Whatever became of . . . ? (teachers' edition)

Robert Sulyma

Update May 13, 2025:  Mr. Sulyma was born in 1934 and grew up in Minersville, Pennsylvania where he graduated high school.  He earned his MA from Montclair State University in 1964 and his doctorate from Columbia University in 1972, both after he had started teaching at PV.  He started his career at PV in 1959 as a teacher and also was a football coach along with Joe Talamo Sr., George Heidenriech and none other than Balkim Reaves.  Years later he was a department supervisor, then the co-vice principal with Frank Sullivan at PV.  Later, Mr. Casperson would join them.  Must have been a lot of troublemakers after we left :).  He also was the building administrator, I think at Pascack Hills, after we left. He retired in July of 1993.  He then served as a professor of education at Montclair State from 1993-2003, hired by a woman whom he had hired as a teacher at PV.    Although I have plenty of stories about Mr. Sullivan, as for Mr. Sulyma I have but one that stands out.  One fine spring day in 1975, Frank Casamento bet Howard Dempsey  that he would give him five dollars if he would streak around the school butt naked.  Howard took the bet and after gym, changed out of his clothes by the rear gym entrance.  At the same time, rumors had spread around school that someone was going to be streaking near the gym.  A bunch of us went from lunch to the hallway outside the gym as we did not know exactly where to view this spectacle.   As we stood outside the gym, Mr. Sulyma came by and ushered us down the hallway and outside by the tennis courts.  As we stood outside, he began to give us a lecture about congregating in the hallways at lunch. He began to raise his hand for emphasis and as if on cue, Howard came running by at full speed with only his socks, sneakers and a ski mask on.  Sulyma, not expecting this sight, froze in mid sentence and all he could do was yell after Howard and say, "hey! hey! hey you!, come back here!"  Yeah, like he would stop and casually come up to him like that.  I wish I had a picture of the scene:) Sulyma went back inside to get help (Sullivan) and we followed Howard to the front of the school.  By now dozens of kids were leaving the cafeteria going to the back of the school as they also heard about what was to take place.  Girls shrieked, guys laughed and poor Howard, realizing he had nowhere to go, turned back and ran back to the gym.  He put on his clothes and entered the gym but by this time Sulyma had figured out where the culprit had come from and had Casperson with him and they encountered Howard as he entered and knew they had their man.  He was suspended for two days and that was it.  He had a little trouble getting his money from Casamento as I recall and I believe he had to turn Frank upside down to shake the money out of his pockets:)  Now back to Mr. Sulyma.  He went on to become the president of the Montvale Board of Education as he lived in Montvale.  He took Mrs. Colon, one of the school's secretaries with him.  I used to work for her and just spoke to her daughter in 2015 to get this info.   He moved with his wife Ann, to whom he was married since 1958, to Lawrenceville, Georgia in 2005 where they lived until their deaths.  Mr. Sulyma died August 28, 2018 at the age of 84.  His wife died March 10, 2016 in Lawrenceville.  They were survived by their two sons, their wives and two grandchildren.

Maureen Demes

Updated May 14, 2025: Mrs. Demes began her career at PV in 1957 and retired from there in July 1991 as a long time math teacher. She likely met her husband Andrew, a Korean War veteran who was stationed at Panama, while both taught at PV as he was a teacher there prior to 1964 before later teaching at Emerson High School and then Northern Valley at Old Tappan for 20 years.  She and her husband married about 1966 and lived on Grand Avenue in Montvale for many years.   I used to run into Mrs. Demes and her husband several times a year at Davey's Locker Restaurant in Montvale and she and her husband were very friendly folks who chatted with the other patrons who knew them.  She is involved with the Montvale Women's Club and also is a member of the Park Ridge American Legion Auxiliary Unit 153.  Her husband Andrew died March 25, 2020 at age 89 after 54 years of marriage.  Mrs. Demes still lives in Montvale but I do not think in the same home on Grand Avenue as I recall it being up for sale at one point.  Mrs. Demes has a son and daughter and three grandsons and one granddaughter as of 2020.

Marilyn Hering

Updated May 14, 2025: Mrs. Hering was a long time English teacher at PV and retired as such some years after we graduated.  In her retirement she became an author and has written two books.  One was called, "A Woman Possessed" which dealt with the abominable working conditions in the silk mills of Paterson.  The other was called, "A Woman Beloved" which dealt with the treatment of the mentally ill and the alcoholic at the turn of the century combined with a love story which takes many twists and turns.  She was one of three local self-publishing authors featured in the Record in April of 2014, which the paper followed up with an interview in June of 2015 in the Pascack Valley Community Life.  She married Walter Hering, a Newark native and police officer and lived there at first.  The couple moved to Harrington Park, N.J. about 1982, a town that is the last remnant of Harrington Township, a large area named after the ancestors of her husband in 1775, being so called due to more people of that name than any other living there. (this basically covered most of northern Bergen County) Being a genealogist myself, her husband, Susie Hering and myself are related, descended from Jan Pitersen Haring, the leader of the group of thirteen families that was granted the "Tappan Patent" from the British authorities in Manhattan in 1683.  Over time this large area was whittled away until all that was left was Harrington Park.  I ran into Mrs. Hering about the time of our 40th reunuon and she was doing well.  Since then her husband passed away on April 6, 2019 at the age of 77.  Mrs. Hering still lives in Harrington Park and I assume still writes:)

Albert Kuehnapfel

Mr. Kuehnapfel was born in Jersey City, N.J. to Albert C. Kuehnapfel and Clara Coombs Zintel.  At the age of 16 he earned a private pilot's license.  Upon graduation from high school he joined the Navy Officer Cadet pro- gram where after four years he became a commissioned Naval officer and pilot.  He served from Nov. 18, 1949 to June 30, 1960.  He earned a college diploma and a master's degree in mathematics along the way and upon retiring from the Navy he became a math teacher at Pascack Valley in 1960, working there until his retirement in 1985.  He then began a life of fun and travel with his beloved wife Lola.  The couple had retired to the Wallenpaupack Lake Estates section of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania at some point.  I recall Mr. Kuehnapfel  would try anything to motivate his students, including me, as I wouldn't apply myself.  He saw I was capable of being a better student then I let on and he offered a personal challenge to do better.  I did do better for a bit but then slacked off.  Sorry, Mr. Kuehnapfel.  It all worked out OK.  Mr. Kuehnapfel recently passed away on April 7, 2015 at the age of 87 at the Regional Hospital of Scranton, PA, following an illness.  He was survived by his wife of 66 years, three sons and their wives, a daughter and her husband, a brother and his wife and eight grandchildren.  Interment with military honors were held at Elmhurst Memoral Park in Pennsylvania.

Michael O'Brien

Updated May 13, 2025: Mr. O'Brien was the long time social studies teacher, basketball and baseball coach at PV.  He was born in 1942 and came to PV in the mid 1960s.  He taught there until retiring in July of 1998.  He was a lifer when it came to coaching.  I recall when we had an award's cermony for baseball in 1972 and it was either Joe Talamo Sr. or Mr. Reeves who introduced him as our school's most eligible bachelor.  And a bachelor he has remained, likely due to his non ending love and devotion to coaching.  He coached both basketball and baseball for many years and even after retirement, he was the head coach of the Pascack Hills basketball program and possibly the baseball program.  He could also be found playing and coaching a men's softball team in Hillsdale for some years but has not done that in quite some time.  In 2015 he was an assistant coach of the boys' basketball program at Pascack Hills and could be frequently found taking walks around River Vale and Hillsdale.  He is 83 this year and lives in River Vale at the Holiday Farms community where he has lived for quite some time.  I am sure many of his players recall the O'Brien stare which he gave you if he was pissed off. 

Personally, I have this story.  In freshman year I played on the baseball team but did not get to play much.  I could never understand why but had no say.  My teammates knew I could run, hit and throw.  We had an undefeated team going into the next to last game of the season against Lodi.  Rick Alexander and I think Ed Conroy got called up to play JV so I got to play that game in the outfield.  We were struggling against a pitcher who threw submarine style.  Being a lefty I really could see his pitches.  I went three for three and either knocked in or scored all our runs in a 5-2 win.  On the way back to PV on the bus, Gary Clayton held a Kiner's Corner style interview in the back of the bus and asked me why I did not get to play more.  I said I did not know, you'd have to ask the coach:).  I am sure OB heard us.  But the next year, with Rhys Williams coaching JV, I still did not play much but in batting practice on what is now the girl's field, I hit a shot one hop to the school wall.  (the old wall) Williams, who was in the outfield working with the outfielder's turned to see who the heck hit that and was surprised to see it was me who hit it, something not even a righty came close to doing.  But it mattered little.  I guess because I was so thin the coaches thought I could not play.  This was something I had to put up with for a long time.  In 1976 when I played softball with Jasper, I recall Charlie Ferrari, an old timer, asking Jasper, why the best player on the team was on the bench.  Later that game I pinch hit and drove the ball over the fence for a homer.  As I rounded third Charlie told Jasper,  "see what I mean?" In our over 35 hardball league, I hit a homer off a former AAA pitcher for the Orioles and did what Reggie did, three homers in one game on only three pitches up at Pascack Hills.  I still say it was the worst decision OB ever made cutting me junior year and keeping a bunch of prima donnas.  And I did all that with feet that did not work right.  ( I need custom shoes to walk or run properly and without pain which I did not get until I was 38) You will notice the trophy cases hold no trophies for our class in anything except for perhaps girl's bowling.

Jeff Jasper

Update May 6, 2025: Mr. Jasper had just started his teaching career at PV in 1971 and was lucky enough to have us entering the school as freshmen.  He had not long before returned from the Vietnam War and was seemingly part of the hippie movement at the time with his long hair, beard and mustache and his laid back ways.  He had a relaxed way of teaching and was easy to get along with.  He married his wife Lois, a fellow teacher at the school, while we we there.  He started his career in coaching actually wanting to be the head baseball coach and asked Joe Talamo to be a JV baseball coach.  Talamo, a conservative fellow out of the Vince Lombardi mold, tried to discourage this hippie looking fellow by asking him to coach the new girls' basketball team.  Jasper complied and after a short time, came back to Talamo and told him he no longer had an interest in being the baseball coach and was going to stick with the girls team.  The reason?  He said the girls showed more interest in listening and following directions and thus were easier to coach.  His first two teams did not do well (that was us) but he went on to finish in first place in the team's respective division 32 years in a row and now has over 1000 wins, the state, if not country, record for wins, and is still at it today at age 80 and has no intention of quitting.  I think he teaches history now.  His wife retired in 2011 and they have two sons who are long since grown up.  He no longer drives his old jalopy :) and he lives on Arcadia Way in Hillsdale having previously lived for many years on Manson Place.  He and his wife Lois are doing well and he continues to run his basketball clinics each summer at PV. 

I should add two favorite memories I have of Mr. Jasper's class.  Once, while discussing the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, he asked the class why the crew had killed the albatross.  Paul Naprstek, who had a habit of laying on the window sill with his head in his hand and his eyes closed, raised his head and opened his eyes long enough to answer his first and only question all year by replying that the albatross was killed because he shit on the boat, which of course cracked us all up.  The other story was that Mr. Jasper told us about the time in college he and a friend were strung up naked to a telephone pole and covered with flour and left there by upper classmen.  They had to make their way back home sneaking through back yards when a cop drove by and did a double take.  He bought their story and let them go.

UPDATE- In March 2017, Mr. Jasper and the girl's basketball team won their division, sectional title and the state group title.  They lost in the first round of the Tournament of Champions where the group champions play each other but it is a bit unfair as the groups are made up of schools of different sizes and PV lost by about 20.  But it was another great season after a couple of seasons that, though good, were not up to the par of the past decades.  Jeff has no plans to retire as he loves what he does. 

Another Update- May 6, 2025: Mr. Jasper eclipsed 1000 wins a while ago and it was duly noted in the local papers.  He continues to add to his state record for wins by a girl's basketball coach and at 80 is still teaching and coaching.  His teams still do well and post winning records but not as well as back in the 1980s and 1990s when they dominated at the county level.  He and his wife are well and still live in Hillsdale.

Joseph Talamo

Mr. Talamo was from a poor family of immigrant fruit peddlers in West New York.  He put himself through Panzer College and NYU earning a master's degree in physical education at the latter.  He worked at first as a phys-ed teacher at West New York Memorial High School where he coached their freshman and JV football teams to a record of 115 wins and 2 losses.  He then became an original member of the staff at PV when it opened in 1955.  He became the assistant football coach at PV in 1955 and with 2 games left in the 1956 season, he became the head coach.  When he retired as head coach in 1960, he had a record of 33 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie.  This record got him a mention in Sports Illustrated.  After coaching football, he then coached the track team and ran up a record of 209 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie before retiring in 1965.  He said he retired from coaching as he could not relax unless he was winning and he was said to relive even those few losses he had on his stellar record.  His family always told him to forget it and relax.  In 1968 he wrote a book titled, Developing a Championship Team.  Mr. Talamo retired in July of 1982 from PV and from the Hillsdale school system in July of 1984.  He could still be found at PV football games for years after, parking himself near the corner of the end zone when not pacing back and forth following the game.  Here he encountered many of his former students who came to the games.  Later in life, he and his wife moved to Canton, Ohio to be near Joe Jr.'s family.  His wife predeceased him as did a daughter in the 1960s.  He died Sept. 4, 2014 at age 87 and there were writeups in the local papers.  On the night of his wake in Westwood, PV celebrated a rousing win over a top opponent and like old times, cars of students drove up the hill on Piermont honking their horns celebrating and perhaps somewhere, Mr. Talamo was enjoying another win.  The team went on to become state champions.  He was survived by his son Joe, a daughter , and their children.

Doris Armstrong

Mrs. Armstrong was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1924.  She married her husband in 1946 and they lived in South Bend, Indiana where they were founding members of the First Unitarian Church before moving to Ridgewood, NJ where they became active members of the Unitarian Society there.  She was an English teacher at PV for many years, retiring in February of 1985.  She was an easy foil for students and I recall one time in junior or senior year where we were assigned speaking parts for some book and some of us took diff- erent accents, including German, French, southern etc.  Well, this went on longer than we thought it would and we could hardly contain our- selves. Mrs. Armstrong suddenly shouted for us to stop because she did not believe we talked like that.  Good laugh was had by all except Mrs. A., who, if she was here, would probably laugh now.  Mrs. Armstrong died October 28, 2013 at age 89 in a senior facility in New Paltz, N.Y. where she spent her later years.  She was predeceased by her husband and a daughter and survived by her children and grandchildren.

Carol Nigro

Carol Nigro earned a bachelor's degree from St. John's University and a master's degree from Montclair State College in chemistry before becoming a chemistry teacher for 30 years in the Pascack Valley school district, spend- ing her early years at PV and ending it at Pascack Hills.  She was known for her approachable but sometimes quirky personality.  I recall one day that she was having trouble getting her words out.  I, who never was a wise guy or trouble maker, could not help but blurt out, "what's the matter, can't chew gum and talk at the same time?" She looked at me in disbelief and said something to the effect that of all people, that I could be saying something smart but she had a good laugh, as did the class.  She retired in 2002 to her home in Wyckoff, NJ where she was a member of the Woman's Club of Wyckoff and the NJEA.  She died Aug. 13, 2012 at the age of 69 after losing her husband the year before.  She was survived by her only child, a son whom I believe was born while we were at PV.

Michael Debevec

Mr. Debevec grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Euclid High School.  He went on to Princeton where he was graduated in 1973.  While there he was a member of the tech crew and played clarinet in the marching band.  He then went on to teach science at PV for 10 years and then in Sierra Leone as a Peace Corps volunteer.  This latter experience altered the course of his life and inspired a love of spicy food, an anomaly in his hometown of Cleveland in the 1960s.  A friend arranged an interview for him at Colgate-Palmolive in 1985 and he worked there for 5 years, moving on to Unilever and then to SAP America where he did consulting which allowed him to teach willing students and be respected and well paid.  He became a go-to guy for pricing and variant configuration as well as a technical advisor for CRM Expert.  In 2004, Colgate sought his services and Debevec Consulting was born.  He spent 10 years on the Princeton Schools Committee in Bergen County, 7 as chair.  He lived in Bridgewater, N.J. when he died suddenly from a heart attack on Dec. 30, 2012 at the age of 61.  His wife said he still brought her flowers after 32 years of marriage, "just because my honey should have flowers".  He was said to be kind, generous and forever curious.

