Mr. Postle had a tremendous influence on me when I took his "Psychology and Literature" elective. To my disappointment, he retired abruptly after the first quarter of that, my senior, year. Motivating and charismatic, his literary repertoire seemed endless. He fueled my passion for reading more than any other teacher, before or since.

Mr. Postle was the exemplum of both intellectual curiosity and human elegance. Who doesn't remember seeing him walk everywhere in Ridgewood!?

Mr. Postel lived on Spring Ave. After his sudden retirement, we collected money and bought him a gift. Young and dumb, we bought the most worldly man we had ever met a Norman Rockwell coffee table book. How he gushed over that book as I presented it to him in his doorway. And his thank you note (amazing stationary and penmanship) was effusive. He's the reason (along with Janet Steinle) that I became an English major and a writer. Awesome man. Awesome memories.

What a great story, Joe! I never had Mr. Postle for any classes, but we had many, many long and fascinating conversations. He encouraged my interest in theatre and literature - and even let me tag along with his class on a field trip to see The Cherry Orchard at Lincoln Center (starring Raul Julia and with Meryl Streep in a small supporting role, Karen). He always made me feel that what I thought and had to say on various topics was really interesting and valuable. He was the very essence of a great teacher!

Although I never got to take Mr Postle's classes, we were friends and he was one of the most important influences in my exploration into Philosophy. He used to recommend readings to me and would spend time debating existential principles. He shared enthusiastically and had a very eclectic appreciation of all forms of music, especially progressive rock. He shopped at the supermarket where I worked and was a frequent visitor to the Library where my mother, Zelda worked so our paths crossed a lot.

"Mr. Antonacci was the personification of the tough love male teacher of that era. He pushed and demanded you try your best. He was organized and disciplined and demanded the same from his students. But everyone in his class knew how much he cared. His teaching methods were innovative and he really made learning fun. When I look back at my years in the Ridgewood School System his name is right there with some of the other great teachers I had.

A couple of years ago Paul Ferraro and I had the pleasure of visiting with him when Paul was in town to play the Jets. It was great to see him (he hasn't changed a bit) and we talked very fondly of our "Somerville Days." Just a great guy and a great teacher.

Mr Antonacci taught me in 6th grade as well--that's where I met Stephanie Jones! Spelling bees and remember Countdown? It's how I learned the capital cities of the world.

I LOVED Countdown, capital cities and the map quiz. I still use what I learned in those morning games. Mr Antonacci was/is the best. I can't tell you how many things remind me of him, almost daily. For example, just yesterday, a commentator was discussing Thomas Dewey and I recalled that I first learned about him from Mr. Antonacci.

Wow! Mr. Antonacci was the reason I went into teaching. Whenever I am challenged I think of how he used to handle things. There were many days when I was working as a guard at Graydon that we would think of the old days in his class.

I can tell you a story about Graydon and Albano. I used to lifeguard there. Mr. Albano brought Captain Lou down to the pool at a time when he may have been at the peak of his fame. He was a performer. Strutting around the beach, on and off the dock, all the kids running after him. He was a big guy, maybe 6' tall and easily over 300 pounds. He climbed up the ladder of the high dive and the buzz started through the crowd. He walks out to the edge and the thing is bending further than I had ever seen it bend from the weight of a single person. He walks to the back of the board and runs and jumps and does a full flip and lands perfectly...the place went crazy.

Renaissance man. He had a masters in biology, he was a beekeeper, he kept a huge garden and he and his family canned and jarred vegetables that they ate in the winter months, he coached cross country or track (maybe both), he coached RBA baseball, he started or had a lot to do with starting the Ridgewood Run, he ran in the Masters' division for many years, he was a diver for the police in some capacity, he used to go on dives looking for bodies, evidence etc(not sure of all the details) and on top of all these accomplishments he is a nice guy. I bumped into him years ago and he was working with a nutrition consultancy, something like that. He was typical of the high calibre of teacher/person that we were exposed to as students of RHS.

