucille Penzabene. herself a Madison graduate in 1957 and they went on to have two daughters and six grandchildren who made Joe swell with pride every time he saw them.
Being in the Army means travel and Joe surely did his share. Following his commissioning at West Point, Joe moved on as a brand new 2nd Lieutenant to Fort Benning Georgia for his officer training course. Then it was on to West Germany in 1962. Then, it was back to Fort Benning three years later. But Joe was still on the move. Would you believe he was transferred from Georgia to Manhattan where he attended NYU and classes to receive a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
It was about then that trouble was building in Vietnam and Joe was on the move again. His first tour of duty in Vietnam stretched from 1966 to 1967. He came thru that okay and was rotated home again and it was back to New York for more schooling. He was aiming for another Masters Degree, this one in Business Administration. As I mentioned military service requires a lot of travel. After being in New York from 1967 until 1969, Joe was sent back to Vietnam for his second combat tour.
Joe’s travels are far from finished. Returning from Vietnam in 1970, he heads back to his home base, Fort Benning, Georgia and stays there until 1973 when he is transferred again, this time to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is not there for long though. The Army decides they need him at the Pentagon and in 1974, his duty station is on the banks of the Potomac River. Not too long after that, Joe who is by now spouting a chest full of medals, citations and military awards, is sent to Korea and placed in command of a combat unit there.
Returning later to the Pentagon, Joe, in 1981, decides to experience civilian life once again and with Lucille’s approval, he retires to Manassas, Va. But after some 22 years in uniform, just sitting back was not Joe’s thing and so it was off to the business world. Joe became a representative for companies doing business with the Federal Government. It wasn’t long though before Joe opened his Paone Associates, Inc, a consulting and home improvement contracting company. And things were going well until there was a surprise diagnosis of Lyme disease in 1998 followed by another later, of cancer.
Joe passed away on June 21st, 2007 with his family around him. The family included
daughters Anne Gunsolus and her husband Don and their four kids, Brandon, Dustin, Max and Isabelle. Also Maria Coombe and husband Scott, plus grandkids Alyssa and Lauren.
Internment was at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. The Army band was there, a bugler, and an honor guard, all in full dress uniform. Joe’s flag draped casket was mounted on a horse drawn caisson as the procession moved to the chapel and then to the gravesite. As the casket was being lowered, the Army band, in the background Army Blues aka Aura Lee or Love Me tender. The Army General, who escorted Lucille during the ceremonies, expressed his astonishment at the turnout to bid farewell to a fellow soldier. And Joe’s long time buddy Carl Jensen said lots of tears were shed that day. The men gathered around the gravesite were members of Joe’s Academy class of 1961 and men who served with him in Vietnam.
They were all there to honor a man who devoted his life to protecting his country and at the same time, his family and friends. Joe’s devotion to duty, love of country and love of those he gathered around him or who chose to be near him, was in large measure, instilled in him early on while he, along with the rest of us, attended classes at James Madison High School. And Joe’s life is also a testament to the education he got, that turned a young kid into a young man our nation can be proud of and who James Madison High School can be proud to call its own.
Most of us never had the chance to meet Joe but I am sure there is a bond between us now that stretches from our hearts, thru the halls of Madison, to Joe. Rest in peace, Colonel, we’ll see you later.
ROXANNE (SPAHN) PERRI...Class of.... 1962
Imagine a group of girls from James Madison High School, emerging from the Avalon Theatre on Kings Highway after just seeing “West Side Story” and literally dancing off down the street heading for either the Avalon Coffee Shop or Dubrows and singing “When You’re a Jet, You’re A Jet All The Way.” That was kind of an everyday thing because Madisonians are loaded with energy and a sense of excitement.
One of those girls was Roxanne Perri (Spahn), class of ’62 and she had her eye set on show business. So, right after graduating from Madison, in 1962, she promptly enrolled at the American Academy of
Dramatic Arts taking classes in speech, dramatic acting, pantomime, dance, role play and (fencing). Fencing? A nice Jewish girl as a musketeer? Well, maybe not. But there was also a love of photography, movies, art and music. As a result, she worked at the New York Institute of Photography and created an interesting portfolio of pictures. But, her years of training were far from over.
Roxanne soon enrolled in New York City Community College later transferring to Florida Atlantic University after moving to Miami in 1969. There, she got her BAE in Education. She then taught Elementary School for a while and before moving back to New York where she worked with Centurian Investigations as an investigator and field rep. After three years with the agency Roxanne moves back to Florida.
In 1978, in Miami four things changed her career direction. First, she meets a graphologist, (handwriting analyst) who told her about a National Convention of Handwriting Analysts in Washington. Having read several books on the subject she was eager to attend the convention and it was a good thing she did. Its was there that she met her mentor – Mr. Felix Klein the head of the National Society for Graphology. She took his professional course in Manhattan and became a certified Graphologist with a website, http://www.handwritingsrevealed.com/... where she profiles the writings of celebrities.
Now, having been involved in investigative work, Roxanne found she could combine the two, graphology and a “detective type” work. Little did she know it would also lead to television.
She opened up an office in Hollywood Florida and after working for three years in New York with a private investigative agency, she was able to open up her own fully licensed Agency. Then, as luck would have it, a new cable TV company was seeking programs and they put an ad in the papers seeking those who wanted to make a pilot program. With her background in drama from the Academy of Dramatic Arts, her major in English and Education from FAU and her work for Centurion Investigations, she applied for the pilot program and was accepted.
Roxanne ran a cable show on Selkirk Cable for about three years and with her interest in TV and movies was able to get excellent guests. Several programs were with the FBI as well as DEA agents from the Broward County Sheriff’s office. This then led to her running a Talk Show called the Roxanne Perri Show that concentrated on police type issues. And of course, she soon opened her Investigative Agency and was able to combine all aspects of handwriting analysis for a full spectrum of graphological services.
During this time, a good friend from Brooklyn, Jack Levy who moved to Florida around the same time as Roxanne was a talk show host on Florida radio nets. He took her by the hand and introduced Roxanne to the Florida Talk Show community and it wasn’t long before she became a regular guest on their shows. Roxanne was a regular on Ron King from WKAT and due to this interview about graphology met and worked for over 20 years with a billionaire Mr. Erik Hvide the owner of Hvide Shipping. She provided pre-employment screenings for their company combining background checks, drug and alcohol screening, pre-employment screenings and weeded out undesirables from the workplace.
So, what's next? it was back to school for Roxanne where she received a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and she began doing therapy. And today she is connected with Chabad Speakers Bureau and now gives lectures around the country on relationships, marital therapy, kabbalah and couples compatibility.
Now you ask, thru her graphology work, did she profile celebrities? Hoo Boy, did she. Former President Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn and Mohammed Ali among others, plus Andrew Cuananon the Versace killer and plus Kirk Douglas, Brad Pitt, Heather Locklear and Oprah Winfrey. Not bad for a kid from Kings Highway.
Roxanne presently gives talks around the country and is available for private consultations through her web at http://www.handwritingsrevealed.com/
She currently working on a celebrity book.
Now, the main question is this…….Roxanne, when in G-d’s name are you going to sit down and rest?.....Well done Roxanne, another Madisonian to be proud of.
One of those girls was Roxanne Perri (Spahn), class of ’62 and she had her eye set on show business. So, right after graduating from Madison, in 1962, she promptly enrolled at the American Academy of
Dramatic Arts taking classes in speech, dramatic acting, pantomime, dance, role play and (fencing). Fencing? A nice Jewish girl as a musketeer? Well, maybe not. But there was also a love of photography, movies, art and music. As a result, she worked at the New York Institute of Photography and created an interesting portfolio of pictures. But, her years of training were far from over.
Roxanne soon enrolled in New York City Community College later transferring to Florida Atlantic University after moving to Miami in 1969. There, she got her BAE in Education. She then taught Elementary School for a while and before moving back to New York where she worked with Centurian Investigations as an investigator and field rep. After three years with the agency Roxanne moves back to Florida.
