Nelson Abanto

Gary was a superstar. He made us all proud to be associated with him. He will be sorely missed. 
 

Charles Judd

Very sorry indeed to hear about Gary' Beck's death. We roomed together during the summer after our senior year, studying french in Swtizerland, on a trip organized by Walnut Hills french teacher Mme O'Neil. He will be missed.

Dale Gieringer

    Sad to see yet another WHHS alum in today's NYT obituaries - Richard Hamilton, a mathematical genius who helped solve a fundamental problem in three-dimensional topology.  He was 81, three years ahead of us, but skipped his senior year.  Does anyone remember him?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/science/richard-hamilton-dead.html

Laura Reid (Pease)

Laura Reid (Pease)

Here is the link to Gary's obit; it has a wonderful photo of Gary.  As you all know, Gary was married to Mary Jo Smith.  Mary Jo is my husband's first cousin; Chip's father and Mary Jo's mother were siblings.  Mary Jo said, "I was the luckiest Walnut Hills grad to marry Gary and be together for 55 years."  I will always remember Gary for that twinkle in his eye and his wicked sense of humor.

Happy holidays to all my wonderful classmates....

https://www.springgroveobituaries.org/obituaries/Gary-Walter-Beck?obId=34045218

Philip Spiess

All of you above might want to put your very valuable sentiments and memories of Gary in the "In Memory" section of this site for posterity.

Philip Spiess

Season's Greetings to all my Classmates!  Here is a seasonal present for all of you:

A TRADITIONAL WASSAIL BOWL:   [From a recipe of Cedric Dickens, Charles Dickens' great-grandson]

Ingredients:          3 pints Ale     1/2 oz. ground Ginger     1/2 oz. ground Nutmeg     8 oz. dark Brown Sugar

1/2 bottle of Sherry or Madeira Wine     2 Lemons     3 lumps of Sugar     12 Crab Apples or 6 small Red Apples

Directions:          First, roast the apples:  slit the skin for easier cooking, and bake the apples in a moderate oven [350 degrees F.] until their texture looks soft and mashable.  (During the cooking, baste with a little ale if the apples appear to be becoming too dry.) Second, place 2 1/2 cups of the ale in a saucepan; add the ginger, nutmeg, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil.  Rub the lumps of sugar on the outside of one of the lemons, removing all the zest; thinly slice the other lemon.  Add the sugar lumps, the sherry or Madeira [I recommend the Madeira], and the rest of the ale, to the saucepan, and make it very hot, but do not boil.  Place the lemon slices in a large punchbowl, and pour the hot liquid over them.  Add the sizzling roasted apples [this is the origin of Halloween's "bobbing for apples"], and enjoy! 

And here is the present I got:  a genuine 1950s Lionel Train Set!  (It is shown as set up in my backyard.)

And may 2025 turn out to be good to and for all of us!

Paul Simons

Thanks Phil, your post brings back memories from years ago of both that type of drink and that type of railroad yard. One summer a job that I had was as a brakeman about when the Pennsylvania Railroad split into Amtrak the passenger service and Conrail for freight which is where I worked, out of the Sharonville yard. Similar layout to yours - the main tracks and off to the side a number of classification tracks. One aspect - they'd slowly push a train of maybe 100 cars along past the buildings on the right in your image and I'd use the uncoupling handle to cut loose a car or two or three as required which would roll down the slight incline and be switched to whichever classification track they had to go to. The air hoses uncoupled automatically but the air valves had to closed to maintain air pressure which kept the brakes off. Major safety feature - any accidental loss of air pressure stops the train. This might have been George Westinghouse's extremely important innovation. Thanks for the holiday wishes, let me echo that to all. 

Becky Payne (Shockley)

Thanks,  Phil. My brother Karl loved his Lionel trains - he had them set up on a large table my father had built for him in what I think was originally a billiard room in our attic. In order for Dad to work on it and help setting up the trains, Karl had to attend Mme Fedorova's ballroom dance classes every Fridat night at the Alms hotel. Remember those? (Karl hated them!)

Becky Payne (Shockley)

PS: Karl's train table occupied just half of the old billiard room. The other half was my personal space, and I named it "Miss Lane's Club" (after my 2nd grade teacher, who I thought at the time was just wonderful!) 

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Thanks Phil!
With the beginning of Hanukkah and Christmas falling on December 25 this year, I extend greetings for a joyous holiday season.

Margery Erhardt (Schrader)

Becky and Phil...what fond memories with the trains and then Mme. Fefe's! That was a riot every Friday evening. Girls trying to climb out the window in the "powder room" though if they could where would they go? Dallas had a similar institution and both my sons attended wondering my reasoning. Anyway, I talk weekly with a friend from CPS (Miss Doherty's) (sp) and as we attended together we recall really funny episodes.

