The New Year Cometh

 

DMN January 1, 1963

 

Hopeful looking little fellow, wasn't he?  Little did he know.

 

As we awaited the New Year of 1963, the class was on its Christmas vacation, studying for their examinations, of course (tongue firmly in cheek at this point). In those days, the semester did not end before Christmas, and the fall exams awaited us in January. And, as hope springs eternal, we might even graduate in late May.

Some of us had firm college plans, others were still awaiting news of acceptance (or otherwise) to their college of choice.

Some of the big news, which most of us didn’t particularly care about, include a push for a tax cut by President Kennedy, a United Nations military action in he Republic of the Congo to forcibly reunify the breakaway province of Katanga with that country, and cold weather coming to North Texas.

More to the important stuff, the Billboard No. 1 hit that straddled the New Years was "Telstar’ by the Tornados. It was the first #1 pop music hit in the U.S. by a British band – a harbinger of things to come. Other popular records were "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don’t Cry" by the Four Seasons, "Monster Mash" by Boris Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers, and "Walk Right In" by the Rooftop Singers. Nary a political or protest song in sight. The Beatles has been around in England for a few years, and the Rolling Stones, who turned 50 and are still rolling, were formed in 1962, but no one this side of the Pond had heard of either. That would change, but not for a year.

Louann’s, owned and operated by classmate Tony Bovis’s mother, was a popular nightspot at Lovers Lane and Greenville. The school had occasional social functions there, sans adult beverages, officially anyway. Blues singer Jimmy Reed appeared there, as did local talent Trini Lopez, Scotty McKay, and Kenny and the Kasuals.

The Number 1 pop music station in Dallas 1962-63 was Gordon McLendon’s AM station KLIF "the Mighty 1190" with morning DJs "Charlie & Harrigan" ("Harrigan" was actually Ron Chapman, who went on to be a legend with KVIL for 30 years), and "The Weird Beard" (Russ Knight) at night. KLIFs main – really only – competitor was KBOX, which ultimately went to a country & western format in 1967. FM radio was relegated to the easy listening and classical music formats; few had receivers for FM. WRR 101.1, the City of Dallas’s classical music station was around with few listeners. That changed in the late 1960s when Congress required radios manufactured to be sold in interstate commerce to be AF-FM capable.

 

Charlie & Harrigan (Ron Chapman with hair)

 

 

At that time, Dallas-Fort Worth television stations were KRLD Channel 4 (CBS), owned by the Dallas Times Herald, WFAA Channel 8 (ABC) owned by (still) the Dallas Morning News, WBAP Channel 5 (NBC) owned by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and KTVT Channel 11 (no affiliate, FOX was far off in the future). KERA Channel 13 was an educational station that started as a project of DISD (the "Little Red Schoolhouse of the Air"). Reception for 5 and 11 in Dallas could be "snowy" if the only antenna was "rabbit ears." Prime time shows included Andy Griffith, Cheyenne, The Rifleman, Ozzie & Harriet, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, Hawaiian Eye, The Untouchables, Route 66, and others. Broadcast news was not big; networks only devoted 15 minutes for the evening news. Another change coming in the fall of 1963.

Merry Christmas

Here is a remembrance of the Christmas of 1962. W. H. Auden's FOR THE TIME BEING: A Christmas Oratorio was written during the dark times of World War II. The poem is about 1500 lines long, or 52 pages. (For comparison: Shakespeare's Macbeth is about 2100 lines long.)

Thanks again to John Cuellar for furnishing his yearbooks so I could make decent copies of the pics.

Seasons Greetings to all of us who are here, and let's not forget the ones who have passed on. 

Merry Christmas

 

and

 

Happy New Year 

 

 

More Homecoming 63

 

Thanks to John Cuellar's generosity in loaning me his 1963 yearbooks from Jesuit and Our Lady of Good Counsel (I hasten to add that, understandably, his lending conditions made Antonio's bond with Shylock appear leninent  -- I guess he paid attention in English class) I managed to copy the 1962 Homecoming photos of our lovely royalty that perhsps does them some justice. These are from the Jesuit book.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the OLGC book

 

 

If anyone can provide me with a Ursuline or St. Ann's 1963 yearbook, I will give equal space.

 

 

A good time was had by all.

 

 



Coming Home

An across the pond visit to France, Thanksgiving trip to the Hill Country, and pressing work matters back here turned out to be a perfect storm that interfered with my blogging about our Golden Class. Anyway, I’m back, for awhile. Still would like some contributions, especially stories, however embellished.

