W E S T E R LY H I G H S C H O O L - C L A S S O F ’ 6 4 A L U M N I B U L L E T I N

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N e w s a n d i n f o r m a t i o n o f i n t e re s t t o t h e We s t e r l y H i g h S c h o o l C l a s s o f 1 9 6 4 A Quarterly Newsletter Volume 2 w Issue 3 w Summer 2011

W 64’WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund UPDATE By Charles Taylor

I am pleased to report that the WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund has been granted 501 (c) 3 Tax exempt status by the IRS. This means that all donations, contributions are fully tax deductible.

We officially started our fund raising program with the mailing to all class members. Our first Wine Tasting Event held last spring was very successful, and a Bowl-A-Thon is planned for this November.

On July 13, we attended the regular meeting of the Westerly School Committee. We were

placed on the agenda giving us the opportunity to introduce the Fund to the committee and the education community. The members of the school committee were very impressed that we chose this project as our 50th anniversary gift to the school. I can say with confidence that we have the support of every member of the committee as well as the superintendent of schools.

Sub-committees have been formed, and chairpersons appointed. The sub-committees and chairs are:• Scholarship Screening

Committee – Meredith Cushing Eckel

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund UPDATE Page 1-2The beginning of our retirement and our vision for the futurePage 3Getting together during the year: an easy wayPage 5tRIvia questions Page 5Hurricane Carol - the big one!Page 6-7Pictures from the class birthday - held on July 17th in Wilcox ParkPage 8Bowl-A-ThonPage 9From the editor’s deskPage 10-11Selected news from 1964Page 11

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“"I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap." - Bob Hope

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W ’64 TM

© W ’64 - ISSN: 2155-1545; Published quarterly http://whs64.posterous.com

Password: bulldog1964

Editor: Richard Koulbanis WHS.Class.64@gmail.com

Assistant Editors:Mary Bono bono3dart@optonline.netRose Ann Gencarella Froberg raf@tampabay.rr.com

Contributors to this Issue:Roberta Mudge Humble TooRobert@aol.comLinda Wallace Perra Perrazonew@cox.netCharles Taylor JetJockeyct@aol.com

Article and Photo Submission:Articles may be submitted via email (WHS.Class.64@gmail.com) and may be up to 2,000 words; pictures welcome.

@WHS1964 - on Twitter

WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund, Inc. (WASFI)39 Spruce St.Westerly, RI 02891An IRS 501 (c) 3 exemption as a charitable organization.

WASFI Officers:President - Charles S. TaylorTreasurer - John GulinoSecretary - John Clemens

WASFI Directors:Charlene Feraco Miller (Chairperson)Barbara Jenkins BlivenSusan Sullivan BrocatoRaymond CapalboCharles CofoneMeredith Cushing EckelMarylou SerraJane Nolan Zurliene

WASFI Committee Members: Patricia Bello CimaloreMartha JacquesRay MorroneLarry Pietraallo

Fund Raising:Linda Wallace Perra (Chairperson) Perrazonew@cox.net

• Finance Committee - John Gulino• By Laws/ Legal – Raymond

Capalbo• Membership Committee – John

Clemens• Fund Raising Committee –

Linda Wallace Perra• Strategic Planning – Pam

(Letterle) Hurst ‘65

Each sub committee has a need for people to help with their respective tasks. If you can spare a little time to help the effort it will be greatly appreciated.

As of July 20th we have received $4,125 in cash donations, and over the next 3 to 5 years pledges totaling $25,000. Of the total pledges, one is for $20,000 over the next 5 to 10 years. As of this writing, however, less than 10% of the class members have responded to the pledge letter.  In numbers, that is only 16 out of 163 classmates. I recall at the class reunion the majority of those that attended were in support of the program. At that time I made a challenge. The first goal was to raise $10,000, the amount we needed to allow us to invest with a professional group such as the Rhode Island Foundation. I said that I would donate the first $1,000.00, which I have, and challenged the rest of the group to raise the balance.  The second goal is to raise $50,000 using all means by 2014. We are well on our way to meet the second goal, but far short of meeting the first. Time is

growing short; 2014 will be here before you know it. It is not realistic to think that every member of the class will be involved. It is, however, realistic to expect each member of the class of 1964 to lend their support, and the time has come for all class members to support this program.

