Your Thoughts

Hey Hello Pat, thank you for responding on my message.yes i remember mr Yankawitz he was the sports teacher and healthclass or something, i think we sat in the same classroom.nice to hear from you . I am living in Holland Europe for the last 38years, came across this website and i'm looking for old friends, but havent got any response exept this one. thanks
Tony Braspennincx [11-21-2009]

Just found this site via my sister Madeline. She was looking for Kevin MrKeirnan, all those boys were so handsome! I had Sr. Florine, Miss Catherine, & the dreaded Sr. Edward Anthony. She was one scary nun! My most cherished memories of school friends were with Joanne Vassalo who I still keep in touch with. I also remember "Needy" Kelly, Karen Turner, (Good afternoooooooooon, sister!) Mary Jo Graham (her Mom was so kind to us!) Maryann Malegeri, Elaine Westerfield I could go on and one. Rosemarie Hite, I remember you! Especially the incident with the gum on your nose!
Carol (nee Walsh), age 61 [11-21-2009]

Gerry.....Do you have a last name?We are all getting tired of your b.......! This site was great before you came on with all your negative crap,and will continue to flourish as you exit.I don't know Anthony nor you.But,I do know that you are a strap. This is a very nice site which has enabled hundred's of us to reconnect with old friends from Germantown,and re-live many,many pleasant past memories.Buzz off Gerry.Good Riddance....Paul Borian.....
Paul Borian [11-21-2009]

Gerry, you just go on and on with this argument...you don't know to when to stop. You continue to criticize the public school system that many of us attended, almost equating us as morons and our parents as negligent for sending us there. I received a good education in public schools and I resent your remarks about morality. I learned my morals at home from my parents. They did not expect the school to teach them to me..only to reinforce them. I did not need excessive punishment to make me learn. I learned because the teachers did not waste valuable learning time tempting me to do something that would allow them to show their dominance over me. So, stop comparing and realize that you are not superior over anybody. Try to enjoy the good things written here and understand that the negative things may not have happened to YOU, but did to somebody else.
Gtn. Gal [11-21-2009]

to JOHN DiRenzo i still live in phila. in roxbrough at bells mill rd and ridge ave. every now and then i think about the kids i knew back then and wonder what became of them.
pat sirianni, still thinking of germantown [11-21-2009]

Gerry, by me using the prefix to name I was not throwing any ethic slur out there, just as you have now done. You are the attacking one here and you need to be careful.
anthonyg [11-21-2009]

Yea, Ron we did great. I know I messed up, but I straightened myself out, got my diploma and became a court reporter for the City of Phila and put in over forty years in that position. I saw you many times in the district and now have contact with you again. I learned from my mistakes.
anthonyg [11-21-2009]

Helen Leone D'angelo, way to write it, about your mom. It was so prevelant back then. That is where my father ended up at Fulton. He too could not attend St Vincent's.
anthonyg [11-21-2009]

Anonymous, when attacking Dan Hartnett why didn't you sign your name? Gerry brought it all on himself and Dan is not the only one who fired back at him. And there is no need for me to write about the prejudice acts against certain ehnic groups because I already stated my situation and am not beating a dead horse. And if I remember correctly didn't Germantown High beat CD in the '65 basketball city title? Just pointing out that there were quality students back then, no matter what school you attended.
anthonyg [11-21-2009]

Hi - I graduated from Our lady of the Rosary (Holy Rosary) in 1969 and lived in Germantown through the 1980's. I am trying to locate anyone who attended that school on Haines St from 1960-1969. And Sister Concepta Marie is one nun who will never leave my memory (for a variety of reasons). Hopefully, I'l hear from someone.
Marion, Minneapolis MN [11-21-2009]

Hey Pat. what part of philly do you live in now? what are the major cross sts. I live in Mesa, Az.
John DiRenzo [11-20-2009]

Hey Pat between the giant and the green man we could have made one helluva horror flick.
John DiRenzo [11-20-2009]

To Ed in Chester Va. Sister Concepta Marie.( are you sure she wasn't an offensive lineman ) we disliked each other from day 1. and it continued throughout the year. We butted heads constantly and neither one of us backed down. ( my mother was always waiting for me with the wooden spoon when I got home ).it got to be that whenever she was ready to say something to me, she would choose her words carefully and I the same.Oh the battles we used to have. I was in Mother John Madeline's office twice a week.Towards the end of the year we gained a certain respect for one another and by the time I left Holy Rosary, we were actually friends. Weird Huh!
John DiRenzo [11-20-2009]

to Paul Borian. Bill Cosby was my counselor at " Camp Happy ". What a great and funny guy. He also went to Temple with my cousin Franny Greco, Billy the Butcher's daughter.
John DiRenzo [11-20-2009]

Chalie McGeehan....Hope you are doing well and enjoying retirement.How could any Phila.basketball fan forget Bobby McNeill.In my opinion,he is the greatest player that North ever produced.Ramsey,McNeil and Company from Hawk Hill,more often than not,upseat the heavily favorite Cats from Villanova.I still have nightmares from all those St.Joe's wins that ruined my beloved Villanova seasons.McNeil was a smooth southpaw who controlled many a game....Paul Borian
Paul Borian [11-20-2009]

Rosemarie, I was one of the lucky ones that did not get Miss Katherine.. But I did have Miss Eileen in the third grade and Mrs Campbell in the 4th grade.. I also remember the boy made up a song for Miss Eileen to the tune of Wyatt Eurpe and would sing it in the school yard....
Erda [11-20-2009]

