I found some more photos............and a couple more emails

I was rummaging through some of my "stuff " and I came across these pictures from Annunciation. The first one is one that I left out when I copied Molly's album.
The top picture is Molly Torres, Mary Purcell and Margie Moore. The middle picture is Molly and on the back she says the picture was taken by Mary O'Reilly in front of Mary's building which was 501W134 St.
The bottom picture is of Louie Caraisco. Just click on the picture to enlarge it.

The program for the graduating Class of 1953.

You got this photo in two parts in my last post. I shrunk it down and made it fit into one picture.

This is the class of 1952 taken in their 7th Grade. The picture says 7B 1951.

I just got this email from Jimmy Boylen

I would like to share the following memories regarding 513 W. 135st., the building I was literally born in on a cold Jan. night in 1940. Some of the wonderful families who resided there include the Cunningham's, Mr. & Mrs then their was Mary, Eleanor, Noreen and Robert. The Ferick's, Mr. & Mrs. and the three sisters, Margaret, Eileen and Kay. The Norton Family including Mary, Billy and Eddie. You had big John Sullivan and his mother & father. Them their was the Gills, and the two boys Francis and Peter.. Some other families would include the Pomero's, the Browser's and of course our memorable superintendent Bailey and his brother-in-law John and his two sons Moose & Goose. I remember well the fathers on a summer evening sitting on the front stoop smoking their pipes or cigarettes and talking about politics or the "old country."
I had to laugh at Bobbie MacKenna's recollection of some of the old swimming holes. I do remember Cascades Pool and especially the sign at one end that stated " All the Water that's Fit to Drink."
One other spot we use to go swimming at besides the docks was a day at Palisades Park. We would go down to the ferry and go across to NJ for a dime, climb up the steep water drain pipe and sneak into the park and the pool and spend the entire day. When I got home Mom would ask where I had been and the pat answer was " Oh just around." Needless to say we had been out of state for the entire time.
Some other recollections was the old US Navy Medical ship that use to be dry-docked at about 139th-140th Streets. We used to go on-board and play basketball on a court that had more dead floor boards, you would try to dribble the ball but many times it simply did not bounce up. Another great gym was PS43. many good games on that court as well as the Oval & the 135th St. Park.
Summertime as the song says " and the living was easy" was no truer than living in or around Vinegar Hill.
The old girl friends, boy friends, the sports, the church, the playgrounds or just hanging out, as Johnnie Scott says in his book 'The Boys From Vinegar Hill" I would be glad to do it all over again.
Thanks Tom for the opportunity to remember and share our memories together.
Jim Boylan

Ed.'s note, I beleive the name of the ship was the Prairie State. I just googled Navy Ship Prairie State and got the whole history of the original ship. One of the last pictures was of the ship as we remembered it. She was scrapped in 1956.

This the letter I wanted to put in the last post from Molly Torres. I mistakenly posted one of her previous letters.
I'm Molly Torres Kafes now living in Citrus County(town of Hernando, Florida) for 4 years as of Sept. 1 of this year. I lived in New Jersey since I remarried in 1976, lived in a condo in Cliffside Park (home of Palisades Amusement,  Tappan, NY (Rockland County). We lived in our home almost 26 yrs since 1979 and boy do I miss my New Jersey.
After Annuciation under Sacred Heart nuns(Mother Burns, principal & I remember Mother Mc Carthy who was a great geography teacher we then had the pleasure of the Dominican nuns the last 2 yrs(7th & 8th grade), Sister Peter Claver & Sister Mary Veritas. How I survived was a miracle. I mostly hung around 134th st withMary Purcell, Margie Moore, Theresa Quealy &; a few other girls'. All the fellows that I remember were Tomy Read, Billy Hackett, Louis Caraisco, Donald McIver(?)and many others. I then went to St. Alphonsus H.S. on Varick St. way downtown in what is now I believe SOHO. I went to high school with Mary O'Rielly from 134th st & Maureen Hurley from 135th or 136th street. I also stayed around my block on 131st street between Amsterdam Ave & Old Broadway. My best friends on that block were, Barbara Gallagher, Patricia Murphy, Caroline Aiello (actor Danny Aiellos's sister), Palma Mongello & her sisters, Patricia Galleghue, Billy Galleghue,Florence Le Blanc and many others. It was a great block & we had lots of fun, making our scooters, cooking(potatoes) in the dirty lots & renting bycycles for 25 cents for 30 minustes or 50 cents for an hour, until my mother got tired of me asking for money & she bought me a monarch bike.
Durng high school I hung around Lasalle Street & Broadway (122nd ST) near the original Julliard School of Music. I was going steady with Tommy Sullivan of Lasalle St. & knew some of the girls' in that area. After high school I went to work for NY Telephone(Ma Bell) at 108th st & Manhattan Ave. I was there almost 6 years & went to work for American Express in the old Wanamaker building on east 8th st. I remember that Macsorleys bar was nearby & only men could go in there.
Well I could go on, but I won't get anything done here in the house. So until next time the saga will continue.
Molly