Jeff Daum

Phil, nice pic of train yard.  However, my Lionel trains (and most that any of us would have known) ran on a three track system.  Those in your image are two track systems and look suspicously real, like the South Station Approaches classic picture.  My set up had grown to half of our basement in Bond Hill.  It started on a 6 by 10 foot platform that included the transformer and controls.  That part had two levels of tracks and a switching yard.  It then continued along the wall behind our furnace (initially coal then gas) along a suspended track that ran into my work area before looping back to the main table.  Fun times indeed.

Philip Spiess

Okay, Jeff, you've "outed" me:  the train setup I posted is not a Lionel set, but the yard of Boston's South Station in the 1940s (station headhouse in the far background).  I did indeed have a Lionel train setup in my basement, too, but the best I ever saw (aside from the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co.'s lobby train show at Christmas) was our classmate Jim Stillwell's; it was in his basement, too (it even had running streetcars).

Becky!  I hope and trust you're back to being able to play the piano again.  Speaking of your old house in Clifton, in October Kathy and I visited Cincinnati for the first time in twenty years; we stayed for the week in "The Clifton House," the house on the corner of Terrace Avenue, across Whitfield from your house.  It is now a very nice bed & breakfast (we stayed in the 2-story carriage house on the alley across from your driveway).  We also had a great 2-hour tour of Walnut Hills High School, and the joint strings classes played two pieces for us. As to Miss Lane and 2nd Grade, there we were for the year out in the "bungalow"; I remember you playing the piano for us (it stood across a corner of the room).  I had Miss Lane for 3rd Grade as well (on Clifton School's 3rd floor); did you?

Ann:  a sad note:  we had to put down our dog Haligan in September; what we thought was a back problem turned out to be a tumor and leukemia.  He was my "nap buddy"; now all I have to share my nap with me is an old woolen blanket (not so warm and cuddly).

Margery:  I never learned dancing at Madame Fedorova's; I was part of the dancing group with Mr. Gallus.  However, we all must have done well (despite escaping out windows):  years ago I was at a wedding reception in White Plains, New York.  After observing me for awhile on the dance floor, an elderly lady on the sidelines (whom I did not know) remarked, "You must be from Cincinnati."  "I am," I said, "but how did you know?"  "All the young men that I've seen who are good ballroom dancers seem to come from Cincinnati," she responded.  Years later, my son was in Cotillion here in Virginia; he must have been good, too, for they asked him to help teach the following year.

And Paul:  tell us more of your railroad adventures.

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Phil. Sorry to learn about your buddy Haligan. Wool blankets certainly not the same. As one who has experience such loss over my lifetime, it doesn't get any easier.  Even though I retired from facilitating pet loss groups on a regular basis three years ago, I still fill in from time to time. I filled in Tuesday night and it reminded me that our animals lives are so much shorter than our own, but those who love having them around make the choice in spite of it.  Hugs.

Philip Spiess

HALIGAN a year ago  (you can see him as a puppy in 2014 on my Profile, 15th picture in).

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

And what a fine dog!! 

Becky Payne (Shockley)

Margery: Thanks for your memories of Madame Fifi - I never knew about girls trying to jump out the windows! (My brother referred tro he as Madame "Forty-or-over"  back then we thought age 40 was realy ancient!)

Jeff: Your model train empire sounds amazing! Very impressive! 

Phil: Thanks for your good wishes. Yes, I still play - not too frequently but at least once a month for my little (mainly retired) piano teacher group ithat meets in people's homes. Glad you re-visited Clifton. We know the Clifton House - stayed there once while visiting Karl and Susan in their house on Howell Ave. And when I was growing up it was thte Marjorie P. Lees Home (for Seniors) - now located in Hyde Park. I even played the piano for them once - as a Red Cross service project (wearing my official Red Cross uniform!) Also, about 15 years ago, I saw someone working outside 394 Terrace, so Karl and I introduced ourselves as former residents and asked if we could go through thte house. The nice man showed us around, and they had done a lot of nice updates to it, and restored parts that had suffered abuse while it was used as student rental housing at one time. Lots of memories there! Re Clifton School - I had Mrs. Phelps for 3rd grade. I don't remember playing for Miss Lane's class, but I did once bring some puppets and performed a play I had written for them. However, my script was censored: When i had one character say "Shut up!" to another one, she made me change it to "Hush up." So I learned to watch my language!

Margery Erhardt (Schrader)

Becky, I also have fond memories of getting together in your living room for junior guild (?) events. Such fun and memorable times with your dear mother!!! And I have and love your book about her!!!!!

Jeff Daum

Thanks Becky.  It was a fun set up, though as I got older my focus was to see how fast I could run the engines (without hauling cars) around the tracks before they flew off.  I only did this with engines already in need of repair while keeping the rest of the Lionel engines and cars in good condition.

Unfortunately when I left for Miami U (Oxford), my parents moved back to New York and gave my trains to my sister (WHHS class of 1960) who then gave them away without telling me.

Our sons were only breifly interested in trains and then it was "Z" and "N" gauge rather than Lionel.

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Season's greetings everyone!

Becky Payne (Shockley)

Margery: Thanks for remembering those Junior Keyboard Club meetings (where they also served supper before the performance - I'm sure that was a bg attraction for many of us!) And I'm so glad you've enjoyed my mom's memoirs!She was pretty amazing!

