Belson Jordan (Ahlering)

James,  

What are you doing up at 1 am in the morning?  Edgar Ave. in Metuchen was an upper middle class neighborhood with, what I thought, very beautiful homes.  I didn't know she lived in Metuchen.  Didn't she also have an allergy to metal?  I heard some of her students put spoons all over her desk one day and she couldn't touch anything.  Don't know if it was true.  Anyhow, reading these posts brought back a lot of fun memories.

Thanks.

Belle  

Ginnie Cashion (Dobrek)

Y don't I remember those rumors about Miss Neider?  I do remember she lived in Metuchen.  I remember at that point in time, believing if you resided in Metuchen you were wealthy.  Then in 1962 after getting married our first apartment was in M.  But where were the apartment buildings and condos to rent?  Not at this point in time.  So we were upstairs of a ranch home on Main St. (the other end).   We had about 20 outside steps to climb to get to our apartment and I cannot count how many times I fell down some going to work with heels on, especially when the steps were coverd with ice in the winter.  That lasted only one winter, thank God.

 So getting back on subject, I remember how all the upper classmen (and that was everyone!) thought of us 8th graders as babies; they tried ignoring us, believing it was unfair for them to have us in their high school.  

I went to Port Reading for 7th grade!  Anyone remember that?  Tom, my hubby, went to Keasby; he blieved that to be the pits.  I actually liked P.R. those kids were lots of fun .in a mischievous way.

Linda where are you in Metuchen. What I remember about Metuchen.   OMG Cryans on St.Pats Day was the ultimate!  I took my grandson tothenew Y for swimming lessons.

Karen Erikson

I was in Hopelawn in 7th grade.  I didn't mind it so much at the time.  But looking back that was the pits!

Hank D'Orsi

My freshman year I went in the afternoon session but my 2nd, 3rd and 4th year I went to the morning session. I worked in the afternoon after school from 1PM till 6pm at Browns Hardware Store in Carteret.

James Seabasty

Ginnie,

Ms. Neider lived at 58 Edgar Ave., with her mother Ms. Fullerton. Her mother passed away and a short while after that Ms. Neider moved. There were many rumors about Ms. Neider but 99% were just rumors.

Class trip was a unique experience. A deck hand threw a broken deck chair over board. This was a signal for some to throw over some good chairs. In the mean time Mr. Mann and Masonic (not sure of the spelling) was holding off some of the boys who were trying to throw Mr. Brown overboard.

The NY State Police met the NJ State Police who dropped some of the kids at the high school. Ms. Connelly  was really upset about the drinking to say the least.

Before Cryans, the resturant was in the Montanga family for years. It was also a had a bowling alley in the rear. Two brothers John and Gino ran the business and eventually sold to the Cryan business. Montagna's had the best steaks in the area at the time.

Linda Pry (Burdash)

Hi Jim,  You are right they did have great steaks.  (Montagnas. ) Cryans is now gone.  I had my X daughter in Laws bridal shower there 14 years ago.  It wasn't long after that it was torn down.  It's now any empyt lot.

Robert Kurowsky

For the life of me I cannot remember where Montagnas/Cryans was located.

The name Montagna's rings a bell, Cryans does not.

Please tell me in detail.

Thanks!

Virginia Kollar (Lanzilotti)

In 7th grade Port Reading School No. 9 got a bunch of Avenel's 7th graders.  Port Reading up till then only had one classroom per grade. When we heard (the Port Reading kids) that we were getting all these new students it was a really a big deal. Probably the most excitement we had in all the years we'd gone to school there.  Made friends that year that lasted a really long time. 

Belson Jordan (Ahlering)

Reading all the posts brought back such memories - some good, some not so good.  But all of them old!  Most of us went in the afternoon for 8th, 9th, and 10th because, after we graduated from 8th grade, there was no more 8th grade at the high school.  The upcoming 8th grade students were re-routed to the new junior highs, which had been created during that year.  There was a lot of shifting of students but, as we entered 9th grade, we were still the underclassmen.  To the best of my memory, as we entered 9th grade, the freshmen and sophmores went in the afternoon (except the exceptional football players for which special schedules were made) and the juniors and seniors went in the morning.  Did anybody buy an elevator pass? 

My favorite teacher was Mr. Servila, my 8th grade math teacher.  His students loved him.  I remember that Gail Kahree had a birthday party during that year and he came.  I think we were both in love with him at the time but he must have had a great conversation with Gail's parents because I remember there was a lot of laughing.  He was a demanding teacher but his students performed because he was a good teacher. 

