Jane Gordon:
CLASS OF 1956
James Madison High SchoolClass of 1956
Brooklyn, NY
Pelham Middle SchoolClass of 1997
Pelham, NY
CUNY Brooklyn CollegeClass of 1960
Brooklyn, NY
Katherine R. Snyder Public School 222Class of 1952
Brooklyn, NY
Countee Cullen Public School 194Class of 1950
New york, NY
Jane's Story
My Life,
My dad, Dr.Frank M.Castorina, was an attorney, and my mom, Agatha Castorina Abbruzze was a chief quality control officer. My brother Charles F. Castorina was an elementary school Principal, and is now a well respected musician all over the NY Metropolitan area.
I am a third generation American and arrived at James Madison High School in Sept '52 after having attended PS215 to grade 3, PS194 to grade 6 and PS222 to grade 8. We lived on Brown Street, in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn until I graduated from Brooklyn College and was married in 1960. We spent every summer for 50 years at our summer home in Rocky Point, on Long Island Sound. I have two daughters, Whitney (from West Palm Beach) and Kim (from Somers, in Westchester County), and two granddaughters. Mackenzie, born in 2002 and is graduating from Carmel High School, and Hayley, age 22 who graduated from the University of Southern California, (USC) and got her MS at NYU. My husband was killed in Manhattan in 1994. During my 35 years of marriage, besides my children, I raised 7 GREAT DANES.
While at Madison I was elected Secretary of the SGO (Student Government Organization) a member of Boosters, played violin in the Orchestra, joined SING for 4 yrs, lunchroom guard for 4 years, Chi Omega Sorority, and Chi Epsilon Key Sorority. My favorite teachers were Ms. Rae Salit Markus, George Carrel, and Albert Sarney under whose tutelage I won the two year art medal.
At Brooklyn College, I was a member of the Mathematics Department, Captain of Cheerleaders, member of Russell House Houseplan (for which I was always Athletic Chairman). I took part every year in Sing, December Daze, Country Fair and every event that came up.
I became a teacher of Secondary School Mathematics in Brooklyn for 4 years and then in Pelham Middle School/High School, in Westchester County for 27 more years. During my teaching years I wrote a mathematics self-help book, also organized the Middle School Math team and the after school Math Clubs, and was President of the Social Committee for 25 years. During the summers, for 15 years I was in teacher-in-charge of the computer operation at Camp Pelican in Greenwich CT.
During the year 1990, while a full time teacher, I got a my MS in The Computer Science. Technology Department at LIU and gra...Expand for more
duated Summa Cum Laude and won the top award plaque for my graduating class of 1992.
In 1996 I organized a widely publicized event to remember, 40th reunion held at Kingsborough Community College, for the Madison Alumni who graduated in '53, '54, '55, '56 and '57 at Kingsborough Community College. It was very well attended by over 1,000 alumni, where I had reconnected with many of my former alumni friends.
In 2006 I put together a committee to run a weekend JMHS 50th Reunion for the class of '55, '56, and '57. It consisted of three days at the NYC Financial Center Marriott, James Madison HS, The Old Dutch Mansion on E.22 St, and ended with a Sunday afternoon luncheon cruise aboard World Yacht in NYC, on the Hudson River.
I met my wonderful partner, Jerry Hoffman in 1994 and together we became photographers, after I retired in 1998. Jerry and I joined the Westchester County Photographic Society in 2000. Last year alone I won 14 plaques and the "Photographer of the Year" Award. Until now, 2024, I have won 88 engraved Plaques, 41 of them were first place for each year in competitions and 15 first place medals for my work in photography and my work has been shown in exhibits all over the NY area including the Main Lobby of the Empire State Building. Last year I was awarded the 20 year Plaque (Tony Gezirjian AWARD) for my work in OPEN MIND PHOTOGRAPHY. We both were members of a Singles Group called GIT (Getting it Together) for15 years. After having been a resident of Pomona, NY for 55 years I finally moved in 2019 to Somers, NY in Westchester County. I have been invited to exhibit my work here in Somers since I have moved here and I was surprised when several folks wrote POETRY about my work and the Somers RECORD Newspaper picked up on it and published a two page spread with my interview and photo. WOW! I recently received an invitation to join the Heritage Hills Poetry Society and the Somers Artists. I have worked very hard in my life . and I am loving it here.
Some of my passions are: Alumni work & Events, making Centerpieces for Alumni Events, Photography and Photoshop, the Great State of UTAH & the National Parks, Cliff Climbing. chasing after 10,000 Year Old Petroglyphs and Pictographs, raised 7 GREAT DANES, Gardening, and my Granddaughters.
Jane Castorina Gordon '56
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