In 1978, in Miami four things changed her career direction. First, she meets a graphologist, (handwriting analyst) who told her about a National Convention of Handwriting Analysts in Washington. Having read several books on the subject she was eager to attend the convention and it was a good thing she did. Its was there that she met her mentor – Mr. Felix Klein the head of the National Society for Graphology. She took his professional course in Manhattan and became a certified Graphologist with a website, http://www.handwritingsrevealed.com/... where she profiles the writings of celebrities.
Now, having been involved in investigative work, Roxanne found she could combine the two, graphology and a “detective type” work. Little did she know it would also lead to television.
She opened up an office in Hollywood Florida and after working for three years in New York with a private investigative agency, she was able to open up her own fully licensed Agency. Then, as luck would have it, a new cable TV company was seeking programs and they put an ad in the papers seeking those who wanted to make a pilot program. With her background in drama from the Academy of Dramatic Arts, her major in English and Education from FAU and her work for Centurion Investigations, she applied for the pilot program and was accepted.
Roxanne ran a cable show on Selkirk Cable for about three years and with her interest in TV and movies was able to get excellent guests. Several programs were with the FBI as well as DEA agents from the Broward County Sheriff’s office. This then led to her running a Talk Show called the Roxanne Perri Show that concentrated on police type issues. And of course, she soon opened her Investigative Agency and was able to combine all aspects of handwriting analysis for a full spectrum of graphological services.
During this time, a good friend from Brooklyn, Jack Levy who moved to Florida around the same time as Roxanne was a talk show host on Florida radio nets. He took her by the hand and introduced Roxanne to the Florida Talk Show community and it wasn’t long before she became a regular guest on their shows. Roxanne was a regular on Ron King from WKAT and due to this interview about graphology met and worked for over 20 years with a billionaire Mr. Erik Hvide the owner of Hvide Shipping. She provided pre-employment screenings for their company combining background checks, drug and alcohol screening, pre-employment screenings and weeded out undesirables from the workplace.
So, what's next? it was back to school for Roxanne where she received a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and she began doing therapy. And today she is connected with Chabad Speakers Bureau and now gives lectures around the country on relationships, marital therapy, kabbalah and couples compatibility.
Now you ask, thru her graphology work, did she profile celebrities? Hoo Boy, did she. Former President Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn and Mohammed Ali among others, plus Andrew Cuananon the Versace killer and plus Kirk Douglas, Brad Pitt, Heather Locklear and Oprah Winfrey. Not bad for a kid from Kings Highway.
Roxanne presently gives talks around the country and is available for private consultations through her web at http://www.handwritingsrevealed.com/
She currently working on a celebrity book.
Now, the main question is this…….Roxanne, when in G-d’s name are you going to sit down and rest?.....Well done Roxanne, another Madisonian to be proud of.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
RON CHASE...Class of ...1953
MEET OUR "RENAISSANCE MAN"
There were very few jobs for philosophy majors by the time Ron graduated from college.
He was no stranger to the circuitous road after leaving high school without a career choice.At age 15 he played tournament golf in the Hearst Newspapers tristate open and shot a 78. But, it was held that there was no future in golf so it was dropped. He made the papers the following year and tied for distance driving prizes with a blast of 295 yards (old clubs). And they thought he was doing homework at JMHS. Between golf, track, and dance there was no time to get serious about studies.Some may remember that he held dance classes for all that were interested in the latin music resounding from the garage adjacent to the house.
In 1953 he went to study with Jose Limon in NYC. Modern interpretive dance was a passion. He found that world was not for him. The life of an athlete or professional dancer was not to be for this Jewish boy from Brooklyn. He knew he had to get more education so he went off to college.
Now, armed with the sheepskin from college and hardly a pre-medical degree he found his way to Rome, Italy to study medicine. There he learned to become the student he never was in earlier years. He would have made the Latin teacher, whose name was long lost, quite proud. Ron could never pass amo, amas, amat but was able to master Italiano, French, and Spanish. Yes he does speak English.
While in Rome...he played baseball for the Italian league and revitalized his golf interests by playing with the aristocracy there. In Italy it was all about La Dolce Vita and who you knew. Ron chose to hang with the crowd at Cinecitta' (the Hollywood of Italy) where films like Pink Panther and spaghetti westerns were made. Yes, the divas were the best teachers. He adored opera singers and would be seen in their company in Nice or Cannes.
He often would muse that a huge mistake was made. The great students in high school and college that knew, at an early age, what they wanted were admitted to Harvard, Yale, and other highly respected schools to be educated. They were able to persevere and go on to even higher learning institutions in medicine, engineering, law, etc. They studied diligently and deserved the benefits earned. On the other hand, Ron ended up on the Via Veneto in the best of all worlds. Ron said "God should have sent those students to Rome for all their hard work but sent me instead!"
Ron became a renaissance man enriched by languages and culture before his return to the states ten years later. After internship he was accepted to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland for residency training in psychiatry. The Vietnam War was raging in 1968.
He was a Lieutenant Commander in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy and treated the emotional casualties of combat (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder over the ensuing five years. He completed a fellowship at Chicago Medical School in psychosomatic medicine and became a convocated fellow of the academy of psychosomatic medicine before entering private practice. He continued his interest in PTSD and was recruited by the Veterans Administration to establish treatment programs for combat veterans.
He always had an affinity for the underdog and disenfranchised. His idealism and zeal often made him appear controversial. Ron was outspoken and his writings reflected the passion. He took a position with the Office of Mental Health in New York State working in forensic services in 1985.
Ron worked with the Division of Parole and Bureau of Special Services in the five boroughs of N.Y. He was a frequent visitor to Rikers Island and later decided to test the correctional institutions as a clinical challenge.
In 1994 Ron was asked to critique the Miranda rights statements that the LAPD obtained regarding the O.J. Simpson case on national television (Inside Edition). Today his work still concerns the underserved populations of the correctional institutions as a forensic psychiatrist. Ron has also contributed many articles to the media dealing with the lost art of medicine.
Well, just for fun let's include some cool stuff under the rubric of interests. In the April 1979 edition of "Southern Living", guess who appeared for three recipes including Clams Chase and Scallopine di vitello al sorriso. Well, he did own the first gourmet utensil shop in Jacksonville, Florida: The Kitchen Shop.
Ron still takes dance class when he is in NYC. He is in class with his dear friend "Luigi" the Maestro of Jazz dance. In fact, Ron appeared with Liza Minnelli, Ben Vereen, and Tony Roberts in a documentary about the life of "Luigi" which aired in NYC last year. He put together a jazz group in NYC giving them the name of "Jazzberry Jam" They played Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and still appear around town.
He did not have time to finish a documentary in the field of psychiatry but will get back to that later.The current creative issue is the forthcoming book which will be published by Amazon.Com entitled "Aftermath: A war of memories"
Ron and his wife have three children and live between central Florida and Brooklyn,( Bedford Avenue believe it or not)
So my friends this is our" Renaissance Man" a guy who can do almost everything and did do it well
By the way Rons book has been published, Check it out...
Sherry
There were very few jobs for philosophy majors by the time Ron graduated from college.
He was no stranger to the circuitous road after leaving high school without a career choice.At age 15 he played tournament golf in the Hearst Newspapers tristate open and shot a 78. But, it was held that there was no future in golf so it was dropped. He made the papers the following year and tied for distance driving prizes with a blast of 295 yards (old clubs). And they thought he was doing homework at JMHS. Between golf, track, and dance there was no time to get serious about studies.Some may remember that he held dance classes for all that were interested in the latin music resounding from the garage adjacent to the house.
In 1953 he went to study with Jose Limon in NYC. Modern interpretive dance was a passion. He found that world was not for him. The life of an athlete or professional dancer was not to be for this Jewish boy from Brooklyn. He knew he had to get more education so he went off to college.
