Posted by Rick Wester on July 04, 19100 at 18:53:56:
Alan Fine suggested that I post this as a message. The original was an e-mail to him. It's now edited for content....
Dear Alan and all of the Class of '75:
It was really touching looking through the website finally and realizing how much fun it would be to attend the events. Unfortunately I won't be in town that week. After months of consistent travel (for work), my fiancée Jennifer and I are taking time to travel some more (for pleasure). While you all are gathering and reliving or arguing over the past we'll be on a small rock in the Caribbean called Saba, hopefully out of the range of cell phones, faxes, e-mail and teleconferences. Basically, we'll just do some diving, snorkeling, hiking and reading. When I return, work will hit with a vengeance. It was a tough call to make but this was the only time we could coordinate to be away. I'll miss you all.
A few updates:
After about 12 years in the city, I've moved with Jen back to the suburbs, Dobbs Ferry actually (I'm sure there's a thought of "traitor" there somewhere). With real estate being what it is in NYC and never having good timing in terms of economics mixing with life stages, we felt lucky finding this place. We're on the top floor of an 1860 Victorian house diagonally across from the Master School in a very loft-like space. Lots of light and more space than someone used to the caves of NY apartments can believe. The new address, etc. is Wester/Garvin, 12 B Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522; 914 479 0110; 212 636 2327 (w).
I don't see many people from HHS days much but I do stay in touch with Tom Kulsha still. I mentioned the website to him (I think you have his old address) and hopefully he'll make it to the reunion. His current address is: 120 Requa Street, Peekskill, NY 10566; 914 734 9159. His wife's name is Lee. He's working at a design studio called Tangram in Pleasantville owned by Trish McAndrews (Peter McAndrews younger sister) and her husband. They all seem to be doing well.
I spoke with Tom yesterday in fact and he told me the sad news that Jeff Disch recently died from a heart attack. If I find an obit, I'll e-mail you the details. You might want to work something into the reunion around that news, if you are not already aware of it. I'm not certain when this happened but I believe it to be very recent. Tom might know more details.
With a strange set of coincidences I ran into Keith Olbermann in LA (actually Santa Monica) about a year and a half ago (January or February '99). Jen and I were in LA together by chance for work and we were meeting friends for drinks in Santa Monica (can't remember the name of the hotel - The Dunes? Something beach-like). Driving there we kept passing billboards with Keith's picture on it (he had just signed with Fox). I of course related my stories about him for about the 20th time to Jen (WHY does she stay with me?) - about how brilliant he was from the get-go about sports statistics as a kid; how he and I were close friends pre-high school, etc. So we pull into the parking lot and goddam it but there he is. I, of course, LEAP from the car calling his name like some crazed fan, forgetting to get a valet ticket (it took them 40 minutes to find the car later - they thought we were staying at the hotel). At any rate, we spoke a little bit and I was probably too effusive. I wrote him later and he responded but either I came off as disingenuous or maybe it's the difference in lifestyles but we didn't stay in touch. If you see him say hello and tell him I'm sorry if I embarrassed him - I was just SO happy to see him after all these years. All the sports I watch on TV now are Yankees games (I rekindled that deeply felt love of the game after a 25 year hiatus) so I really don't know what is happening with him. He was at Old Timers Day last year. Jen had to once again sit through my stories of how I knew him when....
I have no news of Heather Schmeltz although I do have to say that Corey Shaff and I were years ahead of anyone on the website in terms of our worship of her. We spent some time about 10 years ago trying to find her, based on the residual hormonal memories of Health Class stares. She was the first girl to wear stockings in 8th Grade and some memories like that just don't dissipate all that easily. When I would travel I'd check phone books in London, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco -anywhere I thought might be a possibility. Web searches have yielded nothing. She's ether now, simply the best fantasy the Hastings school system could provide a couple of adolescents hungry for sophisticated girls from other worlds. Our female classmates must have despised her and us - how obvious it all seems now.
I hope all is well with you. Do you still have family in Hastings? If I remember correctly, you're writing for film or TV or something related. Hope all that is going well. Please feel free to stay in touch. I get to LA a few times a year now - maybe we can hook up one of these days. Have a GREAT time at the reunion. My love to all there.
...God only knows what Heather might say about this and if she is INDEED not ether but still flesh and blood, I apologize in advance for anything that might wreak havoc with memories or seem just purely adolescent. But that's the funny thing about that period of our lives - it's all we knew....