We have in the works a new web site, and we are gathering corporate sponsors. Your committee has worked very hard over the past 20 months developing this Scholarship Fund. My sincerest thanks to all that have made it work.

Well, there you have it. Only 35 months until the first scholarships are awarded, and still so much to do.•

WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund, Inc. (WASFI) NewsWASFI has received the Tax exemption for the WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund, Inc. The effective date is January 7, 2010.

The Fund is now classified as a 501(C)(3) a public charity and is qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, transfers or gifts.

Please consider contributing a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation.

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By Linda Wallace Perra

After Art and I retired from what we did for so many years (engineering and teaching), we needed to sit down and talk about several options. Do we travel ? How about keeping our vegetable gardens and orchards healthy? Would it be fun to open an art studio for the community? Would it be a positive adventure starting up a Bed and Breakfast? Could we participate in helping launch the 1964 alumni scholarship initiative? It was a lot to think about.

Well, we were interested in all the above. We took an eight week vacation from Rhode Island, across the upper USA states to Seattle, took a plane to Anchorage, back to Seattle, down the coast of Oregon and California to Yosemite, and then across the middle of the USA back home. What a wonderful trip it was. Our country is amazingly beautiful. Everyone we met during our journey was friendly and very interested about Rhode Island. We felt like we were ambassadors at times. Art and I put 10,000 miles on the car and took over 5,000 pictures. A slide show was made from the best of

the best pictures to share with friends and family. If you have an opportunity to mountain hop and cruise over the high plains, make it a must to do. Planning for the next adventure is in the works.

Art and I have had vegetable gardens and orchards since we were kids in our twenties. Our gardens are well cared for providing us with a variety of veggies. Lots of produce is frozen for winter use. We are currently working on growing peanuts, something the grandkids are learning about. We also have planted several types of peppers and tomatoes, along with garlic and herbs just right for stir fries. The orchard has peaches, pears, apples, and a strawberry patch that provide us with delicious fruit for homemade jellies and jams. It has been a very satisfying experience growing plants. We hope the grandkids continue having a garden too.

Many years ago Art and I bought two horses for the kids. My daughter Kate and I worked at a stable in Stonington Connecticut for 6 months just to see if we really liked working with the horses

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The beginning of our retirement and our vision for the future

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“"Don't worry about avoiding temptation... as you grow older, it will avoid you." ~ Winston Churchill

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on the ranch. We made it through the watering, scooping up you know what, and watched the vet care for the horses. The kids were really excited when they were told the horses would be delivered the next weekend. I participated in the move, and on the way home, I think I had my first anxiety attack, wondering if I really wanted to do this. When all was said and done, we had the horses for eight years. The kids enjoyed the horses until their friends’ company replaced our horses Chaz and Finn. Art cared for the horses for a while, but lost his interest when he was tired of straw on his clothes and you know what on his shoes. To make a long story short, the horses were sold. Recently, Art and I turned the stables into an art studio that will be open to the community. The “official” opening will be at the beginning of this September. Artists will be able to bring their materials and work on their projects: adults get together on Tuesday and Wednesday in the afternoon and early evening, and the kids on Saturday mornings with parent participation. It’s going to be awesome.

We enjoy traveling and meeting new people, but what if people from different cultures visit you at our own home? That happens at Fezziwig Bed and Breakfast many times during the year. In June of 2009, Fezziwig B&B officially opened. I think we only had 20 bookings that first year. Since then, the number of wonderful guests has increased. Guests that have come to Fezziwig are from: Australia,

India, Germany, Italy, England, and many others from across the United States. It’s amazing how things have come together. Guests have told us how relaxed they are, and how beautiful the grounds are. Art and I both prepare breakfast. Some recipes have been handed down from our parents. The meal is very hearty. Most guests tell us they probably won’t eat until dinner. Opening the bed & breakfast has been very rewarding. And for those of you wondering, yes, the bed & breakfast was named after Mr. Fezziwig from Dickens where Scrooge was an apprentice. Mr. Fezziwig worked hard and played hard.

