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OLIVER AMES CLASS OF 1952 Class Reunion Web Site |
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Information About Our Class...... |
Class of 1952 |
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Oliver Ames High School, No. Easton, Mass.
Our High School was the building on Lincoln St
. across from the Rockery, built in 1895.
Our Gym was an ell extension of the building facing
Barrows St.
Our sports field was Frothingham Park located at
the lower end of Barrows Street.
The Class of 1957 was the last class to occupy this building
upon the completion of a new high school on Lothrop St.
Our school building was converted into residential
apartments in 2003 named Schoolhouse Apartments.
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Our Class Officers in 1952 -
Norman Cronin, Gerald Gonsalves, Mona Bellows, Nancy Fozzi
Were we really this young and innocent ??
[ Our Class Top | [ OAHS '52 Top |
The 1952 Graduating Class numbered 63 students.-
Classmates are listed alphabetically by graduation
names plus (married names):
Legend- The digraphs after the name show their home district in Easton whle in high school:
[ NE= North Easton, SE= South Easton, EC= Easton Center, ED= Eastondale, EF= Easton Furnace, UN= Unionville ]
~ ~ ~ Underlined names are a link to a summary page of news items
submitted by that classmate.> ~ ~ ~ |
Almeida, Salvino NE
Anderson, Arthur NE
Anderson, Constance (Dumoulin) NE
Anderson, Edna (Weaver) NE
Anderson, George NE
Anderson, Lois NE
Bailey, Harold NE
Beale, Lorraine (Trimonti) SE
Bellows, Mona (Jamieson) NE
Bussey, Edith (Doyle) NE
Canegaly, Jane (Newman) ED
Cleverly, Sally (Forsman) NE
Cronin, Norman NE
Davis, Claire (Curry) UN
Dorgan, Patricia (Sellars) NE
Eaton, Gertrude (Halbig) SE
ELmes, Patricia (Burnett) NE
Fozzy, Nancy (Holgate) ED
Gardner, Lois (DiLorenzo) NE
Gomes, David SE
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Gonsalves/Gaston, Gerald NE
Hayward, H. Wheaton ED
Henriques, Lucy (Turner) NE
Holbrook, Jean (Doucette) UN
Holmes, Richard NE
Kelly, Joan (Hale) NE
La Belle, Nola (Meiggs) SE
Ladd, Raymond UN
Larson, Doris (DeBoe) NE
Leary, David SE
Legge, Faye (Hoats) NE
Leonard, Edward NE
Litchfield, Forrest (DeLambert) NE
Lyons, Priscilla (Verdi) NE
Maliff, Alice (DeCouto) NE
McEvoy, Leo NE
McNamara, Richard NE
Miller, Andrew EC
Murphy, Richard SE
Nilsson, Corinne NE
Nordbeck, Charles EF
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Nystrom, Pauline (Bearse) SE
Oman, Robert SE
O'Neil, William SE
Peterson, George NE
Pomeroy, Curtis NE
Poole, Betty (Luther) NE
Poole, Carol (Long) NE
Randall, Roberta (Phillips) SE
Reynolds, Beverly (Longo) SE
Richards, Edward (Norton)
Sargent, Robert SE
Sarty, Walter SE
Schofield, Elaine (Randall) SE
Silva, Mary (Gilman) NE
Smith, Donald SE
Soule, Nancy (Kramer) ED
Talbot, Arlene (O'Neil) EF
Taylor, Raymond SE
Tufts, Fredrick NE
Walker, Richard SE
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See class member yearbook photos in a composite picture-
[See Photo]
The following spent time in the Class of '52 but were not part of the class at graduation -
~ ~ ~ Underlined names are a link to a summary page of news items
submitted by that classmate.> ~ ~ ~ |
Anderson, Richard NE
Atwood, Robert NE
Boynton, Sally (Zaffran) Easton other
Brennick, Robert Easton other
Corkum, Millage SE
Correia, Joseph NE
Davis, Julia (Kieffer) SE
Davis, Natalie
Doyle, Francis SE
Fox, John NE
Gannett, Joe NE
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Grant, Alan EF
Harlow, Leo NE
Hckey, James ED
Hill, Clayton ED
Holeritz, Natalie (May) NE
Holmes, Lester NE
Jones, Phyllis (Mercier) EF
Meehan, Marilyn (Roberts) NE
Nelson, Roselie NE
Philbrick, Ralph ED
Raye, Norma NE
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Shaw, Donald EF
Silva, Francis NE
Spellman, John UN
Spillane, Clement NE
Stewart, William EC
Studley, Joyce ED
Thompson, Bjorn NE
Weir, Beatrice (Beauvais) ED
Wrenton, Marilyn
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[ OAHS '52 Top ]
Our Sport Teams in 1952 -
Our Sports Field- Frothingham Park
Go to a separate page to read about
a wonderful documentary video about the history of Frothingham Park. A link to the video is included
Read More
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Baseball Team 1952
Wins= 10 Losses= 4 |
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The 1952 OA baseball team were Hockamock Champs with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses,
beating out Sharon and No. Attleboro who each had records of 9 and 5. The lineup for the last
game was: Gonsalves SS, Varella LF, Cronin RF, Holmes P, McEvoy C, Bailey FB, Johnson 2B,
Lilya 3b, Miller CF.
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Football Team 1952
Wins= 3, Losses= 3 Tied= 2 |
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Season Highlight- OA played a football game on Thanksgiving Day for the first time. Howard
High (West Bridgewater) was the opponent at Frothingham Park. The big news was not that
Richard Holmes' scored three touchdowns in the 44 to 14 rout of Howard, but that he
did not score a fourth !!!
Instead of punting from his end zone Richie ran 107 yards but did not score.
(Damn, he would have scored if that little Jerry Gonsalves had been fast enough to catch up with him and block
that tackler!! Ha Ha!)
Team captains were - Norm Cronin and Richie Holmes.
Other class team members
were Sal Almeida, Fred Tufts, Harold Bailey, Andy Miller, Bob Sargent, Red Thompson,
Gerry Gonsalves, Richard Murphy, and Artie Anderson.
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Girls's Field Hockey 1952 - Wins= 4, Losses= 1 Tied= 1 |
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Team members- Mona Bellows, Alice Maliff, Grertrude Eaton, Forrest Litchfield,
Nancy Soule, Doris Larson, Nancy Fozzi, Joan Kelly and Lois Anderson.
Season Highlight- Brilliant defense and in particular great goal tending by Mona Bellows
who had a great 4 year career. (Sure they were better than the guys playing football, but the
guys scored more points!! Ha Ha!)
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Boys' Basketball Team 1952- Wins= 7, Losses= 10 |
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Starters were Fred Tufts, Leo McEvoy, Harold Bailey, Richie Holmes,
and Red Thompson. In reserve
were Ray Taylor, Norm Cronin, Jerry Gonsalves, and David Gomes.
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Girls' Basketball Team 1952 - Wins= 6, Losses= 3. | |
Team members included, Alice Maliff, Mona Bellows, Gertrude Eaton, Forrest Litchfield, Roberta Randall,
Pat Elmes, Beverly Reynolds, and Joan Kelly.
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Our Cheerleaders-

First Row: lt to rt- Nancy Fozzy, Lucy Henriques, Mona Bellows, Forrest Litchfield, Faye Legge.
Second Row: Jeanne Tynan, Joyce Nelson, Mary Harvey, Madelyn Knapp.
( Gosh, why sport coats? Where are the traditional skirts and sweaters !!!! )
[ Our Class Top | [ OAHS '52 Top |
Our Hall of Fame Athletes -
OAHS Athletes Hall of Fame
Class of '52 inductees:
Mona Bellows, Alice Maliff,
Richard Holmes, and Leo McEvoy.
Their year of induction and plague write-up follows: |
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2003- Mona Bellows-"Mona Bellows distinguished herself as
a multi-sport competitor at Oliver Ames High School, but she didn’t stop there, remaining active
in a variety of competitive athletics.
At OA, Mona played four years each of field hockey, basketball, and softball. She earned four
varsity letters in field hockey, two in basketball, and three in softball. As a junior, Mona was a
member of the OA field hockey team that finished the season undefeated, untied, and unscored upon.
Following high school, Mona attended Boston University. Collegiate varsity athletic opportunities
were limited for women in those days, but Mona competed in intramurals. Mona graduated from BU with
a degree in physical therapy.
In the years after college, while working as a physical therapist, Mona was active in athletics,
playing for soccer, ice hockey, golf, and softball teams. She also coached youth soccer in
Piedmont, CA, the community where she now lives. A sailing enthusiast, Mona belongs to a sailing
club and has sailed the Great Lakes." |
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2003-Alice Maliff- "Alice Maliff is a member of the second of four generations of Oliver Ames High
School athletes. She represented her generation well. Alice played four years of field hockey,
basketball, and softball at OA, and earned 10 varsity letters. She starred on the 1951 field hockey
team that was undefeated, untied, and unscored upon, a record that may remain unmatched for all time
at OA.
Alice graduated from Springfield College. She returned to Easton and became a physical
education teacher in the town’s school system. Alice and fellow OAHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductee,
Patricia (McCann) DeCoste, became a teaching duo, and were known to thousands of Easton school
children as their first tutors in phys ed. Alice also refereed Hockomock League field hockey and
girls basketball games for 17 years.
Alice writes that, “Many of my fondest memories are the years I participated in sports at Oliver
Ames High School. These years were instrumental to my success in college and in my professional
career.” |
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2004- Richard Holmes - "“One of the best high school football players I have ever seen,” is how
Richie Holmes was described by Bill Vellante, his football coach at OA. “Richie was a superb athlete
who excelled in all areas of sport,” said Leo McEvoy (OA ‘52), a teammate of Holmes’s and a fellow
2004 OAHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. Toughness and versatility were the hallmarks of Holmes,
one of the top OA athletes of the early ‘50s. Playing four years each of football, basketball, and
baseball, he earned 10 letters, and was a captain of the football team his senior year.
He was a hard-nosed ball carrier on the gridiron, and was a ferocious tackler from his middle
linebacker position. Yeah, he was a tough football player. How tough? Well, consider that in the
third quarter of the second game of the season his senior year, he broke his arm, and played the
remainder of the game. After convalescing for a total of two weeks, he suited up again for OA and
played out the schedule.
In basketball, Holmes was a tenacious defender, and was frequently assigned to guard the opposition’
s top offensive threat. In the spring, Holmes was the nemesis of pitchers throughout the area as he
frequently hit for extra bases.
Holmes is the younger brother of 2003 OAHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Harold Holmes (OA ‘39),
and the uncle of Butch Holmes (Haddy’s son), a 1962 OA grad who was also inducted in the OAHS
Athletic Hall of Fame last year." |
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2004- Leo McEvoy - "As an accomplished athlete and devoted civic leader, Leo McEvoy has contributed
tremendously to sport in Easton. At OA, McEvoy earned 10 varsity letters: two in football, four in
basketball, and four in baseball. As a senior, he was selected to the Hockomock League all star
team in baseball. An excellent student, he was elected to the National Honor Society as a junior
and senior. He also served on the OA student council his freshman through senior years.
Playing for the varsity baseball team at the United States Military Academy at West Point, McEvoy
was a catcher, starting part of his sophomore season before taking over the starting role
exclusively as a junior and senior. Also at West Point, he played fullback and linebacker on his
company’s intramural football squad that finished undefeated in a league that fielded teams from
all 24 companies at the academy.
McEvoy served as an officer and pilot with the U.S. Army from 1957 through 1961. Following his
service he returned to Easton. He started at catcher for the 1962 Easton Huskies team that won
the Cranberry League championship. McEvoy served on the Easton School Committee for 12 years,
including three years as chairman. He also served for four years as a trustee of Frothingham
Memorial Park." |
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[ Our Class Top | [ OAHS '52 Top |
Our Teachers in 1952 -

Back Row- George Angell, Evelyn Foster, Margaret Dineen, Shirley Tufts, ___1___, John Byrne,
Vincent Mazgelis, Robert King, Barbara Nickerson, James Galt, William Vellante, John Mason.
Front Row- Elizabeth Barrows, Barbara Leah, Veronica Carter, Vernon Schnare, Roger Warner,
___2___, Kersam Ajemian, Adelaide Johnson.
( Regrettably Charles McLeod and Herbert Rollins have not been identified in the photo.)
( Not in photo- Kathryn Healey Caroline Roche, and Pauline Lyons. )
Teachers listed by Subject Taught-
Principal - Roger Warner Guidance Counselor - Vernon Schnare
Coaches - Elizabeth Barrows, James Galt, John Byrne, John Mason, William Vellante
Science & Math - George Angell, James Galt, William Vellante, Kathryn Healey, Elizabeth Barrows, Vincent Mazgelis
English - John Byrne, Evelyn Foster, Adelaide Johnson, Barbara Nickerson
Foreign Languages - Kersam Ajemian, Pauline Lyons
Commercial Studies - Veronica Carter, Margaret Dinneen,
Social Studies - Charles Lowder, John Mason, Caroline Roche
Household Arts - Shirley Tufts, Barbara Leah
Practical Arts - Charles McLeod
Art - Herbert Rollins Music -- Robert King
Our Teachers and Their Careers after 1952 -
This information has been extracted from a article entitled "OAHS 1950-2000"
written by Hazel Varella and updated in June 2004. The article is scheduled
to be published in the Easton Historical Society's second volume of "Reminiscences".
- Betty Donahue Barrows- Mrs Barrows gradually became more interested in teaching mathematics than physical
education and eventually taught mathematics classes at OAHS until 1959. Then she became a member of the Lincoln School,
a private secondary school associated with Brown University in Providence. She taught there until 1992.
Mrs. Barrows died in 2009.
- Evelyn Foster- - Mrs Foster was the first to hold the position of English Department
Chairman. She remained teaching until she was found dead April 23, 1962 in her apartment. The
tragedy of her death was that she had had some serious illness during her last year and had used all
of her sick leave time. (In those days teachers had very few sick leave days.) She had returned to
school before she should have and was found with student papers and a red pen on her lap.
- Veronica Carter- -Mrs Carter, who was the Business Department Chairman,
retired in 1970. In 1963 she and her husband George bought an old one-room schoolhouse in
Dummer, NH and converted it into a vacation home. It was located at the beginning of the entrance
road to the Easton Rod and Gun Club's lodge. Mrs. Carter, aged 103, as of this date, 05/13/2011, is
still in residence at the Pond Home Community (Retirement Home) 289 East Street, Wrentham, MA 02093.
Phone is 1-508-384-3531.
- Kate Healy- - Ms. Healy, the first Mathematics Department Chairman taught until
1969 and then traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, the Far East and the rest of the United States.
She died in Jan 1994.
- Barbara Nickerson- - Ms. Nickerson taught in Easton until 1956. She then moved
to Wellesley and worked for many years at the Alumni Office at Wellesley College. She attended a
number of OAHS class reunions and celebrated her 100th birthday in a Natick nursing home. She
died in Aug 2001.
- John Mason- - Mr Mason, our baseball coach, was both Athletic Director and
Faculty Manager, until his sudden death on June 6, 1961.
When it was time to rename the OAHS Athlete of the Year trophy it was changed from the J. Francis O'Neil Trophy
to the John C. Mason Trophy. (Later it was renamed to honor coach Valentine P Muscato.)
- William Vellante- Mr. Vellante, our football Coach, became the first principal of th Easton Junior High School in 1957.
In 1959 he left to become Principal of Millis High School and later became Superintendent of the Millis
school system.
- Other Teachers- -Many of our teachers left OAHS soon after we did, (Gosh, I hope it
wasn't because we treated them badly !!!!)
- In 1952 George Angell and Pauline Lyons left OAHS.
- In 1953 James Galt (our basketball coach), Roger Warner (our principal), and Vernon Schnare left.
- In 1954 James Byrne (our baseball coach) left OAHS.
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[ Our Class Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
Careers That We Pursued -
Accountant
Administrative Assistant
Author
Chef
Comptroller
Computer Systems Administrator
Consultant, Physics
Domestic Engineer (Housewife)
Entrepreneur/Business Owner
Farmer
Golf Pro
Intelligence Analyst (U.S. Govt.)
