Silver Panther Press Page Two

Missing In Action

We are seeking information on the following people. Please contact nhsclassof71@gmail.com

Maureen Woodson
Dewey Anderson
Cathy Boyette
Terrance Butera
Bill Campbell
Bill Clark
Ruthie Carter (Brewer)
Hope Chema
Karen Eastman (Rados)
Barbara Ellis (Grant)
Dianne Etienne (Karpinski)
Gigi Gay
Randy Gore
Dianne Griffin
Rita Guerra
Karen Berezni Guliani
Zebedee Harris
David Jenks
Andrew Koncheck
Suzanne Welch Keen
Bill Yearwood
Scott Whisnard
Tara Saad
Michaele Iamurri Malarae
Debra McDaniel (Widner)
Jean Williams McGeoch
Geoffrey Morton
Debbie Wenzel Nelson
Ben Parks
Pat Howard Patterson
Carolyn Weidmeyer Randolph
Eric Reinersten
Pearl Sanders
Ronald Scammon Jr.
Bradley Shelton
Rita Gasperson Shuetz
Allen Smith
Michael Smith
Jim Thurner
Charlotte Grant Wangerin
Theresa Buckmaster Webster
Jon O'Connor
Kim Belavek Ricks
Delores Jessup Pancio
Ted Hofferber

The Nightmare Returns.........

I needed to take a break but I want to keep this up (maybe at a little slower pace) until the reunion. I owe it to Cathy & Pedro after all I got them going on it. Heres a photo that goes with the Picadilly Pub menu. Charlie Brady was telling me it was a BIG DEAL to go there for dinner on Prom night. Its incredible the memories that these pictures bring out in kids that grew up here. So heres pressure on Charlie he told me he owns a BINDLESTIFF menu. Now thats rare I haven't found ANYTHING about that place its like it disappeared off the face of the earth.

1968/1969 NHS Initiation Beanie

I think they call it hazing now, I believe I might have skipped that day. Ain't no candyass gonna make this GREEZER crawl around on no men's bathroom floor. Dona Steele pointed out to me that sometime early on greezers were referred to as a "HOODS" to think now that means different parts of town where people live!
Beanie courtesy Kevin Ginos

Before St. George & The Dragon

Small story goes with this one John Smith ran Smith Lesher Insurance & I was telling him about the top photo. He asked me if it had the large star shaped sign on the roof & I told him it did. He said that was taken before Hurricane Donna because Mr. Baroni came into their office to get insurance on that sign & refused to pay such a high price to insure the sign. Donna came through & the sign was never seen again they figured it must be at the bottom of Naples Bay. One day I was talking to John about his stories & we were laughing about the difference in the stories by different generations of Neapolitans. I laughed & told him every generation just takes the older generation stories & adds their twist & makes it their own & he would laugh if he ever sees my twist on his stories:-)! My friend John Smith a good man to surf the pier of life with!

Quick Note

Anyone I refer to on this blog is referred to with their maiden name I've never snapped out of old habits. I still live up by Grants, Aurelio's Pizza is still Chicken House, Christmas Cottage is still the Mclenon's house, that marina is still Brookside Bowl & Billiards, and that THING will always be Boat Haven & I could go on for days..........

Silver Panther Press Complete Copy!

I can't believe I've got a complete SPP edition, in perfect condition no less! I loved junior high & everything about it, new people, in town, life just couldn't have got better than this!
Scary part this little newspaper is 40 years old.
SPP courtesy Chrisse Morse

1971 Prom: King, Queen & Court

L to R: Lee Anne Moates, Sue Hebel, Sue Foster, Dona Steele, Andrea Lane, Bill Black, Pedro Blanco, Bob Buschmann, Joe Townsend & Mike Herbert.
Photo courtesy Dona Steele

Nice Jacket.......

Anyone see a Pattern with Henning's 007/Pimp attire?

In A Six Gun Town...

Gunslingers Top to Bottom: Charlie Brady, Danny Wall & Andy Mclenon. Center photo note gas prices on the sign 27 cents a gallon.