Sorry I missed the lunch 11/15.I was in the hosp'from 11/8 to 11/17.Hope you have another,I wanted to go.But will next time.MARIE
marie [11-20-2009]

Dan Hartnett, your remarks are insulting to Gerry-calling him a pimplehead and an ignoramus.Simply because you disagree with him. That is low life behavior. There is no place here for insults. Just as there is no place for the dangerous domain of ethnic prejudice which several persons here of Italian heritage seem to favor. I would also add that Catholic CD High provided a 'moral education' whereas Germantown HS did not; that makes a BIG difference in school quality. And please keep on hold your "fighting tough guy" stories-I looked at the archives-they do not enhance your character which needs some work I would say. Hold the insults please.
anonymous [11-20-2009]

Bob Terranova: Was the reunion you mentioned with Mizzy, Bodie, Dave Clancey posted on this site. I haven't been fof sometime.
Bonnie Gatto [11-20-2009]

Joe Melchiorre: Ralph passed away on October 18 last year.
Bonnie Gatto [11-20-2009]

tommy collela my sentiments exactally !
rosemarie hite malageri [11-20-2009]

Paul Borian mentions that Bill Cosby also went to Germantown HS, altho he seems to only mention Central. I know this for a fact because our late, great friend, Ben Hom, was his sub on the Germantown HS basketball team. Said that at the time the Cos was a goof-off. He finally got smart late in life and now has the degrees to prove it. (Better late than never.)
Rosemarie Rinaldi [11-20-2009]

Charlie McGeehan: The Hawks had great teams back in the day. Nova had great talent but The Jesuits hired superior coaches-Dr. Jack Ramsey,Jack McKinney, Paul Westhead,Jimmy Lynam[all NBA coaches and now Phil Martelli. George Raveling would tell Al Severance what to do. Paul Boring was probaly at Providence-Hawk game in the 60'when Lenny Wilkins stripped Bob McNeil 2x and went coast to coast for lay-ups to win the game-naturally,he was inspired by the fans from Nova. John Thompson was on the Providence team and he was inspired by the great coaching of Dr. Jack that he went into coaching for Georgetown and beating Nova frequently. Bor will bring up the big game. When I went to The Hollow in the 50's,you were younger and hung with Peanut and that crowd. I remember your brother John well-he was friends with Ralph Gatto,Bob Compton,Ken Schenk,Allen Goode,Jim Razzano and Al Paris. They were a good group of guys and their football team played well because they had Ralph Gatto. I also remember your dad stopping in the Continental once or 2x. As you know,Wayne Ave. was his real territory. You started to follow basketball at an early age. Paul Borian liked basketball but he always played with guys who thought a basketball was a hot potato- Cal Gore comes to mind who was a great shooter for the Germantown Bears. Cal Gore and Bob McNeil were the same generation. I hope that your astute comments resonated with Bor-the old Germantown Bear.
JBS [11-20-2009]

My mother, Mary Gairo Leone and her 6 siblings were not welcome at St. Vincents School in the 1920's because they were Italian. They then went to Fulton, Roosevelt and Germantown for their education and to Holy Rosary for religious training. My mother always told us this story.
HELEN LEONE D'ANGELO [11-20-2009]

rosemarie, i don't remember the other lay teachers at st. vincents, just miss catherine. you are much younger than me and things did change as time went on. when i saw you at lunch on sunday roe, i still saw the pretty little blond girl that lived up the street from me when we were kids and you are as nice and delightful as ever.
HELEN LEONE D'ANGELO [11-20-2009]

Jack Brogan...What the hell are you doing in Freeport Maine!You should have never left the Hollow.You must be living in a different world.I admire you for making such a major adjustment to move on from your Hollow days to the great state of Maine.Life must be dull compared to your wild days in Phila.back in the 50's and 60's. I sure do remember Mt.Airy George.He had the hot's for me.Told him that it would cost him $100.He told me to pound sound.Cisco was there at the time,and he called me;"Bor the paid whore".With all those attractive guys at the Hollow,I don't know why he had his eyes on me.......Paul Borian
Paul Borian [11-20-2009]

Dennis McGlinchey....So sorry to hear about Gerry Distel passing away.He was a real nice guy who spent some time at Happy Hollow. I remember him fondly.I worked at Blue Cross from 1969 to 1976 in the Provider Reimbursement Dept. At that time it was called Blue Cross of Greater Phila. Paul Borian
Paul Borian [11-20-2009]

Anyone who grew up in Germantown in the 50s and 60s should only look back and see how lucky they were to have done so. It really didn't matter what school you attended, because you enjoyed all the friends you made back then and the memories that were made with them. The games we played back then included; buck-buck, red rover red rover, dead man's box, half ball, stick ball, wall ball- the list could go on and on.... and it certainly didn't matter what nationality you were. I was taught by the likes of Miss Catherine, Sister Jane Elizabeth, Sister Edward Anthony etc. at St. Vincent De Paul and Graduated in '64 from CD. My wife graduated in '66 from Germantown High....so there's no feud there either. Remember we all have a path to follow so lets not judge others for the paths they might have taken, be it the right one or wrong one. Just let past memories be the good memories and look beyond the bitter memories. To Anthony G: looking back, we did alright didn't we? and to Jim McKernan: My brother Tony says you had one of the best fast balls any school baseball team could have wanted back in the day.....
Ron Majka, Happily married 41 Years, living in Mayfair [11-20-2009]