George Moran

Updated May 13, 2025: Mr. Moran was born in 1939 and was the long time gym teacher at PV.  He graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1961 where he earned his MA.  He began teaching at PV in 1961 where he taught gym and later started teaching driver's education.   He coached baseball early in his career and later was the longtime coach of the boys and girls bowling teams.  Remember the "gremlin" lucky charm the girls bowling team had?  He taught driver's ed, as did the other gym teachers.  I recall how he had us practice our reaction time to a light turning green or red and hitting the brake or gas pedals in the gym.  Boy, that seems like last week.  He also had funny comments when teaching kids to drive.  One student recalled him saying to her, "Mary, the object is not to aim for every pothole" :).  I also recall how he had us carry Art Stone into the school from the softball field after Art dislocated his knee taking a mighty swing and missing.  His leg dangled at a gruesome angle and the girls screamed as we carried Art to the nurse's office.  Art says his leg is OK :)  Mr. Moran retired in July of 2000.  He lived in Fair Lawn when we were in school and later moved to Park Ridge, then Montvale and lived on East Clinton Avenue in Bergenfield with one of his son George aka Butch for many years.  In 2015 I had not seen him in years and never did again.  I worked for him in the late 1980s doing his yard in Park Ridge.  At the time Blumenberg had been named department head of the athletic department and Mr. Moran was not happy.  His wife Joanne one day said he was holed up in his room mourning being passed over for the job.  He was widowed years ago and the ironic thing is his wife did not smoke if I recall correctly. I say that as he had a party for the bowling team at his home in Fair Lawn and we bought him a carton of cigarettes and did not want his wife to find out so we gave it to him in the garage. His brother also lived in Park Ridge and he certainly looked like Mr. Moran. Both Mr. Moran and his wife were very nice people.  Mr. Moran died in 2020 at the age of 80, still living in Bergenfield with his son.  Being that he smoked and had gray hair early on, his appearance did not change much over the years.  He was survived by his daughter Michele and her husband, his son "Butch" and his two grandsons, Martin Jr. and Manuel Marques as well as a niece and nephew.  His brother Richard Moran predeceased him.  George and his wife were buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.

Lois Jasper

Update May 6, 2025: Mrs. Jasper was a single typing teacher at PV when we started there.  I believe her last name was Dolt? She married Mr. Jasper while we were in school.  They had two boys I believe and I am not sure if she took time off to raise them.  She continued to teach at PV and retired in July of 2011.  She and Jeff lived in Hillsdale on Manson Place for some years but now live on Arcadia Way in town.  Their boys are long since grown and attended PV.  I would not be surprised if her grand children are as old as Lois and Jeff were when we first knew them.  I see her and Jeff around the area from time to time and she is well.  In 2015 their son Justin was an assistant basketball coach at Pascack Hills along with Mike O'Brien though I do not know if he still is.  I believe Mrs. Jasper is about 79 or a few years younger.

Frederick DeRobertis

Updated May 13, 2025: Mr. DeRobertis was born December 23, 1940 and was a longtime graphic arts teacher at PV who became the supervisor of related arts..  He retired in July of 1998 after a 36 year career, all at PV.  After retirement he continued his passion for art by creating hundreds of masterpieces in various mediums.  He was well known for his realistic carvings of mallard ducks which were displayed locally.   He lived on Mill Street by 7th? Avenue for many years.   He became sort of a gadfly to town officials, demanding they slow down the traffic on Mill Street by his home and he got the town to put in  redundant three way stop signs.  I think of him every time I am forced to stop there for no reason.  Mr. DeRobertis, said to be a friendly guy to those who knew him, passed away February 12, 2018 at the age of 77 and is buried at Westwood Cemetery.  He was survived by huis wife Elaine, children Jeanne-Marie, Jennifer and PJ and respective spouses and partner.

Elwood Casperson Jr.

Update May 6, 2025: Mr. Casperson was born April 9, 1934 in Paterson and raised there with his two brothers.  He served in the army during peacetime and served in Hawaii where one of his jobs was coaching the baseball team.  He graduated Montclair State and joined Pascack Valley as a gym, health and driver's education teacher where he taught for many years.  He coached cross country track for many years and Andy Zucaro, Doug Weber  Tom McDonald were his star runners while we were there.  He seemed to be a quiet and reflective person with a very biting wit when the occasion required it.  I recall once, while doing situps near the basketball courts, someone commented on all the earthworms coming to the surface.  He replied that pounding the earth would bring them up, a good tip for finding bait for fishing.  I related this story to my young nephew once, not realizing my influence on a young mind and before you knew it, he was trying to raise up some worms.  His dad wondered what the heck he was doing and I told him the story.  I also recall he had our class pick a partner and then lie down opposite them, interlock our right legs and put our right hand under our partner's armpit and on the count of three, push down with your right leg and push against the other guy's armpit.   The result would be that whomever was stronger would roll the other guy.  I had Bill Rosenberger as a partner who outweighed me by at least one hundred pounds.  I was shocked when I rolled him like a top.  I always had strong leg strength even when skinny. Mr. Casperson was promoted to the position of vice principal after we left.  After his retirement in July of 1987, he moved to the St. Petersburg, Florida area and also enjoyed the beauty of the west and traveled there in his Winnebago.  He loved Nevada so much he wound up moving to Henderson for a time before moving back to Florida.  He was in Henderson in 2015.   He formerly lived in Montvale during his teaching career.  Mr. Casperson wound up living in Fallston, Maryland at the end of his life and died in Forest Hill, Maryland on February 17, 2018 at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, one son, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.  He was said to be a quiet man and a religious catholic.  He was inducted into the Pascack Valley Coaching Hall of Fame.

Robert Coyle Jr.

Mr. Coyle was our class co-advisor and a social studies teacher at PV.  He certainly seems to have lived a very full and busy life in his 41 years on earth.  In addition to being a teacher, he ran Walker Travel Agency and from 1985 to 1986 he worked in marketing management for International  Postal Marketing in Montvale, having left teaching before he worked there.  He lived in Paramus with his wife and six kids.  There, he seemed to be into everything.  He was a county committeeman and the former vice president of the Paramus Republican Club, was a member of the Paramus Board of Education, served on the Paramus Recreation Committee, was a member of the Paramus Tackle and Cheer Club, coached several boys basketball and girls softball and basketball teams and was president of the Junior Basketball League of Paramus.  In 1986 he was given Paramus' Man of the Year award.  He was a parishioner of Anunciation R.C. Church of Paramus.     Mr. Coyle died September 23, 1986 at age 41 and was buried in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.  He was survived by his wife Isabel, three sons and three daughters, his mom and two sisters.

Harold Saks

Mr. Saks served in the army during World War II and then went to Rutgers where he was graduated with a doctorate in education.  He became a longtime school psychologist at PV where he worked for 25 years.  He also was chairman of the Child Study Team at PV.  (Did anyone know we were being studied? I thought we were the ones doing the studying :) He was also the founding director of the Pascack Mental Health Center.  Mr. Saks was a longtime resident of Hillsdale and was living there when he died on Feb. 22, 2002 at age 75.

Richard Morra

     Mr. Morra, known as Rick to his friends, was born in 1951 and started his teaching career while we were at PV.  I believe he started about 1973 and taught Physics there for 28 years, retiring early in July of 2001. He coached football while we were at PV and I assume he continued doing that.  He lived in Woodcliff Lake with his wife Sally and enjoyed golfing, computers and cooking and was an avid sports fan.  He was a member of the NEA, NJEA and the American Association of Physics Teachers.  He died in July 2011 from prostate cancer at age 60 and was survived by his wife, her son from a previous marriage, two grandchildren, his mother and a sibling. 

Alfred Lapaglia

     Mr. Lapaglia was the son of Italian immigrants and was likely born in Hoboken, NJ on January 15, 1927.  He resided there with his siblings and parents for some years.  His parents owned a florist shop there and their children helped run the place in their youth.  He joined the army about the time the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and served from Aug. 9, 1945 to Feb. 3, 1947.  He became an English teacher at PV at some point and served as the co-chairman of the department when we were there.  He became a real estate agent somewhere along the way and worked as such after he retired from PV.  He lived in Old Tappan for many years with his wife and resided there when he died on Sept. 9, 2007 at age 80, having been widowed previously.  He had no children and I believe is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ 

Hubert White

Mr. White was an English teacher at PV.  He died in 2002 at age 84 in Pennsylvania.

Barbara Vander Horn

Mrs. Vanderhorn was a longtime english teacher at PV.  She was born in Ridgefield Park, NJ to Hilda and Curtis Wuthenow and was married to Ellery J. Vanderhorn who was a very distant relative of mine.   She was graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University as an adult student graduating magna cum laude and began a career teaching english at PV until she retired which was not long after we were graduated.  Over many years, she and her husband traveled the world collecting momentos and precious memories.  She was devoted to her family and cared deeply for her dear friends.  She was a voracious reader and enjoyed bridge and the puzzle of the newspaper.  After retirement, she split her time between Venice, Florida and Allentown, Pennsylvania.  Though she taught English, I learned the definition of positive thinking in her class.  I recall she told the story of a close relative of some kind, perhaps an in law or uncle, who was 100 years old and an investor.  While gathered for a holiday meal, this fellow asked her husband where he thought IBM would be in five years.  Now that, she said with a smile, is positive thinking.   If you recall, John Murano and a few of his friends took to singing in the back of her class and called themselves the "Vanderhorn Singers".  They could also be seen singing as they walked the hallways.  Mrs. Vanderhorn died Nov. 6, 2009 in Allentown, Pa. at age 94.  Her husband had died in 1991 and a daughter also predeceased her.  Her survivors included a son and his wife, a daughter and her husband, four grandchildren and six great grand children.  She was apparently cremated and services held in Allentown.

Barbara Sapienza

Barbara Sapienza was born in Manhattan and raised in Park Ridge where she was graduated from high school.  She went on to obtain advanced degrees from Trenton State College, Montclair University and a PHD in educational administration from Rutgers.  Barbara started as a typing teacher at PV in 1968 and about 1994 she was named principal.  I believe she married while we were there, perhaps our senior year?  She was devoted to the students and was said to say that she considered them to be her kids as she had none of her own.  She attended many school events and was often seen wearing the green and white school colors.  She was also well known to several generations of students for her well coiffed blond hair and high heeled shoes.  About 2007, she over saw a multi-million dollar overhaul of the school.  Barbara put off overdue double knee replacement surgery until she saw through the completion of the construction at the school.  Once finished, she had the procedure done at Hackensack Hospital.  Sadly, she developed a blood clot and passed away surrounded by family and friends on March 5, 2008 at age 63.   Her friends helped develop a garden behind the school off St. Nicholas and each spring it is ablaze with daffodils.  It is called Sapienza Gardens.

Carmen Plucinsky

Updated May 22, 2025: Mrs. Plucinsky was another teacher I had not profiled in 2015 as she was hard to find.  I have finally found her.  She was born Sept. 15, 1949.  She taught spanish at PV during our time there.  How long she stayed I do not know but I do not think she finished her career there as she is not listed in the list of PV pensioners.  She married to David Plucinsky and they lived in River Vale in the 1970s.  Subsequently, I believe she left the school district and the couple moved to Princeton, N.J.  She and her husband then moved to Raleigh, N.C. where as recently as 2014 she was listed as a spanish tutor with over two decades of teaching experience.  She is on facebook and has photos of her travels to Europe.  She looked great in 2014.  She will be 76 this year and lives in Raleigh, N.C.

                      Winifred Leach

Updated May 20, 2025:  Mrs. Leach was another teacher I overlooked in 2015. She was born in Detroit in 1919 and moved to Woodcliff Lake about 1962 and lived on Wierimus Lane.  She was hired as a home economics teacher about 1968.  She retired when we graduated in June 1975 and I would guess it was due to a health condition as she died on Nov. 19, 1975 at the age of 56 at Pascack Valley Hospital.  I always thought she was older than that based on her photo in the year book.  She was survived by her husband Wilfrid, daughter Carolyn, son David, mother Lucinda and three sisters.

Cresence Gaulke

Updated May 24, 2025: Ms. Gaulke was a foreign language teacher at PV while we were there, likely either french or german. Her maiden name was Amy Cresence Wies and grew up in Harrington Park and was living in Dumont, N.J. when her mother died about 1975.  She was married to someone named Roshaven in 1964 but apparently was divorced or widowed and was married to someone named Gaulke about 1974 as her named changed from 1974 to 1975.  She subsequently was either widowed or divorced from Gaulke and married to Karl Schultz after we graduated.  He was a native german who witnessed the horrors of WWII when the Russinas over ran his town.  She was married to him about 1977 and living in Bloomingdale where she appears to have remained, living on the lake at Morse Lakes, N.J.  She began her career at PV in 1973 when she and a group of other teachers were hired due to the growing student population.  She did not finish her career at PV and at some point went to Lakeland Regional School in Wanaque, N.J. where she is found in 1990 and likely retired from.  She wrote letters to the Record newspaper lamenting students being directed to take spanish instead of french and german which led to the disolution of those classes in many schools.  She was spoken of highly by her former students, especially exchange students who said she made them feel welcome in a strange land and to feel like family.  Also her neighbors in Morse Lakes valued her friendship and said she was  graceful, friendly and welcoming in contrast to her husband who was said to be a large intimidating fellow, at least in size.  Mrs. Gaulke remarried about 1977 and liked to paint as a hobby and on taking up the hobby again late in life after being widowed in 2021 she went to an art class at the Wayne library with a friend and they were shocked to see the subject was a nude.  She had a recurrence of cancer shortly after and died Sept. 19, 2022 at the age of 78.  She was survived by two sons by her former husband (Roshaven) and possibly two sons with Schultz.

                             Francis Falk

Updated June 3, 2026:  Mr. Falk was a language arts teacher while we were at PV.  He was not there in our senior year as he had taken a leave of absence for a year.  He taught Spanish, French and his favorite language, Russian.  Here is his bio:

   Mr. Falk was born February 12, 1928 in Herkimer, N.Y. to Carl J. and Gertrude (Metz) Falk.  In his youth he enjoyed skating and skiing and developed such a love for skating that after college he considered pursuing professional work as a skater in an ice show.  Starting in his youth he also had a passion for classical music and playing the piano.  He would accompany his sister Mary when she sang at weddings and other events.  His appreciation of classical music followed him his entire life.

He was a graduate of Herkimer High School and received his BA and MA at Albany State College.  He served as an investigator in the US Army Counter-Intelligence Corp. in the Air Force and was honorably dischaged in 1956.  He then became a case worker at the Herkimer County Dept. of Public Welfare for 4 years until he found his true calling in teaching languages. first at Carmel High School in New York and then at Pascack Valley Regional High School in New Jersey.  He retired from teaching in 1979.  He then worked for the Social Security Administration in Brooklyn where his Russian served him and his clients well.  

His family suspects the real reason he got into teaching was because it enabled him to have summers off so that he coujld further his education and travel often.  Through the national Defense Education Act, he was able to attend several colleges including Northwestern and Indiana Universities.  In addition, in 1962 he furthered his Russian studies through the NDEA Institute spending 10 weeks in the Soviet Union.  That was the first of 3 trips to Russia, one of which included taking some of his students there to imnerse them in Russian culture. Many of his summers were spent traveling abroad to England, as well as France.

After retiring, Mr. Falk continued to live in Brooklyn where he enjoyed many of the NYC's cultural venues. In particular he enjoyed trips to Carnegie Hall and Broadway.  In 2020 he returned to Herkimer to reside at Claxton Manor until his passing.  He was never married and had no children but endeared himself to 15 nieces and nephews, taking them on trips, teaching them to drive and ski.

Mr. Falk died on October 28, 2022 at the age of 94 in Herkimer, N.Y.

                      William Venator

Updated May 20, 2025: I overlooked Mr. Venator in the initial teacher bios in 2015.  He was an industrial arts teacher when we were there.  He was from Ridgefield Park and grew up there.  He joined the Marine Corps.  He received his master's degree from Montclair State University in 1976 after we left.  He married Mary Jane Gilligan in 1970 and they had two boys, William and Joseph.  He left PV about 1981 and was hired by Bogota High School in the same capacity.  He was among those teachers honored by the state for excellence in 1993, still at Bogota H.S.  He and his family moved to Ringwood where in 1997 his wife passed away.  After that the trail goes cold but I am working on it.  He may live in Florida and if so started a new career.

