Your Thoughts

Duncan:That was a great blog about all those great people and athletes from Germantown.You drank the water because you have a reservoir of information and facts about the guys from Gtn.Bill Mulvy played basketball for the Prep-56.He was friends with Big Bill Dunfy[Blue-Bell_Gtn].Frank Deegan[Prep-54]lived in the house across from the basketball-court;his father was the Fairmount-Park commissioner.I remember George;he was a serious player and he really liked the game.I am not certain but his name could have been George Harkins.You mentioned Ed Kilfeather from Roman and how good that he was.Do you remember Bob Schafer from Roman and Villanova?He scored over 2000 points at Villanova and played professionally for the St.Louis hawks and the Syracuse Nationals.Bob S. came to Fern Hill with Jim Heil[Roman football],Jim Katcavage[Giants Football and John West[Roxborough football.Needless to say,they were a tough team.Jim Katcavage threw an elbow and gave Jim H. a bad cut which required 12 stiches.Neil McElroy was a soccer player who played basketball-soccer style.He was lucky that he never played against that group.I did remind Neal once that he was not playing soccer on the court.I was sorry to hear about Charley Soley and how you coached his brother[Bob].Did you know Jack Smith or Jim Riceman from GBC;they were great players back in the day-50's.I did not know Judge Bradley.My step-father's name was Gordan Bradley and he went to Calvary Church at Manheim and Pulaski;possibly you went to church there.You are heading for Oneonta N.Y.I surmise the game will be played at Suny.I spent some time in Central New York.However,I was at Saratoga Race- Track;watching those beautiful 4-legged creatures.I recommend that you either visit or re- visit Saratoga.There is one caveat;A GA-Guy[Tom Crane] will tell you that horses are very fickle.Duncan! Keep up these excellent blogs and enjoy the Olympics-especially soccer&basketball.
john Bruce Schmitt [08-08-2008]

ha ha .Rollie Hart could tell you.but he has passed away. and possibly anthony Crinniti . or steve billett or tweet granierie. or frankie payne and then theres Leggie porteror even Frankie beverly or Buggs scooter penn defintely knows.hell I bett Nails Russo really could tell you Billy Brennan always told me who it was and huck hansberry was right on the money.
anonymous [08-08-2008]

to anonymous, yes, that was skippy jay's mother who made out the membership cards. who is that masked man?
dave linn, gbc alumnus [08-08-2008]

People don't believe me when I tell them about the peppers drying on clothes line in the Attic or picking Dandelion greens to fry with eggs or make a salad . I still fry Escarole and Spinach in oil and garlic, my kids won't eat it boiled, and as for potatoes, is there any other way but fried ?
Dolly, NE Philly [08-08-2008]

I was born on May 8, 1968 in Lankenau Hospital. I was given up for adoption. The adoption was handled by Raymond and Estelle Rubens. I am a female. I know that my birthmother lived in Germantown, as my biological grandparents. If you are out there, please contact me at mtdesq@aol.com
Maria DeSimone, New York, New York [08-08-2008]

I remember the green man from Waterview. He scared the crap out of us many times. Does anyone know who he was?
Billy [08-07-2008]

Bruce, I remember Bill Molvey. How about Harry Bradley, He became a lawyer, then a judgein Media. Probably the best player to come to Fern Hill park, not as often as us McKean Avenue boys was Ed Kilfeather. He went to Roman Catholic. Remember "George" He wore out a pair of $10.95 low cut converse sneakers in three weeks at the "park".Charles Soley last lived in Barto PA. It is in the upper Perkiomen School District. He was only 60. His brother played for me a Germantown Academy from 1964-1967. He scored 80 goals which was the school and league record until it was broken by Silva from The Haverford School. Then a player from G.A. broke that. I think he was from the Germantown Boys Club. His name Anthony Donetelli. However games by then were eighty minutes, rather than the previous 60, Bob Soley never had more than 3 goals in any game for me. I know Donetelli had games as high as six, but he was a great player. He played for the Kixx. Silva went to Harvard and got an education. For you Germantown boys club guy Mrs. Soley, that right, is 94+ and lives on Barnett Street in North Philadelphia. I visited her on the same day as Sgt. Liczbinski was gunned down, and it took me an hour to go from there to UGH for a banquet. Well I have to go now. I'm coaching the Radnor Elite over 50 in Onieota New York this week end.
Duncan Hubley [08-07-2008]

