Class of ‘59 News Issue #13/Spring 2016

Our motto: We’re still vertical.

Editors: Pete Prunkl & Joe E. Doyle

The Class of ‘59 News is published periodically throughout the year. Joe Doyle & Pete Prunkl, co-editors

E-mail or mail news and photos to: prunkl@fibrant.com

421 South Ellis Street, Salisbury, NC 28144

Issue #14 is scheduled to publish in the fall.

Send us your vacation photos.

Bob Juster

Mike Falivena

Bill Callanan

Joe DeMartino

Bill McBarron A t the Hine, Bill played sports on the intramural and JV

level, but after graduation, he blossomed as a top-notch

pitcher for Maryknoll College. There he won 25 games,

including a one-hitter. He left Maryknoll for Rutgers where he

graduated with a marketing and finance degree. Although he later

played in advanced semi-pro and industrial leagues, Bill’s main focus

was achieving a successful business career. He became national

credit manager at Citicorp, president of a federally charted bank in

Annapolis, Maryland., and president of a top trucking firm.

Bill travelled to the Hive from Linden, where he and his wife of 37

years, Ann, now reside. They married at St. Mary’s Church in Newark

with his uncle, Morris McBarron, O.S.B., then pastor, officiating. Last

November, all the McBarrons, including daughter, Kelli Ann Raleigh

and son, Douglas, their spouses and grandchildren Matthew, 10 and

Christina,7, went on a “fantastic” Carribean cruise together.

Bob Stefans

Hal Pierson

Marty Teevan (1941-2015)

B ill spent his first two years at The Hive and then transferred to Nutley

High where he graduated in ’59 with Martha Stewart. Jim Callanan,

Bill’s younger brother, graduated from Benedicts in 1961. Bill played

piano for years with Joey Dee and the Starliners, the band that made Peppermint

Twist a hit in 1961. During their many worldwide tours in the early ‘60s, Bill said

that the Beatles were one of their opening bands.

In 1967, Bill moved to Las Vegas to play jazz on the B3 Hammond organ in

lounges and clubs. He later became band leader at the Stardust Hotel and

Casino. Today he plays organ as a soloist and with his band B3 Conspiracy. One

of Bill’s continuing gigs is at Circus Circus.

Bill is married to Jan and they have two married daughters, Patty and Mary and

four grandchildren. Asked about his memories of Benedicts, Bill named The

Duke, Fr. Eugene and classmate Roman Chrucky.

Joey Dee, age 79, now lives in Clearwater, Florida, and he and Bill remain good

friends. Both think the band deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2011, Bill returned to N.J., looked up his old Starliner guitarist Vinnie Corrao,

and with drummer Paull Testa and tenor sax man Jerry Weldon recorded a new

CD, Resurrection from the Pits. For a copy, email Bill at bill_callanan@cox.net

Top: Bill with Martha Stewart at a Nutley High reunion. Bottom:

Joey Dee and the Starliners with Bill, back row, far right

F or the past nine years, Joe and Rosalie have been living in a condo in Boca Raton, Florida. Joe ran a technical recruiting business in Paramus for 30 years and as long as he could be

near a computer and phone, he could run the business from home in Florida.

Rosalie works for the town clerk’s office in nearby Highland Beach. Their three children and five grandchildren are in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

When Joe turned 40, his kids bought him a bike to encourage him to stop smoking. He gave up cigarettes, but not the bike. He rides ten miles each morning along the ocean before breakfast.

He and his brother had a boat until two years ago. Today “The best kind of boat is someone else’s!” Contact Joe at demartino457@yahoo.com

Roman Chrucky

A fter Benedicts, Roman spent two years at Rutgers as a psych major. He then had an opportunity to study medicine at the University of Salamanca in Spain. Med school there was a six year program.

Roman studied Latin and French at the Hive and found Spanish an easy language to learn.

After a residency in family medicine in Connecticut, Roman spent 32 years as the medical director for the North Jersey Developmental Center in Totowa. Governor Christie closed the center in June 2014, a year after Roman retired, displacing 337 residents and 956 workers. Roman combined his work at the center with a private practice in family medicine.

Roman and Sylvia have been married since 1968 and had five children. Their youngest daughter was killed last year in a car accident. The Chruckys have three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Roman attended our 25th reunion and was amazed that high school cliques had remained intact. “Everything was a replay of high school,” he observed.

Contact Roman at zvookrx.r@gmail.com or by phone at 203-268-1644.

Tom Middleton

I n February Lyn and Bob boarded the Caribbean

Princess for a round-trip cruise from Houston to Key West, Florida, and Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas. “Lyn wanted fun photos,” said Bob, “because she does not like standard poses.” Bob wishes everyone in the Class of 59 a happy 75th

T he entire Pierson family got together for

Hal’s birthday. In this photo, Hal is

surrounded by grandkids. Leo in his lap

and the twin girls on each end are Ted's kids from

Spartanburg, South Carolina. The other two are son

Harold's kids, Patrick and Riley from Seattle,

Washington.

M ike plays piano/organ in the Venice, (Florida) Community Orchestra.

On December 16, Mike fell off his bicycle, smashed his right knee into the concrete path, broke the top of his shin bone so the patellar tendon separated from his leg and landed on his stomach on top of a huge fire ant mound. Instantly, thousands of tiny ants were crawling all over him and inside his underwear, biting him, leaving little red bite marks and later scars. Surgery was scheduled for the next morning.

