{"id":56,"date":"2011-06-05T15:18:18","date_gmt":"2011-06-05T19:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=56"},"modified":"2026-06-18T11:18:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:18:52","slug":"chapter-6-times-with-family","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=56","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 6: School Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Open-on-the-top desk!<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_539\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-539\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schooloutlet.com\/751MBBStudent_Classroom_Desk_p\/751mbb.htm?1=1&amp;CartID=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-539\" title=\"Flip-top desk\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/school-desk-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Flip-top desk from schooloutfitters.com\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/school-desk-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/school-desk-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/school-desk.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pretty close to what I had! Click and grab one for yourself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The day I started fourth grade was to be remembered for a lifetime\u2014 <strong>FINALLY,<\/strong> I got my open-on-the-top desk!<\/p>\n<p>That night, Mom and Dad smiled as they listened to my enthusiastic description of sitting down, opening it and placing my new lunch box inside.<\/p>\n<p>My teacher was Mrs. Lewis in 145-D, and on the other side was fifth grade with Mrs. Karpf, in 145-C.<\/p>\n<p>That year, Mom arranged for us to be babysat by Mrs. Neary, who lived a couple of blocks from school.\u00a0This was necessary because Mom had to be at the School of Nursing early, and we needed supervision between her leaving and our own classes.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d walk to school from the Nearys\u2019, and walk back afterward, and Mom would pick us up around 4:30. This was the routine for a couple of years. No doubt it was grueling for Mom to orchestrate all this.<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"337\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"auto\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"auto\"><strong>One Of These Nights<br \/>\n<\/strong>The Eagles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"auto\"><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375886788807\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Eagles-One-Of-These-Nights.mp3\"><strong>One Of These Nights<\/strong> &#8211; The Eagles<\/a><strong><textarea class=\"map_params\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5PouPaKlXGI?si=VxqirjJZtTCMDFrXrel=0\" width=\"720\" height=\"576\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Interesting to note is that the Nearys had a toddler, Mark, who ran around the TV room being a general disturbance when all we wanted was to watch Huckleberry Hound.\u00a0He was rambunctious, and once shattered the face on my Mickey Mouse wristwatch with a wiffle bat. I was incensed at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Fast-forward to the year 2004, when I was playing drum set at the Contemporary Service at church, and a baptism took place.\u00a0Mark (the toddler) was having his second baby christened, with the rest of the Neary family in tow.\u00a0It was fun to get re-acquainted afterward, and I wasted no time in reminding them of the wiffle-watch incident.<\/p>\n<p><strong>From 1975:<\/strong> <em>Love Will Keep Us Together<\/em>\u00a0by Captain and Tennille. Music from the era also includes\u00a0<em>Philadelphia Freedom<\/em>\u00a0by Elton John, <em>Waterloo<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>SOS<\/em>\u00a0by ABBA, <em>Could It Be I\u2019m Falling in Love<\/em>\u00a0by the Spinners, <em>You\u2019re No Good<\/em> by Linda Ronstadt, <em>Then Came You<\/em> by the Spinners and Dionne Warwick,&amp; <em>Miracles<\/em> by Jefferson Starship, and <em>Lady Marmalade<\/em> by LaBelle.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Swearin&#8217; To God<br \/>\n<\/strong>Frankie Valli<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375802799575\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankie-Valli-Swearin-to-God.mp3\">Frankie Valli &#8211; Swearin&#8217; to God<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2311\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2311\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2311\" title=\"All of us with Granddaddy\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/us-with-granddaddy.jpg\" alt=\"All of us with Granddaddy\" width=\"450\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/us-with-granddaddy.jpg 500w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/us-with-granddaddy-224x300.jpg 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2311\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">All of us with Granddaddy on Parker Street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We were already familiar with babysitters, as Mom and Dad took plenty of opportunities for couple time. There were weddings, parties and other adults-only events.\u00a0They went on a couple of vacations, and Aunt Marietta or Nana came to stay with us. One trip was Las Vegas, and the other was Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n<p>Steven\u00a0also started first grade that year, so we went on the same bus to school.<\/p>\n<p>Two other kids, Tommy and Andy, lived in the next two houses over, and were two years ahead of me.\u00a0So when I was in 4th, they were in 6th, they seemed so worldly and mature \u2026 they were almost in junior high, and practically driving! Oh, innocent perceptions.<\/p>\n<p><em>Listen To What The Man Said<\/em> by Wings, <em>My Little Town<\/em> by Simon &amp; Garfunkel, <em>Kung Fu Fighting<\/em> by Carl Douglas and <em>Swearin\u2019 to God<\/em> by Frankie Valli always bring me back to fourth grade: I\u2019m enjoying my open-on-the-top desk, giving drawing lessons to my classmates, and having a major crush on Rick W.<\/p>\n<p>Poor Rick W. Apparently, I was not exactly discreet in my romantic interest and that poor kid got teased something fierce. One day on the playground, I was on the slide with Elizabeth C. We were talking about the fact that she and Rick were \u201cjust friends\u201d\u2014 I guess I thought otherwise.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9837\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9837\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9837\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-fourth-grade.jpg\" alt=\"My fourth grade school portrait\" width=\"450\" height=\"653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-fourth-grade.jpg 844w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-fourth-grade-207x300.jpg 207w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/me-fourth-grade-414x600.jpg 414w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9837\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My fourth grade school portrait<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There was also a day when we were both absent. You can imagine the speculation and razzing the day following.\u00a0Yeesh. I thought it was hilarious at the time though.