Four Ancient Photos from John Kelly

John Kelly has sent me and others these candid and potentially libelous photos of hanky-panky going on at the hotel on our Washington trip, in March 1960.  John reminds us it's been 53 years since this hallowed event. Eleanor reminds me that it was St. Patrick's Day and we wished Mr. Murphy a happy Irish fling, but also that it snowed during that memorable excursion. But the real photo-verified news is that some guys managed to sneak up to the girls' floor above the boys' and find solace from the cold and snow outside. Who knew? While John and Dom and Tony seem to be boasting here, I admit to long for such comforts from storms.  Oh, where are the snows of yesteryear ( "Où sont les neiges d’antan?", F. Villon)?

Our Washington DC Trip of 1960

On our senior trip, we went to Washington D.C. during this time period: March 16 to 18. 

JUST YESTERDAY, 53 YEARS  AGO

Here is our itinerary:

Dear Classmates:

Our much loved HHS soccer coach Carl Abbott passed away last Wednesday as he approached his 100th birthday. The Trenton Times obituary is too brief and formal but there's a Trenton Times story about him as he was turning 99 that gives a sense of the amazing life and physical prowess of the man. 

Eleanor reflects that Abbott was the last of the teachers during our time at Hamilton High. The old order changeth! Let's hope some of us will last another 29 years in the good shape of the athletic, fun-loving Carl Abbott. And he came to as many of our reunions as he could. The photo shows him at our 50th in 2010, at the same table as Principal George Murphy, who passed away in 2012 and is mentioned at the end of the Carl Abbott article. We were well served and supported to the end by these fine teachers. We miss them and the positive world of the high school they created for us.

Trenton Times obit:

ABBOTT, Carl E. Of Hamilton, 99, passed away March 6, 2013. Funeral: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Saul Colonial Home, 3795 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square. Calling: 8:30-10 a.m. Wednesday at funeral home. Burial: Greenwood Cemetery Mausoleum, Hamilton.

Abbott handling aging well as 99th birthday approaches

Published: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 6:00 AM

 By Ann LoPrinzi/For The Times 

Anyone who knows Carl Abbott has been inspired by him – whether it was from his accomplishments as a high school coach, his inductions into the area tennis and soccer halls of fame, his loveable wit, his zest for life, or his active lifestyle. There is now another reason to admire Abbott, and that’s how he’s handling the aging process.

In November, Hamilton Township’s ageless wonder will turn 99. He played tennis a couple of times a week until last October, just days away from his 98th birthday, and he now refers to that day as the day his life ended. You have to understand just how much sports has meant to him to get that. As Abbott tells it, he went for a wide forehand that he shouldn’t have, took a spill and ended up in the hospital. His life since then has been in and out of the hospital and rehab, a move to an assisted living facility, and a serious lifestyle adjustment. His body is breaking down, but his mind is sharp as ever and he is just as articulate as the days he made acceptance speeches when the Veterans Park tennis facility and the Hamilton High soccer field were named after him.

“This has been a super traumatic experience. I’m having a difficult time adjusting to my situation. I understand my situation and I’m well aware of my limitations. For me, there is no tomorrow. Once I was on top of the mountain; now I’ve fallen so far down the mountain,” said Abbott.

Now for the inspiring part. “There are two things a person can do. They can succumb to the situation. Sit in their rocking chair and complain. Or you can fight it. I’ve been able to survive because of a strong mental attitude and because of good friends. I take a positive attitude.”

I find it difficult to explain exactly what Abbott has meant to the tennis, and sports, community. If you ask anyone who knows Abbott, you get the same response – “he’s amazing.” He began playing tennis only after 30 years of coaching soccer and basketball. He loves the game and introduced it to many people through free clinics, even though he was never more than an intermediate player. Even as he was well into his 80s, Carl would turn heads while running through the park.

“Of all the sports I played, tennis was the only one that really gripped me and held me closely. I learned late in life, and realized I had come to the age where it was the only competitive physical activity in which I could participate.”

Abbott is, for sure, still “amazing.” He feels that he has a flair for understanding people which he learned from sports. “One of the main things in life is to listen – keep your mouth shut and listen. I learn more about people by saying nothing.” He has some great stories to tell and a superb memory, but one regret is that there’s no one around he can reminisce with that was around in the old days.

“I should not complain or utter one word negatively. I have a great deal to be thankful for.. Sometimes I have to talk to myself to get back on track because I have fallen off. I don’t want to sound like a disgruntled old has-been. Just telling it the way I feel.”

Abbott is not going anywhere soon – we expect him to be around a while. In the meantime, we can all learn something from him about being positive, no matter what the situation.

• Tickets are now available for the Aug. 25 Arthur Ashe Kids Day, the prelude to the US Open. Among the headliners are Carly Rae Jepsen, The Wanted, and the usual top tennis players. Go to www.arthurashekidsday.com to purchase tickets.