Now, armed with the sheepskin from college and hardly a pre-medical degree he found his way to Rome, Italy to study medicine. There he learned to become the student he never was in earlier years. He would have made the Latin teacher, whose name was long lost, quite proud. Ron could never pass amo, amas, amat but was able to master Italiano, French, and Spanish. Yes he does speak English.
While in Rome...he played baseball for the Italian league and revitalized his golf interests by playing with the aristocracy there. In Italy it was all about La Dolce Vita and who you knew. Ron chose to hang with the crowd at Cinecitta' (the Hollywood of Italy) where films like Pink Panther and spaghetti westerns were made. Yes, the divas were the best teachers. He adored opera singers and would be seen in their company in Nice or Cannes.
He often would muse that a huge mistake was made. The great students in high school and college that knew, at an early age, what they wanted were admitted to Harvard, Yale, and other highly respected schools to be educated. They were able to persevere and go on to even higher learning institutions in medicine, engineering, law, etc. They studied diligently and deserved the benefits earned. On the other hand, Ron ended up on the Via Veneto in the best of all worlds. Ron said "God should have sent those students to Rome for all their hard work but sent me instead!"
Ron became a renaissance man enriched by languages and culture before his return to the states ten years later. After internship he was accepted to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland for residency training in psychiatry. The Vietnam War was raging in 1968.
He was a Lieutenant Commander in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy and treated the emotional casualties of combat (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder over the ensuing five years. He completed a fellowship at Chicago Medical School in psychosomatic medicine and became a convocated fellow of the academy of psychosomatic medicine before entering private practice. He continued his interest in PTSD and was recruited by the Veterans Administration to establish treatment programs for combat veterans.
He always had an affinity for the underdog and disenfranchised. His idealism and zeal often made him appear controversial. Ron was outspoken and his writings reflected the passion. He took a position with the Office of Mental Health in New York State working in forensic services in 1985.
Ron worked with the Division of Parole and Bureau of Special Services in the five boroughs of N.Y. He was a frequent visitor to Rikers Island and later decided to test the correctional institutions as a clinical challenge.
In 1994 Ron was asked to critique the Miranda rights statements that the LAPD obtained regarding the O.J. Simpson case on national television (Inside Edition). Today his work still concerns the underserved populations of the correctional institutions as a forensic psychiatrist. Ron has also contributed many articles to the media dealing with the lost art of medicine.
Well, just for fun let's include some cool stuff under the rubric of interests. In the April 1979 edition of "Southern Living", guess who appeared for three recipes including Clams Chase and Scallopine di vitello al sorriso. Well, he did own the first gourmet utensil shop in Jacksonville, Florida: The Kitchen Shop.
Ron still takes dance class when he is in NYC. He is in class with his dear friend "Luigi" the Maestro of Jazz dance. In fact, Ron appeared with Liza Minnelli, Ben Vereen, and Tony Roberts in a documentary about the life of "Luigi" which aired in NYC last year. He put together a jazz group in NYC giving them the name of "Jazzberry Jam" They played Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and still appear around town.
He did not have time to finish a documentary in the field of psychiatry but will get back to that later.The current creative issue is the forthcoming book which will be published by Amazon.Com entitled "Aftermath: A war of memories"
Ron and his wife have three children and live between central Florida and Brooklyn,( Bedford Avenue believe it or not)
So my friends this is our" Renaissance Man" a guy who can do almost everything and did do it well
By the way Rons book has been published, Check it out...
Sherry
FRED PITTS...Class of....1953
The term Renaissance Man (or Polymath) refers to a person who becomes involved in many fields and who excels in them all. James Madison High School is one of those schools fortunate enough to have several such people it can call alumni. One such outstanding graduate is Fred Pitts.
When Fred graduated in 1953 along with his twin brother Michael, he decided that a good starting point for his career would be the U.S. Navy and so it was off to the recruiting office. Once in uniform, Fred could often be found on the athletic fields, participating in Navy football, baseball and basketball. This was to be expected because while still at Madison, Fred was an outstanding athlete there too. In addition to his other Navy duties, Fred amassed an enviable service record.
When his enlistment ended, Fred began his quest for a college degree, enrolling at the University of Florida. There, in 1962, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. Now his career began in earnest.
His inaugural position was as Assistant Superintendent of Recreation for St. Lucie County, Florida and later as Athletic Director for Fort Walton Beach. In this capacity, he was put in charge of teen activities. He also ran dances for the kids and even the adults. His ultimate chore was a yearly circus program. Finally, he taught physical education at three local elementary schools. Not bad for a new college graduate. Oh, also, when the school superintendent was away, Fred served as substitute super.But, apparently this still left him with too much time on his hands, so he took on the job of News Director at the local radio station, WFTW. This meant he would also be broadcasting the football games for Choctawhatchee High School.
Fred's job expanded somewhat again. In addition to being News Director and sports broadcaster for WFTW, Fred was now involved in public relations. He became Sports Information director for Okaloosa-Walton Community College. This meant responsibility for the writing, compiling, photography and editing of all information pieces about the school's athletic department. It also required him to be the manager for all college home games in all sports. While doing that, he was also broadcasting football, baseball, and softball and basketball games. Wait, we are not finished yet. Fred also had to write a sports column for the local newspaper, Prepare and record publicity pieces for broadcast, appear on local radio and television.
Now for something completely different and its only 1966 at this point.
Fred has been involved in sports all this time but now, he finds himself the public relations director for the High School Marching band. The group is called the Choctawhatchee Style Marchers and Fred now has the job of letting everyone know when and where they will perform, and news about the members. As far as we know, he was not required to play an instrument, carry a flag or ride a float. Phew !
Time now to move ahead to the period between 1966 and 1992.
In 1966, Fred began his teaching career Choctawhatchee High School as a Phys Ed instructor, Junior Varsity football coach and head Varsity Basketball coach. He began teaching driver education in 1967 and was named head of the department in
1969. Also in 1969, Fred became Varsity head coach for football.
In 1972, his career reached a new fork in the road.
Fred resigned his coaching duties to concentrate on teaching and to devote more time to being a sports official (referee & umpire) and for the next ten years, officiated at both the college and junior college levels. That included all sports plus volleyball.
In 1980, he began teaching General Science and Health and basic Mathematics classes. In 1989, he added Marine Biology, Zoology and Biology. But he hadn't dropped sports altogether. From 1980 to 1984, he was assistant softball coach, 1986 thru 1991, he was girls varsity softball coach.
Once again from 1992 until 1998, Fred returned to his old job as sports information director for Okaloosa-Walton Community College.
And then he retired. But not completely. Since 1994 to the present time, Fred has been a play by play announcer and voice of both the men's and women's basketball programs over radio station WAAZ-FM in Florida.
So, not only can we call Fred Pitts, class of 1953 a renaissance man, we can also call him a super credit to James Madison High School. Well done Fred.
When Fred graduated in 1953 along with his twin brother Michael, he decided that a good starting point for his career would be the U.S. Navy and so it was off to the recruiting office. Once in uniform, Fred could often be found on the athletic fields, participating in Navy football, baseball and basketball. This was to be expected because while still at Madison, Fred was an outstanding athlete there too. In addition to his other Navy duties, Fred amassed an enviable service record.
When his enlistment ended, Fred began his quest for a college degree, enrolling at the University of Florida. There, in 1962, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. Now his career began in earnest.
His inaugural position was as Assistant Superintendent of Recreation for St. Lucie County, Florida and later as Athletic Director for Fort Walton Beach. In this capacity, he was put in charge of teen activities. He also ran dances for the kids and even the adults. His ultimate chore was a yearly circus program. Finally, he taught physical education at three local elementary schools. Not bad for a new college graduate. Oh, also, when the school superintendent was away, Fred served as substitute super.But, apparently this still left him with too much time on his hands, so he took on the job of News Director at the local radio station, WFTW. This meant he would also be broadcasting the football games for Choctawhatchee High School.