Some Former NHS'ers

Top Photo: Carlos Alfonso, Jim Fredrickson, Jeff Johnson & Charlie Brady. And lets not forget Charlie's '67 Barracuda parked @ the Cove Inn in 1969. Its really strange the more you look at these photographs the more you realize there is a thread going through all of this that ties all these people & places to this (former) little town. It wasn't my imagination it really was a unique little place...
Photos courtesy Charlie Brady

Slow Day

Massive Pile-Up On Candyass Causeway…

It’s just like I was always told when candies got together they stuck together like that hard candy in that glass jar @ your grandmother’s house.
Grannie’s excuse was its too cold to turn on the A/C. Anyone remember Steiner’s wallet it looked like one of those pullout rooms on mobile homes. What in the wide world of sports was in that thing? I used to think if he cut one you’d hear it all the way to 22^nd Ave. That’s why Blog Hog never carried a wallet you could let loose at will & drown them out & blame everybody else in a 4 desk radius………

Note on photo whoever took the picture was saying leave Pedro out he’s not really one of us he went to Shadowlawn also Henning looks a little uncomfortable without that 007/pimp outfit wouldn't you say?

Photos courtesy Chrisse Morse

Figure This One Out....

It's really not too hard & former dirt bikers should figure it out pretty easy. Click on the photo to enlarge it, this is pretty darn cool to look at!
Photo date January 22nd 1963

Piccadilly Pub Menu

Pub menu courtesy Kevin Ginos

I Really Didn’t Want To Go Here But……

...there seems to be a reoccurring thing that happens when I post some (or should I say a lot) of these photo’s. Here’s 2 of them Vicki Harris & Chrisse, I’m sure you all know Vicki is no longer around & it really does bum me out. Scott Kepp, Phil Saad, Bobby Evans, Bill Minarich, Johnny Frye, Wally Green & Vince Wood & the list just seems to be getting longer. Some of these people were real good friends of mine & I really don’t know what to say, other than thanks for all the laughs we shared. These people were just part of the experience of growing up in this little town (what am I saying they were this town). Its funny when you put a Junior High & Naples High yearbook of the same year together & figure that was the WHOLE TOWN at that time there were no other schools. The town went from Shadowlawn Drive to 22^nd Ave North & that was pushing it in both directions. I just wanted to acknowledge that fact & I don’t deal too well with dying its hard enough everyday let alone dealing with it in print. So Toohey get it together if you wait for the 40 year reunion there will probably be a few more people missing. Take it while you can get it, its not coming around again.
Photos courtesy Chrisse Morse

He's About A Mover.....

Here you go baby it might be a little on the strong side!
Wow this sure is comfy I think it's a Serta?
Shoulda bought this suit years ago, bottoms up baby!

Do The Macarena..............

Desi & Lucy? NOPE it's Phil & Tara Saad sometime in the early 60's. Who said Lake Parkers couldn't get DOOOWN..............

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Sundays in Naples the whole town looked like this. You'd hitch hike into town (on Sunday that meant you walked) & the whole town looked deserted. One Sunday Norm Zeller & I hitch hiked out to Camp Happy (boy did it live up to its name:)) to try & get someone to buy us some beer. It took what seemed like hours to get there only to be chased the hell outta there. Lucky for me Naples was a good place to learn to sprint like a race horse you had to stay in shape for Halloween...

“We’ll Let Them Think About It” Jerry Lee in ‘73 Part Two

We’re in hot pursuit out in the parking it’s mass nuthouse out there he had these 2 bigger than Mike Weeks ass kickers with him that wouldn’t let you near him. Frenchie from Prathers (see photo) is out in the parking going “I WANT MY MONEY BACK” & these backhoe lookin’ guys are staring at him like your shoe does a cockroach. They speed off & we’re on their trail, they pull into the Hilton & disappear. So we run into Mack Vickery & say hey we want to meet “The Killer” he goes come with me. At this point we’re thinking “Adios we’re toast” & he knocks on a room door. He opens the door & there’s JLL at the mirror with a blond combing his hair. Mack goes I got some fans that want to meet you. JLL turns to the blond & goes BABY GO GET THE BAGS OUTTA THE CAR I’M TALKIN’ TO MY FANS! Like a light switch he turns into the nicest person you’d ever want to meet. We had him autograph pieces of the ceiling & he was just a hospitable as you ever could imagine. As we were leaving I was walking down the stairs & almost forgot I turned around & yelled up the stairs Jerry Lee “Think About It” he pokes his head around the corner & points his finger down the stairs at me & yells back "We'll Let Them Think About It"!