Molly Torres sent some old photos

If you click on the picture it will enlarge. The order is helter skelter and that is my fault. This is my first attempt at scanning in photos. I hope to get better at it.





Fr. Keogh, Msgr. Quinn, Fr. Mc Manus
Can you identify any of the girls?

Molly's receipt for her school uniform.

 

Add caption

If you want to send me some of your old photos to share, send them to me.  I'll scan them and send them back to you. Send me an email and I'll send you my address. tomyread@aol.com  If I get enough requests I'll scan the old copies of the Vinegar Hill Gazette that I have to share with you.

Keep those cards and letters (e-mail) coming in.........

Got this from George Ramirez and he asked that I pass it along before the reunion.

To all


this is a recent post that I sent to Tommy Read
he got back to me re: the reunion Mass
God willing, I will be there
I have a school photo of our 1956 graduating class and I will bring it with me
I might even have a picture of our 1st grade class
My name is George Ramirez from 504 West 135th Street
You recently heard from my youngest brother, Tony.
I graduated from Annunciation in 1956, so I am now 68 years old.
If you are close to me in age, our paths have crossed.
I hung out on 135th Street and then on Amst Ave. with the Rebels.
Re: The reunion Mass on October 2, 2010
Has this been verified ?
Has this been shouted out to all Vinegar Hillers ?
I am making plans to be there, but I would hate to have only a handful of Hillers in attendance !!!
In a later post, I will ramble on about my recollections and my memories of the old neighborhood.
As an aside, to Diane Pirone, does Tommy still have his collection of old original 45RPM records ?
to Johnny Lopez, of course I remember you and we will get in touch with each other
My contact info is gnram88@aol.com --preferred
If that doesn't work, try gnram@verizon.net
If you remember me, I would love to hear from you
George Ramirez

And some more comments........

Hello All,
I'm still getting some delightful comments and hope that you enjoy them also.
Molly Kafes speaks of a reunion on October 2nd and if anyone knows this for sure please let me know and I'll pass it on. It would be great but it is only three weeks away.


Bob Duncan writes:
I'm astonished by so many names from the past. Liz Molnar and I were lindy hop partners at the Annunciation dances. For a girl of Hungarian and Puerto Rican antecedants she sure could dance around the best of them. "Baby" was Hiram Rivera who lived at 1510 or 08. He was buds with Pete Henriquez and Tommy Ruiz ("Mr. Cool"), The Taltys lived in Baby's building along with the Morans. The girl was Daisy but I don't remember her two brothers' names - much older than me. The older brother was an exec at Sinclair Inks. The Cavanaughs also resided I believe on the 2nd floor.

You really must get into the buildings on Amsterdam Avenue. My cousins were the late Albert and Donald La March. And of course you know Artie and Catherine.

1512 Amsterdam Avenue was a veritable melting pot. The Stacks were on the first floor. The second floor had the Mendoncas (Portugese Guyana), Mrs. Birnbaum (not sure of her first name); the Pappageorges (Greeks) (2 sons who went to either public school or Greek schools). The Third floor had the Bradleys. Joan was my nurse when I had my appendix out at good old Knickerbocker. I believe Mr. Bradley work for transit. The fourth floor is where the Paganos lived next door to the Harkins. Anne is certainly missed. Oh I forgot the Dukes - George was the son and Tootsie the daughter. At last on the top floor there was us, the Duncans and next door the Blakes - Sonny, Billy, Joan and the late Barbara.