Fred's job expanded somewhat again. In addition to being News Director and sports broadcaster for WFTW, Fred was now involved in public relations. He became Sports Information director for Okaloosa-Walton Community College. This meant responsibility for the writing, compiling, photography and editing of all information pieces about the school's athletic department. It also required him to be the manager for all college home games in all sports. While doing that, he was also broadcasting football, baseball, and softball and basketball games. Wait, we are not finished yet. Fred also had to write a sports column for the local newspaper, Prepare and record publicity pieces for broadcast, appear on local radio and television.
Now for something completely different and its only 1966 at this point.
Fred has been involved in sports all this time but now, he finds himself the public relations director for the High School Marching band. The group is called the Choctawhatchee Style Marchers and Fred now has the job of letting everyone know when and where they will perform, and news about the members. As far as we know, he was not required to play an instrument, carry a flag or ride a float. Phew !
Time now to move ahead to the period between 1966 and 1992.
In 1966, Fred began his teaching career Choctawhatchee High School as a Phys Ed instructor, Junior Varsity football coach and head Varsity Basketball coach. He began teaching driver education in 1967 and was named head of the department in
1969. Also in 1969, Fred became Varsity head coach for football.
In 1972, his career reached a new fork in the road.
Fred resigned his coaching duties to concentrate on teaching and to devote more time to being a sports official (referee & umpire) and for the next ten years, officiated at both the college and junior college levels. That included all sports plus volleyball.
In 1980, he began teaching General Science and Health and basic Mathematics classes. In 1989, he added Marine Biology, Zoology and Biology. But he hadn't dropped sports altogether. From 1980 to 1984, he was assistant softball coach, 1986 thru 1991, he was girls varsity softball coach.
Once again from 1992 until 1998, Fred returned to his old job as sports information director for Okaloosa-Walton Community College.
And then he retired. But not completely. Since 1994 to the present time, Fred has been a play by play announcer and voice of both the men's and women's basketball programs over radio station WAAZ-FM in Florida.
So, not only can we call Fred Pitts, class of 1953 a renaissance man, we can also call him a super credit to James Madison High School. Well done Fred.
MICHAEL G. PITTS...Class of...1953
It is truly amazing the calibre of people who have come through the hallowed halls of James Madison High School and who have gone on to achieve great things in the real world.
Take Michael G. Pitts, for example. He is the epitome of the slogan of The United States Marine Corps, about wanting a “few good men.”
For Michael, the Corps was and is his life. Right after graduation in 1953, Mike signed up, received that time honored Marine haircut and began recruit training at the fabled Parris Island training base. His training continued at Camp Pendleton in California. Then it was off to duty with the 3rd Marine Div. where he served as a field wireman with the 12th Marines at Camp McNair. That brought him to Japan until 1954 ..Following a tour of duty as a communications NCO with the 2nd Marine Division NC at Camp Lejeune, he completed Marine Embassy Guard School and was assigned to Bern, Switzerland where he served for 28 months.
Upon returning to the 2nd Marine Division he received a lateral transfer to the Public Information field and was assigned as the NCOIC of the divisions PAO office radio/TV section at Camp Lejeune. During this tour he attended the U.S. Navy School of Journalism at Great Lakes, Ill, finishing first in a class of 46 students.
You know the old expression, “no rest for the weary”? Well, Mike who was by now a Staff Sergeant, was transferred to Vietnam for a year as combat correspondent in the Republic of Vietnam where he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in July 1966 Upon returning to the United States, he was assigned as Press Officer in the Division of Information at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington where he served until 1969. And then…..you guessed it…..another 13 month tour of duty in Vietnam serving as detachment Commander and Network News Officer with the American Forces Vietnam Network
In July of 1970-- Mike was assigned to the Public Affairs Office in Quantico VA, where he served as Assistant Officer-in-Charge until he retired from the Marine Corps in 1972 with the rank of Captain.
Now, Mike lives with his lovely wife Sarah (nee) Peters, in Lake Of The Woods, Virginia. They have five grown children, four sons and a daughter. Mike is active in several veterans groups and a volunteer Fire Dept.
His twin brother Fred who also graduated from James Madison, is a retired school teacher and coach living in Fort Walton Beach Florida.
Now, consider this…….after all those years with the USMC, you know he didn’t come home with just a dufflebag. Nope. During his service, Mike was awarded: The Navy & Marine Corps Medal for Heroism, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with combat “V”, The Purple Heart, The Combat Action Ribbon, and two Presidential Unit Citations. Oh, by the way, Mike is also an Emergency Medical Technician Instructor for the State of Virginia.
Talk about serving your country…….Michael G Pitts did just that, and then some.
He makes all Madisonians and all Americans proud that he is one of us.
Take Michael G. Pitts, for example. He is the epitome of the slogan of The United States Marine Corps, about wanting a “few good men.”
For Michael, the Corps was and is his life. Right after graduation in 1953, Mike signed up, received that time honored Marine haircut and began recruit training at the fabled Parris Island training base. His training continued at Camp Pendleton in California. Then it was off to duty with the 3rd Marine Div. where he served as a field wireman with the 12th Marines at Camp McNair. That brought him to Japan until 1954 ..Following a tour of duty as a communications NCO with the 2nd Marine Division NC at Camp Lejeune, he completed Marine Embassy Guard School and was assigned to Bern, Switzerland where he served for 28 months.
Upon returning to the 2nd Marine Division he received a lateral transfer to the Public Information field and was assigned as the NCOIC of the divisions PAO office radio/TV section at Camp Lejeune. During this tour he attended the U.S. Navy School of Journalism at Great Lakes, Ill, finishing first in a class of 46 students.
You know the old expression, “no rest for the weary”? Well, Mike who was by now a Staff Sergeant, was transferred to Vietnam for a year as combat correspondent in the Republic of Vietnam where he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in July 1966 Upon returning to the United States, he was assigned as Press Officer in the Division of Information at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington where he served until 1969. And then…..you guessed it…..another 13 month tour of duty in Vietnam serving as detachment Commander and Network News Officer with the American Forces Vietnam Network
In July of 1970-- Mike was assigned to the Public Affairs Office in Quantico VA, where he served as Assistant Officer-in-Charge until he retired from the Marine Corps in 1972 with the rank of Captain.
Now, Mike lives with his lovely wife Sarah (nee) Peters, in Lake Of The Woods, Virginia. They have five grown children, four sons and a daughter. Mike is active in several veterans groups and a volunteer Fire Dept.
His twin brother Fred who also graduated from James Madison, is a retired school teacher and coach living in Fort Walton Beach Florida.
Now, consider this…….after all those years with the USMC, you know he didn’t come home with just a dufflebag. Nope. During his service, Mike was awarded: The Navy & Marine Corps Medal for Heroism, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with combat “V”, The Purple Heart, The Combat Action Ribbon, and two Presidential Unit Citations. Oh, by the way, Mike is also an Emergency Medical Technician Instructor for the State of Virginia.
Talk about serving your country…….Michael G Pitts did just that, and then some.
He makes all Madisonians and all Americans proud that he is one of us.
SID GANIS.......Class of ....1957
Founder of "Out of the Blue Entertainment"
and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Let me take you back when it all started so you all can enjoy the beginning, the inbetween, and the now. It is truly a remarkable story of a talented man who climbed the ranks of success due to his determination and creativness.
Sid began his career in the mailroom at Lee Solters New York publicity agency. Eventually he graduated to a part-time publicist (and remained the office-boy). His training included writing column items for Winchell, Earl Wilson, Dorothy Kilgallen etc., etc… and of course getting the coffee.
His first studio job was with 20th Century Fox in New York, initially as the staff publicity writer, and ultimately as the East Coast Newspaper and Wire Service contact. In those days, New York had seven newspapers. During this stint Sid was the studio’s publicity liaison for the production of Cleopatra as Elizabeth Taylor’s and Richard Burton’s affair adorned the front page of every newspaper in the world.