I think all of you know by now that I am helping with the scholarship committee. As fund raiser, I submitted some ideas to help make our goal of $50,000 in the next three years. Fund raising should be fun to do, and most of all, meaningful and worthwhile for those who need the help. This could be your chance to help in any way to make this initiative come to fruition. Consider participating in the Bowl-A-Thon on November 6th (for more information, see the ad on page 9). The next activities will be a 10K Run and 5K Walk in the Spring of 2012. Just think how many calories you could burn away and make you feel better. More information will be sent to you about all activities.

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by Roberta Mudge Humble

Our WHS Class of ‘64 reunion takes place every 5 years, and it is always good to see fellow classmates. Here’s an idea that would get many of us together – and would help the historic Westerly Armory: armory membership.

The cost is reasonable: $15 individual, $25 family, and rise higher (Friend is $50, Organization is $100, and so on) if you like. With membership, there are privileges, but the big one is being invited to the membership appreciation event (Friday, January 21, 2012). A number of our classmates are already members and have attended this annual event. Everyone seems to enjoy the evening. A full meal is served (made by Armory board member, Mary Alice Jaconetta who is assisted by others – all home-made) and there is entertainment (different each year). Tours of the Armory are also given before dinner. You could sit together to enjoy the evening. A delicious dinner, fine entertainment, and good company – and you’ve helped an “old friend,” the Westerly Armory. It’s inexpensive, fun, social, and charitable. Membership runs from Memorial Day to Memorial Day.

You can join online (www.westerlyarmory.org) or stop by the Armory on a Monday or Thursday – or send name, address, phone, email and check (with note it’s for membership) to Westerly Armory, PO Box 614, Westerly, RI 02891. Membership supports operations at the Armory. Another bonus for you is that membership donations are tax-deductible.

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“Maybe it's true that life begins at 50... but everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out." ~ Phyllis Diller

tRIvia questionsAre you good at trivia? Think you know interesting tidbits about RI? Take this quiz and see just what you know and don’t know (answers below).1. Name the bank that was the first to offer dollar bills? 2. Can you name some of the RI symbols - the state

Fish? Mineral? Shell?3. Who was the country’s first female state Attorney-

General?4. When and where was the first automobile parade in

the US?

The questions used in tRIvia are excerpts from Roberta Mudge Humble’s book, “The RIght to Crow: A Look at Rhode Island’s Firsts, Bests & Uniques.“ Roberta has given us permission to use excerpts from her book for this column.If you have not read “The RIght to Crow….” you may wish to go to the

library and check the book out, or visit the website to learn more about the book and where to purchase it - www.westerlyarmory.com. The proceeds go to the restoration of the Westerly Armory.You can contact Roberta at: toorobert@aol.com

ANSWERS1. Washington Trust in 18002. The State fish: Striped Bass; State mineral:

Bowwenite; and State Shell: Quahaog3. Arlene Violet in 19844. 1899 in Newport with a whopping 19 cars

Getting together during the year: an easy way

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By Dick Koulbanis

In 1954 Westerly was hit with the “big one” - Hurricane Carol, some 16 years after the ’38 Hurricane, which for our parents, was their “big one.” The year before Carol, the U.S. Weather Bureau decided to give hurricanes female names.

I was 8 years old when Carol hit, and the idea of a hurricane was both scary and exciting. At the time we lived in Misquamicut*, about a quarter of a mile from the ocean. While the residents were advised to leave, my father decided we would ride it out.

When Carol hit land that morning, I can remember hearing everything creak and shake. The noise was deafening. The windows rattled, all kinds of flying debris hit the house, but we remained safe and dry. In the end, the ocean never came up as far as we lived, but stopped at Boxwood Avenue, maybe a few hundred feet from our street. This was in the days before the State Beach, and all of Misquamicut shoreline “had: been lined with private homes. The operative word after Carol made landfall is “had.”

