By Mary Malloy
Marie Coviello Winkelstern, 91, is proud to say she is lifelong resident of Lynbrook. She has fond memories of her school days, as well as the village as it was then. Her senior class lost to the juniors in the big interscholastic competition called "Class Night" in 1933. Twenty-seven years later, her daughter Carol was crushed when the same thing happened in her senior year. Mother and daughter shared some of the same teachers at Lynbrook High School.
Here are some of Winkelstern's memories her senior year at Lynbrook High School:
When did you graduate Lynbrook High School?
I graduated from Lynbrook High School in 1933. I had two older brothers who also went there. I am now 91 years old and have lived in Lynbrook and attended Lynbrook schools my whole life. I can't quite remember movies or books from 1933 but I do remember that most of my reading in those couple of years was to study our textbooks!
What did you do for fun?
We used to meet at Meeston's ice-cream parlor at Atlantic Avenue and Sunrise Highway for their five-cent ice-cream cones. In addition we enjoyed roller skating, football games, and house parties. I remember receiving my big yellow "L" letter for completing 500 miles of hiking during high school!
Who were your friends?
My special friends were Mary Fisher, Neal Dalton, Richard Duffy, Alice Eibler, Helen Donovan, Al Luft, Helen McMahon, Charlie Smithers, and my "special friend"---my boyfriend Frankie D'Alessandro.
What is your favorite memory from those days?
My favorite memory of high school is the friendliness and kindness of all of the students, and how we all worked together. My daughter and son have had at least three of the teachers that my brothers and I had -- Miss Seitz, Miss Cullen, and Miss Anderson.
Another favorite memory of mine all through my early childhood and high school was of a man that we called "Shorty the Cop". He stood every day in his white gloves and uniform on a platform at Five Corners (which had no lights at that time), and directed traffic with sharp toots of his whistle.
Did you have an embarrassing moment?
I must say my most embarrassing moment was the day I cut school to go riding in my boyfriend Frankie's car and my mother found out! (No, I didn't marry him).
Any advice for the students who are graduating now?
Looking back over the years I realize that Lynbrook High School and the education that I got there is still tops to this day, and my advice to the students of 2006 would be to take full advantage of the fine education that Lynbrook still provides.
