Hey! You kids! Get off our senior steps.

The noive.

Many of you have received an email from Jeff Langan, class of 1963, regarding an upcoming event that should be of interest to anyone who attended HTHS from 1960 through 1966 and can possibly attend. I've reproduced the email for those who may not have received it directly:

"Charles Mattina was kind enough to send me the email addresses he has from the HTHS class of 1962.

"HTHS Class of 1963 is holding its 50 year reunion in a few weeks and is are trying something a little different as part of that celebration. On Saturday afternoon September 14^th 2013 the class of 1963 will host a TRINITY PARTY in the school gym for our reunion attendees as well as members of the classes whose time at HTHS overlapped ours. Namely we are inviting members of the classes 1960 to 1966. As part of the HTHS family we shared a lot of activities, sports triumphs and memories with those classes and it would be fun to remember them together. So we hope that a good representation of the Class of 1962 will come and join us.  

"Here is what we have planned for the event  and how to register for it.

A Party for Holy Trinity High School Grads ~ Classes of 1960 to 1966

Join the Class of 1963 as we celebrate our 50 year reunion

Date:              Saturday, September 14, 2013 

Time:             12:00 Noon - 4:00 PM 

Place:             Holy Trinity Gym, 336 First Street, Westfield, NJ 

Details:

·        Lunch ~ Pizza, wine/beer, soda and water

·        Catch up with all the members of the “Trinity Family” you haven’t seen in years

·        Tours of the old school conducted by Sister Maureen, Principal of Holy Trinity Interparochial School

·        Live music provided by "The Nomads" on their 2013 reunion tour

o   ‘63’s own Dick Bradfield, Bill Frey, Jeff Langan & Rich Marino

·        Memorabilia (sports trophies, banner, etc. Jim Lambert  ’63 rescued when HTHS closed)

·        Chance to donate to Holy Trinity Interparochial School

o   Sister gave us a deal on the gym, BUT ….

o   50/50 raffle with proceeds to the school

o   OR make a tax deductible donation by check to the school

o   Any leftover funds will go to the school

·        Dress: Casual / Comfortable

Tickets:

·        $15.00 per person (cost of lunch in Westfield)

·        Make checks payable : "Holy Trinity HS 63 Reunion"

·        Send them to:

o  [ email me, at: blogmeister62@inbox.com for this information.]

·        Include your email address so we can send you the “ticket(s)”

·        Include your name and that of any guest. Adults only please.

·        Ladies include your maiden name so we can include it on your nametag

Memorial Mass for our deceased classmates at 5:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church

Our Best Wishes,

Jeff Langan  HTHS Class of 1963"

 What a great idea and a fun experience for all, so if you can attend, just do it. It's a chance to see the old Alma Mater again while helping out the Holy Trinity Interparochial School at the same time.

WIN! WIN!

If you are interested in attending and did not get Jeff's email contact me at the above email address and I'll send you the name and address of the person you can get the tickets from.

Rummaging around in the old HTHS1962 email account I no longer use I found a few photos sent to me by Suzanne Babcock back in May. I'll get them up, Sue, when I can combine them with a few other photos - like from the upcoming TRINITY PARTY. Hint, hint.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. 

Photo credit: Holy Trinity Interparochial School

What Hurricane?

Our Westfield reporter, Lou Bace Hogan, sends a timely photo of yesterday's 3rd reunion of the Trinity Jersey Girls® held at an unnamed restaurant in Long Branch. Barbara Sayko Heimall flew up from Florida just to be in attendance and visit with her niece. In that order.

             L to R: Marilyn, Nancy G., Lou, Nancy K., Becky, Helen, Barbara, Sue and Kathy

Lou adds: "As always, it was great fun. The weather today was just spectacular, and from our table we could view the ocean as well as the crowd sunbathing on the beach. Of course, that didn't stop our reminiscing about our high school years and the 50th reunion."

She didn't mention anything about chair dancing.


Photo credit: Lou Bace Hogan

Mary Michele Baker Carrajat

By now many of you have heard from Charlie and other classmates that easily the most energetic, popular and positive member of our class has passed away. She was the first classmate to respond and post something on the infant blog back in April 2009. She was also the first to send photos and video from the 50th Reunion and in January sent her last contribution as a stalwart member of the Trinity Jersey Girls. You just know Mary was there at the head of the line to claim her eternal reward on May 1st, 2013. My sincerest condolences to Wes Carrajat who must be heartbroken yet consoled that she will always be with him wherever he travels. Our thoughts and prayers should be for both of them.

Mary and Wes from their Facebook page

That irreplaceable smile

Photos courtesy of Lou Bace Hogan       

From the '50 years ago' file.