Missed the 1962 Homecoming Game of 1962, where the Waco Reicher Cougars beat the Rangers 30 – 14. Jesuit was not supposed to lose, but....

I’ll pay tribute to our gorgeous homecoming queens and princesses. Jesuit, being an all male school, had to choose our female royalty from sister Catholic all girl schools. Back in those days, we recall if later classes do not, there were three in Dallas: Ursuline, Our Lady of Good Counsel, and St. Ann’s Academy. In the spirit of equal opportunity, Jesuit chose a queen and princess from each one. Since those days, OLGC morphed into Bishop Dunne, admitted boys. and formed their own football team. St. Ann’s became history, presumably because the needs it fulfilled were taken up by both Bishop Dunne, and Bishop Lynch in East Dallas, who also has its own team. I suppose that Ursuline, being Jesuit’s only all female sister school, still provides our queen and princess.

So, lest we not remember the lovely and accomplished ladies who graced our 1962 homecoming, they were:

Ursuline:                                  Queen Barbara Neuhoff            Princess Lou Ann Hairston

Our Lady of Good Counsel:    Queen Cora Sue Hollern           Princess Kathy Bell

St. Ann’s Academy:                Queen Theresa Silva                 Princess Diana Vega

Attempted to copy photos from the yearbook at the Dallas Public Library (mine disappeared over the years), but the B&W half-tone printed photos didn’t come out well, and didn’t do these ladies justice. If anyone has decent photos, or can loan me their yearbook so I can use my photo equipment at home, I’ll post them at a later time.

Here is a photo of the old place as it looked around our time, courtesy of my brother Steve (Class of 1968).

Moving Along

A local issue discussed around this time 50 years ago was the possible development of rapid transit in Dallas. There had already been early plans made for the acquisition of the Cotton Belt rail right-of-way by the Texas Turnpike Authority for a tollway from North Dallas to downtown. Mayor Pro-Tem Elgin B. Robertson suggested that a rapid transit line be considered along with auto traffic lanes in the such a toll road. This was successful in other cities such as Chicago and St. Louis where freeways were built that included rapid transit or commuter rail lines in the medians.

I recall we had a class discussion about this topic in 4202 broached by none other than the redoubtable Father Julius May. While our esteemed teacher opined that Dallas should plan for mass transit, the student consensus seemed to be that rapid transit was not going to be in Dallas’s future because the city too spread out and people here wanted the freedom that comes with driving their cars, and would not use mass transportation. There were a few that believed there would be an eventual need for some kind of mass transportation facility other than the current Dallas Transit bus system, formerly privately owned but by then run by the city.

It is well known that the Dallas North Tollway was completed from just north of downtown to what became LBJ Freeway by the end of the 1960s with no rapid transit included, or planned for the future. This was partly foreseeable in 1962 because the Cotton Belt right-of-way was considerably narrower than those acquired combination freeway-mass transit corridors in the other cities.

Rapid (more or less) transit has come to Dallas nevertheless. By the end of this year it will be possible to ride a light rail train from Rowlett (whose existence few of us were aware of back then) almost to DFW Airport (which was on no one’s radar at the time, though the FAA had expressed its wish that Dallas-Fort Worth should have a regional airport). When you add in the commuter rail projects in Denton County and the Trinity Railway Express it is now s possible to travel to downtown Denton and downtown Fort Worth by steel wheels all the way from many points in Dallas.

We still cherish our automobiles, however, in spite of the traffic jams and gas prices, I for one do not expect that to change, at least during our lifetime. On the latter note regular gasoline in 1962 fluctuated between $0.25 and $0.30 per gallon (it could go lower a price war). According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis inflation calculator, that is between $1.90 and $2.00 in today’s money.

On Saturday, a half-century ago, the Rangers managed to edge Lawton, Oklahoma 18 – 16. Class of ‘63 standouts were Caesar Ricci, catching a 25 yard scoring pass, Richard Jackson, with a run in from the 3 yard line set up by another long completion to Ricci, and a pass to Bill Mokry in the 4^th quarter.

This year Jesuit rolled up 491 yards of offense for a 68 – 6 rout of Sunset. Wow!

NOTE TO READERS:  I may not post next week.  Will be out of the country for a brief vacation.  Will catch up later, if so.

