Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Babs MacKenzie Whitton shared her graduation photo from Bay Ridge High School.


How sweet!

Richie Wells shared these photos too.
 Richie and his beautiful 16 year old granddaughter Lauren Ann.
 Richie Wells at home for leave from the Air Force back in the '50's with Charlotte Condon, Babs Whitton and Helen Petrowski (deceased).  Don't  know whose kitchen they're in but look at all the cigarettes.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Great Photo

Here's a great photo of Kathy Dahlman (I don't remember Kathy's maiden name),  Pat (Barago) Malette and Luana (Beckridge) Barago.  They look like they're having fun.  It must be the wine.  
Unfortunately, both Kathy and Pat passed away after long illnesses.  They will be missed.  
Rest in peace girls.  You will always be in our hearts.

Carol Wells



Our old friend, Caroline (Wells) Cavalaro passed away this past year.  Carol was the younger sister of Richie Wells who I'm sure you all remember from Nick's Ice Cream Parlor.   This photo was taken at her daughter's wedding.  Carol looked the same as she did in the 1950's.  She aged very well.  
Rest in peace Carol.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Some More Good Times 

Just found a few photos I think you might enjoy!

Ellie (Wilkie) O'Neill and husband Pat, Babs (MacKenzie) Whitton and husband Bill, Pat (Esposito) Atencio and husband Richard at LaNonna Piancone's Restaurant, Bradley Beach, NJ.


Maria, Pat and Luana at Halloween Party in Florida 1999.  
What gorgeous costumes.




Pat, Babs and Ellie at Staten Island Reunion about a century ago.

 

Sunday, January 16, 2011

More Oldies Photos

I would like to make this blog more of a living photo album by adding more photos from time to time.  If anyone has old or current photos they would like to share with our old friends please send them to me via an email to:  triciart@aol.com.

Here are a few oldies I received from Luana today.

Luana at age 16 -- 1954. 
What a beauty!


Luana and Elaine

Jimmy & Luana when they were first married.
Look at that waistline.

Arlene Tobin, Luana and Maria in Florida.
About 10 years ago. 
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More Old Photos


Lu met a childhood friend from Brooklyn recently and sent me these pics.


Angelina Van Beughem (Annie) from 51st Street grew up with Lu.  Here they are reuniting in Florida this winter.



Here they are as skinny little teens in the 1950's.

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I came across these two photos of my mom and myself recently.

Mom in the 1930s at Newark Airport.
And here I am at an airport in St. Louis trying to capture the same pose (1980's)


Didn't quite get it.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Meeting Gems Once Again

On May 16th, this year, a lot of my old friends got together for lunch in Atlantic Highlands, N. J.  It had been many years since we had all seen each other although I do get to see two of them at least once a year.

Maria Rombi, Luana (Beckridge) Barago, Joan (Lee) Christy, Babs (MacKenzie) and husband Bill Whitton, Elaine (Corino) Galante, Ann and husband Bill Eliopoulis, Annabelle Boyle, Charlotte (MacCormack) Condon, Joe Wong and wife Marge, and myself, Pat (Esposito) Atencio and husband Richard all got together for a good time.
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A Little Background on the Girls
 
Maria Rombi lived directly across the street from me on 45th street.  I met her in 1943 when she was 6 and I was 7.  We've been close friends ever since.  Even now we both live at the Jersey Shore.


I met Lu Barago when I was 16 and she was 14.  She was a Dominette.  We're still best friends and still visit a few times each  year.


Charlotte Condon, Annabelle Boyle and I were in the same class at St. Michael's Grammar School on 42nd street.  It had been a long time since we three had gotten together.


I met Joe Wong, Bill Eliopoulis and Elaine  Galante when we were about 16 when Maria and I started hanging out with the Dominettes.


Babs Whitton lived on 45th street too, just a few doors away from me.  Babs met her husband-to-be Bill during the summer of 1951.  They've been together ever since.


I met Joan Christy and Irene Kilfoyle through Maria (they went to school together).


Here's a photo of the whole gang at the luncheon.



Top - Left to Right: Bill E., Luana, Annabelle, Joan, Babs, Richard, Charlotte and Bill W.
Next - Left to Right:  Elaine, Ann, Maria and Marge.
Bottom - Pat and Joe.

!!!It's been a long time since we were 16!!!

"The Gems"

The 1950's was a great time to grow up in Brooklyn.  In the summer of 1951, some of my girlfriends from 45th Street and the surrounding streets decided to form a "club".  These girls' clubs were very popular at that time.  If you walked a few blocks in either direction you would see girls wearing matching "team" sweaters.  Most of these clubs had nothing to do with actual teams.  It was just a way for a group of girls to create an identity for themselves and their neighborhoods.   42nd street had the "Clovers".  46th Street had the "Dominettes".  And 45th Street had the "Gems".


(The Dominettes actually were connected to a boys' softball team, the Dominoes, most of whom lived on or near 46th Street.)


Dominettes
The faces are hard to see but here are most of the names:

In the back row:  L to R:  Rose Galante, Luana, Pat Waters, Marilyn Peterson, Maria Rombi, ?don't know?, Sally Karalius.Next: Connie Karalius, Annette Galante, Anna Ancona, Maryann Eliopoulos.

