Peace in the year "1979!"

The year was 1979.

Roger Ludlowe High School.
Fairfield, Connecticut.


This was my Graduation night. It was held out on the front lawn of the school. The back ground is showing our "daisy-chain" girls. They were all the Junior honor students. Each held bouquets of daisies and they led us down in the processional.

Each of the Senior graduating girl's, had to wear long white gowns. My gown was a Gunny Sak that I had coveted for over a year back then. They were so amazing and it was all layered with eyelet cotton and had these beautiful draped hippie sleeves. A long tied bow in the back. I was beside myself in the fact that my Mom got it for me. They were very expensive and a luxury that was so out of the realm for my parents. My Mom knew though how much I thought them to be so pretty! That I felt grown-up in it with my ballet flats to go with it.

All the Senior girl's held and walked with bouquets of red roses too. Then each of the Senior graduating guy's wore white dinner jackets with tuxedo pants and a single red rose for a boutonnière. I remember the night being such a beautiful sight to see!

I have such fond memories of my graduation night. The many parties that we all attended and us all going to the beach, again! The tried and true friendships I had made and were deeply entrusted with. To the ending of our night in sealing our, "we will never lose touch with each other ever", with toasts and of adult now tears. I had come to adore these souls that helped create the steps towards my adulthood. They each gave me something that I carried with me to this day. Yes, there are some that did lose touch with. And I am sure that their lives have gone on without us well and happy. Yet, I cherish so much the ones that have chosen to resided with me, as if we have never parted.

These photo's are of some of the friends that I shared 4 years of growth with. The hard years, the discovery years. We were friends. We were the best of friends, and I adored them all.



This is my Tommy Holmes and my childhood neighbor/friend Debbie DeMattia. Tommy was such a good person with a crazy side that would scare any right minded person. Doing doughnuts in the snow down at the beach! Partying till there was no seeing straight at all! Being the guy with a shoulder to cry on when one is so unhappy. A wit that would have your ribs splitting. A protector of the girls that were his friends that he loved and treasured!

Debbie was a few years behind us but, that sure didn't matter. She was ever so kind and so shy. The tiniest too. I had known her entire family since we both grew up on Alma Drive. It was her brother Mark, that was the first boy that kissed me and he was also my first date too with a boy. Such fond and happy memories I still have swirling around in my mind, of the rainy days we played Barbie's and of tobogganing and ice skating, in those snowy an cold winter months on the hill and pond by our houses.


This is Mike McGuinness one of our great soccer players at our school. Again the same grade as Debbie and as well, it didn't cause us any issues. He was a guy that was enjoyable to be with. Fun and happy ALL the time. A good friend and true to a fault of kindness.


One of our groups past times during lunch while in school, could be various things to occupy us! Be it once we sought one another out, getting our lunch together, then sitting and eating it all at the "saved" table that was OURS in the lunchroom. Then we would all head out to the "back-wall." We would sit againt the wall and catch up on the going on's, having and/or bumming a cigarette or two. Discussing the plans for the upcoming weekend and where we all are going to be and do. Till the last bell rang for class, we would all stay there together and walk in to class, late as usual.


This is a photo of some of us, is during one of those "back wall" moments. We decided to form a pyramid. Donny Schnipes, Mike Carusol, Eddie Colacurio and Buddy Harley are the bottom row. Mike Buckley, Mike Russell, Gary Groppuso are the middle. Don Laufer and Tommy Holmes and then cutie-pie, Debbie Neverdouski as our topper! Even our on lookers are Kim Jarboe, Danny Bepko, and Annie Reynold's.


Speaking of Annie Reynold's, here be the sweetheart of us all, Miss Annie Reynold's. Annie loved horses and had one of her own. She was such a great friend to me towards my Senior year. I always always knew where I stood with her. She helped me through some really hard patches of growing up then. Her smile was so healing for me. I always felt right with her. Even Annie being one grade behind us, the year us Seniors graduated, 5 of us went down to Florida's Walt DisneyWorld and rented a condo. Annie, Kim, Lisa, Julie, and me. I have many many memories of that trip and some are still a little blurry too! *hick*


Allow me to introduce you to Sammy Hefzallah. Sammy was from Egypt and if I remember correctly, she came into our school, I believe in our Junior year. She was the best kind of fun! Being with her was always a party waiting to happen! I loved and admired her brutal honesty she gave all the time. Thinking back, I really wish we had stayed closer after we all graduated.