After two years at Fox, Sid moved to Columbia Pictures in New York where he served as the studio’s Radio-TV contact (in those days Barbara Walters was a booker / segment producer for The Today Show). Films he helped publicize included ‘Dr. Strangelove’, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Lord Jim’, ‘Behold a Pale Horse’ with Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn, and others.
He next segued to 7 Arts, as the head of the publicity department. The department consisted of…Sid Ganis. It was at 7 Arts that Sid met and first worked with new director Francis Ford Coppola on his first major movie, ‘You’re a Big Boy Now.’
After 7 Arts bought Warner Bros, Sid moved to the Burbank lot of Warner Bros/7 Arts where he made his first move into production, as the assistant to the famed filmmaker Joseph L. Mankiewicz on ‘There Was a Crooked Man’. He later served as the studio contact person to Coppola (‘Rain People’), Steve McQueen (‘Bullitt’), Robert Redford (‘All the President’s Men’), and Barbra Streisand (‘A Star is Born’) working with all as liaison between the studio’s various departments, including production and ad/pub -- as it was called in those days. It was Francis Ford Copolla who introduced Sid to young USC grad-filmmaker George Lucas.
He got his first VP stripes at Cinema Center Films (CBS’ film company) where he helped publicize ‘Little Big Man’, ‘A Man Called Horse’ (Richard Harris), ‘The Reivers’ (Steve McQueen), Le Mans (McQueen), and others.
In 1979, Sid moved to Lucasfilm, where he served as Senior Vice President, working closely with George on the marketing of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’, ‘Kagemusha’ (Akira Kurosawa), ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, ‘Mishima’, ‘Return of the Jedi’ and other films. He won an Emmy for producing the PBS documentary ‘The Making Of Raiders….’
Sid next joined Paramount Pictures and stayed for five years, first as President of Worldwide Marketing and then as President of the Motion Picture Group, where he green-lit the box-office and critical hit Ghost and purchased the rights to Winston Groom’s novel Forrest Gump, which would go on to win six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Also at Paramount he was a key man in Paramounts purchasing for distribution, and then the marketing and publicizing of Paul Hogan’s ‘Crocodile Dundee’, and U2’s ‘Rattle and Hum’. In addition he was head of the production/marketing teams on ‘Hunt for Red October’, ‘Top Gun’, ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’… and others. He brought Scott Rudin and Lorne Michaels to the lot where they went on to produce a (long) string of hit-films.
Sid next held various positions at Sony Pictures, including Vice Chairman of Columbia Pictures and President of Worldwide Marketing for Columbia/Tristar Motion Picture Companies.
He founded Out of the Blue… Entertainment in 1996. Based at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, Out of the Blue… most recently produced the Lionsgate/2929 feature film Akeelah and the Bee with his wife Nancy Ganis and in association with Reactor Films. Laurence Fishburn also produced.
Out of the Blue Entertainment found box office success with its first two productions: Columbia Pictures’ Big Daddy, starring Adam Sandler, and Touchstone Pictures’ Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Out of the Blue enjoyed continued success with Columbia’s Mr. Deeds, starring Sandler and Winona Ryder, and The Master of Disguise, starring Dana Carvey.
In 2005, Sid was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He serves on the boards of FIND (Film Independent), the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, and the San Francisco Film Society. In addition he serves on the board of trustees of the American Film Institute (AFI) as well as the board of directors of Marvel Entertainment.
And just think everyone, it all began in the mail room with press agent Lee Solters, getting the coffee while writing, running to take the #10 bus crosstown to deliver copy to Dorothy Kilgallen…
I would like to thank Sid personally for allowing me to get his story out. Growing up in Brooklyn and Madison is as close to his heart as it is to all of us. Thank you for helping to fill our lives with great entertainment created by so many great people.
Sherry
and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Let me take you back when it all started so you all can enjoy the beginning, the inbetween, and the now. It is truly a remarkable story of a talented man who climbed the ranks of success due to his determination and creativness.
Sid began his career in the mailroom at Lee Solters New York publicity agency. Eventually he graduated to a part-time publicist (and remained the office-boy). His training included writing column items for Winchell, Earl Wilson, Dorothy Kilgallen etc., etc… and of course getting the coffee.
His first studio job was with 20th Century Fox in New York, initially as the staff publicity writer, and ultimately as the East Coast Newspaper and Wire Service contact. In those days, New York had seven newspapers. During this stint Sid was the studio’s publicity liaison for the production of Cleopatra as Elizabeth Taylor’s and Richard Burton’s affair adorned the front page of every newspaper in the world.
After two years at Fox, Sid moved to Columbia Pictures in New York where he served as the studio’s Radio-TV contact (in those days Barbara Walters was a booker / segment producer for The Today Show). Films he helped publicize included ‘Dr. Strangelove’, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Lord Jim’, ‘Behold a Pale Horse’ with Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn, and others.
He next segued to 7 Arts, as the head of the publicity department. The department consisted of…Sid Ganis. It was at 7 Arts that Sid met and first worked with new director Francis Ford Coppola on his first major movie, ‘You’re a Big Boy Now.’
After 7 Arts bought Warner Bros, Sid moved to the Burbank lot of Warner Bros/7 Arts where he made his first move into production, as the assistant to the famed filmmaker Joseph L. Mankiewicz on ‘There Was a Crooked Man’. He later served as the studio contact person to Coppola (‘Rain People’), Steve McQueen (‘Bullitt’), Robert Redford (‘All the President’s Men’), and Barbra Streisand (‘A Star is Born’) working with all as liaison between the studio’s various departments, including production and ad/pub -- as it was called in those days. It was Francis Ford Copolla who introduced Sid to young USC grad-filmmaker George Lucas.
He got his first VP stripes at Cinema Center Films (CBS’ film company) where he helped publicize ‘Little Big Man’, ‘A Man Called Horse’ (Richard Harris), ‘The Reivers’ (Steve McQueen), Le Mans (McQueen), and others.
In 1979, Sid moved to Lucasfilm, where he served as Senior Vice President, working closely with George on the marketing of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’, ‘Kagemusha’ (Akira Kurosawa), ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, ‘Mishima’, ‘Return of the Jedi’ and other films. He won an Emmy for producing the PBS documentary ‘The Making Of Raiders….’
Sid next joined Paramount Pictures and stayed for five years, first as President of Worldwide Marketing and then as President of the Motion Picture Group, where he green-lit the box-office and critical hit Ghost and purchased the rights to Winston Groom’s novel Forrest Gump, which would go on to win six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Also at Paramount he was a key man in Paramounts purchasing for distribution, and then the marketing and publicizing of Paul Hogan’s ‘Crocodile Dundee’, and U2’s ‘Rattle and Hum’. In addition he was head of the production/marketing teams on ‘Hunt for Red October’, ‘Top Gun’, ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’… and others. He brought Scott Rudin and Lorne Michaels to the lot where they went on to produce a (long) string of hit-films.
Sid next held various positions at Sony Pictures, including Vice Chairman of Columbia Pictures and President of Worldwide Marketing for Columbia/Tristar Motion Picture Companies.
He founded Out of the Blue… Entertainment in 1996. Based at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, Out of the Blue… most recently produced the Lionsgate/2929 feature film Akeelah and the Bee with his wife Nancy Ganis and in association with Reactor Films. Laurence Fishburn also produced.
Out of the Blue Entertainment found box office success with its first two productions: Columbia Pictures’ Big Daddy, starring Adam Sandler, and Touchstone Pictures’ Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Out of the Blue enjoyed continued success with Columbia’s Mr. Deeds, starring Sandler and Winona Ryder, and The Master of Disguise, starring Dana Carvey.
In 2005, Sid was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He serves on the boards of FIND (Film Independent), the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, and the San Francisco Film Society. In addition he serves on the board of trustees of the American Film Institute (AFI) as well as the board of directors of Marvel Entertainment.
