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Baby It's You Monday, April 2, 2011 A new musical is in previews on Broadway in New York City. Baby It's You tells the story of a Passaic housewife Florence Greenberg, the owner of Sceptor Records, who discovered the Shirelles and managed their rise to stardom. Actually, the play opened at the Pasadena (CA) Playhouse in November of 2009 to mixed reviews, with praise for the musical performances but luke warm comments on the story line. Some changes have been made along the way, but the New York media will not publish their reviews until the official opening. Some of us may remember Florence's daughter and PHS graduate Mary Jane (now Mary Jane Goff), a year or two older than us, who we understand did have input into the production. Florence's 1995 obituary states that she was married to an accountant. But some of us may recall that Bernie Greenberg operated National Foods just off Route 3 on Main Avenue in Clifton, a wholesale distributor of Bachmann Pretzels and Wise Potato Chips. Lin and I (the Gordons) attended the April 2nd performance. Our mutual impression (and that of a group of attendees in 1st, 2nd and 3rd center rows) was that those who enjoyed the musical style of the late 50s and early 60s would be be satisfied with the musical performances ... but the story was weak, the pace was slow (at times painfully slow, leaving the audience waiting for something, anything, to happen)... and the acting was just passable. Margaret Meek, retired Passaic High School art teacher, dies Saturday, April 2, 2011 The Herald News Margaret Dunlop Meek, age 86, of Wayne on Thursday, March 31, 2011. Ms. Meek was born in Paterson to Charles and Agnes Haldane Meek. Margaret attended school No.13 and Eastside High School where she was the first to graduate with a Fine Arts Major. From there she went to Newark State Teachers College earning a BS in Fine Arts and then a MFA from Teacher's College, Columbia University. She became supervisor of Art for the city of Passaic, a position she held until retirement. She is survived by her two sisters, Martha Haldane Meek [a former Phsyical Education teacher at Passaic High School] and Harriett Loudon Meek. Southeast Florida PHS'60 Mini-Reunion ... a Delightful Evening Thursday, January 28, 2011 An intimate group of PHS'60 alumni gathered at the Boynton Beach FL home of classmate Joan Rosenbloom Kleinberg for an evening of food, drink and reminiscing ... and there was an abundance of each. As we mingled and sipped our favorite libations, a server passed among us with trays of appetizers. Early on, the men settled into soft, cushioned chairs and sofas in the living room for serious discussions about their military experiences, views on politics, resolutions to world conflicts and other light-hearted topics. The only thing missing was a deck of cards and the haze of cigar smoke. The woman assembled in the adjoining family room for more animated conversation ... with lots of laughter, giggling and cackling intruding into the men's intense discussions. The men soon realized that the woman were having more fun, so one by one they slipped out of the living room to join the women. Soon the "call to dinner" was sounded. Joan, a retired caterer, had set out a dinner buffet that rivaled Ivanka Trump's wedding reception. We chose from an array of delectable -- and healthy -- dishes, making sure to save room for the dessert selections -- not so healthy -- which literally filled the dining room tabletop. The calorie and cholesterol counters among us looked on with envy while the others dug in. The story telling, revelations and "whatever happened to" went on non-stop throughout the evening. We learned each others' life stories (the abridged versions) ... especially enjoying tales of how we all met and eventually married our respective spouses. We were amazed on discovering our links to one another (less than six degrees of separation) through relatives, college roommates, workplace colleagues, and social contacts ... even though many of us had long ago moved far away from our childhood homes in Passaic. Time passed too quickly ... the clock was showing past 11pm ... when our energy levels began to wind down. But, as always happens, another half hour was spent in saying our "good byes" and making promises to "keep in touch" ... promises that will surely be kept. The attendees included Joan (Rosenbloom) Kleinberg, Pat (Lazovick) Novack, Shelly and Barbara Kalmowitz, Jim and Gail (Weiner) Biben, Judy (Pinck) Rosenblatt, Dennis and Judy (Cohen) Paul, Michael and Joan Zager, and Cliff and Lin (Minkoff) Gordon. Original "College List" from 1960 Article Spring, 1960 The Herald-News 
