Ann Short Class of ‘74 checking in

Here’s a “howdy” note from Ann Short, Class of 74:

Oh John Larrere! Just seeing your face brought back so many happy memories of high school. So happy to see you doing so well! I live in Ithaca, NY; my daughter is working in marketing in Manhattan, working for the firm that handles “Wicked”, and I am, in fact, visiting her there this weekend, 8/22-24/08. I quick thanks to Teresa Ringholz for forwarding me this website. Laurie Schickler! Great job! Can you believe it will be 35 years in ‘09? Holy —-! Hi to all alum I was honored to matriculate with! Ann Short

Classmates trying to reconnect

Hi folks! We’ve had two questions come in the past few days I thought I’d post here:

1. From Jane Danielson Rickard at jdr2431@yahoo.com

Jane wants to know if there are any Mooney grads in the Chicago area. Please respond to her directly.

2. From Chuck Cooper Chas177@aol.com asking if there’s any news on a 1973 reunion. Please let him know if you have that information!

Opinion on Benefits of a Catholic School Education

Here’s another great comment related to the post: Benefits of a Catholic School Education from Jane Danielson-Rickard…

“First, a short catch up. I’m living and working in downtown Chicago, happily married to husband 2.0 Patrick. I’m a school nurse for Chicago Public Schools and a sports photographer on the side. Life is pretty good I would say!

I never really know how much the liberal yet powerfully catholic lessons I learned at Mooney meant until I had left the church and moved to Chicago. It was not the dogma which has kept me on a firm path with God but the rich ethical lessons that were often taught to us along with class material. I work daily with people of all faiths, languages and traditions many of my students come from families rich in love and poor in material goods. It is how to bring the best to all, is a lesson that was taught daily by by example the Brothers. When I ‘m asked what order taught me (believe it or not a common question in very Catholic Chicago) I tell them with pride Brothers of the Holy Cross.

I think it was Br. Lawrence who taught us no action, no faith, they both go together.”

Wegman’s, Abbott’s and Other Rochester NY Memories

In three weeks, I’m going “home” to Rochester NY for a big Schickler family reunion. So Gini Snyder Shevrin’s comment has gotten me all the more excited about my trip!

Gini said…

“I had a Mooney Moment today, somewhat related. I live in the Boston area, and have long lamented the lack of my two favorite Rochester things - Wegmans, and Abbott’s. I recently found out that Wegmans is opening a store 25 minutes from me in 2011, and there is now an Abbott’s about 20 minutes from me, if it’s not rush hour. So today, my 17 year old son and I made the pilgramage. Got to chatting with the owner of this relatively new Abbott’s franchise (in Needham, MA), and turns out, she’s Mary Pat Pop, class of ‘74!! (I was class of ‘73) We figured out that we knew a few people in common, but the store was so busy (no wonder!) that we finally ordered and swooned over the custard, and then left. So, thank you Cardinal Mooney, for producing Mary Pat Pop, now Mary Pat Dauria, who has brought Abbott’s to New Engand!! If you live around here, stop by and see her - the custard is perfect!”

So, while skipping down memory lane myself and preparing this blog post, I did some research on Wegman’s 

…and then on Abbott’s Custard

And surprise, surprise! I found a Boston.com article written about Mary Pat Popp’s new Abbott’s Custard Shop! So, I’m delighted to help her promote it here. If you’re a Rochester transplant, living in New England and longing for the cold comfort of an Abbott’s frozen custard, visit Mary Pat’s shop at Abbott’s Frozen Custard, 934 Great Plain Ave., Needham, 781-444-9908. When you go, tell her the word is spreading!

Gini’s reference to “Mooney Moments” prompted me to add another category to this blog. Then I thought, why not add another category titled “Rochester NY Memories”? So I’ve done that and inserted a few other Rochester NY Memories below…

