TVCS Alumni Pages
In Memory of my brother and friend, Bruce Finch.
The following is a email from Douglas Hasbrouck dated 7/9/05.
(I have only looked there a couple times, usually when I was in a hurry. I
have not seen the page in months, until tonight. I got into the 50th
Anniversary page and was glued to the screen for two hours. Wow !! What
memories !
Now. Some information that may be useful relating to the 1950 photos in
Section 6.
I'm pretty sure that photo of the band was probably taken on the stage at
the Reformed Church across the street from the school. I recall being there
several times for various activities, including dance classes, etc, while
the new school was being built. I'm pretty sure that's where the band photo
was taken, since the "G" on the overcurtain probably symbolizes God.
Perhaps someone else could help confirm that. My family went to that church
for many years, but it was too long ago for me to remember exactly what the
curtains looked like back then.
You are correct about the baseball team photo. The backstop is definitely
the old (first !) baseball field, on 55A. I remember working on that field
during the spring and summer with Coaches Fred Cryer and George Maybury, who
was also my history teacher at the time. The boys would all go down and
help keep the field mowed. I think we also helped to construct the
backstop, which was not high enough to keep foul balls from winding up in
the creek behind the field. Because the McNamaras are in the photo, I'm
guessing that was about 1950 or 51.
The two basketball photos are earlier. Note that the McNamaras are not in
the photo taken outside. Our first team actually practiced on an outside
court, behind the old schoolhouse. The building in back of the team in that
photo is the west side of the addition to the original two room building.
In some of the construction photos in the 50th anniversary photo gallery,
you can see in the distant background the two white backboards rising just
above the construction area to the left of the old building. I remember
that the court was surfaced with cinders from the school furnaces (tough on
knees, so we made every effort to stay on our feet!!), and that we sometimes
had to shovel snow off the court before we could practice and then play in
boots!!. The team pictured would have been the 7th and 8th grade team,
probably about 1948 or 1949. Needless to say, we had no home games. I seem
to remember that our first game was in Woodbourne, and I think the records
would show that we lost 22-9.
The inside basketball photo is taken in a basement locker room which, at
that time, I believe was in the basement of the old building wing pictured
in the outside photo. Note the sloping roof over what appears to be a
stairwell leading to a below ground space. As I recall, the locker room was
in the furnace room. The ball makes it clear that picture was the 1949-50
team. That would have been our freshman year.
The only other below grade space that I remember was the first football
locker room, which was in the basement of the Whitely house, then called
Whitely Hall. The first football field was in front of the new building,
right next to route 55. I remember working with Mr Cryer and Mr Maybury and
others mowing that field in preparation for our first football season. I'm
sure your brother also worked there at some time, and probably on the
baseball field as well. As you may recall, those first teams played 6-man
tackle, on a field that was 40 x 80 yards. The field was lined at 20-yard
intervals, and if the ball crossed a line, that was a first down. There
were no chains. I remember Bruce playing an end during the first year, when
I was a QB. He was already tall and fast, and had great hands. I got hurt
my first year and did not play after that. I managed the team for the next
three years.
You may also recall that our class ('53) was the first class that never left
Grahamsville. The class of '52 was divided between Liberty and Ellenville
for, I think, three years, returning to TVS only for their Senior year. I'm
quite sure that my class was only in the new building for two years,
starting in the fall of '51, so I think '52 was there only for their Senior
year.
The photos of the old wood school buildings are great. Somewhere, my sister
still has my father's collection of color photos (35mm slides) of most, if
not all, of those buildings that were eventually consolidated into TVS. He
was one of the very early members of the planning group for the school. I
don't recall if he may have been on the very first Board, but only for a
short time if he was. But he had a great interest in the history and future
of the school, and saw the importance of recording those photos before the
schools went out of business. His photos were all taken in the 1940's, or
perhaps the very early '50s in some cases, so most, if not all, would be
before the buildings were sold to private parties. If you have any use for
them, I can probably find them and scan them to files which I could send you
by e-mail.
Finally, please let me know how I establish a user name and password for the
site. I thought I had done that some time ago, but if so, I can't find
the info.
I will be joining some folks from my class and three other classes (52-55)
at the end of the month for a reunion get-together. The main event is on
Saturday night, July 30, at a place in Livingston Manor, I think. We can't
get there on Saturday because of other family commitments, but will be
driving down on Sunday, 7/31 to attend a class picnic in Neversink. We have
already lost several from our class, including Bruce and others, so our
numbers are somewhat depleted. But it will be good to see whoever gets
there. Several are local, others will be coming in from out of town (Louis
Rubenzahl, Chan Dayton, etc.) Hope to also see several from '52, including
Alice (Donaldson), Jean (Cross), and a few others. I was trying to remember
which class you were in. I know Margaret was in my sister's class ('56),
and I seem to remember that you were a few years behind her.)
The year was 1953 and this was of course the Washington spring trip.
Bruce Finch, John Bowers, Jack Garren, Mr Ross, Paulene Hill, Theo
Decker, Ernest Smith, Wes Ackerley, Florence Conklin, Lou Rubenzahl, Joan
Pomeroy, Marilyn Mickelson, Lois Johnson, Betty Foster, Valerie Zanetti, Ruth
Smith
The next picture was their Junior year picture. The next pictures are the
senior pictures.
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Betty & Ray (Best Looking) |
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