Friday, September 8, 2017

REMEMBERING JOYCE M. (DONATO) ZEIGER

Suddenly, We Are Changed
At a meeting of the Bishop McDevitt Class of 1967 Reunion Committee on Thursday, September 7th, we were suddenly informed that one of our beloved classmates, Joyce (Donato) Zeiger passed away on Tuesday, September 5th.  Our 50th High School Reunion is only 2 weeks away and we get this news about Joyce. I was SHOCKED. STUNNED.  Jim Williams made the announcement to the classmates there and offered some very heartfelt comments that caused him to be teary eyed and a bit choked up.  For several minutes after his announcement, Joyce and Keith were my focus.  There was little else I could consider at the moment.  Keith and Joyce are one of several couples in our class who got married following graduation.


I saw Joyce and Keith recently at one of our informal class gatherings in 2016.  It was the one at "JoJo's on 22" and it was purposed to announce to our local classmates that planning had begun on the reunion.  There were about 40 in attendance, one of our biggest informal gatherings that have been occurring over the past two years.  It was the first time I had seen Keith and Joyce in decades and it was a pleasant surprise to see them there.  Though it was over a year ago, it seems like only a few weeks ago.  I vividly remember talking to them.  We had just started our planning for the reunion around that time and we were all looking forward to seeing each other at future planning meetings and on September 23, 2017 at the 50th Reunion.  But now, suddenly, only 2 weeks away, we will not be seeing Joyce for the celebration of our 50th.  We are saddened.

 A viewing and a Mass of Christian Burial will be on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 in St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Roman Catholic Church, 2800 Paxton Church Road, Harrisburg, PA.  The viewing will be at 10:30 am followed by the Mass celebrated at 11:30 am.  Burial after Mass will be in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.  

The obituary for Joyce was published today, September 8th.

 On behalf of the Bishop McDevitt High School Class of 1967, I can say we are deeply saddened by the news of Joyce's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with Keith and his family.  And know that our classmate, a 1967 Crusader, will be remembered at our reunions, the 50th and others to come.
______________________________

Being involved in planning the reunion has brought me to a sensitivity for classmates that I have not had till now.  Since I am maintaining the Class Directory of 400 classmates, I have become aware of 45 (now 46) classmates who are deceased.  That has caused me to think much about those who have passed and also about those who are still with us.  With that in mind, I recently wrote the following two articles on this blog encouraging us to consider attending the reunion, to renew relationships with our classmates, to remember those who have passed, and to connect with those we have not seen in decades or have seen infrequently or regularly.

50 YEARS, ONE HALF CENTURY

That's a long time.  Everything has changed in the 50 years between 1967 and 2017.  We have changed and everything around us has changed.  Thus, when we see one another again at this 50th reunion time, whether face to face or online, we can engage one another as seasoned learners who have grown way beyond those teenage years at Bishop McDevitt High School.  Having been taught and guided by the teachers, parents, and others of our day, we were launched from a strong foundation to become seasoned and aged like a fine wine with wisdom that can be shared with those around us.  We must take advantage of every opportunity to do that with our classmates and others.  Why?  Because if we don't, we may experience another "SUDDENLY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING" and wish we had shared with those when we were given the opportunity.



Joyce, 2nd on left in white sweater

Mr. & Mrs. Keith Zeiger
High School Classmates became Married Classmates for 48 years




By James E. Barbush
Graduate of Bishop McDevitt HS Class of 1967
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Harrisburg, PA  17112
Cell:  717-514-5549




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Tuesday, August 22, 2017

"The Eclipse of The Accordions 2017"


AN ACCORDION ECLIPSE OCCURRED AT
OUR FINAL FAMILY VACATION EVENT OF THE SUMMER OF 2017

 By James Eugene Barbush
Bishop McDevitt High School
Class of 1967

This story may start out like not being related to the McD Class of 1967, but it is.

 It was Saturday, August 19, 2017.  My family went to Knoebels Grove Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA.  It was a last of the season entertainment before school begins for the grandkids.  For this weekend, we had 2 days planned.  A time at Knoebels on Saturday and a time at Lake Tobias Wildlife Park on Sunday.  My son, Joseph, spearheaded the whole weekend for a time with his sons, Hayden (8) and Landon (6), and his parents, the proud grandparents.

So, we were Joseph, Hayden (8 yrs.), Landon (6 yrs.), Yvonne (my wife), and me (James) on a family adventure.  Now I'm not going to bore you with how our weekend was with our son and G-Kids, though it was very good.  I do want to entertain you and tell you about a unique alignment that happened that brought several people together after many years apart.  Given we just had a solar eclipse sweep across our land on Monday, August 21, 2017, an event that happens once every many years, it was appropriate to call this story, "The Eclipse of The Accordions 2017".  You will soon find out why.

We had just finished our adventures in Knoebels Park, and we turned to leave, feeling a bit exhausted.  Knoebles has a "Main Street", a walkway that goes through the park to the parking lot.  We were slowly making our way down that walkway to go to our car that was way in the back of the parking lot.  I felt like I was done, physically, and I meandered down the path with my family.

