The First of Three Pages dedicated to our parents. We'll post photos from any era you like. Please send your pictures to paulmccubbin@gmail.com and include a brief description with your photo.
Bill Nolan and Francis Xavier Nolan
According to Bill: "This day will go in the memory bank. Not because of my play, or score, which was very average, but the temp was great, sunny, not windy and spending the afternoon with FXN."
Anne Fairweather:
Ranong, Thailand December 1994. That is me on the left, age 35. My son Ben (age 4), my father, Doug Fairweather, my son Alex (age 8), and my stepmother Mai. I traveled with my boys to visit my dad and his wife as they were just beginning construction on a resort north of Phuket. Ten years later, my father lost the resort, Mai and two of her sisters to the Tsunami.
Liz O'Rourke:
Here is the original O'Rourke family with Michael, Mary, John, Katie, Jerry, Liz and Mel.
I think this photo was taken in the mid 1980's.
Big Rob, my father, age 73
Teenage, Moms
Kurtis Watts:
My parents, Robert & Louise Watts. We did not have the best of everything but they were good providers and overall great parents.
Jim and Maureen Cannon
Dee Cannon:
Here is a picture of my parents, Maureen and Jim Cannon. Not sure when it was taken but there are so few photos of Dad (who passed away at age 55, a few weeks after we graduated high school) that it has always been a favorite of mine. Mom was born and bred in the Bronx, a fun-loving gregarious gal. Dad was a boy from a tiny town called Port Angeles Washington, who came to NYC to make a living as a chemical engineer. He was quiet and reserved. They met at a social event in Manhattan. She made him laugh. He grounded her. They were very, very happy together. I feel truly blessed to have had parents who loved and respected one another so much."
Martha WhiteDebbie White:
Paul, Just checked your post about Favorite Teachers and found a picture of my Mom. How awesome is that? She is 82 and living with my Dad (84) here in Cashiers, NC near my family. She is someone (and still Is) that everyone thinks is great. She can strike up a conversation with any stranger and make them a friend by asking them questions about themselves. (hahaha) She is the queen of 20 questions! It was kinda great having your mom work at the high school. She was good about staying out of my business as a teenager, but it was sweet being able to catch a ride to school, and grub money for the cafeteria. I Love my mom, and she will get a kick out of seeing this pic. I would be curious to see what other people remember about her. Some of my other favorite teachers were Charlotte McCane, History. I found her very challenging to my somewhat small vision of the world; Loren Leek, English; my mentor in the English language. And probably mostly Alice Mahoney, my art teacher who introduced me to so many facets of the art world, especially fine craft: where learning to spin wool on a drop spindle lead, to my voyage to England studying sheep and wool production in college, and then to my current profession as a production weaver. WOW!
Gisela Pinta
Edmund Pinta
Grandson Christian, 2006Lois Pinta:
These are parents Edmund and Gisela Pinta, the one picture of them is with my son Christian and was taken about 5 years ago. My parents have just celebrated their 58th anniversary this past May. My sister and I have such gratitude that we are able to spent so much time with both our parents. We all live within an hour of each other in New Jersey. Dad is 83 and although still a handsome man his health has not been good. He uses a scooter to get around, he's on continuous oxygen, and has lost most of his vision to macular degeneration. Even with all these limitations he never complains. He's an inspiration to me and an example to my sons on how to be a man. I couldn't ask for a better role model for them to have. My Mom is now 80 and is still a beautiful woman and looks many years younger than her stated age. My Mom has always been the heart of our family. She has lots of energy and enthusiasm and has always kept life exciting for us.She has filled our lives with love and continuous laughter. She doesn't miss an opportunity to pack my Dad his scooter and multiple oxygen tanks in the car and take him on a road trip to Atlantic City. What 80 year old woman does that! The Pinta family has been blessed and I hope you have all been too. I look forward to see you next July.
Update: My dad passed away November 16, 2011.
Beverly Reyle Noon
The Noon FamilyBrenda Noon Bracuto:
Aside from being a terrific mother, Beverly Noon was one of the most dedicated, driven and talented people I've ever had the privilege to know. A resident of Ridgewood for the past 48 years, my mother gave a lot back to our home town. She was founder of the Ridgewood Girls Softball Association, league Director for 10+ years, and team coach for numerous years out of love for the sport and the girls themselves. She was Producer of Travell School's "Fun Fest" for 10 years (a fundraising musical put on by teachers and parents) and a multi-talented athlete. My Mom applied herself 100 percent to whatever she undertook, never hesitating to try something new. She always encouraged us saying "You can do anything you put your mind to."
