Elementary school photos:
North Bellmore, Bellmore, North Merrick, Merrick (1), Merrick (2), St. Barnabas.

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Live Surf Cams
Got a few minutes to spare and want to see our local beaches? Check out these web cams:
Gilgo Beach:
Long Beach: (new cam; movable; disconnects after 30 seconds or so.)
Southhampton: (Cooper's Beach) Great streaming cam.

Class News

Summer Chatter: Bob Ferrigno is wondering whether anyone might be interested in a reunion in Florida? Meanwhile keep watching our web site for some news.

Weddings:
Frank Gobetz and Barbara Hoff, December 2010.

Anniversaries this past year:
55th Anniversary: Lance and Molly Dedrick Blackshaw.
50th Anniversaries: Al and Iris Haggerty, Iris Fruehwirth Reed and husband Ed, Mickey and Gloria Rylander Russell; Tom and Lois Woll Duggan.
Other Anniversaries: Arthur and Sandra Kaye Tauber, (51 years), Eileen Freidberg Ginberg and Dave (56 years), Sam Hightower and wife (52 years).

Frank Gobetz and Barbara Hoff were married last December 18 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in South Windsor, CT. Barbara is a 1974 graduate of Mt Holyoke College and has a graduate degree from the University of Chicago .Both of us had been widowed, so the marriage is the second time around for each. We met at St. Peter's, and were engaged for about a year before the wedding. Barbara works at a bank software company. Click here for large image and also photo of Lance and Molly Dedrick Blackshaw, who attended the wedding. .

Martin Lavanhar -- Martin, wife Caroline and son Derek have built six schools in Mayan villages in Guatemala since 2006 and are planning two more in 2012 as part of the family's Sienna Project. Please see what the Sienna Project is doing by going to their web site: http://siennaproject.com/ (lots of information!). Also see some cartoons from Martin and Caroline's spring trip to South Africa: Click here.

Ed Judice -- Ed's creative photography can be seen on his beautifully-designed web site: http://www.edwardjudicephoto.com/ Galleries include examples of commercial, fine art, and other photographs. You will enjoy reading his biography and remember THE PHOTO, chosen by Polaroid and placed in every major camera store in America. Ed was principal photographer for Disney's Family Fun magazine for over ten years. His work has been seen on numerous magazine covers and in scores of articles.

Toni Elling and daughter Elizabeth Cerutti were featured in the May/June issue of Victoria magazine under "Entrepreneurial Women" with their candied flowers business, Meadowsweets. (candiedflowers.com) Toni's upstate property was also the subject of a watercolor workshop this past fall. Sadly, Toni passed away on July 29 of this year.

Isabel Ramel:
Former Mepham speech and drama teacher, Isabel Ramel passed away on April 23, 2011. Obituary in Newsday. A condolence Guest Book is included.

Joe and Elaine Troup are proud Great Grandparents this past year. Congrats!

Carolyn Summers Herrera toured Germany this past summer. Photo page soon available.

Bill Hall and wife Joan toured Sequoia, Yosemite and Death Valley National Parks this past fall. Looking forward to new golf season, too!

Al Haggerty and wife Iris have moved permanently to Arizona this past year. They had been spending summers in scenic Mystic. We know he misses his cutter-rigged sloop, It's Plane to Sea.

Dave Chasin and wife Marilyn recently moved to the eastern end of Long Island. Enjoy the community and the beautiful countryside folks!

Harvey Poppel is our latest class inductee into Mepham's Who Who ( May 2, 2010 awards ceremony at the school.) You may view Harvey's bio, which is on the Mepham Alumni Association's web site: http://www.mepham.org/whos2010.html#Poppel and which appeared in the Who's Who awards brochure. A listing of our Who's Who awardees from our class can be viewed here:

Lucille Longo Sanchez enjoys living in Hobe Sound, FL. Tells us they've been there since 1994 and prior to that lived down in Coral Springs, FL since 1978. "We're practically "natives." Lots of nice people, lots of Bridge players and lots of doctors conveniently located!!"

Chike Dyott still plays softball in three leagues per week and is on a traveling tournament team that plays around the western states. Then there're overseas tours like Cuba and Europe. He travels to Taiwan for their national senior softball championships and plays in the All-Japan National Championships, as well, where we hear their banquets are superb (especially sake!. ;-)

Toni Elling and her candied flower company, Meadowsweets, took part in the Nantucket Garden Festival July 22-24, 2010. Have a look at Toni's web site: www.candiedflowers.com. Toni was featured on a Japanese version of The Today Show a few years ago.

Marge Meurn Broderick has moved to new digs in California ... loves the weather and plays lots of golf. Will be visiting Connecticut in June to attend her granddaughter's college graduatiion. Times flies!