Anthony, I can relate. I remember my grandmom cutting out circles of dough with a glass for ravioli. When I was a kid, my father would take me, my brother and sister to any of the near by golf courses to pick dandilions early Sunday morning before Mass. Grandmom made dandilion wine or would sometimes use them for salad. Whenever she would make gravy for Sunday she would always insist on the pork neck bone. That's what gave it "the taste". Grandpop would kill a pig every January. January was sausage month. They also made blood pudding and scrapple. Anything else was put in a glass jar and formed a gelatin. Cleaning the casings was a job. February was too cold to do anything. March we planted scallions and then came St. Joseph's day. April was Easter with a ton of all different foods. Holy Saturday was always eggs and asparagus (fritatta) and making rice/ meat pies and her pane di pasqua. May, the garden came to life. June, July and August was fire wood. August/ September was tomato and fruit canning season. September/ October was wine season. October/Novemeber the fig tree was bent in half, covered in straw and plastic and tied up like a sausage. Thanksgiving dinner was always Capon and Lasagna. Then December was deer season and Christmas eve. Great memories!
Michael [08-07-2008]

Jim, I know of this web site for Germantown High http://germantownhighschool.org/philadelphia-pa/ You may be able to get a year book from there Erda
Erda, West Norriton Pa [08-07-2008]

I thought you all might enjoy reading this. Its the 40 and over childhood story!
Black and White (Under age 40? You won't understand.)
You could hardly see for all the snow,
Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.
Pull a chair up to the TV set,
'Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet.'

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice-pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE, and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Keds (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built-in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah ... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA, AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T; SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING.
Cheryl Raffle, Living in Lansdale PA [08-07-2008]

Dave... Didn't Skippy Jay's mother work in the office at the Boy's Club? If I'm correct, she's the one who used that old fashioned machine to punch your name in your membership card.
Anonymous, Another GBC Alumnus [08-06-2008]

John Ellsworth Jr. [08-06-2008]

Michael, I reember all the things you mentioned. My grandmother and mother used to make home-made ravioli and cook them fresh that day. Also in September they would buy bushels of ripe tomatoes and cook them down to jar for the winter to make gravy. I loved them on bread when they were cooking down, but hated that time of year because it was back to school. Love it now, though. It's good to see people talking about good memeories of Germantown again.
anthonyg [08-06-2008]

Gregory, I remember the stories about the Greenman from Waterview. We used to look over our shoulder when we were watching your Brother-in-law Bizzie-if you're Greg Striano-and the rest of his friends play ball. Seems like it was only yesterday.
anthonyg [08-06-2008]

Zanine (mole)is that you. you use to hang out with binky. pinky tiffen.beetle Bailey'Johny Laz'tacky'joe Ogara;Joe Vitelli;Gormens ;flannery;s.anonymous
anonymous [08-06-2008]

Those of you that remember the Gaw family from 5618 Morton St, Germantown (Cowtown) please pass along the word that Lew Gaw passed away at approximatley 10:00pm, on 08/04/08. Arrangements are currently being made and will be published. The Gaw family consisted of 16 children and Lew was the youngest; Mom & Dad Gaw made and sold candy, with the help of the kids and friends, on all special occasions throughout the year from their home. Lew and his brother Frank (also deceased)served in the Navy during WWII) and were always part of the group that pitched pennies/nickels/quarters against the wall of Bakers Drug store at Armat & Morton. Sunday afternoons were spent shooting crap in the alley behind the Gaw house, at least until the red cars came. I use to make a decent wage as a lookout and picking up after the hasty departures the players made through my grandmother Gaw's house. The wonderful stories could go on and perhaps should, but on another day. Please remember Lew and his wife Bunny, their two boys, Lew and Denny and the grandchildren in your prayers. A tough week for another reason, lost an old germantown friend, Bob Powers. Bob and I attended St. Vincents (54), North Catholic (58)together and entered the Marines on the buddy program in October 1958. Will miss Bob as well. Old friends from St. Vincents, North or the neighborhood drop me a note when you can. You might also remember my sister Roberta (Bobbie), brother Dave or the baby of the family Irene.
Frank Owens, Frank Owens, Spokane, Washington [08-06-2008]

