OUR NEIGHBORHOOD The Way It Was.......

Clara Loesch (nee Miklasz) found herself in this photo of the June 1941 graduating class of St. Matthias School in Ridgewood. She is pictured in the second row, second from left. The late Harry O'Kane is pictured in the back row, at far left. With plans in the works for a gala celebration to mark the centennial of St. Matthias School in Ridgewood, we recently presented a photo of the June 1941 graduating class.

The picture originally appeared in the May 14, 2009 issue of this newspaper. It had been submitted by reader Peggy O'Kane, a longtime resident of our neighborhood, whose late husband, Harry O'Kane, was a member of the class. He can be found in the back row, at the far left.

In addition, Mrs. O'Kane supplied us with a second photo, marked "5A" and "28." She was unsure of its year.and the identities of the children pictured in it.

At the time that we presented the photos, they were accompanied by a letter from Mrs. O'Kane. She hoped that perhaps some of her husband's former classmates would recognize themselves and, if not, possibly some friends or relatives would be able to pick out a familiar face.

This photo provides an earlier look at St. Matthias School's Class of June 1941, according to Clara Loesch (nee Miklasz), who is in the fourth row, third from left. The late Harry O'Kane is in the top row, second from right. The Old Timer is pleased to report that we received an e-mail from one of the graduates, Clara Loesch (nee Miklasz).

Mrs. Loesch writes: "I am one of the graduates in that picture submitted by Peggy O'Kane. I'm second from the left in the second row. My name was Clara Miklasz (later Loesch). I knew her husband and next to me on the end of that row was Dorothy Lawrence. She was my best friend and her nickname was Mickey—and so was mine.

"The picture marked '5A' is the same class, pre-graduation! I'm third from the left, fourth row, and Harry O'Kane is second from the right, top row. Talk about looking like a bunch of orphans! It was taken before summer vacation, after lunch, on a very hot and humid day!

"I lived on 62nd Street off Myrtle Avenue—two blocks off Fresh Pond Road—and walked to school each day, any season; ate lunch at the bakery around the corner from the school; and bought a pretzel from Joe the Pretzel Man for a nickel. On Sunday, after Mass, we would buy five for a quarter to take home. They were the best pretzels, ever!

The late Jim Donnellan, a founder of the annual Halloween Parade on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale, was an honored guest at the event several years ago. He is pictured, flanked by granddaughters Bridget and Tara Woebbe. "Unfortunately, after graduation, we all scattered to various high schools and our lives took a new turn. I ended up in Richmond Hill High School and had a wonderful four years. My friend went to The Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica Estates and we lost touch. For a period, we did spend time together at the skating rinks—Cypress and Hillside— but in time, our friendships shifted to our new schools.

"I did marry a Glendale boy— George Loesch, who lived on 68th Place and was a St. Pancras student— in 1947. His dad owned the butcher store across from the Knights of Columbus on Fresh Pond Road.

"Every night, George was out there, sweeping the sidewalk, when I walked from the El on my way home from work. He was so cute in his little apron. How could I refuse him when he popped the question? He was an apprentice on the G.I. Bill, learning the butcher business. He ended up being a meat buyer for the A&P.

"We had 55 wonderful years together and never a fight (ho-ho-ho); he passed away in 2003.

"I'm presently living in Ormond Beach, Fla. When my husband George and I retired from New Hyde Park, we moved to the San Fernando Valley in California. Our daughter and her family lived there and we decided to give them some 'in-laws,' as my son-in-law had no family there to speak of. We stayed 10 years and decided to return east—it's much cheaper back here. We still had kids back here, too.

"There are so many memories of Glendale. We did live in a wonderful time that our children will never know.

"By the way, you just lost one of your most faithful old timers— Jimmy Donnellan, one of the last of the Glendale Boys Club. But that's another story.

"I hope I've added some interest to your column. Your column came via my friend of over 70 years, a true Glendalite, Marion Higgins, who still lives in her in-laws' house, where she raised her family and now holds court to them, her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren."

Old Timer's note—We thank Mrs. Loesch for her comments and helping to solve the previous mystery regarding one of the photos submitted by Mrs. O'Kane.

We are presenting both photos once again. Pictured with the June 1941 graduating class is St. Matthias pastor, Msgr. Francis Siegelack. Previously, he had served as pastor at St. Pancras Church in Glendale, from 1909 to 1930.

For those who may be wondering about the Knights of Columbus building mentioned by Mrs. Loesch, this was the clubhouse of the Knights of Columbus Council No. 1814, located on the southwest corner of Fresh Pond Road and Catalpa Avenue.