Mechanical Engineer
Medical Lab Technician
Military Officer- West Point graduate
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Minister
Nurse
Pilot
Poet
Professor
Restauranteur
Russian Translator (military, U.S Govt.)
School Administration
Sales, International
Secretary (at West Point for basketball coach Bob Knight)
Software Engineer/Programmer
Stewardess (airline)
Teacher
Truck Driver
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Wow, who would have guessed looking around at the kids in study hall !!!
Interesting- no Doctor, no Lawyer, no Fireman, no Policeman !!!
Exceptional Career Achievements- -
In this section we wish to recognize some of the exceptional
career achievements of our classmates.
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"Dr. Robert Oman received the B.S. degree from Northeastern University and the Sc.M. and Ph.D. degrees from Brown University. He has taught mathematics and physics at several colleges and universities including University of Minnesota, Northeastern University, University of South Florida and University of Tampa.
He has also done research for Litton Industries, United Technologies, and NASA as well as through Oman Consulting, Inc. He is author of numerous technical articles, books, CD's and how-to-study books, tapes and videos.
His academic work includes teaching mathematics and physics at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
His research is in both the academic and industrial environment. His areas of research include
electromangnetic theory, semiconductors, gas reactions, physical electronics, biology, magnetic
materials, upper atmosphere physics and vacuum measurement. He holds patents on electromagnetic
devices, sputter deposition devices, vacuum gauges, and infrared image devices.
His complete theory
of electron mirror microscopy is published in the Encyclopedia of Electronics and the vacuum gauge
he designed was the first pressure gauge placed on the moon during the Apollo missions.
Subsequently this gauge was sent on solar travelers.
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Ever the practical scientist he has worked on environmental problems, ocean farming, highway safety and combining a life-long interest in auto racing consulted with Century Racing on chassis design and vehicle handling.
For his work in mathematics and physics he was named one of the top 2000 scientist of the 20th
Century by Cambridge (England) University.
Most recently he has devoted his efforts to teaching, writing (three books for McGraw-Hill, one for
Burgess and a CD for Wiley and three websites), and consulting. With his son Daniel, he co-authored
"How to Solve Physics Problems","Calculus for the Utterly Confused", and other textbooks.
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For additional info re Bob's career
View Tampa Bay Times article and photos.
John W.Spellman
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Dr.John Sprllman was one of our classmates who did not graduate OAHS, having transferred out in his junior year.
John was on the debating team in high school and continued his interest in the debating discipline throughout
his career, founding a Debating Society during his studies in London, at University in Canada, and later
in India. John graduated Northeastern Univ. in 1956 with a degree in History and Government.
and earned his PhD degree at the University of Washngton. A professor offered him the opportunity
to go to London to study Indian Affairs and learn the
Sanscrit language. No scholarship money was available for the trip but John was able to gain the
funds from a philanthropist in Boston who was impressed by John's letter describing his research plan.
Following his departure from the University of Washington in the mid-1960s, John took a teaching
position at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada to teach the Culture and Goverance of India.
During his tenure there John was appointed Head of the Department of Asiatic Studies.
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In 1974-75 John was a member of the Board of Directors of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.
In 1997 John retired from Univ. of Windsor. Since then he has resided part of the year in So. India and Thailand.
In 1999 John attended a a Wisconsin Conference on South Asia. At that point his affiliation with Windsor
had been modified and he was spending a lot of time in the Madras area of India with an institute on development.
Publications : One was the first English translation of the Kama Sutra published in the USA
in which John authored an introduction.
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- "The Legend of Devapi", Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1959.
- Authored an article "The Symbolic Significance of the Number Twelve in Ancient India"
in the The Journal of Asian Studies, 1962
- "Political theory of ancient India: a study of kingship from the eaarlies times to circa A.D. 300".
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964.
- "Folj tales and Proverbs of Panjabi People", 1979.
- "The Kama Sutra of Vatsayana: The Classic Hindu Treatise on Love and Social Conduct",
Co-author, Penguin Books, Aug. 1991.
- " The Kama Sutra (Arkana), co-author, Penguin,1993
- "The Beautiful Blue Jay, and other tales of India". Library binding, Jan. 2000.
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NOTE- a Dr, John W. Spellman citation- From 1962 onwards, several editions of the Kamasutra were published
in both America and the UK. One of the most significant editions was the version published by EP Dutton
in 1962. This edition was introduced by a New York-based travel writer Santha Rama Rau, who gave the
impression that the Kamasutra was an accurate portrayal of the sex lives of people in India. Her foreward
was accompanied by an essay by John W Spellman, a prominent Indologist, which discussed the sexual aspects
of tantric practice as a means of providing a wider cultural context to the Kamasutra. It was this essay,
according to James McConnochie (2007), which led to the the idea that the Kamasutra was a tantric text.
(FYI- "Tantras ("Looms" or "Weavings") refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several
esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy.")
In Feb. 2013- John received the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work involving Human rights, Civil liberties,
and Environmental protection. John gave a contentious accepance speech which included remarks on the need
to keep a watchful eye on governments, even in Canada.
As late as fall 2017 John was teaching at the Univ. of Windsor at the Retirement Learning Center. He taught a Study Group entitled "Culture of India".
The class annoucement read : "John Spellman, a retired professor and head of Asian Studies at the University
of Windsor, will lead his group through a study of cultural values and ways of thinking as revealed in
the religions, literature, politics and everyday life in India. Dr. Spellman finishes course with trip to
a Thai Restaurant". (as seen in photo above !)
[ Our Class Top | [ OAHS '52 Top |
Our Time in History...... |
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Although we were innocent in 1952, we feel proud that we were honorable, responsible,
and respectful!
- Cost of Living in 1952-
- Average Cost of new house $9.050.00
- Average wages per year $3,850.00
- Cost of a gallon of Gas 20 to 25 cents
- Average Cost of a new car $1,700.00
- Average Cost of Rent $80.00 per month
- A lb. of Hamburger Meat 53 cents
[ Our Time Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
- Memories of our Generation - Author unknown.
"First, we survived being born to mothers Who smoked and/or drank while they were Pregnant. We were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children, We would ride in cars with no car seats, No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day Was always a special treat.
We drank water From the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, From one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
We took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
And, we weren't overweight. WHY? Because we were Always outside playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, As long as we were back when the Streetlights came on. No one was able To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps And then ride them down the hill, only to find out We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, No cell phones, No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS And we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, And the worms did not live in us Forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, Although we were told it would happen, We did not put out very many eyes..
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just Walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal With disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law Was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
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"Back Then"- More Memories of our Generation
- "Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent
them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles
over and over. So they really were recycled
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Back then, grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most
memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our
schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the
school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the
brown paper bags.
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Back then, we walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We
walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to
go two blocks.
- Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried
clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power
really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their
brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
- Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a
small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of
Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines
to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up
old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
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Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower
that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to
run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
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Back then, we drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every
time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor
instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
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Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead
of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost
what a whole house did before the "green thing.
- Back then, we had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.
And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in
space in order to find the nearest burger joint."
Who knew? We started the "Go Green" movement without knowing it !!
[ Our Time Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
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Our Music- These were some of our favorite pop songs--
Hit Parade Songs of 1951-
Cold, Cold Heart by Tony Bennett |
How High the Moon by Les Paul & Mary Ford |
Because of You by Tony Bennett |
If by Perry Como |
The Tennessee Waltz by Patti Page |
Jezebel by Frankie Laine |
On Top of Old Smoky by The Weavers |
I Get Ideas by Tony Martin |
Too Young by Nat King Cole |
Sweet Violets by Dinah Shore |
Hit Parade Songs of 1952-
Cry by Johnny Ray |
Wheel of Fortune by Kay Starr |
Any Time by Eddie Fisher |
You Belong to Me by Jo Stafford |
Tell Me Why by the Four Aces |
A Guy is a Guy by Doris Day |
Botcha Me by Rosemary Clooney |
The Little White Cloud That Cried by Johnny Ray |
High Noon by Frankie Laine |
I'll Walk Alone by Don Cornell |
Here are some that did not make the
Hit Parade- (and I am sure were soon forgotten !!)
Mairzy Doats ( mares eat oats and does eat oats and little
lambs eat ivy) by The Merry Macs
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Aba Daba Honeymoon by Debbie Reynolds |
Rag Mop by the Ames Brothers |
Buttons and Bows by Dinah Shore & Mel Blanc |
Too Fat Polka by Arthur Godfrey |
Open the Door Richard by Count Basie |
I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
by Freddy Martin & MervGriffen |
I'm My Own Grandpa by Guy Lombardo |
All I Want for Christmas by Spike Jones |
Woody Woodpecker
by the Sportsmen |
[ Our Time Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
- Our Headline News & Happenings-
- 1951- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty of stealing atomic bomb secrets and received the death sentence;
- 1951- General Douglas MacArthur replaced as US commander in Korea.
- 1951- United Nations Headquarters opens in New York City.
- 1951- First direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in United States.
- Feb 1952- Elizabeth II is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom at St. James's Palace.
- Feb 1952- The Winter Olympics open in Oslo, Norway.
- June 1952- “The Diary of Anne Frank” is published.
- July 1952- UFO Sightings in Salem-
USCG Salem Coast Guard Station, Massachusetts USA, 16-Jul-1952 photo of a formation of 4 UFOs.
1-Aug-1952 - The US Coast Guard released a photograph of "unidentified aerial phenomena" (the official term for UFOs), taken on 16 July at the Salem Coast Guard Air Station. Coast Guard Officer Shell R. Alpert snapped the photograph of four UFOs. The UFOs were also witnessed by Coastguardsman Thomas Flaherty. Source: The Daily Chronology of Coast Guard History (note: Paul R. Hill's UFO sighting occured on the same day over Hampton, Virginia)
This photo was taken at the height of the major UFO wave of 1952 (between 13-Jul and 29-Jul of
1952), when UFOs also flew over Washington DC (more in Maccabee's "1952 Year of the UFO"). |
 |
- Sep 1952- Rocky Marciano becomes world heavyweight champion after knocking out
Jersey Joe Walcott in the 13th round.
- 1952- US test first Hydrogen bomb.
- 1952- Clarence Birdseye introduces the first frozen peas.
- 1952- 'The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette' was published.
- 1952- The first sugar free no calorie soft drinks are introduced.
[ Our Time Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
- Our Movies- released in 1951-1952
- 1951- "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man".
- 1951- "Bedtime for Bonzo" starring Ronald Reagan.
- 1951- "Quo Vadis" starring Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr.
- 1951- "A Streetcar Named Desire" starring Vivien Leigh (Oscar for best actress) and Marlon Brando.
- 1951- "An American in Paris" starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.
- 1952- "High Noon" starring Gary Cooper (Best Actor award) and Grace Kelly
- 1952 - "The Greatest Show on Earth" starring Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, andCharlton Heston.
- 1951- "The African Queen" starring Humphrey Bogart (Oscar for best actor) and Katherine Hepburn.
- 1952- "Singin' in the Rain" starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor.
- 1952- The Cinerama widescreen system, invented by Fred Waller, debuts with the
film "This Is Cinerama".
- 1952- Bwana Devil, the first American, feature-length, color 3-D movie, is released,
and begins the demand for 3-D films that lasts for the next two years.
- 1952- "The Bad and the Beautiful" starring Lana Turner and Kirk Douglas.
- 1952- "Ivanhoe" starring Robert Taylor, Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor.
- 1952- "Sailor Beware" starring Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis.
[ Our Time Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
- Our TV Programs-
- 1951- "I Love Lucy"starring Lucille Ball.
- 1951- "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show"
- 1951- "The Jack Benny Show"
- 1951- "Truth or Consequences" with Ralph Edwards
- 1951- "Your Hit Parade" sponsored by Lucky Strike
- 1951- "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar
- 1951- "What's My Line" with Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennet Cerf
- 1951- "Dragnet" with Jack Webb
- 1951- "Kraft Television Theater"
- 1951- "The Ed Sullivan Show"
- 1951- "The Texaco Star Theater" with Milton Berle
- 1952- "Today Show" with host Dave Garroway
- 1952- "American Bandstand" with Dick Clark
- 1952- "I've Got a Secret" with host Garry Moore
- 1952- "The Perry Como Show"
[ Our Time Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
- Our Cars- New in 1952. Can you identify them ? Boy they WERE stylish !!!
Boy, they were really pushing visors. Gosh I miss all those great looking hood ornaments!
Gasolene cost 20 to 25 cents a gallon !! But, alas, we were all driving older cars !!
Click on pics to see some sales brochures and then click to enlarge each bforchure.
These images are links to the site "http://www.lov2xlr8.no/" which is a site in Norway created by Hans Tore Tangerud.
Click on the Woody to see tech specs and prices !





[ Our Time Top ] [ OAHS '52 Top |
Classmates on the Internet...... |
|
Use the E-mail addresses to say "Hello" and send messages to your classmates.
Click on links to send email or go to personal pages on the World Wide Web.
(Names are listed alphabetically by married name)
[ OAHS '52 Top ]
Class Reunion Statistics ...... |
|
Our OAHS Class of 1952 has been very fortunate that throughout the years there has been continued interest
in having reunions, and more importatly we have had a dedicated group of people willing to volunteer
their time and energy to make the reunions happen.
Special thanks go to Norm Cronin and Harold Bailey who have spear-headed all our reunion planning.
Thanks also must go to the members of our "Easton Locals" group who have supported Norm and Harold in travelling and
researching reunion locales, and who have attended semi-annual dinner meetings to discuss and plan
all reunion activities.
And, not least, thanks must go to our classmates who travelled to the
reunions from their homes out-of-state. Throughout the years classmates attended from -
Canada, CA, WI, FL, GA, KY, NY, CT, NH, VT, and MA.
Our reunion success has been the envy of many of our other contemporary OAHS classes.
Classmates Attending All Reunions-
( 'Way to go' to them !!! )
Harold Bailey, Joan Kelly Hale, Alice Maliff DeCouto, and Donald
Smith.
( And Ed Leonard who only missed our 60th )
|
Attendance Counts For All Our Reunions-
15th | 1967 | 36 | Avon |
25th | 1977 | 38 | Saunders Bay, NH |
30th | 1982 | 37 | Plymouth |
35th | 1987 | 38 | Kennebunkport,ME |
40th | 1992 | 42 | Waterville Valley, NH |
45th | 1997 | 33 | Ogunquit, ME |
50th | 2002 | 35 | Lincoln, NH |
55th | 2007 | 24 | Ogonquit, ME |
58th | 2010 | 18 | Mystic, CT |
60th | 2012 | 19 | Mystic, CT |
63rd | 2015 | 16 | Plymouth, MA |
|
[ OAHS '52 Top |
Our Class Reunions are listed below. Select a Reunion to View
65th Class Reunion.... |
Sep 5-7, 2017 |
Our 65th reunion was held Sept. 5-7, 2017 in Plymouth, MA at 'Hotel 1620'
which is the former Renaissance hotel where we held our last reunion.
A banquet dinner was held at the Waterfront Bar and Grill near the hotel.
A total of 18 persons attended, 10 of whom were Classmates.
Classmates attending included -- |
Arthur Anderson
Connie Anderson Dumoulin
Harold Bailey
Dave Gomes
Lois Gardner DiLorenzo
Suzanne Miller
|
Leo Harlow
Ed Leonard
Forrest Litchfield De Lambert
Pauline Nystrom Bearse
Donald Smith |
The following classmates were interested in coming to the reunin but were
not able to attend due to personal matters or family obligations.
Joan Kelly Hale, Leo McEvoy, Jane Camegaly Newman, Mona Bellows Jamieson,
Norm Cronin, and Gerry Gonsalves Gaston.
Check out Photos from the reunion -
63rd Class Reunion ...... |
Sep 8-10, 2015 |
Our 63rd Class Reunion was held at the Radisson Hotel at
Plymouth Harbor, MA from Sept 8-10, 2015.
A total of 31 attended, of whom 16 were Classmates.
|  |
We had access to a conference room in which we gathered for 'Meet and Greet' after
the check-in on Tuesday and after the reunion dinner on Wednesday. For our breakfasts we
gathered in the Radisson's in-house restaurant.