In her forties, she played on a (Sr.) adult women's softball team, professionally taught tennis for the town, and played tennis on an "A" level. (She even rode my young Thoroughbred ex-race horse on a windy day when I was 16!)
In her fifties, she took up golf and was "A" flight club champion at Upper Montclair Country Club. Mom was also a very competitive racquetball player.
My Mom raised 4 kids largely on her own since my Dad traveled a lot for his job. She was Secretary, Treasurer and Co-Owner of RL Noon Associates until she passed away. On October 14, 2010, she lost a very sudden and unexpected battle with acute leukemia. My father, Richard Noon, sponsors an annual financial gift to RHS' Most Improved Senior member of the varsity softball team in her memory, the Beverly Reyle Noon Achievement Award. We miss her more than words can say.
Gilsenan Softball Team coached by Mrs. Noon
Mr. and Mrs. E. Weaver
Kathy Weaver:
Here's a photo of my parents, Elizabeth & Elwood Weaver. Both are deceased. My mom and Brenda Noon Bracuto's mom, Beverly Noon, were sisters.
Mom and Dad, 1977
The Vanderbeck Family, 1964
Dossy Vanderbeck:
Here are two pictures of my parents. One is from 1964 down at the shore at Brant Beach and the other is from 1977 on the deck of my childhood home at 112 Prospect Street. My father was an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, as well as a surgeon; practicing medicine for 40+ years. He was a Captain in the Army and served during WWII; most notably as an Orthopedic doctor in Normandy seven days after D-Day. He also treated many malnourished concentration camp victims. One man came to visit our house annually to thank my father for helping to save his life. My father died in 1987 at the age of 82 after a 10+ year battle with an Alzheimer's related disorder.
My Mom, Catherine, worked at the telephone company in New York City, as her mother had in the early 1900s. She was a WAVE in the Navy during WWII, a house-wife, a collection counter on Mondays at Our Lady of Mt Carmel church rectory, and a volunteer at United Way. When she was 19, she contracted Scarlet Fever and survived, so I'm told, as there was a doctor named James J. Vanderbeck who attended her. She and my father married in 1942 and brought 7 children into the world from 1946 through 1959. My Mom is still living; just having had her 93rd birthday in July 2011. She lives in Illinois with one of my sainted-sisters, as she has been contending with Alzheimer's disease since 2006.
I look forward to seeing you and our fellow classmates in July 2012.
Kathy Carley:
Kevin and Kathleen Carley at my wedding in June,1986. They were wonderful parents and grandparents. My father passed away in 2003 and my mother in 2010. They both died of complications from Alzheimer's. They are greatly missed, but it's wonderful to see so much of who they were live on in their children and their 10 grandchildren.
Thanks!!
Tim Daly:
This may be the only photo I have of me with my parents in one shot. I remember the guy who took the photo so well because he gave it to me at the end of the school year during graduation in May of 1981. The photo was taken during pre-game ceremonies on Parents Day, October 1980. All seniors escorted their parents onto the field facing the home crowd. It was such a nice surprise to receive this photo and I have managed to save it over all of these years. Marie L. Daly(09/1930-04/1996). Robert C. "Pops" Daly(11/1924-06/2004). We were a classic Ridgewood family growing up in that time period. Six kids born over the course of 11 years. As we got older we all liked to refer to our parents by their first names and our family was no different. They were "Bob and Marie" to everybody. I have some great memories of that time at Widener(Chester, Pa.) as the parents of my roommates also came to watch the games and we would all party together in our on-campus apartment after the game(s). .
Paul McCubbin and John B. McCubbin, b. Fulton, Missouri 1923-2008
"My Dad always looked sheepish whenever Father's Day rolled around on the calendar. He spent 364 days a year providing for his family, paying for our educations, and being a fount of wisdom when we asked for his opinion. The fact there was a single day in the year designated to honor just such men as he was fine for the other dads, but it put him at the center of attention and that was not something he was entirely comfortable with. I know how he feels and can relate to what he must have felt every year when we offered our tokens of appreciation and uttered the memorable phrase, "Happy Father's Day!" This year my brothers and I came up with an idea which surely would have made him blush. We endowed a scholarship at Ridgewood High School in his honor. The John B. McCubbin Higher Education Scholarship will be given to a graduating senior each year who will be attending either college or trade school in the fall. The principal at RHS, Jack Lorenz, will make the selection of the boy or girl from a middle income family, with at least a B average, to receive the $1,000. I know my dad wouldn't have wanted his full name on the award, but we did it anyway. Thanks for all you did for us, Dad. We miss you."