He was also an awesome handy-man, did the drop ceiling in the family basement, and they had a table saw in the basement that he used for woodwork.

His son Karl and I were buddies in Jr. HS and HS. I spent a lot of time at their house over those years.

My old next door neighbor...nice guy. It should be noted that he has two sons: Arne, a few years older than I (I'm class of '76) and Karl, my age, and a childhood friend. Karl if you are reading, I'll also remember your gracious and complimentary telephone call to me the day after the RHS gym Abyss Concert.

He was the dean of history. I don't recall whether our original history teacher was ill, but Mr Waneck took over teaching our class. I actually learned something about history from him! Unlike other history classes where we were told to memorize dates, he would frame whatever the event was with details about what was going on at that time and in other parts of the world that may have contributed to the event.

Jack hired me in 1983 and taught me more history than I learned in four years in college. He was truly a friend and mentor as well as supervisor. I don't know how people will respond to this but he used to say to me, "anxiety breeds excellence" because I was always so worried about doing a good job. He really made me want to become the best teacher I could possibly be.

This is cut and paste from Al Bennett but it involves both men, equally. Sorry for the repetition to anyone who has already read this. My Al Bennett story involves another RHS classic teacher, Jack Wanek. Autumn 1976 sitting in Big Al's English class and Rob Kraemer comes knocking on Big Al's door. Remember, things were pretty loose around there in those days. You could get away with that sh*t depending on the teacher. So I step outside to talk to Rob. He, Johnny Frazz and I had Wanek for History. We had this big ass project in Wanek's class and Frazz, Rob and I came up with the brilliant idea of sharing the load between the three of us but handing in our projects as if we had done them individually. Well, Big Al overheard this litltle scheme as Rob and I were discussing it in the hallway. Big Al lowers the guilt boom on me and tells me something along the lines of, "I won't rat you out. You decide what the right thing is here." BOOM...that was the end of it. So I could go ahead with Rob and Frazz and split the workload for the Wanek deal or I could come clean with Mr. Wanek. Feck what am I gonna do here? I asked that question to myself but I knew the answer already. I worshipped Al Bennett as a teacher and a person. He was the biggest reason why I ended up becoming an English teacher myself. So, I have to go give it up to Wanek but I have no idea how he is going to react. He was pretty cool himself. I remember at the end of our senior year he invited a few of us over to his house for beers. Anyway, I have the powwow with Jack and he says, "This is what I will do. Hand the paper in and I will take care of it. And since you are coming clean I will give you a chance to make it up." So in the next few days or so our projects get handed back to us in class and I still have no idea how I am not going to get an "E" on this thing since I told Jack we basically took the short cut. Jack's speech that day, "Well, some of you did really well on this. And some of you are idiots. It wasn't very obvious at all that some of these papers weren't done by you individually, that you did them in groups. I should fail some of you but I'll give you a chance to make it up..." And a day or so later when I was walking into Big Al's class he was standing by the door as he often did and he gives me a little nod and says, "I heard you did the right thing." And I nodded back and that was the end of it. It was never spoken of again.

Mr. Rousseau was one of my favorite teachers. He knew I liked to draw and illustrate so he was always thinking of how I could incorporate that into science projects. One story that comes to mind does not put me in a very good light but I'll share it anyway. There were some days (very few though) that in the morning I might have a few hits of weed before school. Then I would ride my bike to school. At the time it seemed like a good way to start the day. My first class was Science with Mr. Rousseau and I'm sitting at my desk and he starts talking about how the most important meal of the day is breakfast. He states that one way to tell if someone has not had breakfast was to look at their eyes. If there was a lot of red in them, most likely they had not had anything to eat. He comes walking over to where I'm sitting and asks if he can look at my eyes. I said sure go ahead and he very gently pulls down my lower lids and tells the class that it is very red. He asks me if I have had any breakfast that morning. I'm so nervous because I'm thinking about the weed I smoked. I told him, truthfully, that I had french toast that morning. At least I didn't have to lie about it. I probably reeked when I came in the room, though I thought the bike ride would have helped. Anyway he went on to whatever the lesson of the day was. That was the last time I smoked before coming to his class