Regular Contributors

Charlie Cameron

Then there were the complications. His leg got a cellulitis infection, swelled up, crimson red and hot, requiring antibiotics. Needless to say, his holidays were ruined. Other than that.....he's been fine.

O ur friend Marty died in July 2015. His working life was

spent on Wall Street. After the Army, Marty worked for

Garvin Bantel Corporation trading stocks. For 25 years, he

worked in Risk Arbitrage at Prudential Bache Securities rising to vice

president. Marty went on to Robb Peck McCooey Financial Services.

Until his death, he served as senior vice president at Monarch

Capital Group in New York. Marty was also an active proprietor of

The Full Shilling Irish Pub and Restaurant in New York

City. Marty’s wife Betty and their four children and seven

grandchildren survive him. Marty’s memorials were made to St.

Benedicts and Christian Brothers Academy. He and Betty enjoyed

life along the Irish Riviera, also known as the Jersey shore.

Jim Degnan

Y ou’re never too old to go on Spring Break. That’s Jim and Sharon in Abaco, Bahamas, with some of their family. The group took a tour of the

island's national park with its underground caverns and remnants of an early 20th century train system. The Degnans find Abaco a fantastic vacation site with beautiful beaches and near perfect weather this time of year. When at home in The Woodlands, Texas, Jim does volunteer work with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Sharon continues with her real estate business. Grandson Jim III is in his first year at University of Chicago. Granddaughter Diana is in the 8th grade at King School in Stamford, CT. Sharon's son, Michael, works for a local Texas bank.

While Ann holds a full-time job, Bill is locally active with Top Choice Real Estate and continues workouts at

the Cranford Elks Club and swimming pool.

Left to right: Grandson Jim; granddaughter Diana; son Jim; daughter-in-law Beth; Jim Sr., Sharon; son Mike.

Walt Carroll

T he Carrolls spent part of the spring at Disney World where they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. The photo shows them with the chefs from Citricos,

who prepared a special anniversary meal.

Their winter was very busy, said Walt. “We belong to a Winnabago Camping Club and camp one long weekend a month. I was elected Wagonmaster and Barbara is Vice President of the Buccaneer Winnies for the coming year.”

Walt has been playing golf as often as possible, but confesses that he is still not very good at it. He likes the challenge!

Ray Lopez

O n Alumni Weekend, June 4-5, at St. Bonaventure University, Tom will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The award caps a long and distinguished baseball career.

While at Benedicts, Tom was the first freshman in school history to start on the varsity baseball team. He was named to the All-City, All-County and All-State public and parochial teams. After graduation, Tom was offered a spot on the Dodger’s minor league team in Vero Beach, Florida. But his parents had other plans. They wanted him to be the first in the family to go to college.

While at St. Bonaventure, where freshmen are prohibited from playing varsity, Tom was on the varsity team three years. Baseball at Bonnie’s was a fall and spring sport and Tom co-captained the team for two years. In his junior year, he was ten hits for his first ten at-bats and that accomplishment caught the eye of Sports Illustrated. Tom made the first team for the conference and was voted MVP. He was also a unanimous choice for the Western New York College Conference All -Star roster at least twice.

After Bonnie, Tom spent the next five years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He coached Little League and Babe Ruth league for 12 years.

I n his note to the ‘59 Newsletter. Ray said that two years ago his wife Joyce lost her three year battle with cancer. Ray, whose

business and home are in Davidsonville, Maryland, downsized and bought a condo in Annapolis. He said he hopes to close on the Davidsonville home in a month.

Ray said he continues to work a flexible schedule at R.L. Engineering, but that leaves plenty of time for fun. “In January, I went to Vail for our annual ski trip,” said Ray. “My interests are golf, pickle ball, dancing, gym, biking, beach time, dinner with friends and family plus sudoku.”

One of these plaques will soon be engraved with Tom’s name.

Tom (left) with a few of his ‘63 Bonnie grads last July.

The Lunch Bunch: Seated, clockwise: Tom McGowan, Jack Pierce, Jack Matthews, Steve Smith, Bob Coogan, Rich Reilly, Bill Neafsey, Joe Doyle (standing).

C harlie Cameron regretted leaving the Hive after sophomore year, but managed to reconnect with the Class of 1959 at the 50th reunion celebration in Newark.

The career civil engineer finished high school at Jonathan Dayton Regional High School, Springfield, NJ and college at NCE (NJIT, today). Now, a welcome member of the monthly “lunch bunch” gatherings, Charlie is thrilled to be back among his former classmates.

Charlie and Mary Cameron will celebrate 50 years of marriage in June with the families of their three daughters, (11 grandchildren included). The couple resides in Springfield, the same house where Charlie was raised as a boy, and stays active in Millburn’s St. Rose of Lima parish. They enjoy traveling, but not when it involves flying. This April, Charlie joined cousins on a 10 day trip to Ireland. But Mary stayed home. Today, as age thins the ranks of class of ’59, it is great to have Charlie back in the fold.

Photo: Charlie (back row, third from right) with his cousin, the Mariner’s shortstop Chris Taylor( back row far left and on right)