The next day we went to see the damage. Just down the street from us were houses that we no longer where they once were, and roofs blown off sitting in the middle of nowhere. The waves were still quite big, and the beach had eroded badly. Almost all the homes on the beach were swept away. My grandparents owned a restaurant on Atlantic Avenue called the Spa, and while the structure was still standing, the inside was devastated. The marble counter top laid on the floor broken in a half-dozen pieces, and all the furniture was smashed about. The kitchen was unrecognizable. The floor was covered with sand,

seaweed and debris of all types. But I was just a kid, and had “kid” thoughts. I thought I would find dead bodies with rings on their fingers and all kinds of “cool” souvenirs. Looking back, those thoughts were pretty stupid.

Carol was a Category 3 hurricane, and, according to the U.S. Weather Bureau, had sustained winds of 80-100 MPH with gusts of 125

MPH, with the strongest winds ever recorded on Block Island (135 MPH). One of the things that also made Carol so devastating was, like the ’38 Hurricane, it arrived just after high tide. Most of the area lost electric power and phone service. Throughout New England, Hurricane Carol destroyed nearly 4,000 homes, 3,500 automobiles and over 3,000 boats. It killed 65 Rhode Islanders, and cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

That same year, only 2 weeks later, we were hit by Hurricane Hazel, which was almost as bad. This time my father chose to go to my grandparents on Shore Road “just in case,” even though, like Carol, our house was spared.

Since Carol, and except for Hazel, most of the hurricanes since have been minor in comparison, and none have had the destructive power to Westerly as Carol did. But anyone who went through Carol knows that it’s not a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when” the next “big one” hits. The destruction from that one could make Carol look like a minor rain storm in comparison. Why? because the area has been built back-up, there are many more larger homes in the beach area, inflation, more regulations to cleanup and rebuild. The cost to the country, New

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Hurricane Carol - the big one!

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W E S T E R L Y H I G H S C H O O L - C L A S S O F ’ 6 4 A L U M N I B U L L E T I N

“Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life." ~ Herbert Henry Asquith

England, Rhode Island and Westerly will be catastrophic, probably in the billions on costs alone.

I still live near the water, although now on Winnapaug Pond*. I am 12 ft above the high water mark, and less than 1/2 of a mile from the Atlantic. While I do not worry about it, I know there is a chance another “big one” might hit again. So when this unnamed hurricane, which I am going to dub, “Peggy-Sue,” arrives, my wife, I and our two “spoiled” cats will need lodging, and may come knocking on your door. We are set in our ways, so you may have to move out while we stay at your home. We’ll need your cars, spending money, and might have stay about 6 months or longer while we rebuild. Any volunteers?

The map below shows the floodplain in the Westerly*-Watch Hill-Shelter Harbor-Misquamicut*-Weekapaug* area. The photo at the right is of the Misquamicut after Carol visited. Like any visitor who overstays their welcome, we loved to see Carol go.

Flood plain overview of the greater Westerly area. Where did you live?

Photo courtesy of the RI National Guard. - A picture of Maplewood Avenue coming up from Atlantic Ave.

Trivia Note: *Winnapaug Pond was originally named Babcock’s Pond and later Brightman’s Pond. Weekapaug was formerly called Noyes Beach, and Misquamicut was called Pleasant View.

Pictures from the class 65th birthday - held on July 17th in Wilcox Park

Bowl-A-Thon Let's have some fun raising money for

Westerly High School Scholarships

Organized by the Class of 1964 to Benefit the WHS Scholarship Fund

Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 1:00 P.M. Alley Katz, Westerly, RI

Twenty Four Teams are needed - five people per team (Age 9 and above).

The entry fee per team is $500.00

Bowling fee and shoes are free.

First Place Team will receive a total of $100.00 Last Place Team will receive a total of $100.00

‘64

Registration is through John GulinoWASFI.Treas@gmail .comt or 401-596-3336

Registration Deadline is November 1st

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By Dick Koulbanis

Over 40 years ago the National Lampoon had a controversial cover of a dog with a gun to his head, and the caption, “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog!” If you didn’t buy that issue back then, you have another chance to save the dog by submitting an article to W ’64.