<\/p>\n<p>That was also the year that the school put on a big talent show and a kid named Robert sang\u00a0<em>Thank God I\u2019m a Country Boy<\/em>\u00a0while playing guitar. Not bad for a 9 year old!<\/p>\n<p>Tommy B also teased me because I drew so well; the jealousy in 1975 turned out to be genuine respect in high school, when Tom and I had art class together.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Lewis, our teacher had us design a \u201ccoloring book\u201d for the kindergarten class.\u00a0I was put in charge of drawing most of the pages, and came up with a couple of crossword puzzles and other activities.\u00a0These were mimeographed (remember those \u201cdittos\u201d?) and distributed in cool colors like blue and purple.<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"300\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"auto\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"414\"><strong>I Love Music<br \/>\n<\/strong>The O&#8217;Jays<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375886788807\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/OJays-I-Love-Music.mp3\">O&#8217;Jays &#8211; I Love Music<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>A new girl, Diane F, arrived sometime during that year and she began bawling as soon as she got to our classroom. I remember thinking, why is she crying? It\u2019s cool here. Diane fit in just fine within a few days. I went to a birthday party at her house once.<\/p>\n<p>My art teacher, Mr. Burik, took special interest in my talent.\u00a0He really gave me great encouragement, and groomed my inclinations, asking me to paint some stage sets.<\/p>\n<p>Our school put on productions about Hans Christian Anderson and Disney. I remember painting a big pumpkin stagecoach in the art room during my free time.<\/p>\n<p>With Romano\u2019s gone, we spent increasing amounts of our summer time at the DeRose shore house.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-9464 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/>Kung Fu Fighting<br \/>\n<\/strong>Carl Douglas<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375802852105\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Carl-Douglas-Kung-Fu-Fighting.mp3\">Carl Douglas &#8211; Kung Fu Fighting<\/a><\/p>\n<p><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<h3>Ralph DeRose: this time, let&#8217;s make the right choice.<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1365\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1365\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1365\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/ralph-derose-campaign2.jpg\" alt=\"Ralph DeRose\" width=\"400\" height=\"369\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1365\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Couldn&#8217;t find any of his campaign posters online, so I made one. Ralph was THE MAN! Too bad Jersey didn&#8217;t pick up on it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legacy.com\/obituaries\/starledger\/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-derose&amp;pid=155358755\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dad&#8217;s cousin Ralph<\/a>, a New Jersey State Senator from the 11th District since 1971, ran for Governor. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ralph_DeRose\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">He was in the primaries twice, in \u201973 and \u201877<\/a>.\u00a0He had the poise and good looks of a celebrity, and as a little kid, I got starry-eyed around\u00a0him.<\/p>\n<p>In 1975, <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/new-jersey\/appellate-division-published\/1975\/135-n-j-super-273-0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he successfully sued Governor Brendan Byrne in Superior Court<\/a>. He had to fight to continue to serve as\u00a0 Commissioner of the NY\/NJ Waterfront and maintain his law practice concurrently. Byrne declared that he shouldn&#8217;t due to a supposed &#8220;conflict of interest&#8221;; the State of New Jersey disagreed with him.<\/p>\n<p>Ralph was a man of integrity, and tried to fight corruption in Trenton, fiercely opposing a state income tax. He served in many professional capacities throughout his life.<\/p>\n<p>At Aunt Jean&#8217;s, there\u00a0would be bocce and lots of space to run and play, and there was always some sort of food being served.<\/p>\n<p>The property was also located adjacent to a NJ Transit train line. Every time the warning bell and distant air horns sounded, we kids would BOUND down there to see the train rumble by up close.\u00a0Even in the dark, we dashed full-tilt.<\/p>\n<p>Scenario: clang clang clang clang clang! \u201c<strong><em>THE TRAIN! THE TRAIN!<\/em><\/strong>\u201d We\u2019d drop whatever we were doing and off we went.\u00a0The adults regarded this small pleasure with mild amusement.<\/p>\n<h3>A&amp;S Pizza<\/h3>\n<p>Our favorite pizza place was A&amp;S Pizza, on Route 18 South, near Turnpike Theatres. The picture here is of the same building, owned beforehand by burger chain Carrols.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8106\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8106\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8106\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/carrolls.jpg\" alt=\"Carrolls Hamburgers: Predecessor to A&amp;S Pizza\" width=\"400\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/carrolls.jpg 432w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/carrolls-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8106\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carrols Hamburgers: predecessor to A&amp;S Pizza<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I don&#8217;t remember Carrols as it was already A&amp;S by the time my memories began to take shape.\u00a0The cooks at A&amp;S would give us a small lump of dough to play with while we waited for our pizzas. The entire eat-in area was bright because of the wall-to-wall windows.<\/p>\n<p>When Mona&#8217;s in-laws-to-be bought A&amp;S in the early 1980s, they updated the building and the ordering counter was placed in the rear instead of along the side. They then changed the name of the business to Grande Pizzarama. (In the present day, the location is now home to a KFC franchise.)<\/p>\n<p>It was exciting when we heard that Dad was going to bring home a pie from A&amp;S after work.\u00a0We would run up to the corner and strain to see when he turned from Route 18, then race home with appetites raging.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 7: Disney Bound and \u201cThe Spirit of \u201976\u2033\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=58\">Chapter Seven: Disney Bound and &#8220;The Spirit of &#8217;76&#8221;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Open-on-the-top desk! The day I started fourth grade was to be remembered for a lifetime\u2014 FINALLY, I got my open-on-the-top desk! That night, Mom and Dad smiled as they listened to my enthusiastic description of sitting down, opening it and placing my new lunch box inside. My teacher was Mrs. Lewis in 145-D, and on &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=56\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 6: School Memories&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14196,"parent":4,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-56","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18200,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions\/18200"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}