Search Amazon.com: All About BBHQ   BHBQ Home Page Main Menu Frequently Asked Ques. Contact Us Meet the Boomer Crew Exam Story BBHQ at 8 Tour the web site BBHQ Tech Doc Site Map Privacy Statement Advertising Rate Card Stats & Resources   BHBQ Home Page What's a Boomer? Boomer Stats Media Transfer Services 300 Famous Boomers Boomers, Xers & Beyond Joke of the Week School Registry Enter & Sign In Shaker Heights HS Prices: Then & Now This Day in History Reunion Central Peanut Gallery BB The BBHQ Library Internet Primer BBHQ Teachers' Guide Oldies Radio Stations Top 100 Oldies Only on the Web Brush Up Your Webster BBHQ Visitor Profile Amazon recommendations Terrific Trivia   Weekly Trivia Contest The Trivia Library   Trivia for Everyone: BB Qualifying Exams The 60s Quiz The 70s Quiz Great American Civics Quiz   Trivia for Members: The Boomer Movie Quiz The Name Game Who Said That? Name That Tune Name That Tune - 70s Edition What's in a Number? What's in a Number? - R&R Boomer Memories & Stories   BBHQ Time Capsule This week's essay Then & Now When I was a Kid Boomer DVDs Prime Time TV The First Moon Landing Woodstock Remembered Vietnam - from a distance This Day in History   Stories of the Chicowitz: Midlife Crisis Why am I Still Single? Tool Time with Chicowitz The Plastic Surgery Saga My Little Girl, Princess Chicowitz Goes Country A Trip to the Dentist   120 other stories Even more: the archives 60s & 70s   Boomer Years What We Wore Prices of Stuff   60s Home Page 60s Summary The 60s Quiz   70s Home Page 70s Summary The 70s Quiz This week's essay: "Diet, not Diabetes" -- ? about popups | contact us | FAQ | member services | newsletter subscription | this week's essay | site navigation

BBHQ Boomer Essays: High School Sweetheart

Our Boomer-In-Charge here at BBHQ, Hershel Chicowitz, writes frequently about current events... from a boomer perspective. He is sometimes funny, sometimes provocative, sometimes a little of each. We hope you get a kick out of our Boomer Essays.