Jack Brogan .... regarding your comments ... well said ... and I do remember Mount Airy George ....
Tom Cusack [11-20-2009]

Anthony G. You are the person who needs to be careful about your accusations of discrimination against a reputable educationalist, principal and priest-administrator at CDHS. You made an ethnic slur against what you assumed was my nationality and now you deny this in your blog to Dennis. I see you wish some of your pals to support you in this claim—the claim of an avowed teenage rule-breaker versus that of a priest and principal. I'll take the priests' interpretation and decision any day. There has been way too much priest-bashing on this site, and the comments are indeed very prejudiced. You also try to dispel any ethnic slurs but there is no other interpretation of you assuming I am a “Mc”. To call an Irish person a “Mick” or “Mc” is no different than referring to an Italian as a “Wop”. It is derisive.Interesting that WOP was the message attached to some Italian immigrants passing through Ellis Island meaning “Without Papers” they did not have proper paper documentation like many of our below the border Mexicans today. I am from neither of these ethnic heritages. You are on shaky ground here because you say that “little David Mc” was treated more favorably than me by the priest. Stop whining. It is your pals’ blogs that are aggressive, angry and hurl insults at me. They (Rich, Anon Fem, Paul, Dan Hartnett, Rosemary R etc) descend to personal insults and they are the ones who need a lesson in intergroup tolerance and education. I am out. Be cool is the best advice I can offer. Gerry.
Gerry, CD Graduate [11-20-2009]

Dennis McGlinchey: My Catholic orientation is also traditional. I just thought you might like to know that St. Paul' on Christian St. near Passyunk in South Philly just started a Tridentine Mass every week at noon.
Dan Hartnett, Former East Germantown [11-20-2009]

to john direnzo yes that was the house behind the bocci club. the back of the club faced mechanic st. there was a swing made up of rope and an old tire on a tree behind the club. we would swing from the roof of the club. it was only one story. but when you are eight years old its the top of the world
pat sirianni [11-20-2009]

It would be nice to have someone update these blogs daily
John Direnzo [11-20-2009]

do john direnzo yes i do remember the story of the gaint.it was a great place to grow up.i also remember those nuns at holy rosery and how well could handle a ruler. in todays world they would be in jail.
pat sirianni, loved germentown [11-19-2009]

jbs I can't believe that someone other than myself remembers Bobby Mc Neill . He is the reason that I been a Hawk fan for the last 53 years. Paul the HAWK will never die
Chalie MC Geehan [11-19-2009]

Dennis McGlinchey, I meant no ethnic slur at all, just pointing out the way Gerry reacted. It was uncalled for and am so glad to see all the comebacks at him. That will give him somehting to think about. Haven't heard from him lately. And also very well put Paul B. And Sheila thanks so much for your wanting me to keep checking in.
anthonyg [11-19-2009]

Helen,Erda,Susan,RoseMarie,BettyAnn, Carol,Lynn,Linda C,Linda F, both Jimmy K's. Its was great having lunch with you at LaFontana on Sunday. Some I know growing up in G-town, other's I just met for the firs time. Anyway its hard to understand but it feels like we've all been frinds forever. Looking forward to seeing my old and new friends, and maybe some that couldn't be there this times soon!
Tommy Colella, East Side: Wister Playground [11-19-2009]

Name your school if it was located in Germantown. (Grade, Jr.High, and High School: 1- Fitler, Seymour & Knox Sts.
Germantowner, Fitler Grad [11-19-2009]

JBS - you mentioned Gerry Distel in one of your posts. I worked with a Gerry Distel at Independence Blue Cross. He retired a few years back and then passed away. Wondering if he might be the one and the same. I never knew Gerry was from Germantown, but I know his wife Mary is an IC alum. They lived in Fox Chase before moving to North Wales. Gerry was a really good guy.
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [11-19-2009]

Rosemarie Rinaldi: The older guys from The Hollow[Rocky,Goo,Joe,- etc] were honorable and they were selective about who tossed the bones.Larry[your husband],Ollie Powers,and Matt Fasano were great shooters and they liked the Bor[Paul] to play defense,rebound and pass the ball. Poker was a big game at the Hollow,it was a serious game and that was not the place for shooting your mouth. You are correct that there was always action at the Hollow if you know what I mean- Larry and Paul were 2 of the actors and they always held their own.
John Bruce Schmitt [11-19-2009]

by now, we have all been out of school for a very long time. isn't it more important to be what we are now?
MICHAEL [11-19-2009]

I noticed several e-mail about Miss Catherine, who taught 2nd grade at St. Vincent's. I entered St. Vincent's in third grade and graduated in 1951 so I missed having Miss Catherine as a teacher but I remember her well. Does anyone have memories of some of the nuns who taught during this time period, e.g., Sister Hortense (7th), Sister Edmond (3rd) and Sister Gabriel (4th) and Sister Marie Francis (8th). Jim Lyons
Jim Lyons, St. Vincent's 1951 [11-19-2009]