Andrew Preziosi

Updated May 14, 2025: Somehow I forgot Mr. Preziosi in 2015.  Sorry.  But I am happy to report he is still alive and I believe living in Montvale though I have not seen him in 50 years.  He just turned 80 earlier this year.  He was a science teacher for many years at PV.  He seems to have steered clear of trouble because I cannot find anything about him except as a five year old in the 1950 census and his address in Montvale.  He may have started a second career but have to check.

Rhys J. Williams

Update May 6, 2025: Mr. Williams was the long time earth science teacher at PV.  He was also at various times an assistant football coach and baseball coach at the JV level when we were there and possibly at other levels. He was the younger brother of Tom Williams who passed away in 2014.  Rhys was named after his great uncle, the Welsh character actor Rhys Williams, who was best known for being in "How Green Was My Valley", "The Bells of St. Mary", "The Adventures of Superman", "Perry Mason", "Mannix", "Mission Impossible", "The FBI" and many other films and TV shows. Rhys was and likely remained a character himself.  He was friendly and a no nonsense competitive guy who kids can relate to.  I recall several memories of Mr. Williams which stand out.  First, the first time we met him in class he paid homage to his predecessor who had recently passed away after battling diabetes, and though leaving him blind, still taught to the bitter end.  He had a large photo of him on the wall.  I also recall once when taking a test, that Billy Kravitz had his book open on his lap.  Rhys was at the front of the class and spied Billy looking down at something.  He asked him what was on his lap.  Billy said "nothing" and with that Rhys came around to his aisle and said, "what's that on your lap"? and Billy feigned ignorance and looked down and said, "oh my God, how did that get there"?  Rhys yanked the book off his lap and said a few choice words.  Funny stuff.  He said he wanted us to learn without cheating because we were only cheating ourselves by doing so.  Once, while coaching our JV baseball team, in a game against Northern Highlands, we fell behind 8-0.  A player who will remain nameless, got up lefty instead of righty just for laughs.  This infuriated Rhys.  Upon returning to PV, as the bus emptied, he flung open the back door and threw all the equipment out in anger.  He turned to me and said he was upset with the team but not with me because he knew I gave a damn.  Finally, after graduation, I had thrown a pie into a teacher's face and he wrote in my yearbook that after all the training to develop my rifle arm, the only thing I used it for was throwing pies.  Classic Rhys.  Rhys was a member of "The Monotones" which I believe consisted of him, Mr. Jasper and Mr. Ganz who sang at a few of our class parties and their specialty was doowop.  At some point, Mr. Williams started a flooring business, Rhys J. Williams Flooring Inc.  He sold it some years ago to Jimmy Campbell who lives on Evergreen Street in Hillsdale.  I think Jim worked for Rhys.  Mr. Williams retired from teaching in July of 2003 and was still active as an assistant coach for his daughter Megan's girl's softball team at Tenafly High School in 2015.  He married a fellow teacher named Aileen (I am not sure what her former last name was), either when we were still there or a little after that time. They lived in Township of Washington for years.  Sadly, Rhys Williams died earlier this year (2025) from cancer at age 80 and still lived in Township with his wife. 

Grant Stier

Update May 14, 2025: Mr. Stier was born December 30, 1945 in Manhattan and I bet his parents were glad to get the tax exemption just in the nick of time:)  He grew up in Dumont, N.J. and while a teenage driver was involved in a serious car accident on Route 303 in Orangeburgh where his car flipped three times when he tried to pass another one.  Luckily, he and his three friends were not seriously hurt. He graduated from Monclair State in 1967 along with his future fellow teacher, Albert Kuehnapfel and then started as the long time shop teacher at PV.  While working there he started his own business in 1979 called Grant Stier Inc.,  a remodeling contracting firm based in Westwood which currently says it specializes in custom furniture and cabinetry.   Mr. Stier also participated in our student faculty basketball games along with many others.  I have bumped into him a couple of times over the years while in physical therapy and talked about some of his "favorite" students.  I recall one of them, Butch Sather, who while attempting to cut a long board length wise into the circular saw was stopped by Mr. Stier and asked to figure out what he was doing wrong.  Butch was stumped while Mr. Stier had the rest of us gather round to observe. He asked us if we knew what Butch was doing wrong and we said yes and he told Butch not to proceed until he knew.  After a few minutes a light bulb went on in Butch's brain and he laughed and said, "oh, you are not supposed to cut it length wise".    

I also recall that I was working on my "project" and went to get a sander (I think) and upon trying to operate it, found it was broken.  I then returned it to the equipment area and got another one.  I then debated with myself whether to tell Mr. Stier the other machine was broken because I have always been able to determine the outcome when you tell someone something is broken as they figure you broke it.  But then, why would you tell them?  Well, I told him and he immediately blamed me for it but Mike Chico stepped in and said he saw me try to use it and it did not work and Mr. Stier kind of apologized.  But it taught me a lesson that I carry to today to check anything I rent to make sure it works before I take it.

Mr. Stier lives in River Vale where he still runs his business.  He retired in January of 2006 at age 60 and will be 80 later this year.

Cosimo Dibartolo

Update may 6, 2025: Mr. Dibartolo, known by many simply as Mr. D, was a longtime math teacher at PV.  He was also the wrestling coach for some years.  I recall in his homeroom, he would start each day reading us a clipping out of a segment the Record had on page two of unusual things that happened in the world.  One such article was of a fellow who went parachuting and his chute failed to open.  He landed in a field and not only did he survive but his only injury was a broken nose.  I remind him of this when I see him around town. While still working, he started a driver's ed business out of his home and at some point, our classmate, Ricky Burton, joined his business.  Mr. D retired some years ago but kept his business going.  He was retired from that in 2015 but Rick Burton still worked for him teaching kids to drive and for some time after that though since I have not seen Rick around town in years so I assume he too has retired.  Mr. D can often be seen puttering around his yard and lives with his wife in Hillsdale near Beechwood Park.  Upon telling him of our 40 year reunion, he was in disbelief but said, if you feel old, how do you think I feel.  That seemed like it happened last week.  I wonder how he feels now that it is 50 years?  I have not seen him in a while because I do not work next door to him as much as I used to.

Dmytro Bodnarczuk

Mr. Bodnarczuk was born September 30, 1930 in Cherniatyn, Ukraine.  He emigrated with his parents to the U.S. at the end of World War II.  He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and years later received recognition from Donald Rumsfeld as an American patriot for promoting peace and stability during the Cold War.  He earned his PhD in history and was a social studies teacher at PV for 25 years.  While teaching he lived in New City, NY and after retirement he moved to Albuquerque, NM with his wife.  He served as both post and national commander of the Ukranian American Veteran's Association.  He was a member of the Saint Peter and Paul Ukranian Church in Spring Valley while living in New City and was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Albuquerque, NM while there.  He was said to love his family, a spirited debate and to entertain his grandkids by doing the "mouse".   Mr. Bodnarczuk died unexpectedly in his home on June 30, 2010 at age 79.  He was survived by his wife of 55 years, a son, four daughters, 12 grand children and four great grand children.  He is buried at Holy Spirit Ukranian Catholic Cemetery in Hamptonburg, NY and you can look him up at www.remembertheirstory. com

Larry Decaro

Update May 6, 2025: Larry Decaro was first spotted in the Hillsdale school system about 1966 or 1967 when he was training to be a gym teacher at Meadowbrook school.  I recall him lining us up to shoot baskets in the cafeteria/gym there.  He was not there long before leaving for the Vietnam War.  Upon his return, he started up at PV as a gym and health instructor and remained so the rest of his career.  He became the boys track coach early in his career and was quite successful, especially during the time we were in school.  His star runners were Tom McDonald, Doug Weber,  Andy Zucaro and Jay Gerbehy.  Larry remained the track coach for many years.  In the 1980s he was named the liaison between the school and the police due to a severe drug problem in Hillsdale.  I seem to recall there was some issue between him and the police but I do not recall what it was but it had nothing to do with Larry.  I think the issue was they thought he was not doing enough to find out who was doing drugs.  Yeah, the same cops who could not catch a cold.  He retired from teaching about 20 years ago or so and lived on River Dale Street in Hillsdale for many years with his wife Barbara, who was also a teacher.  Both were active in the community and Larry was involved with the American Legion on Legion Place.  In 2015 Larry said he liked to shoot target practice, being an old army guy and visit his son in Rochester, NY.  He said to say hello to everyone and that they are doing well and planning an upcoming trip.

Sadly, Larry and his wife divorced and he moved to Pennsylvania but returned to care for her when her health failed.  She passed away about 2022.  I don't think Larry stayed in Hillsdale as I have not seen him since then.

Robert Leonard

Updated May 16, 2025: Mr. Leonard was born in 1932 in Jersey City and graduated from Snyder High School.  He immediately enlisted in the Navy, serving on the USS Albany.  Upon leaving the Navy he attended and graduated from Montclair College where he met his wife Joy Peterson and several forever friends.  He graduated from there in 1960 and joined the faculty at Pascack Valley where he taught spanish, coached tennis and became the foreign language chair.  Unknown to many of us, he left teaching in 1979 to work and travel through South and Central America for Austin Nichols and then Heublein which I take were liquor companies.  After retiring from that enterprise he returned to teaching, serving as a substitute teacher in the Midland Park, Waldwick and Ramsey school districts.  His passion for teaching and coaching was renewed as the oldest coach in Bergen County he was blessed to coach his grandson William and walk the same hallways as his grandchildren Kate and Patrick.  His greatest pride was in his children whom he would tell people were out in the world serving, protecting, educating and entertaining the public.  He also loved holding each new grandchild in his arms and holding their hands as they grew into young adults.  It was those grandchildren who held his hand as he peacefully went to, in his words, "dance with mom".  Mr. Leonard was known for his quick wit and humor, always ready with a joke who could leave you in stitches.  Jeff Jasper recalled on his passing that on his first day on the job he ran into Mr. Leonard who started a monologue about his appearance with, "you're kidding, right?  You're a teacher?"which left Jasper laughing and giggling and which he admitted was correct but he is still teaching   (Mr. Jasper had long hair, a beard and mustache).  Other fellow teachers also wrote about his humor and wit and their long friendships which anyone who knew him would agree with.   He retired in August of 1992 but that date may have been a deferred retirement, not when he actually quit teaching full time but started collecting his pension. I believe he was fluent in several languages.  He tried to make the class fun and he tried to instill in us a history of where our families originated from in the USA.  One day he asked each of us our last names and told us where our family likely was from, either overseas or in this country.  I did not understand how he could do that but now that I am a genealogist, I get it and do it a bit too, especially with this area's names.  I'd love to have had a conversation with him about it now.  I also recall him, as well as other teachers, playing in the faculty /student basketball games.  If I am not mistaken, was there not a donkey-basketball game?  I seem to remember him especially, on a donkey.  Quite the sight.  But maybe I am mistaken.   I also recall how he had a good sense of humor and used it to tease certain students, particularly Mary Riley.  Mary says she believes the teasing stemmed from the fact that Mary's Godmother and Mr. Leonard knew each other and she believes Mr. Leonard knew her connection to his friend.  Mary did not know it until sometime later.  Thus, Mary believes he tried extra hard to get her to learn Spanish but, as Mary joked, all she remembers is, "me llamo es Mary".  She also recalled how he would rant about the evils of tobacco, due to the death of a beloved aunt from smoking.  Of course he was right to do so and hopefully kept some of us from doing so.  Mr. Leonard lived in Ridgewood while teaching and in retirement, split his time between there and Sea Isle City, NJ where his wife was from.  Later in life, he moved to Waldwick, NJ where he lived in 2015.  His wife passed away in 2014 at age 73.  He had three children and eight grandchildren and an interesting note to add is that his son, Robert Lawrence Leonard, is an actor and many of you will know him from his role as Dr. James Wilson on "House M.D." from 2004 to 2012.  He was also Neil Perry in the film "Dead Poet's Society" and has been in many other films, TV shows and Broadway plays since 1986.  I wonder if he knows Spanish?  Knowing Mr. Leonard, his kids probably spoke Spanish before they spoke English.

Mr. Leonard passed away on January 8, 2025 and was of Ridgewood his obituary said.  He was 92 and was survived by two sons, one daughter, their spouses, eight grandchildren, a brother, three sisters in law,  having been predeceased by his wife and two brothers.

At the end of his life he did not have his beard or mustache and it was hard to tell it was him but if you go back to the yearbook photo of him and imagine him without hair, a beard or mustache you can see it is him.

And we leave Mr. Leonard with this: Me llamo es Roberto. I got it right!  Gracias, senor Leonard!

On February 1, 2016.  Mr. Leonard's son was written about in the Record on Sunday, January 31 and in the article it stated his father was still substitute teaching at age 84.

Theodore Blumenberg Jr.

     Mr. Blumenberg was born in Hillsdale and was one of the few teachers to be born and raised there.  Others raised in Hillsdale were the Doolittles and Mr. Ricciardi.  He grew up on Oak Street.  He became a gym teacher at PV about 1961 and after we graduated he was named the head of the phys ed department.  I think that was about 1982 or 1983 when Joe Talamo Sr. retired.  While teaching, he spent his summers working with his father painting homes throughout the area.  There is a website called the Hillsdale Story Project where photos of the town and the Blumenbergs from the 1940s and earlier can be seen.      Mr. Blumenberg also coached wrestling, track and soccer.  He was the first soccer coach when the soccer program started about 1975, a program our class helped get started, so pat yourselves on the back class.  He became a wrestling referee after he gave up coaching and did that for 21 years.  He was awarded various awards for his dedication to wrestling and was named to the Pascack Valley Sports Hall of Fame.  He retired from PV in 1998 to his home in Park Ridge, N.J. to spend more time with his family. 

    UPDATE- on Sept. 30, 2015.  Mr. Blumenberg passed away on Sept. 26 at his home in Park Ridge, N.J. at the age of 76.  He had been in Atlantic City gambling and did not feel well and went up to his room.  When his wife returned he said he wanted to go home.  Turns out he was having a heart attack.  It was a surprise because he was always in good shape and I do not think he smoked.  As he was a former health instructor, I am also surprised he did not know the signs of a heart attack.  He was survived by his wife of 50 years, two sons, four grandchildren and a sister.   Burial was at Westwood Cemetery.

   Mr. Blumenberg's dad passed in 2013 at age 95.

Mildred Degli-Antoni

Mrs. Degli-Antoni was a home ec teacher at PV.  She was born in Walla Walla, Washington on Sept. 6, 1916 and raised there.  She met her husband while he served his tour of duty at Okinawa and Atu, Alaska.  She had resided in Valley Cottage, NY and lastly in Tompkins Cove, NY.  She was a lover of nature who could often be found feeding chipmunks and woodchucks from her garden instead of chasing them away.  She died Apr. 3, 2008 at Nyack Hospital in Nyack, NY at age 91 and was survived by a daughter, sister and three grandchildren.  Her husband Horace predeceased her.  She was cremated and she and her husband had a military funeral.

Daniel Hamilton

Mr. Hamilton was the coordinator of industrial education at PV while we were there.  He was born in Paterson, N.J. on Jan. 31, 1929.  His family name was Hameeteman but had been changed to Hamilton likely long before he was born.  The name was of Dutch origin and his family had been in the US for at least several generations.  Mr. Hamilton never made it to retirement, having died of cancer on Nov. 27, 1986.  He had been active with the Boys Scouts of America for 22 years, was a trustee of the Dr. David Goldberg Child Care Center in Westwood and was a member of the Science of the Mind Center in West Nyack, N.Y.  He was a clown, literally.  He was known as "Dinkus the Clown" and was a member of the World Clown Association and the Clowns of America.  He also was a member of the Merry Makers 51, Bloomfield, NJ.  He was survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, a sister, and a granddaughter.  Mr. Hamilton was 57 and was cremated with his ashes buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus with his parents.