December 1: One of the sweetest things in life is memories of your high school sweetheart. Even if it is only the "little red-haired girl" that you admired from afar but never had the nerve to approach, the memories are wonderful... and they seem to get better with age. Did you ever wonder what happened to your high school sweetheart? Do you sometimes wonder if you made a good choice, or if you should never have let him/her go? Well, let's see.... Here is a rather ordinary-looking guy from the 1943 graduating class of Shaker Heights High School (the same school I went to). Do you s'pose the girls flocked to him? Rumor had it that he dated Merle Abady, our high school history teacher, who graduated from and later taught at the same high school.     Well, if she'd have held on to him, today she would be Mrs. Paul Newman. Not a bad catch, huh? I suspect that this guy did not attract much attention in high school. He was into fencing. No, not stolen merchandise; you know, slinging a... foil. Well, I don't imagine that either type of fencing qualified as a babe magnet.     But, a lot of love and loyalty to the guy wearing tights and thrusting a fencing thingy might have landed you as Mrs. Neil Diamond. (Word has it that the second Mrs. Diamond ended up with $100 million in her divorce settlement.) No one would have questioned your taste if you took a liking to this pretty young lady in high school. After all, at Commack High School in New York, she was supposedly voted homecoming queen, prom queen, and senior class president. What's not to like?     Turns out... plenty. A quarter century later, you would have a hard time keeping your arms around Rosie O'Donnell, for several reasons -- not that you would want to.     Yeah; I would not blame you if you passed on this goofy-looking guy in high school. Bet a lot of pretty girls did. But you all missed out on being the wife of the richest man in the world, Bill Gates. Bummer, huh? Here's another nerdy guy only a mother could love. I know; it was the 70s; the hippy look was in. But there is nothing appealing about this doofus.     On the other hand, there is a lot to love nowadays. See, this is Steve Wozniak, the college dropout who helped Steve Jobs create Apple Computers. Today, he is a lovable gazillionaire. Can't get enough of him, huh? Or.... maybe not. High School Sweethearts But a lot of couples who met in high school did live happily ever after. My former next door neighbor, Bill Gerak, met Kathy in high school... and they have been together ever since. What a great story! Yeah; that's Princess showing her admiration.     A bunch of years and a long career after they parted, Carol Channing married her high school sweetheart. It's another happily ever-after story. By the time he was ready to settle down, Ron Howard could have had his choice of tons of Hollywood starlets. Instead, he chose his high school sweetheart, Cheryl. Nice going, Opie!     Harvey Melman, one of my classmates, was enormously excited and full of anticipation when he learned that his high school sweetheart, Randi Duncan, would be coming to our reunion. Well, it turned out that Randi had a little more in common with Harvey than he had expected... specifically, a beard... and, we imagined, something new under his belt. You see, after graduation, with a great deal of help from a surgeon, Randi had become Randy. As you might guess, it was a bit of a downer for Harvey. We never heard from him again. JEN Mr. Nelson -- he was the perfect tenderfoot scoutmaster. To this day, I can remember him sitting on the floor with me, teaching me how to tie knots to the leg of the kitchen table in the rec room at Sussex Elementary School. He was simply wonderful! Little did I know that at the same time, Mr. Nelson was also raising four terrific kids. One of them was JEN. She was a year older than I, and therefore, pretty much out of my league. But at the end of my sophomore year in high school, I got her attention at the band-choir picnic, and gave her a ride on my motorscooter. It was the start of a wonderful high school romance. JEN was very cute, easy-going, down-to-earth, and smart as a whip. She had a wonderful smile and a great laugh. And best of all, she found me to be cute and appealing. We had great times together. I was so proud to be with her. But JEN's mother had a three-date rule: no more than three dates in a row with the same guy. Oh, we got around that. But we could not get around it when Mrs. Nelson sent her middle daughter to a college in outer Mongolia.     Many years later, hopeless romantic that I am, I went back to my high school to try to find an address for my high school sweetheart. Well, at the time, those records were private. But, to paraphrase James Carville, you drag a 20-dollar bill through an alumni office, and you can get just about anything. So, for several years afterwards, I sent an anonymous card to her on her birthday. December 1 -- I have a great memory for special birthdays, but I am hopelessly shy. One year, I slipped the web site address in my card to her... and a few weeks later, JEN found her way to BBHQ. We have been communicating via e-mail ever since. It's a wonderful thing. JEN still lives in outer Mongolia; she is married and has four kids. But the biggest barrier is that she cannot get over the notion that I actually believe that Sarah Palin is smart. It is too unimaginable for JEN to accept. (That's what 30 years in outer Mongolia will do to you.) Oh, but that does not matter. Though Mr. Nelson is deceased, through JEN, I sent greetings to her mother and her three siblings. (Her brother and younger sister remember me; her mother had no recollection of either me or the three-date rule.) With a little luck (hint, hint, hint), JEN will forward this essay to Larry, Carol, and Wendy. So, even though it is just electronically, it is still a thrill to keep in touch with my high school sweetheart, and know that she has fond memories of me. (Though, I doubt that Harvey Melman feels the same way.) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!! Ain't life wonderful!

We are currently revising our essays section. Most of these essays are not currently available. We'll re-open this section in early 2010. Personal Stories of the Chicowitz: Exploring My Roots: A Chicowitz History A Trip to the Dentist The Chicowitz Gets Dumped - Again! Just Shoot Me! He Sleeps with the Fishes My Little Girl, Princess Why am I Still Single? The Plastic Surgery Saga Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House... Not! Middle Age and the Mazdamobile Down for the Count That Dirty Dancing Me and You and a Dog Named Princess Contemplations on the Hereafter A Camping We Will Go Travels with Princess - Part 1 Tool Time with the Chicowitz The Chicowitz Goes Country ... and 120 other boomer stories Win prizes in the BBHQ Weekly Trivia Contest View answers to the daily trivia question Access 18 books in our Trivia Library Name that Tune Name that Tune - the 70s edition What's in a Number What's in a Number - the R&R edition The Name Game Who Said That? The Boomer Movie Quiz View lyrics to over 750 boomer-era songs Search 750 song lyrics for a word or phrase Search the title and artist of over 4,000 oldies Access the BBHQ School Registry Print the home page, 60s & 70s verbal collages All of the above, plus: Play 200 classic oldies from your computer. View the lyrics as the song plays Membership details here. Terrific boomer memorabilia!! Remember this? Click here to own a memory of Woodstock; $9.00 including shipping. "Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD)," 55 songs: 2 CDs and a DVD from their 2003 concert tour. Click here to order this great collection.