As I walked, there were people standing on the side of the walkway.  I paid them no mind . . . until, I came to this one man standing to my right.  I was only about 3 feet from him.  I stopped and stared at him, and he stared back.  We were two faces who knew we were acquainted but we did not know from where.  It was a silent, staring moment as we were each pondering in our minds . . . 

"Who is this guy.  He looks so familiar.  
Don't I know him from somewhere?  
Yes, but from where?"  

The silence was broken when we both shared our wonder of trying to uncover each other's identity.

 "Where do we know each other from?"

I mentioned an organization that I used to belong to and he said, "No."  

We continued in our puzzlement.  
Then he said, "Bishop McDevitt!"   

And we both said, "YES!  That's it!"  

He said, "I'm Tony Goles." I said, "I'm Jim Barbush."  

We both said, "Oh, yea, I remember now."

And then the memories kicked in.  Since our 50th High School Reunion for Bishop McDevitt's Class of 1967 is in one month, on September 23, 2017, I immediately asked Tony if he was going.  He said he could not because he and his wife (Mary E. Eckrote, Bishop McDevitt, Class of 68) were going on a trip that could not be changed.  We started to exchange other pleasantries and discovered that Tony had only been to one of our high school reunions, the "Bishop McDevitt All 60s Reunion"  in 2005, 12 years ago.  We did not remember seeing or talking to each other there.  So, odds are, we have not seen each other for 50 YEARS.  FIFTY YEARS!  And yet we still recognized one another.

NOW ENTER THE ACCORDIONS

Tony and I reminisced that we both played accordion when we were kids.  Me for about 3 years, and Tony for many more years than that.  I was lousy and he was good.  We had the same accordion teacher, Ray Clodoveo.  In addition to being our weekly accordion teacher, Ray had us both in his Accordion Band with many other youth.  One year, Ray took the band to the New York World's Fair where we played accordions at an event there in one of the pavilions.  That was 1964/65.

We reminisced about hating to do accordion practice for our weekly lessons.  Ray would come to our homes weekly, and to his chagrin, we were not prepared.  Of course, for me, Ray always came on the evening when "Outer Limits" was on TV and I had to miss it. What a bummer that was.  I was probably about 13 at the time.  So, I let "The Outer Limits" keep control of the TV (remember that?).

Tony Goles and Jim Barbush,
Classmates, McDevitt 1967
Accordionists of the Past
As we continued in our memories, we centered around our experiences with accordions and piano and this is what we further uncovered.  

 My Dad, Albert, was an excellent piano player who influenced his sons' keyboard interests. 

 Tony's older brother, Ron, played accordion.  My older brother, Bud, played accordion.  Ron and Bud had the same accordion teacher as Tony and I did, Ray Clodoveo.  

 Ron and Bud played accordion together in a band that Ron led and they had many gigs during their high school years all over the Harrisburg area. Tony also led a band that he played accordion in and he had many gigs all over the Harrisburg area.  

 After 50 years apart, we remembered that we were connected in all of those accordion relationships.  

 This meeting of two high school classmates was 50 years in the making, a once in a lifetime experience.  But wait. That's not the end of the story.

We talked for about 20 minutes and we decided to head to the parking lot together on the walkway. We continued talking as we casually strolled the walkway to the parking lot.  Then, coming towards us, out of the blue, two young men came walking past us with big smiles on their faces and other people around them.  They each had a white shirt on and each had black and white accordion strapped to his chest.  We looked at them, laughed joyously, and shouted out to them as they passed, "ACCORDIONS!".  Tony and I marveled at what we were seeing after we had just been talking about accordions - two guys with accordions walking joyfully by us through the crowd.  What were the chances of that happening to us after this unique reunion, especially since accordions, once a common and popular instrument, are rarely seen and heard today.

On Monday, I called my brother, Bud, and told him the story which he greatly appreciated.  He remembered Ron Goles well and he told me about playing accordion in his band.  I never knew that Bud played his accordion in a band.  He asked me to get Ron's phone number so that he could talk to him.  He would greatly enjoy that.

So the "Eclipse of The Accordions 2017" went like this:
  1. Tony and Jim, two classmates who played accordion, meet at a park
  2. Tony's older brother, Ron, played accordion.  
  3. Jim's older brother, Bud, played accordion.
  4. Tony and Jim had the same accordion teacher, Ray Clodoveo.  
  5. Ron and Bud had the same accordion teacher, Ray Clodoveo.  
  6. Tony and Jim played accordion in Ray Clodoveo's Accordion Band at the New York World's Fair.
  7. Ron and Bud played accordion in Ray Clodoveo's Accordion Band.
  8. Ron and Bud played accordion together in a band led by Ron.
  9. Tony led a band in which he played accordion.
  10. And, in searching through family pictures of Bud, I found the one below  of  Ray Clodoveo and his Accordion Band conducting an Accordion Concert, in October 1958 at Bishop McDevittHigh School.  Pictured in that band is my brother Buddy.  I need to check with Tony and see if his brother, Ron, is there.
  11. After more than 50 years, Tony Goles and Jim Barbush meet at Knoebels Grove, engage in conversation about accordions and their Bishop McDevitt Class of 1967, then as they exited the park, they pass by two young men with accordions heading into the park.
That's what I call . . . . 
"The Eclipse of The Accordions 2017".  