At the 'Meet and Greet' gathering we honored the classmates that are no longer with us with a
poster which listed their names and photos copied from our '52 class yearbook. |
We held our reunion dinner at the Waterfront Bar and Grill next to the Radisson.
We were all pleased with the quality of the food.
Suzanne Miller, Janet Walker, and Pauline Nystrom joined us at the dinner.
After the dinner a raffle was held in the meeting room to give away two gift baskets,
two tote bags and a bottle of wine. |
Classmates attending included --
Artie Anderson
Connie Anderson Dumoulin
Harold Bailey
Robert Brennick
Norm Cronin
Gerry Gonsalves Gaston
Dave Gomes
Harold Hayward
|
Joan Kelly Hale
Leo Harlow
Ed Leonard
Forrest Litchfield De Lambert
Leo McEvoy
Pauline Nystrom Bearse
Ralph Philbrick
Donald Smith |
Here is a class photo taken at the reunion dinner- (too bad the room was so dark !!)

Back Row- Artie Anderson, Harold Bailey, Leo McEvoy, Donald Smith (hidden), and Leo Harlow.
MIddle Row-Ed Leonard,Norm Cronin, Dave Gomes, Ralph Philbrick, Harry Hayward, and Gerry Gonsalves.
Front Row- Forrest Litchfield, Joan Kelly Hale, Connie Anderson, and Pauline Nystrom.
(Bob Brennick attended the dinner but did not get in the photo.)
60th Class Reunion ...... |
Sep 7-9, 2012 |
- 09/07/2012 - 60th Class Reunion Celebration-
For the second time in a row we choose the Hampton Inn, Mystic, CT
as our reunion location.
Classmates travelled from : NH, MA, VT, KY, FL, WI, and CA.
We enjoyed beautiful sunny fall weather with only a threat of rain on Saturday. |
 |
- "Meet and Greet" gatherings- Once again we enjoyed the use of the Inn's
Conference Room for our group socializing. We enjoyed wine coolers, sodas,and bottle water along with
chip/pretzel munchies provided by Gerry and Leo McEvoy. And as usual a couple of the guys made beer runs. We also had some old-time
high-school-era music in the background; Big Band and Pop Hit music
from the 40's and 50's. Alas, most of the time the music was drowned out by all the excited
'meet and greet' talk. Thanks to Harold for providing the 3 CD music set. I received the set
and have been playing them at home. Great music, with all our high school favorites!! If you wish to
receive a copy please send me an email.
- Attendance - A total of 19 Classmates attended, with 33 persons overall attending.
- How wonderful to see Bjorn (Red)Thompson again and meet his wife Gail. His last reunion was the 30th. He was one of the
classmates who travelled the furthest. His home is in Wisconsin. He explained that the reason he stayed in OAHS for only one semester
was to return to live in WI so that he could be qualified for entering a WI state school as an
in-state resident.
- Classmates who travelled an even further distance were Forrest and Mona who came from California.
- Travelling from Florida were Lois Gardner with hubby Buddy (no pun intendeded) DiLorenzo, Artie Anderson and his best gal Helen
Still, and Edith Bussey and Francis Doyle with their adopted daughter Crystal.
- Travelling from NH were Donald and Marilyn Smith, and from VT were Pauline Nystrom
and hubby Eliot Bearse.
- And travelling from MA were the loyal "Easton Locals" group that you all know.
- Also, how wonderful to see
Nancy Taylor, who attended with Ray's sister Ann Barrett. We out-of-staters were all able to
express our condolences re Ray's passing to her in person.
Classmates included --
Artie Anderson
Harold Bailey
Mona Bellows Jamieson
Edith Bussey Doyle
Norm Cronin
Francis Doyle
Lois Gardner Dilorenzo
Gerry Gonsalves Gaston
Dave Gomes
|
Joan Kelly Hale
Leo Harlow
Forrest Litchfield De Lambert
Alice Maliff DeCouto
Leo McEvoy
Andy Miller
Pauline Nystrom Bearse
Ralph Philbrick
Donald Smith
Bjorn (Red) Thompson |
- Fiday Happenings-
- Check-in and "Meet and Greet" gathering in the conference room. Harold passed out a document
package which he prepared. Included were these docs-
- Updated list of class members with addresses and phone numbers.
- Updated list of class members who unfortunately are no longer with us.
- Updated list of class members' email and internet addresses.
- Classmate news from those class members who could not attend the reunion.
- A list of some Mystic restaurants to help decide where to go for Friday night dinner.
- A list of some recommended Mystic sightseeing locations.
- Information about the Taste of Mystic celebration next to the drawbridge.
- Friday Dinner- Instead of individual restaurant choices, Friday dinner was
almost a group dinner since at the Inn's recommendation we went to the nearby Equinox restaurant
and they seated us at four neighboring large tables. The restaurant, after hearing that this writer
was celebrating a birthday, surprised him with a very tasty fudge tart which consisted of chocolate
cake with chocolate mousse in the middle and covered with choculate fudge icing. Yumm !! And of course the
group sang "Happy Birthday". Thank goodness I didn't have to go to school the next day as frequently
happened during my school years !!
- After-dinner gathering- More "Meet and Greet" conversation in the conference
room.
- Saturday Happenings-:
- Breakfast-
the Hampton Inn provided a free full breakfast. There was something for
everyone- waffles, eggs and sausage, yogurt, cereal, bagels, muffins, and fruit. And of course coffee and juice. Great spread !!
- Mystic Sightseeing-
We split into groups and visited Olde Mystick Village, Mystic Seaport, The Tast of Mystic
Celebration, Downtown Mystic shops, Noank Peninsula, Stonington Peninsula, and Foxwoods Casino.
- Saturday Dinner-

The "Riverwalk" restaurant, located on the way to downtown Mystic, was the site of our group dinner.
We had a semi-private room ( open raised area, not enclosed). Each person was able to select a
meal from their extensive menu. We were crowded in the samll area, but the food was excellent. |
The class received a surprise phone call during dinner from Ed Leonard in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Norm took the call and reported that that Ed and Terry were very disappointed that they were not
able to attend and that he wanted to say "hello" and wish everyone a wonderful reunion time.
- After-dinner gathering-
- Back to the conference room for more "Meet and Greet"
conversation and a group meeting lead by Norm.
- Norm and Harold read off the list of members that we have lost, and Leo Harlow lead a
prayer for the health of those present and for the remembrance of our missing classmates.
- A lottery drawing was conducted to win two beautiful gift baskets generously donated by
Joan Kelly Hale. The winners were Gail Thompson and Pauline Nystrom Bearse. The money collected will
go into the Class Treasury for future class expenses. How nice that both winners attended from
out-of-state.
- Bjorn (Red, well now Gray) Thompson addressed the crowd and thanked everyone for making he and Gail so
welcome in the class even though he attended OAHS for such a short time. He also said he has enjoyed
being informed about class news via email and our OAHS website.
- Sunday Happenings-:
-
The group enjoyed another full Hampton Inn breakfast, used the last opportunity to take photos,
and then said their goodbyes.
- 60th Reunion Photos -
[ See Photos ]
[ OAHS '52 Top ]
|
Preparations for 60th Class Reunion ...... |
07/07/2012 - |
- Place & Date: Sep 7-9, 2012 in Mystic, Connecticut.
- Lodging: The Hampton Inn & Suites, 6 Hendel Dr, Mystic, CT
The Hampton Inn is located north of interstate I95 at the
Rt. 27 intersection (Exit 90). It is on the left off of Rt. 27 north.
Telephone is 1-860-536-2536 (View Map) . |
 |
-
Daily room cost is $99 plus 12% tax. A maximum of four persons are allowed per room. All rooms are non-smoking and
have either one king size or two queen size beds. If a room is to be shared, only one party should make the reservation.
- Reservations must be made and confirmed by Aug.7th, and mention "Oliver Ames Reunion".
- Check-in time is 3 pm on Friday and Check-out time is 10 am Sunday morning.
- A complimentary hot breakfast is served daily from 6 - 10 am in their large lobby area.
- Once again our group will have the use of the Enberg meeting room for our Friday "meet and greet" and
our after dinner gatherings. As last time we are allowed to serve our own beer, wine, liquor and
snacks.
- Saturday Night Dinner: "Riverwalk" Restaurant
Group reservations have been made at the
"Riverwalk" restaurant located on the way to downtown Mystic. We will have a semi-private room
( open raised area, not enclosed). Each person will be able to select a meal from the menu that Harold sent
out.
The Restaurant is located at 14 Holmes St. in the Schooner Wharf complex. Holmes St. is the road that
veers right off of Rt. 27 heading downtown and the Schooner Wharf complex is on the left pass
Forsyth St. Schooner Wharf is the home berth of ARGIA, an eighty-one foot replica of a 19th Century
schooner.
|

 |
- Air Transportation: Green Airport in Warwick, RI which is about 1/2 hr. drive from motel.
Gerry has volunteered to chauffeur folks between the airport and the motel.
- "A Taste of Mystic" food celebration-
This celebration will be on the same
weekend as our reunion. Chamber of Commerce website says: "Bring your appetite to the Taste of Mystic.
Over 30 local restaurants line Cottrell Street, in Historic Downtown Mystic each offering a unique
and delicious taste of their specialty. Last year’s goodies ranged from honey cilantro shrimp to
pad Thai with chicken satay and so much more.
Don't miss live performances by musicians like The Cartells, Kevin Crandell Band, High Times,
Flowers and Kain and Mind Body and Soul. and Eight to the Bar.
Times: Sep. 7th 5 pm - 9:30 pm, the 8th 11 am – 9:30 pm, and the 9th 11 am – 5 pm. Free admission."
Read more details at www.atasteofmystic.com .
Click on the map link to view the location and layout.
View some past 'A Taste of Mystic' photos.
- Other Mystic Attractions-
If you play to spend time before or after the reunion in Mystic check out this website to learn what
attractions the city offers- View
Mystic Attractions.
11/15/2011 - Reunion Committee Report - At the gathering on 09/26/2011 the reunion
committee of "Easton Locals" discussed having another
reunion next year in 2012 in order to celebrate our 60th graduation year anniversary, instead of waiting
for 2013 to adhere to our 'reunion every 3 years' cycle. A vote was taken and it was unanimously
recommended to hold a reunion next year and to hold it again in Mystic Connecticut
since last reunion there was such a great success.
Everyone enjoyed that location last time because it was only a short drive away for Baystaters and
close to Green Airport in Warwick, RI for the convenience of out-of-staters. Also, everyone enjoyed
the Shops of Mystic,
the 'Taste of Mystic' celebration (local restaurants offer delicious tastes of their specialties), seaside dining, and proximity to the Foxwoods Casino.
The Hampton Inn again was selected to provide lodging. Harold has made reservations
for us on Sep, 7, 2012 to coincide again with the "Taste of Mystic" food celebration scheduled for that weekend.
The cost quoted per night per room again was $99 plus 12% tax. A room may have a
maximum of four persons. Again we would have use of their conference room for gatherings and cocktail social hours.
If you have any questons, please write or call either
- Hal Bailey, 269 Forest St., Raynham, MA 02767, (508) 822-0764 or
- Norm Cronin, PO Box 325, So. Dennis, MA 01660, (508) 398-9851
.
|
[ Reunions Top ]
[ OAHS '52 Top ]
58th Class Reunion ...... |
Sep 10-12, 2010 |
58th Class Reunion Celebration at the Hampton Inn, Mystic, Conn. -
We enjoyed beautiful sunny fall weather all
weekend.
-
Friday- After check-in folks gathered in the 'Enberg' Meeting Room for a "Meet and Greet" party and enjoyed beer, drinks, and snacks. A "Thinking of You" greeting card for Mrs. Carter was passed around and signed by all attendees. At 7 pm groups were formed to go to dinner at neighborhood restaurants. A large group went to Abbotts Lobster-in-the-rough located on the coast and enjoyed eating outside on the patio. After dinner most returned to the meeting romm for more chit-chat.
(The meeting room is named after Dick Enberg, the sports announcer, who is one of the investors in
the Hampton Inn org.)
-
Saturday-
Full hot breakfast at Hampton Inn. Groups formed to do the following- go to Foxwoods Casino for a
little gambling, or go to nearby Mystic Village to tour the tourist shops , or go to historic Mystic
Downtown for shopping and checking out the 'Taste of Mystic Celebration' which presented food
samplings from local restsurants.
Saturday Dinner- We had a private party room at the Go Fish restaurant and enjoyed Soup or Salad,
Steak, Chicken or Cod , and Apple Crisp with ice cream for dessert.
Before dinner Harold read off the list of 23 classmates who are no longer with us, and we remembered
them with a minute of silence.
Saturday Dinner Raffle - Artie Anderson organized and ran the raffle.
- Money Prizes = 40$ was won by Rose Gomes, Lorraine Beale, and Donald Smith.
Gerry got a raffle ticket with the last 4 numbers - '4752' and said "Oh boy, I got the winning
ticket since the last two numbers are "52"! Lorraine Beale said "Wow I wish I had gotten that
ticket since all those numbers are my lucky numbers". Gerry answered, "Well let's switch;
since I never win anything, I'll take your ticket." Guess who was a winner- Lorraine Beale.
I guess we were both right!!!! (Once again, the saying 'No good deed goes unrewarded' is true!)
- Gift Basket Prizes - Helen Still (Artie Anderson's lady friend) and Patti Bailey.
- Gag Gift - Eddie Bussey Doyle
After dinner- more story telling and reminiscing about school days and Easton in the meeting room.
-
Sunday-
Full hot breakfast at Hampton Inn and saying goodbye to all.
-
Attendance - A total of 18 classmates; 27 persons overall.
Connie Anderson
Artie Anderson
Harold Bailey
Lorraine Beale **
Millage Corkum
Norm Cronin
Edith Bussey
Alice Maliff DeCouto
Francis Doyle |
Gerry Gonsalves Gaston
Dave Gomes
Joan Kelly Hale
Leo Harlow
Harry Hayward
Ed Leonard
Andy Miller
Ralph Philbrick
Donald Smith |
** = ( first reunion attended ! )
-
|
58th Reunion Committee Reports ...... |
|
58th Class Reunion Plan-
- Place & Date: Sep 10-12, 2010 in Mystic, Connecticut.
- Lodging: The Hampton Inn located north of the I95 & Rt. 27 intersection (Exit 90).
(View Map)
Rooms cost $99 plus 12% tax with a maximum of four persons allowed per room.
Reservations must be made and confirmed by Aug.10th, and mention "Oliver Ames Reunion".
If a room is to be shared, only one party should make the reservation.
- Saturday Night Dinner: Banquet room at GO FISH restaurant located in Olde Mistick Village
Meal (appetizer, soup or salad, entree, and desert) will cost $35 per person which includes tax, and gratuity.
Entrees offered are Baked New England Cod, Pan Roasted Breast of Chicken or Sliced Grilled
Sirloin. Dinners must be paid in advance of the reunion. Check payable to "Class of 1952" mailed to Harold.
- Air Transportation: Green Airport in Warwick, RI which is about 1/2 hr. drive from motel.
Gerry has volunteered to chaufeur folks between the airport and the motel.
- Additional Info-For complete details see the Class Letter that Harold mailed
out to class members.
Call with questions to Hal Bailey at (508) 822-0764 or Norm Cronin at (508) 398-9851 .
|
A Mystic city celebration will be on the same
weekend as our reunion. Chamber of Commerce website says: "Bring your appetite to the Taste of Mystic.
Over 30 local restaurants line Cottrell Street, in Historic Downtown Mystic each offering a unique
and delicious taste of their specialty. Last year’s goodies ranged from honey cilantro shrimp to pad Thai with chicken satay and so much more.
Don't miss live performances by musicians like The Cartells, Eight to the Bar and High Times.
Family Fun and Entertainment throughout the 3 days! Sep 10th 5 pm - 9:30 pm, Sep 11th 11 am – 9:30 pm
and Sep12th 11 am – 5 pm. Free admission." Read more details at
www.atasteofmystic.com .