Coming Back

Coach Milt Gaudet only said that the Rangers had no excuses for the 47 - 0 debacle in Corpus Christi.

The next week was different. Coming back from last week’s loss, on Saturday night at Highlander Stadium, Jesuit romped over Mt. Carmel 30 -14. The game was marked by stellar performances from Class of 1963 team members. Bill Mokry caught 5 passes for a total 95 yards and 2 TDs; Richard Jackson rushed for 63 yards scoring once. Bob Neuhoff kicked, ran, and once passed to Mokry, for 3 conversions worth five points.

Fifty years later last Friday, the Rangers cam back from a close loss to Lake Highlands to win over Richardson Pearce 45 - 7. The comeback tradition continues.

As an off- year election was looming, politics, almost as much of an obsession as football in Texas, was much in the news. Republicans, with John Tower having captured Vice-President Lyndon Johnson’s Senate seat the previous year, were hopeful that Jack Cox could beat John Connally for the open gubernatorial seat. Texas was to prove it was still a Democratic Party state, however. The GOP would have to wait for a few more elections.

In 1962, we still elected governors for 2 years at a time. In 2012, Rick Perry is in the middle of a 4 year terms, but an open Senate seat is up, and, of course, the President is seeking re-election. Unlike the ‘60s, the national campaign is ignoring Texas as a foregone conclusion. The news reports today indicate that 7 crucial states are 50 - 50 in the polls with 10 days to go. (Don’t usually write so many numbers in a paragraph, but sports are sports.)

Weather in Dallas was cloudy, but a little warmer than the present. Highs in the low 70s, lows in the 50s.

President Kennedy announced a deal with Khrushchev over the Cuban missiles. Many of the behind the scenes details would not be made public until later, but those in the know breathed easier. The country came back from the brink.

Life went on about the same for most of us.

How about this high-tech weather map?

 

 

Not a Good Weekend.

Well, this weekend wasn’t good for the Jesuit Rangers, now or 50 years ago. Friday, Lake Highlands won 20 - 17 with a record breaking 42 yard field goal with four (4) seconds left in the game. The winning kick came after Jesuit missed a 51 yard FG with 17 seconds on the clock, and Lake Highlands set up the game winner with a 40 yard pass. All in all, it seems to have been a thrilling game.

No so a half-century ago when the Rangers had their derrieres kicked and their collective head handed to them by Corpus Christi Miller: 47 - 0. I recall one of our players then remarking that there is a different brand of football played in Corpus. ‘Nuff said about that.

Today, like the same day was in 1962, is the last day of the State Fair. Big Tex was 10, back then. He made it to 60, and then burnt up, with 2 days to go. Not to worry; he’ll be back – just as big. (Those interested might see the story on my other blog www.bobreagan13.com).

Beneath the surface, the news reported a great deal of activity in Washington was taking place under tight security. "Lights Burn Late in Capital Offices" was the lead headline. The next day, of course, was President Kennedy’s announcement of a naval quarantine of Cuba, citing the presence of Soviet offensive missiles on the island. The Cuban Missile Crisis was under way. Many of the cognoscenti have claimed this was the closest we came to nuclear way with the USSR. I reserve judgment on that, but Secretary of State Dean Rusk’s statement that we were "eyeball to eyeball and the other guy blinked" certain gave a popularity boost to JFK when it was all over.

An interesting recent revelation: It seems like former President Eisenhower told Kennedy that Ike didn’t believe the Soviets would start a nuclear war over a U. S. Invasion of Cuba. That conversation is in a recently released recording of a telephone conversation between the two Presidents. For those interested it is in Listening In: The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy published 9/25/2012 and includes two audio discs. Ike and JFK’s transcript is on p. 158.

There are some op-ed pieces in today’s (Sunday) Dallas Morning News rehashing theories about what the facts and the spin were regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis from a half-century perspective.

Most of us, me included, were uninterested in politics and foreign affairs at the time. Getting through our senior year, football, and girls, not necessarily in that order, were our concerns. We let leaders in far off capitals ensure we had a senior year to get through.