And just think everyone, it all began in the mail room with press agent Lee Solters, getting the coffee while writing, running to take the #10 bus crosstown to deliver copy to Dorothy Kilgallen…
I would like to thank Sid personally for allowing me to get his story out. Growing up in Brooklyn and Madison is as close to his heart as it is to all of us. Thank you for helping to fill our lives with great entertainment created by so many great people.
Sherry
LEROY GOLDSTEIN..Class of...1948
This is a very special Madison Fates and Fortunes story and at the end, you will understand why. It's about a Madison graduate who holds a unique place in the history of our school. His name was Leroy Goldstein and he lived on Bedford Ave near E.25th St. He wasnt crazy about the name Leroy, so his friends simply called him Roy. Roy had a very definite career goal. He was going into show business. He loved making people laugh and after being bitten by the bug thru his participation in a very early version of "Sing" he knew his place was before a live audience.
Roy, and three of his neighborhood buddies, Sam Berman, Abe Latman and Murray Jacobs graduated from Madison in 1948. World War Two had ended three years earlier. There was still a draft but since the war was over, they could concentrate on the really important stuff. First, lets picture Roy. He was about 5 feet nine inches tall and weighed about 150 lbs. And he had dark blond hair. Roy and his buddies attended PS 206 before coming to Madison. While getting his professional life started, Roy also made a major change in his personal life.......he married Cindy Citron.
Roy began to discover that making it in show business is no easy task and despite his having a perpetual smile on his face, his buddy Abe Latman says there always seemed to be a cloud over his head. Then suddenly, at about the same time,the letters arrived for Roy, Sam, Abe and Muray. They read...."Greetings From The President Of The United States". The Korean War had started and they had been drafted. It wasnt long before Roy found himself as a member in good standing of the 2nd Infantry Division and in particular, the 5th Regimental Combat Team. So, Roy had to put his show business dreams on hold to get this war out of the way first. This was not exactly the career path he would have chosen but it was a path that led him to a tiny town in South Korea called Won Ju.
Roy and the others tried keeping in touch as best they could but in a war, thats not always an easy thing to do. The boys worried about each other and took comfort in the fact that there often are places where it is relatively safe to be. But Roy was on the front lines where the bullets were flying thick and fast.
And then. in a letter to Murray who was in Pusan, Sammy wrote that Leroy Goldstein, their buddy from PS 206 and Madison was killed in action . He died of catastrophic wounds sustained when a North Korean artillery round found Roy's bunker as he was trying to get some rest from the incessant artillery bombardment. He lost both legs. Medics tried getting him to a hospital but he died of shock. And it was Sammy who had to go and identify the body of his friend.
Murray received yet another notification. It was a letter he had sent to Roy but it was returned, stamped Addressee Deceased. Leroy Goldstein, the budding young performer and Madison graduate was going to be remembered alright, but not exactly as he would have wanted.
Earlier, I said that Roy holds a unique place in the history of James Madison High School. When the war was over, it was found that Leroy Goldstein, class of '48, was the only Madison graduate to give his life in defense of the country during the Korean War. That war, today, is way back in our past but Roy's spirit is still out there, M-1 rifle in hand, a proud and honorable representative of our school whose memory is still alive in our heads and our hearts. And one day, maybe there will be a special plaque on the wall of James Madison High School honoring Leroy Goldstein.
Leroy truly gave his all that we might be safe. Thank you Roy from all your friends at Madison.
Roy, and three of his neighborhood buddies, Sam Berman, Abe Latman and Murray Jacobs graduated from Madison in 1948. World War Two had ended three years earlier. There was still a draft but since the war was over, they could concentrate on the really important stuff. First, lets picture Roy. He was about 5 feet nine inches tall and weighed about 150 lbs. And he had dark blond hair. Roy and his buddies attended PS 206 before coming to Madison. While getting his professional life started, Roy also made a major change in his personal life.......he married Cindy Citron.
Roy began to discover that making it in show business is no easy task and despite his having a perpetual smile on his face, his buddy Abe Latman says there always seemed to be a cloud over his head. Then suddenly, at about the same time,the letters arrived for Roy, Sam, Abe and Muray. They read...."Greetings From The President Of The United States". The Korean War had started and they had been drafted. It wasnt long before Roy found himself as a member in good standing of the 2nd Infantry Division and in particular, the 5th Regimental Combat Team. So, Roy had to put his show business dreams on hold to get this war out of the way first. This was not exactly the career path he would have chosen but it was a path that led him to a tiny town in South Korea called Won Ju.
Roy and the others tried keeping in touch as best they could but in a war, thats not always an easy thing to do. The boys worried about each other and took comfort in the fact that there often are places where it is relatively safe to be. But Roy was on the front lines where the bullets were flying thick and fast.
And then. in a letter to Murray who was in Pusan, Sammy wrote that Leroy Goldstein, their buddy from PS 206 and Madison was killed in action . He died of catastrophic wounds sustained when a North Korean artillery round found Roy's bunker as he was trying to get some rest from the incessant artillery bombardment. He lost both legs. Medics tried getting him to a hospital but he died of shock. And it was Sammy who had to go and identify the body of his friend.
Murray received yet another notification. It was a letter he had sent to Roy but it was returned, stamped Addressee Deceased. Leroy Goldstein, the budding young performer and Madison graduate was going to be remembered alright, but not exactly as he would have wanted.
Earlier, I said that Roy holds a unique place in the history of James Madison High School. When the war was over, it was found that Leroy Goldstein, class of '48, was the only Madison graduate to give his life in defense of the country during the Korean War. That war, today, is way back in our past but Roy's spirit is still out there, M-1 rifle in hand, a proud and honorable representative of our school whose memory is still alive in our heads and our hearts. And one day, maybe there will be a special plaque on the wall of James Madison High School honoring Leroy Goldstein.
Leroy truly gave his all that we might be safe. Thank you Roy from all your friends at Madison.
Monday, October 13, 2008
JOEL ZWICK .......Class of 1958
It should come as no big surprise to anyone that James Madison High School has, over the years, produced an outstanding array of graduates in many many fields….teaching, law, show business, journalism, government, literature, etc etc. Thus it was that on or about September of 1954, Joel Zwick showed up at the hallowed halls of the school to begin a trip down an amazing road. Joel decided on the field of entertainment early on, singing in a student quartet. He did this on and off until that fateful day in 1958 when he walked up on stage and was handed his diploma by then principal, Max Newfield. Then it was off to Brooklyn College where he ended up with a Master of Arts degree.
Then it began. Off Broadway in MacBird. He also taught for several years at the Yale School of Drama. After that it was on the road, directing productions around the country for the Kennedy Center. But Hollywood was calling. He arrived in Tinsel Town directing episodes of such marvelous sitcoms as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork and Mindy, among others. Those other included Bosom Buddies, Perfect Strangers and Full House ….. and The Love Boat.
Joel also directed several feature films for the big silver screen. These include, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Fat Albert & Elvis Has Left The Building.
Thanks Joel for letting us share your success, job well done.
Then it began. Off Broadway in MacBird. He also taught for several years at the Yale School of Drama. After that it was on the road, directing productions around the country for the Kennedy Center. But Hollywood was calling. He arrived in Tinsel Town directing episodes of such marvelous sitcoms as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork and Mindy, among others. Those other included Bosom Buddies, Perfect Strangers and Full House ….. and The Love Boat.
Joel also directed several feature films for the big silver screen. These include, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Fat Albert & Elvis Has Left The Building.
Thanks Joel for letting us share your success, job well done.
STEVE CLEMENTS...Class of 1961
Steve Clements was on the faculty at Madison from 1965 to 1975. Thought everyone would like to know what great things he has done since that time.
Enjoy the following...........
For nearly 40 years, Steve has taught, written, conceptualized, directed, produced and even testified on all aspects of media ranging from network broadcast to video to "live" production in a glass-bowl Disney studio. In these capacities, he has managed staffs ranging from 4 to 150, established and met budgets ranging from $11,000 to $1,000,000 a week, and prepared students, professionals and celebrities to talk to their various publics.