Get tourist info & maps - at Mystic Depot Welcome Center & Cyber Café,
2 Roosevelt Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355, 860.572.1102.
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm. Website says "Visit the Mystic Depot Welcome Center for all your visitor information
needs. We have maps, visitor guides, a display of brochures, walking tours, local newspapers,
real estate information, Amtrak ticket machine, and cyber café complete with 2 computers and
high speed internet. Ask our friendly staff and enthusiastic volunteers about accommodations,
attractions, restaurants, services and more. Did you know? The historic Mystic Depot was used
by American Flyer as its model for a train depot over 50 years ago."
Get more info at www.discoveryguide.org/
|
Mystic map- open window with map.
10/28/2009-
At our last class reunion it was decided that we hold class reunions ever 3 years instead of
every 5 years since the number of surviving class members sadly decreases each year.
The Reunion Committee has continued to travel and research possible reunion sites. They report their finding
to a group of classmates still living in the Easton area who gather twice a year for a class dinner in
Buzzards Bay. At the gathering on 10/28/2009 the committee recommended we hold the next reunion in
Mystic Connecticut. After a discussion this recommendation was approved for the reunion scheduled
for September 10-12 of this year (2010).
The Hampton Inn has been selected to provide lodging.
The cost quoted per night per room was $99 plus 12% tax. A room may have a maximum of four persons.
If you have any questons, please write or call either
- Hal Bailey, 269 Forest St., Raynham, MA 02767, (508) 822-0764 or
- Norm Cronin, PO Box 325, So. Dennis, MA 01660, (508) 398-9851.
Here is a photo of the "locals" attending the dinner.

Back row- Gerry Gaston, Dick Walker, Connie Anderson, Joan Kelly, Alice Maliff, Dave Gomes, Ed Leonard.
Front row- Leo McEvoy, Norm Cronin, Donald Smith, Ray Taylor, Leo Harlow, Hal Bailey.
04/21/2010- A class dinner was held by the "locals" on this date. The Reunion Committee
reported that after researching dining places they recommended that our Saturday night reunion
dinner be held at GO FISH located in Olde Mistick Village. (yes, that's
their real name !!) They will provide us a separate room and do not require us to select our food in advance.
The entree offerings are Baked New England Cod, Pan Roasted Breast of Chicken or Sliced Grilled
Sirloin. The total cost quoted for the meal, tax, and gratuity was $35 per person.
|
[ Reunions Top ]
[ OAHS '52 Top ]
High School Memories...... |
|
Some of these entries have been extracted from Classmate News.
Thanks to you all for sending in such great News Items about happenings in your life !!
-
In October 2015 Hazel Varella reported to our class that the Volume 6 issue of the Easton Historical
Society's Reminisences Booklet will include
an article entitled
"Memories of the Class of 1952". This article will contain a list of all our class members
and a list of individual childhood memories of growing up in Easton and attending Oliver Ames HS.
- Ed Leonard-- See a wondrful article, "Life on Columbus Avenue", writtenby Ed Leonard
and published in the Easton Historical Society's Reminiscences Booklet Volume 5 in September 2014.
- Joan Kelly- I worked at Hilliard's Chocolates my junior and senior years. I remember
when Wheaton, Pete, Ed and Ed used to drop in on me when I was working and skarf down all the free
samples. Alan (the owner) lived upstairs at that time and when he heard the commotion he would come
down and urge them to leave.
- Forrest Litchfield- Remembering Mrs. Carter's standard typing class policy of
typing to "marching music" with windows open, even in the dead of winter, and wondering if all
that cold fresh air contributed to her good health and long life.
- Jane Canegaly- Skating on the cranberry bog behind our house in the winter and
skating across the reservoir at Christmas time to chop down a cedar tree (we were too poor to buy
a tree).
Tobogganing in the snow- We lived at the top of a good sized hill, and we built a ski jump to go
over on a toboggan. That, plus the ledge of a cranberry bog to bump over (a good two feet or more,
if I remember correctly), caused the person on the back of the toboggan to get well jarred and
a few bones loosened each time down the hill.
- Lorraine Beale- Witnessing and greeting Rocky Marciano doing his roadwork running along
Turnpike Street.
- Gerry Gonsalves- I remember these things fondly-
Household Chores- Keeping the kerosene fuel cans filled on our kitchen stove and our living room heater. The cans
were filled from a tank in the basement. The only heat upstairs for the bedrooms managed to
make its way up the stairway in the hall off the living room. My sister and I quickly learned
to wear a sweater to bed and sleep completely under the covers.
School- My sister and I always walked doen the hill to have lunch at home.
We must have been very poor since we never bought our lunch in the cafeteria. Someone at a class
reunion mentioned they brought their lunch to school and ate in the cafeteria. Well, this idea never
occurred to us. I wish we had done that since it would have given me a better chance to get
to know all my classmates better, especially those from So. Easton. I never saw the cafeteria
in three years !! Crazy!!
Holding hands on the bus driving back from basketball games. Boy, we must
have been bashful- we always covered our hands with a basketball jacket. Crazy!! Learning about
the thrill of first kisses was wonderful. But I did not like long kisses- I held my breath during
a kiss !! Where did I get that idea? Crazy !!! ( talk about simple, innocent times !)
Going to teen dances in the Frothingham Hall and being terrified because I did not know how to
dance and was too shy to ask girls to dance. Damn, couldn't they have included a course on dancing
in the curriculum? The kids that follwed us sure had it easy when rock-and-roll came in
fashion. I could have danced to that !!!
Dropping into O'Connor's News store downtown on Main St. after school to meet with friends,
buy an ice cream treat, and check out the newest magazines.
Sports- Playing on OAHS sports teams with a great bunch of guys. But those cheer leader uniforms!
What was it with those sport coat jackets? They sure were not very inspiring for the players! Were we so
innocent that the girls were not allowed to wear tradional sports sweaters! Crazy!!
Going to coach Valente's house on Friday evenings before Saturday football games, along with
the other members of the backfield. I guess he wanted to keep us from going out carousing
the night before games. Little good it did to our team success though!!
As a senior in 1951 playing football on Thanksgiving Day, the first game ever played by
OAHS on this holiday. But the most interesting thing about the game was not that it was
played on Thanksgiving Day for the first time, nor that we won by 44 to 14 over Howard High,
nor that our captain Richie Holmes playing fullback scored three times, but that Ritchie
failed to score a fourth when he ran 107 yards and did not score !!
We were backed up to
our own one-yard line and the play was called for Ritchie to punt the ball
away from the back of our end zone. Well, he spotted an opening in the defensive line and
surprised everyone by running the ball instead. After weaving through the opponent's
defensive punt formation he headed for the goalline but accompanied by the groans of the
fans was tackled on the opponent's three yard line. Ritchie's exploit made him sought
after by regional newspapers and radio stations to talk about his famous run.
Living so close to Frothingham Park I spent most of my summers there playing in pick-up games, I was in
awe that it was such a beautiful place. Playing Junior Legion baseball in the summers in the park
with coach Connie Spillane. He was a good coach, a funny guy, and a interesting character.
We learned our first mild swear words from him when he got mad .
Playing basketball in our small gym and trying not to crash into the auditorium stage,
and trying not to step on the fans seated along the sides of the court. And also trying to
avoid errant passes so that we didn't hit these folks in the face with the ball.
Cars- Driving my dad's Kaiser and Fraser. If you backed up in the Kaiser
the gears would jam and you had to reach under
the car with a tire iron and free them. I loved the luxurious Fraser. It was "before
its time" - no door handles on the inside, just Fraser emblems that were unrecognizable as
push buttons. Learning to drive on the country roads going to Fairhaven to visit my
grandparents.
My dad always had old cars and one of the oldest was unique since it had a
"burglar alarm". On the pillar between the front and rear doors was a metal pendulum hanging
inside a metal circle wired to the battery. If anyone tried to get into the car, stepping on the
running board would tilt the car so that the pendulum struck the circle. This contact
would complete the circuit and the horn would sound !!! So much for old technology !
Sneaking into the Brockton Fair under the fence. And the "Holy Shit" moment when my friends
and I got into the car to drive home and were surprised when a "drunk" sat up in the back seat
and asked, "Where we goin?" ( Who locked anything back then !)
- Ed Leonard - Pete , Harry, Ed and I
did a lot together. Bought and sold a 1915 Model T Ford one day for $100 - $25 each. It was
parked under a HARCO ORCHARDS chicken coop the first night when two tires blew. The noise scared
the chickens - pissed of Mr. Richards and made us sell the "T" back to the owner the next day.
----- Remember the day we all went to the Big E exposition in Springfield. Harry and Ed had
their parents permission, Pete told his mother he was going (didn't ask !) I didn't tell anyone.
"Mo" Mason missed me on the attendance list. It took. Mr. Warner, my mother - his secretary,
Mr. (MO) Mason and the other three mothers a couple hours to figure it all out. Those guys
never had to "stay after school" - but I did !!!
The Tale of our High School Cars-
Enclosed are photo copies of the cars owned by Harry Hayward, George Peterson and myself.
Also Ed Richards father's 1940 Buick that Ed used most exclusively, especially when commuting to OAHS and
dating Lorraine McNeil.
Harry and I painted his 1930 Chevie with many coats of hand-rubbed lacquer paint. He then bought a 1940
Ford and ssid if I helped him paint it, he would sell me the Chevie for a dollar. I had an accident in it-
see photos. I sold the '30 Chevie to Ray Ladd for $25 while in my 2nd year at Northeastern. I couldn't
afford to register it and had it parked in my back yard. Dad said get that "piece of junk" ot of the yard!
The photo of Wheaton's 1940 Ford, which he bought while in our jr. year, is not his but one just like it.
We all worked while in high school so had the funds to operate our cars.
One day Ed R. came to school and said we could buy a Ford Model "T" for $100 if each of us kicked in $25.
We all went to Brockton to get the car with the owner driving it to HARCO Orchards. It was in great shape but
like old cars the tires were weak. Overnight two tires blew up while parked under a chicken coop-
waking the farms chickens. Ed's father told him in no uncertain terms to get rid of the "piece of
junk"- Ed's father and mine had a lot in common ! The next day we got our $25 back. The Model "T"
photo is not the car we owned but one like it.
While organizing the above I came across the Morse Car ad. -Copy attached with a description from the
Easton Journal 1997. Of the 48 made in Easton at the Easton Machine Co. on Central St., at least one
exists today. It was shown in the lobby of the Easton Savings Bank a few years ago. Harry Hayward's
father worked in this same factory when it later became Crofoot Gear.
Hope you enjoy these pictures and stories. Ed Leonard.
Read more of the story and view car photos !!
|
[ OAHS '52 Top ]
Classmate News Items ...... |
|
Send in personal news items and let your friends know
what is going on in your life.
Or tell us if you have a presence on the new social networking sites on the internet.
Items listed by descending date. |
- 12/01/2017-Historical Society submission-
The Class has received a letter from the Easton Historical Society officialy accepting our
submission of 2 CDs which contain copies of our Class website.
The letter is signed by Hazel Varella, Historical Society Secretary. See Letter
- 05/30/2017 - Tour of Easton Buildings
Take a tour of Easton looking for old familiar schools and buildings and
see if they can be recognized today.
[Show me Photos!]
- 04/19/2017 - Class Luncheon and Reunion Planning
The semi-annual class luncheon was held at Lindsey's Restaurant in East Wareham.
Attendance total was 20, with most of the 'Easton Locals' group attending.
It was announced that we will hold our 65th reunion again in Plymouth, MA at 'Hotel 1620'
which is the former Renaissance hotel where we held our last reunion.
The reunion will be just after Labor Day. The dates are Tuesday, Sept. 5 thru Thursday, Sept.7.
- 11/02/2016 - Class Luncheon
 |
Semi- annual class luncheon at Lindsey's in East Wareham. Class credit on the sign looks
great.
Top row= Hal Bailey, Leo Harlow, David Gomes, and Donald Smith.
Lower row= Ed Leonard, Connie Anderson Dumoulin, and Leo McEvoy.
Seated= Joan Kelly Hale
The whole list of attendees includes wives and husbands who accompanied classmates to the luncheon=
Hal and Patti Bailey, Leo and Janice McEvoy, Leo and Helen Harlow, Donald and Marilyn
Smith,
Dave and Rose Gomes, Joan and Frank Hale, Ed Leonard. Connie Anderson Dumoulin,
Suzanne Miller,
and Janet Walker.
|
- 10/07/2015 - 63rd Class Reunion
The class celebrated their 63rd reunion in Plymouth 0ct 8-10 2015.
For reunion details and photos see report in Reunions Section. [Show Me] |
- 10/01/2015 - Easton Historical Society Accepts Class of '52 Submission-
Hazel Varella reports that in October the Volume 6 issue of the EHS' Reminisences Booklet will include
an article entitled "Memories of the Class of 1952". This article will contain a list of all our class members
and a list of individual childhood memories of growing up in Easton and attending Oliver Ames HS.
Contact the Historical Society to purchase a copy of this publication -
View their website for the cost of the publication- http://www.eastonhistoricalsociety.org/
80 Mechanic St, P.O. Box 3, North Easton, MA 02356, phone 508-238-7774 |
- 07/20/2015 - Ceremony Honoring Andy Miller-
A ceremony honoring Andy Miller took place on 7/17/15 at the Old Colony YMCA's
Camp Clark located in Plymouth. The ceremony honored Andy by naming their amphitheater
"The Andrew Miller Amphitheater". Suzanne Miller and her children attended along with
classmate friends. After the presentation Fred Clark, incoming president of Bridgewater University and personal friend of
Andy's, made a speech praising Andy's work as an educator and his volunteer work with children. |

- 04/12/2015 - Honoring Andy Miller-
Last November Suzanne Miller reported the following "The Old Colony YMCA in Brockton MA has decided
to name the amphitheater at Camp Clark in honor of Andy- it is to be called the ANDREW MILLER
AMPHITHEATER--a wonderful tribute to a man who dedicated his life to children and their
wellbeing!!" She now reports that the formal dedication ceremony is scheduled for .July 17th,
a day when the camp is having a "Harry Potter dress-up" day for the kids.
- 04/01/2015 - 63rd Class Reunion-
Our Reunion Planning Committee reports that arrangements have been made to hold our
63rd reunion at the Radisson Hotel at Plymouth Harbor, MA in September 2015
from Sept 8-10 (Tues -Thurs).
We will gather for our banquet at the Waterfront Bar and Grill which is within walking distance
from the Radisson. |
 |
- 10/29/2014 - Class Meeting / Luncheon-
Our "Easton Locals" group held their semi-annual get-together at Lindsey's Restaurant in Buzzards Bay.
A grand total of 21 classmates and spouses attended. Classmates who attended included:
Hal Bailey | Joan Kelly Hale | Leo Harlow |
Ed Leonard | Leo McEvoy | David Gomes |
Donald Smith | Connie Anderson Dumoulin | Ralph Philbrick |
NormCronin | Nancy Taylor | Suzanne Miller |
Janet Walker | | |
The group had fun relating what happened in their lives during the years immediately following graduation from OAHS.
Marilyn Smith took the following photos. Dave had to leave early so he is not in the group photo.

Leo McEvoy, Ed Leonard, Leo Harlow, Donald Smith, Harold Bailey, Norm Cronin, Joan Kelly Hale,
Connie Anderson Dumoulin, Ralph Philbrick
Norm and Sally Cronin
Donald Smith and Ralph Philbrick
- 09/14/2014 - Historical Society Article-
Ed Leonard reports that he has had an article published in the Easton Historical Society's (EHS).
Reminiscences Booklet Volume 5 . The article is entitled "Life on Columbus Avenue". It is a
wonderful essay about his childhood remembrances. I recommend this article and the others
concerning Easton's heritage in this latest EHS booklet.
Go to the EHS website to purchase this issue-
http://www.eastonhistoricalsociety.org/
- 07/09/2014 -Forrest de Lambert's Trip East -
Ed Leonard, Norm Cronin, and Hal Bailey had lunch at the Stone Forge restaurant with Forrest and
her sister Debbie (OAHS '59). Forrest had just completed her travel
abroad to Italy with her nieces, and her travels on the East Coast to visit Debbie who lives in Maine and
her relatives in Hull, MA.