Rosemary, I agree, that Monsignor’s actions in denying confession to your husband, telling him to go to St. Mike’s, was shameful, sad and just plain wrong. There is no defending his actions. I have heard a lot about that monsignor, none of it positive or good. I’m still a Catholic, and a traditionalist one in that I still prefer the traditional ways, though I’m in the minority on that. But, traditionalist or not, I will be first to speak out and criticize the Catholic Church and its priests for their errors. If there was any good to come out of the priest sex abuse scandals, it was that we no longer put these priests on pedestals. They never belonged on those pedestals in the first place because they are human and just as prone to error and mistakes like the rest of us. That monsignor was a bad seed and an embarrassment to the Catholic Church. The same is true for Fr. Benonis of CD and Fr Donahoe from NC. The same for all those priests that did that to those kids. There were, and still are, quite a few bad apples in the bunch. There is a lot of anger at the Catholic Church by many, rightfully so because of the actions of its administrators and priests. But, there is a lot of good there too and its overall mission is one of good, not evil. Catholicism isn’t for everyone but just don’t let the sins of a few cloud your opinion of the whole.
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [11-19-2009]

Rosemary, you are wrong with your statement, “The ethnic churches were only necessary because these new immigrants were not welcome in the already established "American" parishes.”. National parishes were established out of compassion, not prejudice and discrimination. They were created to help an ethnic group of non-English speaking people assimilate, to provide for their spiritual, social, cultural and even economic needs. Case in point is Holy Rosary, The growing, mostly non-English Italian community in East Germantown were free to join IC and St. Vincent’s. But, they felt lost and isolated because of the language barrier. Before Holy Rosary was established, there was a special Mass in the Shrine basement chapel said in Italian for their benefit. The archdiocese would only create a national parish when petitioned to do so. In the case of St. Mike’s and Holy Rosary, that petition came from members of the Italian community living in that immediate area. There had to be a need and a growing ethnic population for the archdiocese to agree to it. There are national parishes for Italians, Germans, Polish, Spanish, Slovacs, Lithuanian, etc. Ever notice there were never any Irish-national parishes in the archdiocese? That’s because the Irish came over already speaking English. Sure, there were churches built in areas that were staunchly Irish, named after an Irish saint and built with strong Irish motifs. Case in point, St. Columba over in Swampoodle. An absolutely beautiful church built by the mostly Irish parishioners and has many statues of Irish saints, Irish motifs, green-laden marble, etc. But, that church was always open to all, though it was mostly attended by the Irish because that was who lived in that area at the time. I have heard it often that when it came to membership, Italians in Germantown were directed to St. Mike’s and Holy Rosary. But, I also know there were Italian parishioners at IC and in my class, so that wasn’t always the case at IC. I also know pastors were very territorial back then. To belong to the parish, you had to live within the boundaries. But, as I said in an earlier post, I myself have to stop short of calling the practice of sending Italian families over to join Holy Rosary or St. Mike’s as being discriminatory. Knowing how territorial these pastors were, it could very well have been that the pastors of St. Mike’s and Holy Rosary could have been angry if another parish accepted an Italian family for membership. I don’t know, but its possible…
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [11-19-2009]

Three words: Sister Concepta Marie. For those who had her in Seventh Grade OLR; chills run down our spines.
Ed, Chester, VA [11-19-2009]

Hey Pat Sirianni, I remember you now, and I think I even know the house that you lived in.My cousin franny and my uncle Caesar lived a couple of doors down from you.Remember the story about the Giant that lived on High st. and we were careful when we went up the alley behind chenza's house?
John DiRenzo [11-19-2009]

RoseMarie Rinaldi: I appreciated your comments on some of the prejudices that went before us and I could sit down with you or others from this site and swap stories all day about it. Some would be sad, some would be ironic and some would be funny. However I respectfully disagree for the most part with your assertion that the ethnic churches were only necessary because these new immigrants were not welcome in the already established "American" parishes. While it is true that discrimination existed, the national parishes were formed primarily to serve the unique needs of their respective people. They provided support, helped them find living quarters and helped them find jobs and in many cases provided financial support. This was natural because they understood the respective cultures and languages and were uniquely situated to provide the necessary support required. Some, although not all of the prejudice that existed, arose because of cultural differences that existed and people just didn't understand their new neighbors. Growing up Irish, I heard many Italians being called Wops or degos both by Irish and by others. I would like to note that this was not permitted in my house, but it was ignorance in many case, not malice, that fostered this behavior. Bear in mind that today's kids don't know these words. They died a natural death as they should have once people came together on their jobs, in their schools and in the streets and each found that the other wasn't really so bad after all. The beauty of the melting pot. Personally, I absolute love Italy having been there seven times and ready to go back this year for more, but I couldn't have done this sixty years ago. I can speak Italian fairly well also, self taught and it is not easy. In any case, I don't mean to be lecturish but I have spent a lot of time over the years thinking about our past and wishing that we could go back to the simpler years like we all had in Germantown. Please don't take anything that I said as criticism because it is not. It is just a different perspective. Thanks for your thoughtful post.
Dan Hartnett, Former East Germantown [11-19-2009]

