Yorkville: Stoops to Nuts: St. Stephen's Graduation Day

Friday, June 14, 2013

St. Stephen's Graduation Day - Now & Then

I addressed the St. Stephen of Hungary graduation class today. It was an honor.

Thank you, Father Angelo, Mrs. Peck, Mrs. Evans, Ms. Walker, Mrs. Rodriguez, Mrs. Uziak and everyone else on the St. Stephen faculty who have brought renewed success to my favorite school. Thank you, and congratulations to the graduates, their parents and their entire families. You’ve achieved a superior elementary education. It will strengthen you for the rest of your life.

Today brought back many delightful St. Stephen’s memories.

My mother was a St. Joseph girl, but fell in love with St. Stephen’s church and married my father there in 1952. This led to Rory and my enrollment. I met Sister Beatrice in 1^st grade in 1960. She was a hands-on teacher who taught us to sing Hungarian folk songs and let each child express their individuality. That was progressive for the time. Sister Beatrice always had chalk dust on her backside from leaning against the board. She constantly flipped a piece of chalk like a coin. She never dropped it. She played punch ball with us in the street at lunchtime. After she smacked a ball under a car she’d lift her heavy black skirt so she could run fast down to first base. Instead of chasing the ball I admired her big nun shoes that I thought would be perfect for kicking a football. My middle years at the school were traditional 1960s teaching and mostly boring. But, 8^th grade was special thanks to Sister Mercedes. No teacher in my lifetime ever got me better. She threatened me, she punished me, she encouraged me, she laughed at me and she loved me. Sister Mercedes was blessed with an acute understanding of children. Having her as my last St. Stephen’s teacher set a standard for the qualities I expected and needed from future mentors. I didn’t always get it, but I recognized the type of person I was looking for.

Sister Mercedes

When I was too excited, Sister Mercedes invited me into the convent to clean and help with dinner preparation for the nuns. I was clumsy and my jobs were simplified, I vacuumed, “not near the lamps!” and I took the ends off a large bowl of string beans. One day, Sister Mercedes was sitting there watching me and I could see she was thinking something through, and then she said, “Thomas, instead of using your mouth so much, why don’t you use that left hand of yours and write down what you have to say.” She knew, she could see - good intuitive teachers understand different types of kids - in high school, in college, gravitate to mentors that get you, encourage you and keep you in line at the same time.

My 8th grade St. Stephen’s June 16, 1968 graduation was ten days after the assassination of Robert Kennedy and two months after Martin Luther King’s death. There were riots in New York City neighborhoods. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Rory & Tom up Nan's June 16, 1968

A very hot Sunday. After the ceremony, Mom and Dad played pinochle up Nan's on York Avenue with Pauline and Charlie Hannah. Nan had a bandanna around her neck to catch sweat and drank chilled ginger ale. “Cut the shit, cut the cards,” Nan said to Dad who was farting around. Rory wore my grad cap, and then we ran out to put the fire hydrant on at the corner of 83rd Street and 1st Avenue. Mickey Mantle hit a homer against the Angels. George Chapman had sunburn on his back from Rockaway Beach. Unknowingly, I slapped George's back after Mantle's homer. Apology not accepted.

Someone left the cake out in the rain.

I don’t think that I can take it.

‘cause it took too long to bake it.

And I’ll never have that recipe again.

Oh, no! "MacArthur's Park," was on the radio and Rory bought a pound of Oreos with the 45 cents he clipped off Dad's dresser.

Afterwards, we all sat on 403’s stoop and Herb Alpert crooned “This Guy’s In Love with You.”

We considered these songs nuclear weapons for attracting girls.

Here are the top 40 records from that June 1968 day.

This Guy's In Love With You - Herb Alpert

The Horse - Cliff Nobles and Co.

MacArthurPark- Richard Harris

Yummy Yummy Yummy - Ohio Express