Forrest visited the South Easton Cemetery where she visited her parents graves (Litchfield/Malley)
and conducted some family business with the cemetery staff.
Ed, Norm and Hal toured the cemetery and visited the grave sites of Forrest's parents, Nancy Soule,
Corinne Nilsson, Ray Taylor, Norm's grandparents (Anderson) and Hal's grand parents (Bailey).
Forrest will be returning to CA at the end of the month to resume her B&B business near San Francisco
and looks forward to attending our next class reunion.
- 05/21/2014 -News Item from Suzanne Miller -
In the name of Andrew Miller Jr. who served as Assistant Supervisor for Easton Schools, and
as Principal of the Olmstead School, and was a founding member of the New England Leaque
of Middle Schools, a Memorial Scholorship will be awarded to a graduate of OAHS who has attended
Easton Public Schools for at least six years and who is interested in a teaching carreer. The
scholoiarship will be renewable @ $2000 per year, with a maximum of $8,000.
- 05/21/2014 -Class Meeting -
Our "Easton Locals" group held their bi-annual gathering at Isaac's restaurant in Plymouth
at noon on wednesday May 21st. Attending were 17 persons including 9 classmates-
Hal and Patti Bailey | Joan and Frank Hale |
Leo Harlow |
Ed and Terry Leonard | Leo and Janice McEvoy | Gerry Gonsalves Gaston |
Donald and Marilyn Smith | Suzanne Miller | Harry and Helen Hayward |
Norm and Sally Cronin | | |
Meeting Business-
Norm asked for a moment of silence as he read off the names of those dear classmates whom we have
lost since the last reunion.
Norm recognized the surprise attendees who traveled from New York state - Harry and Helen Hayward.
After lunch Norm did an informal polling asking whether folks pereferred Lindsay's or Isaac's for
future lunches. It seems folks were equally divided in their choice.
In response to a request for classmate news only Lorraine Beale Trimonti and Forrest Litchfield
DeLambert sent us "Hello" emails. Thanks ladies !! Forrest reported that she recently spent 5 weeks
in Columbia and will be traveling to Italy in June for 3 weeks with her nieces.
She reports that she plans to spend July in New England.
There was no other class business discussed.
Thanks to Marilyn Smith for sending in her photos and for taking our group photo.
Here are some candid photos from the luncheon for you to Check Out.
- 02/13/2014 -Alan Grant re Shovel Museum -
Thanks for your recent messages on the OA '52' site. Also sending along a photo of handsome guys Hal & Ed
with the graduate fellow in charge of the Ames Shovel Museum at Stonehill College. The are standing
in front of a cabinet of silver painted shovels. It is huge
& fantastic. Many old memories for all of us - for example the engine turntable near North Easton
RR station and the tracks that led right to the shovel shop.

From the internet- "Above is the Ames Centennial display of 19 silver-plated shovels as prepared for the 1876 Centennial
Exhibition in Philadelphia. Amusingly, they’re displayed in the original display case. Inside the
vault with the rest of the collection, Galer proudly points out not only the typical shovels we’re
familiar with, but shovels designed for working coffee beans, 10-foot-long shovels used to dig
telegraph pole holes, and tiny trenching shovels used by US troops in WWI and WWII."
- 01/09/2014 -Suzanne Miller -
Thanks for reporting on Andy's sister. Yes Andy's beloved sister Lucille Taylor passed last Friday-
she was laid to rest yesterdsy in our family plot on South St. at Furnace Village Scottish cemetery-
She joins my husband - her brother along with their parents and Grandparents.
It comforts me to know that Andy has his big sister with him now--the evening sky has another very
bright light--Lucille Miller Taylor -RIP loved ones! They were a close brother and sister all
their lives. I know they are together in the spirit world having a grand time and watching over us!!
Hope this message finds you all well and I look forward to seeing you in the Spring.
Fondly, Suzanne
- 11/06/2013 -Class Dinner/Meeting -
Our "Easton Locals" group held their bi-annual dinner and meeting at Lindsey's restaurant on
wednesday November 6th. Attending were 16 persons including 7 classmates-
Hal and Patti Bailey | Joan and Frank Hale | Leo and Helen Harlow |
Ed and Terry Leonard | Leo and Janice McEvoy | Gerry Gonsalves Gaston |
|
Nancy Taylor | Suzanne Miller | Janet Walker |
Connie Dumoulin and daughter Bridget |

Meeting Business-
Harold took over the emcee duties since Norm could not attend. Norm was not feeling well after
receiving a flu shot at the VA. A couple of days later we learned that Norm was feeling OK again. Harold did a great job
and his jokes were well received.
The group voted to introduce changes into the dinner meeting arrangements; namely -
-
Meet in the afternoon rather than in the evening. This will benefit class members who have
problems with night driving.
- Change the restaurant from Lindsey's in Buzzards Bay to Isaac's in Plymouth.
- Retain the day of the week to Wednesday so as to not interfere with weekend activities.
- Retain the frequency of the meetings to two times per year.

Sincere apologies to Ed Leonard and Frank Hale who are not in this photo- the wall prevented
me from backing up further. And this author apologizes for the picture quality- I forget to turn
on the flash !!!
- 10/08/2013 -Bjorn Thompson -
Hi Gerry,
It is interesting how a year ago when we came to Mystic for the reunion that we had no idea that
Mystic was going to play a greater part in our lives. As it turns out, our Daughter Kristin and
her Husband Bill Pearson purchased the Thames River Communication Co in Groton, serving Groton,
Mystic, Stonefield, etc.
A couple of weeks ago, Gail and I visited the Kids just to see what they had gotten into and had
a great 4 days of seeing the area. We took the opportunity of driving up to North Easton to show
them our old school (Which to my dismay is now a condominium), the football field and the home
we lived in. We surprised Leo McEvoy and Janice by showing up in their driveway unannounced and
had a wonderful few minutes of visiting.
It is truly wonderful to have had the all too short experience of living with you all but thanks
to you all, I have very fond memories. Best wishes to everyone for another great mini reunion.
Sincerely, Red
- 09/09/2013 -Suzanne Miller -
Gerry and class of OA 52- Last week the YMCA and our community at White Cliffs dedicated the
10th annual golf tournament in Andy's honor-- Andy was the one who began this event because he
wanted the money to go to Camp Clarke to help people with financial assistance to go to the camp and also
for after school activities and other outdoor programs.
My 3 sons came to play with me, and your
two classmates Norm and Eddie came to represent your class. Dave Gomes was a hole sponsor--and
Rose came to the BBQ to sit with me that evening.
The event raised over $22,000 and during the
program it was a surprise to us when they held up a huge poster--the poster showed an amphitheater
being built at the camp adjacent to the beautiful pond. The amphitheater will be named The Andrew
Miller Amphitheater.
I know you all can picture this man sitting among one of his greatest
passions--children!!!
He will love this--so do we!!
-
09/06/2013 -Jane Canegaly Newman -
Hi Gerry:
I want to thank you for keeping people up to date on happenings in the class of 1952. Was it that
long ago? Some happenings are not so happy, but need to be known. I was especially saddened to hear of the passing of Bob Oman. He was a good friend.
Does anyone who went to Eastondale Elementary School remember Sammy Elfman Ring? I don't know why I remember him, but he often got the rattan (remember that?) in first grade. I don't remember him beyond first grade.
Our oldest son had a stroke about a year ago. We spend a lot of time visiting him and helping his family. He has had a baclofen pump installed which emits medication gradually into his spine, relaxing his muscles and reducing spasticity. Making slow progress. His mind is still wonderful, for which we are very grateful.
Spend my time quilting, painting (watercolor), gardening, and singing in the choir in church. We also have traveled quite a bit, although I hate to leave our son for very long. Have been to Alaska, Galapagos, Africa, and recently to Grand Manan Island, where we got to hold a storm petrel chick. The storm petrel builds underground nests; on an island off from Grand Manan there were 10,000 nests.
I still have asthma, which I've had since I was two, and my husband has some COPD. Not fun.
Thank God for every day and rejoice in it. Jane (Canegaly) Newman
- 05/08/2013 - Class Dinner Meeting-
Our group of "Easton Locals" held their bi-annual class meeting / dinner at Lindsey's Restaurant
this month. In attendace were:
Hal and Patti Bailey | Joan and Frank Hale | Leo and Helen Harlow |
Norm and Sally Cronin | Connie Dumoulin and daughter Bridget | Dave Gomes |
Ed and Terry Leonard | Suzanne Miller | Janet Walker |
The only classmate news to report is that Bob Oman's wife Judy sent a letter to the class.
It follows-
- 04/04/2013- Letter to the Class From Judy Oman
Dear Harold, I found your address in Bob's change of address file.
You seem to keep track of the Oliver Ames graduates, so enclosed in a copy of Bob's death notice.
He had undiagnosed adrenocarcinoma, and passed away on 9 February.
We left Singapore in January
after both of us having ill health for the past 6 months. I never did get accustomed to the
Singapore weather or germs. And he complained of "back problems" and sought out 3 different
Singapore doctors. A cat-scan in the U.S. revealed tumors in his liver and left kidney.
When we were able to attend your class reunions, we always had a
great time. Your reunions were better than my Taunton Hogh School get-togethers.
Our son Daniel and wife Caroline will be in Florida in June
for a Memorial Service, but they will continue to reside in Singapore where they have established
a tutoring school. Poor medical services aren't the only field where they need help in
Singapore. Education is really bad in Math, Science and English. Bob developed the math
program and I did the Englisn program. Dan obviouly did the science curriculum.
Best regards, Judy Oman. The address is : Oman, 201 Isle Drive,
St. Pete Beach, Fl 33706.
Judy included a printout of an article that appeared in the
Tampa Bay Times on 23 Feb 2013 about Bob's reknown work in Physics that benefited NASA and
the moon landing programs.
View article and photos.
Also read more about Bob's life and work in the Our Class> Careers section-
Read more
- 02/05/2013 - Ed Leonard-
Ed reports that he has sent his research on early Easton and the various Ames Estates, 4 pages,
to Hazel (Luke) Varella at the Easton Historical Society. Hazel plans on printing them in next year's
Reminiscences Booklet Vol. 5 since Vol. 4 for this year is already committed.
- 12/13/2012- Letter to the Class From Suzanne Miller
Dear Gerry and members of the OAHS class of 52---
words cannot express how fortunate I feel to know how much you all mean to each other--Andy had so many beautiful and wonderful
friends from your class--in September he somehow knew it might be the last time he would be with you all--but we all know
he will always be at events in spirit. Still he labored on to try and get a little better--but this time it was not the case.
I want to thank you all for the cards and calls,and I want to especially thank Normie, the two Leo's and Harold, the very special
friends who tried to rally him through thick and thin. They would visit often to give him pep talks, even when he did not realize
they were there--but he knew somehow, and really tried to respond. I will also be forever grateful for Dave Gomes, Andy's friend
for over 74 years--he gave his friend one of the most touching sendoffs at the funeral that I have ever heard.
Dave saw him the day before he died and somehow Andy knew to throw up his hand and get one last grip on his lifelong friend--
Harold was there also--it meant so much to us as a family to see this expression of love!! Normie came the week before when
he was still in ICU at the hospital - a lot of our family was gathered around the room --we were grateful for his visit.
The services were all very beautiful, the line at the funeral home was out the door and down the stairs--a wonderful tribute
from his friends neighbors, the YMCA friends, his fellow teachers and friends from Easton among others. Andy is buried in the
family plot in Furnace village--so comforting for me to have him with his Mother, Dad, grandparents and other relatives--
I hated to leave him, but I knew he was home!!! God Bless you all-----Fondly, Suzanne
- 11/05/2012 - Ed and Terry Leonard's Trip-
Ed sent in a summary of his cross-country trip. He reports that the trip was a complete success.
That is, except for Terry hitting her shin on the corner of the auto door and bleeding for a couple
of painful days. Ed reported that he has 3 hobbies - 1-Collecting Golf Balls, 2- photos of Civil
War Statues, 3- USA History (Auto, Rail, Ames) and that he also loves to drive and see places. So his trip was
well planned and he managed to participate in all his hobbies. I asked him to inform us about the
DOs and DON'Ts of such a cross-country trip. Here they are --
* SAVE up for the trip and only plan to spend one half of it - because
you will end up spending the other one half on the unexpected.
* PLAN the points of interest and mark them on a map and then connect the dots.
* Have a THEME that you are interested in and find places that fit.
* Visit FRIENDS where possible - not to save money but to savior the memory -
* Pick a TIME of year when traffic is light and weather good
* LEAVE EARLY in the morning and STOP EARLY in the afternoon.
* GPS is invaluable in selecting restaurants and Motels and finding them.
* If traveling with a spouse or friend - LEAVE THE GUN AT HOME !
Read about their trip and see photos. It is a very interesting travelog. Thanks Ed, great
job. Take me Along
- 10/28/2012 - Suzanne Miller-
Although Andy was very active at the reunion and in good
health and spirits, he had a relapse shortly after returning home. He had trouble breathing and
spent some time in rehab as he had done previously due to his immune deficiency/breathing problem.
On 23 Oct. Harold reported - "Andy is now in the Kindred Hospital (former Goddard) on Summer Street, Stoughton,
MA, room 113. He will be there probably 3- 4 weeks. At the moment he is unable to walk so he will
be having PT. I visited him yesterday and he seemed to be in good spirits. As I left , I told him
to keep fighting and he said he would. He knows that he has a lot of work to do and he has a long
way to go".
Suzanne sent this reply to the class- "Dear members Class of 52--thanks to Gerry and Harold for this
update--it has been hard for me to
express what has happened to him--especially when we did not know how he would respond in the
Critical Care unit at the Jordan, he had a breathing tube for a while, it was removed on my
birthday-what a gift-the nurses and intensivitists in the unit were so great--and he will work
hard in rehab to try to regain strength so he can come home. The reunion and seeing all of you
really lifted his spirits--I am so glad he got to see you all--your prayers and good wishes are
on his side---thanks for them. He is planning to attend your function in the Spring--you know him,
he would never miss a good time with friends!!! Suzanne"
- 10/09/2012 - Your Webmaster-
I want to send out thanks to Joan Kelly Hale who sent me the photos that she took at the reunion
so that I would have a complete set to include in the reunion summary. Joan is our "digital
gadget guru". She was the center of attention with her new Apple tablet. We were all surprised
that the darn thing even had a camera in it and took great pics. I had decent luck using my new
cheap 'point and click' digital camera, but when I returned home and reread the owner's manual I
realized I had not remembered about both the Wide Angle and Zoom features !!! And wouldn't you know
I missed getting a photo of Joan using her tablet camera !!!
- 10/09/2012 - Lorraine Beale Tremonti-
Lorraine emailed saying- "Trying out my new iPad. Computer was too slow. Sorry I missed the
reunion. I'm having a bad time with my spine. Still have infection in blood and bones. So many
classmates attended who I would have loved to visit with. Please keep sending me news about
everyone. I love to hear it. Oldest granddaughter getting married October 20. Hope I hold out!
Give my regards to ALL. Fondly, Lorraine ". She also sent in a photo of her granddaughters.
(WOW ! 4 grownup granddaughters ! We all really must be getting old !! )
See Photo
- 09/09/2012 - Donald Smith-
A sad ending to the reunion was learned later.
Not everyone returned home safely. Donald and Marilyn Smith had an car accident on the road when
they were almost back home in Barrington, NH. Both suffered injuries and Marilyn was in the hospital
for 2 days. Both are now home recuperating and awaiting the results of further tests. The class sends
their best wishes to them for a full and speedy recovery.
- 06/20/2012 - Veronica Carter-
Extract from Easton Historical Society Summer 2012 newsletter- Society Honors Former Treasurer
Veronica E. (Honohan) Carter turned 104 January 21st and was honored by the Society April 29th for
not only being the oldest member of the Society but also having been chair of the Business
Department of the Easton School System for 34 years. She retired in 1970 and served as treasurer
of the Society from December 1975 to June 1981. She was presented with a plant and a specially
framed certificate prepared by Nancy DeLuca and signed by Society President Kenneth Michel.