McCubbin Wedding Day, 1954
Ann Mulligan Cavallaro, b. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn 1928
Francesca Cavallaro:
"My Mom moved her seven kids to Ridgewood in 1974 for the school system and it was also where her brother John Mulligan lived. She worked at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck and then in corporate nursing for EF Hutton in Manhattan for years. In Ridgewood, she was involved in local theatre most notable the Jamboree and Ridgewood Acting Troupe. She is suffering from Alzheimer's disease now, but has kept her famous sense of humor. One tough and brave lady, Love you Mom!"
Update 20 December 2011: My mom, Ann Mulligan Cavallaro died this morning at 10 AM, she was a strong woman, a kind woman, a fiercely proud mother and I will always miss her as much as I do right now. 1928-2011 This photo is my mom with her mom ca. 1932
Jane Ratliff:
"A picture of my folks for the album: My parents have been together for close to 64 years!!! My Dad turned 89 in June and my Mom will be 86 in September. In 1981, they moved from Ridgewood to Mendham to NJ so my Dad had a shorter work commute. He retired from AT&T in 1982 after 42 years of service! In 1997 they moved to Alpharetta, GA to be close to me. Recently, they moved a short distance away to an Independent Living facility where they are enjoying a VERY carefree life. I see them almost every week - for breakfast on Sunday (after church)."
Stan Schwarz:
"This is me with my father, J. S. Paul Schwarz and my uncle, Hsin Chuen Kung at Costa Brava in San Diego on Father's Day, 2011. My father retired to San Diego in 1994, right after my mother died. My uncle has lived in Southern California since 1979, when my mother sponsored him and his family so that they could move here from Hong Kong."
-- Stan Schwarz
http://1134.org
stan7826@gmail.com
Bruce Benson:
"Thanks for asking. I am very lucky that he is still around. Not sure which one is best, but pick one or two, as you see fit. The ones with the kids, are all Max, grandson, age 3. The other is with his wife Jeanie, who also happens to be an RHS graduate."
Laura Medici Fleming:
My Dad was a "tinker" and it seemed to me that he could fix anything or build anything. In this picture, he's helping my son put together that huge Star Wars Lego spaceship. They were at it for hours.
Barbara Hughey:
Here is me with my parents, Ginnie and Joe Hughey, in August, 2011 on the top of Bear Mountain. My father wasn't happy at having to take off his sun-protective hat for the photo...I have to thank my parents for giving me a love of the outdoors, and my mother for a love of birdwatching (note the binoculars around both of our necks - unfortunately we didn't see anything that day).
Beth Harvey:
Paul- Here is a recent pic of my parents, Fred and Norma Harvey who turned 85 May 2011 and retired to Princeton area more than 10 years ago after living in Ridgewood since the early 50's where all but eldest sister were born and raised. Many will remember that our dad had a family dental practice in our home on corner of Franklin Turnpike and Nagle St, and we often had doorbell rings at odd times for emergencies and got TP'ed on cabbage night. Was wonderful coming home from grade school detouring through the office to raid the "treasure chest" on the way upstairs, not to mention having dad home for lunch and dinner every day except Wed's when he went to New Brunswick serving the NJ Dental Assn, ultimately as President. Mom was a gourmet cook -- never knew what meatloaf or leftovers were until I left home and fended for myself. She also worked as a substitue teacher, most memorably for me in my own kindergarten class where I was late one morning (oops), or in jr high when she caught me in clothes I changed into in girls room and hair down while substituting for a day (oops again). They have enjoyed traveling for many years, after having given me the bug. I recall spending quite a few birthdays on Mr Gomez' ski trips over Feb break with the whole family which spoiled me for life in terms of ski destinations. Being in Atlanta, I'm not as near to them as rest of family who are in NJ, CT, MA, but endeavor to see them whenever possible. Happy they are independent and able to enjoy life....and grateful for all they have given me!!! I may not be there for reunion but am enjoying the memories being shared. Thanks for orchestrating the website and to others for the fun posts!
Beth Harvey
About the Reunion Weekend
Friday Night: RHS Alumni All-Star Band at the Elks Club in Ridgewood. Start time: TBA.
Saturday Morning 11:00AM: RHS Ambassadors will lead a tour of the newly renovated RHS.
Saturday Night 7:00PM: Traditional Reunion Dinner with door prizes, music, and dancing.
More details will be posted here and on Our FaceBook Page.
Send your email to: paulmccubbin@gmail.com
Arthur's House of Beauty