The question about academics in a particular high school would not have been discussed at Happy Hollow. I can’t remember a single time when a kid’s studies mattered to anybody. Goo went to Gratz, Paul Borian, Sonny Kennedy and Bobby Compton went to Germantown, Dom and Trout Raffaele, Ralph Gatto, Charles Durkin and Larry Rinaldi went to North Catholic and Ollie Powers went to Penn Charter. Tom Gillespie, Vince Higgins, Joe Lynch and I went to La Salle. Most of us put up with school and the schools did a pretty good job of educating us. I was an awful student as a kid. Each day of school was a waiting period until I got to The Hollow. Sure, I can remember kids who did get expelled from some of the Catholic schools, friends of mine. Every one of them went on to have successful careers. For a Happy Hollow kid, the academic part of school was pretty much irrelevant. All the schools mentioned during this recent bickering did an amazing job of educating the kids from Happy Hollow. We were first generation Irish, Italian, Armenian, even Chinese kids. Most of us learned much more from Goo Goo, Joe Raffaele, Tom Flannery, Bee Bee Rossi, Bob Lejewski, Apples Keehan, Moe Speen, Nick Czar, Orly Pultrone, Howard Payne and all the other, older guys than we ever learned at school. One other thing that more important than schools was our moms. We had great moms. Our moms were interested in us, rooting for us. Think about my mom, Mrs. Borian, Mrs. Guarinello (Mrs. Goo), her sister Mrs. Powers, and Mrs. Raffaele. Strong women. They were much more important to our development than any school. I say we should put this nonsense about schools behind us and get back to the stories. We should tell Conan the Grammarian to take a chill pill, and start in on enjoying one another’s memories, no matter how they are told. I want to hear more about Brick Yard, Fernhill Park, Chew and Chelton, East Germantown and Mt. Airy. Who remembers Mt. Airy George?
Jack Brogan, I remember Mr. Dutton. [11-19-2009]

Hey Pat Sirianni, when you said you lived next to a junk yard, was that the one behind the Bocci club ?
John DiRenzo [11-19-2009]

Regarding CD lowering their standards, I think it all depends on who you speak to. Those of us that went in the 50's,60's and 70's have a much different opinion that those that went in the last 20 or so years. Those that have gone in recent years feel as though CD is far more superior then those of that went back in the beginning. There are a few "sites" devoted to CD on Face book, and one is attempt to "save" CD. I usually don't get too emotional about posts made on the Internet, but one remark made by a present day teacher, literally through the first 2 decades of grads under the proverbial bus, strike that, she threw us under a runaway Broad Street Subway Train! She did it ala Joe Queenan in his book "Closing Time", as she said that CD was nothing more then something along the lines of "student mill"! This really got my Irish up, and I let her have it with all I had, and told her how dare she be so self serving and arrogant.
John Fleming, Tampa Bay Florida. [11-19-2009]

JBS(Schmitty) As always,I enjoyed reading your 11/17 post. You have a way with words,and always something POSITIVE to say.I know that you thoroughly enjoy this site,and many others look forward to your comments. Regarding my recent post that "The Hawk is Dead",it was said with tongue in cheek.Nevertheless,as you know,the Holy War has been going on for at least 60 years.It is what it is!It was part of my catholic education.Before I received my degree,I had to recite "The Hawk is Dead" every day in class during basketball season.Of course,at St.Joe's,the response was "The Hawk will never Die".....Paul Borian
Paul Borian [11-19-2009]

helen leone deangelo correct me if im wrong but i thought there were two other lay teachers in st vincents besides miss katherine ... mrs. campbell and miss eileen ... i believe mrs campbell taught 4th grade and miss eileen taught 3rd grade .. perhaps they came after you graduated from st vincents ...rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-19-2009]

Update on Bill Cosby..Several months ago,on this site,several comments were made that the "Cos" seldom acknowledged that he atttended Germantown High School.Earlier this month,there was a tribute to Cosby on PBS.Once again,he talked about Central High School,not GHS. Bill Fleischman,my friend and classmate from GHS,pursued this matter with Al Shrier,sports information director for Temple(how about the Owls football team)The story is that Cosby received his GED,which means he never graduated from GHS.Shrier spoke with Cosby on 11/16 and asked him if had any "falling out" with GHS.Cosby stated that he had no problems with GHS and,in fact,visited the school twice the last couple of years to speak with the students. My advice to Bill is the next time the subject comes up,mention that you played football,basketball,and ran track at Germantown High school.He should never forget the fun times we had at GHS! The "Cos" was one funny guy in the classroom and on the playing fields.HEY,HEY,HEY......Paul Borian
Paul Borian [11-19-2009]

linda fontana you are so nice ...but i do have to agree with you.. the people who i grew up with were and are a great group of people but so were the others there too ..... yourself included ... ha! what else could we be we are from germantown. rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-19-2009]

to the "old germantowner" yes ... spider was there from the boys club ... rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-19-2009]

Thank you to Dan Hartnett for pointing out that discrimination in Germantown was not solely directed at the Italian community. It was first directed at the Irish, then later the Italians, then the African Americans.... I know this doesn't make it any less wrong, but it happened, in Germantown and elsewhere. While I don't have firsthand knowledge that they did, but I would bet my Irish ancestors met with discrimination when they came over. You accept what happened, remember it, move on with our lives and hope we learn from mistakes in history and never repeat.
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [11-17-2009]

Bill James, there is really no "my school was better than your school" rivalry going on here. Sometimes though, someone will come across with such a remark.... But, I remember back in the day, one of the way the nuns at IC would keep us in line is to threaten to send us to "that school across the street" (Pastorius). Like it was a punishment, like it was the to worse place to be. Even the label, "the publics", sounded derogeratory. I remember some teachers at CD referring to Olney HS along those lines as well. So, I had sort of a conceived notion that public schools were inferior to Catholic schools because of that. But the truth prevailed. While I will not defend any of those schools today, as they are a mess, I met enough of those schools' alums from back in the day to know they received as solid an education as I did. Dan Hartnett hit the nail on the head when he said that CD lowered their standards to stay open and aloat. I said something along those lines a few years back on the CD message board on Classmates and the alums posting there then came back at me with boths barrels. I wasn't about to back off of my opinion. Plus, seeing those two mentioned You-Tube videos showed me it is a different world over there than what I knew in the early 1970s. Still, it was my school and I am as sad as any of the other 40,000 CD alumni to now see it being closed.
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [11-17-2009]

