Hetty Haden:
CLASS OF 1969
Passaic High SchoolClass of 1969
Passaic, NJ
Woodrow Wilson Junior High SchoolClass of 1966
Passaic, NJ
Hetty's Story
Life
My life started in Holland, quite awhile back. I arrived in Passaic -on Quincy St.-with my parents as a toddler and loved living there. I had great fun at #10 School on Harrison St, good old #12 (Wilson Jr High), where I was in the Harmonettes and on the Wilsonian staff. From there I continued on to PHS (along with Mr. Schmoltze and Mr. Polowniak.)You can find me in the 1968 PHS yearbook, but not the 1969 one! After a move to Baltimore for my senior year (Sob, sob) I graduated and got married shortly thereafter. I moved with my husband Jim to Virginia, had my two great kids, Kelly and Calvin, then moved back to the same area I had left in 1969, here in Maryland. My kids are grown and married, and I now have four grandchildren: Twin granddaughters, now 3, their baby brother, 5 months; and a new grandson, 2 months. My husband, Jim, owns his own business and I worked in the medical management field for a physical therapist here in the area.I retired last year after 30 years in this field. I traveled to Holland last year to see my relatives there. I hope someday Jim will go with me. He is a Harley Davidson rider and recently got one for both of us to ride. We enjoy riding around the Maryland countryside, going on trips together and seeing our families.I still love music, (I was a huge Beatles fan, yeah yeah yeah!) Retirement is a blast!
School
In Elementary school, my biggest crush was Laszlo Schaeffer. I found out in 6th grade he liked Linda Arson so that was the end of that.
At #12, my biggest crush was Billy Flores. I used to help him with his homework in study hall and was always eager to help him, and I hoped he would ask me to the 9th grade dance, but he asked someone else instead. So, I went anyway and danced with whomever asked me. At least Pat McCain taught me to dance and not be shy about it, so I have been dancing ever since. Once I got to the High School, I immersed myself in the art room with my friends there, and tried out for the chorus of "L'il Abner", thanks to my longtime respect and admiration for Mr. Schmoltze. I also kept singing (alto)in the PHS choir. There, I learned "the Messiah" and have made that my most inspirational and beloved piece of music. My late mother, Elly Cassutto, played piano for Mr. Schmoltze and the Harmonettes during our #12 school rehearsals and performances and for that, I will be eternally greatful to him. Thanks to Maureen McDonald, I got to spend the only detention I rec...Expand for more
eived in my life with Mr.Schmoltze, helping him out with rehearsals for "Bye Bye Birdie"!I had a memorable time writing for the PHS paper and was thrilled to be selected Editor for the senior year. Not bad for a girl who did not go to #4 school! Unfortunately, our family moved away that summer, and there went all the hopes and dreams I had for my big year. The good thing was, I met my husband here and I would not trade all that followed for anything. Sometimes things happen for a reason we don't understand at the time. I want to also pay respects to the memory of my late classmates, Dennis "DJ" Johnson and Tommy Schaefer.
Workplace
My immediate goal in June, 1969, was to return to NJ, and go to Paterson State, having been accepted there, and major in English and Journalism. That was derailed by marrying right after I graduated! I had learned counter and cashier skills at my first EVER real job, at Separate Sanitary Cleaners in Paterson. I used those skills later on, working at a drug store and Dunkin Donuts in Baltimore. After marriage, I got my first office job and learned how to do collections for an agency. I seemed to develop a real talent for talking to angry people about their bills (not to mention getting them paid) and tracking down insurance payments for hospitals and doctors. I had done this kind of work for over 35 years. My favorite place to work was the Maryland Shock Trauma unit, where I handled billing and medical collections for the large group of Trauma doctors. If you can call that kind of work exciting, all I had to do was read about a bad accident at night or see it on TV, and I knew it would be on my desk the next morning. (The big Amtrak train crash in Baltimore in the 1980s was the most important one I ever handled.) From there, I developed a knack for dealing with orthopaedic and neurosurgeons(not to mention attorneys), whose bills are probably the largest!
Disputed Workers Compensation and HMO claims were my specialty.
I worked as the billing manager for a physical therapist in Baltimore since 1995. I was able to turn any doctor's receivables into "found money"! After my fourth grandchild arrived, I decided it was time to retire and I am currently enjoying this part of my life.
I hope my friends from Passaic will remember me as friendly, willing to make friends outside of my comfort zone, accepting them for who they were, showing some social awareness, and dancing and singing with enthusiasm.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
Photos
Register for Free to view all photos!