You Can Go Home Again

I spent this past Sunday afternoon at Tony Procaccini's parents' home collecting memorabilia which needed to be scanned for our reunion Web site. Tony happened to be playing at a wedding at nearby Assumption Church when I arrived, and his Mom made me feel right at home on the front porch.

We chatted for awhile, broaching such topics as where I lived, how many children I had, and what I did for a living. I complimented her on a fine home and neighborhood, and we enjoyed the brilliant sunshine and cool breeze only a front porch provides.

Tony's Dad emerged from inside the house later, and we struck up another conversation on the front porch. As soon as he found out I am the morning meteorologist at News 12, he eagerly began talking about the front page feature story about hurricanes in Sunday's Connecticut Post. We talked about Gloria in 1985, and the double-whammy which caused the massive floods of 1955. We discussed the likelihood of another catastrophic hurricane in the Northeast this year.

I can see why his parents enjoy sitting on that porch. In many ways, it reminds me of Sheriff Andy Taylor's front porch in the classic 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. Life's hectic pace is slowed to a crawl, and there's no need to rush. It was comfortable and relaxing. Just perfect for a late-Sunday afternoon. Perhaps the most pressing issue was whether or not to get "a bottle of Pop," one of the quotes made famous by Deputy Barney Fife while he was relaxing on such a front porch.

I spotted Tony walking up the street, and within minutes we were inside glancing at all his "souvenirs" and articles from high school. I marveled at his collection, which included report cards, class schedules, band programs, and newspaper clippings about the baseball team. Tony even gave me his "letter," the famed crimson "W," which was scanned into the Web site this morning.

I guess each of us is like Tony. He showed me the graduation program and his diploma. I told him I had both items at work along with the Flame yearbook, which I've been using to create album pages for the reunion Web site. We save those things which have a special place during a special time in our lives.

Even though I didn't spend a whole lot of time with Tony's parents, I enjoyed the peace and quiet of their front porch and the friendliness of their company.

Paul

It's a Small World

Over the last several years I've become good friends with an elderly gentleman at my parish, St. Pius X. Although well into his 80s, he's a dignified man who's always impeccably dressed in a nice suit, and he carries himself with class at all times.

I'm a Lector, and he's a Eucharistic Minister and usher at the noon Mass each Sunday afternoon. We've had occasion to speak many times before Mass. I know his wife has been ill for a long time, but my son and I have seen him and his wife a few times at Dutchess Restaurant on Black Rock Turnpike. He told me he was an educator during his professional life before he retired over a quarter of a century ago.

So it came with great shock as I was perusing the Flame 1976 yearbook when I came across Benjamin Guerra's photo in the Barlow faculty section of the book. Since my homeroom was in Wolcott-Smedley, I didn't know Mr. Guerrera or, if I did, it was in passing.

This afternoon, Ben Guerra was an usher and Eucharistic Minister at the 12 o'clock Mass. I told my son that he had been a teacher at Warde when I attended the high school. I couldn't wait to see him after Mass as he was distributing the weekly bulletins to the parishioners.

"How are you?" I asked him. "I'm fine," he said, as usual with a broad smile across his face.

"How is your wife doing?" I wondered. "She's doing alright. Thanks for always asking about her," he said.

"Did you teach at Andrew Warde High School?" I eagerly asked him.

"Oh, yes. I was there for 21 years," he told me. "I retired in 1979. I think I started in 1958."

Later in the afternoon, I spent some time at Tony Procaccini's home reviewing some material which needed to be scanned for the reunion Web page. I just had to ask him if he remembered Ben Guerra.

"He was my Spanish teacher," said Tony, the chair of this year's event. "I had him during my last year."

What a small world!

Ben Guerra is a wonderful human being. He is devoted to his wife, always upbeat and positive, and is still active in his parish almost 30 years after retiring from Andrew Warde High School. Even though I didn't know him when I was a student at Warde, I admire him for being a true "gentle man."