Built as a farmhouse in 1846, it originally belonged to John C. Debevoise, who had a 25-acre farm that extended west to the point where Catalpa Avenue meets Myrtle Avenue. The Knights of Columbus clubhouse was demolished in 1974. Today, it is the site of the Peter Cardella Senior Center.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Donnellan. In addition to his involvement in the Glendale Boys Club, he was a founder of the annual Glendale Halloween Parade, which remains one of the more enjoyable—and highly anticipated— annual events in the community.

Some years ago, he provided us with the story of the parade's founding. As a tribute to him, we will present it this week.

Regarding the centennial celebration for St. Matthias School, it is scheduled for Oct. 4, 2009. As Mrs. O'Kane advised us, this coincides with the day of the school's opening.

Anyone with memories, pictures or memorabilia pertaining to St. Matthias School that they would like to share for the event, they can write to the St. Matthias School Alumni Association at 58-15 Catalpa Ave., Ridgewood, NY 11385

They can send an e-mail directly to alumni@stmatthiasschool.org.

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Old Timer's note—Jim Donnellan died on May 15, 2009. He was a Rockaway resident, but, as noted above, he made his mark in Glendale. He was involved in the now-defunct Glendale Boys Club and was a founder of the annual Halloween Parade on Myrtle Avenue, which is run by the Kiwanis Club of Glendale.

Several years ago, Mr. Donnellan submitted a story about how the parade began. Besides providing some history about an event that is a community tradition, it also shows that such things can be made to happen, if a few people are willing to give of themselves and work together. The story follows below.

One day, one of my coworkers told me about a Halloween parade that was held every year in the small town where he lived. The way Halloween was celebrated in Glendale was always a disappointment to me as a kid and later as an adult, when my wife and I had children.

I said to myself, why can't we have a Halloween Parade in Glendale? All we needed was a sponsor. I spoke to Artie and Ronnie LaFres of LaFres Ford, and they said that they would be happy to sponsor the parade. They gave me $100 to pay for the prizes to be given out to the kids with the best costumes.

The year of the first parade— 1966—the committee consisted of Artie and Ronnie LaFres, my wife Kitty and myself. Kitty made up posters announcing the forthcoming parade and I went to local merchants and bought $100 worth of prizes. In those days, $100 was a lot of money.

The parade was to start at 7 p.m. at Cooper and Myrtle avenues, and we were to march along Myrtle Avenue to the supermarket parking lot on Cypress Hills Street. I was at Cooper and Myrtle avenues by 6:45 p.m. dressed as Lurch (from the TV show The Addams Family). I was the only person dressed in a costume and I felt pretty foolish! All of a sudden, a gorilla appeared and then cars started to pull up. Kids got out in costume. It seemed like kids were coming out of the woodwork.

The first year of the parade, we didn't have a permit, and, therefore, there were no police to control the traffic. We really didn't expect such a large crowd. After awhile, there were so many people at Cooper and Myrtle that I figured that we had better start the parade, which took up half the width of Myrtle Avenue. As the paraders marched along in their costumes, some of the local people jumped in and helped direct traffic. I got kind of scared, but thanks to all the people who helped out, nothing bad happened.

Ronnie and Artie LaFres and their wives had set up a table in the parking lot of the Safeway (later Finast and now Stop & Shop) Supermarket, so that they could hand out a bag of trick-or-treat candy to each child in the parade. When we arrived at the parking lot, Ronnie LaFres took one look at the crowd and ran into the Safeway and bought another $100 worth of candy.

It was a cold night, and we decided to hold the judging of the costumes inside the LaFres Garage on Central Avenue. In this first year of the parade, we weren't well-organized, but the kids and parents loved it. The magic of Halloween was present that night. There were witches, ghosts, hobgoblins, skeletons, bats, black cats and even the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

Many years have passed since that first Halloween parade, and many generations have marched on Halloween night. Thanks to the members of the Glendale Kiwanis Club, the parade gets bigger and better every year. It's just one of the many good works that the Glendale Kiwanis is involved in.

Old Timer's note—Mr. Donnellan's family can take pride in knowing that he and his late wife Kitty helped to make a wonderful Halloween tradition possible in Glendale.

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Every day provides the opportunity to make history—in one's own neighborhood or beyond it.

The date of this issue is June 18 and we find that it proved historic for two American women regarded as pioneers in flight.

On June 18, 1928, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, completing a 21-hour trip from Newfoundland to Wales.

Fifty-five years later, astronaut Sally Ride became the first woman in space as a member of the crew aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

As the Old Timer prepares this column for publication, we can only wonder what kind of history will be made on June 18, 2009.

Old Timer's note—If you have any remembrances or comments that you would like to share with our readers, write to the Old Timer, c/o Times Newsweekly, P.O. Box 860299, Ridgewood, NY 11386- 0299.

To send a submission via e-mail, our e-mail address is Old Timer@timesnewsweekly.com.