Editing this alumni newsletter often involves lots of guess work, trial and error, a bit of begging and pleading for stories and pictures. By nature, our alumni group is small, but also a very diverse group of people with two things in common for sure:

(1) we graduated from Westerly in 1964, and (2) we are all pretty much the same age.

Because the newsletter is edited, designed, created, and proofed by a small cadre of volunteers, it is

only published quarterly and electronically - in other words, W ’64 is politically correct -no trees are killed to publish it; it’s 100% GREEEN.

W ’64 has continued to evolve since its inception, and we have tried a number of “hooks” to generate reader interest. For example, we tried “common ground” questions, and that drove some interest for a while. We publish an annual directory issue of classmates at the beginning of each year. We have special departments in almost every issue: 1964 Pop Quiz, tRIvia questions, and News from 1964. But these departments are teasers and tidbits to help round-out the newsletter. We also publish information on the WHS Alumni Scholarship Fund, Inc. (WASFI), and we will publish information on the 50th reunion. But the real meat of the newsletter is the stories and pictures from you, the alumni. Some alumni have told me they like to read W ’64. But in reality it’s story and photo submissions, or lack of them, which will make W ’64 a success, or a failure.

First, “thank you” to those who have submitted stories. However, I still have to beg and plead for articles, because unfortunately, I don’t get enough submissions. I am forced to step it up another notch to get more of you to participate. Don’t be shy, write something, send something, send your own tidbits, send pictures, recipes, send information about your organizations, your cat, your dog, your parakeet, your vacation, your kids, your grandkids, your great-grandkids - write, write, write, send, send, send! You get the picture.

From the editorʼs desk: Do your part and save this dog!

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“But the real meat of the newsletter is the stories and pictures from the alumni. Some alumni have told me they like to read W ʼ64. But in reality, itʼs story and photo submissions, or lack of them, that will make W ʼ64 a success, or a failure.”

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One cannot get to be 65 years old without a few humorous tales, life -lessons learned, or just plain interesting stories - heart-warming or otherwise. Use your imagination, and “Help Save This Dog.

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"The cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good spit it out." - Unknown

Selected news from ’64• August 1 - The Final Looney Tune, "Señorella and the

Glass Huarache", is released before the Warner Bros. Cartoon Division is shut down by Jack Warner.

• August 1 - Emancipation Day in Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Jamaica – celebration of the end of slavery in these former and continuing British colonies in the Caribbean.

• August 5 - The Simba rebel army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo captures Stanleyville, and takes 1,000 Western hostages.

• August 7 – Vietnam War: The United States Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson broad war powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.

• August 8 – A Rolling Stones gig in Scheveningen gets out of control. Riot police end the gig after about 15 minutes, upon which spectators start to fight the riot police.

• August 13 – Murderers Gwynne Owen Evans and Peter Anthony Allen become the last people to be executed in the United Kingdom.

• August 16 – Vietnam War: In a coup, General Nguyen Khanh replaces Duong Van Minh as South Vietnam's chief of state and establishes a new constitution, drafted partly by the U.S. Embassy.

• August 24–27 – The Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City nominates incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson for a full term, and U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota as his running mate.

• August 27 – Walt Disney's Mary Poppins has its world premiere in Los Angeles. It will go on to become Disney's biggest moneymaker, and winner of 5 Academy Awards, including a Best Actress award for Julie Andrews. Mary Poppins was the first Disney film to be nominated for Best Picture.

• August 28–30 – Philadelphia 1964 race riot: Tensions between African American residents and police lead to 341 injuries and 774 arrests.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964

Go to the W ’64 website on your iPhone to read back issues or see pictures from

the ‘64 yearbook?

It’s easy if you have the free app - QR Code Reader. Simply scan the QR code below with your iPhone, and you will be directed to the website. Put in the password: bulldog1964 and you are there.

If You Don’t Submit an Article, I’ll Shoot This Dog!

With apologies to National Lampoon and its June ’73 cover.

Send your articles to: Whs.class.64@gmail.com.