Red River rivalry still kicking (and passing, and running)

Today is the annual and storied Texas vs. Oklahoma football game at the Cotton Bowl. Rode my bike this morning down the Katy Trail to the American Airlines Center. Even at 7:00 a.m. the Victory Plaza was already being set up for the big screen showing of the game, which as usual was sold out. Lost count of the DART buses poised along the streets supplementing the light rail trains to take fans to Fair Park from the expansive parking lots near the Victory Station. Along the trail, the open-air beer gardens near Routh Street were likewise anticipating a busier than usual Saturday. On my way back while crossing Mockingbird Lane, I had a moment of trepidation when I saw an SUV adorned with red and white flags bearing down on me – wearing an orange shirt! It stopped with considerable room to spare; fortunately my orange wasn’t sufficiently burnt. One event was missing: the raucous "pep rally" that used to be held on Commerce Street the evening before the game in the days of yore has petered out over last several decades and what’s left of it has moved to the West End and Victory areas.

Fifty years ago today, the number one rated Texas Longhorns met the Oklahoma Sooners in the same venue. The men in burnt orange prevailed 9 - 6 for the fifth straight over the Big Red. Off the field, things got somewhat raucous, to wit:

 

In 1962 the Katy Trail was the MKT Railroad’s right-of-way. There was a passenger station just north of Knox Street. My mom tells me that when our family came to Dallas from Ohio in 1951, we arrived by a train that rolled over those tracks. The locations of the American Airlines Center and West End were warehouse and industrial areas. One familiar enterprise from those days located there was the Neuhoff Brothers packing plant. The Baker Hotel (across the street from the Adolphus) was the focal point of the informal "pep rally" mentioned above.
　

While the Longhorns were managing a close victory over OU in Dallas, the Jesuit Rangers were in Tulsa skunking Cascia Hall 14 - 0 for their 6^th win. The first TD came when Richard Jackson recovered a fumble at the Cascia 37 to set up a drive that ended with a 21 yard pass to Don Erler. Bob Neuhoff kicked the extra point. Jesuit ran for a second touchdown in the 4^th quarter.

In other football news, the AFL Dallas Texans beat the Boston Patriots 27 - 7 in Boston. The Cowboys bested the Philadelphia Eagles 41 - 19 on the overworked turf (natural, not astro-) of the Cotton Bowl.

In other news, tense relations with Castro’s Cuba and the Soviet Union continued.

Today, most only know R. L. Thornton as the name of a freeway.  He was the mayor from 1953 - 1961. The Dallas Morning News editorial page 50 years ago praised him for sticking up for Love Field in the face of FAA Administrator Halaby’s call for a regional airport.

　

Love Field is still here, as busy as ever.

Does anyone know what nation Halaby’s daughter became queen of by marriage? I’ll donate an extra $100 to Jesuit’s current Annual Fund if a ‘63 alum tells me by 6:00 p.m. (CDT) October 14, 2012. (Only one extra donation, I haven’t gotten rich yet.)

State Fair 1962

Fifty years ago yesterday, the State Fair of Texas opened for a two week run. 1962 was Big Tex’s, and according to my mom, my 10^th Fair. Martha and I went again in Friday, it was not my 60^th Fair, as I missed the rest of the ‘60s except for 1967 and early ‘70s when away at college and in the military service, and one or two other times.

Many of the details are different. In 1962, it opened on Saturday morning rather than Friday, and remain open for two, not three, weeks. The Comet roller coaster was still there. So was the monorail that ran between automobile building and the Midway – that was supposed to be the transportation of the future. The last proponent of that mode was the late Mad Max Goldblatt, Pleasant Grove hardware store owner and City Councilman in the late 1970s - 1980s.

Nearly all of the cars exhibited were American made. The only foreign cars of note on the streets were of German, British, and occasional Italian and French, make. I believe the Datsun (which I understand Nissan Motors is re-introducing soon) made its debut in ‘62.

The movie State Fair with Pat Boone, Ann-Margret, and Bobby Darin that was based on our State Fair of Texas had its debut in 1962.

One major detail difference: I recall in ‘62 nearly all women of any age wore dresses. This year, I only noticed one (and there was not much to it).

The essence of the Fair is the same. Hope to make it many more years to come..
        

On Friday in Waco, the Rangers won 14 -12 over University High. The big play was when Don Erler caught a 23 yard pass to score in the second quarter. The big defensive players were Gilbert Trevino, Steve Seward, and Richard Jackson.

 

Fast forward 50 years, Jesuit beat Richardson Berkner 52 - 7 at home.

Here’s the weather for the ‘62 Fair.

