RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM THE STAPLES EXPERIENCE 1960: Doug Fenton, Mark Smith, Finn Neilsen, Wendy Kramer. We encourage additions.
FENTON - 4/30/07
* picking out the least wet towel from the towel bin in the shower
* was anyone getting tit from Cathy McGlaughlin
* the first cigarette after the end of football season
* Al Youngman was funnier than Henny
* thank God I was friends with Bernie Izzo
* Bo Diddley and Jerome Green in Westport
* girlie magazines in Bokides coffee shop
* chef Big Al and Doug, the only 2 black guys in Westport
* slo-mo tackle football at Compo Beach
* who were all those rich fuckers who belonged to Longshore Country Club?
* why won’t Cassie Cutmore go out with me
SMITH - 5/2/07
Moss's elegant boxing making a bloody mess out of the face of the visiting big guy on a rival track team and us telling coach Lane he slipped.
Fenton's dad telling him to consider the white line in the middle of the road like a stone wall.
Nielsen's mother calling out in Danish up the stairs and him responding appropriately without being able to translate to us what she said.
My mom suggesting a few possible items for dinner and James accepting them all (how about some chicken and a pork chop there?)
Raw sewage flowing out of pipes directly into the Saugatuck River downtown.
Being asked by the man behind the counter at Colgan's if I also wanted the extra candy bar in my pocket.
Agricultural lime burns on the forearms after the rainy new Canaan game.
Neilsen and I standing up as if ready to go after hearing the announcement that the math club was meeting third period.
Walking down the aisle carrying candles dressed in robes at the Christmas concert.
Wendy Olgivy and I in midwinter coats running down Valley Road to meet each other ending in a blissful embrace.
Driving the old Mercury at 95 miles an hour down Green Farms Road after midnight.
Sauntering in to the WestNor diner past all my friends before I realize my fly was open.
My first hesitant (but delectable) kiss with Chris Sullivan in early winter darkness in front of the Episcopal Church.
Sweat and tears on the bus after a close loss to the powerhouse Andrew Ward football team.
Finn finally giving up trying to explain and just saying he had a great time as an AFS student in Germany over the summer.
Fenton tiring of explaining it was the wrong number and just giving the times for the current features running at cinema .
Tossing our live cigarettes into the backseat when Coach Dornfeld pulled up to the stop light next to us.
The unsuccessful attempt with Wendy Kramer to turn our friendship into romance-she liked James better.
Staying up all night watching the sunrise from the roof at our house on Sylvan road.
Being shocked that Brown actually put the kittens in a bag and threw them into the Sound.
Delgass and I yelling "spirit and fire" as we threw the enemy effigy into the bonfire.
Always parking my old 47 Merc with the 53 Olds engine in it on a hill to jumpstart it.
Sneaking into the girls slumber party at Kramer's through a conveniently open window.
Very pleasantly listening to "do you wanna dance" with cute Cassie Cutmore and not following up on it.
Interpreting halloween night as justifying early adolescent senseless destruction of pumpkins and glass.
Long luscious hours of early teen deep petting and subsequent blue balls.
Sneaking out in the middle of the night to drink a full quart of beer each with friends by the darkened road.
Crumpling up a pack of Lucky Strikes and throwing them out the window only to retrieve them sheepishly the next morning.
Standing on the street corner as a preadolescent with local policeman Tommy Lynch.
Hurtling over the handlebars when my swim fin caught in the front wheel of my Raleigh bike.
Using a heavy professorial Germanic accent to teach Kramer how to properly fold a map.
Ogling Angela Allard in her white blouse in the back row of the Long Lots Junior High school choir.
Stepping on horseshoe crabs in the warm water at Compo Beach.
Becoming an orange-skinned lifeguard and watching Collins do 30 pull-ups in the guard shack.
Endless hours of pickup basketball and being a mediocre (but gung ho) player for the Junior Bandits.
Playing first the ukulele then a cheap guitar and singing a lot.
The concerned inquiries of my friends about the bump on my head after being struck in the game. It was a closed zit.
Cluelessly walking around a small town in Germany in my Hi-Y jacket.
Kissing Wendy so hard on my debarkation from the AFS ship that her gums bled.
Waking up my dad to tell him that the police would like to talk with him about me.