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Getting Our Gem Sweaters
 

It took a real effort for 14 and 15 year old girls with no income other than their weekly allowance (about $2.00 a week) to get together enough money to order these beautiful wool sweaters.  They were long sweaters, ending at the hips and had long sleeves.  The Gems decided on turquoise and black for a color scheme.    We had our names embroidered in black on the left front of the sweater with GEMS on the back.   When we finally got the money together we all took a trip to Manhattan (5 cents each way on the train)  to the manufacturer and ordered our sweaters.  We waited weeks which seemed like months but finally our sweaters arrived.  We were all overjoyed and immediately put them on and called each other up to say "Let's meet at Nick's", our ice cream parlor hangout.  And there we were, all nine of us, wearing our sweaters and grinning from ear to ear.

The original Gems:  (Maiden Names)  Maria Rombi, Joan Lee, Irene Kilfoyle, Babs MacKenzie, Charlotte MacCormack, Helen Petrowski, Mary McGrath, Annabelle Boyle, myself Pat Esposito.

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Gems at Luncheon
Charlotte, Maria, Strange Looking Sailor, Joan and Pat
Annabelle and Babs in back


Some Old Photos of the Gems and Friends

Maria, Babs, Charlotte and Luana were kind enough to send me some old photos of the girls taken in the early 1950's.

Here are a few:
 Pat Esposito, Charlotte MacCormack, Pat McCormick and Charlotte Briglio graduating from St. Michael's in 1951.


 Charlotte and Annabelle at Coney Island
 I've forgotten some of the names of the girls in this photo but here are the ones I remember wearing our new Gems sweaters.
Babs MacKenzie, Mary Rist, Irene Kilfoyle, Pat Esposito, Maria Rombi and Mary McGrath.
Babs
 Maria, Babs, Mary and Josephine DeLuca

 Here are more faces some of whose names I can't remember.
Irene, Carol Wells, Maria, Helen's Mother, Helen, Charlotte, Babs. Evidently at Helen's birthday party.

Irene, Babs, Maria and Joan having pizza in Maria's kitchen.

Joan and Irene's Graduation from Dewey Jr. High.

Some of the boys.







Gems after school.



Pat
(dig that kerchief around the neck, everyone had kerchiefs in different colors).

Pat Waters



Joan Lee



Charlotte MacCormack




Some of the guys in the crowd.
Willie Byrne



Willie again!


Richie Wells with Irene and Pat in front of DeBarrows.


Gary Cordes and Dick Condon


Irene and Bill Cooper's Wedding Day

 Maria and Les - 1950's




Maria and Les now


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 Dominoes and Dominettes
Back Row: Bobby Teetma, Joey Esposito, Tony Maceira, Connie Karalius, Bobby Galantee
Next Row:  Luana Beckridge, Pat Waters, Bobby McElvy, Helen Ferares, Harry Balukas.
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Some years later during the late 1970's a few of  us attended a St. Michael's School Reunion.
Here are Charlotte and Ellie Wilkie catching up on the news.

Pat with Annabelle and classmate Carol Bogaart
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Early 1980's Gems Reunion in Staten Island

Pat, Annabelle, Maria, Babs and Ruth Smith
Mary, Joan and Irene



Pat presenting Babs with Gems shirt in honor of her visit from Houston.  The shirt had the names of all the Gems, guys we knew, songs we loved and singers we listened to over and over (like Johnnie Ray and Al Martino).



Annabelle, Babs (in background), Joan, Pat and Mary at reunion.

Babs and Billy
 
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A visit with Maria and Ellie (mid 1990's)


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Maria and Pat visit their old 45th St. homes - 1999

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Another visit with Babs, Bill, Ellie and husband Pat, and Dick and Pat -- dinner at LaNonna Piancone's.
Bill Whitton, looking great as usual.

Ellie, Babs and Pat

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Recent photo of Charlotte & Dick
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Some places we don't forget

St. Michael's

Rainbow Cafe on 39th St.
 Luana and Jim's Wedding

Sunset Park Entrance and Pool





 68th Precinct
 Bay Ridge High School
(the old ladies home)
 Brooklyn Bums

 Bay Ridge Roller Rink
The skates we wore.



 The old brownstones we lived in.
 Coney Island Fireworks

Nathan's Hot Dogs




The crowds at Coney.



And let's not forget the old trolley's.
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Our Latest Reunion - May 2010

 Charlotte, Annabelle and Babs

Bill Whitton and Maria


 Richard, Pat's husband







Elaine Galantee, Ann Eliopoulis and Marge Wong.


 Joe Wong and Bill Eliopoulis


Joe and Bill Whitton


Luana, Charlotte and Annabelle




Maria and Joan


The Gang's All Here!
Hope you enjoyed a nostalgic look back to our days in Sunset Park.


You can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can't take Brooklyn out of the girl!
 



Our friend Billy Eliopoulis passed away this January, 2011.  He will be greatly missed.



If anyone else has some old photos you'd like to see on this Blog, please email me:  triciart@aol.com