Joseph Chao:
CLASS OF 1969
Forest Hills High SchoolClass of 1969
Forest hills, NY
Joseph's Story
Truths from a Legal Immigrant, son of Legal Immigrants: 1) Being separated from your parents for a few weeks, or even a few months won't impact you. Being separated from your parents for five (5) years by a vindictive, cruel, despotic soul-crushing political system which masquerades as the Champion of the Worker does. 2) When you don't get to have a normal adolescenece & are forced to grow up quickly by working, in addition to going to school & getting good grades, & contributing the money you earn to help support your family, you find yourself attempting to re-live your adolescence later on in life. 3) I sincerely hope NO ONE ever had a teacher like Miss Linda Lippman (hope I spelled it right) of Russell Sage Junior High School. When Grandad, who like Grandmom lived with us, passed away in November 1966, I wore black for a week, not just in respect & loving memory of Grandad, but because our budget didn't allow us for an abundant wardrobe selection, Miss Lippman took notice & asked me if I was "...wearing black to celebrate some fascist holiday" because she, like other teachers I have had, were well-acquainted with our ancestral homeland. The first year my brother Frank & I lived in the USA, we lived in Greensboro, North Carolina. We were treated warmly & affectionately. I never knew real prejudice till we lived, went to school & worked in Forest Hills, NY. Thankfully by only a TINY PERCENTAGE of teachers at Rusell Sage J.H.S. & Forest Hills H.S. The overwhelming majority of my teachers, as well as the people we knew were wonderful, loving, accepting people. Please resist the urge to stereotype people based on their national origin, or even political/philosophical beliefs. OK, Joe, off the soapbox, lol
One thing I wanted to share, please don't anyone think I am ignoring them, or not looking at their photos, etc. Often times when I've clicked on the link to this website from my email, it just loads, & loads, & loads & never ends, lol.
I remember a lot of people, by face or by nickname. For example, 'Bugsy', I remember by nickname, but I never knew his real, whole name, since we were just casual acquaintances. I also remember Forest Hills H.S. had LOTS of very attractive, long-haired girls, but being very shy, & having a job after school, I never did much socializing. Not by choice. I think the number of dates of Forest Hills H.S. girls I had I could count with the fingers of one hand. Ozzie Ismaili, Billy Look, Jeff Goldstein, David Goldberg, Barry Goldberg, Murry Granek, Warren Sieber from Gym Class; Toshiaki Okawa, who we had over at home as a guest on occasion, Allen Wilder; and Howard Avnet (from my Contemporary Problems class). I also remember Joseph Kalcso. We didn't have any classes in common, but he & his Mom used to live in our building, on the 1st floor. He was a tale...Expand for more
nted guitar player. His Mom owned a COOL 1968 British Racing Green Camaro Convertible. I understand he went into the ministry eventually. Of course the beautiful ladies: Karen Peters; a reddish-haired classmate who sat next to me also named Karen (from a Math class?), who urged me to wear neckties, but whose last name I do not remember; Laura Boxer, from Mr. Swirsky's (French) class; Betty Jane _________(whose last name I also do not remember); Beatrice Trayman, who was tiny, had long beautiful blond hair & was extremely intelligent. Every time I see "The Big Bang Theory" & the actress who plays Howard's wife, Bernadette Rostenkowski, I think of Beatrice; Susan Shabanowitz, who had such beautiful seashell eyes; Cyd Chipman, a Moonlight Blonde, with gorgeous blue eyes & alabaster skin whom I secretly loved & who was Forest Hills High's answer to Nicole Kidman, I also remember the exotic, beautiful Donna Malian. Not from Forest Hills H.S., but from Russell Sage J.H.S. We were both in Mr. Federbush's Social Studies class, and Mr. Federbush regularly flirted with her, referring to her great beauty, lol. The remark said most often ".....by the skin of her beautiful teeth" lol. I also remember two EXCELLENT, caring teachers: Mr. Swirsky (French) & Ms. Pascal (Math). You always remember the great ones.
Anything I have to say from here on in, will probably bore you. I hope this AMAZING coincidence won't. After I was out of the hospital & the Army sent me back overseas (to Germany this time) I ran into TWO (2) FOREST HILLS ALUMNI!!! Billy Look, who must have graduated earlier than 1969, and Jeff Goldstein at the Vogelweh American Express Office (West Germany at the time) in 1971. At different times, mind you, but it was still a SHOCKER! Jeff Goldstein was in the Air Force, and he was working as an Air Traffic Controller. Billy Look was in the Army, like me. I still can't get over it! Of all the places to meet former Forest Hills H.S. classmates! Then there are the TRULY WEIRD encounters. Like meeting a Woman from Middle Village, NY in Albuquerque, where I formerly lived, It was at her High School that I took my US Army entrance examinations in December 1968; she received therapy from a pyschiatrist in Forest Hills, on Queens Boulevard, (that should've been a red flag, but noooo, lol) not far from 67th Road, where we lived, & who knew or went to school (at a Catholic High School) with some of the people I knew from Middle Village & Maspeth, NY. But that's another story that I am saving for a book, "Tails from the Dark Side". Don't think I'm being a misogynist or chauvinist. After all, she's allegedly writing a book entitled "Dicks I Have Known" under the pen name: Jennie-Talia Tongueworthy, lo.
Anyway, I wish everyone a long, happy, healthy, safe & prosperous life!
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