Delving into RVC history via Facebook

What you get on our site is a memory and a connection to the past.”

Doug Marlowe, Co-Founder, What Happened in Rockville Centre

Though they graduated in the 1970s, South Side High School alums Doug Marlowe and Rich Gottlieb still have a passion for their old school and the rich history of Rockville Centre. So they created a Facebook page, “What Happened in Rockville Centre” to chronicle that history.

“What you get on our site is a memory and a connection to the past,” Marlowe said.

Marlowe, 69, class of 1971, and his friend Gottlieb, 64, who graduated in 1974, both grew up in the village, but never met until a mutual friend, Ann Krinsky, connected them at a South Side reunion in Florida in 2009. As the two reminisced, Gottlieb came up with the idea of extending their nostalgia to the internet, where others could join them in recollecting their lives in the village that shaped them.

Marlowe grew up on Park Lane, and Gottlieb on South Park Avenue. Though neither lives in the village anymore — Gottlieb lives in Rhode Island, and Marlowe in Florida — they’re kept up to date on the happenings around town by the many members of the page who are still living in RVC and posting updates and photos.

“All of those memories tend to make threads that were unraveling as we got older,” Marlowe said. “And I think what we ended up doing with the page was loom together all those unraveled threads into a fabric of community.”

The Facebook group just welcomed its 3,000th member last week, as it marked its 11th anniversary.

The growth could be attributed to the positive atmosphere Marlowe and Gottlieb maintain through moderation — and some rules. No swearing, politics, insults or advertising are allowed on the page.

“We are the positivity police,” Marlowe joked. “We stick to what you remember, why it was worthwhile to live there, what are your best memories of RVC.”

That’s not to say that there aren’t harsh realities, but consistent with its wholesome nature, the members of the page have helped one another out when they’ve hit hard times. They’ve come together a few times to donate to Toys for Tots, and spread awareness to help former South Side teacher John Scuderi, who was going through health issues earlier this year. Additionally, they started a GoFundMe.com page for a former RVC student who was in debt because of medical expenses.

“I like to call it family,” Gottlieb said.

“We try to be a shining light rather than cursing the darkness of our youth,” Marlowe added.

But why are so many people interested in making such frequent virtual trips into Rockville Centre’s past? For Marlowe it’s the “Mayberry-like” village of his youth in the 1960s. The two fondly recall riding bikes around town at a time when neighbors didn’t lock their back doors.

The pandemic may also have spurred the group’s recent growth, with many people sitting at home in front of their computers, wistfully recalling a simpler time. Gottlieb has used the time to start on a book of recollections about growing up in Rockville Centre.

The page also makes use of the skills its founders have developed over the years. Marlowe is a business consultant who frequently helps companies with their web design. Gottlieb runs a consulting firm for those trying to raise funds for their businesses, and teaches seniors computer skills on the side.

The future of the page is looking bright, as the group has nearly doubled since 2020. “You can go anywhere and hear negative news, but where are young people going to hear the positive stuff?” Marlowe said.

Despite life journeys that have taken them away from the village, the page helps Rockville Centre remain a part of its creators’ lives. “And we’re still here, and we will continue to be,” Gottlieb said.