Being warmly mentored by the beloved Ted Hoskins and considering the Ministry.
Opening the car door at 70 miles an hour and placing a foot on the icy freeway after a few beers in Port Chester.
Chanting "what time is it? It's time to jump!" Before jumping from the cliff at Devils Glen into the icy water.
Feeling so expectant and high in the week between the last day of classes and the Staples graduation ceremony.
Caressing Chris in her cheerleader outfit in the attic of Bedford Junior High School.
Playing war with Moss in the endless woods behind our house.
Taking a 48 Mercury engine completely apart but never putting it back together again.
My father and I maintaining a tenuous connection during my years of adolescent emancipation through ham radio.
Mowing 2 1/2 acres of grass around our house for five dollars.
Catching fireflies in a glass jar on a hot and humid pitch black night.
Mindlessly depth charging frogs in the brook behind our house with cherry bombs.
Playing 500 with my brothers in the summer sunset a one hopper strikes me in the face-is that a minus 75?
One night of impulsive passion with a beautiful person I shall not name-we were just friends the next day.
Burke and I cruising the night before a game, grabbing a bag of Halloween candy from a child it turned out was retarded-such shame.
Bats flying out of the apple trees on the edge of our property at dusk.
Laughing at Jean Berkowitz's sprawling handwriting while secretly admiring her fantastic body.
Mr. Chappa giving me some advice after graduation about the use of some questionable lineman moves for college.
Releasing my javelin throw toward Moss at the other end of the field and seeing that he was doing a headstand.
Raising my fist and yelling at Fabrizio the Italian exchange student during a pickup game "if you weren't the exchange student ."
The exhilaration of the whole congregation singing exuberantly on Easter morning.
Weathering Wendy's furor when I slept through the sunrise service and did not pick her up as scheduled.
Launching blue-chip matches from spool and rubber band launchers onto the ceiling at the Saturday kids matin?©e.
Arguing with James whether or not James Dean wore silver or gold buckles on his engineer boots.
Waiting for the endless lists of communities announced on the radio to arrive at Westport on a potential snow day morning.
KRAMER – 5/2/07
Lynn Tuach lived in a spectacular house in Longshore.
Making out at snow day parties at John ----'s (?) house
Graduation from the 9th grade - the slumber party at my house on South Compo Rd.
Mary Gardner modeling for a wool ad in Seventeen Magazine.
Summer evenings ending at the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street.
Our class to the Met for an opera matinee and to Hartford to meet the Governor.
Mr. O'Hanion's temper in choir - but what great music he exposed us to.
The addition to the library opening on to Parker Harding Plaza.
Wooden bath houses at the beach.
Spicy steamed onions at Chubby's.
Pickles at Oscar's.
Miss Comer's dancing classes.
It is amazing that we all survived our teen years.
My first car - a green Pontiac convertible.
Al & Mrs.Youngman - and Mike's sister (?) Friday night parties there with summer kids from NYC.
Lee Greenberg taking pictures of EVERYTHING!
Trick or treating in Weston and stumbling into a house where the actor Will Gear was telling ghost stories.
John Cummings dying on South Compo Road.
(I guess really blew my chance to get it on with Mark!)
FENTON – 5/3/07
* Riding one time in Delgass’s father’s 1956 Corvette which he almost never had permission to drive (and for good reason)
* Burke picking me up one Saturday morning and seeing my father wearing Bermuda shorts about 2 inches below his rib cage yelled out "Nice shorts, Mr. Fenton." My dad smiled and waved, oblivious to Burke’s meaning.
* James’s father calling him "Mizzurble BASTARD" at least 10 times every time I was at his house
* Bill Eichleman singing the wrong verse of "O Holy Night" at the 1958 Christmas concert
* the blank stare on the face of Ned Shevelson when he came back to school after his parents were killed in a plane crash
* sneaking out of the house at 2:00 AM to meet James, and about 20 other guys including Dave Lovell, for no particular purpose
* My mom suggesting a few possible items for dinner and James accepting them all
* quitting the soccer team the day after coach Loeffler cruised by me on a downtown sidewalk smoking a cigarette. I showed him.