I lived in Metuchen for about 10 years before moving to Florida and I remember Cryans very well.  Linda, I'm so sorry to hear it closed.  There wasn't really any place you could go in Metuchen to just meet friends and have a drink.  Cryans provided that and I was in there regularly!    

Those of you who went to Keasbey school - do you remember Mrs. Jordan?  She was a teacher there all of her teaching life.  She was my aunt and lived on Liberty Street in Fords, near Bob Kurowsky.  When Bob and I finally talked about that just a short time ago, I learned he used to visit my uncle who worked in his garage back of the house.  Bob and cars always went together so there you have it.

I just want to thank you all for the memories.  I am relishing them all.

Belle  

Linda Pry (Burdash)

Hi Belle,  Hope all is good in your direction.  If you remember Your aunt, Mrs. Jordan also taught 1st year conformation class at one time and Sunday School.  Just lost my mom last Thursday.  Old age. Resting in Peace.  Tell Patty Melder I said hello.

James Seabasty

Bob,

Montagnas was on Middlesex Avenue just west of Central Avenue. It was on the north side of the street opposite Boro Hardware. Besides a bowling alley the rear they also had a print shop and a trophy shop (Joe Romers) which supplied most of the trophies for the area. Romer had a great reputation.

A lot of people lived in Edison Township but had their mailed was postmarked Metuchen. Metuchen carried most of the mail to the fringe areas. After a post office was built on Rt. 27 in Edison the mail was then delivered by the Edison branch. The Metuchen address was gradually phased out. Redfield Village was partially in Edison and in Metuchen. Two addresses exist to this day. I don't know where Belle lived it could have been Metuchen, Edison or Menlo Park Terrace (Woodbridge Twp) as they also had mail delivery from Metuchen. Metuchen was nicknamed the "Brainy Boro" as most of the residents (approx 12000 families) were business executives who rode the train into Penn Station in New York.

The main working families who were part of the early history of Metuchen are Montagnas, Donato and Breen. 

Copperfied (Klotkin) the magician lived off Hillside Avenue. He returned to the high school to perform for the students. He was a quiet kid and was not popular in high school as his fellow students thought he was odd. Well he did ok for himself.

Thomas Edison had his lab just across the line in Edison on Rt 27 was east of Parsonage Road.

Elaine Wodzinski (Fass)

I had Mrs. Jordan for  6th grade at Keasbey School and I loved her...We had such small numbers of students that we had two classes on in one room, so for 4th grade we had grades 4 and 5 and then the same thing for 5th grade,....we just moved to a different side of the room.  But 6th grade was different:  we had 5th and 6th grade in the same room and Mrs. Jordan taught them both.  She was a wonderful teacher.  I never knew that she was your aunt!   Those high school memories were great too...does anybody remember that when we afteroon students got to school the upperclassmen were still in class awaiting our buses to use for the return trip, so we used to go sit in the auditiorum and we sang songs like Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, etc.  I remember singing Okalhoma and Platters songs.  I guess that's how we kept us contained until our own classes began.

Belson Jordan (Ahlering)

Hi, Linda,

Sorry for your loss.  I remember your parents and sister very well.  I lost my mom 30 years ago but I still miss her.  I talk to Pat almost every day as she lives near me in Florida.  We've been good friends since we met in Sunday School at 3 years old.  I know my Aunt Sophie was a sunday school teacher, like my mom, but I had no idea she taught Confirmation class.  I had Pastor Kreyling 1st year (who ended up being my step-father) and was in Pastor Stoh's first class in 1957.  Same year as we graduated from 8th grade.

And, yes, I remember being stuffed into the auditorium upon arriving at school.  We had to be "checked in" by 12:15 PM in the auditorium as morning session classed ended at that time and those kids had to make a bee line to their lockers and then out the door.  Wasn't it funny how your last class was gym and your locker was on the 3rd floor?  Or visa-versa - I think they did it on purpose because we had to fly to do what we had to do in our lockers and then hop on our bus.  

Remember all the rumors?

There was an elevator to the 3rd floor.  Anybody buy a pass?  

There was a pool under the gym floor.

I wish there was! 

As you all know, Bob arranged a tour of the school on Saturday afternoon before our last reunion.  It was the first time I was back since I graduated.  Somehow what was once so huge became so small.  In looking back, I always remembered these large classrooms, wide hallways, big, big, big.  Returning in 2011, it really is small. 

Jim, I lived in the heart of Metuchen - not Edison, not Menlo Park - from 1983 to 1993, when I moved to Florida.