Jeff: Thanks for the update on your model trains. (I remember that Karl also had some HO guage trains, which I think ran on smaller tracks, but I don't remember the details. But if you're ever in the Twin Cities, you can visit this place: Twin City Model Railroad Museum

https://www.google.com/search?q=model+train+museum+st+paul&oq=model+train+museum&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgCEAAYkgMYgAQYigUyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyEAgBEC4YrwEYxwEYgAQYjgUyDQgCEAAYkgMYgAQYigUyBwgDEAAYgAQyCggEEAAYyQMYgAQyDQgFEC4YrwEYxwEYgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEAAYgAQyBwgJEAAYgATSAQg2Mjg1ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

You can even hop on an old train  enegine and take a slow 5-minute ride along a short stretch of the old railroad. That's fun!

Jeff Daum

Becky, when we lived in Grosse Pointe Farms (Michigan) for 19 years after we left New York City, our kids loved riding the steam train out at the Henry Ford Museaum.  We logged many miles and smiles on it.  Since then we have enjoyed old trains on some of our international travels.

Philip Spiess

Becky:  When "The Clifton House" was the Lees Home for Seniors, I, too, performed there once:  Junior or Senior Tuxis from Immanuel Presbyterian Church went there caroling one year; I remember standing at the foot of that grand staircase, singing.  As to playing the piano for Miss Lane's 2nd Grade class, I seem to recall that you played a piece called "Playera" (or some such); I'm sure you also played "The Spinning Song" (as everybody did in those days, including my sister).

Jeff:  I knew the President of the Henry Ford Museum well; he and I traveled together behind the Iron Curtain (in East Germany) a year before the Berlin Wall fell.  Later, we were together on a museum junket in Colorado for a week.

Philip Spiess

HAPPY NEW YEAR to All Our Class of 1964!

For those who celebrate the New Year with Champagne, I've included a few special Champagne Cocktails (as opposed to the usual Buck's Fizz, Kir Royale, Bellini, French "75," etc.).  [Our own favorite Champagne at the Spiess house is Moet & Chandon’s Nectar Imperial.]

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL  (Imperial Version):  Place one sugar cube [1/2 tsp.] in the bottom of a champagne flute and saturate it with 1-2 dashes of Angostura or Peychaud's bitters.  Fill the glass with well-chilled champagne (a sec or demi-sec champagne is traditional, but a brut makes for a better cocktail).  Add a float of Grand Marnier liqueur on the top, and add a twist of lemon peel.

"BUCK AND BRECK":  Frost a champagne flute on the inside (fill with water or lemon juice and throw it out, then fill with sugar and throw that out).  Pour in 1 1/2 oz. really good cognac (VSOP or better), add 2 dashes Angostura bitters and 1 dash absinthe, and fill the glass with cold cham-pagne.  [Note:  The name, “Buck and Breck,” was the popular nickname for the winning 1856 Democratic ticket, James Buchanan and John C. Breckinridge.]  [Also Noted:  A drink similar to this is described by Raymond Chandler in the greenhouse scene in chap. 2 of The Big Sleep.]

PRINCE OF WALES’S COCKTAIL  [“Bertie”’s Original]:  Put 1 tsp. powdered sugar in a mixing glass with 1 dash Angostura bitters and 1/2 tsp. water; stir briefly until the sugar has dissolved. Add 1 1/2 oz. rye whiskey, 1/4 tsp. real Maraschino liqueur, and a small square pineapple chunk; fill glass 2/3 full of cracked ice and shake brutally to crush the pineapple.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or champagne flute, add 1 oz. cold brut champagne, and garnish with a twist of lemon.

SPARKLING HUNT PUNCH  [per glass]:  Chill 1/4 oz. white rum, 1/2 oz. Amaretto di Saronno, 1/2 oz. cherry liqueur, and 1 oz. fresh orange juice together; then strain into a champagne flute.  Top up with 3 oz. chilled champagne (preferably brut); serve.

ALBERT PIKE’S FAMOUS CHAMPAGNE PUNCH  [per large punch bowl]:  Finely cut up two fresh (but very ripe) pineapples; juice and pulp 12 oranges.  In a very large chilled punch bowl (or one with a block of ice in it) pour 2 two-quart bottles of champagne (or less to taste) add 2 oz. dry orange Curacao and 2 oz. real Maraschino liqueur, then add the cut up pineapples and oranges, stir lightly, and serve. 

[Historical Note:  The traditional saucer-shaped rounded Champagne coupe (as opposed to the more modern Champagne flute) was created, as legend would have it, by using Marie Antoinette's breast as a model.  Since only the wax cast of her head, made by the young Marie Grosholtz as the head was taken dripping from the guillotine's basket (Marie had been ordered to do this by her former lover, Robespierre) -- and not her breast -- remains in the "Chamber of Horrors" at Madame Marie Grosholtz Tussaud's 's Waxworks in London, we will never know for sure.]