Francis Lewis High School: 50th Anniversary Reunion

15-May-2010

We had no mascot in '78

Janet Hiller was the only other alumnus from '78

The yearbook had no name the year before?

Nice photo of William Dobkin in '77

Great dancing and music on stage

The view's familiar but the tombstone's new.

I guess this is the new computer room, all iMacs.

It's so crowded there are long days with more sessions and temp buildings!

The WFLH radio station was gone by the time I was there but some things remain.

When I was a kid, ALL the doors had these knobs.

bla bla bla

I don't want to sound like an old fart but the school's character and neighborhood has changed a lot.

I'm heartbroken to find that the IB program ended in the 90s.
ALL the shops are gone.
No more Sing!
Is driver's ed offered anymore?
I heard the school colors were changed from green & orange to black & white?
The tombstone was removed from the courtyard! I remember when it was installed.
The track & field are now all astroturf and artificial surfaces (except for a few spots for the baseball bases, pitcher's mound). What's wrong with dirt and grass?

I don't mean to gloat but WTF?! I just read that Jamaica High School is closing!. I found that via their Wikipedia page.
Their own web page says they're still open, but no details. YAY! The rivalry continues!

2015 update: There is no more Jamaica High School but the historical building is still in use as 4 other high schools.
The www.jamaicahighschool.org web page is gone

The Old Neighborhood

My parents lived in the Fresh Meadows housing development from 1965 to 1988.
I've resisted visiting the old neighborhood, but since the reunion ended at 4PM, I had plenty of daylight left so I decided I'd get bagels at Bagel Oasis since I still think they're the best!
Happily, they're still there and as good as I remember.
Apparently some folks went to the Blue Bay Diner (it's still there) but I didn't know to attend.

Stores STILL on Horace Harding:

Bagel Oasis: still the best, made fresh on premesis!
Filene's Basement: it's more like a dungeon with so many of the windows covered up, but they have good prices on clothing and Sharper Image gadgets (probably from the bankruptcy sale). This was the location of the Pantry Pride supermarket, then Pines sporting & camping goods.
Radio Shack is still at the corner (previously Lafayette Electronics)
The Meadows Theatre is still operating
Brothers Pizza is still there. Yuck! I tried it last time and it was horrible and dirty.

GONE are:

Horn & Hardart restaurant, Bagel Nosh (now a Hooter's next to the Meadows theatre)
Villa Segundo, a wonderful tiny Italian restaurant.
King Yum? the huge Chinese restaurant (one from column A, 2 from column B).
The A&P, movie theatre (was actively being dug up, new construction)
WTFM antenna tower

Stores STILL on 188 St:

The Jamaica Savings Bank looks the same, but it's now Capital One
The Hair stylist near Edgar G Holmes Jr. oval

GONE are:

Womrath's cards & gifts
Pier 16
Meadows discount (now a CVS)
Meadows florist (now an Applebee's)

The tiny shopping strip on 69th Avenue, across the street from The Rufus King School P.S. 26 Q

I had dinner at Meadows Pizzeria, and it was nice! But no discount for being an original customer from when they opened.
There's a hair stylist, probably unrelated to the barber shop from the 70s.

None of the other stores endured.

The Waldbaum's supermarket is now a Chinese supermarket. Very busy and great produce.
The corner store is empty (was Crest Chemists drugstore).
I CAN'T BELIEVE that Sweets and Treats is gone! How can a candy shop NOT do well across the street from an elementary school?
No more deli, but there's a Chinese restaurant.

As to the Fresh Meadows apartments & property, things still look good!
All the fences and chains around the lawns are gone.
The new windows make the buildings look a lot more "glassy" and the front doors are now locked, with a buzzer/intercom.
The "power house" boiler building is there but the chimney is REALLY SHORT, and there's no ivy on the building (it was once completely ivy covered and full of bird nests).

An incomplete tour of Fresh Meadows
with CarFox!

After the Francis Lewis High School reunion, I took a little walk around the old neighborhood,
starting with Peck Avenue:

This sign gives the complete history of the LIMP: Long Island Motor Parkway,
also known as the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, now a bicycle path to Cunningham and Alley Pond Parks.

Ike A Ferret of Weaseltrek fame was unavailable,
so CarFox was substituted as traveling companion.

A fox in the park!

The bike path is really nice!

The PS 179 playground was re-named Holy Cow Playground
to honor the Yankee shortstop and later radio and TV broadcaster Phil Rizzuto,
who was famous for the phrase "Holy Cow". More about that on my PS179 web page.