This Date in Andrew Warde High School History: Warde Wins; Ludlowe Loses

Let's take a look back at what happened on this date --- February 11, 1963 --- in Andrew Warde High School history.



The Crimson Eagles' boys basketball team defeated Stamford Catholic High School for its 11th win of the season. Warde trounced the Crusaders, 87-50, as co-captains Bob Ryan and Pete Jankovsky paced the winners.

The following day, the game made headlines in the sports section of The Bridgeport Telegram. Ironically, juxtaposed with the Warde summary was a story about the Roger Ludlowe High School boys basketball team's crushing defeat at New Canaan High School. The Flying Tigers were grounded by the Rams, 63-37.

Paul

Coaches Appointed to New Andrew Warde High School on This Date in 1956

Let's take a look back and see what was happening on this date 55 years ago. The reassignment of three coaches at Roger Ludlowe High School to the new Andrew Warde High School, which opened in September of 1956, was announced on this date --- Tuesday, February 7, 1956.

Fern Tetreau (football), Robert Jackson (baseball), and Robert Seirup (basketball) transferred from the Unquowa Road high school to the sparkling new secondary high school on Melville Avenue. Tetreau guided the Warde gridders to a perfect record in 1959, and Jackson and Seirup perenially led their squads to tremendous success.

Take a look at the front-page article which appeared in The Bridgeport Post from Wednesday, February 8, 1956.



Paul

Crimson Eagles Trounced Flying Tigers to Gain CIAC Basketball Playoff Berth on This Date in 1963

The Andrew Warde High School boys' basketball team trounced arch-rival Roger Ludlowe, 87-62, at the winners' gym 48 years ago this evening, Tuesday, February 5, 1963. It was the second game between the spirited Fairfield rivals that season. Warde also won the first contest, 71-48.

There were several highlights in the game. Warde co-captain Pete Jankovsky equaled Joe Magdon's school scoring record of 34 points; the Crimson Eagles climbed into a tie for second place with New Canaan in the FCIAC Eastern Division; Coach Don Feeley's cagers gained a berth in the CIAC tournament; Warde chalked up its tenth straight home court triumph; and the Eagles defeated the Tigers for the eighth time in a row.



Jankovsky and co-captain Bob Ryan combined for 12 points as Warde spurted into a 17-8 lead after the first period. Joel Blaskey topped the Tigers with six points.

The Crimson Eagles scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 38-25 halftime cushion. The second-quarter onslaught was led by Ryan (six points), Rusty Helgren (five), Jankovsky (four), Hank Gellert (four), and Wayne Gower (two), each having a hand in the scoring. Blaskey was the top scorer on offense for the Tigers with eight points, but he was limited to only two points in the second half.

Feeley's fast-breaking charges erupted for 45 points in the second half , netting 21 in the third period as Ryan hit for nine and Jankovsky added six. Ludlowe fought back gamely with 16 points, including six each by George Martin and Gary Klahr, but the Tigers trailed, 59-41, prior to the final eight-minute session.

The fourth quarter was all Jankovsky, as the senior tallied 16 points to equal the high mark established by Magdon in 1959 against Stamford Catholic.

Overall, Warde converted 21 of 27 foul shots, compared to 12 of 17 for Ludlowe.

The Crimson Eagles also won the junior varsity tilt, 46-44, as Jim Bodnar paced the winners with 19 points and Ray DeCormier tallied 18 for the Tigers.

Paul

Law and Order Star and AWHS Alum Richard Belzer Under Fire Over Unreturned Phone Call

The following news story was sent to me from Judd Magilnick of the Andrew Warde High School Class of 1970. Judd lives in Santa Monica, California. A friend of his from Teaneck, New Jersey, sent the New York Daily News article to him. TV's Law and Order star Richard Belzer is a graduate of Andrew Warde High School.

Hey, Shamsher Wadud, Richard Belzer, pictured below, still wants to speak to you — just as soon as your people place a call to his people.

Three months ago, we reported that Wadud, the ailing former owner of Central Park South celebrity hot spot Nirvana, was hoping for a get-well call from the comic and "Law and Order: SVU" actor, who he fondly recalled from high school.

That call never took place — even though last year Lynn Robnett, a rep from Belzer's management company, informed us that the actor would be happy to talk to Wadud — and had even volunteered the proceeds from a future stand-up comedy appearance to help his old school mate.

That was in late November. Since then, we hear that Wadud, who's bankrupt and suffers from Parkinson's disease, among other ailments, has become seriously bummed that the Belz hasn't called.

"I am deeply hurt," he told us through his loyal pal and unpaid publicist Sy Presten.

And yet, a rep from Belzer's management company says she's made a "couple of attempts to reach Wadud via his cell phone to set up a call between him and Belzer, but he hasn't answered or returned her calls.

"I don't think it's necessary to portray Richard in a bad light," wrote Robnett when Shamsher "is the one not returning" calls.

Robnett says she has the "phone records to prove it," but Wadud's friends counter that no one from Belzer's camp has called.

"Why in the world would Shamsher not return the phone call he's been waiting for for several weeks?" says Presten, who adds: "Shamsher doesn't want anything from Belzer. He just wants to hear some encouraging words and recall old times."

Wadud was an exchange student at Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield, Conn., when he met Belzer and nicknamed him "Jerry Lewis" because the future comic was always cracking jokes.

The future restaurateur lost track of Belzer until 2000 when he learned the he was on "Law and Order." That year, Wadud threw Belzer a lavish birthday party at another eatery he owned, The Landmark, that drew Belzer's castmate Mariska Hargitay and his bud, "Late Show with David Letterman" bandleader Paul Shaffer.

One of Wadud's friends says, Belzer "forgot to thank" Shamsher for the party, but Robnett replies: "Richard is not an ungrateful guy."

She also points out that Belzer and Wadud haven't exactly been close. "Richard hasn't heard his name in 10 years," she says, but she adds, "we get requests like this all the time" and if Wadud will just contact her, she'll set up the call.

Belzer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Frances and Charles Belzer. His father was a candy and tobacco wholesaler. Belzer grew up with his parents and older brother, Leonard. As a youth, Belzer worked as a paperboy and at Modern Tobacco (his parents' business) part-time while attending high school. He was "kicked out of every school he attended." Nonetheless, Belzer attended and graduated from Andrew Warde High School in the neighboring town of Fairfield, Connecticut. Both parents died while he was young; he was 18 when his mother died of cancer and 22 when his father committed suicide.