Orvell Froloff:  

To all my classmates of P.S. 22, Lincoln HS and Dickinson HS. It has been 52 years since we last saw one another and I sincerely hope you are all well. I remember some of you and the good times we had learning what was necessary to prepare us for life. I did meet up with Alfred Lofton while serving in the US Navy. I was stationed in Morroco, North Africa and sitting in my barracks when I saw this Marine coming towards me. I knew right off it was Alfred. This was back in 1965 and since then I have not seen anyone. Where are all of you? After High School I enlisted into the Navy and after boot camp was immediately sent to Morroco for 18 months and then onto Norfolk, Virginia for duty on the USS Orion AS-18. A submarine tender. After being honorably discharged in October of 1967 I went home to my family in Jersey City. I was employed by Pacific Intermountain Express Trucking and worked for G&G Auto Service on Summit Ave as a mechanic. From there I was hired by the Jersey City Fire Dept. in July 1972 and retired in 2000 with the rank of Captain. While employed at G&G Auto Service in 1970 I met my soul mate Christine Sypek and tied the knot in June of 1974 and we are still married to this day. We raised two fine young men who are now both in uniform. the oldest is a Police Officer in New York and our other son is a US Marine at school in California. Well, that is about all my entire life wrapped up into two paragraphs at this point in time. I sincerely hope that if you get a chance to read this, you would stop by and say hello. God bless and best wishes always! Update: April 3, 2012 Still here and waiting to hear from some of my classmates from PS 22, Lincoln and Dickinson. A few have responded and it was great to know some are still around to say hello. I have been active in the Patriot Guard Riders for the last year now. For those of you who aren't familiar with the PGR, we're an organization of veterans and non-vets who escort and stand a flag line for our fallen brothers and sisters who served in the Armed Forces. Most of us are motorcycle riders and are always welcoming newcomers. If you are interested you can see their webpage at PGR.com. Paying our respects to the families and friends of those who have gone on before us is the least we can do to honor the loss of their loved one. God bless and hope all is well with each of you. Your Classmate, Orvell Froloff P.S. Time is passing us by so don't hesitate to get on board. You may be surprised by who has been looking for you. Saddling up on a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 and cruising the highways is probably the most exhilarating experience one could have. I only wish it was a Harley Davidson Road King! John Wayne and Elvis Presley my two heroes from the past. The Duke and the Pelvis! The one person from my past who I'd most like to see again is Billy McChrystal. We were good friends in Lafayette Gardens in Jersey City, NJ. Stay young and enjoy life and be good to everyone you encounter. You never know when you're talking to an angel of God. If I won $100 million, I'd give 10% of it to a Children's Orphanage, then spend the rest on my family, traveling and sharing my good fortune with those I love. My best friend would tell you I'm loyal, but people who don't know me very well would probably describe me as outgoing and friendly. All I wear is a pair of wranglers and a cotton shirt. Sneakers or boots and never go anywhere without my baseball cap! No, it's not fashionable but I'm comfortable. In 10 years, I hope to be age 75. I'm going to get there by the grace of God.. I met Butchie Thomson, a long life friend until this day. I was 16 and I believe it was on a street corner in Jersey City where we met. He was looking for me to give me a message from some girl. In those days when a guy was looking for another guy he didn't know if it spelled trouble or not. Butchie was and still is a good friend to this day. I have always considered him my best friend. My first job was on a produce truck, where I got paid $15/wk to deliver fruits and vegetables to customers. What I remember most about it is working everyday after school and all day Saturday and eating all the fruit I can! Especially cherries. There are so many childhood memories but building a scooter from a #5 Union skate, a 2x4X6 foot plank and a wooden milk carton was the best ride I ever had as a child. Wore out many right foot sneakers too! Mom was not happy about seeing one sneaker with big holes in it and the other like new. Wow! I can write a book with over 15,000 characters remaining! High School was a trip for me. I just couldn't get myself to do what I was suppose to do. How I managed it is beyond me. I worked everyday after school until 9:00 PM. and too tired to do any school assignments for homework. At age 17 it was time for me to go.......right into the US Navy and I have no regrets to this day. I knew that I was never going to make it to college and Med School to become a Brain Surgeon. Of course that was not my great aspiration. Life doesn't always workout the way we expect it to, does it? No one said it was going to be easy. Those who worked hard and struggled reaped the rewards and those who did nothing also got what they deserved. Classmates! Where are you all??? Sure would like to read your Story and what you remember most about your HS days. Strange that I can't remember any of my teachers from Lincoln HS. Maybe it was because none had left an impression on me.There is only one I can remember from Dickinson HS. She was my English teacher, Mrs. Loesch. I don't know if that is the correct spelling. I know that she was very concerned about me leaving school to enlist into the Navy. She was so sad and said to me; "Orvell, you're too young to go into the military." It wasn't my idea to enlist. I had a friend who talked me into it. Still, I have no regrets. The things that life throws at you can be a real adventure when you're not ready for it and don't see it coming. I hope you're enjoying what I have written so far. Everyone has something to say about themselves but most will never reveal it and that is sad. We're all here for a short time and the impression we make on our families and friends will last a long time. Even those who never had the honor of meeting you in person will know what you stood for. And that is a good thing for most. Your children and grandchildren will be left your memories to pass on to their children. A legacy you cannot neglect to leave behind. Take a trip down Memory Lane and share with us a page from the Book of Your Life. I can't tell you how excited I am to have just reconnected with a long time friend from Dickinson HS. Isn't God wonderful? He knows exactly what we need at the right moment in our lives to fill our hearts with joy. Spring is here in New Jersey and it's that time once again for tending to the lawn and flowers. Fresh cut grass has an aroma all it's own and who can resist the smell of a rose. Funny how the things we had no interest in during our teen years now draws us closer to nature. As children we were curious of our environment but as we grew our curiosity waned. And now we come full circle back to where we left off. There are classmates who request to be a friend that I don't know. They leave no indication as to who they are. No photo, no story, nothing whatsoever. So, if you're reluctant to tell me who you are then how can I know who it is that request to being a friend? Time has a way of removing our memory of those we once knew and a little help is all that is needed to recall a classmate. And I thought I was the shy one at school. Now I see most of you who stop by are silent about who you are. Makes one wonder why anyone would join Classmates and not even say Hi and let us all know how life is going for you. July 3, 2012 Growing up in Jersey City was a real adventure. Back in the 50s we didn't have what is available to our children and grandc...Expand for more