Joyce McDevitt

Mrs. McDevitt was born in 1945 and was a native of Ridgefield Park, NJ.  She was graduated from Misericordia University in Dallas, PA in 1967.  She taught English at PV for 25 years and retired from there in July of 2009.  She lived in Emerson with her husband John and three kids.  She retired to the Schenectady, NY area.  She passed away at age 67 on April 28, 2013 at home and was survived by her husband John, a daughter, two sons and seven grandchildren.

Edward Kennedy

Mr. Kennedy was a 1935 graduate of Panzer School of Phys Ed and received his master's degree from Rutgers in 1938.  He first worked in the Jersey City School system as a phys ed teacher and guidance counselor.  His career was interrupted by World War II in which he served.  Later in his career he became a guidance counselor at PV and retired from there in 1977.  He lived in Hillsdale while working at PV and after retirement moved to the Highland Lakes section of Vernon, NJ where he was a vice president and trustee of the Highland Lakes Community Association.  He died January 30, 1993 at age 80.

Harold Ganz

Update May 6, 2025:  Mr. Ganz was born in 1943 and was a science teacher at PV for many years, retiring in July of 2000.  He was also the tennis coach.  He, along with Mr. Jasper and Rhys Williams, were part of a group that sang at our functions called "The Monotones".  He has lived in Hillsdale for many years and as I reported in 2015 he can still be seen most days walking around his neighborhood near Beechwood Park.  His son was also also a teacher and tennis coach locally in 2015 and I assume still is but I am not sure if he is at PV or Pascack Hills.  Occasionally Mr. Ganz and I chat as he walks past one of my customer's yards.  He will be 82 this year.

Willis Swales

Mr. Swales was born in 1926 and was the head of the science department.  At some point he became a real estate agent and also the mayor of Montvale.  I believe he did both while still teaching and continued with at least the real estate job into retirement.  He retired from PV in July of 1986 and died on Halloween in 2008 at age 82.

Ruth Snyder

Updated May 6, 2025:  Mrs. Snyder was the longtime nurse at PV.  She was born June 9, 1924 to Albert and Lorena Catterall in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  She was graduated from high school there and earned her RN degree at Columbia School of Nursing in N.Y., her BS in School Nursing and her Masters in Human Development from Fairleigh Dickinson University in NJ.  She worked as an emergency room nurse at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia before becoming the long time school nurse at Pascack Valley.   She married a doctor, William Howland and settled on Clinton Ave.  in Hillsdale and had a son and daughter with him.  She was widowed and remarried to Richard Snyder and was predeceased by him about 1983.  A very friendly person, students could be found hanging out in her office.  She was a fan of the Red Sox, UConn Women's Basketball, golf, tennis and horse racing.  In her later years, she moved to Enfield, Connecticut to be near her family.  She died April 6, 2008 at age 84 in hospice at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Connecticut.  Though a nurse who saw the damage done by smoking, both she and her second husband died from the effects of doing so.  I worked for them for some time.

Peter Youmans

Mr. Youmans served in the Navy during World War II after which he was graduated from Columbia Uni- versity. He became an English teacher in Leonia before joining the staff at PV in the same capacity.  I believe he was the co- chair of the English depart- ment at PV with Al Lapaglia.  He was an actor and director for the Leonia Players Guild and had appeared in the Broadway Play, "Life with Father". He died Aug. 2, 1995 at age 68.

 Arnold Peterson

Mr. Peterson was a graduate of Montclair State University and attended Columbia School of Education.  He served as an officer in the Army Medical Administration Corps during World War II.  He started his career in teaching in NJ about 1942 at Leonia High School where he taught for 13 years.  While there he was a wrestling coach and led his team to the state championship in 1954.  In 1955, he was appointed chairman of the mathematics department of the newly opened Pascack Valley High School where he taught for 25 years.  He was also an adjunct professor of mathematics at Fairleigh Dickinson University for more than 30 years, taught and lectured at the University of Illinois, Wayne State University and Montclair State University.  He was a frequent speaker at the NJ Teachers of Math- matics Conferences and Conventions and reviewed magazines and books published by the American Council of Mathematics Teachers.  He was a resident of Ridgewood and Leonia during his teaching career and moved in retirement to Holiday City, Berkeley Township and he died at the Holiday Care Center in Toms River, NJ on Sept. 9, 2006 at age 88 after a battle with alzheimers.  Shortly before his death he was inducted into the Bergen County Wrestling Coaches' Hall of Fame.

Frank Maffia

    I wonder if anyone knew of Mr. Maffia's background while we were at PV.  I never knew him but he had a career in the military before becoming a teacher.  Born in Italy in 1917, he joined the American Air Force in 1939 and was the Director of Military Supplies for 26 years, spanning World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam.  He then taught science, english and history in the Pascack Valley Regional School system for 18 years, retiring about 1983.  While teaching at PV, he lived in Paramus where he founded Cub Scout Troop 249 and Boy Scout Troop 249.  Upon retiring, he moved to Barnegat where he became a member of the board of education and was a substitute teacher at Southern Regional High School.  He was also a founder and financial secretary of Knights of Columbus Council 5680. Mr. Maffia died October 9, 1996 at age 78 in Toms River, NJ.

Joseph McKenna

Mr. McKenna was a longtime business teacher at PV from 1963 to 1988.  He lived in Little Ferry, NJ while teaching and later removed to Pomona, NY where he resided when he died May 1, 1998 at age 66.

Roy Luppinaci

     Mr. Luppinaci was an industrial arts teacher at PV for 28 years, starting about 1962.  As a youth, he played football at Nutley High School and was a starting lineman on the varsity as a freshman.  He went on to play freshman football, track and basket- ball at Montclair State before an injury ended his athletic career.  He once held the discuss record at Montclair.  He became the head football coach at PV in 1965 and remained through 1971, compiling a 34-20-2 record.  He won three Northern Bergen Interscholastic League and Group Two Champ-ionships and had two undefeated seasons.  He also was the organizer of the Montvale Athletic League Football program, a parishioner of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Park Ridge and a sales broker for Schlott Real Estate in Hillsdale.  Mr. Lupinacci was still teaching when he died January 19, 1990 at age 50 from myasthenia gravis disease and was buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.  He was survived at the time by his wife, daughter, two sons, his parents, and a sister.

Philip Goodyear

     Mr. Goodyear was a well loved physics teacher at PV for 34 years.  He was known for his friendly and encouraging demeanor and his catch phrase was telling students "good job!" He was a longtime assistant football coach at PV and I think he also coached baseball at some point.  He could be seen standing in the end zone at varsity games in later years and also was the announcer I think at some point, perhaps when we were there.  With his early receding hairline it seemed he did not age as the years went by.  He was known for his self- deprecating humor and his self described clumsiness.  He had accidentally cut off his big toe while mowing a lawn at some point and had the toe reattached.  He would tell each new class this story and they would not believe him until he took his shoe and sock off to show them.  The lesson learned was not to cut the lawn in your bare feet.  Mr. Goodyear was known for his volunteerism and one day while setting the cones for a road race in Park Ridge he was hopping on and off a pickup or station wagon with its' tailgate down and he went to hop back on the tailgate but the vehicle had moved and he fell backwards and hit his head.  He went into a coma from which he would not be revived and died on June 10, 1997, at age 56.  There is a room dedicated to both he and Mr. Tedesco at the high school where they taught theoretical physics with hands on mechanical engineering and construction and led the students in developing entries for an annual creative design challenge.  In the hallway by the door to this room is a plaque unveiled on the day it was dedicated and it ends the dedication to Mr. Goodyear by saying, "Good Job".  He was survived by his wife and children and was buried in a crypt at Garden of Memories in Paramus on the lower floor by the office.

Balkom Reaves

Mr. Reaves was born in Stamford, Texas in 1920 and served in the U.S. Army as a Master Sergeant in the Pacific Theater during WWII and received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He later became a history teacher at Pascack Valley and was an original staff member when the school opened in 1955.  He later became the principal of the school.  He resembled LBJ and with his Texas drawl, he talked like him too.  Once, at an award's program in 1973, shortly after LBJ died, he assured the crowd he was not LBJ's ghost, which got quite a chuckle.  Some students might not believe that Mr. Reaves also coached some sports earlier in his career.  He retired about 1983 and was replaced by Joe Poli.  He moved to Escondido, California where he lived for 21 years.  There he enjoyed going for drives, traveling and visiting historical sites.  He died Oct. 12, 2004 at age 84.

Vernon Doolittle

Mr. Doolittle was the long time head of the social studies department at PV.  He was also the director of the jazz band there.  He left the school system before retirement age and moved to Goshen, N.Y. where he also taught in the Chester, NY school system.  He was a member and past master of Masonic Lodge 365.  In his spare time he loved to garden, listen to big band music and surf fish at the beach.  He moved to Myrtle Beach, SC at some point where he lived when he died on June 22, 2010 at age 71 from cancer, survived by his wife.

           Mrs. Somerville

While most of the bios on these pages are about teachers, what happened when those teachers could not make it to work?  The school arranged for a sub to take charge of the class.  And when you say Hillsdale and substitute teacher, one person comes to mind to former students of a certain age.  That would be Mrs. Somerville.  Now, of course, if you knew her, no description is needed.  But I will proceed to describe her for those who do not recall her.  She was a very slim, tiny lady with a short haircut, very feisty and quick witted who was the main substitute for the elementary and high schools in Hillsdale for well over 30 years.  She seemed to follow you as you went through the school system.  She was the main constant during one's years of education.  Her daughter said she got into substitute teaching as she had six children and preferred subbing for its ability to give her flexibility in case of her kids being sick etc.  That and the fact she loved the variety.  As a teacher, one tends to get bored with the same class and instructions day in and day out, year in and year out.  This way, she saw different kids just about every time she subbed and would be teaching different subjects.  She loved the interaction with the kids.  Now, due to her tiny stature, kids would initially sieze on the opportunity to give her a hard time but she was quick with a witty comeback and never got mad, instead defusing any situation with a friendly smile and that always settled things down.  Once you knew her, you never challenged her again.  She was like a school mom as you saw her all the time and she was always engaging.  After we left PV she continued to sub for many years and was forced to retire about 2004.  That did not keep her out of the public eye as she was also a gate attendant at Stonybrook swim club where she continued to run into "old" students like myself and they she would reminisce about the old days and catch up.  She and her husband were big PV sports fans and followed the teams through the years.  She moved from her Hillsdale home to a condo in Park Ridge for several years.  She battled esophageal cancer in retirement which is not a surprise given her smoking habit, but in true Mrs. Somerville style, she was stronger than she looked and beat back the cancer.  About the age of 85 she moved to Rhode Island to be near her daughter Dale and son Kevin and  lived at an assisted living facility there.  She did suffer from some dementia but never lost her sense of humor and kindness.  In March of 2014 at age 89, she fell and broke a hip and passed away later that month on March 31.  RIP Mrs. Somerville and thanks for the memories.

Carol Crikelair

Updated May 18, 2025: Mrs. Crikelair was a Spanish teacher at Maywood Junior School for one year before she came to PV in 1971.  She was quoted in the school newspaper in 1971 that two things influenced her decision to come to PV.  They were the proximity of the school to her home and the fact she enjoys working with older students.  She said she had a wide range of interests including ballet, modern dance, piano, sewing, skiing, sailing and painting.  She attended Wilson College in Pennsylvania and majored in Spanish and art history.   At the time she was enrolled in some courses at Fairleigh Dicknison University.  Leslie Goddin tells me that during high school Mrs. Crikelair taught modern dance at the Westwood Elks, a location her father secured for her.                                                               

Mrs. Crikelair did not stay long at PV and she left after our junior year.  Hopefully it was not because of us:)  She had not been heard from for many years until a fellow student ran into a relative of hers and found out what became of her.  It seems she and her husband became successful real estate investors and did quite well.  She left teaching at the point we last saw her and never looked back.  I recall how annoyed she was with me in particular because I did not live up to my abilities and she was right.  However, she should not have allowed me to sit in the back near a couple of good looking girls who managed to distract me.  One day she held a spelling bee of Spanish words and we all lined up in the front and took a turn.  Miss a word and you sat.  Well, she knew I usually got bad grades on tests but what she didn't know is I did not apply myself (I was lazy) and could turn it on at will.  I was the next to last to get a word wrong and she was flabbergasted and said to me, "Robert, I do not understand it, you get D's and F's on  your tests but are able to outlast almost everyone in the spelling bee".  I just shrugged my shoulders, but I wanted to tell her I was not going to embarrass myself in front of the class.  She would be surprised to know I got A's in Spanish at Bergen (my parent's were paying for it so I paid attention) and can sort of communicate with my Spanish speaking workers until they start talking too fast:)  Of all the teachers listed, I hope she someday reads this:).  I searched for her for some years and have finally located her.  She and her husband David are living in Darien, Ct., a place likely even more expensive than the PV area.  

Mary Piscopo

Update May 2025: Mrs. Piscopo was one of the lunch ladies and the mother of fellow student Frank Piscopo.  She had been the head cook at the River Vale Nursing Home and at Pascack Valley.  In her retirement years she moved to Hamburg, N.J. where she was active in her church and other activities.  At our 40th reunion her son Frank told me his mom was still active and enjoyed trips to AC.  She recalled her days at PV with fondness and remembered us all.  Sadly, Mrs. Piscopo passed away on July 12, 2017 at the age of 87.  She was predeceased by her husband and son John and was survived by her children Mary Ellen, Debbie, Frank and Laura and their spouses, 15 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandson.

Joan Schanzenbach

    Mrs. Schanzenbach was one of the school secretaries and the mother of fellow student Andrea Schanzenbach.  Some of us Hillsdale residents may remember her husband Charles, who was a little league coach and a very competitive one at that.  Mrs. Schanzenbach passed away in 1989 at age 57 from an unknown cause.  Years later, I met one of her sons in law at my brother's house warming party in Hackettstown.  It is a small world.

Donald Hageman

Update May 2025: Mr. Hageman had gone to Pascack Hills High school from which he graduated about 1970.  He was hired as a vocal teacher in 1973 and served both Hills and Valley.  He led a choraling group that performed at Paramus Park during the 1974 Christmas season which included Lauren McCaffrey, Chuck Frahm, Glenn Lutjens, Sue Conaty, Valerie Mercurio, Bob Zorowitz and Lissa Kneeshaw.  They dressed up in costumes worn hundreds of years ago as they walked the mall over a two week period.  He was married to Linda Hageman, a fellow teacher, but they later divorced.  He remarried to Sandra Berberian June 6, 1999.  He directed the musical "Godspell" at Pascack Hills in 2001.  He retired in July of 2006.  He will be 76 this year and I believe lives in Honesdale, Pa. after living in Montvale and Clifton.

Rick Holdt

Update May 2025: Mr. Holdt was, I believe, a social studies teacher during our time at PV.  He only was there for a about a year.  He had been raised in Paramus, N.J. where he was an all state guard.  By the time he went to college at North Carolina State, he had grown to 6 foot, 6 inches and played forward.  He was on the championship team of 1973 with David Thompson and a few other players who went on to the pros.  He began his career at PV that fall.  He was gone by our senior year.  I do not recall what he did after but I believe he may have gone back to North Carolina, either to teach or coach.  I cannot say right now.  He lived in Hickory, North Carolina with his wife Teresa in 2015 and currently appears to live in Raleigh, N.C. having also lived in Banner Elk, N.C. and is 74 this year.  He is in the Paramus Hall of Fame as well as the North Carolina State Hall of Fame.

Catherine Daly

Update May 2025: Ms. Daly was a library clerk at PV.  She retired from there in February of 1987 having worked as a library clerk for 16 years for the Pascack Valley School system.  She was born in the Bronx and moved to Riverdale, NY in 1929 graduating from St. Margaret's High School there in 1943.  She lived in River Vale and Westwood after marriage and then moved to Hendersonville, N.C. 1988.  She worked as a bookkeeper after high school and had several other positions before becoming a library clerk about 1971.  Widowed in 2009 she appears to have moved back to NJ, living in Hackensack where she died at home on August 17, 2022 at age 96.  She had seven children, 2 predeceased her, 13 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren with one more on the way at her death.

Dorothy Battey

Update May 9, 2025: Ms. Battey was a guidance secretary at PV.  She retired from there in November of 1989.  She is alive and will be 96 this year.

