Hank Grebe:  

Presently organizing a Ward Melville H.S. Class of 1970 50th Reunion scheduled for October 3rd, 2020. See wmhs1970reunion dot com for more information. I attended Setauket Junior High School after my parents moved to Setauket from the Hauppauge/Smithtown area. While in 8th and 9th grade my dad had business in Munich, Germany where I attended Munich American H.S., part of a large U.S. military base. In 1967, returned from Germany to attend Ward Melville H.S., a few guys, I credit John Maybeck, gave me the nickname "Fritz." Munich was a super experience, and it opened up my mind to the world outside of the USA. With Jim Smith, Winston Geist, Angus Thuermer, my brother Roy, and a few other guys I founded B.A.R.F., the Bavarian American Rocket Force, a model rocketry club. This was during the heyday of the NASA Gemini space program. It was freaky to be on German soil blasting off scale models of V-2 rockets in fields with German a few old sheep herders looking on. Back in Setauket, I blasted off a rocket with 2 white mice in it as part of a Biology class assignment. The experiment and rocket flight was pretty much a failure, because the rocket took off, and at the apex of its flight, the parachute ejection charge partially failed, the two mice popped out, and it all fell down somewhere in the woods next to the Elizabeth Clark Library. The whole class took off into the woods looking for the mice and the rocket parts. It was a riot and the mice were never found. I worked as a busboy at The Three Village Inn and at least once served Ward Melville and his wife, who I believe owned the restaurant, managed by Nelson and Monda Roberts. Mrs. Melville kindly asked me if I'd like to be an astronaut. A favorite memory about WMHS was actually in Junior High when I was experime...Expand for more