Any talk of a GBC alumni reunion this year? It has been while.
Jim Smith [08-06-2008]

Jim - if you don't get any responses to your yearbook request, check Ebay. Yearbooks come up from time to time. Maybe also check Gtn High's alumni association, they may be able to hook you up.
Dennis McGlinchey, Born & raised in East Germantown [08-06-2008]

To Anon - That's affirmative; I still live in my Ancestral Home (that sounds better than a row house in the 'hood).
Bruce Marshall, 56, Born, raised, still in Gtn [08-05-2008]

Hi Carol my name is Angela i lived at St Joes also in the 60s,with my sister Betty here is my e-mail,angiecruz86@yahoo.com hope to hear from you soon.
Angela Cruz, New Jersey [08-05-2008]

I'm married to Jack Zanine who is not computer literate. However, he is very interested in this site and I thought I would say hi for him to his all of his old friends in Germmantown.
Sheila, Lewes, DE [08-05-2008]

Duncan:It was good to hear from you after many years.I told Pat McIlhinney about your blog;his comment -Duncan always went left.You refreshed my memory about our brothers from Fern Hill- Leroy,Harold,Joe P.,Moon,Irwin.You were correct that Ned Pomfret did not play for Louisiana Tech;I did get the right state-right church but wrong pew.I surmise that Bill Haas lives in Wildwood and Ken Twiford lives in Lancaster.Charlie Solly lived somewhere in Jersey but somebody on the blog mentioned that he died.You coached at Arch- bishop Carroll.Did you play the Prep?Jim Murray of Germantown has coached the Prep for many years.Duncan! I always thought that you went to Ocean City and Somers Point-Dave Heil would go there too.Dave Belcak had a blog about Fern Hill,he knew the Lynch brothers and John Fries.Did you remember Bill Mulvy ?Incidentally,some of us wore weights to strenghten our legs and jump higher- one had to be on the rim to get rebounds.I remember those games fondly.Duncan!Keep blogging and share with us your expertise about soccer,sports and worldly matters.
john Bruce Schmitt [08-05-2008]

I remember the easter bread. Sometimes it had a egg in it. I tell people this and they do not believe me. Was this Italian cuisine? Easter was a big event in Gtown.... Alter Boy, Our Lady of the Rosary.
Ed Farrar, Chester, VA [08-05-2008]

Jack Zanine, I remember you comming down the corner with that neat little car. We all would cut up and have fun with Ronnie, John, Yut, Levins, Donnie, Raymond and the rest. You said we were bad kids and would laugh. We had a lot of fun and I wish some of those days were back again.
Rizzo [08-05-2008]

GERMANTOWN HIGH CLASS OF 1963: Does anybody have a copy of the Germantown High School yearbook from the Class of 1963? Like a lot of neighborhood kids, my brother Hugh did not have the dough to pay his class dues, so he never got a yearbook. I would be interested in purchasing a copy for him, or at least borrowing one so I can copy some of the pages. Can it really be 45 years ago?
Jim Smith [08-05-2008]

A week without some new thoughts on Germantown has allowed some Roxborough to get into my system. I need help. I don't need no doctor, my prescription told me so. I need a dose of Germantown.
Bill James, the head from the hollow [08-04-2008]

Just visited my good friend Skippy Jay in Cleveland Ohio. If you remember Skip and his family they all went to the Germantown Boys Club on Penn St. We had a great time there and wouldn't change a thing about our growing up in Germantown. We all have great memories of those old days. Thanks Skip and Peg for a great visit to Ohio. WE ARE..... PENN STATE!
Dave Linn, Dave - GBC Alumni [08-04-2008]