* driving back drunk from Port Chester on a snow day, stopping for a piss-stop on someone’s front lawn, who had the nerve to yell at us
* always having to jump out of Smith’s car to free up the linkage
* being the worst basketball player in the tri-state area, being forced to play for the Hi-Y team in the YMCA league because Roger Matthews had to work, or forfeit the game
* carrying my 16 year old, passed out, date, Connie ?, up to her front door, ringing the bell , and while handing her off to her father, still having the forethought to say : "Here’shs yer doghterrr. She fell ‘sleep."
* the following night being "invited" by Connie’s parents to explain the previous evening.
* leaving Molly Brister;s house at 2:00 AM after her great wedding party, waking up in the bushes by her front door at 6:00 AM. The last time I drank champagne.
* feeling depressed at Linda Greenberg’s post graduation party, sensing it would be the last time this unique group of kids would gather
* Mr O’Hanion glaring at me for flirting with Angela Allard
Neilsen 5/15/07
Steve Harrison and I working on the ’32 duce coup in his driveway until 11:00 pm.
Doug Moss, Peter Brown and me clearing the beach due to a shark sighting. The only problem is we invented it to walk around in authority to impress the girls. I think we are still doing that in many ways.
Mark Smith teaching Moss and me the proper way to fold maps while there were customers waiting for their Gulf gasoline.
Smith explaining how the mafia came one night and destroyed the Pepsi machine at the gas station.
Seeing the look on the women drivers buying gas when we said "do you want high test, regular or strawberry?"
Knowing every inch of Roosevelt Road on the way to Jo-Ann’s house
Mark thinking he could pump more iron than me
My only date with Dana Hinn
All of us working through the night on sand trucks clearing the snow. There was snow then!
Thinking my new Hi-Wy jacket would be a "babe" magnate.
Hanging my Downshifter’s plaque on my car. It must have been important since I have it hanging on my antique car now.
Jumping off the Devil’s Den bridge into 3’ of water to impress the New Canaan football team.
The charging crazy raccoon when shooting rats at the dump with Brown and Moss.
All those beautiful boobs
Kissing games at Linda Greenburg’s house
Smith and I trying to look unconcerned, cool and unfazed as my car engine burst into flames after we jump started it buy purring gas into the carburetor on main st, downtown Westport.
Learning why you don’t drink gasoline after siphoning gas at 2 am with Sam Whiteside
I can admit it now; Mike Youngman was a better guitarist than me.
Delgass, Brown, Smith, Fenton, James all playing guitar and singing at Jo-Ann’s
Trying to "get rubber" and ultimately destroying Brian Burke’s father’s car by rolling down the hill backwards and popping the clutch in third gear.
Port Chester
Smith, Brown, me and dates in NYC
Almost getting almost impaled on my pole vault pole. Almost killing Moss with my javelin.
Trying to make "left end" an important position on the football team
Fearing nothing. Thinking Westport was the center of the universe.
30 cents a gallon gasoline. Strawberry was 33 cents
Fenton’s interpretation of important news events.
When my older brother Christian and his cohorts put a VW bug in the hallway of old Staples.
Walking to Shelia’s house
Dee’s inscription in my yearbook
The sexual tension at Bunny’s parties
Listening to short wave radio at Mark’s house and thinking it was the answer to all the world’s
problems
Concerning Moss, we were in the back seat of his car on that date with Dana, over 50 years ago. My ability to properly place a hickie, even if given the opportunity, was diminished by his erratic driving caused by his incessant looking at us in the rear view mirror. But that couldn’t compare to the time we drove down Lyons Plains Rd without head lights. Moss was on the hood of the car with a flash light guiding the way! or the time we were chased out of town by the Norwalk locals who didn’t think much of us trying to get their girls.
Thinking I will never lose touch with this bunch (Staples friends); they are truly unique
FENTON 5/28/07
* my phone number was one digit off the Fine Arts theatre, so when people kept calling for information, I created new movies including "The Revenge of the Red Spider." It actually was a blight that attacked my mother’s flowers which she constantly sprayed.to kill.
* sneaking into the Fine Arts Theatre with Doug Janson
* Mr. Chappa diligently getting down in his football stance to show Grant Farquar how to get off the line quickly and then cutting a huge fart. This led Smith to coin the immortal phrase "Shoot out of there, Farquar."