Dan Hartnett and Dennis McGlinchey: Yes, there was discrimination back in the day - first, the Irish, then the Italians, then anyone who followed. However, most of what is being discussed here is not the discrimination practiced by ignorant laymen, but by the Catholic Church thru their clergy, which put a stamp of legitimacy on it and which flies in the face of Christ's teachings. Obviously, the priests and the hierarchy should have known better and should have combatted this prejudice instead of contributing to it. See the previous blogs in the archives re: the Monsignor at St. Francis. Territory had nothing to do with it. The church is supposed to be open to all, whether for confession or mass. The ethnic churches were only necessary because these new immigrants were not welcome in the already established "American" parishes. Hopefully, we have all gotten past that and those guilty unchristian priests received their just dues in the afterlife.
Rosemarie Rinaldi [11-17-2009]

Hey, Paul Borian - As to the shootings at the Hollow 50 years ago, in addition to shooting your mouths and shooting craps, you also shot baskets. It was an innocent time back in the day, wasn't it?
Rosemarie Rinaldi [11-17-2009]

I heard of Rosemary Punishment by some nuns; what is it?
Lee Hoyle, From South Africa, 31 [11-17-2009]

turbulent my daughter and I thanks,dominic
dominic, same [11-17-2009]

Paul Borian[Bor]: Tom Pyne was a legendary character at the Prep in the 50's. He was not only tall but he was well-built since he pumped iron. If I had used your tactics which you probaly used against the dudes from Gratz when you had a police escort after the football game, I would have been taken by an ambulance to the nearest hospital.If I had kicked him like some d-backs,I think that he would have broken my leg and my dancing days would have never begun. You talked about Gerry on this site-he provoked a lot of comments. I do'nt know him but I believe he and Anthony must have known each-other from the East Side. I knew Gerry Distal from St. Francis and possibly,you remembred his 2 good-looking sisters-Jean and Pat.They lived across from Mole Adamoli on W. Ashmead St. I knew a Gerry McKewon who was friends with Tom Cusack-they went to LaSalle. I looked a little like Gerry Quarry and that was a mixed blessing if you know what I mean. Gerry Quarry was a great counter-puncher and Germantown Gerry hit Anthony with a great counter-punch.Anthony unloaded with some powerful overhand rights. I say,"Let's Call It A Draw",and move on. I do'nt know Anthony but I do'nt want to lose 1 of your bear-friends from GHS.Some people might think that you are serious about knocking the Hawks of St. Joe-this could start another controversy. Fran[your wife] went to St. Joe. At the Hollow,you were friendly with Big Bob Lojewski and his son[Bob Jr.] was a big star with the Hawks. You were probaly at the St. Joe-Providence game in the 60's when Providence had Len Wilkins and the Hawks had Bob McNeil-Villanova fans cheered for Providence. I did not like the disloyalty towards a Philly team. I always rooted for Nova against The Irish from South Bend. The brothers called me "Home Boy" for a reason. Incidentally,some good ball-players from CD went to Nova.
JBS[Schmitty] [11-17-2009]

To those at the mini Gtn. Reunion: Was there anyone there from the Germantown Boys Club? If so, who?
Old Germantowner, Over 60 [11-17-2009]

Tothe Nov.15th LaFontana "G" crowd: So glad that you all enjoyed yourselves,too. I am so sorry that I had to leave a little bit early, but the next time, I promise to stay and enjoy desert. Nice to get out like that once in awhile.Rosemarie, you have great friends. Hugs to all of you, Linda
Linda Fontana, Montgomeryville,Pa. [11-17-2009]

mary alice i had many a skinned knee from that darn surface in that school yard ... and your right in todays world we would never have been on it ... and if we were it wouldnt have been for long. rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-17-2009]

joe taylor sorry if you thought there really was a picture ... but, just one in my mind .. ha! miss katherine if you remember her and granny from the beverly hillbillies are very similar in stature and personalities ...except granny was a fictious character where miss katherine was the "real mccoy" . too bad you didnt make the lunch yesterday at the cafe la fontana in hatboro ... it was a very nice time and good to be able to place a face with the name ...rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-17-2009]

tommy collela good to see you and your wonderful wife lin yesterday ... i hope we can do that again ... it was fun and the memories were great ...rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-17-2009]

hi anonymous, i was born and raised on mechanic st., in the 30s. went to holy rosary and little flower. i may be a dreamer but they're all good memories. two words to gerry. "grow up".
DREAMER [11-17-2009]

helen leone deangelo it was soooooo good to see you and jimmy and susan ... what good memories when we spoke yesterday of days gone by ... you all look great ... really! i hope we can do that again .. my hat is off to linda fontana this was her idea and a good one for sure and it was nice meeting her after have so many conversations with her ... in fact it was nice to match the faces with the all of people who i interact with via this site and e mails ... rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-17-2009]