Odds and Ends ... Our class reunion announcement appears in today's Connecticut Post. It has all the information about our August 19 reunion at Testo's, including how to register and submit payment on the Web site. Check it out.

Paul

So Much Has Changed

Every morning I glance at the reunion Web page to see if any classmates have signed the Guest Book or added photos to our albums. A few of our graduates signed the Guest Book this week.

Darlene DeSiena pointed out that she's the Mother of a current student at Warde. "My son goes there, and I couldn't believe it when he got assigned to the same house as me. The school is so different than when we went," she wrote. I'm sure I'll feel the same way when my son starts at Warde in a little more than two years.

"By the time the reunion takes place, my son will turn 18. He starts the 12th grade in September," she continued. "It was very eerie walking into Warde for the first time in many years for my son's open house. So much has changed."

She's right. The school is so very different. So much has changed, indeed.

I spent an entire afternoon at the high school last Wednesday to take photos with my digital camera. I had that "eerie" feeling the whole time I was there. It almost felt like what happened 30 years ago never really took place. First, we were there over a generation ago, and that's a long time. Second, the school has changed dramatically. It looks brighter and better than it did when we attended Warde.

While walking the halls of the school, I swore I felt the "ghosts" of some of our former teachers, such as Miss Rodriguez, Mr. Abraham, and Miss Contolini, there in spirit. Although there are a handful of teachers still at the school from the days when we attended, I couldn't help but think of the teachers who called the school home back in 1976.

I ran into a former colleague at the Connecticut Weather Center in Danbury with whom I worked in the late 1990s. He's now a Science teacher at Warde and is currently conducting a class on meteorology. He was surprised to see me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He's actually young enough to be my son. "I graduated from this school in 1976, and I'm taking some photos for our reunion Web site," I proudly told him.

"Wow, that's a long time ago," he affirmed.

He's right. It is a long time ago. As I walked toward the front door, it almost felt like those "ghosts" were smiling at me for making the pilgrimage to Warde.

I thought about what my former colleague and current high school teacher said. We can certainly celebrate our past and enjoy the wonderful memories we have about our years at Warde. But, we can't re-live them. Time has a way of changing everything.

I started the car, turned on the radio, and heard the Carpenters singing Yesterday, Once More. How ironic. I began singing along. "Looking back on how it was in years gone by ... so much has changed."

Just then I thought I heard the "ghosts" singing along with me.

" ... so much has changed."

Paul

Oldies & Nostalgia

The upcoming 30-year high school reunion has generated a renewed interest in oldies music and nostalgia for me. It doesn't seem that it's been over a generation since we walked the halls of Andrew Warde High School. The older we get, the more quickly time seems to pass.

The last several months I've become hooked on the Saturday Night Oldies show on WABC with host Mark Simone. The show attempts to re-create the glory days of Top 40 music on AM radio, specifically, WABC, which was home to legendary disc jockeys during our youth. By the early 1980s, though, a clear FM signal in stereo and more music options had all but eliminated music on AM radio. WABC eventually became all-talk radio in May of 1982.

Now, though, host Mark Simone caters to the "baby boomers" by reminiscing about what life was like for all of us in the 1960s and 1970s by playing the top music of days gone by and encouraging phone calls and Internet message board chatter. He even has interviews with the popular musicians of that era.

Naturally, the show has become "appointment radio" for me, and I never miss a Saturday night oldies program. I wrote to Mark thanking him for all his efforts.

"What a nice surprise to hear from News 12," he responded. "I spend a lot of time in Connecticut and watch it quite a bit. Thanks for your kind words and taking the time to write. Great to know you were listening. Spread the word!"

This coming Memorial Day weekend, Mark hosts his oldies program Saturday night, and the the station airs its annual Memorial Day Rewound all-day Monday by rebroadcasting parts of shows from the 1960s and 1970s. Mark wraps up the nostalgic weekend with a Post-Rewound program Monday evening from 6 to 8 o'clock.