Attending the ceremony were Board members Patricia A. Baker, Debra Salisbury, Hazel L. Varella and
curator Frank T. Meninno. Also present were her brother James, nephew James Williams, Jeanette
Peterson, and David Varella.
NOTE: The article included pictures which I was not able to scan or copy properly. Please go to
the Society's website to view the pictures-
www.eastonhistoricalsociety.org On the site click on the menu selection "Newsletters"
at the top right of the screen, and then select the Summer 2012 newsletter.
- 06/20/2012 - Richard Bissett-
Extract from Easton Historical Society Summer 2012 newsletter- In Memorium
Richard P. “Dick” Bissett passed away on March 8th. Dick was the president of the OAHS Class of 1953,
and was one of four people from that class who arranged for the donation of the OAHS model given to the Society
by that class. The former vice-president of the Community Bank was a 72 year resident of Easton and a long time
Society member. He very much enjoyed the annual “Chowder and Chatter” dinners. Our sympathy is extended to
his wife Judith, daughter Nancy Hamilton of Easton, son Stephen of San Mateo, CA., sister Rachel Nelson of NJ,
and grandchildren James Nicholas and Tyler
- 06/10/2012 - Lorraine Beale Tremonti-
"I have had back problems for years and ignored it. (NOT SMART!) I entered Yale NewHaven Hospital
via ambulance on April 22. I couldn't walk or stand with the pain. On the 25'th of April I had
emergency surgery. They were going to take care of my Stenosis, cysts, and Spondylolesthesis. Instead
they punctured the cyst and found my back was full of puss. I had a blood infection deep in the
bones and in the blood. They scraped and sucked out as much as they could,and stapled me up. A
week later I was sent to Montowese Health and Rehab. I had a pick in my arm, so I was able to get
infusions of antibiotics into it every 4 hours. DAY and NIGHT. I finally got out the 5'th of June.
Now am on a pill. Hope it works. Have to get blood checked weekly and need another MRI. I doubt if
I can make the Reunion."
- 06/07/2012 - Bob Oman-
"I am in Shanghai now and there are cars here marked SHANGHAI GM. There are also cars from Ford and
Chrysler. US cars are not well represented. My informal survey would suggest VW, Toyota, KIA and
Mitsubishi.
About the cars being made in China, it is government policy. If you want to sell cars or
airplanes or I'm sure most things, some of the product must me made in China. The tails of
Boeings and Airbusses are all made in China. You make it here or our airlines cannot buy from you.
The Chinese are buying US high sulfur coal. I see it in the pollution and feel it in my eyes.
Don't bother to pack sunglasses for Shanghai!" Bob<
- 05/16/2012- Ed Leonard-
Check out Ed's story with pics about the cars our classmates had in high school. Great story, Ed.
Boy, would I like to have one of those Morse Cars !! Show me!
- 05/16/2012 - "Easton Locals" Meeting-
A meeting and dinner was held on May 2nd at Lindsey's in Buzzards Bay with most of the regular "Easton Locals"
members present and that guy from KY. Donald and Marilyn Smith didn't make the trip down from NH because
of Marilyn's health. And of course we
greatly missed the company of our departed friends Richard Walker and Ray Taylor.
Concerning the forthcoming reunion, Norm reported that he has received the names of 5 restaurants
recommended by the staff at the Hampton Inn from which a new restaurant can be chosen for our Saturday night class
dinner. Norm and friends will be checking out these restaurants and afterwards the group will make
a final selection.
- 05/16/2012- Sightseeing with Gerry and Priscilla- ( Have you seen these sites ? )
Revere Park, Hull, MA -
Fort Revere Park is an 8+ acre historic site located atop Telegraph Hill
in Hull Village. The Park contains the remains of two seacoast fortifications, a water tower with
an observation deck, a military history museum and picnic facilities. (old photo- the tree is gone!)
The fortified site consists of 3 circular battery positions (2 are out of photo to the right),
and it looks like each could hold 3 cannons.
The Dedication Stone reads - Dedicated July 14, 1976 by the Republic of France and the people of Hull
in celebration of the Uniited States of America Bicentennial. In grateful tribute to the French sailors
and marines who served and died at Fort Independence during the American Revelution.
The Grave headstone reads - "In memory of the French Military who died in Hull. Ils sont mort pour notre
liberte. Jean Le Ne, Angoumois Unit, died 1782. Antoine Sorrent, Angoumois Unit, died 1782."
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Old Scituate Lighthouse, Scituate, MA -
The sign reads - During the year 1810 the U.S. Congress voted 4000$ to build a lighthouse at Scituate Harbor.
During the war of 1812 Abigail and Rebecca Bates, young daugthers of the lighthouse keeper,
prevented a British naval force from sacking the town by playing a fife and beating a drum. They
have gone down in history as the "army of two" and their courageous act has recorded in many textbooks and
and story books. For more info
check this web site
Etrusco Shipwreck -
Another interesting happening here - The lighthouse bears a plague marking the site of the wreck
of the The Italian freighter Etrusco, a 7000 ton liberty ship, grounded off the coast on March 16, 1956,
in a northeast blizzard. All hands were safe and after repairs wre made it was refloated on
November 22, 1956 and renamed "Scituate".
Ed Leonard remembers- "I went to see it on the 17th with the ocean still blasting the ocean
side with the spray of big waves. They were still taking crew members off the ship by breachers
bouys. (sp?) I took 8mm movies and have meant to find them and give them to the Association which
was created because of this event."
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- 04/09/2012- Nancy Taylor - Open letter to the OAHS Class of 1952
"Thank you for your prayers and condolences on Ray's passing. Your expressions of sorrow were a
wonderful tribute to Ray, but also to the OAHS class of 1952. Your class has always remained close
and maintained friendships throughout the years.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your understanding and kindness to Ray during his
long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Some of the happiest outings for him in the last few years
had been the "mini" class reunions. He was not always sure who you were individually, but he knew
familiar faces and felt safe and welcome in your presence. Although I am not a class member, I
always felt that same welcome in the 30+ years that I have had the pleasure of knowing you.
Special thanks, of course, to Hal. Never has there been a friend more loving and loyal. To all
the "locals" who have invited me to continue my association with your class, I am honored to be
included in such a nurturing group. Your stories of the "old days" will help keep alive memories
of the man we loved.
Lastly, thank you for the donation in Ray's memory. I have sent it along to Mass General for
Alzheimer's research; a cause Ray participated in through studies and trials. I know he is
smiling down on us and saying "good job".
Sincerely, Nancy Taylor"
- 02/21/2012- Ed Leonard-
"I finally retired on Feb 2nd. Now I know how you, Joan and Harry Hayward have the time
to do e-mail. I spent the past hour just erasing all the mails sent.
I do enjoy reading about our classmates. ( Ed, congratulations on your retirement- I welcome you
to the club. "We" are not assessing any club dues since you already paid your dues during
your long arduous upward climb in life to reach this exalted senior status !!!!! (Ha! Ha!)
I am am sorry to have to tell you that Terry and I will not be attending the Sept reunion.
We made plans to drive across country in August and will board a cruise ship to Alaska in Seattle
on Sept 1st. We return to Seattle on the 8th and will drive home from there.
I meant to tell you that Terry and I will be thinking about Oliver Ames on our trip west. Oliver
and his brother Oakes were the driving force and financial backers
of the Union Pacific building of the Transcontinental RR from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Promontory
Point, Utah where, as we all know, the Golden Spike was driven. There
is a 60 foot tall pyramid just south of Laramie, Wyoming built to honor the Ames Brothers.
It was designed by Ralph Hobson Richardson and has bronze relief busts
created by St. Gaudin mounted near the top of the pyramid. We will drive out into the prairie to see it.
Harry Hayward has been there as has Andy Miller with Susanne. Andy and Sue
had a scare when some guys in a pick up truck appeared from nowhere in this lonely place -
thinking they were going to be robbed - or worse! God sent another vehicle
to the site just then and the pick up disappeared. Wow ! - That was close!
The Lincoln Highway is another historic development to be seen on the way - I love that story.
Also the Oregon and Mormon Trails are in the area. I have been to 48 of
the 50 states and Nebraska and Alaska will complete my goal to see all 50.
Other sites we will visit are Cripple Creek and Victor, Colorado. (Next to Pikes Peak).
Why Cripple Creek? -- you ask. It is a long story deeply imbedded in my Genealogy.
One of my 8 Great Grandfathers - John Hoxie - was a whaler out of Provincetown, MA in 1850. He lost a leg in a whaling accident and had to move his family so as to
support his family. They moved to the 5 corners in the furnace village of Easton. His daughter married my Great Grandfather and later I was born. Another child, Ed Hoxie,
who later owned a gold mine, "The Margret" , in Cripple Creek, Colorado bought a cemetery plot in the Rock Hill Cemetery, Foxboro, MA. He had his mother and a 15 day old
niece buried there while living in Victor. The baby daughter would be my grandfathers sister. Later, Ed Hoxie bought a second lot at Rock Hill and had his mother exhumed
and moved to this new lot where he and another of his sisters and Father John Hoxie - the Whaler- are buried. I just purchased two grave stones for these two lots which
never had any. Terry and I will be buried with my grandfathers sister one day.
There are more stories associated with this family. One is that my Great Grandfather , Charles
William, who married John Hoxies daughter lived just over the Easton town line
in Norton with his Uncle James Leonard - His father died when he was younger and his Uncle
took him in and worked him on the farm which later became "HARCO ORCHARDS" - where Ed Richards lived.
Jonn Hoxie's story of loosing his leg while whaling rivals the Moby Dick saga with the whale
ramming the whale ship. John was the guy who harpooned the whale - only to
have the rope wind around his foot and pull him out of the whale boat and almost detach his
foot. He ended up having his leg amputated on the Isle of Fayal in the Azores.
Again - sorry we will not be joining you at the reunion in Sept. Take some pictures
and tell some stories on the Net. We will look forward to hearing about the reunion.
Ed Leonard"
(Here is a photo of the Ames Monument. Also some background info I found on the Ames,Iowa city
website. The Iowa State University is located there.)
"Ames was established in 1864 to serve the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad. Cynthia Duff,
an early Ames settler, was instrumental in helping to secure land for the railroad. The railroad
president, John Blair, named the town after his friend Oakes Ames, a railroad promoter and
congressman from Massachusetts, who never lived in Ames. "
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- 02/21/2012- Latest News Items-
- Ray Taylor's condition has continued to worsened gradually and he recently caught pneumonia.
On the advice of Ray's doctors in Boston his wife Nancy has placed him in a full-time
Alzheimer's care facility-
Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation - Blue Hills Alzheimer's
1044 Park Street, Stoughton, MA 02072-3762 Phone: 781.344.7300
It has now been 12 years since Ray, and Nancy, has suffered with this affliction.
Harold reports that lately during his weekly trips to take Ray for a ride, that Ray had become very quiet and lethargic.
Though he still recognized Harold he was unresponsive to Harold's attempts to cheer him up so that he would enjoy the ride as he did in previous months.
Nancy, we all send our blessings and best wishes to you and Ray.
- Two of our classmates whom we have not seen for a long while have indicated that they plan to
attend the class reunion in the fall- Mona Bellows Jamieson living in Piedmont, CA ,
and Forrest Litchfield DeLambert living in San Francisco, CA. Forrest reports that she plans to
spend the two weeks prior to the reunion visiting her sister in Maine and taking a driving tour
along the coast down to Cape Cod. (Now if we only could persuade some other out-of-state
classmates to attend. What about it David Leary !!!! )
- Our teacher, Veronica Carter turned 104 years young in January. She remains in the Pond Home
Retirement Home in Wrentham, MA and is doing well. She says she still enjoys playing bingo.
Hazel Varella of the Easton Historical Society reports that the organization missed her birthday,
but will visit her in the spring and present her with a cake to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
Forrest remembers Mrs Carter's standard typing class policy of typing to "marching music" with
windows open, even in the dead of winter, and wonders if all that cold fresh air contributed to her good health.
Mrs Carter's address is Pond Home Community, 289 East St., Wrentham, MA 02093.
- 01/01/2012- Joan Kelly Hale-
Hi, Gerry. I was just getting around to checking ALL my recent emails and decided to take the time
to read the article about Hilliards. I try to keep up with the Easton Patch, but, missed that article.
I don't imagine you would remember it, but, I worked there my
junior and senior years. I remember when Wheaton, Pete, Ed and Ed used to drop in on me when I was
working and skarf down all the free samples. Alan lived upstairs at that time and when he heard the
commotion he would come down and urge them to leave. Several years later when my mother decided she
wanted a less stressful occupation she decided to apply there for a job. Eventually she took up
"hand dipping" and she enjoyed the atmosphere so different from hospital wards. Before long, Alan
offered her the position of assistant manager and eventually she became store manager. I remember
when the "Judy" mentioned was a baby crawling on the floor there while her mother, Barbara, was
"dipping".....all, of course, just after they opened. I continued part-time while attending school
in Boston. Sally Cronin also worked there with me.
- 12/05/2011- John Spellman-
"(dated June 15, 2011) Dear Hal, Thanks for keeping me informed about class events. I am still in Canada and have returned to
university teaching part-time for the spring semester. This fall and winter I will be traveling in India
and Thailand where I have my condo in Chiangmai (northern Thailand).
My health remains very good. Congratulations on the class honors to you- well deserved !
I enclose my cheque as a contribution to the class treasury. With best wishes and kindest regards. John"
- 11/01/2011- Lois (Gardner) DiLorenzo-
"Gerry, I really appreciate getting all of the class updates.! You and some of the others are so
GOOD about keeping in touch .I am so neglectfull and dislike myself for it. However, I do have a
lot of treasured memories of all of our great times of growing up and thru the years together.
It seems, no matter when we see each other we pick up where we left off and can talk for hours.
I have missed,( after moving to Florida,) getting to some of the reunions. Like so many others
of you, age and health has slowed me down. We did not even get up to New England this past summer.
First time since we moved down here nine years ago and I really missed it.
I was in and out of
the hospital three times in July. Heart problems to deal with like so many others of you.
But right now I am doing much better, for which I am grateful. It was so nice seeing Joan and
Frank when they are wintered here, not too far from us. I really miss my good friends Gert Halbig
and Mary Silva Gilman. and so many of the others that are no longer with us. Keep the news and
letters coming and if we do have another reunion I will not want to miss it this time!
Thank you again for all you, Harold, Norm and any of the others that have been keeping our class
in touch.
All for now. My regards to all, Lois (Gardner) DiLorenzo"
- 10/26/2011- Class of 1952 Meeting-
On Oct 26th a group of our "Easton Local" classmates met at Lindseys Restaurant in Buzzards Bay
for a class meeting and social gathering. Attending were:
Norm and Sally Cronin | Harold and Patti Bailey | Joan and Frank Hale |
David Gomes | Edward and Terry Leonard | Leo Harlow |
Alice Maliff DeCouto | Andrew and Suzanne Miller | Janet Walker |
The Smiths who always motored down from New Hampshire to attend previous meetings, did not attend.
Donald reported that Marilyn has Bell's palsy and is not feeling great. Leo McEvoy reported that
he had his whole left knee replaced and is recovering well. Best wishes to Marilyn and Leo for
improved health.
The group discussed the possibility of having a 60th reunion in 2012. The idea was voted on and
the vote was unanimous that we do have a reunion and that it be at the same location of our last reunion,
Mystic, Conn. Harold and Norm well work out the details and keep us informed of the planning.
- 10/12/2011- Andy Miller-
Thanks for your nice card and also for putting the football picture on the web site, I'm sure it brought
smiles to many faces. Lets call them the "Teriffic Ten!" I sent a copy to everyone in the
picture and have received calls from many of them. Thank you too Forrest for sending me that
picture with a "get well" card.
I have an update on Natalie Hollertz May. She is now living with
her youngest son, Charlie May, in Hampstead, N.H. and we have been told that her condition
remains the same(see 05/12/2011 news item). She would love to hear from her former classmates
and her address is: Natalie May, 686 Main St., Hampstead, N.H. 03844
- 09/23/2011- Andy Miller-
Andy mailed the following note dated 9/17/2011 and a photo. "I am back home after a summer in Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Things are finally taking a more positive direction. Thank you for your personal support and your communications to us
via the web site. My classmates were so supportive and it certainly was a boost for me.