After years of devoting himself exclusively to producing, directing and writing for national broadcast, cable and video, Steve returned to teaching, joining the University of Georgia staff in 1999 as Cree-Walker Distinguished Professor of Communications at Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia. He now heads the Television and Film program and trains MBA candidates to meet the communications challenges that will be applicable to each of their managerial positions.
Concurrently, he serves as a media spokesperson for local Georgia stations on the business of media; has developed and orchestrates a film program to serve the city of Augusta, GA; and has just authored a book about his experiences producing over three thousand national television broadcasts. His new book, Show Runner: How to Produce Television Variety and Talk Shows was published by Silman-James Press. He also regularly speaks to professional and civic groups on media, communications and cinema.
Throughout his career and even since he has returned to teaching and training, Steve continues to work as independent producer of educational and promotional videos, and documentaries. As co-owner of DIAMOND EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTIONS, he has established a new benchmark for the quality production of videos aimed directly at the educational market, and has 28 titles in use in colleges and universities around the world.
For Steve, communications, presentations and teaching go hand-in-hand. Before moving to Los Angeles, he had taught Speech and Television on the college and secondary levels in New York. The experience was the segue to his becoming a situation comedy writer in Los Angles for WELCOME BACK, KOTTER and THREE'S COMPANY, and as a writer for the classic talk/variety series DINAH!, starring Dinah Shore.
Working out of Los Angeles, Steve co-created the pioneer women's magazine show, HOUR MAGAZINE, hosted by Gary Collins, and spent a year training the actor as the talk show's show host while honing the program on local Group W stations in individual cities for several weeks at a time. During its nine years in national syndication, with Steve as Supervising Producer, HOUR MAGAZINE became a responsible force, particularly in the arena of public awareness of new medical findings.
He takes pride in the fact that HOUR MAGAZINE was the first journalistic television program (as well as newspaper and magazine) to bring AIDS to the attention of the public as well as pioneer women's issues, such as the reality of PMS, lumpectomy as an alternative to mastectomy and the massive overuse of hysterectomies by gynecologists. HOUR MAGAZINE was recognized by the American Medical Association as well as the American Bar Association, and received six Emmy nominations and two Gold Awards from the International Film and TV Festival of New York.
Further, Steve trained dozen of experts to greet the HOUR MAGAZINE national audience including world renowned cardiologist and, subsequently, best selling author Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, chef and entrepreneur Wolfgang Puck, "hair stylist to the stars" Jose Eber, fitness guru Richard Simmons, and culinary expert Laurie Burrows Grad. (He would later train Bob Goen {"Entertainment Tonight"} and Pat Sajak {"Wheel of Fortune"} as talk show hosts.)
Following HOUR MAGAZINE, under his STEVE CLEMENTS PRODUCTIONS banner, he was responsible for reviving MICKEY MOUSE CLUB for The Disney Channel, bringing a new design to a format previously firmly rooted in the 1950s program to fit the musical sounds, pacing and comedy of the 1990s. Through the new programming, he was responsible for discovering such talents as Keri Russell, Britney Spears, and two of the members of musical group 'N Sync, and his programming attained a hit status that helped make the Disney Channel the only pay cable network to double in growth during his involvement. He received three CableAce nominations for his work before becoming Executive Producer of a musical special spin off group, THE PARTY.
He also produced the exercise/ entertainment magazine show, BODY BY JAKE, for the Samuel Goldwyn Company, and trained fitness expert Jake Steinfeld as a television host. He also created and was Executive Producer of the pilot for the BERTICE BERRY SHOW, the fastest selling show in the history of television syndication in association with FOX.
Throughout this Hollywood career, Steve served as corporate spokesperson for Westinghouse, Disney and 20th Century Fox addressing critics, buyers, and internal and external audiences on each organization's behalf.
He also wrote, produced and directed the NFLPA-MARCH TO VICTORY tracing the history of the National Football League Players Association which is given to every player as he enters the NFL.
In 2000, Steve also began serving as an accredited trial witness in the field of Video/Communications, and providing training programs for executives in oral and media presentations. Based on his successful testimony in a multi-million dollar case for a leading Washington, D.C. law firm, he was invited to join TASA (Technical Advisory for Attorneys), and Expert Resources, Inc.
Steve brings a unique perspective and vast base of knowledge to each of these activities based on his extensive and trend-setting career in television, theater and academia. As a result, he is able to write, produce, direct and post-produce for television and video; serve as a performance trainer for media and public speaking for small and medium size companies as well as Fortune 500 companies such as The Home Depot; teach business writing; speak as an accredited expert trial witness, multi-degreed theatre, film and television historian and director; and talk as an honored professor and keynote speaker. With this breadth of background, he is capable of tackling any communications challenge and creating excellence for his audiences.
Some Kinda guy, would'nt you say..Another Madisonian to applaude.
Regards to all
Enjoy the following...........
For nearly 40 years, Steve has taught, written, conceptualized, directed, produced and even testified on all aspects of media ranging from network broadcast to video to "live" production in a glass-bowl Disney studio. In these capacities, he has managed staffs ranging from 4 to 150, established and met budgets ranging from $11,000 to $1,000,000 a week, and prepared students, professionals and celebrities to talk to their various publics.
After years of devoting himself exclusively to producing, directing and writing for national broadcast, cable and video, Steve returned to teaching, joining the University of Georgia staff in 1999 as Cree-Walker Distinguished Professor of Communications at Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia. He now heads the Television and Film program and trains MBA candidates to meet the communications challenges that will be applicable to each of their managerial positions.
Concurrently, he serves as a media spokesperson for local Georgia stations on the business of media; has developed and orchestrates a film program to serve the city of Augusta, GA; and has just authored a book about his experiences producing over three thousand national television broadcasts. His new book, Show Runner: How to Produce Television Variety and Talk Shows was published by Silman-James Press. He also regularly speaks to professional and civic groups on media, communications and cinema.
Throughout his career and even since he has returned to teaching and training, Steve continues to work as independent producer of educational and promotional videos, and documentaries. As co-owner of DIAMOND EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTIONS, he has established a new benchmark for the quality production of videos aimed directly at the educational market, and has 28 titles in use in colleges and universities around the world.
For Steve, communications, presentations and teaching go hand-in-hand. Before moving to Los Angeles, he had taught Speech and Television on the college and secondary levels in New York. The experience was the segue to his becoming a situation comedy writer in Los Angles for WELCOME BACK, KOTTER and THREE'S COMPANY, and as a writer for the classic talk/variety series DINAH!, starring Dinah Shore.
Working out of Los Angeles, Steve co-created the pioneer women's magazine show, HOUR MAGAZINE, hosted by Gary Collins, and spent a year training the actor as the talk show's show host while honing the program on local Group W stations in individual cities for several weeks at a time. During its nine years in national syndication, with Steve as Supervising Producer, HOUR MAGAZINE became a responsible force, particularly in the arena of public awareness of new medical findings.
He takes pride in the fact that HOUR MAGAZINE was the first journalistic television program (as well as newspaper and magazine) to bring AIDS to the attention of the public as well as pioneer women's issues, such as the reality of PMS, lumpectomy as an alternative to mastectomy and the massive overuse of hysterectomies by gynecologists. HOUR MAGAZINE was recognized by the American Medical Association as well as the American Bar Association, and received six Emmy nominations and two Gold Awards from the International Film and TV Festival of New York.
Further, Steve trained dozen of experts to greet the HOUR MAGAZINE national audience including world renowned cardiologist and, subsequently, best selling author Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, chef and entrepreneur Wolfgang Puck, "hair stylist to the stars" Jose Eber, fitness guru Richard Simmons, and culinary expert Laurie Burrows Grad. (He would later train Bob Goen {"Entertainment Tonight"} and Pat Sajak {"Wheel of Fortune"} as talk show hosts.)