Many thanks to Judy Strassman Van Praagh and Judy Pinck Rosenblatt for contributing an article that appeared in the Passaic-Clifton Herald-News in the Spring of 1960, showing a "partial" listing of our college and trade-school bound PHS'60 classmates. A readable version has been added to the bottom of the 2010 RE-ECHO pages. Some names appear to be missing (including those of your faithful editor and his lovely wife). Anyone wishing to be added to the "College List" should contact the editor with your name and college/trade-school information. Marjorie Bunnell, Passaic educator for 52 years, dies Tuesday, December 7, 2010 By Jay Levin, The Record 
Marjorie Bunnell’s career at Passaic High School spanned half a century — from the "no gum chewing era" to the "let’s break up that fight in the hallway era," said her last boss, Passaic schools Superintendent Robert Holster.Times changed, and Miss Bunnell, who retired as principal in 1995, changed with them. What did not change was her professional dedication. "She committed her life to the vocation of educating kids," Holster said, "and that is a special person." Miss Bunnell, who died last Friday at 88, was a part of Passaic High School history. Her mother, the former Grace Carey, was valedictorian in 1908; Miss Bunnell graduated in 1939. The notes under her yearbook photo say she was a member of the Spanish and Dramatics clubs, participated in the school play "The Perfect Alibi," and helped the needy through the Penny Aid. After her 1943 graduation from Montclair State College, Miss Bunnell returned to Passaic High to teach American history. She became vice principal in 1965 and principal in 1983. She made headlines just once, in 1977, when she and a gym teacher were physically assaulted during a 16-year-old student’s disciplinary hearing. "I don’t want to see it get blown out of proportion," Miss Bunnell told The Record. "This school is not a jungle." Through sheer longevity at the high school, Miss Bunnell became expert at Passaic history, and was a trustee of the now-defunct Passaic Museum. "Marjorie had a phenomenal mind for remembering things and people," said Christine Krenicki, who taught English at the high school and is now the district’s supervisor of testing, research and evaluation. "She was Passaic history." Holster said Miss Bunnell’s 52-year tenure may be the longest in Passaic High School history. "Her energy was unbelievable — she was all over the place," he said. "I don’t even think I ever saw her call in absent, God bless her." Miss Bunnell resided the past three years at the Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff. She previously lived in Ridgewood. Rev. Alexander Krenicki, 77, pastor, Passaic educator Thursday, August 19, 2010 By Jay Levin, The Record 
The Rev. Alexander J. Krenicki of River Vale, who had a 40-year career as a teacher and an administrator in his hometown Passaic school district, died Thursday. He was 77. "He had a long illness," said his wife, Christine Krenicki.Father Krenicki, known as A.J., was ordained as a Russian Orthodox priest in 1984 while still working in the Passaic schools. He was assigned in 1990 to St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Bayonne, a heavily immigrant congregation. Christine Krenicki, supervisor of testing, research and evaluation for the Passaic schools, said her husband had two careers he cherished. As an educator, he was proud to have guided and inspired thousands of young people in Passaic, and being a priest gave him spiritual satisfaction. Father Krenicki remained devoted to his hometown, said Mark Auerbach, Passaic city historian. The two met in the early ’60s at Passaic High — Auerbach was a student, and the future priest was teaching industrial arts. “A.J. had a great love of Passaic history and a photographic memory,” Auerbach said. “If you wanted to know an obscure fact about Passaic, you went to A.J. When I became the historian in 1993, he gifted me with a 1901 atlas of the city. He acquired it somewhere along the line and said to me, ‘I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but I gave it to the right person.’” Father Krenicki’s final position with the Passaic school district was as a supervisor for the adult school, the Passaic Learning Center. |