Bottom row of photo's: L to R Danny Wall, unknown girl, Dave MaCalister, (note Dave's hand trying to push me out of the photo) Jerry Lee, Bob Westman & Mack Vickery. 2nd photo Jerry Lee & Howard Green. Jerry Lee is signing pieces of the Open Hearth's ceiling.

Pre Hurricane Donna Pier

This photo seems to me more of an art piece than a photograph. Interesting side note to it, is the little phone booth looking shack on the right hand side before the bait house. John Smith the ex mayor's son told me his mothers job was to sit inside that shed with binoculars during World War II & watch for Japanese warplanes (or zero's) that came flying up the coast. She had a phone to call the proper authorities in case she spotted one. Where was Barrie Kee when you needed him? I can just hear him now "That's why they put a zero on 'em for a bullseye, I'll sight them in around 15th Ave South & blow them outta the air over the bait house"!

Photo taken by Charles Barron February 1960

It’s Not The Happy Dancing Feet BUT….

...it's the next best thing an Anchor Lounge keychain I've lived here since 1962 I’d never heard of such a thing. It’s completely metal AND it’s also a dime holder you slip the dimes into the back of it. I guess it was in case you got too drunk to get home you could call but where would a phone booth be? This has got to be before my time & there weren’t even phone booths on 5^th Ave back then. Maybe you used the change for another drink & just pass out in the parking lot. I remember the Anchor had a wood dance floor & the whole place would rumble from all the dancing. And the men's rest room floor too, seems everyone had a bad aim it was a little like walking along the shore edge but you couldn’t keep your shoes dry………
Anyone know of or have a picture of the happy dancing feet on the Anchor?

Keychain courtesy Marvin Lightner Jr.

One Down, Nine More To Go...

In 1966 it seemed life went full on in Technicolor from Shadowlawn to NJHS. Where do I start, an entire school of new people to torture & a load of new friends many of which I still have to this day. Things I remember Col. Ford blistering my butt so I couldn't sit for a couple days. I had a book with a rubber band around it with a Bic Pen top for a missile I pulled the little pocket clip back & let go. It fired across the room like a scud & boom hit that metal panel that covered the teacher’s legs. Sounded a little like dynamiting the canals for Alligator Alley. He had that paddle with the holes drilled in it he actually wound up & jumped up off the floor for better contact & damn if that wasn’t pleasant:):)! Another one was Ed Barreto a very humorous guy but a little hot headed I remember him in Science class giving a lecture on fertilizer & its ingredients & him gesturing toward his butt I was sitting off to the side & I started laughing & he goes Mr. Wall knows what I’m talking about. A few days later he was pissed about people talking & told the class to stand up by your desk & DON’T MOVE! I turned & he flew at me like a 747 picked me up by my ears took me in the supply room & started banging my head against the wall. Stopped in the middle of it & started to apologize. He still lives here & I always wanted to ask him about it, I wonder if he blogs?:) :)! Last but not least there was Virginia (Ol’ Bag) Hunter the guidance counselor I don’t remember my crime but she called my dad in to her office & proceeded to call me a coward, boy that really hurt after Col Ford & Mr Barreto this was a cakewalk. The BIG highlight was after school & on Saturdays going down to the House of Hi-Fi & sitting on the floor for hours listening to their jukebox. After being whipped, head banged & then called a coward for all my escapades sitting & listening to the Lovin’ Spoonful was a good getaway. Summer In The City, indeed.....

I’ve got to thank the Garner family for putting up with my hours of jukebox entertainment. You made going to school IN TOWN a real good time!

Anybody remember the Merri Go Round & their backroom where they kept the Levi’s?

House of Hi Fi coupon courtesy Jenny Mclenon

Photo Of The Day

Slow day here at Hog Central so I’ll post this photo & probably everyone will have a story to tell here. But don’t change your ways keep it to yourself you’re only in your mid fifties you’ve got plenty of time to tell your story YEAH RIGHT! This is a great ariel view of the Naples Shopping Plaza (including Rexall Drugs with the little lunch counter/coffee shop that the Land family ran) not so much the plaza but the view to the west is simply incredible! You can see the corner of the Blue Caribbean Driving Range & the high school woods (more on those later). Looks like this blog created a phrase I typed in Candyass Parade into Google & this blog was the 1^st thing that came up. Lets see there’s Bill Gates, Steve Jobs both pioneers of the internet & then there’s Blog Hog a legend in his own mind…