Following HOUR MAGAZINE, under his STEVE CLEMENTS PRODUCTIONS banner, he was responsible for reviving MICKEY MOUSE CLUB for The Disney Channel, bringing a new design to a format previously firmly rooted in the 1950s program to fit the musical sounds, pacing and comedy of the 1990s. Through the new programming, he was responsible for discovering such talents as Keri Russell, Britney Spears, and two of the members of musical group 'N Sync, and his programming attained a hit status that helped make the Disney Channel the only pay cable network to double in growth during his involvement. He received three CableAce nominations for his work before becoming Executive Producer of a musical special spin off group, THE PARTY.
He also produced the exercise/ entertainment magazine show, BODY BY JAKE, for the Samuel Goldwyn Company, and trained fitness expert Jake Steinfeld as a television host. He also created and was Executive Producer of the pilot for the BERTICE BERRY SHOW, the fastest selling show in the history of television syndication in association with FOX.
Throughout this Hollywood career, Steve served as corporate spokesperson for Westinghouse, Disney and 20th Century Fox addressing critics, buyers, and internal and external audiences on each organization's behalf.
He also wrote, produced and directed the NFLPA-MARCH TO VICTORY tracing the history of the National Football League Players Association which is given to every player as he enters the NFL.
In 2000, Steve also began serving as an accredited trial witness in the field of Video/Communications, and providing training programs for executives in oral and media presentations. Based on his successful testimony in a multi-million dollar case for a leading Washington, D.C. law firm, he was invited to join TASA (Technical Advisory for Attorneys), and Expert Resources, Inc.
Steve brings a unique perspective and vast base of knowledge to each of these activities based on his extensive and trend-setting career in television, theater and academia. As a result, he is able to write, produce, direct and post-produce for television and video; serve as a performance trainer for media and public speaking for small and medium size companies as well as Fortune 500 companies such as The Home Depot; teach business writing; speak as an accredited expert trial witness, multi-degreed theatre, film and television historian and director; and talk as an honored professor and keynote speaker. With this breadth of background, he is capable of tackling any communications challenge and creating excellence for his audiences.
Some Kinda guy, would'nt you say..Another Madisonian to applaude.
Regards to all
JOEL ROSEN..Class of 1956
Hello everyone,
Time for another update on one of our Madisonians, His name is Joel Rosen, Class of 1956..We have some wonderful information to pass on to you that we are sure will be of great interest to all. His career has been exceptionally creative and rewarding. Please check out his high performance car career on his web site under Joel Rosen Baldwin Motion on (GOOGLE)..Below you will find another Baldwin website, the Model one. He has built many special cars which are now in Museums, and the subject of many books on Musclecars.
One of his proudest posessions is the photograph on the home page of his model website which is of the GM Chairman sitting at his desk with the airplane model he made for him, along with a model the Enginering Dept gave him of one of the special Chevy's (a corvette in this case) that he built, which now is currently in a museum.
You will also find a photo of the Best Styling Award presented to him by General Motors for their current car project...Check it out everyone, you will enjoy . If you care to reach Joel, and have any questions, I have his permission to include his e-mail address for you. mrmotion@myacc.net ..He might be most interesting to speak with, especially to those that are interested in the models, and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Don't forget check out Google as well as the web sites below.
MOTION MODELS INC.
4613 N. UNIVERSITY DRIVE
#290
CORAL SPRINGS, FL. 33067
1-800-866-3172 US
1-954-344-8512 OVERSEAS
1-954-344-8870 FAX
http://www.motionmodels.com/
http://www.officialbaldwinmotion.com/
Best regards to all
Time for another update on one of our Madisonians, His name is Joel Rosen, Class of 1956..We have some wonderful information to pass on to you that we are sure will be of great interest to all. His career has been exceptionally creative and rewarding. Please check out his high performance car career on his web site under Joel Rosen Baldwin Motion on (GOOGLE)..Below you will find another Baldwin website, the Model one. He has built many special cars which are now in Museums, and the subject of many books on Musclecars.
One of his proudest posessions is the photograph on the home page of his model website which is of the GM Chairman sitting at his desk with the airplane model he made for him, along with a model the Enginering Dept gave him of one of the special Chevy's (a corvette in this case) that he built, which now is currently in a museum.
You will also find a photo of the Best Styling Award presented to him by General Motors for their current car project...Check it out everyone, you will enjoy . If you care to reach Joel, and have any questions, I have his permission to include his e-mail address for you. mrmotion@myacc.net ..He might be most interesting to speak with, especially to those that are interested in the models, and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Don't forget check out Google as well as the web sites below.
MOTION MODELS INC.
4613 N. UNIVERSITY DRIVE
#290
CORAL SPRINGS, FL. 33067
1-800-866-3172 US
1-954-344-8512 OVERSEAS
1-954-344-8870 FAX
http://www.motionmodels.com/
http://www.officialbaldwinmotion.com/
Best regards to all
DICK DELSON ....Class of 1954
Another Madisonian to be acknowleged.
His name Dick Delson, graduating class of 1954. Please take a few minutes and enjoy his most informative and wonderful web site. He has had a long successful, and lucrative career in public relations/advertising here in Los Angeles.
Please explore each link on his web site it's all there, and we are sure you will and enjoy reading about his successfull endeavors as we did.
Another Madisonian to be proud of.
web site is http://www.publicity4u.com/
Regards To all
His name Dick Delson, graduating class of 1954. Please take a few minutes and enjoy his most informative and wonderful web site. He has had a long successful, and lucrative career in public relations/advertising here in Los Angeles.
Please explore each link on his web site it's all there, and we are sure you will and enjoy reading about his successfull endeavors as we did.
Another Madisonian to be proud of.
web site is http://www.publicity4u.com/
Regards To all
Saturday, October 11, 2008
RENEE ROSENBLUM LOWDEN..Class of 1958
Renee has taught children and adolescents for more than 25 years in the NYC school system. Her book, "You Have to Go to School…You're the Teacher!" (250 classroom management strategies to make your job easier and more fun) has her sharing her passion for teaching with new and student teachers, as well as veteran staffs throughout the country. She strengthens their skills in making classrooms feel comfortable for students and teachers.
In her friendly and humorous style, she offers teacher-tested strategies needed for avoiding confrontations, developing rapport with students and managing the everyday school problems. She is invited to be a motivational speaker at school districts, individual schools and universities for orientations and staff development seminars.In her Prejudice Awareness workshops, she uses consciousness-raising techniques and incorporates her training in conflict resolution.
In addition to working with students, she was selected by the NYC Board of Education to train teachers as part of staff development.She has trained students and faculties to recognize prejudice by exploring all the "isms" and has empowered them to address these issues before their negative results impact on their lives and the lives of others.Renee has been conducting workshops for improving communication with adolescents utilizing non-confrontational strategies for parents. Having taught Family Living/Sex Education, she has unique insights into the needs of adolescents.
She is presently completing a book written for both parents and teens.Renee graduated from Long Island University and did graduate work at The New School for Social Research in New York. She has organized women's self help groups and continues to be a social activist.
In her friendly and humorous style, she offers teacher-tested strategies needed for avoiding confrontations, developing rapport with students and managing the everyday school problems. She is invited to be a motivational speaker at school districts, individual schools and universities for orientations and staff development seminars.In her Prejudice Awareness workshops, she uses consciousness-raising techniques and incorporates her training in conflict resolution.
In addition to working with students, she was selected by the NYC Board of Education to train teachers as part of staff development.She has trained students and faculties to recognize prejudice by exploring all the "isms" and has empowered them to address these issues before their negative results impact on their lives and the lives of others.Renee has been conducting workshops for improving communication with adolescents utilizing non-confrontational strategies for parents. Having taught Family Living/Sex Education, she has unique insights into the needs of adolescents.
She is presently completing a book written for both parents and teens.Renee graduated from Long Island University and did graduate work at The New School for Social Research in New York. She has organized women's self help groups and continues to be a social activist.
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