Here’s a vintage video of Midtown Mall in 1963…

And then, here’s how You Know You’re From Rochester NY

• The only thing at the annual May Lilac Festival is snow.
• The worst four-letter word you could say is ” Fuji “.
• You can’t swim at the beach.
• You thought that you had figured out that alternate-parking thing, but wind up with a ticket anyway.
• Toronto is about 70 miles away, but it takes four hours to get there.
• The name “Greater Rochester International Airport” is bigger than the airport itself.
• There’s an 800 number to report a pothole in the road.
• You know that a “Can of Worms” is not something that you take fishing.
• Your baby’s first word is “Wegmans”.
• You ask lifetime residents where the George Eastman House is, but they don’t know either.
• In a city where it snows at least 90 inches a year, they build a new sports stadium with no roof on it.
• It can be 70 degrees one day, below freezing the next, and you think nothing of it.
• Your mother is buying outfits to wear to Wegmans.
• Your low-fat diet is never low enough to exclude an Abbott’s Custard.
• You order a white hot and a pop, and the counterman knows what you’re talking about.
• You can travel from Egypt to Greece in about a half-hour by car.
• D&C is a newspaper, not a medical procedure.
• There are no hamburgers, only ground steak.
• You can go to any mall on a Saturday and see at least 5 people you either work with, went to school with or dated.
• A musical comes to town 10 years after its Broadway premier and the entire town goes nuts!!
• You awaken from a deep sleep, look at the clock and see that it’s 6:00, but you have no idea whether it’s AM or PM.
• When 18+ inches of snow falls overnight, but you never thought of NOT going to work.
• You are perplexed when friends from other cities come to visit and want to “see the sights”.
• In winter if the temperature hits 45 degrees and the sun comes out, people walk around downtown wearing shades and no jackets.
• There are places at the poles that seem to get more sunlight during the winter months than we do. 
• Wegmans is somewhere to go on a Friday night, for entertainment.
• You know who Vinnie and Angelo are.
• You define summer as three months of bad sledding.
• You think that people from Pennsylvania have an accent.
• Halloween is snowed out with great regularity.
• You have experienced frostbite and sunburn in the same week.
• Half the change in your pocket is Canadian, eh.
• Your idea of a seven-course meal is a six pack of Genny and a bucket of Buffalo wings.
• You believe that “down south” means Maryland .
• Your snowmobile, lawn mower and fishing boat all have big block Chevy engines.
• You can compare Nick Tahoe’s garbage plate to at least 3 other knock-offs in competing restaurants.
• You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Rochester, NY

So, does anyone else have some great Rochester NY memories or Mooney Moments you’d like to submit? Please post a comment and I’ll compile an republish as a post.

And, to friends from Mooney Class of ‘74 who want to get together while I’m in Rochester the first week of September, please send a note at laurabenjamin (at) comcast (dot) net or phone me at 719-651-8742 and we’ll set it up!

Writing from 6711 feet above sea level in Colorado Springs, Laura

Remember the Blizzard of 1966?

The heat must be getting to me. It’s 97 degrees in Colorado Springs today and even footage of a snowstorm seems to help!

Remember this blizzard? All six of us young ‘uns were cooped up in the house with two extremely patient parents. That is, until my Mom couldn’t stand it any more and bundled us up in snowsuits like the kid in The Christmas Story. Woe to the child who had to go to the bathroom shortly after!

While this video isn’t directly related to Cardinal Mooney, I’ve searched You Tube and this was about the best I could come up with! If anyone has any old video from Mooney paper drives, sports events, 100 Days, etc. don’t be shy - please sent it over!

Humorous quote

Thought you’d all get a kick out of this one. Enjoy!

“True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” 

–Kurt Vonnegut 

 

Teresa Rinholz Video Performance

John Larrere forwarded this video of Teresa Rinholz. Teresa graduated from Mooney in the early seventies - then went on to Eastman for Undergraduate and Graduate School. She lives in Rochester. 

Looking for Virgil Cotton

Barbara j. (babs) Indivino
bjci27@yahoo.com

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Virgil Cotton ‘75? last i saw him was back in 1984-87 in NYC where we both lived and worked. He had a post on classmates.com but you cant always connect that way.
Barbara

Update from John Larrere

Thanks again to those who are spreading the word about this blog and sending in updates like the one that follows:

“I was one of the Brothers teaching music at Cardinal Mooney. It was very nice to hear from Joanne Hinz and hear of her lovely teaching career. I left the Holy Cross Order as a priest in 1985. I have been working with a global consulting firm for 23 years where I am General Manager. We have 99 offices in 47 countries. I have had the opportunity to work on 5 of the 7 continents (you can guess which one’s I did not go to). I have four children who work in finance, autism, aviation and acting. We live on Governor’s Island on Lake Winnepesaukee in NH although my office is in NY.

I met Teresa Ringholz in Amsterdam while she was singing in the Cologne Germany Opera house. She returned to Rochester and is doing great work still. Liz Winkler Laughlin is the principal of the school of the performing arts in San Diego. Theresa Winkler is a psychiatric social worker and a music therapist also in San Diego. Jim Winkler is a family practice physician in Montour Falls NY. Tom Winkler heads up manufacturing for Kodak. Their Mom Mary passed away this past year. I also was sad to hear that David Ameele who taught in the music department also died in LA where he was performing and teaching. I saw Father Haycock and Charles Kociolek at a priests reunion. Father Haycock is at St. Lawrence in Greece. Charlie works at Kings College in Wilkes Barre PA. I have had the opportunity to do consulting work with Sr. Joanne Lappetito when she was head ethicist for the Catholic Health Association. Blessings on all Mooney Community - living and deceased.”

John Larrere

Class of 1989 Reunion Coming In 2009

Here’s a note that just came in from Michalene O’Meara-Labue:

The class of 1989 class reunion will be coming up next year. Please look for information, or email me at
LaBue@mail.com. Hope to hear from you.