So what were the Top Ten songs on June 24, 1976, our graduation day? Here's the official list from WABC Music Radio's survey:

1. Silly Love Songs by Wings
2. Kiss and Say Goodbye by The Manhattans
3. Love Hangover by Diana Ross
4. Misty Blue by Dorothy Moore
5. More, More, More by Andrea True Connection
6. Get Up and Boogie by Silver
7. Sara Smile by Daryl Hall and John Oates
8. Shannon by Henry Gross
9. Turn the Beat Around by Vicki Sue Robinson
10. Welcome Back Kotter by John Sebastian

Maybe we'll hear at least one of those songs on this weekend's Saturday Night Oldies show!

Paul

The Little Things

One of my favorite Sunday morning rituals is to relax and enjoy the newspaper. Having a full-time career, raising a son on my own, and volunteering for just about every civic event in Fairfield leaves me with very little time for leisure. Yesterday, I spent nearly six hours as the emcee for Fairfield's annual Earth Day celebration at McKinley School. Reading the newspaper, though, is one of my Sunday morning pursuits.

After I poured my cup of coffee and sat down, I noticed a section for class reunion announcements. There were announcements about upcoming reunions for Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Milford High School, and Bunnell and Stratford high schools. There was an email contact to whom to write.

Instantly, I bolted for the computer and sent our information, along with the reunion Web site address, to the woman who publishes the reunion feature. Sometimes, even the most obvious chores tend to be overlooked. This was such a prominent way to spread the word, yet we hadn't even thought about it.

So, the next time you pick up a Sunday copy of The Connecticut Post, take a look at the reunion section. All the information about our August 19 event at Testo's Restaurant in Bridgeport will be included.

Oh, and by the way, as soon as I returned to my newspaper, my son informed me it was time to take him to his Little League game. The morning newspaper will have to wait until later this evening, I guess.

Paul

A "Link" to the Past

It was nice to get an email from Susan of our reunion committee informing us that our reunion Web site has been linked to the main Web page of Fairfield Warde High School.

Symbolically, it's a "link" to the past, so-to-speak. The school Web site can be found at http://www.fairfield.k12.ct.us/wardehs/.

This will help spread the word about our reunion. It is nice to see our link on Warde's Web site.

Paul

The Reunion Committee is Hard at Work

Hello, fellow Andrew Warde High School 1976 graduates.

The 30th reunion committee, chaired by Tony Procaccini, is hard at work planning our event for this Summer. Tony "grabbed the bull by the horns" and spearheaded the drive to start the reunion. The festivities will take place Saturday evening, August 19, from 7:00 to 11:00 at Testo's Restaurant on Madison Avenue in Bridgeport. It is the former long-time home of the Three-Door Restaurant.

The committee met for the first time Saturday, April 29, at Three Corner Restaurant in Fairfield. So much has been accomplished in three weeks time, but much more needs to be done.

The most important item is spreading the word about the reunion to all the graduates of the Bicentennial Class of 1976. The work is time-consuming, tedious, frustrating, and overwhelming all at once. Please get the word out as we hope to have a successful reunion.

The most satisfying part of working on the committee for me has been helping to create the reunion Web page. It can be found at http://www.warde1976.myevent.com. Over the last three weeks I've begun scanning photos from the Flame yearbook, and I've created several photo albums. Flipping through the pages of the yearbook has been a special experience in itself. I don't think I had looked at the book in over a decade. Once I opened it, I couldn't put it down.

I've also been to Warde High School and taken 45 shots of the campus for a separate album entitled Andrew Warde Today. That was a lot of fun. I visited the high school one afternoon well after classes were dismissed for the day. The current headmaster, James Coyne, told me I had access to the school, so I spent at least a good hour inside and outside, snapping photos and reminiscing about "the good old days." The photos are now available in the photo album on the Web site, complete with captions.

A lot has changed in 30 years, but it will be good to get together again, at least for one night, to renew acquaintances, build on friendships, and re-live a special time in our lives. We were the 20th graduating class of Andrew Warde High School, and those years will never be forgotten.

Feel free to post your comments on this blog. The reunion is exactly three months from today.

Paul