* Midge DeSantis – can’t remember ever speaking with her I do remember drooling
* learning never to go for an oil change at Moss’s father’s gas station, because Smith, Neilsen and Moss inverted empty oil cans, popped the spout into the bottom and pretended to put oil into the engine.
* giving Burke a ride home from school and having him lean out the window to push over kids who were riding their bikes home
* following Sam Whiteside into local drug stores to buy him more cough syrup so he could get high
* Steve Levy appointing himself the official Beatnik of Westport
* saving Burke’s life after winning his fight with Red Izzo. Bernie wanted revenge.
* "Frenching" my jeans to emulate the California style imported by Dave Kenan
* taping and retaping my Converse sneakers to last through the entire school year
* my mother taking me to Ed Mitchell’s to buy 2 new pair of khakis and 2 new shirts for each school year
* Midge DeSantis
* listening to Doug Janson describe his parking lot painting scheme to christen the new Staples High School
* watching Doug Janson describe how he posed for his mugshot after he got busted for painting the parking lot " Sophomore Girls Line-up Here". While Janson posed for the profile shot, he reached up to his nostril so his hand wouldn’t show, put his finger in his nostril and pulled his rather prominent nose back against his cheek.
* growing a beard with Smith, Denham and Youngman for our Spring break trip to Florida, and my mother making me shave it off before returning to school
* being too rational/chicken to jump off Devil’s Den Bridge
* Neilsen pretending to be a pinball machine played by Burke
* telling Coach Lane at the first track meet that it didn’t matter which race he put me in, then running my first and last mile
* racing against Al Orter, Olympic Gold Medallist in discus, in an 880 yd relay. He was an inch taller and 130 pounds heavier, so I knew I would kick his ass. Ate his dirt for 220 yards.
* Midge Desantis
* thank you, Alan Freed. We couldn’t have done it without you.
* midnight parking at Compo Beach and listening to Sydney Gross, "The Voice in the Night"
* informing my date on the way to the drive-in that it was our turn to get into the trunk and avoiding her look when we climbed out of the trunk dripping with sweat.
* dropping off Hi-Y pledge Danny Shulberg (Schulman?) on Wendy’s front lawn one night to have him repeatedly shout out on one knee "I love you Sidney & Ester, please come out." and Mrs. Kramer coming out to thank Danny for his public display of affection and tell him that she loved him too..
* having to forestall my quest for Saturday-night sex because my uphill driveway was covered with deep snow, or at least I thought that..
* feebly trying to describe Hi-Y as a community service club rather than a group of wise guys looking for laughs
FENTON 6/30/07
* Dean Coniff bringing the shoplifting-for-thrills after school activity to an abrupt halt when she was caught stealing Bermuda shorts. Police found over 200 pair at her house. Geez, Mrs. Coniff, where does a teenager store 200 pair of shorts? How much allowance did you give her?
* Mike Youngman thinking Man-Tan made him look good
* Paula Lenore and Fay Farquar were a lot nicer and more pleasant than some of the more attractive girls, who won’t be named here
* James & I taking dates to a rock ‘n’ roll show at the Apollo in Harlem. Little Richard wasn’t that little Big Mabelle was really that big Screamin’ Jay Hawkins did put a spell on us.
* Youngman doing his impression of Paul Cefola
* walking down Main Street and seeing Gregory Peck filming "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit"
Dana Hinn – August 2007
Doug Moss was my hero. When I was in 8th grade, Pat DiNardo (who used to profess his love for me by singing love songs to me on the bus, following me everywhere, haunting me and embarrassing me) got tired of me trying to ignore him, then one day at recess he pummeled me with a closed fist right in my jaw, (could only drink soup through a straw for a week) Doug happened to be sitting in a classroom and saw this, I think he jumped through the window (first floor of course) and came to my rescue. Another Doug story was a first date we had when I was perhaps 16, I was only allowed to double date and had to be home by 11:00p.m. To be an extra good girl I had Doug bring me home at 10:30, my parents had gone to dinner and weren't home so I just went to bed and was sound asleep when they finally arrived home. Meanwhile my Dad waited up for me and was pacing the floors mad as hell and worried too, he finally called Doug's folks at 2:00 A.M "What do you mean, Mr. Hinn, I brought your daughter home at 10:30."
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Doug Fenton - 1960
Thursday, 09/10/2009
16:56:59
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