• Last week we acknowledged a USTA Jr. Team Tennis 14-and-under team from Nassau that qualified for the national championships. An 18-and-under intermediate squad from Pennsbury Racquet Club, coached by Jeffrey Brooks, also won at the sectional championships and will be at the Oct. 25 nationals in South Carolina.

Players were Alex Bauman, Axe Owens, Dash Brown, Katelyn Reilly, Mackenzie Schindler, Michael Stanley, and Taylor Illes. Sona Hussian and Jessie Burns are also on the team but weren’t able to play the sectionals.

• George Murphy was a very well-liked and respected tennis player, and we were sad to learn that he passed away last week. He was a former principal of Hamilton High School and was a regular at the Veterans Park courts during those 1970s tennis boom years. He was a special guy and will be missed.

Contact Ann LoPrinzi at annloprinzi@gmail.com

©  NJ.com. All rights reserved.

Trenton Times Obituary

Carl E. Abbott HAMILTON - Carl E. Abbott, 99, a lifelong resident of Hamilton, NJ, departed this world on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton. Born in Trenton, NJ, Mr. Abbott served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, retiring from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. After attending Trenton State College and receiving a bachelor's degree in business, he pursued and obtained a master's degree in education administration from Rutgers University in 1949, and received an honorary doctoral degree from the same institution in 1951. From 1946 until his reluctant retirement in 1984, Mr. Abbott was employed by the Hamilton Township Board of Education. 

     As teacher, guidance counselor and coach in the sports of soccer and basketball, he was a highly-regarded presence in the Hamilton High West academic and athletic communities for almost 40 years. Two of his soccer teams, in 1955 and 1962, brought state championships home to the high school. Upon retirement, Mr. Abbott turned his attention and energy to tennis. Though he regarded himself a journeyman player, "Ace," as he came to be called, loved to play the sport and loved to teach it to others (without charge). Over the years, he gave so many hours to both that he earned a reserved parking spot at the Veterans' Park Tennis Complex and was honored in 1998 by Hamilton Township's dedication of that complex to him. It was only at age 98 that his tennis career ended, when a spill on the court served notice to him that he was approaching middle age. 

     Throughout his life, Mr. Abbott was involved in many organizations and activities. Among them were the Hamilton Township Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 20; the Hamilton, New Jersey and National education associations; Mercer County Retired Educational Association; Mercer County Professional Councilors Association; Hamilton Township Historical Society; Friends of the Hamilton Township Library; and Hamilton Hospital 50 Plus Club, and the Nottingham Squares Senior Citizens Club. He was a founding member of the Kuser Tennis League. Mr. Abbott also received many honors over his years. Important to him were the naming of the Veterans' Tennis Complex for him, being named Soccer Coach of the Year in 1955 and 1962, having the Hamilton West soccer field named after him and his inductions into the Hamilton High West Athletic Hall of Fame, the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame, and the Mercer County Tennis Hall of Fame. For all of his accomplishments, Mr. Abbott will be most remembered as a true gentleman and role model for living life in service of others.

      Predeceased by his parents, Elmer Yardley and Clara (Briscoe) Abbott, and his beloved wife, Ann (Rodecker) Abbott, he is survived by a great friend, Augustine Perilli, and countless friends, colleagues, former students and athletes, and local tennis players of every level, all of whom felt the influence of his teachings, wisdom, honesty, humor, patience and modesty as he passed through their lives. 

     Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, at 10 a.m. at the Saul Colonial Home, 3795 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ, with the Reverend Roderick B. Mills officiating. Entombment will follow at Greenwood Cemetery Mausoleum in Hamilton. Family and friends may call on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Saul Colonial Home. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor's choice . www.saulfuneralhomes.com

Maple Shade School's big Canteen

This seems like a big wow of a party. Some of us were at Maple Shade School in either 7th or 8th grade when the Maple Shade PTA decided we needed a Friday evening bash of sodas and cookies, courtesy of the PAL.

Bill Clegg's mother and Don Tulodieski's father officiated. We needed plenty of chaperons then, what with those raging 50's hormones.

Somehow the whole thing was held at McGalliard School, I guess since the caves of rock underneath Maple Shade, coated with lime and leaching salts, didn't set the right mood, for sodas and cookies, though they were good enough for gym class when it rained.

The "canteen" concept comes from cantina, a small wine shop or cellar, and from WWII, where the troops went for recreation and refreshments. Oh, They Were the Days!

Can you identify folks in the the Trenton Times photo?? What year was it? '54? '55?

 Notice we are referred to as "children." I kinda like that--a child still at 10 or 11? Today's pre-teen would likely have a bit more experience.

Thanks to Eleanor for rescuing this photo from the 2010 reunion decorations.

Happy New Year!