Wins and Losses

The Dallas Morning News, Saturday, September 29, 1962: Jesuit wins 13 - 0 over the Seagoville Dragons for the Rangers’ third straight shutout victory for the 1962 season. The Dragons held the Rangers scoreless for almost first three quarters before Don Erler scored on a 37 yard pass and run play and then Richard Jackson ran a touchdown from the one yard line, both later in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Seagoville made six of their nine first downs, but the Rangers held the line and the Dragons scoreless.

Fast forward 50 years, the Rangers did not do so well last night, losing to Skyline 56 -24.

Back to 1962, the lead national story was the desegregation crisis at the University of Mississippi where the governor tried to block the admission of James Meredith in the face of a court order that Meredith be allowed to register. Ultimately, the force of several hundred U.S. marshals backed by National Guard and regular army troops forced the governor to back down. A Dallas connection was that our own Edwin Walker, a U.S. Army general who retired after being relieved of command in Europe for political indoctrination of soldiers under his command, showed up in support of the segregationists. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and ordered to undergo psychiatric examination. Looking backward, there were quite a few who could have benefited from psychiatric treatment in that regard.

Weather was much as it is today. Highs in the upper 80s; lows in the upper 60s. Mostly fair.

Playing at the Delman theater was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance with John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin. Favorite quote from that flick: "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." For more movies from that year, click here.  

Note:  As I stated in the first post on this blog, I welcome contributions and comments.  Many will think that my editorial choices of stories from the past need expansion, or otherwise editing.  I notice from the number of hits that the posts are being passed on to other classmates. To my readers, please keep it up.  I e-mail notice of posts to about 10, which is all I have right now. Thanks.



The Class of 1963: Legendary, indeed.

Dream On

The lead story in the September 22, 1962 Dallas Morning News: "Trinity River Navigation Receives Tremendous Boost" The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers report favors the development of a navigation channel from Galveston to Fort Worth to serve the "largest population in the world without access to navigation." "The idea of a navigable river tying the area into the vast network of waterways along the Gulf Coast and inland United States has been a North Texas dream for years."

Dream on, I suppose. More to the point, the economics apparently have not been there.

Air navigation was to be the future, but Love Field would be our main airport for another 12 years. Inter-city passenger trains still arrived and departed from Union Station daily. Interstate 35 was recently completed from downtown to Northwest Highway.

Friday evening, Jesuit scored its third straight shut-out win 26-0 over Fort Worth’s Our Lady of Victory. Don Erler and Sherman LaBarba were standouts. Sherman intercepted two OLV passes.

The game was played at the old Highlander Stadium, Jesuit’s home venue until? Does anyone recall?

The Cowboys and the Texans played home games in the Cotton Bowl this season.  The next year, the Texans would move to another city and change their name. 

More in the News: Weather was fair and warm. Upper 60s to upper 80s.

There were 12 pages of classified ads in that edition. Today there are two. The Internet was not even science fiction.

Two Shutouts - Fifty Years Apart

Last night in Houston, the Rangers skunked Strake Jesuit 57 - 0!!! Not a typo. Hope this means that our guys are incredibly good and not that Strake is appallingly bad.

Fifty years ago, Dallas Jesuit shut out Mineral Wells 13 - 0 there. It was the second time in the season at an opposing team failed to score against the Rangers.

The half-century ago team’s senior halfback Don Erler scored the second TD.

Back in Dallas, on that long ago weekend, the weather was forecast to be fair and warm with temperatures ranging from low of upper 70s to high around 90.

Movies playing the weekend included Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic, and The Interns with Cliff Robertson and Buddy Ebsen at the Palace on Elm Street downtown. The Majestic is still there as a live performance venue; the Palace lasted another decade or so before it was torn down to build Thanksgiving Tower. Remember the organ that rose from the floor for an intermission serenade?

In "suburban" theaters, Richard Beymer starred in Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man at

at the Lakewood, and James Mason and Sue Lyon were in Lolita at the Inwood. What ever happened to Beymer and Lyon after these two movies? Playing at the Circle, where I was employed part time, was Cimarron with Glenn Ford and Maria Schell.

On Friday, The Dow-Jones Industrial Average closed at 605.84. The four most active stocks were Chrysler, Polaroid, Lockheed, and U.S. Steel.

SMU President Willis Tate announced that Paul Elaine Jones enrolled as a full time undergraduate there. She was the first Negro (as black people were termed then) to do so. Hardly anyone noticed. That would not to be the case elsewhere. Jesuit, of course, had admitted blacks with little fanfare at least since our freshman year.

