Memories

FRANKLIN-Even in troubled times, it is possible to remember the days of yesteryear. Such was the case at last Saturday's All Graduates Reunion at Firemen's Park, where some 450 graduates of the old Franklin High School met to renew acquaintances and revitalize the past. The daylong event, replete with good food, a live band and the efforts/quips of disc jockey Jo-Jo Russell, seemed to bring out the best in the former graduates, some of whom traveled more than 1,000 miles to attend. No matter where they live now, however, most have never really left the area. "What do I remember about 1960?" replied Hardyston resident Ron Kota, who was graduated from high school that June. "It was always bucolic, country-like, and I have a lot of friends here. I just never felt a need to leave. The thing about Franklin is that it's a nice community. A very warm community. In fact, we like it so much that my daughter (Laura) bought the house I grew up in. She wouldn't leave it for the world." "Where was I in '62?" responded Lou Cherapy to a similar question about his graduation day. "I was here in Franklin. It was hot, it was a small class, and there were only 84 of us. Life was a lot easier back then." For much of the day, clear blue skies and lower humidity prevailed, although two brief rainstorms did intervene about five hours apart during the afternoon. Much of the area was protected by large overhangs, including the pavilion area where the food was served. What is now known as the Franklin elementary school building had housed high school students from 1928 until 1982, when borough teens began attending the newly-opened Wallkill Valley Regional High School in Hardyston. Located on School Plaza, the Franklin school has been part of town folklore since 1915. For John Sowden IV, who graduated in June 1975, luck has never been a problem. "We graduated on Friday the 13th," the current borough councilman recalled fondly. "And when I (later) went for a pilot's license, it was also Friday the 13th. And it was my 13th time taking the test. So 13's a lucky number for me. How's that for determination? And my wife (Debbie) and I graduated together." Other elected officials on hand included mayor Doug Kistle (Class of 1956) and county freeholder Gary Chiusano, who now resides in Frankford. Chiusano, who along with local historian Bill Truran was on hand to remember the class of 1969, agreed that it was a great year for local professional sports teams. "It was the Jets, the Mets and then the Knicks," said Chiusano of 1969. "It was a lot simpler then, a lot less traffic. You could drive around the county and not run into too much traffic. There was a good camaraderie, a good rivalry among Franklin and the other high schools. And over the years, a lot of them became good friends." Indeed, there was also Joe Durina, representing the class of 1955, on hand to remember the day in autumn 1954 when his 98-yard interception return for a touchdown gave unbeaten Franklin High a thrilling victory over then-unbeaten Newton. But why exactly was he called "Showboat?" "Because I was the greatest," Durina responded unabashedly, with a broad grin. And the term "greatest" also became attached to memories of the 1946 classic "Best Years of Our Lives." Only in this case, it wasn't just 1946 that received such high accolades. "We had it (graduation) in the Franklin Theater because it was raining and our class was too big," recollected 1959 Franklin High graduate Joan Struble, whose maiden name was Slate. "I cried because I didn't want to leave. A lot of people say ‘I hate school,' but it's the best years of your life." "I remember the classes were very small and everyone was a lot friendlier," explained Ed Parliman, who graduated in 1958, and who now lives in the Lake Hopatcong section of Jefferson. "In those days, the whole town knew who you were. My era was a nice era to live in. And we didn't have all the drug problems we do now." Bob Allen and Bob Devine were on hand to represent the class of 1946. "Everybody was involved in sports when I was a kid," said Devine, who now lives in Huntsville, Ala. "Nobody had cars; we all walked. I used to hitchhike to Newton because I had a girlfriend there, who later became my wife. You can't hitchhike to Newton today." "I was born in Oakland," said Allen of the upper Passaic County town. "I moved here when I was 10. And when I came to Franklin and found my wife (Betty), I discovered this was the place to stay." "You knew a lot of the people here, who settled here and stayed here," agreed 1953 graduate Bill Scott, whose wife Marie graduated two years earlier. "It was sort of a big family in a way. During the wintertime, the gym was open five nights a week. And it was supervised because the zinc company had a lot of people working in the town. "All the senior boys got a trip down to the mines and the mills," added Scott, whose graduation took place some 18 months prior to the closing of the legendary Franklin mines. Appropriately enough, soon after DJ Russell played Roy Orbison's 1964 record hit "Pretty Woman," Lee Hucker talked about the year in which America began to change greatly from what it had been in the 1950s. "It ('64) was one of my favorite years, too," Hucker agreed. "Probably because I was getting ready to graduate from high school. It was a great class with lots of good friends." When reminded that 1964 was also the year that the Beatles invaded and captured the hearts of America, Hucker added, "They must have known it was '64 for a pretty good reason," with a wink as he walked away.