I received a nice card from Forrest and she included this picture. I didn't realize you (Gerry)
were camera shy. Cheers, Andy."
(I doctored the photo some to lighten up the very dark portion. I remember trying to be funny in school,
but I do not remember being such a dumb clown !!! My apologies to whoever took the photo.
Well at least I got all the guys to smile for the camera, even if it was at my expense. !!! )
- 08/31/2011- Robert Oman-
On the good news front, Judy and I recently toured in Europe with the high point being meeting
with my Austrian cousin in Vienna. We share a great, great,... grandfather , Lucas Oman born c1700
in Valromana which is now an independent region at the corner of Italy, Austria and Slovenia.
Though we had communicated since 2004 we did not start sharing pictures until near the time we met.
The family resembelance is very strong. Friends kept looking closely at me and saying:
"You look so much like Robert's father." His name is Robert Ernst Oman.
- 05/12/2011- Latest News Items-
- Alan Grant ,who lives in Taunton, has reported his email address. Go to 'Who's on the Internet'
section and send him a friendly "Hello".
- Lorraine Beale Tremonti reports that she had a busy Easter since her son and fiancee visited
from out-of-state. She would have liked to come to Mass. for the meeting but it was impossible
since her husband has a full schedule playing basketball and softball on 3 different teams.
She says on her part she enjoys bowling once a week. She sends her love to all the classmates
attending the meeting.
- Arthur Anderson reported that he and Helen Still recently were on a cruise that took them through the
Panama Canal. Artie sends his best wishes to all attending the class meeting
- Mona Bellows Jamieson reports that all goes well with her in CA. They had lots and lots of
rain/ cold weather this winter, and even a few earthquakes! She was sorry to miss the last reunion,
but hopes to attend the next since she always enjoys seeing and chatting with "old" classmates.
- Roberta Randall Phillips reports- " I am sending in a donation in the memory of my good friend Jean
Holbrook, who thoroughly enjoyed all the reunions and kept me up to date with pictures and stories.
I appreciate all the work our class leaders do and am grateful for all the updates, even tho most were sad.
Guess we are not getting any younger!! Best wishes to all at the meeting."
- 05/12/2011- Class of 1952 Meeting-
On May 4th a group of our "Easton Local" classmates met at Lindseys Restaurant in Buzzards Bay for a class
meeting and social gathering. Total attendance was 20 including spouses. Attending were:
Norm and Sally Cronin | Harold and Patti Bailey | Joan and Frank Hale |
Connie Anderson Dumoulin | Edward and Terry Leonard | Leo and Helen Harlow |
Gerald Gonsalves Gaston | Andrew and Suzanne Miller | Leo and Janice McEvoy |
Alice Maliff DeCouto | Donald and Marilyn Smith | David Gomes |
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Once again Marilyn Smith brought her camera and took several photos at the meeting including
the award presentations and a group photo taken with our class banner "Carpe Diem" that
Norm brought to the meeting.
See Photos on a separate page.
Meeting Happenings:
- Andrew Miller reported that Natalie Hollertz May is suffering from a debilitating disease which has
a paralyzing effect on the body. The group signed "get well" cards to be delivered to her
by Andy's wife Suzanne. Andy reports further- "The Boston hospital cannot come up with a name for Natalie's condition at
this time. It is a neurological progressive disease similar to ALS. She is unable to function
and is confined to Life Care of Plymouth, 94 Obery Street, Plymouth, Ma. 02360, Room 204.
Suzanne visited her on Mother's Day and read our cards to her and she was delighted. Several of
her children and grand-children were also there so Mother's Day was as good as it could be
for Natalie." (Andy was very disappointed that he could not visit Natalie himself in person because
he has an immune system deficiency that does not allow him to enter hospitals !!)
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Harold Bailey reported that Richard Walker, who is suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease)
is resting comfortably at the Goddard Rehabilitaion and Nursing Center (the former Goddard Hospital) in Stoughton.
He has trouble breathing, speaking, and walking, but he seems to be improving every day. The group signed "get well" card
for him to be delivered by Harold on his next visit.
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Harold Bailey sadly reported that Ray Taylor is not improving in his battle with
Alzheimers. "Although he seems to enjoy his weekly car trips with me, lately he is noticably more quiet and
subdued and continues to have difficulty in recognizing his family and friends."
- Awards Presentation- This meeting was very special since awards in the form
of desk plaques were presented to Hal Bailey and
Norm Cronin in the name of the whole class to recognize their generous and continuing support
to the class over the years.
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The plaque material is blue-tinted acrylic.
The inscription reads-
"For his generous and tireless efforts as Class Communications Coordinator
and Class Reunion Organizer." |
The plaque material is clear acrylic with gold trim border.
The inscription reads-
"For his able leadership, as President, in all our class activities
and reunions. He ran many miles for himself, but always went the extra 'mile' for our class." |
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A second award was presented in the name of the whole class to Harold Bailey for the continuing
committment of his time both to
improve the life of our friend Ray Taylor who is struggling with Alzheimers, and to relieve Ray's
devoted wife Nancy with some of the day-to-day burden of caring for Ray.
The award took the form of a framed certificate.
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The Certificate reads- "Oliver Ames High School Class of 1952
Humanitarian Award This certificate is presented with sincere appreciation
to Harold "Hal" Bailey in recognition of the many years of compassionate and generous care he has
devoted to our friend and classmate Ray Taylor May 2011" |
To further honor Harold, and to recognize the help and encouraging support he has received from
his wife Patti, the class has awarded them with a gift card entitling them to a weekend's
deluxe lodging at their favorite vacation spot in Lincoln, NH.
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Class Donations- The class was very generous in donating money for these class awards.
The cost of the awards was exceeded by a total of $590 which will go into the Class Treasury. Treasury
funds are used for general class mailings, mailing of death announcements, flowers or charity
donations re class bereavements, and deposits required for reunion reservations.
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Gerry's Wrap-up- Thanks again to all of you who sent in notes saying that you agreed
that the time was overdue to recognize all the work that Norm and Harold have done over the years to
keep our class alive. I am sure our class has set the OAHS standard for class togetherness and class reunions.
Also, I want to thank all who have commented that this website has helped in fostering
class togetherness.
We should also remember and give thanks to many other class members who worked hard to assist Norm and Harold; namely
the late Jean Holbrook who helped greatly with class communications and reunion
organizing, Janet Walker
who continues to give Harold computer support by providing class address lists and helping with mailings,
and also Joan Kelly who is always ready to pitch in when a helping hand is needed. I am sure
there are others whom I do not know about, that also deserve our thanks !!
I will mail out a copy of this meeting description to all classmates who
do not have email or internet access. Also, if anyone wants a copy of this classmate group photo send me
an email or a letter and I will send out copies.
- 12/22/2010- Pat Elmes Burnett -
"
I have had a rough last couple of years. My daughter Nancy (now 48), an attorney, has been very ill and living with us since Oct 2008. We had to go get her as she was walking into walls, falling asleep driving etc. No one could diagnose her. March 2009 she was diagnosed with non alcoholic cirrhoses stage 4, She continued to get worse, but was not on the transplant list. On November 12, 2009 we found her in a coma and she was rushed to the hospital, and put on life support. Doctors did not think she would live. She was in 3 different hospitals for 2 months and finally ended up in Piedmont Hosp in Atlanta, where she finally got on the transplant list, They were going to send her home on Jan 7, 2010, as neither the hosp or the ins. co want patients to die in the hospital. Lo and behold on at 4am on Jan 7, they got a liver for her, We all rushed to Atlanta, I had been staying with her for several days until a good friend of hers came for a couple of days and she and her grown son were with Nancy.All went well and she came home in 8 days except for a depressed immune system, and pills which cost thousands of dollars a month. Nancy got her GA law license, on Nov 12, 2010, and now is in the offices of her brother Mark . who has real estate and a management co. for real estate. She already has several clients and seems happy.
My son Mark who will be 50 on Dec27, has also been very ill. He had a staghorn kidney stone, which is extremely painful as it has sharp points on it. He had it for months and they would not remove it, as his blood work was off and they were afraid of bleeding. They finally removed it surgically in Nashville TN in March 2010. He is doing OK, He and Nancy and his son Levi are in Nashville for a follow up visit with the Dr. today.
I have arthritis in my knees and back, but otherwise OK. The rest of the family is OK. Expecting great grandchild #4 any day (a girl)
I hope you are doing well. Take care of yourself.
Have a happy holiday. As ever Pat Elmes Burnett "
- 11/20/2010- Leo McEvoy -
"We were planning to visit Germany and Alsace,France again in late September , but I wasn't feeling well and thought I might be having some trouble with diverticulitis . Went to my doctor to get some antibiotics in case
I got sick on the trip . He recommended I have a CatScan to make sure I didn't already have an infection. Scan showed no divertic. but did show an ascending aortic aneurysim. Further immediate testing and a Cardiac Catherization defined the aneurysm as well as the aortic valve involvement. So, I had open heart surgery on Oct. 15 that replaced the valve and part of the aorta . Great way to lose weight .
Trip postponed . Wait till next year. Kindest Regards, Leo"
- 10/22/2010- Ed Leonard -
"First - thank you for putting up all the past
information of our class members and events
Second - We can't thank Norm Cronin and Harold (Bush ?) Bailey enough for their efforts in keeping our class together. Dick Walker has jumped in of late too. Ray Taylor has been a long standing worker with the others as well - including yourself. I have only been the recipient of this effort - but thankful for it !
Third - I am no longer "Eddie" That went away in 1952 !--- Just Ed will do. "Wheaton" Hayward went away in 1952 along with COWSH (short for cow shit) ----- Now Harry will do.
Fourth - My wife Terry has attended every reunion with me except this one to Mystic due to an emergency for her at home. As a result Harry (not Wheaton) came alone with his wife Helen staying home. It worked out well as Harry and I were able to act briefly as bachelors. - I cannot remember doing this ever in the past. Also Helen was able to take care of their two dogs without putting them in a kennel which would have cost them $200 more.
Fifth - Harry and I especially miss having Ed Richards and his wife Penny (Loraine) attend.
They were so good to have us use their facilities on Lake Winnipesaukee (sp?) NH on one of our
earlier reunions. We also miss having George "Pete" Peterson - around to fill out our fourth close
friend. Pete was my longest and closest friend - dating back to 1942 and second grade. He introduced
me to Terry from Norton. He was the reason I became close to the church he attended and I later
joined. It was the same denomination that Terry attended in Attleboro. We all are second
generation swedes which helped to keep our friendship together. ---- Pete , Harry, Ed and I
did a lot together. Bought and sold a 1915 Model T Ford one day for $100 - $25 each. It was
parked under a HARCO ORCHARDS chicken coop the first night when two tires blew. The noise scared
the chickens - pissed of Mr. Richards and made us sell the "T" back to the owner the next day.
----- Remember the day we all went to the Big E exposition in Springfield. Harry and Ed had
their parents permission, Pete told his mother he was going (didn't ask !) I didn't tell anyone.
"Mo" Mason missed me on the attendance list. It took. Mr. Warner, my mother - his secretary,
Mr. (MO) Mason and the other three mothers a couple hours to figure it all out. Those guys
never had to "stay after school" - but I did !!!
Tell Priscilla that I was too bashful to walk with her up Baldwin St. from your home when I , would happen to be walking through the Frothingham Park Gate headed for school also. This would not happen today. She was the prettiest girl in school ! I feel bad that she has had her share of sorrow over the years.
She was and I am sure -is- too nice to have such disappointments. ------ Remember Pete's old C
hevies and the '30 Chevie Harry sold to me for $1. I later sold it to Ray Ladd for $25 after I
had a bad accident in it with Dave Gomes and Andy MIller in the back seat. I couldn't afford to
keep it on the road while attending Northeastern Univ. Pete and Ed Richards had an oil gun fight
one day while hanging out at Harry's house. I had a knock down and roll around the ground fight
with Pete one day in the hay field next to his house. It ended when he learned he lost his wallet
in the scuffle. Pete was always careful with his money ! - He held down 2 jobs after school.
Empty the waist baskets at the local bank on the way home and be at Fernandes Super Market
stocking shelves by 3 pm. This gave him the money to buy his 'dark green '49 Merc with glass
packs. This is the one he was in when he drove off the road next to Norm Cronins house breaking
off the hydrant. He was paying too much attention to his girl friend at the time. He also hated
buying the Town of Easton a new hydrant. ----- I wish more of our classmates enjoyed golf.
Ed R. Harry, Pete and I all worked after school while many of you played sports. I ,however,
was the only Oliver Ames High School member of the tennis team. I bet no one knew that - or cared.
I only played a few matches arranged by Betty Barrows and I think I lost all of them. The team was
abandoned after that. I often think of playing golf with class members. Norm and Andy Miller are
the only other active golfers with Dave Gomes playing on ocassion. I just finished playing 18
which I do about once a week. It is a great pastime and some exercise too, when you get older.
Sixth - Why don't we call Harold Bailey "Bush" anymore. Where did the nickname Bush come from
anyway?"
- 09/28/2010- Mrs. Veronica Carter, our teacher -
After the reunion Harold and Gerry paid a visit to Mrs. Carter in the Pond Home Community in Wrentham.
We found the facility very tidy and clean and the attendants very warm and friendly. Our class card
was hanging in her room. Not knowing if she had read it, we read it to her mentioning all the
classmates who had signed it. We then mentioned the names of all the members of our class. She
nodded and commented a little and seemed to recognized all the names. We asked some questons and
she answered a lot with some simple statements, and her favorite statement was "times are changing".
Interestingly, she said that the last students she had were as good as were those in our
generation. ( Yeah Easton !!!! I guess we set a good example !!!! )
When we left we talked to the supervisor and learned that the home has internet access. We left
the address of our class website and requested that someone show the site to her since she
would enjoy the photos.
A few days later the home sent an email with this message-
"There is still a teacher alive who taught the Class of 1952!! Her name is Veronica Carter and she
taught business classes. She is now 103 years old and living at Pond Home Retirement Home in
Wrentham, MA. I have attached a recent photo of her and thought you might like to post it on the
web site.... I'm sure she wouldn't mind. We just had some of the students stop by and visit with
her ... she was so pleased...." [ See Photo ] (Sorry my
pic editor lost the color when I reduced the size.)
- 09/08/2010- Robert Oman - Bob reports: "I'll be thinking of you this
weekend when you are all in Mystic. Mystic is a great place to visit and I'm sure you all will
enjoy it. Give my best wishes to everyone at the reunion.
A small bottle of bourbon in Singapore is around $50.00 US. In Australia that same bottle is
about $15.00 US. We bought some in Australia for my sister-in-law who was going to visit this fall.
She is now not coming because of the continuing downturn in the US economy. For a couple thousand
bucks you can come over and drink Kentucky bourbon brought in from Australia, and look out over the
more than 100 ships waiting to enter the busiest port on the planet.
Best regards to all, Bob"
- 09/07/2010- Connie Anderson Dumoulin - Connie reports:
"I am looking forward to our class reunion. I am sort of retired I work as a substitute
playground aid at Center school in so.easton, also I am a sub para at k-5 at the local schools.
Have 2 children jay and bridget. 1 grandson billy age 9. bridget and billy are in no. easton,
so I am able to go to all his sporting events. phil is retired and enjoys his power walking on
center st. and turnpike st. I am still an old eastonite. just moved from no. to so.
Haven't got to facebook but i will eventally. took awhile for the internet. see all of you
shortly."
- 09/03/2010- Mona Bellows Jamieson - Mona reports: "I will not be attending the reunion next weekend.
My sister passed June 9th. Was back in Stoughton/Easton when she decided to go hospice and she died at home with family and friends peacefully.
We traveled for many years to many countries so have wonderful memories. We were in Greece & Islands less than a year ago.
All is well here in California. Still working as physical therapist per diem.......per diem is nice....I choose times & days ....can also say no.
Play golf and enjoy my 2 sons and their families.....always some event taking place. ( 4 grandsons ).