I had Mr. Rousseau for Chemistry. I wasn't a fan of Chemistry and he knew it. I struggled the entire semester. I had a C going into the final. He asked if I wanted some extra help. I told him I had baseball practice, or a game every day after school. He offered to come in early and work with me. I took him up on his offer. I met with him three times. I can't remember what I got on the final, but it moved my grade from a C to a B. Liz, I do remember him talking about breakfast and checking students eyes. Maybe we were in the same class.

He was tough but fair. A real blue collar kind of guy as I recall. Not your prototype wool jacket with elbow patches kind of dude.

One of my favorites!

Loved him too.

I don't know why I remember some of these things. He was the JV baseball coach along with Chuck Khoury. He was quite an athlete in HS by all accounts. Somewhere in Passaic County I think. Anyway, I was a catcher so when taking infield you always stand next to the coach and feed him the ball to hit to the players in the field. Dimitry Schidlovsky was the 3rd basemen. During an infield practice Dimitry gets the ball hit to him and it takes a nasty bounce. This happened often on Stephens Field. So Dimitry takes a nasty one in the cajones and goes down. Coaach runs out to make sure that he's ok. Lou says, "Aren't you wearing a a cup? You should wear a cup." Dimitry says, "I will from now on Coach." A week or so later same thing happens. Dimitry takes another one square in the nuts and goes down on all fours. Coach: "Aren't you wearing a cup Schidlovsky?" Dimitry: "I forgot Coach." Coach: "Well then you should tie that thing in a knot!"

Didn't he also teach Sociology? I remember him as a cool guy and a solid teacher. Major muscles too!

She was my Latin teacher....very sweet.

Mr. Nicholson was an amazing teacher, at least for me. Once during my senior year he invited me to his house to sketch from a live nude model. I don't remember if there were any other students there, but there were other adults, artist friends of Mr. Nicholson. This took place on a weekend day if I remember correctly. Everyone there took a seat around a large low table that was placed in the center of his living room, and took out their sketch pads and materials. I had brought pastels and dark paper, really not knowing what to expect. In walks a woman who looked very gypsy like to me, covered with a gauzy fabric robe and her hair tightly done up. She took off the robe an lay down very languidly on the table. The lighting was such that there was a spotlight on her and the rest of the room was dim. She did several poses, all lying down, each for about 20 minutes. I was very happy with the drawings I did and my brothers begged me for them. Years later I gave them to my brothers as birthday gifts. I think I still have a photo of one of the drawings. This was the first time I had ever done anything like this and I was thankful to Mr. Nicholson for the opportunity. I think I was invited to another one of these sessions, but wasn't able to go.

I loved her, she was like Mary Tyler Moore to me!.

My parents would not let me take shop only AP physics... Look what I do now:

Loved Mr. Thomas even if he gave me a hard time about taking woodshop! Lol

He was great! He didn't give me a hard time but I'm not so girlie like careen LOL

Mr. Thomas was awesome. I am sitting here right now looking at the grandfather clock I built with his considerable guidance. In the spring, there was an RHS woodshop show at MacHugh's with furniture placed around the store. Somebody offered me $3K for my clock. He had students building clocks, guitars, roll top desks. Amazing stuff. His daughter was in my class (78) and very beautiful as I recall.

First day of shop class Mr.T turned on the 15" table saw, with the class standing on the wall behind the saw .. he lobs a chunk of hard wood into the swirling blade and it splinters against the cinder block wall like it was shot out of a cannon. He had our attention. Then the pamphlets and stories about shop accidents.. still had our attention. Then he followed with amazing instruction and expectation. I made a nest of cherry tables that is still in my parents house. Others made a roll-top desk replete with pigeon holes and a Grand Father Clock. An amazing environment for me.. saved my ass. Mr Thomas thanks for giving...