The Rochfords lived at 1504 where Abigail Henriquez and her brother Peter also lived.
Memory is a tricky thing. So many people have gone like Edgar Rodriguez and Lydia Melandez who lived in the same building next to the Pentecostal storefront church. Luis Fuentes passed away many years ago as a teenager but his family lived on 136th Street.

The Knights were the group that Baby, Pete and Tommy had aligned themselves with. The Rebels were more a 136th gang.
Robert Duncan

Bob McKenna sent this great contribution:
Growing up in the city held many advantages but some disadvantages. Brutally hot summers were one of the disadvantages in those pre air conditioned days. During these recent hot days of July and August, I thought back to our usual heat solutions. Water, water, water!
Working outwards from my apartment house, the most likely source of cooling off was the fire hydrant. I am not speaking of these faggy, sprinkler heads that you see today. I am speaking of wide open, 1000 gallons a minute, ice cold Catskills water. I can still taste and smell this hot weather antidote.
The nearest fire hydrant to my building was on the northeast corner of 136th Street and Amsterdam. Somebody always seemed to find the right wrench to open the hydrant. The hydrant pointed downhill which was an advantage, except for any cars that came up the hill. They got washed, whether they wanted to or not. Routinely, small boys would be blown across the street by the powerful stream, only to get up and go back for more. Invariably, someone would slam a steel garbage can on top, to force the water up into a geyser, sort of a tenement “Old Faithful”. Unfortunately, if you opened too many of these hydrants, the neighborhood pressure dropped and fireman faced difficulties at fires without the pressure. This happened a couple of times and the firemen would quickly come around and turn off the hydrants. On occasion the cops would too, when they weren’t chasing after stickball bats (little joke).
The next closest watering hole was Cascades pool on 134th Street between Broadway and Riverside. Drive I didn’t get there too much before it closed but it was the first place I saw “grass” being smoked…..by a conga player in the pool beach. Cascades was close and a welcome relief. The local guys from that area would put on terrific diving shows. Andy Rodriquez was in that group and they were great exhibitions. On occasion, the pool was also used for mass baptisms for the Jehovah Witnesses.
My greatest, closest watering hole was the Hudson River at 133rd Street. The rotting piers were still up and the pilings served as great diving platforms. The condition of the water was something else since the West Side toilets still emptied into the Hudson. We would watch out for the s**t line and take a break as it passed. Joker told me that he, Red Dunnigan and I belonged to the River Rat Club since we swam everyday for two weeks straight. I believe I am now immune to all diseases known to mankind because of those swims. I must admit, whenever I pass or smell the river I still get nostalgic. On occasion we would also go north to Spuyten Duyvil to swim off the rocks. The big “C” rock is still a great tourist picture from the Circle Line with the kids taking Acapulco-like dives.
Further uptown from our neighborhood, Highbridge was probably the nicest pool. It was run by the Parks Department and was kept pretty clean. With its location next to Harlem, it also caused a few tense moments with some of the locals and us, each strutting our tough walks. It was good and it was cheap. I think we used to pay a dime to get in. When we left the pool, we needed to make a decision; pay on the bus, sneak on the bus, have a custard or walk home. We always got the custard and only walked home a few times. I leave the rest to your imagination.
In Inwood, which I thought of as a fancy neighborhood, the pool of choice was Miramar. This was a beautiful pool. This didn’t stay open too long into my teen years, but I recall it as very nice with a sand beach. It is now a Pathmark.
Going to the surrounding beaches took an additional commitment of a long subway or LIRR trip. We went to Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Keansburg (by boat), Jones Beach (by car, with Mr. Diaz in his taxi cab) and the famous Irish Riviera…..Rockaway Beach.
Rockaway Beach was a legend. It was on the Atlantic Ocean with great waves. As a kid, I went with my parents for short stays in bungalows that were closely connected to each other and brimming with music, Irish brogues and lots of kids. We stayed on the beach at 113th Street where the Nuns would go into the water in full length black bathing suits with white bathing caps. Indicative of the Irish Catholic beach population was an occurrence that took place regularly…the Angelus. At Noon and Six, the bells would ring from the boardwalk and not a sound would be heard on the beach as everyone stood in silence and said a prayer. Incredible. Of course a side benefit of Rockaway was the great Amusement Park. With a couple of coins in our pockets we would ride the bumper cars and get sick on cotton candy. A cool place on the Ocean.
In my teen years when I returned to Rockaway for more adult fun, it had begun to deteriorate and they were starting to pull down many of the bungalows. Many of the bars were there and still fun, but the crowds of yore were gone.
Air Conditioning had arrived in the fifties and was first experienced in Bars (duh) and Movie Theatres, so we were soon started on our slow decline to staying indoors all the time. Most of the pools are gone, the Hudson has visibly cleaned up but swimming in it violates hundreds of laws unless you are part of a sponsored event. I bike by the Hudson frequently and watch some kayakers and the nostalgia rolls over me. Stay cool!