So, what do you think of Hershel's story? Tell us. If you want a reply from us, include your name and e-mail address: (Your message will not get to our editorial staff unless you include your name and e-mail address.) Name: E-mail:

Rate this essay: excellent pretty good fair not good poor

Personal Stories of the Chicowitz:     Life is Good!     A Tale of Two Toes     Exploring My Roots: A Chicowitz History     A Trip to the Dentist     The Chicowitz Gets Dumped - Again!     Just Shoot Me!     He Sleeps with the Fishes     My Little Girl, Princess     Why am I Still Single?     The Plastic Surgery Saga     Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House... Not!     Our House - Part 2     Our House - Part 3: Reclaiming the Past     Middle Age and the Mazdamobile     Down for the Count     That Dirty Dancing     Contemplations on the Hereafter     Tool Time with the Chicowitz     The Chicowitz Goes Country     Born to be Screwed     Mr. Brownthumb     The Mixer - A Singles Story     Crab Cakes Midlife Crisis:     The Defining Moment     The Saga Continues     Fighting Back     The Straight Scoop In December, Traditions of Christmas:     1997: The Christmas Tree     1998: Remembrance.... and Friends     1999: Christmas Cards     2001: Songs & Stories     2002: The Gift of Giving     2003: Decorating the Tree     2004: The Christmas Pin     2005: The Making of the Christmas Card     2006: Christmas on a Toothpick     2007: The Paper Route Years     2008: The Christmas Tree Farm     2009: Sing-A-Long -- then and Now     A Trans-Siberian Christmas     Merry Christmas, Y'all     Hershel's Wish List     The "A" List Teach, Preach & Nag:     Courage and Class: Tony Snow     The New American Dream     A Grateful Heart     Things We'll Learn     The Death of a Friend     The Age of Non-Responsibility     "Thank You": Another Dying Phrase     The Saturday Night Live "Curse"     The Boomers, the Xers and Beyond     Rules, Boundaries and Consequences     It's for the Children     "American Beauty" - an American Nightmare     Of Values and Legacies     School Violence: Lessons from the Past     The Boomer Lyrics are with Us Everywhere     Everybody's Got a Story     Power to the Boomers     My Kingdom for a Plain Burger     Perception is Reality?     Oh Woe is Us!     It's Soooooo Hard     Take Care of Yourself     Public Service     The Universal Apology     The Leader of the Band Travels with Princess:     A Camping We Will Go     A Camping We Did Go     Travels with Princess - Part 1     Travels with Princess - Part 2     Me and You and a Dog Named Princess     Savannah: Midnight in the Garden     Time to Think     On Top of Old Smoky     The Fall Leaves and Such A View from Hurricane Alley:     The Big Scare     Before the Storm     After the Storm Hurricane Katrina:     Intemperate Thoughts     Information Misload     Wet Dream Election 2004:     JF Kerry: Just the Facts     A Discussion of the Issues     The Election 2004 Quiz     Find a Bush Lie -- Collect $5,000     Talking Dirty in Washington     I Believe - The George W. Bush Edition     Inside John Kerry     Why Character Matters - Part Umpteen     Reporting for Duty     Is it Safe Yet?     Why We/They Hate Bush     Ronald Reagan: Hard-Wired Decency     What I Am     Nov. 8: Post-Mortem Election 2006:     I Believe -- the Election 2006 Edition     A Civil Debate Election 2008:     An Inconvenient Primary     A Tale of Two Americans     Obama Mania     Et Tu, Bill!     They Just Ain't Listening     Inflate Our Way Out     Behind the Green Curtain     Obama Will be President     Cool Hand Sarah     Handling Sarah     Sacrifice     Share the Wealth     Are You Better Off?     Rules of Engagement     Obama Must be President     All is Well