Frances Kroeckel

Updated May 9, 2025: Mrs. Kroeckel was the speech therapist at PV Regional school district.  She was born Frances Villani about 1940 and raised in Raritan, N.J.  She married Robert Kroeckel, a veteran, on April 8, 1972.  The couple had three children, Valerie, Robert and John and lived in Bloomfield and lastly in Montclair.  Mrs. Kroeckel was an active member of the Pascack Valley Regional Education Association and became president of that group in 1974 when she led the charge to oust the superintendent of the Pascack Regional District, Dr. Perry.  Initially the effort failed when he was renewed as super and she wrote to the Bergen Record to express her disappointment that so many members voted for him.  But in short order, though his contract was renewed, Dr. Perry resigned and those opposed breathed a sigh of relief because they believed he was an authoritarian.  She retired from PV in July of 1998.  Mrs. Kroeckel was widowed in 2011 and still lives in Montclair where she will be 85 this year and had 5 grandchildren as of 2011.

Ruth Post

Update May 2025: Mrs. Post was one of the school nurses when we were at PV at least I think she was as you will see.  Mrs. Post, nee Coombs was born July 12, 1933 and graduated from Hackensack Hospital School of Nursing in 1954.  She then became a supervisor of psychiatric services at Bergen Pines Hospital.  She spent the last 25 years of her career as the school nurse at Pascack Hills (according to her obituary but is in our yearbook)  She retired from PV in July of 1996.  She and her husband spent their retirment years traveling across the USA, Europe and Alaska.  She was not just a nurse but also a gifted singer and musician who attended the Pascack Reformed Church in Park Ridge and sang in the choir there as well as being a substitute organist.  Mrs. Post just recently passed away on January 25, 2025 and was survived by her three daughters and three grandchildren.  Memorial services are this May 31, 2025 at Pascack Reformed Church in Park Ridge.  She was 91.

Her husband, the late Robert Post and I are related through our common ancestor, Captain Adrian Post, who was North America's first hostage negotiator when he was able to use his friendship with the local Indian tribes in 1655 to negotiate the release of about 50 hostages taken by the Indians in their one day war in New Amsterdam and what is now Jersey City and Staten Island.  Called the Peach Tree War for over 300 years whose cause was believed to have been the killing of an Indian woman for stealing a peach from Hendrick Va Dyke's orchard in Harlem it was actually caused due to the fact that Stuyvesant had ceased trading with the local Indians.  They had signed a pact with the Swedes in lower Jersey and northern Delaware to help each other in case of attack.  Stuyvesant had sent the bulk of his troops to the area controlled by the Swedes but officially owned by the Dutch who had abandoned it in 1630 to retake it.  This was in Sept. 1655, only weeks after the Dutch had killed the Indian woman.  But in fact the war began because the Indians got wind of the troops being away and due to the Dutch not trading with them and their allies under attack they swooped into lower Manhattan and started whooping it up and like any crowd of incensed persons, proceeded to rampage and attack anything they found all the way to Yonkers and then went across to what is now Jersey City and Staten Island and burned everything there.  They killed about 50 to 60 people and captured a like number and held them hostage on Staten Island.  Adrian Post and his family were among those captured and as he was friendly to the Indians they trusted him. He negotiated his own family's release first and then sailed back and forth to Manhattan a few times to negotiate ransom for the rest of the hostages.  That was the last local war but no one would settle on Staten Island or Jersey City until about 1660 as both had been devastated by the Indian Wars of 1643 and 1655.

Louise Arigot

Update May 2025: Mrs. Arigot was born in West Virginia I believe.  I think she met her husband when he visited her area.  She was a cafeteria aide when we were at PV along with Mrs. Bonfiglio.  She was the mother of fellow classmate Karen Arigot.  She lived on Kinderkamack Road with her husband Rich since the 1950s on property her husbands family owned and which they built a home on.  Both were involved with the volunteer fire department, he as a firefighter and she was in the lady's auxilary for many years.  She could, until shortly before 2015, be found manning a booth at the fireman's annual carnival in town and also marched for years in the town's parades and they took their marching seriously and did it as well as the men.  I recall Louise marching in her uniform for many years.  I used to see cut her lawn and see her at Shop Rite and spoke with her just before our 40th reunion on June 30, 2015, and she told me she recently had some health issues but recovered.  She was battling a balky hip and did not want to have a hip replacement (who does).  She did not recognize me at first but after a moment knew me by my eyes.  That is a first but she knew me since I was born.  She also said she was the first lunch aide to be hired by the school.  She recalled that Libby Durie and her sister used to leave their lunch trays under their tables and she used to kid them that she'd get even.  One day years later, she looked out to see Libby's husband, Keith Durie, picking up her garbage as he worked for the DPW.  To her, that evened the score.  She said at the time to say hi to everyone.  Sadly, Mrs. Arigot passed away from Hashimoto's disease at the age of 91 on August 25, 2020 after serving on the Women's Auxillary for 59 years.  She was a true iconic Hillsdale resident.

Eugene Paolucci

Update May 2025: Dr. Paolucci was the chairman of the guidance department while we were at PV.  He subsequently left to join the Ramsey, N.J. school system likely in the same capacity.  He retired from the Ramsey school system in January of 2007 and resided there with his wife in 2015.  Since then he has moved to Smithtown, N.Y. which is way out on Long Island.    He will be 83 this year.  I don't know how many of us actually got any "guidance" from this department other than to take the test that was supposed to determine your interests by your answers to the questions.  In my case my interest in the outdoors resulted in the recommendation of working as a garbage man or park ranger.  Not much of a choice:)

Bobby Freeman

Update May 6, 2025:  Mr. Freeman was a longtime guidance counselor at PV.   He was born March 30, 1934 in Talledega, Alabama which should surprise no one who recalls him as he had that southern accent.  His first name really was Bobby and his middle name was Mayo.  He graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree and then acquired a master's degree from Columbia University.  He got a job in the guidance department at PV and became the director of student personnel services.  He retired in July of 1994.  Never married, he enjoyed showing visiting relatives from the south a good time in NYC taking them to shows.  In retirement he moved first to Georgia and lived the last 20 years of his life in Sarasota, Florida where he died December 30, 2017 at the age of 83 and was survived by siblings and many nieces and nephews who said they would miss his friendliness and sophistication.

Corinne Mergler

Updated May 9, 2025: Mrs. Mergler was a gym teacher at PV while we were there.  She continued on there until her retirement in July of 1997 after 33 years of teaching.  She and her husband William lived in River Vale and Old Tappan and in retirement they moved to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina where in 2015 they appeared to have lived for some time and continue to live in 2025.  She will be 84 this year.

Rona Weissman

Updated May 14, 2025: Ms. Weissman was a science teacher at PV when we were there, having started teaching during our time there.  At some point, she left PV and started working for the West Milford Township School system from which she retired in July of 2013.  She lived in Wanaque, N.J with her husband Steven in 2015 and still lives there and will be 77 this year.

Vicki Stewart

Updated May 14, 2025: Ms. Stewart was the daughter of Mrs. Stiefel.  She studied at Ithaca College and was an English teacher at PV.  She apparently was divorced and she and Mr. Ricciardi began a relationship and married.  They had two sons.  The two left teaching at PV and moved to either Massachusetts or Connecticut where I am told they started an ice cream store.  The marriage and the store both dissolved and the two went their ways and remained friends it seems.  Both remarried and Mr. Ricciardi had a daughter with his new wife and Ms. Stewart had no children by her new husband, William Tapply.  She is now and has been for some time a self employed author and editor and is well regarded as such.  She is also a revered adjunct professor at Clark University.  Her two sons with Mr. Ricciardi are now adults and successful entrepreneurs and all three now live in Los Angeles.  Ms. Stewart/Ricciardi/Tapply was widowed about 16 years ago according to Peter Ricciardi.  She will be 75 this year and can be found on facebook.  I believe she lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Joanne Goldweber

Update May 8, 2025:  Ms. Goldweber was an art teacher at PV while we were there.  A favorite with the students, I seem to recall that there were either going to be cutbacks in staff or she was not going to be offered tenure.  A revolt ensued by the students to keep her and they won their cause.  She continued on at PV and retired in July of 2002, supposedly after 25 years, which does not add up, unless she had been released at the time I mentioned above and then rehired at a later date.  I can't say.  On her linked-in site, she states she is a retired art teacher doing art stuff and enjoying herself.  Apparently never married she lives in Hillsdale (I did not know that) on the corner of Hillsdale Ave. and Saddle River Dr. with her sister and brother in law.  She is 84 this year.  She can be found on facebook.

Peter D'Angelo

Updated May 17, 2025: Mr. D'Angelo was a music teacher at PV while we were there.  He came to PV due to being a friend of Doc Doolittle according to an article in the "Warrior" school newspaper.  I had him and I have to admit, I do not know a thing about music in any capacity except being able to listen to it.  Somehow, if I recall correctly, Mr. D'Angelo passed me with a B.  I must have been mistaken for some other kid to get that grade in music.  All kidding aside, Mr. D'Angelo led the marching band which in many cases, outshined our football team at halftime of the games.  He was from Paterson, N.J. and a veteran who performed as a clarinet specialist with the US Army band at West Point.  He had gone to Manhattan School of Music to study the clarinet from 1964 to 1966 and graduated from there.  I find he left PV some time after we graduated to become a music teacher in the Nutley, N.J. school system from which he retired in July of 2004.  He also was a band director at Fair Lawn High School which I presume happened before he came to PV.  He has lived in Wayne, N.J for many years still lives there in 2025 with his wife and is 83 this year.  You can find him on facebook.  He seems to like antique cars (1950s) and big bands, naturally:)

Christine Van Lenten

Updated May 14, 2025: Ms. Van Lenten was a special education teacher at PV when we were there.  She continued on there until July of 2011 in the same capacity.  I saw a photo of her in the local paper when she retired and she had not changed much in appearance in the interim.  She taught for 38 years.  She lived in Glen Rock in 2015 and still lives there and will be 74 this year.  It appears she never married.

Jacqueline Bakal

Updated May 17, 2025: Ms. Bakal was a math teacher at PV while we were there.  I cannot say how much longer she was there as she is listed as retiring in 2008 from PV but her salary for her pension indicates she left a long time before that.  She left to work at Felician College's Rutherford campus from 2000 to 2014 where she became the director of the mathematics lab and the developmental mathematics coordinator.  She retired from that job in July of 2014 and will be 79 this year.  She was known for helping students, being patient and making her class fun.  She lived in Lodi, N.J. in 2015 and still lives there.

Charles Binder

Updated May 17, 2025: Mr. Binder was a math teacher at PV when we were there.  He was born in 1943 and raised in Clifton, N.J.  where he graduated high school.  He studied at NJ Institute of Technology and Monclair State University.  He retired the minute he was eligible to do so in July of 1998.  He then went on to become a teacher at Ramapo College of N.J. where he taught for 5 years, retiring from there in March of 2003.  That job was convenient because he lived in Oakland and Mahwah while he was a teacher.   He and his wife Iris, who was a teacher at PV in the 1960s and 1970s but whom I do not know, then retired to Mooresville, N.C. where they lived in 2015 with their son Charles Binder Jr. and where he still lives. Mr. Binder is 82 this year and is on facebook where he posts local scenes such as a balloon fest and wild horses on the outer banks.

Theodore Hoffman

Updated May 18, 2025: Mr. Hoffman was a math teacher at PV when we were there.  I recall he helped lead a blood drive by recruiting students to sign up for it and chaperoning them to the site in Paramus where the blood was donated.  As I am doing his bio I realize why he possibly was involved as he was and is from Paramus.  I recall I had not signed my permission slip for donating the blood the day we did so and I told him about it.  He just replied with a smile and a wink, "you signed the permission slip, right Bob?"  I got the message and said yes.  I am getting woozy now but not from thinking about donating blood but by the fact it was over 50 years ago.  Egads!  Mr. Hoffman retired from PV the minute he was eligible in July of 1999 at age 55.  He is now 81 and still lives with his wife in Paramus, N.J.

Jordan Kart

Mr. Kart was a foreign language teacher when we were at PV.  I believe he taught German.  He was born in 1924 in Manhattan, N.Y. and raised there.  I think he came to PV while we were there as I do not recall him at all but I may be mistaken.  He likely retired from teaching in the 1980s.  It appears he lived in Fair Lawn until about 1994 when he removed permanently to Delray Beach, Florida.  He likely already had a second home there as he married in Palm Beach, Florida on Dec. 4, 1987 to his likely second wife, Marian Baum.  Prior to living in Fair Lawn, it appears he lived in Richmond, Virginia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Mr. Jordan Harold Kart died on May 25, 2010 in Delray Beach, Florida at the age of 86.  His survivors are not known at this time.

Florence Brooks

Mrs. Brooks was a longtime guidance counselor at PV.  If memory serves me well, I believe she started out as a gym teacher.  Her son contacted me on Feb. 19, 2017 and confirmed that she did start as a gym teacher but later completed her Masters Degree and transferred over to the Guidance Department.   She was a helpful person but as I recall, the career room in the library was not.  Do you recall you had to fill out a questionaire about yourself and your interests.  Mine resulted in career possibilities of forest ranger or garbage man, due, I assume, to my interest in the outdoors and nature.  It was not much help and that was about as much guidance as I got but things turned out OK.  Her son said that her "tick" was  not the result of any accident as some had thought and occurred on its own. Mrs. Brooks was born in 1921 and her son said that when his mom retired she moved from Hillsdale to Westwood and then to Maryland where she passed away from cancer complications in 2012, leaving behind ten grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. 

Raymond Fusco

Updated may 18, 2025: Mr. Fusco was from Woodcliff Lake and went to Park Ridge High School.  He was a gym teacher while we were at PV.  He was the football coach from 1972 to 1974 (notice the time frame and who he coached) We were seniors when the football team suffered the worst drubbing to Pascack Hills in school history, 46-0.  I recall that rainy, muddy game like it was yesterday.  The only thing the team did well was show up at the right field.  Fans of Pascack Hills taunted us by spray painting the final score on the concrete wall on Piermont Avenue near the school.  Apparently Mr. Fusco did not work in N.J. long enough to earn a pension there.  I do not know what he did after leaving PV but in 2015 he was living in Bradenton, Florida and he is still living there today.  He will be 80 this year.  I think Mr. Fusco was from the Fusco family that ran the general store in Woodcliff Lake near the Mill Pond pool for 95 years before it closed last year due to Covid.  There were 8 children and a Raymond Fusco who died about 2024 at 100 was likely his father or uncle.

Peter Ricciardi

Updated May 26, 2025: Mr. Ricciardi was a new teacher while we were at PV.  He grew up in town and played in the local little league.  He taught social studies and coached basketball.  He was a cool guy (does anyone use that word anymore) and could take our ribbing.  He participated in the student/faculty basketball games.  He did not teach for long at PV before he left with his new wife, Vicki Stewart, who was a fellow teacher and daughter of Mrs. Stiefel, also a teacher at PV.  They left teaching to move to either Connecticut or Massachusetts to start an ice cream store.  They had two sons together before divorcing at some point.  Their ice cream business also melted and they went their separate ways but appear to have remained friendly with each remarried and Mr. Ricciardi appearing to have had a daughter with his new wife.  He and his new family were both listed in Mrs. Stiefel's obituary in 2004, so it appears they all got along.  Mr. Ricciardi sent me an email on Aug. 13, 2015 that he turned 60 in September 2014 and filled me in with what has transpired in his life.  He said he was still working and parenting his beautiful 17 year old student/athlete daughter with his wife Kathleen, who he has been with for 25 years.  He spent 10 years running AAA sports teams including a stint as the president of an NBA D league team.  He was currently a marketing and branding consultant with clients on both coasts.  His two sons with Vicki Stewart were adults and successful entreprenuers living in Los Angeles.  Pete said life is good.  He would have told me more if I had gotten a chance to call him.  Currently it looks like Pete lives in Santa Clarita, California and is 71 this year. 