Ted Hack sent the following from the NavyTimes.com:

Retired Navy Capt. Ted Hack presents Lt. Chris Miller with a submarine warfare pin worn by the last commanding officer of the Thresher. (MC1 Peter D. Lawlor / Navy)

By Jacqueline Klimas
Staff write

"Although all 129 men aboard the Thresher died when the attack submarine sank 50 years ago, a piece of the boat’s history will give the silent service’s youngest members a direct link to, and perhaps a greater understanding of, the fleet’s worst submarine disaster.
The Thresher’s final commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. John “Wes” Harvey, had two sets of submarine warfare insignia, better known as “dolphins” — one he was wearing when the sub went down in April 1963, the other left with his widow, Irene.
Irene Harvey presented the spare set to her niece’s husband, Ted Hack, upon his graduation from submarine school in 1969. Hack wore them “regularly and with special pride” throughout his career, he said. “In those days, the story of the Thresher was well-known, and I would often relate the background of these dolphins to my shipmates and fellow submariners.”
Hack retired as a captain in 1997. On April 12 at the Submarine Birthday Ball in Washington, D.C., he passed the dolphins on to Lt. Chris Miller, an assistant professor of naval science at Penn State University and the most recently qualified officer in attendance.
The 50th anniversary of the disaster was “a good time to pass them on to someone else,” Hack said.
“I knew there was a possibility I’d be the most junior dolphin-wearer, just because I received my dolphins in April 2011,” Miller said. “After I showed up to the ball and found out that I was pretty young compared to most people there … I was ecstatic.”
Hack presented Miller with the dolphins on one condition: Miller is to wear the dolphins for a year, then return them to the submarine force leadership at the Pentagon. Then they’ll be presented to the most recently qualified officer at a ball somewhere other than D.C.
Hack decided to pass the pin to the most junior qualified officer to keep alive the memory of those who died on the Thresher.
It’s working. “People kind of look at them and say, ‘Those look different; they’re not quite as shiny as your other one.’ I just say, ‘You know what? They mean a whole lot more,’” Miller said.
Miller needed no reminder of the tragedy. He handled the SUBSAFE program during a previous assignment aboard the Los Angeles-class submarine Asheville, a program that resulted from the Thresher accident."

Here is more information on the tragic sinking of the USS Thresher (SSN-593).


Ted's Navy Times article reminds us that from the moment we graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1962 we became a part of the long and unfolding history of our times. If you have other historic news or references that you would like to share just send them on to the blog care of the e-mail address at the top right.

Seven Trinity Jersey Girls® , a former TJG and some guy

Mary Baker Carrajat wants to single-handedly keep this blog rolling and part of her nefarious scheme was to send me a few photos from the latest convocation of the Trinity Jersey Girls® held on January 19th at the Readington Diner in Whitehouse, N. J.  Whitehouse? One might deduce that they were  there celebrating the 2nd inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama.  Or, if you are alternately inclined, Gun Appreciation Day. But no.....

The reason for this particular get-together was to celebrate Kathi Fitzpatrick Rudawsky's  ## Birthday. Kathi and her husband, Teddy, the lone, lucky guy at the table, were visiting kinfolk in Jerz up from that most favored destination spot for invasive species ranging from Burmese pythons to senior citizens, Florida, where she and Teddy now reside. Nancy Whalen Goldsmith was the one responsible for putting this festive occasion together. So I can blame her too for dragging me inside from the beautiful sunny weather we're having here to post this. Oh yes, and Becky Maher Welter, had just celebrated her birthday on January 9th. So where are the photos of that, huh?

I'm no fool and I can see where this is all heading so I now formally invite any member of the TJGs who would like to avail themselves of the blog to actively get involved with running it. Co-administrator, it's called. It's really very simple AND you can post photos of birthdays or anything else you'd like any old time you'd like. Seriously. Just contact me at the email address at the above right and I'll help get you started in an exciting new career.

One last thing. It appears from all the smiling faces that recovery after Sandy in Jersey has been proceeding along very well indeed.

Now back to present business here are two more photos from Kathi's Birthday party.

The birthday girl about to grab something

Looks yummy! I guess she couldn't wait for the photographer.

Photo credits: Mary Baker Carrajat

Peace on Earth?

Photo via Liberty Church

After the reunion in mid-September and then the horrendous devastation after hurricane Sandy I started to feel that the class blog had run out of purpose and that it was probably time to just let it fade away. Then came the terrorist attack upon children in Newtown, Connecticut last week compounded by its timing to what is supposed to be the most joyous season of the year, Christmas, and a New Year.

I was even more convinced that that was it for the blog. The final straw. I went to the blog format pages, behind the scene stuff, and I noticed that there have been a few hundred visits to the blog in the past month. Perhaps members of the class were looking for more news about our New Jersey friends. Charlie had already covered that concisely with his comment on the previous post. There may be those who have been waiting for something new to entertain or amuse them. I have nothing for them.

Some blogs have a custom of putting up what is called an "open thread" where there is no particular subject matter presented  and viewers/followers can comment on any subject that they care to.

Consider this an open thread.