A Boomer Remembers...:     The Cuban Missile Crisis     High School Sweetheart     I Remember the 50s     The 60s: Life was Sweeter     The New American Dream     Another Side of the Greatest Generation     Where has all the Music Gone?     Memories of the Sock Hop     Remembering the Chairman of the Board     Restless in Seattle     The New Math     We Are Not One Boomer     "And Here's to You, Joe DiMaggio"     The Days of Summers Past     The Seeds of Character     A Letter to a Teacher     I Want a Clark Bar!     When Music was Fun     Decoration Day - The Measure of Sacrifice     11/22/63: We Remember     Flashback: The Y2K Hysteria     When the Music had Words     Ronald Reagan: Hard-Wired Decency     The Great Carsoni     Love Songs of the Chicowitz     Do You Remember These?     V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N -- We're on Vacation!     A Watergate Success Story Straight Talk on Social Issues:     A Good Recession     The Speech     Money 101: Incentive     Health Care: Solutions     Dr. Jack - A Man for Our Times     Misplaced Outrage: The Imus Affair     Global Warming Warning     Sin Offsets     Immigration: Good Fences     July, 2006: The Price of Freedom     Oh, Woe is Babs!     "Fair and Balanced"?     Lower Education     Boomer Retirement: "Hell No, We Won't Go!"     Social Security for Dummies     Feelings over Facts     Talking Down the Economy     The Little Red Hen     The Singles' Journal: Marriage     The Shadow IRS     The Dumbing Down of America     The Next, Great Entitlement     Voting Our way to Fairness     Straight Talk on Energy     We are Losing the Culture War     A Taxpayers' Bill of Rights     The Greedy Hand Extends its Reach     My Kingdom for a Candidate     Another Hat in the Toilet     We Have Met the Enemy     I'm From the Government & I'm Here to Help You     B. Clinton: The Case Against the President     B. Clinton: The Case For the President     Charlton Heston: The Culture War     Head Start: The Difference between Red and Blue     Labor Day - The Entrepreneur     It's Lonely at the Top     Kids on Drugs     Roe v. Wade Reality     Stem Cell 101     Vietnam: From a Distance     Iraq: Another Vietnam - ? Freedom:     What Makes America Great     Another Side of Freedom     The Purest form of Democracy     Threats to Freedom Mostly, Just Silly Stuff:     Sin Offsets     Menopause: Just for Laughs     The Fat Tax     Cell Phones & Other Crimes & Misdemeanors     Like Father, Like Son     Where Have You Gone, Walter Cronkite?     A Dire Warning to all Boomers     An Aging Boomer's Final Call to Action     BoomerSpeak     "American Pie": a Fresh Interpretation     Hail to Thee, My Alma Mater     Rock On!     The BBHQ Exam Story     Great Quotations     The $2.5 Million Pyramid     I Double-Dare You! The Terrorist Attack of 2001:     The Best of Times     Showing Your Patriotism     "All We are Saaaaaaaa-ying..."     2004: Is it Safe Yet? The Chicowitz on Iraq:     Politics for Dummies - Part I     Peace in Our Time     Yankee Go Home!     Bullhorn Responsibility     Blood for Oil!     Why We Fight     They Said - Part 1     They Said - Part 2     Why They're Wrong ** There's even more: The BBHQ Archives **

Search:   All Products   Books   Videos   Toys   Electronics         Popular Music   Classical Music
	Amazon.com... a whole lot more than just books! Enter keyword(s):
Please check our Library or Video selection, or use this form to buy stuff from Amazon.com. We need all the help we can get! Thanks.

The BBHQ Album of the Month is "Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD)," by Simon & Garfunkel. If you were fortunate enough to see them in concert last year, I do not have to sell you. The concert was terrific! This album collection includes 55 songs, plus their new recording, "Citizen of the Planet," and one of the songs sung by the Everly Brothers during the concert. The DVD was recorded during their concert in Madison Square Garden in 2003. For any S&G fan, this is a must have! But then, you knew that already, didn't you?

The BBHQ Book of the Month is "The 5000 Year Leap," by W. Cleon Skousen. The title does not adequately identify the content, though the concept of the 5,000 year leap is astounding. The subtitle, Principles of Freedom 101, is much more applicable to the subject. This book carefully and clearly summarizes the thinking of the brilliant founding fathers of our country, the ideas behind the "miracle that changed the world."

Click here for more information, or here to visit the BBHQ Library.

	Or, click the drop-down arrow and take your pick! The BBHQ Merchandise Mart Pictures, Posters & Autographs Alfalfa Muhammad Ali Woody Allen Beatles Jimmy Buffett Carol Burnett Eric Clapton Roy Clark Sean Connery Joe Cool Kirk Douglas Clint Eastwood Elvis Bob Feller W.C. Fields Harrison Ford the Godfather Andy Griffith Katherine Hepburn Dustin Hoffman the Honeymooners Bob Hope Martin Luther King Laurel & Hardy Life magazine Little Rascals Robert Mitchum Mickey Mouse Muppet Show Paul Newman Newman & Redford Jack Nicholson Peter, Paul & Mary Playboy logo Post, Time magazines The Lone Ranger Rat Pack Ronald Reagan The Riddler Rocky Mickey Rooney Simon & Garfunkel Spanky & Scotty Shirley Temple James Stewart - "Harvey" James Stewart - "It's a Wonderful Life" John Travolta John Wayne Woodstock