Brenda Hiney

Update May 2025: Mrs. Hiney, nee Brown, was born July 28. 1940 and grew up in Bergenfield, N.J.  She graduated Bergenfield Jr. Sr. High School in 1958 and graduated Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa. getting her degree in math.   She first taught math at Bergenfield High School and later taught at PV where she was a math teacher when we were there.  I don't have any particular stories to tell about her but I do have one that I believe happened in her class.  One day, Meredith Bowler stood up and announced she learned something important over the weekend and wanted to share it.  She showed us how to cure hiccups with a foolproof method.  You have to inhale, put your chin to your chest and swallow.  She was right, as it has worked every time since and I hate to say it but it is likely the most useful thing I learned in school that I did not already know.  Mrs. Hiney started at PV before we were there, however, she retired in August of 2000 after twenty years. Perhaps she took a break from teaching at some point.  I do know her husband was ill and passed away in 1988.  She lived in Ridgewood with her husband and then later remarried to a fellow with the last name of Troisi.  They moved to Park Ridge, N.J. where they live today.  Mrs. Hiney/Troisi is 85 this year.  Ironically her burial plot is near one of my relatives in Schraalenburgh South Church cemetery.

Eileen Wall

Update May 2025: Ms. Wall was an English teacher at PV for 25 years, beginning in 1968 and retiring in July of 1993.  I do not think it wrong in saying she certainly stood out among the faculty for several reasons.  First, she had been a former nun who seemed to have tired of the Catholic church.  I recall her stories and one in particular in which she admitted that she and other nuns snuck beer under their habits into their living quarters.  She admittted that nuns were human too.  I recall her outspoken personality and in particular for women's rights.  She could be blunt and didn't miss a trick or a student goofing off.  If I recall correctly, she helped direct some of the student plays and led the debate teams.  Sometimes, class discussions took weird turns but usually had to do with English.  I recall how one such discussion, led by her, was about how so many authors and poets died at age 44, the age she was that year.  She then went on about death and there was no way to escape decomposition.  Kind of nuts but looking for her I found students recall "crazy" Ms. Wall, but in a fond way.  I recall seeing her in the park in Hillsdale years after we graduated but have not seen her in many years as she retired in 1993.  "Crazy, unforgett- able" Ms. Wall, was 86 in 2015 and lived in Ramsey, NJ, having also lived in Naples, Florida since she retired. UPDATE- Ms. Wall passed away Jan. 2, 2017 in Florida at the age of 87.  Her obituary said little other that the prior sentence.  I expected a grander obit given her outsized personality.  Comments by students on facebook confirmed the facts written above.  RIP Ms. Wall.

William Graziano

Updated May 9, 2025: Mr. Graziano was an art teacher at PV while we were there.  He continued on as such for many more years, retiring in July of 2009.  He lived in Emerson, N.J. in 2015 and since then appears to have lived in Edgewater, N.J. and currently lives in Otisville, N.Y. and will be 79 this year.  While I am sure those artistically inclined learned something in his class, I still can only draw stick figures:)  Mr. Graziano is still active making art work and seems to specialize in sculptures made of forged iron which he auctions off to raise money for organizations he supports.  You can find him and the artwork on facebook.

Blanche Sampietro

Updated May 9, 2025: Mrs. Sampietro was a guidance counselor at PV Regional High School district.  It appears she did not work long enough to earn a pension as she is not listed in the NJ pension system.  I was correct.  She was born Blanche Reid Conover and grew up in Asbury Park, N.J.  She married her first husband, Donald Sampietro, on July 27, 1963 in Asbury Park.  After their marriage they lived in Clifton where Blanche got a teaching job at the high school there.  In 1968 she was promoted to the guidance department.  Subsequently she took the same job in the Pascack Valley Regional School district.  Between 1975 and 1980 she and her husband moved to Stuart, Florida where she got the same job in the school system there.  In 1980 she divorced her husband and within a month remarried to her second husband, Richard G. Wells.  The couple still live in Stuart, Florida and she will be 81 this year.

Frank aka Dave Sullivan

Updated May 9, 2025: Mr. Sullivan was the long time vice principal of PV.  He was born in 1935 in Holyoke, Ma. as Frank David Sullivan and was actually known as Dave which should surprise many folks. He was a cadet at the US Military Academy for two years and then completed his degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1960, his master's degree at Seton Hall University and became  certified as a school administrator.  He started his career as a math teacher at Fort Lee High school and went on to become the math department chairman at both Saddle Brook and Waldwick high schools and then worked at PV for 31 years as a school administrator but we knew him as the long suffering vice principal Frank Sullivan.   He was the school enforcer of rules and regulations, a thankless task if ever there was one, and was known for his conservative style.  In one infamous moment at the student get together in senior year to vote on things like most popular etc.,  Joe Gariano made his  way to the stage and announced that he would like Mr. Sullivan to take a walk on the wild side.  That moment is probably remembered by more students than any other.  I also recall, that he caught Elliot Levy and myself outside the school as we planned to hit a certain person with a pie.  I had the pie in my hand but when I saw him, I hid it behind me.  He asked us why we were there and I quickly responded that we were getting autographs of teachers.  He accepted that and wished us a happy summer and future.  We thanked him and went on our way.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  It took them a while to figure out who threw the pie and let me say here, if I ever find Russell Perry, he is going to get a pie himself for turning us in :).  Mr. Sullivan must have really enjoyed his job or needed the money, as he worked at PV for 40 years, retiring in July of 1999.  And I think the reason he worked so long is he did need the money as he had 8 children!   He is one of the few who didn't leave immediately after putting in the minimum time to get a pension and then retire.  He became the acting principal after Joseph Poli passed away suddenly in the late 1980s but I do not believe he retained the title.  He was a charter member of the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park, a eucharistic minister, member of the Midland Park Board of Education for over 18 years.  He was very involved with his children's sports, church activities and town functions.  He used to tape his son's football games which the coaches used for reviewing the games.  He and his wife spearheaded the effort to open a refreshement stand at the games.  He was said to be known for his good charactor which he had plenty of, was quiet with a big smile and made everyone feel as though they were the most important person in his life.    Frank or Dave as he was known passed away surrounded by family on September 18, 2018, at the age of 83, still living in Midland Park.  I wonder if he ever took up Gariano on his advice!  I never saw him again after he walked away from myself and Elliot Levy.  Based upon his description in his obituary, I have to say, Frank, we hardly knew ye!

Alan Demers

Updated May 9, 2025: Mr. Demers started at PV while we were there.  He was a social studies teacher and was only about 23 when we knew him.  I recall he made the mistake of putting something in his hair on his first summer vacation as a teacher and whether it was intentional or not, his hair became much lighter.  The mistake was in denying he had done something which only caused more kidding from the students.  I don't think he did that again.  And don't feel bad, my brother did the same thing and also denied it.  He looked like David Bowie from the nose up.  Mr. Demers took early retirement in February of 2001 and lived in Montvale, N.J. for many years and where he lived in 2015.  Subsequently he lived in Nyack, N.Y. and currently lives in Idaho Springs, Colorado with his wife.  He will be 75 this year.

George Heidenreich

Updated May 9, 2025: Mr. Heidenreich was a long time social studies teacher at PV.  Early in his career, which started at PV in the 1950s he coached football and basketball.  He coached with Joe Talamo Sr in football and was also a referee in basketball tournaments but I don't believe he was coaching anything when we were there.  In 1962 he taught social studies along with Mr. Sulyma, Mr. Reaves and Vernon Doolittle and a couple of others.  He was a veteran, likely of the Korean War conflict given his age or perhaps served in between WW II and the Korean War, I can't say.  I never had an encounter with him, so no stories from me to be told.  He did look like the guy from the Ajax commercials when we were there but had hair early on in his career.  He lived in Belleville in 1956 and later in New Milford and retired in July 1985 and at some point, moved to Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. and Naples, Florida, where he lived in 2015.  He currently lives in Newberry, Florida.  He appears to be alive at the age of 96 and his wife is Margaret.  Interestingly, there was another fellow with the same name living in Naples until he passed away in 2012.  What are the odds with a name like that?

Victoria Franke

Updated May 16, 2025: Ms. Franke was an English teacher at PV, beginning about 1970.  She retired in July 2000 after 30 years and was still working there as a substitute teacher in 2015.  She is retired now and has apparently never lived anywhere but Teaneck, N.J.  I do not believe she ever married.   She will be 78 this year.

Donald Doolittle

Updated May 16, 2025: Mr. Doolittle, AKA as "Doc" (guess why?), was a long term health teacher at PV.  He grew up in town and was a star ball player as a student at PV.  He studied at Monclair State and went on to work at PV, retiring in May of 1999 after about 33 years there.  He was an assistant football coach for some years.  He was well known around town and played in the men's softball league for decades, the last time being around age 50 when he played for one of my teams.  He and his wife moved to Mount Pleasant, S.C. at some point and is where he lives today.  He will be 81 this year.  He was the younger brother of Vernon Doolittle, the social studies teacher.  He can be found on facebook where he is friends with many former students and fellow teachers.

Claire Tackney

Updated May 16, 2025: Ms. Tackney started her career as a social studies teacher at PV in 1973. She was part of the women's lib movement as I recall and was the first woman I can recall meeting who kept her maiden name.  Her married name is Digrazia and it sure confused us for a while as she was called both by some for a bit.  Her teaching style was a bit unorthodox as I recall but I can't say why it was in this space.  She retired from PV in July of 2005 after 33 years.  She and her husband have lived on Taylor Street in Hillsdale for many years where she raised her family and I used to see her at Stonybrook but not for many years now.   She still lives at 44 Taylor St. in Hillsdale and will be 77 this year.

Yvette Kohn

Updated May 16, 2025: Mrs. Kohn was a special education teacher at PV and continued on there for many years as such, retiring in July of 2010 after 39 years.  In 2015 she had continued to be a substitute teacher at PV since her retirement and I assume it was as a special education teacher.  She still lives in Hillsdale though I can't say I have ever run into her but I wasn't looking for her so I may have and did not know it.  She still lives in Hillsdale at 66 Beech Street and she will be 76 this year.

Elaine Constein

Updated May 16, 2025: Mrs. Constein was the head librarian at PV.  She used to come out into the library constantly to shush us and to tell us only one person to a carrel.  OK, I never heard that word before she said it either and I have not heard it uttered since.  She retired from PV in July of 1992 having recovered from the infamous pie incident for which those involved apologize.  She appeared to live in Haledon, NJ in 2015 and currently lives in Wayne, N.J. and possibly is involved in or supports the Hackensack River Keeper organization.  She will be 88 this year.

                            Helen Pender

Updated May 25, 2025: Mrs. Pender was a longtime library aide.  She was the mother of our late classmate Bill Pender.  She retired at an unknown date and continued to live at her home across from Meadowbrook School for some years.  She was widowed and survived her son Bill's death in 2011.  She was survived by her handicapped daughter, daughter in law Stacy and five granddaughters, one of which was also handicapped.  Some will recall her husband who liked to grow vegetables and put out a small stand by the road to sell them on the honor system.  Can we still do that today?  I am not sure.  And I might add Mrs. Pender, though a front row witness to the pie incident, did not turn in the perps.

Palmira Bonfiglio

Mrs. Bonfiglio, AKA "The Gray Fox" was the longtime lunch room attendant who partnered with Mrs. Arigot.  They were moms to students in our class, being Laurie Bonfiglio and Karen Arigot.   Mrs. Bonfiglio was born in NYC.  She raised her family in Hillsdale.  She was known as "The Gray Fox" by us for her gray hair and the way she wore it.  It was sort of a compliment by us.  Typical of lunch room attendants, she took a lot of ribbing and grief but she had a great sense of humor and occasionally gave it right back to whomever was kidding her.  She had to put up with food fights and the like.  Though not in our class, I recall Bob Hayden was a favorite tormentor.  In one memorable incident (there were many), a new kid who I believe was from Chicago and a year ahead of us, had a penchant for the school hamburgers (remember them?)  A group of us, including Joe Talamo and Hayden, bet him a dollar each that he could not eat ten of them within a set amount of time.  He took the bet and went to collect his burgers from the kitchen.  While he was gone, Talamo and Hayden said to the rest of us, when he gets back, if he finishes eating the burgers in time, everyone point to the guy to your right and say, "he'll pay you".  Well, he did finish the burgers in the agreed upon time limit and we all pointed to the guy to our right and said, 'he'll pay you."  Well, this fellow got mad and somehow spilled Talamo's orange juice all over him.  Pushing and shoving ensued and Mrs. Bonfiglio intervened.  The end result was we were told by Sulyma that for two weeks we all had to sit in the principal's office after we finished lunch.  This leads to another great story that because of political correctness, can't be told here, but ask me.  It is pretty good.  Mrs. Bonfiglio could be spotted around town over the ensuing years and I ran into her once a few years before she died.  I asked her if she knew what we called her and she did not but smiled at the thought.  She did not remember me but she said that was a good thing because it meant I was not a trouble maker.  She said that she enjoyed her job there and was always bumping into former students around town.  She died on Nov. 7, 2012 at age 85, almost exactly one year after her husband.  They still lived in Hillsdale.  She was survived by her two daughters, three of four grand-children and three great grand-children.  Interment was in Cemetery of the Ascension in Airmont, N.Y.

Eileen Fay

Update May 8, 2025:  Mrs. Fay was a cafeteria worker and the mother of classmate Kerry Fay.  She was born in the Bronx on Nov. 25, 1927 and after marrying moved to Hillsdale.  She and her husband Thomas had five children, 3 girls and 2 boys and lived on Loretta St.  I had spoken with Kerry during our 40th reunion and she said her mom lived in a nursing home but was able to attend Kerry's daughter's wedding shortly before the reunion and had a good time.  Mrs. Fay passed away Aug. 25, 2020 at the age of 92 in Wyckoff and was survived by 2 sons and 2 daughters including Kerry.  She was predeceased by her husband and daughter Maureen.                                         

                     Marilyn Bolke

Updated May 2025: Mrs. Bolke was in charge of keeping track of attendance.  She retired in 1997.  Widowed for many years she has lived in Marco Island, Florida since the 1990s.  I find no evidence of her death and she is still listed in the NJ Pension System so I presume she is living and will be 89 this year.

Edward Doublier

Mr. Doublier was the building superintendent at PV.  I mention him here due to a special honor regarding his dad as I will explain below.  Mr. Doublier was born in Fort Lee, N.J. in 1912 to parents of French origin.  He graduated Fort Lee High School and later resided in Tenafly, N.J.  He was a Navy veteran of World War II.  He was a reserved, bald headed man who had an office in the wing that houses the gym and nurse's office.  It was out of the way and you really had to know where it was to find it.  Like a racoon that only comes out at night, you rarely saw Mr. Doublier during school hours.  He was a target of some student's jokes due to his quiet demeanor.  If my information is right, he also had a career in other fields before being the superintendent.  Now for the surprise reason I mention him.  His father, Francis Doublier, and his father's siblings were born in France.  Francis was born a cripple so his father's father intended him to get a job that did not require him to walk much.  Little did he know what would happen.  The grandfather died in an accident when his Francis was 12.  At the time the family resided in Lyon, France.  Francis and three siblings then all became employed by Antoine Lumiere in his factory.  They were employed at the beginning of the company's film activity. (they were the first in history to make films) Francis claimed to be in the very first film ever made called, "Sortie des Usines" where he rode a bicycle wearing a straw hat.  He then went on to be a promoter and filmmaker for the Lumiere Cinematographe, traveling the world over.  He is credited with being the world's first newsreel filmmaker.  His very first trip was to Russia to both film and show his films.  His first showing was in St. Petersburg on May 17, 1896 to show the very first films to be seen in Russia that day when he presented a Lumiere program.  But the real reason he was in Russia occurred three days earlier when he filmed the coronation of Tsar Nikolas III.  Special permission had to be obtained by the French embassy from a suspicious Russian government before he could set up his stand from where Francis and Charles Moisson recorded the first movie pictures to be recorded in Russia.  They were also there two days later to record the presentation of the Tsar to the people, when a stand gave way, panic ensued and thousands were trampled to death.  Doublier's and Moisson's cameras faithfully recorded the scene but the films were confisc- ated.  Doublier continued to travel throughout Europe for a few years exhibiting the Lumiere Cinema-tographe and filming.  In 1900 he returned to France to assist at the Lumiere exhibit at the Paris Exhibition.  In 1902 he went to the U.S. to work at the Lumiere North American Company plant in Burlington, Vermont before moving to Fort Lee, N.J. where he was to remain, continuing to work as a film laboratory technician.  I wonder if the film department at the school knew this?  Edward Doublier helped researchers over the years tell the story of the early film history.  So now we know what he was doing holed up in that little office :)  Who would have known?  In a side note, Mr. Doublier hired my brother and myself to rip out the school lockers the summer after we graduated.  Just the two of us ripped them all out and without air conditioning, I might add.  The purpose was to add smaller lockers so you could have more of them for an increase in future students which never did pan out.  It made me appreciate working for oneself where you can set your own wage.  Mr. Edward J. Doublier died in 1998 at age 86, still residing in Tenafly.