Bill Hall hit a Hole-in-One on June 7, folks. Eighth hole, 155 yards. Click here for photo Congrats Bill!. He gave up golfing, flyfishing and gardening, though, for a couple of visits to Italy and France with his wife and friends. Viva gelato, vino and Tuscany! Favorite places were the pastel-colored town of Burano, an island off Venice, the Rue Cler in Paris, and the beautiful French city of Arles. They became acquainted with a French couple who owned the Arles hotel they stayed at. "That real interaction with them and getting to know them and their six-year old twins were real human interest moments.that will outlast any photos." Click here to visit a page of photos.

Al Haggerty is in Arizona for the winter months; he and Iris have moved from their condo to a home in their community. Still spend summers in Connecticut. Has sailed on his cutter-rigged sloop to Maine, Martha's Vineyard and a 'lifetime" wish trip to NYC. Check Al's photo page for some photos of his sailing and other adventures. Photo left of a recent skiing trip in Telluride, Colorado. Way to go Al!

2006 News:

Elaine Ferber Feldman has moved full-time to Florida.

Jack Skelly was off to Alaska this summer, visiting daughter and all important fishing. Will then be traveling to Ireland with son Jonathan....visiting all the relatives.

Al and Iris Haggerty have moved into more spacious quarters in their winter home in Scottsdale and will be spending the summer in Mystic.

Lance And Molly Dedrick Blackshaw: Has retired and moved to Maine; winters in Florida. Lance is now the Executive Director of the Bagaduce Music Lending Library in Blue Hill, ME. " I really was retired (for less than a year), but it didn't last long. However, I don't expect to be at the Library forever...more like working with the organization in the short term to help with planning, facilities, and fundraising issues."

Tony Kurdsjuk has recently published "The Long Walk Home with Miracles Along the Way." Story of history and persecution in Russia and his family's trek to USA.

2005

Carolyn Summers Herrera recently returned to her Florida home after an RV trip to ...... Hurricane did minimal damage. Flo Wright is back dancing again after a successful knee replacement operation. Allen Haggerty traveled to Belfast Ireland to give an aeronaturical lecture for MIT at Queens University. Toured a "bit of Ireland." Been sailing this month out of his summer home in Mystic.

Marty Lavanhar took some dramatic photos of The Gates exhibit in Central Park in February '05; click here to view pictures. A very colorful exhibit by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Charlie Frank recently restored a number of photos from Merrick Elementary School days. Click here to view.

Mepham Maine Mini-Reunion: Lance and Molly Dedrick Blackshaw hosted a get together at their summer home in Maine in July. We understand Lance makes terrific Lobster rolls! Jean Ahlers Witzel and husband Tom, Al and Iris Haggerty, Audrey Wildner Sears and husband and Ray, Frank Gobetz, Ellie LiPetri Boyer, Siggie Dieken and daughter Lauren, and Chike Dyott stopped by.

Long Island Film Festival now held in Bellmore annually!

Sad News:
We are saddened to report the passing of our classmates: John D'Amico (12-2-2000). Tom Leyland (February 2005);.James M. Meyer (March 2005)

You Gotta Start Off Each Day with a Laugh!

For all those who've seen Marty Lavanhar's cartoons in the reunion yearbook, here are his latest, inspired by a visit he and wife Caroline made to Tanzania, Africa. Click here.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!
Our East Coast was really socked with a huge snow storm the weekend of January 22-23. Marty's cartoon says it all!

2004 News:

Joe Zanchelli: Joyce and I were thrilled to be a part of the 50th reunion of the great Mepham Class of '54. What a wonderful evening! To be with so many of our former students whom we haven't seen for 50 years was such an emotional experience. We were able to get "caught up" with some of you but not nearly enough of you. Time just ran out.
We want to thank Al Haggerty, Carol O'Keefe House and the rest of the reunion committee for giving us the opportunity to celebrate with our favorite class. We enjoyed it so much.
The reunion committee did a fabulous job and their work will be difficult to match for the next reunion.
Best wishes to the Class of '54. We think you're the greatest!

John Bloore has moved from Virginia in September 2001 and relocated near their daughter and family in Little Rock, Arkansas. He retired mid 2002 and has been doing a good deal of traveling both in the states and Europe. They love being there and being away from the cold (most of the time) but most of all they enjoy visiting friends and family, and not doing it on any particular schedule.

Sad News: We offer our deepest condolences to Class Co-Representative Carolyn Summers Herrera and her family on the death of her husband, Chris, on June 15, following a long illness. Chris had been a member of the Class of 1955 .