In somewhat grimmer news, on Friday, 9/14/1962, two jet fighters, a National Guard F86 and Navy F8 collided at the Dallas Naval Air Station in Grand Prairie killing two pilots. Two brothers were indicted for pilfering oil from adjoining leases in East Texas using slant well drilling.

9/11/1962 - 9/11/2012

1962 was the year Ray Stevens' novelty song "Ahab the Arab" was a top forty hit. As the song indicated, we didn't take the Middle East all that seriously then. That would change in a decade or so, with the first Arab oil embargo.  The worst took a while longer, but it finally came with a vengeance.

 

Eleven years ago, on the same day of the week, our country suffered the first attack on our soil by a foreign enemy since Pearl Harbor.  It was also the first enemy incursion on the U.S. mainland the raid on Columbus, New Mexico by Pancho Villa in 1916.  Before that one has to go back to 1814.

Fifty years ago on this morning, the Jesuit seniors were settling in their classes.  Like this present week, there was a respite from the summer heat, welcome in our un-airconditoned classrooms.  Most of us were oblivious to a threat from a different enemy.  Some were paying attention..

 

Dallas Morning News 9/11/1962, page 1

 

Communist Cuba is still with us, though it has mostly been merely a nuisance for most of the intervening years.  It turned out to be more than that for several days a month later.

 

 

Jesuit Wins its Opener

Friday evening, September 7, the Jesuit Rangers shut out the St. Mark’s Lions 13 – 0 in their season opener. The field was slippery for the whole game due to misting rain. That, and a tenacious Ranger defense deprived the Lions of the ability to make a single point.

"Jesuit faces a rebuilding job this year," opined a sportswriter in Friday’s newspaper. Their coach noted that only two starters returned from last year’s impressive 8 – 3 team, which gave the city’s champion Woodrow Wilson a scare before losing by one point.

So reported the Dallas Times-Herald. The Times-Herald? Well, it was 1962, after all. By quirk in the calendar, it happens that in that year, the days of the week are the same days of the month (March 1 and after, that is) are in 2012, a half-century later.

The 1962-63 school term was our senior year. It was the last year that Jesuit held classes in the old building at Oak Lawn and Blackburn. New construction of what were to become high-rise apartment/condominiums was already taking place on what had been the lower practice field along Turtle Creek. This was perhaps a harbinger of the new age to come, after all, we were in the latter part of President Kennedy’s second year in office, and we had been promised a New Frontier. As it happened, we could not imagined what it brought.

There was some inkling. In July 1962, the first Telstar communications satellite was put into orbit, the start of a communications technology revolution that made possible our present global, high quality telephone and television transmissions. Computers were around, but only in mainframe form that required large, environmentally controlled facilities. Calculations in physics class were to be made with slide rules.

Back to the present a week ago, Jesuit play a football game against Chicago’s Loyola High in Dublin, Ireland. The Rangers won!   One or more of our grandchildren (and even - shudder - even great-grandchildren) could be on that team.

Playing a game in that venue would have been possible in 1962, but expensive, and so inconvenient as to be practically unthinkable. There would not be a DFW Airport for another 12 years. The Boeing 707s and DC-10s didn’t have the range if there were. In the early '60s, travel to Europe meant leaving from a northeast coast airport, such as New York’s Idlewild, as it was then known.

The differences between then and now are astounding. I intend to mention them from time to time on  this blog (blog? who would have thought?).

Oh, by the way. The two returning starters for the 1962 Rangers were Caesar Ricci and Steve Seward. The quoted coach was Milt Gaudet. A junior quarterback made the first TD, and Bob Neuhoff kicked the extra point. Caesar recovered a slippery fumble to set up the second touchdown, but the PAT failed. Who remembers who made the TDs?

All members of the Class of 1963 are invited to comment and post on this blog. Nearly anything, remembrances, recollections of what was happening during our school years, subsequent biographical info, including accomplishments and family are welcome. 

To comment, just register.  If you wish to post, send me your information, including present address, e-mail, telephone, and I will set up permissions for you.  Keep it clean and respectful. All post and comments will be subject to review and, perhaps, deletion.  I do not expect any problems in that regard, but impostors and other malefactors are rampant in the blogosphere and elsewhere on the Internet.
 
Cheers!

Bob Reagan, J '63
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