Eugene Connors

Update May 8, 2025:  Mr. Connors was the learning disabilities consultant at PV.  He was born October 7, 1943 in NYC.  He spent his youth living in the boroughs, mainly Brooklyn and Queens. He attended and graduated from Archbishop  Malloy H.S,   He graduated from Marist College and completed two master's degrees.   Thereafter he began a long career as a learning disabilities teacher/consultamt with the Pascack Valley Regional High School system.  /He retired from that post in Nov. 1999.  In retirement he became a dedicated and certified volunteer of 13 years with the Ridgewood Emergencty Services and Red Cross where he lived.  Among his other interests was running.  Mr. Connors passed away April 13, 2022 at the age of 78 and was survived by his wife Shiela, children Chrisitne, Jennifer, Dennis and Sean and three grandchildren.

Jack Wasdyke

    Mr. Wasdyke was a long time resident of Saddle Brook,N.J. where he attended Franklin and Helen I. Smith Elementary Schools and was a member of the last class from Saddle Brook to graduate from Lodi High School in the class of 1960.  He graduated Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1964 and completed post graduate degrees at William Paterson University and Montclair University.  He began his teaching career at Edison School in Union City and followed that by working at Pascack Valley where he was the reading coordinator when we were there.  He then went on to work at Pascack Hills and Bergen Community College.  He became the principal of Franklin Elementary School in Saddle Brook in 1978 and later served as Saddle Brook High School vice principal, curriculum director, acting superintendent of the Saddle Brook public school system and finally as principal of Helen I. Smith School.  He retired in 2000.  During his tenure at PV he was a track and field coach where he coached shot put and discus.  I vaguely recall Bill Rosen-berger, Rick Cordova and Chuck Frahm out on what is now the practice field throwing the shot put.  Mr. Wasdyke also had a distinct way of talking if you recall.  He was also the vice president of the Saddle Brook Free Public Library board of trustees and served as the Township of Saddle Brook Hisotrian.  He was the author of the book, "Saddle Brook: A Portrait of Our Past", as well as the author of historical articles on the Township website.  He had a true love of his home town.

    Sadly, Mr. Wasdyke died the day before our 40th reunion, on October 16, 2015, as a result of complications from a hernia surgery.  He was 73 years old and was survived by his wife Catherine and two daughters, three grandchildren and his canine companion, Moonshine.

Mary Stuckey

Update May 2025: Ms. Stuckey was a new home economic teacher in our senior year having graduated from Clifton High School and  Longwood University in 1974.  She was the sister of our classmate, Paul Stuckey (who later became a cop in Hillsdale).  Apparently, she did not continue on at PV and left at some point.  From 2002 to 2014 she was a family and consumer sciences (read- home economics) teacher at Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, N.J. and retired in 2014 from that job.  Apparently not married by 2015 she was from Clifton and lived in Saddle Brook in that year.  Her mom died in 2016 and since then it appears she has moved to Glen Allen, Virginia.  Her brother Paul also appears to live in Glen Allen.  Mary can be found on facebook where recent photos of a family wedding show her and her brother Paul.

Charles Stellingwerf

Update May 2025: Mr. Stellingwerf was born in Paterson and raised in East Paterson, now Elmwood Park.  He was a music teacher at PV when we were there.  He retired from PV in  July of 2005.  In retirement, he lived in Exmore, Virginia in 2015 and is a member of a band called "Off the Hook".   Currently he lives in Jamesville, Virginia with his wife and still plays.  You can find him and the band on facebook.  He will be 80 this year.

William Collins

Updated May 22, 2025: Mr. Collins grew up in Dumont where he graduated high school about 1959.  He attended and graduated from Montcalir State University in 1963.  He married in 1964 to a woman I think by the name of Judith?  I will check.  I believe he taught mechanical engineering or something like that when we were there.  He retired from PV in July of 1997.  He has lived in Oradell, N.J. for many years and is still living there and will be 84 this year.

Patrick DeRosa

Updated May 19, 2025: Mr. DeRosa was born and raised in Lodi, N.J. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Montclair State University and his master's degree from NYU.  He was the chairman of the related arts department when we were there and retired from PV in January 1990.   He lived in Lodi, N.J. while teaching.  In 1997 he settled in Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida.  His obituary said he was of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Mr. DeRosa died January 18, 2019 at the age of 89.  He was predeceased by his parents, Patrick and Theresa DeRosa, two brothers, George and Salvatore "Rick" DeRosa.  He was the beloved husband of Albert Princepiano.  He was buried at St. Nicholas Cemetery in his hometown of Lodi.

Kenneth Yasny

Update May 2025:  In 2015 I could not find much about Mr. Yasny but was fairly sure he had not continued on at PV for long after we left.  It turns out I was right and an unknown person saw his information on this site and contacted him.  He has sent me an update as to what has happened in his life since we saw him and more.  Though he sent me a very detailed history, I am editing it somewhat here.  Believe me, it was longer than this:)

   He says he was born in NYC in 1952 and at age 2 moved to Italy with his family.  There he learned to speak Italian through movies.  He became fond of ice cream, pizza and candy and learned how to get it from sympathetic adults.  However, he developed various ailments from these dairy products which in time led to an interest in how the body works and nutrition.  He returned to the U.S. with his family and lived in Hillsdale where he attended PV.  About sophomore year he decided he wanted to be a doctor.  He says he always had an interest in science and took extra classes at PV such as chemistry and biochemistry.  He graduated from PV in 1970.  In 1972 while visiting his sister in California who was a vegetarian, he was converted and he noticed his ailments all improved. He then attended Trenton State University from which he graduated in 1974 with three majors in education, psychology and biology.  He took three majors so that he could help patients learn about their bodies and symptoms, he could learn to have a good bedside manner and know a person's mindset and of course learn how the body works.  His theory was that a doctor and patient form a team as opposed to simply doctor treating patient.  At the end of 1973 though, he noticed he was uncomfortable attending classes related to surgial technigues, gross anatomy and cadaver dissection.  Realizing this did not jive with being a doctor he took a break from school and began teaching high school as well as continuing on in graduate school.  In 1974 he took a job at PV where he taught shop and here he had a chance to try out nutrition on his students.  He saw amazing results as he watched student's acne and weight problems improve, anxiety, depression and attention deficit disorders melted away and noticed better self esteem.  At this time (1974) he began taking classes at Montclair State towards becoming a registered dietician.  When he was not given tenure in 1977 (400 students protested his non renewal) he packed up his truck and moved to near Beverly Hills.  He started a weight loss company which he named Beverly Hills Weight Managment.  He later started Nutrition Works.  He was a pioneer in nutrition counseling and developed a curriculum specifically for a degree in nutrition counseling.  He developed a core curriculum for all state colleges in California.  In 1981 he graduated Ryokan College with his doctorate.  Since that time he has written books, counseled untold paitents from all walks of life and since 1983 to the present was the co-founder of Esteem Corporation which deals with eating disorders.  In 1988 he became director and developed a complete health clinic with 65 practioners from over 30 modalites of health and healing.  He consults for Colon Health Society and Health Springs.com.  He works for a skincare manufacturer to come up with an internal formulation to work in conjunction with topicals.   Books he has written include: "Talk to Me Body", "For the Love of Body", "What Men and Women Should Know About Communication", "Put Hemorrhoids and Constipation Behind You" (naturally:)) and says more are to be written.  He has been a guest speaker on over 300 radio shows, been featured on several television talk shows and hosted more than 20 television shows on the LA Cable Network.

    He lives in Encintas, California, having lived previously in Redondo Beach, California and is 72.   He welcomes contact by any means including mental telepathy:)  His address is 1385 Trabert Ranch Rd., Encintas, Ca.

Thomas Williams

Mr. Williams was born in NYC and was the older brother of Rhys Williams.  He was a veteran of the Korean War where he earned the Purple Heart.  He later became a member of the original staff at PV in 1955.  He was a mathematics teacher and taught German.  He was a football coach early on, on a staff with Joe Talamo Sr.  He eventually became the chairman of the foreign language department.   I am told he was a hell of a teacher and I have no doubt he was.  I only had one encounter with him.  It occurred in the Spanish lab where we sat in booths and spoke into a microphone with headsets on.  Mr. Willams stood at the front and could listen in to your booth to see if you were doing what you were supposed to.  He listened to my booth and supposedly could hear nothing.  He angrily accused me of goofing off.  I stood up and told him the micro- phone must be broken and to try and listen in again while I spoke loud enough for him to hear me at the front.  He took my advice and to his chagrin, could not hear anything and admitted the microphone must be broken.  He apologized but from that point on I pegged him as a hothead.  I have heard from many that he was a great teacher but except for that day, I never crossed paths with him again.  He retired in July of 1994 after 39 years at PV.  He lived in Washington Township, N.J. and died on June 1, 2014 at age 83.  He was survived by his second wife, Karla Williams, who was a student when they started dating and which caused a ruckus in the community but after a suspension, he returned to teaching, married Karla and they lived happily ever after.

Karen Lyons

Updated May 9, 2025: Ms. Lyons was a new science teacher at PV who started when we were there.  She continued to teach there until her retirement in July of 2011 after 37 years.  She will be 76 this year.  I am not sure I have the right person but there is a Karen Lyons living in Ramsey, N.J. having lived previously in Maywood and Toms River.

Susan Forsstrom

Updated May 9, 2025: Ms. Forsstrom was a math teacher who started at PV in 1973 when we were there.  She married after we graduated to a fellow with the last name of Daves or Davis.  She continued on at PV until her early retirement in July of 2005.  She was born in 1947 and will be 79 this year.  She appears to live in Warwick, N.Y. or possibly in El Cerrito, Ca.  Have to check further.

Barbara Glotzer

Update May 6, 2025:  Ms. Glotzer was a math teacher when we attended PV.  She later left PV and went to work for the Ridgewood school system (not sure if it was the high school but I would assume so) and she retired from there in July of 2011.  She was living in Wyckoff, N.J. in 2015 and since has moved to The Villages in Florida where apparently many retired teachers wind up.   She will be 74 this year.  

Bart Dipaola

Update May 2025: Mr. Dipaola was our acting superintendent when we graduated.  He was born in Paterson in 1931 and grew up there.  He later lived in Haledon and moved to Wayne in 1977 where he lived until his death.  He attended Paterson Cental High School, graduating from there in 1949.  He then served in the army from 1951-1952.  Upon his return he attended Montclair State College, earning his bachelor and master's degrees there.  He then taught at Paterson Central High School for two years and then taught six years at Manchester Regional High School.  He then served 26 years at Pascack Hills High School, first as a vice principal and then as principal.  He retired from the PV school district in July of 1994.   Mr. Dipaola died April 28, 2018 at the age of 86 and was survived by his wife Joann, a daughter, a son, their spouses and five grandchildren. Hopefully, no one really knew this guy because if you did, it means you really messed up:)

John Ziemba

    Updated May 11, 2025: Mr. Ziemba was a math teacher at PV while we were there.  He also was in charge of the computer club/class which had only a small membership of mainly male students.  They had a large computer that required cards with holes in them for code to operate.  I am sure many of us considered that class to be of no use to our future but I recall Mr. Ziemba, much like Dustin Hoffman's future father in law in the movie "The Graduate", who extolled the promise of plastics in the future, extolled the promise of computers in our future.  While both were right and they made a lot of money for many, both enterprises have caused a lot of harm and deaths.  9/11 would never have occurred without computers and now we are inundated about "hacking" of our vital information nearly every day.  Plastics have a dangerous chemical in them that causes prostate and breast cancer in men as well as other diseases which have long been known by our government but they do nothing about it.    In my search for Mr. Ziemba, I found him hard to locate.  I knew he did not continue on at PV but did not know what happened.  Leslie Goddin informed me she had lunch with him in NY in the 1980s and he had left teaching to work in N.Y. for some concern and then later may have returned to teaching. 

After much searching for Mr. Ziemba I located him on "Linked In".   He sent me an email confessing he "was guilty of having taught at PV from 1968 to 1979."  He taught math and computer science.  He then left to work for Raytheon Data Systems and Tandem Computers working at computer engineering, systems analysis and project management from 1979 to 1994.  He then returned to teaching from 1994 to 2015 at Glen Ridge, Northern Valley and Paramus where he taught math, physics, chemistry, meteorology and environment courses.  He retired from full time teaching in June of 2015 but still taught SAT at night and also tutored at that time.  He said his best memories are from PV and from 1998 to the present tutoring local students and teaching AP Physics at Paramus.  He lived in Old Tappan, N.J. in 2015 and was interested in who was attending the reunion.  He still lives in Old Tappan and he did come to our pre reunion event in 2015 and spoke with Leslie Goddin and perhaps others.                                                                                          

Kenneth Olsen

Updated May 14, 2025: Mr. Olsen was a new math teacher at PV in 1971.  He originally taught 9th and 11th grades.  Before coming to PV he taught in Ridgewood for 4 years, two at the junior high and two at the senior high.  He had attended the University of Rochester and the State University of N.Y.  He went to Columbia University for his graduate studies. He said in 1971 that he was influenced to come to PV because he lived in Hillsdale and was acquanted with and liked the P.V. staff.  He was a pilot, enjoyed riding motor cycles and had a collection of handguns.  I cannot find him in the NJ Pension System which indicates he is deceased.  Rich Spielman recently informed me that he is indeed dead and died a few years ago.  The fact I find no survivor benefits being paid under his name indicates that if he was married, he was either divorced or his wife is also deceased or he never married.  In 2015 I could not find him but I have found he likely died February 11, 2018 in Spartanburg, S.C. having a residence in Boonton, N.J.  I find no obituary, just two photos of him from our yearbooks.

Joseph and Elizabeth Obrien

Mr. and Mrs. Obrien were fellow English teachers at PV when we were there.  Mrs. Obrien left before we graduated though I do not know why, perhaps to have a child.  I have been informed that Mr. Obrien did retire from PV a few years before 2004.  Since he does not show up in the NJ pension system data base, I have to assume he has passed away as I have been informed that he was ill some time ago.  Also, since his wife is not named as getting survivor benefits, I also have to assume she has passed away too.  The only caveat is that they divorced which would be the only way she could still be alive.  I cannot find them in the social security death index nor my other websites so I cannot give any other details.  So far these two are the only folks I cannot track down.  Perhaps they had no obituary.

Laura Bartos

Updated May 21, 2025: Ms. Bartos was a foreign language teacher at PV while we were there.  She appears to have lived in Hillsdale with her parents.  She did not finish her career at PV and it appears she moved out of N.J. by 1988.  She moved to Phoenix, Arizona many years ago and lived either with or near her mother who passed away in 2008 at 89.  I believe Ms. Bartos never married.  She still lives in Phoenix and Ms. Bartos will be 72 this year.