Anyhow, I'm through mentally wandering.  Everybody ready for the next reunion?

Belle    

Dorothy Lepinsky (Lane)

I have been enjoying reading this thread on memories of our high school days and rumors of the teachers.  Pretty good reading...and yes Belle, I am ready for the next reunion!!  XO, Dottie

Kenny Tomaso

I also went to 7th grade in Port Reading. That is where I met up with Hank D'Orsi.

A very dark day indeed. (hahahaha)

Elizabeth Ruth (Eskay)

I went to Ross Street in Woodbridge,  school #? 11.   It seems they used numbers at the time.  I remember the Stewart's Root Beer  and Hot Dogs being the best and also the Dairy Queen at the corner of the school drive way..

Rich Hoffman

It's amazing what memories we keep from those days. I remember members of the football team putting Herb Holloway's Triumph in the hallway at the stadium one day. Giving one of the JV Football team players a dog food sandwich since he always was "mooching" food from the rest of us. All things looked large when yoou are young and when you return years later it's amazing how small things resally were. I remember we played football in the sstreets in Hopelawn and the street was huge. In a recent visit back home I was amazed to see 2 cars would have trouble passing each other the streets were that narrow. Woodbridge area was really a great place tto grow up in during those years but i wonder if it anywhere the same now.

Charles F Tarr

I too went to Keasbey School and had Mrs Jordan for 6th grade along with Elaine.  Our family moved from Vooreehes Street (btw New Brunswick Ave and Douglas St.) in the Fords section soon after to Corey Street one block away.  The address placed me in # 7 School for the 7th grade.  Then onto Woodbridge for 8th grade.  Upon moving, we were right around the corner from Mrs. Jordan on Liberty Street.  She and her husband lived on the corner of Peace (?) Street (a small street which backed up to Our Lady of Hungrey Cemetary.  Corey Street was the first through Street which intersected Liberty driving from New Brunswick Ave.  Crestview Terrace was on the other side of Liberty at Corey.  Mrs. Jordan had a large Chesnut Tree on her property which I still recall vividly today.  That first block of Liberty was special - Claire Ludwig, Fred Della Pietro and Barbara Soltys all lived on Liberty in that first block!  I also remember that our 8th grade class was in the new High School.  Didn't we have two graduations: an 8th and a 9th?  I seem to recall this because it must have been the first year that the School Board adopted a Junior High level of three grades.  

Robert Kurowsky

Charles Tarr: The Jordan residence was at the intersection of Liberty and Olive Streets. Gail Kahree (WHS '61), whose mom was on our school board, also lived in that section of Liberty St you described. A bit further down from Barbara Soltys was Butchy Horvath (WHS Class of '60, deceased), Jim Pocsik (WHS Class of '60) and Ernie Ludwig (WHS Class of '62, deceased). As I helped Butchy Horvath's dad rebuild Butchy's '54 Ford from stem to stern, including installing a '57 T-Bird engine, Butchy drove me to school for most of my Junior year, picking me up in front of 86 Liberty Street where I lived. Also riding in Butchy's car was Fred "Butchy" Dellapietro and Jim Pocsik. I don't think we ever parked at WHS preferring the Log Cabin's parking lot, avoiding the single file exit routine orchestrated by Frank Capraro.

Hank D'Orsi

yes it was even raining!!!!

Judy Amos (Leverknight)

Linda Pry (Burdash)

Hi Judy.  Thank you.  She was 94.  I was asking your sister Bonnie a while back how you were.  What are you up to?  I married Tim and have 3 sons and 3 grandsons, 12, 13 & 14.  Take care.  Love to hear from you again.

Diane Hellegaard (Scholl)

Hi Cuz, So sorry to hear about your mom.  I lost my sister-in-law Shirley (Alby's wife) June 4th. to pancreatic cancer.  So now I am down here with my brother.  How is Tim and the family?  I will have to give you a call. Love, Diane

Thomas Meehan III '62

To all

 I wanted to share my personal blog with you, in rememberance of our daughter.

 For the 13th year My wife JoAnn and I attended the ceremony on 9/11/2014.

The blog can be read here:

http://firstvisit911museum.blogspot.com/

assume you can cut and paste the url . any comments can be sent to tjmgrandpa@comcast.net

As Aways

 Tom Meehan

Jan Prushinski (Stancavish)

So very sorry to hear that you lost a daughter on 9/11. My heart goes out to you and your family. I read your blog and found it very sad and interesting since I did not know anyone who had lost a loved on that fatal day.  Thank you for sharing with us.