Subject: Memories - finally
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 09:44:26 -0400
From: "Gary W. Rubloff"
To: "ALL"
I guess I have been stupified by the flood of emails, but finally I have gained
composure enough to act. So below are some memories of my PHS days. I am really
looking forward to seeing you at the reunion.
In brief, we live in Clarksville MD, just between Washington and Baltimore,
with children Becky in Manhattan NYC (attorney) and Benjamin in Cambridge MA
(teacher). Sara is a clinical social worker. Unfortunately Sara's 40th reunion
(Alleghany High School, Cumberland MD) is the SAME day, so she will not have
the opportunity this time to meet more of you; she has met Hanlon's long ago,
and Norton's and Davidson's recently. (It was actually Bev Hanlon, when Joe and
Bev were at U. Chicago, as we were, during late 60's/early 70's). We'll look
forward to attending the next PHS reunion together.
Gary Rubloff
MEMORIES:
We (Bob Canterbury, Marty Horn, others?) used to have great fun looking for and
participating in drag races on Adams and Jefferson (?), which were one-way
streets a block apart and going in opposite directions. Sometimes the other
car(s) actually didn't race, so peeling away from the stop when the light
turned green just looked stupid. One time, we were - we thought - fortunate, in
that Canterbury's station wagon was so slow that the cop who pulled in front of
3 or 4 racers at a cross street might not have known we were in the race at
all. Bob then took a quiet left to get out of the action and police view.
Several blocks later, a loud siren and what seemed like a zillion flashing red
lights appeared on our tail. The officer was mad as hell that we tried to
escape, and when he left the tone in the car was very somber. I think it was of
course hardest for Bob, who sometimes (maybe always) took the car when his
parents were out, then drove it in reverse upon returning so the odometer would
not provide evidence. I guess he was trying to imagine how the moving violation
could be similarly reversed. Not likely.
I was always fascinated with cars, starting from a little car I bought from my
neighbor Murray Favus. It was run by a 2.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. The
envy, however, was one which Jerry Horn (Marty's brother) built himself,
actually looked like a race car, and really moved. Marty was blessed when
finally Jerry started letting him use it. Tinkering (fixing) was also fun, and
I think of it every time I put gas in a car and smell the fumes. These
interests culminated in my buying ($220, as I recall) a 1953 Studebaker
hardtop, which the owner had souped up with an Oldsmobile V-8 engine,
hydramatic transmission (fast for an automatic), and gold paint on the side
panels to highlight an otherwise black car. It took me days to gather the nerve
to put the pedal to the floor from a cold stop, and when I did the screech was
very piercing. Once I took it out on the highway (2 lanes only, of course) with
Marty Horn and we overdid it (shudder to think how much). I think the engine
was too much for the cooling system, because when we stopped for gas the
attendant opened the radiator to check the water and it boiled over for 10
minutes.
Dawdy Hawkins was a highly admired and serious coach. But he was a poker face
almost all the time I ever saw him in PE. Except once. That time, one I cannot
think or tell without laughing, he smiled. He had just been talking (or
lecturing?) with that stern look, and had said "Let's be Frank and
Honest". All of a sudden, a smile, as he pointed with his finger modestly
and said "you be Frank and I'll be honest". I think there was riotous
laughter, or at least should have been. I don't recall a repeat performance.
We had an slide rule class, held before school started and optional, and taught
by Mr. O'Toole. I guess this was the talent search for techies, or nerds, as
you prefer. It was relevant then, but of course of only historical interest
now. I still have my slide rule from those days, but would probably covet the
one I think I remember above the blackboard, maybe 5 feet in length.
I was fortunate to take Mr. Martin's mechanical drawing class, which was fairly
free-wheeling. If you put the accent on the 1st syllable, you will understand
how he intentionally mispronounced it, perhaps to engage the class with some
humor. Dealing with perspective in the class really made you think, and I
wonder whether 3-D computer-aided design tools have rid us of that opportunity
in some sense. Mr. Martin was very popular with students, as I recall. I think
some students lifted his VW bug and put it on blocks as a practical joke, then
brought it down for him afterwards.
There have been so many remembrances of restaurants (mostly drive-ins) that I
also recall. But what I don't understand is why apparently no one remembers
what I consider the best - John's Bar-B-Que. I think it was just off Main
Street on a curvy street to the west. For me it was a forerunner of my all-time
favorite, which is Red, Hot, and Blue, a small chain in the D.C. area, that
adds heavy blues music, photos, and feeling to the food.
So many have echoed the praise of our PHS education, and I fully agree.
Particularly valuable, as many have said, was English. I recall so fondly Ms.
Herke and particularly Ms. Rice, who made me think in ways I had never
considered, shared a deep appreciation for literature, expression, and the life
of the mind, and was probably my favorite teacher. There were many others too.
As an adult we lived in an upscale Westchester County town north of New York
City, I got involved in the schools (Katonah-Lewisboro district), and ended up
spending 11 yrs as an elected school board member. I think my PHS experience
had something to do with motivating this commitment (indeed, sacrifice - it was
a difficult job politically, with all the demands of parents and taxpayers).
Despite the fact that Katonah-Lewisboro is regarded as one of the best
districts in NY State, I think our experience at PHS was pretty close.
I learned German from having fun, mainly with Ray Keithley. He had a VW bug -
very Deutsch (remember, we were pre-hippy) - and we caroused around town
talking mostly broken German, using Katzenjammer-kids (sp?) words or making
some up where needed, and about all I remember was laughter. But somehow, it
was learning as well as fun. It made me very comfortable with the language -
sentence structure, grammar, all that. And that has paid off since we now have
many friends from Germany (due to interactions when they worked with me at
IBM), with whom we stay in contact. I have even managed to do a short intro in
German when presenting a talk in Germany, and everyone thinks I am wonderful
for trying (cf. the average American).
Thanks Ray!
Sometime around graduation, I remember attending an afternoon/early evening
summer-like party in the backyard of one of our younger teachers. The
surprising thing, to me at least, was that we were having gin-and-tonics, or
something similar, at a teacher's house. This was very mature, I thought, and
extremely sensible in terms of encouraging us to handle alcohol more naturally
(a contrast to the way I recall learning to drink beer - cheap beer - in the
back of a car at the drive-in). I am sure such scenes as alcoholic drinks at a
teacher's party are not replayed today, given the cost and consequences of
inevitable litigation, but it sure was a great idea. The Europeans are so much
more mature than Americans in some ways.
Gary
Dr. Gary W. Rubloff
Professor, Dept. of Materials and Nuclear Engineering, and the Institute for
Systems Research
University of Maryland
2145 A. V. Williams Building
College Park, MD 20742-3285
tel (301) 405-2949; fax (301) 314-9920
email rubloff@isr.umd.edu
web www.isr.umd.edu/~rubloff/