Old girl friend graduated class of '42
Bob Mulford, Looking 4 Laura Lou Courtney [08-04-2008]

Bruce Marshall - Do you still live in Germantown?
Anon [08-04-2008]

I lived at St. Joseph`s Hall For Girls in the late 60`s. I would loved to talk with anyone who was there at that time.I have a lot of good memories.I also lived in the group home on high and morton st.If anyone remembers me let me know.
Carol Orzechowski ( Henry), I am 48 and I live in Glenside, Pa. I went to Cardinal Dougherty High School and graduated in 1979. [08-04-2008]

To the friends of Bob Powers, I am sorry to have to tell you that My Father, Bob Powers, passed away on Friday July 25. His death was sudden and a shock to us all. He passed surrounded by his family and all of our love. He is with our mother once again, and they are happy together. To his friends on this page he loved coming on here and remembering the people and places talkied about here. thank you.
Bob Powers Jr., Son of Bob Powers Sr. [08-04-2008]

For those of you who had been emailing and in touch with Bob Powers . Just wanted to let you know he passed away on Friday 7/25. He went to St. Vincents and North Catholic and I think he graduated from North in 58 or 59 and was on the football team. He did enjoy this site which I passed on to him and I think he made a lot of contacts so just wanted you who knew him to know. He was a great friend and a great story teller.
Wilma ., Bucks Co. 65 yrs [08-04-2008]

Dolly, I agree. Remember frying leftover macaroni's in olive oil? Sometimes we would also add breadcrumbs. Think of the old people from Germantown and other places. Most of them had large families to feed and had to do it on one paycheck. Feeding large families became an art unto itself. Turn of the century Italians ate more green foods i.e. Escarole, dandelions, broccoli rabe, string beans, you name it. Those people are long gone and so is their food. How many had a cantina (a cold room) in the basement with fruit,canned tomatoes,sopressata, wine, and cheese? They also dried their homemade macaroni on bamboo poles. Consider this generation and the billions of dollars that they waste anually eating out. The cost for two adults to eat a dinner out is a minimum of $40.00 or more. Think of all the food you can buy in the grocery or produce store for $40.00. I try to plan my meals the night before. Most foods usually tastes better the next day anyway. It's delicious and you can never get that in any restaurant. I think that most people are too busy to be concerned with cooking homemade foods. They prefer to snack on prepared foods in bags, whereas the old people would snack on fruits and vegetables. It was cheaper and healthier anyway.
Michael [08-04-2008]

I know that Bob Powers had been on this site not too long ago. We had been friends with he & his wife for 45 years (as early teens). a lot of his old friends from St. Vincents & North Catholic had been in touch with him. Just wanted to let you all know that he died this past Friday. A great friend to my husband & I and a lot of good memories. A great story teller. Wilma
Wilma, Bucks Co. [08-04-2008]

Jack Zanine [08-04-2008]

Bruce! I did remember you, but I could not remember your first name until I saw it. You always rolled your khaki pants up to show off your muscular thighs. Of course I remember Harold (deceased) and Leroy Kelly, and their athletic prowess.I also remember Joe Palmer, Moon, and Irvin. You did very well on such old facts. One correction- Ned Pomfret went to McNeese State for football after his four year stint in the army. I still coach to a degree at any where any one will take me. The last place being Arch Bishop Carroll in Radnor. The last time I saw Billy Haas he was working in an amusement park in Wildwood N.J. Ken Twiford was an exceptional athlete, and now plays in an over 65 Softball league in Lancaster PA.
Duncan Hubley [08-04-2008]

Hey Dunc, you got a pretty good memory for a oldtimer. Glad to hear you're still kicking (soccer ball), sorry you didn't make the reunion in Wildwood, it was a good time which was had by all. Didn't see you at the Spain vs Germany game.
Dave Linn, GBC Alumni [08-04-2008]

does anyone remember the Green Man from Waterview
Gregory [08-04-2008]