Appreciate the OAHS Web site with all the news and email addresses. Today one of my son’s signed me up on Facebook......question
whether I’ll ever enjoy it as much as he enjoyed setting me up .......not sure I even understand ... but am “ up to date “ tech wise !
Know you’ll have fun .... I’ll miss you all. Thanks to classmates who meet and organize our get together. See you next time."
- 09/01/2010- Reunion Non-Attendees - Harold reports that the following will not be
attending the reunion
due to health reasons.
Pat Elmes Burnett in Dalton,GA reports that she has arthritis in her legs and back.
Natalie Hollertz May in Marshfield, MA reports that she is suffering from shingles.
Julia Davis Kiefer in Attleboro, MA reports that she has suffered through two bouts of cancer.
She states that her family now has 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. She travels to Florida in the winter.
Dick Walker in Middleboro, MA reports that he has recently undergone a shoulder replacement which is
coming along nicely, but also reports that the surgery has brought on respiratory complications.
Pauline Nystrom Bearse in Springfield, VT. reports that her husband has had an unfortunate household accident; he fell on a staircase and broke his ankle.
All of these folks have expressed regret that they will not be attending, and send their best
wishes to all their classmates.
- 08/31/2010- Forrest deLambert - Forrest reports-"The latest with me is
that my mother passed away 1 week ago. She was 101 plus 10 months. Actually in good health save
bladder failure the last 3 months. She died very peacefully.
I have been traveling as usual. With friends in 2009 I spent 6 weeks traveling from Trieste to Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro.
Then in November a friend and I went to Egypt for a month. we had drivers and guides the whole way from Cairo to Aswan including boat trips and police with guns riding with us. i would love to do it all over again!
For this year a group of us went to Brazil ( me for the 4th time). as usual we went to Rio, but
several new places also.
Now I am considering visiting Tennessee to research my mother's family etc. My latest enterprise
is to offer B&B accommodations through an agency. So far, so good.
San Francisco has had the coldest summer on record. My poor foreign students all but froze to
death. Me too.
I wish you all a fun gathering. Hope to be there the next time."
- 08/25/2010- Ray Taylor - Nancy Taylor reports- "Regrettably, Ray and I will be
unable to attend the class reunion this year. As most of you probably know, Ray was diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s Disease about 9 years ago. Although he enjoys the semi-annual dinners with the
“locals”, I think this weekend get away would be too much for him. The unfamiliar surroundings
and so many faces would make him very anxious.
Ray still loves his gardening and his Wednesdays with Hal, but for the most part, he is pretty
confused. He cannot stay alone anymore and we have devised a plan we call Raycare, a combination
of our kids taking a couple of days with him, a health aid once a week, and I work from home
two days a week. For now, it seems to work, although he doesn’t always know who we are.
Some days are better than others.
Over the years I have come to look forward to the reunions as much as Ray. It is always a fun
time with great people. I know you will have a wonderful weekend. Please take lots of pictures.
Nancy Taylor"
- 08/16/2010- Bob Oman - Earlier Bob wrote that he was living and working
in Singapore. He just finished an important project with his son Dan (writing the physics portion of
the Barron's MCAT prep guide) and has found time to bring us up to date on
his past early history and on his new experience living in Asia.
"I have been communicating with Dave Leary and we both enjoy remembering some good times. Though there are certain things I would liked to have been different the times and place where we grew up was pretty good."
Working in Easton - "My first job other than working in the family business which I did from an
early age was working at the airport. Because I was too young to get a work permit I was paid
in flying time (instruction) which was great because most of the instructors were former military
pilots. Got quite an education there as well as learning about flying. Since I was part of the
team I got treated better than the students. Years after that experience I wondered at the wisdom
of employing former pilots who could not get flying jobs to teach former GIs how to fly so they
in turn couldn't get flying jobs. Something about the way government does things that I just
didn't understand - still don't. When I got older I got $0.25 per hour which eventually rose
higher. I worked there until the GI program trailed off about my second year at Northeastern."
"You and Dave both talk about small schools versus big schools. I never had that much concern.
It didn't seem to matter to me whether it was Northeastern or Brown. I enjoyed both and learned
a lot in both. The first thing I learned at Northeastern was how far behind I was coming from
Oliver Ames. It took me literally years to catch up in certain subjects. After graduating
Northeastern and when on active duty I had prescribed time for remedial study each week. At
Northeastern I met some pretty sharp people, and at Brown I met some really sharp people,
students I mean. And there were good teachers and losers in both places in about the same
proportion. Also there were about the same proportion that really cared about giving you the best
they could. I never regret the hard work. I learned French and German sufficiently well to read
original work in each language. In one job I had, the literature was nearly all in German so
this did me well. Same is true for the companies or academic institutions I worked for - small
or large seemed to make no difference to me."
"I did some really interesting things in the military particularly as a reservist first as a company commander in an infantry division (during my years at Brown) and then when I got assigned as a mobilization designee, that is someone the secretary of defense could call at his discretion and he did. It never bothered me that a Ph. D. student in physics at Brown was an infantry company commander. The CG of the division was head of the English department and I saw him regularly at the faculty club. I got sick of their manufactured crises and resigned about two years before potential retirement. One of the dumber things I have done. Not enough space for the entire list. Both the general and my advisor had been in OSS in WWII. Brown had more than its share of former OSS people.
For years I was aggressively recruited by CIA. I finally got away from that by resigning from every professional organization and returning all letters from them marked deceased. They finally got the message."
Living in Singapore - "We are here as Long Term Visitors. You can become a Permanent Resident or even a citizen if you want. Singapore is agressively recruiting outsiders.
The SS and other income or pension checks are a problem. The scheme I use is direct deposit to a US bank and then I write a check on the account and give it to DBS, aka Dumbest Bank in Singapore, and three to four weeks later the funds appear in my Singapore account. Someone is making money on my float. It took 5 DBS people to endorse a check I wrote for aircon work and conclude they could not accept the check because I wrote AC for aircon. Next month they rejected a check because I did not put bars on the top of X in six - I kid you not. Expats here have their checks sent to the embassy, but picking them up is a pain. People who have renounced US citizenship get their checks with 30% withheld. They say it is better to pay the 30% and invest in Asia. I'm not convinced. With the dollar falling, we get a little less each month. My Japanese client does not want to pay me in Yen or Sing dollars so I am stuck with payment in US dollars."
"The language is a whole other tangle of worms. The official language of Singapore is English and if you listen to the PM or other ministers and a few others they do speak English. The street language is something quite different. The cab drivers and tradesmen you meet rarely speak English. It is required at every school that students take English but with the rule against hiring native English speakers the language ends up below marginal for most people. We do a little teaching, and high school seniors cannot carry on an even poor conversation in English. I mean you can't understand a word they are saying. When I talk with my aircon guy I repeat everything back to him in the hopes that we get the date and time he is coming straight. Most of the time it works, but it is a pain. Go to a market or a restaurant and you will often not find anyone who speaks any English. Universal language HA! The most popular language is Malay followed by Mandarin and Hindi and another that escapes me at the moment. On the driver test the questions are written so poorly that Expats cannot pass the test because they cannot understand the questions. The newspapers are mostly in English but the English edition of the Tokyo times is possibly written better than the Straits Times. The Japanese like to make up compound words and sometimes they don't come out communicating real well."
"The food here is excellent though not cheap. When beef comes from Australia it is expensive, but remember it is not filled with the growth hormones which you in the US get. The produce is great and inexpensive. Eating out is usually not bad. Booze which I do not partake of is very expensive - three time the price in the US. Plenty of good Italian restaurants, though my friend Luigi only recommends about three on the island. Microbreweries are common and there is a great one with associated restaurant run by Americans. Loud and on the river but OK now and then. When we host visiting US sailors we usually take them there. The Brown alumni club meets there. Oh, yes I single handedly increased the Brown club membership by 17%."
"Doing business and keeping your profit is very good in Singapore. The US is one of the few countries that taxes money earned as interest or return on investment. Not here in Singapore. They know how to tax, but the taxes are not onerous as they are in the US. Setting up a business is relatively easy and inexpensive."
"Thanks again for keeping up the site. As you all get a little older (Notice I did not include
myself it that category.) I find that reminders of some good times count a lot."
- 08/09/2010- Nancy Fozzy Holgate - We must sadly report that we have lost another
classmate- our Class of '52 Secretary Nancy Fozzy.
We have learned that Nancy passed away on July 24th at her home in Kendall Park, NJ. She will be
greatly missed by her husband Artie, her son, her two daughters and her 5 step children. Her son
reported the news to Harold and said he will be mailing us a copy of a tribute
to his mom that he composed and will be sending to the local newpaper.
We will publish it when it arrives.
- 08/09/2010- Carol Poole Long -Hal received this email - "I was pleased my note
to you about the reunion is on the class web site. My kidney function has dropped to 12% but so
far I feel ok and get about with difficulty but ok. I refused dialysis or transplant due to my age
and quality of life in my wheelchair and prefer to go to my maker when God calls me and not prolong
the illness. Most people understand and accept my decision. Looking forward to hearing about reunion. God bless you all.
Love, Carol"
- 08/09/2010- Mrs Veronica Carter - Harold has learned the following about "our"
Mrs Carter from Hazel Varella: At age 102 ( !!! gosh, that's 28 years older than me !!!) she is now living in the Pond Home Community health care facility
in Wrentham, MA. She enjoys playing bingo and says she likes the food. The facility's address is
289 East Str., Wrentham, Ma 02093; telephone is 508-384-3531.
- 08/09/2010- David Leary - Dave reports the following: "Sorry, I will not be at the
reunion, but please pass on my regards to all of our classmates. Through yours and Harold's efforts
I feel like I know them better after all these years. Have a great time at the reunion and I'm
looking forward to hearing all about it. Best regards, Dave."
Dave earlier sent info to Joan Kelly about events in his life, and he has agreed to share his story with his classmates--
"I went to Stonehill after high school and it was a good move for me. I did well with the small classes and probably wouldn't have made it at a larger college (the tuition was also a big factor). There were only 38 in my graduating class and only two of us were the science majors. After two summers of PLC's (boot camp) I was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps at graduation with a BS in Chemistry, Biology and Physics. I quite literally grew up in the Marines and it gave me a good foundation for business and life in general.
In 62 I married Jean O'Leary (maiden name) from Brockton who was working as a nurse in Boston. We lived in Northern Virginia for several years while I worked in pharmaceutical sales and then opened a commercial medical laboratory with two partners (a PHD Biochemist and a retired army master sergeant who had run regional labs in the army). We did quite well with a central lab in Northern Virginia and a fleet of cars to pick up samples from doctors during the day, ran the tests at night and delivered results to the doctor the next day. We opened a second lab in New Jersey and serviced all of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. We moved to New Jersey and in then sold the lab to Revlon. I retired for a while and spent the winters in St. Thomas. That lasted about five years until I quit retirement and in 1975 we moved to Palo Alto, CA with our family of now 6 kids (5 girls and one boy plus 9 grandchildren) all living in California.
Jean got her masters in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling and I did real estate investments for a while and I also owned several retail stores which I managed until 2000 when we sold the businesses and moved to Rocklin, about 25 miles from Sacramento. Jean really enjoyed her counseling practice and worked four days a week for five more years commuting from the Bay Area while I started a handyman business to stay active. I don't intend to try that retirement thing again.
I have survived bypass surgery, hip replacement and a shoulder replacement and feel fortunate that worn out body parts can be replaced with titanium parts. Life is good and we stay busy with travel and family. I often think about life in Easton and how different it was back then. Jean still referees to me as "that skinny kid from South Easton".
Boredom is not a problem and I sometimes wonder how I ever had time to work. I love the description of retirement as waking up in the morning with nothing to do and when I go to bed at night it's only half done.
I recently exchanged Facebook messages with Bob Oman, now living in Singapore.
About his family Dave writes- "Jean went to Brockton High, then into nurses training at Mass
General and on to B.C. for her degree. She then worked as a visiting nurse for a few years and then
worked for Liberty Mutual as a rehab nurse. Jean and I didn't balance the sexes very well; the
first was a girl , then a boy and then four more girls. The girls claim it to be five liberated
women and one male chauvinist pig. Career wise they went in many directions. Margaret, the oldest,
graduated from U. Penn then traveled a lot before getting married and raising two boys and a girl
(the oldest is a freshman at U.C. Davis). She went back to school and now works part time as a
Landscape Designer. Our son Arthur went to Chico State, he ran one of our stores and then purchased
it from me. Alice (#3), went to Whittier, got married and has four kids. Catherine (#4) went to USC,
lived in Hong Kong for five years working with E-Trade, got married and has two boys. Rita (#5)
bounced around a bit, engaged and lives in San Francisco. Eileen (#6) is at Stanford as a project
manager in sleep studies - presently managing a research project on narcolepsy. She is married and
living in San Francisco with no plans for children at this time. I sold the St. Thomas properties
when we moved to California in 1975. It's not as easy to get there from CA as it was from Virginia
and New Jersey."
- 08/02/2010- Jane Canegaly Newman - Jane reported: "Just an update: we are not coming to the reunion because of baby due (youngest son and his wife) about that time.
What have I been doing lately? Learning to play the harp. Still playing piano and organ, and enjoy being a part of an English handbell choir and singing in choir in church. Finished PhD. in Natural Health several years ago. Find it very interesting: remedies should not replace medical intervention, but can certainly help to support and build up the immune system. Advise doing conventional medical treatment and adding natural health measures as well in most cases.
Husband and I have been traveling: Alaska, Galapagos, Costa Rica and all over Caribbean, Africa --would go there again in a minute. Tenting over a cliff over a river with hippos roaring in the river! Ngorongoro Crater, home to 30,000 mammals, thought to be the area where the garden of Eden was, site of Leakey findings.....absolutely fascinating. They checked under the vehicle we were in with mirrors on rods, to ascertain that there were no bombs, etc. when we got to Nairobi. The natives call Nairobi "Nairobbery" because the thievery rate is so high. We were advised there not to go out on our own. .
Husband has been helping to rebuild a Thomas Morse airplane in Ithaca (where the original was built). This is a biplane used in pursuit training in WWI.
Enough. Enjoyed reading the info from classmates posted on the website."
- 07/28/2010- Lois Gardener Di Lorenzo - Lois reported: " We are leaving from
Florida to Massachusetts next week expect to be there for at least a month, but I want to stay
( if all works out) to be at the class reunion in September. I am waiting to see if Bud can work
it out so he can come this time also. He is going to know next week when his eye surgery
is scheduled for Sept."
- 07/21/2010- Forrest Litchfield De Lambert - Forrest reported to Hal that she is not coming to the reunion
as she is planning a trip to Africa
in Oct.
- 07/06/2010- Carol Poole Long -Hal received this email - "Dear Hal, The reunion
venue looks great and I wish I could attend but am not medically fit to travel . Please express my warm regards to all our
classmates and I hope you all have a great time.
Please let me know how it goes and enclose photos if you can.Love, Carol"
- 06/22/2010- Gerry Gonsalves Gaston - Well I am still living in Kentucky. It has been 5 1/2 years now and I having
trouble keeping my New England accent (Ha! Ha!) Life is good here- air and water quality are
good and weather is seasonal like in Mass. Bad thing is that I unwittingly moved into a county which
was Baptist and "dry". I feel like a shady rum-runner when I go to Lexington and drive slowly back with
a couple of illegal bottles of red wine !!
I keep busy maintaining my house and yard. (pics on website under Host)
Spend most of my time with my computer hobby- writing programs for collectors of guns, knives, and
cars, and selling them at shows. Not making any money, but the hobby gets me out of the house
on weekends and lets me travel to neighboring states.
The best thing about living here is there are 2 commercial free radio
stations that play "golden oldies" and "classic country", respectively !!
The worst thing about living here is that I get no visitors. It seems that no one travels through
Kentucky to go anywhere! (Ha Ha)
Best wishes. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again at the reunion.
- 06/18/2010- Robert Oman - Extract from Bob's Facebook page- "I am currently living in Singapore
where I am building and maintaining several web sites,
editing scientific papers, working on new projects including blogs on 'Effectively Studying
Physics and Mathematics', and 'Nature's Constants: Clues to the future'."
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