Yes! I took US History I and Ii in the summer before they were required! Many thought I was nuts but Mr Bloss was great in 3 1/2 hour hurts of history!

I did the same thing and don't remember it being too torturesome!

In our pre-High School years, we used to play kickball on Beverly Rd., and sometimes Les would drive by and all the kids would run up to his car and he would autograph our arms...it was like a badge of honor to have his signature on your arm...parents hated it, but we loved it!

I was in his class with Mike Crockford right after lunch. Mike had a little gas issue and every time he would release, Bloss would say, in the middle of his lecture, "Is that you Crock, blowing your Bugel??" Crock and I, and I think Mona Pratt was in there, would howl laughing so hard. Bloss was a great man....little scarey at times but he "got it."

He did "get it". I had him for US1. I hated the fact that he perched that blasted "tome" of a text (which was NOT what was issued to us) on the plywood podium and preached to us on a daily basis. However, when asked to prepare a presentation on a topic of interest to us -- he allowed me to supplement a film strip from the RHS Library with some primary sources I found at the Columbia Univ. Library (my mom was a grad student at the time) and create a presentation that was my first shot at "authentic assessment." It had such meaning for me...and (as you can tell) still does. I think of his class often...an academic turning point. AND -- I do still remember the (a la Dick and Jane books) "C. Leslie Bloss, Bloss, Leslie, Bloss" taunting that went on as well...teenagers.

Physics, right? I just remember ripple tanks. I don't have as clear memories of high school as a lot of you seem to!

Just remember that I really enjoyed his class...I seem to remember that he taught us how to use slide rules...but by the end of the year we had switched to those "new calculators!"

We had to use slide rules- no calculators allowed!! I couldn't use one now if you paid me!!!

He was a real class act, if you'll pardon the pun. Ripple tanks and slide rules are (not exactly) fond memories. I remember him gently admonishing one class member (a football receiver) who forgot to bring his text book to class by suggesting that if the young man could run a football down the field he should have no difficulty carrying his text to class - all with a big smile and a kindly voice.

Mr. Hughes was one of my favorites.

I remember the whole sliderule thing. I got a nice one that I used in his class, and I kept on using it when everyone else went to calculators. Just to be obstinate. I took it to college, and I was the last person at Rice to get a physics degree using a slide rule.

Mr. Wizard of course & A one liner comic at times!

I remember him having a dry sense of humor, of course that was with high school sensibilities. I might not think it dry today.

Mr. Wizard. Need I say more?

He used to let us make bubbles out of soap and glycerine using natural gas and then blow them up - IN CLASS. Can you IMAGINE that happening anywhere today? We all survived even - you had these bubbles of natural gas floating around the room - then you touch a flame to them and they would implode with a huge pop - it was so cool. Then we almost blew up the room and we could only do it after school

I know my brother's class (1975) gave him the Golden Shovel Award for Piling it High and Wide in the name of Chemistry and it (a shovel painted gold) hung on the wall when I was there. As for his humor - How do you charge an electrolytic cell? With assault and battery (a salt and battery). He had tons of them - just that funny...

Coach Paul...lots of amazing memories of her beating our butts all around the softball field and running 2 miles BEFORE practice every day...fond memories of shin splints when we had indoor practice on rainy days and had to do TEN sets of stairs in the old part of the HS basement to 3rd floor, no running shoes then! She used to call me "Granny" because I was too slow, she'd say "C'mon Julie, my grandmother can run faster than that!! I was much better at field hockey because I had mad stick skills - Is she still around?

I so remember her.... softball was fun.

JV basketball-gorilla drills and running stairs from the basement to the 3rd floor. But she was in better shape than any of us!

She coached our field hockey team at least one year--she was terrific!

I remember Ms. Paul during gym and she was tough but nice.