Laurence Linton

Update May 18, 2025: Mr. Linton was a biology teacher at PV, starting about 1962.  He was a lighthearted guy and liked to kid around.  His long running gag (I think it was a gag), was that he kept a monkey in his basement and he liked to mimic the sound of it in class.  We, of course, never got to see this monkey.  I wonder if it was a Rhysus monkey? (mispelled on purpose :)  No matter, I recall he liked to kid around.  He was in charge of the Ecology Club when we were there.  He retired in July of 1994 after 32 years at PV to his home in Upper Saddle River.  He moved to Sarasota, Florida at some point with his wife Pat. Believe it or not, there was another Laurence Linton in Sarasota in 2015.  Since then, Mr. Linton and his wife moved to Venice, Florida where they live today.  In 2015 Leslie Goddin told me that Mr. Linton had become a nature photographer in Florida.  I believe he made trips to Africa during his career which explains his mimicking the sound of a monkey.   He will be 86 this year.  Hopefully he released the monkey he said he had in his cellar:)

James Ridge Cooper III

Updated May 17, 2025: Mr. Cooper was born October 9, 1943 in Fort Edward, N.Y. to Rev. James R. Cooper Jr. and Dorothy Cooper and grew up in Califon, N.J., Staten island, N.Y., South Nyack, N.Y. and Bloomindale, N.J. He graduated Butler High School in 1961 and then attended William Paterson College where he earned his BS in biology and general science in 1965 and his masters in field natural history in 1967.  He began his career as a science teacher in Chatham, N.J. and taught at Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills from 1968 to 2001 where he was an earth science and biology teacher.  He married his wife Janice in 1968 and she was also a teacher in the Pascack Valley district.  Her name was Janice (???) and she taught Spanish.  He retired in July of 2001 and she retired in July of 2004.  The couple settled in Ramsey soon after their marriage and raised their family there and made lifelong friends.  Mr. Cooper went by his middle name of Ridge and was said to be a perfectionist who delighted in solving complex problems through trial and error, mechanical ingenuity and sheer stubbornness.  He loved nothing more than making and fixing things.  His encyclopedic scientic knowledge enriched his deep appreciation of the natural world.  He especially enjoyed sharing the beauty of the Adirondocks with friends at the cabin he designed and built.  Mr. Cooper died of complications from mesothelioma on Sept. 15, 2023 at the age of 79.  He was survived by his wife of 55 years, his daughter Julie, son David and their spouses and four grandchildren, Will, Georgia, Jack and Kate.    Mr. Cooper may be a distant relative of mine (if so the name was originally spelled Kuyper and is Dutch) 

Jessica Gaeta

Update May 8, 2025: Ms. Gaeta was a foreign language teacher when we were there.  It appears she left PV at some point to work for the North Bergen Board of Education where she retired from in June of 2006.  She lived in Union City, N.J. in 2015 and appears to still live there and also may have a home or had one in Sarasota, Florida.  She also appears to be working as a tax person in some capacity and will be 81 this year.

Penelope DeCordova

Updated May 9, 2025:  Mrs. DeCordova was a foreign language teacher when we were at PV.  She was not married and was known as Penelope Lord.  Ed Berger said he had a crush on her.  If the records I have found for her are all accurate then I have this to say: She retired from PV in September of 2001 after 18 years there and took deferred retirement benefits.  This implies she took some time off from her teaching job as she was there in the 1970s.  She moved to Florida where she has lived in Hollywood, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale and currently at The Villages.  There is a record of a Penelope A. DeCordova marrying in Florida in 1990 but to whom I do not know.  Her middle initial was A.  I am not sure it is the same person, however a records check indicates the person living in The Villages is the same age and has the same middle initial as our teacher.  She also appears on facebook and if the same person I cannot ID her after 40 years.  This person belongs to a senior outfit of 200 senior twirlers.  At any rate, Penelope DeCordova will be 84 this year.

Nancy D. Koch

Mrs. Koch was a business teacher at PV while we were there.  It appears she left teaching at some point, likely to raise her family.  She retired in June of 2001 after only 10 years of service and judging by her salary, she may have been a substitute or part time teacher for that duration as her salary certainly indicates she was not a full time employee.  Mrs. Koch was born in 1937 and has definitely passed away.  I find a death record of some- one by that name, born in 1937, who passed away on Nov. 28, 2011 and is buried in Montecito Cemetery in Colton, San Bernadino, California.  If this is her, then her husband's name was Horst and she was 74.  She was survived by her husband.

Roger Bernstein/Bertin

 Updated May 18, 2025:    Mr. Bertin was formerly known as Mr. Bernstein.  He changed his name about our senior year or very shortly thereafter.  I cannot say why he did so.  Even his son kept the original spelling.  He was a science teacher and retired from PV in July of 1995 after teaching for 29 years.  He also coached girls indoor track after we left and was doing so in 1983-84.  He was an Army veteran and had lived in East Paterson which is now Elmwood Park, N.J.  He later moved to West Milford, N.J. where he lived when he died on April 21, 2006 at age 65, likely from luekemia. There was much skuttle butt about Mr. Bertin about whom he dated when we were in high school.  Many thought it was a fellow student but over time we found it was the widowed mother of a student.  Mr. Bertin was survived by his wife Kathy, daughter Nancy, son Douglas Bernstein,  father Ralph Bernstein and sister Amy Campbell.

Linda Hageman

Updated May 19, 2025: I find no one under that name in the NJ Teacher's pension system.  Thus, she either left teaching or perhaps could be known now as Linda Cozzens?  Yes, that is what she is known as, her maiden name.   I have been informed that she was Donald Hageman's wife and they subsequently got divorced and is known as Linda Cozzens which my source says is her maiden name.   She retired from PV in August 2007 having taught there since 1973 in the English department.  She was named administrative assistant to the principal at PV in 1993.  She is listed as noteworthy secondary school educator by Marquis' Who's Who.  She enjoys raquetball, walking and skiing and had two sons with Donald Hageman and will be 74 and lives in York, Pennsylvania.  Her ex husband also lives in Pennsylvania.

Robert Gillow

Updated May 9, 2025: Mr. Gillow was an English teacher at PV when we were there.  He retired in July of 1998 and will be 85 this year.  He has lived in Spring Valley, N.Y. for many years and is still there.  He appears to have married a fellow teacher named Charmaine and both took early retirement benefits and are both alive.

Sandra Bennington

Updated May 9, 2025: Mrs. Bennington was an English teacher at PV during our time there.  She retired in July of 2000 and lives in Old Tappan, N.J. with her husband. She will be 86 this year.

Gladys Stiefel

Mrs. Stiefel was born in Jersey City, N.J. and was the wife of H. Irving Stiefel.  Together the couple ran the Sombrero Playhouse in Phoenix, Arizona and along with Milton Stiefel, also the Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, Ct.  She served as a Navy Wave in WW II and then taught English, first at Bogota H.S. and then at Pascack Valley where she appears to have retired after the 1974 school year.  Her daughter Vicki also taught at PV at the end of Mrs. Stiefel's career.  Mrs. Stiefel lived in Groton, Ma. where she died at home on Sept. 23, 2004 at age 94.  She was survived by her daugher Vicki Stiefel and her husband Bill Tapply, her grandchildren Blake and Ben Stiefel Ricciardi (whose father was Peter Ricciardi), step grandchildren Mike, Melissa and Sarah Tapply and extended family, Peter, Kathleen and Summer Ricciardi.  The family remembered her incandescent smile and asked for donations to Smiletrain.org.

Karen Thielker

Updated May 15, 2025: Mrs. Thielker was a foreign language teacher when we were at PV.  Her name was Ms. Kimak when she started but she married English teacher Richard Thielker while we were there.  She went on to leave PV about 1979 and went to work for the Franklin Lakes School district where she retired from in May of 2005 after 26 years there.  She and her husband raised two sons and a daughter.  The family lived in Ramsey where Mrs. Thielker lived in 2015 and still lives today.  She  was widowed in February of 2013.  She is 78 this year.

Richard Thielker

Mr. Thielker was born February 16, 1942 in Queens, N.Y. and graduated from Wantagh High School on Long Island and then from the University of Mississippi with a degree in English.  He served in the Army during the Vietnam War.  He went on to become a film and English teacher at PV for 35 years, retiring in July of 2003.  He lived in Ramsey, N.J. with his wife, the former Karen Kimak, who was also a teacher at PV and the couple married while we were there.  Sadly, Mr. Thielker died at age 70 on Feb. 6, 2013 at his home in Ramsey, likely from cancer.  He was survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and a sister.

Doris Guerin

Updated May 9, 2025: Ms. Guerin was a gym teacher at PV whom I cannot find much information on.  I think she retired early and I found a Doris Guerin living in Hohokus, NJ in 2015 and she now lives in Waldwick, N.J. and is over age 75.  

Eileen Tepe

Updated May 9, 2025: Mrs. Tepe was a long time gym teacher at PV.  As I recall, they had gym teachers for the girls and teachers for the boys.  I wonder if that has changed.  Does anyone know?  Mrs. Tepe was at PV for 38 years and retired in July of 2007.  She lives in Bergenfield on Greenbriar Road and I ran into her in 2012 at a teachers' award ceremony at the high school as my sister was one of the teachers being recognized as teacher of the year at her school.  She looked good and said she thought I looked familiar which is always a good thing after 37 years :)  She told me George Moran also lived in Bergenfield on Clinton Ave. with his son.  Her husband passed away in 2005 and she has two daughters.  Mrs. Tepe is alive, still living in Bergenfield where she has lived for a long time and will be 78 years old this year.

Denise Dilongis

Updated May 9, 2025: Ms. Dilongis was a teacher in the business department at PV.  I believe she was born in 1951 and possibly was graduated from Kent State.  I believe she lives in Waldwick having lived previously in Kirkland, Washington, Wooster, Ohio and Hohokus, N.J.  She will be 74 this year.

Joann Klaus

Updated May 18, 2025: Mrs. Klaus was a business teacher at PV.  She retired from there in July of 2005 after 38 years.  She has lived with her husband in Upper Saddle River, NJ for many years and is still there but she apparently has lived in Honolulu, Wyckoff and New Milford. She will be 90 this year.

Richard Schwinge

Updated May 9, 2025: Mr. Schwinge was a teacher in the business department while we were at PV.  In 2015  I did not believe he continued teaching at PV nor anywhere else in N.J. as he does not appear in the N.J. pension system.  I was correct.   Mr. Schwinge was born in Jersey City, N.J. about 1940 and served in the US Army from 1957 to 1959. He lived in Wood Ridge when he lived in N.J. and summered for years at Beachwood, Louisiana.  He was forced to leave the state and his job for reasons I cannot say here.   He got the same job teaching business in the Packanack Valley High School in Wayne Township,  Louisiana and then worked teaching hotel and motel management at the Hilton Hotel in New Orleans.  He was a member of the Beachwood Yacht Club in Beachwood, Louisiana  and in 1980 swerved as Commodore.   He died in June 1987 at the age of 47 and was survived by his parents and two sisters.

Carmita Hayes

Updated May 16, 2025: Ms. Hayes was born on Sept. 23, 1924 and grew up in Newburgh, Orange County, NY.  She began her career in 1951 but not at PV as it had not been built yet.  She eventually worked there as a guidance counselor and retired from PV in July of 1991 after a 40 year career.  She lived in New City, NY for a very long time and was there in 2015.  She passed away on August 12, 2022 while living in Allendale, N.J. at the age of 97 and it appears she never married. 

Catina Bonica

Update May 15, 2025: Ms. Bonica's maiden name was Iacono and was a first generation American.  She lived in Hackensack when she married in 1969 and had been teaching Phys Ed at PV since at least 1966.  She went to Monclair State University Teacher's College and she was the head of the Tumbling Club in 1967 when it and other clubs put on an exhibition, helped by Mr. Casperson.  She was a long time phys ed teacher at PV who retired in July of 2004.  She lived in River Dale, NJ in 2015 having lived in Butler before that and is still living there and will be 81 this year.

William Joosten

Updated May 15, 2025: Mr. Joosten was a math teacher when we were at PV.  He first was graduated from Paterson State College in 1966 with a Bachelor or Arts Degree in Mathematics Teacher Education and was then graduated from the same school in 1969 with a master of Arts degree in Student Personnel Servics.  He then was graduated from Rutgers in 1979 with a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Theory.  He also worked at Bergen Community College as an assistant dean of students/professor of mathematics/ /coordinator of academic counseling from 1969 to 2001.  After we left he continued to teach math but in 1992 became a guidance counselor at PV until his retirement in July of 2011.  He says he is happily retired at home in Paramus where he enjoys reading, working out, investing and parenting /grandparenting.  He is 82 years old. (footnote- I do not find him in our yearbook so not sure how I found him initially, perhaps was a teacher prior to senior year?)

Suzanne Barcaro

Updated May 15, 2025: Mrs. Barcaro came to PV about 1960 as a Spanish teacher.  She retired early in April of 1977 with an "ordinary disability".  She lived with her husband Richard in Emerson, after which they moved to Florida, living in Pinellas Park.  Her husband died in 2005 at age 78. She is still living there apparently and is 92 this year.  Whatever disability she had does not appear to have affected her longevity.

Simone Kaufman

Update May 16, 2025: Mrs. Kaufman was a longtime French teacher at PV who retired in July 1998 after 27 years there.  She lived in Paramus while teaching and it appears she has since lived in Mount Laurel, NJ, Marlton, N.J. and lived in South Hampton, N.J.  in 2015.  She currently lives in Century Village in West Palm Beach, Florida.  She will be 90 on November 1, 2025.

Ralph J. Cavalucci

Updated May 25, 2025: Mr. Cavalucci was born in 1929 and raised in Rutherford, NJ where he was graduated from high school.  In his senior yearbook in 1948, he was said to be known variously as "Cav", "Rudolph Valentino" and "A Lion among the Ladies" and  his ambition was to continue his education and play football at Cartarette Prep School.  He appears to have majored in Phys Ed and became a gym teacher at PV.  He also became the head football coach after we left (smart move:), taking over from Mr. Fusco and coaching from 1975 to 1986.   Mr. Cavalucci  retired from PV in July of 1992.  He also appears to have started a business called Cavalucci Construction Company and his name is listed as its supervisor on its website but he was long since retired from that in 2015.  Mr. Cavalucci was still living in Park Ridge in 2015 where he had lived for many years and was 86 that year.

UPDATE- Mr. Cavalucci died in 2016 and I think he was 87.  He had suffered from severe health problems for some time.  I believe his wife predeceased him by a year or two.  And I am not completely sure he was at PV when we were there but started in the fall after we left.  There was a big writeup in the Record and a Charlie McGill cartoon from his coaching days.  I think he had been a coach in the old World Football League and left that job to teach and coach at PV.  Wonder if he regretted that?:)

James Downs

Update May 9, 2025: Mr. Downs was born in 1927 in Decatur, Indiana.  He served in the US Army in Korea from 1948-1049 attaining the rank of corporal.  He then earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard College and a graduate degree from NY University.  He settled in Rockland County where he lived in Suffern for many years.  He was a lifelong educator, first as a secondary school english teacher at Brunswick School For Boys. then as a founding faculty member at Rockland County Day School and then as headmaster there.  He closed out his formal career teaching english and journalism at Pascack Valley.  He retired from PV in July of 1989.  He authored numerous articles and books and was a founding member of a local men's reading group.  A consummate fly fisherman he was active in the local Trout Unlimited Chapter serving as editor and instructor for Trout in the Classroom where he could pass on his love of conservation and the environment to children and their parents.  During retirement he  volunteered for "Meals on Wheels" enjoyed golf, world travel and became an accomplisged water color artist.  He passed away June 7, 2022 at the age of 95, still living in Suffern, N.Y.  He was survived by his second wife, Anita, of 22 years, 3 children, 5 grandchildren and three great grandchildren and was predeceased by his first wife of 48 years, Patricia, in 1999.

                          Nancy Disenhaus

Updated May 26, 2025: Ms. Disenhaus was an english teacher while we were at PV but left after our junior year.  She was born April 9, 1950 in Washington, D.C.  She earned her undergraduate degree at Mt. Holyoke College and her M.A.T. in english from Cornell University in 1973.  She worked at PV for 4 years and left after the 1974 year.  She took a job in November 1977 at Chelsea High School in the Orange Windsor Supervisory District in Montpelier, Vermont as an english teacher.  She married Thomas D. Cate on August 16, 1980.  She took a leave of absence and then started at Union 32 High School in 1982 which I believe was in Montpelier and taught business english, basic grammar and a humanities course in the english department there.  She was still teaching at Union-32 High School in October 1998 when she presented a workshop titled "Native Ways and Wisdom".  Ms. Disenhaus apparently kept her maiden name which made my job more difficult and she and her husband had at least one child and possibly three, a boy and two girls while living in Montpelier, Vermont.  She just turned 75 this past April and still lives in Montpelier with her husband.

       NOTE- the following teachers were at the school at least in our junior year but had left by our senior year.  For some, I find nothing.

                          Lynn Shealy

Ms. Shealy was a teacher at PV in at least the year 1973-1974.  I can find nothing on her so I assume she married or remarried after that year.  She was not listed as a teacher at PV in our senior year.  That is all I can say.

                        Thomas Conlan

I can find nothing that identifies him as our teacher.  I do remember him after consulting the 1974 yearbook.  He taught English and if I recall correctly, some of us gave him a hard time.  

                          Kent Leo

I can only find a Kent Leo living in Ossining, N.Y. of the right age.  He taught science.