Does anyone remember the little store next to Holy Rosary school? I think it was called Bambine's. They had great tomato pies, and meatball sanwiches, and the best hoagie's you ever tasted.
John DiRenzo [11-17-2009]

hi mary alice i fully agree with you ... miss katherine was definitely sadistic and even though i fared better than most in her class i was sincere when i said before that i would tremble whenever she would walk down the aisles. i was scared of her thats for sure not only because of what she did to my sister but what she did to most of the children in that classroom ... and i was not totally left out when it came to her wrath .. believe me i got it from her quite a few times but not as much as most of my classmates did ...rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-17-2009]

S.Zimmerman...you were so kind, and sweet on sunday at LaFontana's. I hope I get to chat with you in the future. I am so glad that I had the chance to sit next to you. Linda "F"
L.Fontana, Montgomeryville, Pa. [11-16-2009]

Gerry, I think everyone on this site just wishes you'd give it 'a rest'..God bless anyone who completed high school at all, no matter where they went. Back in those days most schools were comparable. take care/ and have a nice life, Anon. Fem.
anonymous [11-16-2009]

Okay, let's all stop, take a deep breath, and reflect on the nicer things in life...I had an awesome time this past sun. at LaFontana's with some of the most wonderful people of 'G"town/ whom I didn't know before entering that place for lunch. Rosemarie, Erda, Helen, Susan, and so many others, inc. Jim Kulick..were all attractive, and very congenial... we talked about those 'good old day's in the fifties/ sixties, etc. the movie theaters that we could remember and all the fine walks to "G" town and Chelten to shop. Who cares if we went to public or Cathoic High's? The most important thing was getting together for a great time, and we did JUST that. Thank you all for welcoming me to your table, and hopefully we can do it again, for the Holidays. Ciao for now, Linda Fontana P>S> Anthony "G" you missed out on this one.
L.Fontana, Montgomeryville, Pa. [11-16-2009]

Hatboro's LaFontana restaurant was the place to be on Sunday afternoon for a mini Germantown reunion. The delightful 11 that showed up had a nice lunch and met or reaquainted with old friends. I was especially happy to meet Linda and Rosemarie. God bless you all.
HELEN LEONE D'ANGELO [11-16-2009]

linda fontana just want to say what a wonderful time i had yesterday (sunday) everyone there brought back such great memories of growing up in germantown ... it was nice to see the hollow, brickyard, east germantown, nicetown and cowtown represented .... all good and all happy i hope we can do this again at some point in time ... take care, rosemarie
rosemarie hite malageri [11-16-2009]

dreamer, who are you, i don't answer to anyone, who cannot give his or her name.
anonymous [11-16-2009]

Peggy James Servay ---In my mother’s album at home in Penna., we still have a few photos of the boy scout camps with your father in the camp wearing his campaign hat (type like State Troopers) I still see that image often. Under your fathers leadership, I felt that Troop 170 was the best and the sharpest group around. As a group we used the troop neckerchief of blue with a white trim, then each patrol had neckerchiefs in their own colors--all these gotten from Canada to make us unique. At camp, each scout had a patrol color hiking staff, the patrol leaders and assistants also wore the campaign hats. Your father was a quiet and effective leader, who by his talks and example was instilling morals, good manners and citizenship to all of us in the troop. One time at camp he told the story of another group of scouts walking past a motorist on the road who had a flat tire on his car---it turned out that this was a set up by the camp leaders to see which group would help someone in distress and by so doing get points for prizes ---but your father added that we should be helping people who need our help all the time, not just for rewards---but because it is the right thing to do.
Jack McHugh [11-16-2009]

To the Hollow Guy....There was a lot of shootings at the Hollow 50 years ago;not with guns,but with our mouths.Also,a lot of shooting craps....Paul Borian
Paul Borian [11-16-2009]

"You are taking this so personal I bet your last name begins with "Mc". It's probably Gerald Mc".. Anthomy Q, I hope this isn't intended as an ethnic slur. Is it necessry to resort to that??? St. Mike's and Holy Rosary were established as Italian national parishes. With parishes back then, geographical boundaries were strictly enforced by the pastors (not so today). Seems they also enforced that ethnic rule, directing Italian families to join Holy Rosary or St. Mike's. I also heard a similar story with IC, directing Italian families to HR, which surprised me as there were Italians-decents in the parish and school. Me personally, I stop at calling that discriminatory. Back in the day, pastors were territorial. Maybe the pastors of Holy Rosary and St. Mike's would have been angry if those other parishes accepted that Italian family as members. You just don't know.... Along the territorial lines, I remember hearing there was friction back then between IC and the Shrine. The Shrine is within IC boundaries. It was just more convenient for many living near the Shrine to attend Mass there, contributing to the Shrine's collection basket rather than IC's. All about money..... True or not, that is what I heard.
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [11-16-2009]

Steve Donahoe - you can only go back in your memories. Sounds like you have not been back to Germantown in quite awhile. It is very different..... Yo posted some nice memories though.
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [11-16-2009]

I didn't realize until just now that there was a serious public/parochial school match in progress on this site, with some ethnic barbs thrown in. As far as which education was superior, it must be parochial because anyone can spell 'public' but I had to look in the dictionary to see why my original spelling of 'parachiol' didn't look right. Got it?! Harder word to spell means better education. As far as the ethnic stuff.....sing along with me, "All you need is love; love is all you need, love is all you need, love is all you need..."
Bill James, NC son of a GHS mother & South Philly High father [11-16-2009]