Mr. Buddy Harley. The first guy that I met as a freshmen and didn't want anything more of me than to be my friend! I so loved him! He was kind and funny. We could get him to do anything! For Buddy, if it meant a laugh in the end, he was on it! I have some of the greatest times remembering hanging out at his house when we would skip school. I also adored his Mom. I think he is a Minister now!


Next to my sister Barbara as being my "first" best friend, there was my Angie, Angie Cotone. Angie was my bestest friend! We had met first, back when we were around 5 or 6 years old. Her Aunt, Uncle, and three cousins, lived down the street from us. On one day, while I was walking Billie my Auntie's poodle, in my doll pram, Angie came out and wanted to push the dog in the pram too. We have been "Best Friends" ever since! Even with losing brief touch with her during the later elementary school years, we caught up with one another again, in Junior High. Her entire family, became my family when I felt I had none of my own. Her Mom was and still is "my" Michaelina! I adore her! It was Angie that would always cut and trim my hair, because she was going to beauty school at night. Our sleep overs were almost monthly and her and I would sing to Billy Joel all the time. We were truly inseparable 99% of the time spent at Ludlowe.


This photo is of Angie and I's 18th birthday. Her and I share the very same birthday and she is but, 5 minutes older than me if I remember correctly! I believe that it was my Donny Schnipes and our many of our other closest friends, that surprised us one evening down in my parents basement. I recall never feeling so loved like I was that night by all my friends. If remembering right, there were around 50 of us that hung out down in my parents basement, playing pool, and partying, and listening to music every weekend. I had so much fun my Senior year!


And now, this is Angie and I at our 20th Roger Ludlowe reunion, 10 years ago this past June. By looking at the photo, not allot has changed if you look real close. The absolute joy and love is all over our faces still! It was 1988, when J and I moved our family out here to the desert. Angie and a few others are ones that I still wish we lived closer to. I wish I saw her children grow-up outside of our the annual exchanging of Christmas cards. I still wish I had her cutting my hair and singing loudly to the world to all the Billy Joel music that is out now. I wish we could have our sleep overs again. With all the sleepless giggles and sneaking cigarettes in middle of the night. I wish I had her so much closer and my prayer is that one day, one day God may have that plan for us.


And here is my Eddie! My Eddie Colacurcio was by far, the best guy I could have ever had known in high school. Beyond kind to me without any pause or question. He always always accepted me. I do not believe he will ever know, the depth that he meant to me going through high school. Eddie was consistent and constant with me in his friendship. I never felt hurt from him nor, ever tolerated by him. I always knew I had truth with Eddie. He taught me what a friend is with a guy.


Please let me now introduce you to my Phil Upton. Better known as "Hooker!" Phil was our resident "greaser" of the school and group of us. This guy could fix a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g that had wheels! He now has a collection that even the most presitgeous collector would be envious of! His Dad had owned a body shop back then and Phil would work there of course. The nickname "Hooker" came about because, Phil would always wear, on occasion a t-shirt that said "Hooker Headers" across the front of it. It just stuck one day and I couldn't even tell you who called it out to him! Phil was our quiet guy in our group. Never made a fool of himself. A pure and genuine soul. And he possesed an infectious laugh that I can still barely hear, when looking at this photo. He was always happy and he had a smile that could melt any girls heart!


This photo personifies our evening at the reunion! Our Sammy is here in this one too. Of course there were the ones that couldn't be there with us that night. Mike Buckley and George Kaczegowicz. Tim Casale, Julie Knauer, and Heidi Lockwood come to mind. It was also felt as well as, the ones that were a year and two years behind us not being there with us.

So these are in part, some of the greatest friends a girl could have been allowed, while growing in her teenaged years.

Tomorrow, the 22nd of this month, J and I will be heading back to Connecticut and to Roger Ludlowe's 30th reunion the Saturday night. I am beside myself excited! Angie and I have been non-stop in texting or Facebooking one another. Eddie has put together a gathering at the "Seagrape" formally known as "The Naut", prior to attending the reunion and I am just silly with my excitement for this all to be!

I absolutely love these old friends. We have known one another when we were ugly and unkind sometimes. Yet, we still loved and forgave. Time of course has apssed and we have families of our own. The relationships that we have all shared, has sustained us in this life. I cannot imagine my existance without any of these friends. As they were my friends of my youth and I adored them.

And they were my introduction to the seeking of
Peace.