Jimmy Magner sent this recollection:
Hi Tom,
You, as always, blow me out of the water with your memory of people and events. After I got out of the marine corp and was employed by the telephone company for few years, I ran into Billy Mahar, from a 136St, and he was rattling off all these names of people from Vingar Hill and like yourself, he seemed to have this fantastic memory and made me feel like I must be brain dead. I was very impressed with Billy's memory. As it turns out, Billy was a cop, and had a second job, at the local funeral home and was well up on the deceased. I should have picked up right away, that Billy seemed to recall the departed easier than the remaining.
You and I have been friends since we were very young children, because you never listened to your mother when she warned you to stay away from that Jimmy Magner, "he will get you in trouble." But my family, my Catholic faith, a sense of humor and the  marines, all shaped my character . For the record, as you know, I married a girl from Galway, Ireland, Moyra Higgins and we have seven children and live on Long Island.
Keep up the great work.
Your buddy,
Jim Magner

Molly (Torres) Kafes  writes:
HI EVERYBODY,

MY NAME IS MOLLY TORRES KAFES AND I GREW UP ON 131ST STREET BETWEEN AMSTERDAM & OLD BROADWAY. I WENT TO ANNUCIATION GIRLS' SCHOOL FROM
1945 TO 1953. WE MOVED TO 131ST STREET FROM EAST 17TH STREET IN MANHATTAN.
THE GIRLS' & GUYS' I KNEW WERE ALL FROM 134TH, 135TH & 136TH ST. I LOVED THAT LITTLE PARK ON AMSTERDAM AND EVERYTHING THAT WENT WITH IT. I ONLY RECENTLY WENT TO A REUNION AT ANNUNCIATION & HAD THE MOST FUN
EVER TALKING WITH TOMY READ & REMEMBERING THOSE WONDERFUL YEARS.
I LOVE READING HIS BLOGS & ANY OTHER COMMENTS THAT ARE SENT TO HIM.
I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR VINEGAR HILL ("THE
HILL") WAS SURELY A UNIQUE AREA.
BY THE TIME I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL,I MOSTLY HUNG AROUND LA SALLE STREET
ON BROADWAY(122ND STREET). AGAIN THE CROWD WAS MOSTLY IRISH-AMERICAN &
WE HAD A GREAT TIME IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. AS I TOLD TOMY READ
THAT I THOUGHT I WAS IRISH, BECAUSE IT WAS WHAT I KNEW MOST ABOUT. I USED TO SING "GALWAY BAY" DAY & NIGHT & MY MOTHER WAS DIZZY ALREADY HEARING THE SAME SONG. BUT I SANG OTHER IRISH SONGS TOO! ALTHOUGH, I DID SING ALL
THE POPULAR SONGS FROM "THE HIT PARADE". EVEN NOW I MAKE MY FRIENDS
LAUGH, WHO WERE NOT FROM THAT AREA OF NYC, WITH ALL MY STORIES.
LOVE TO ALL & LET'S KEEP THE PARTY GOING, FOR WE ONLY GO AROUND ONCE,

MOLLY

LOVE YA TOMY.