Paul Borian[Bor]: I connected with your laudable comments about Germantown High. You and Sonny Kennedy went to GHS and went to Villanova and Rider respectively-very good Universities. I knew many guys who went to GHS-Eric Wiener,Packard Boxley,Allen Turner etc. and they turned out well. You were friendly with Bill Cosby- I heard that he did well. Dan Hartnett graduated from GHS and he is very profound and literate. The McHugh brothers graduated from GHS,and Joe McHugh had one of the finest homes in Chestnut Hill. Jack Smith,the only guy to make All-Inter-Ac,All-Catholic and ALL-Public and one of the greatest soccer-coaches in Philadelphia graduated from that great school on High Street. My aunt[Marguerite Schmitt] was in the first graduating class and she loved GHS and remained friends with her classmates for nearly 80 years-she did not smoke or drink and avoided stress. I am fortunate to have many friends from CD and GHS-including you. Off the court and athletic field,you were a friendly and decent guy and have done well in life-GHS had a positive impact on you.
JBS[Schmitty] [11-16-2009]

What does it matter what school any of us attended? We all turned out pretty good. Anthony G, please don't stop sharing your thoughts. Everybody has so much to contribute to this site and should feel free to do so.
Sheila [11-16-2009]

Hey Gerry,this one's for you;Fight on fight on for Germantown,plunge forward with that ball,just dig right in,we're going to win,our bears will never fall,beat CD!.....Paul Borian
Paul Borian [11-16-2009]

JBS(Schmitty).....Too bad your illegal block on Tom Pyne did not tear up his ACL.Perhaps,you should have kicked his gulyones. By the way,who is this Gerry guy? He appears to be a real strap.Most of us received a good education from the public,catholic and private schools.We had a lot of good times and great friendships.I do think that the private schools such as St.Joe's,LaSalle,GA,Penn Charter,etc had a slight edge in the academics.Also,back in my days,in the 50's,the catholic and private schools had better athletic teams.But,we public leaguers fought hard and kicked some ass. Most importantly,many of us have been successful in game of life.By the way,being a Nova grad,the Jesuits were the bad guys.The Hawk is dead!
Paul Borian [11-16-2009]

Joe Taylor, It was an imaginary visual in our minds. Rosemarie said that Miss Katherine reminded her of Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies. Rosemarie, You and Jimmy McKernan were lucky. It is because of her treatment of people like your sister and my brother that I disliked her so. I felt she was very sadistic. One memory I do have about playing in St Vincent's schoolyard is playing with the mercury that was in the crevices of the grounds. The yard was like stones covered in a black tar, except it was was hard. Today people would be having a fit if they saw that mercury. Maryalice
Maryalice, Still in G'town [11-16-2009]

to JOHN DIRNNZO we lived on mechanic st between morten and magnolia we were in the same class at holy rosery.
pat sirianni, responce to john [11-16-2009]

JBS: Bruce, I never did get back to you, my apology. If you still would like to get together at the Porterhouse, how is next Friday 11/20 about 1pm? Maybe some other good Germantown folks will show up.
Dan Hartnett, Former East Germantown [11-16-2009]

Gerry: I am both of Irish descent and Catholic and am embarrassed by self righteous ignoramuses like you. I hope AnthonyG is broadminded enough to see you for the pimplehead that you are. By the way, how much time did you spend in Germantown High School to get such a bad opinion? I bet none. I went to both Catholic (Roman Catholic)and public schools, to be specific, Germantown High School and have lots of good things to say about both of them as a first hand witness. As Dennis McGlinchey put it so well, in those days Germantown was a very good school. Other than not having religion classes, the chief difference was that academic was optional in Germantown and not force fed, but it was there for any student who wanted to take it. They offered languages including Latin, excellent English classes as well as high level math and history and the teaching quality was high with mostly dedicated people. Believe it or not, they even offered a prayer and sometimes a scripture reading in home room and no one complained about it, not even the Jewish students. In case you hadn't noticed, Cardinal Dougherty went down hill very far in its later years. Dennis got that right too. Discipline and enforcement were very much in decline. This is because they bent over backwards to retain (by not offending) students in order to keep body count up so as to stay open. It didn't work. Many of the students weren't Catholic as most of the Catholics had moved away. How do I know all of this? My sister taught there and we had many discussions on exactly that. On another note, the Irish were persecuted and discriminated against in very bad ways early in the century. My mother told me stories of signs being posted outside of some companies that said "no Irish need apply". A good Italian friend of mine told me stories about the NINA signs. I didn't know what he was talking about. He explained it was "No Italians need apply". The point? Both went through the same thing only the Italians got it later because they came later. Thank God, those days are behind us and I hope we all know better. I can understand why Anthony feels the way he does because that stuff was around. Tell you what Gerry, go to an Italian language free translator website and look up "Tu sei un stronzo" because it applies to you.
Dan Hartnett, Former East Germantown [11-16-2009]

to tony braspennincx i whent to leeds in 1968 to 1969 and germantown high 1969 to 1970 and leeds the homeroom teacher was mr yankawitz class 911
pat sirianni, responce to tony [11-16-2009]

Just want to say "way to post your thoughts," Rich, Rosemarie R, Dennis, Paul and anyone I may have missed and the responses you made to Gerry. Way to go. See if he has the time to address all of you. That will give him something to do and think long and hard about.
anthonyg [11-16-2009]

Steve D. did you want to hold those reunions on Wayne Ave. or Logan St.? The reunion at Williamsons had about 250 people and the Brickyard reunion had 175 in Wildwood. Besides the GCC which is private, where you going to have a reunion at in Gtn.
Germantown Outa Here, West Side [11-16-2009]