 The experience was 
... a once in a lifetime event, 
... over 50 years in the making, 
...with accordions overshadowing the entire experience.

What such a meeting can do to one's spirit - As exhausted as I felt when starting to leave the park, then while meeting Tony and talking with him exuberantly, I felt new energy run through my body and the exhaustion was gone.  As we were talking, I felt that and thought about that, and wondered, "Am I really tired, or is it all in my head."  

Tony Goles and Jim Barbush,
Classmates, McDevitt 1967
Accordionists of the Past
Ray Clodoveo and His Accordion Band
Accordion Concert, October 1958 at Bishop McDevitt High School
Top Picture - Buddy Barbush at age 15 doing a solo
Bottom Picture - Buddy is front row, 1st seat on left)

Buddy Barbush in 1960s


                               
Most accordions were black and white.
Mine was red and white and bought used for $85.


PS:  After 3 years of accordion lessons, and my heart was not in it, one night Ray told my parents, "Save your money and don't spend it on accordion lessons" . . . . . . and they let me stop.  The lessons were $3 per week.  I could not read music very well and I did not practice enough, and I just did not catch on.  But, without having played the accordion, I would not have been able to live to see "The Eclipse of The Accordions 2017" 


HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR THE REUNION YET?
If you don't go, you might miss your Eclipse.
Click on this link for 



James Eugene Barbush
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Harrisburg, PA  17112
(717) 514-5549
JamesEBarbush@GMail.com
The Shepherd's Voice



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Sunday, July 30, 2017

50th REUNION ANNOUNCEMENT & REGISTRATION

BISHOP McDEVITT HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS of 1967 - 50th REUNION 
SEPTEMBER 22/23/24, 2017 

Our 50th Class Reunion is fast approaching! This once-in-a-lifetime weekend promises to be an enjoyable time to reunite and reminisce with fellow classmates. 

 The Committee sincerely hopes that as many as possible of our classmates can gather for any or all of these events:   

Friday September 22nd
GOLF OUTING - Friday Morning
Swing into a golf outing in the morning. 
Contact one of the following organizers to reserve your space and get information on location, time, and cost. 

FOOTBALL GAME - Friday Evening
Wear your blue and gold as the McDevitt Crusaders take on the Hershey Trojans.  Kickoff is 7:00 pm at Rocco Ortenzio Stadium behind Bishop McDevitt's High School at 1 Crusader Way, Harrisburg PA 17111.  Tickets available at the gate.
INFORMAL GATHERING - After The Game
Get together informally with your fellow Crusaders after the game.
Location: O'Reillys Tap Room & Kitchen at the Best Western Hotel, 800 East Park Drive, 2 blocks south of Union Deposit Road. 


Saturday September 23rd 
THE MAIN EVENT 
Class Reunion at the Susquehanna Club in New Cumberland
6:00 pm  Cocktail & Social Hour with cash bar
7:00 pm  Dinner - DJ will play our favorite oldies
Cost:  $50 per person.  If you already made a deposit, the balance is due.
Choose your attire from casual to dressy - The important thing is to be there!
Bring your cameras and your memorabilia to share.
Bring your favorite stories from those long ago days to share.

Sunday September 24th
SUNDAY MORNING MASS & SCHOOL TOUR
10:00 am Gather for Mass at Bishop McDevitt High School with Father Acri. 
11:00 am Tour of the new building, less than 1 hour.


Social Media
Before,  during, and after the reunion add your greetings, questions, memories, and photos on our Social Media.  If you cannot attend, tell us what you are up to.

FACEBOOK:  Bishop McDevitt High School, Class of 1967

McD 67 BLOG:  Bishop McDevitt Class of 1967

TWITTER - #mcdevitt67  

FOR QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT: 
Sue Camplese Herman, 717-576-5146, SUNFORSUE@aol.com  
Jim Barbush, 717-514-5549, JamesEBarbush@gmail.com 
_______________________________

Main Event Location & Directions

Susquehanna Club 
604 Ross Ave.
New Cumberland  17070 

All individuals must provide photo ID at the Base Gate, Post 1

Directions from Turnpike and 83:
Take Exit 242 to I-83 South 
Stay on ramp, take Exit 39A, Lewisberry 
Turn right at stop sign onto Lewisberry Road 
Turn left at 4th light onto Old York Road 
Turn right at 2nd light onto Ross Avenue 
Stop at Base Gate, Post 1
All individuals must present Photo IDs 
Proceed to the Susquehanna Club (first left)
_______________________________

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Please check the events you plan on attending.
We need good head counts for each event. 
___ Golfing - Be sure to reserve with one of the organizers
___ Football Game - Tickets at the gate
___ After-Game Gathering - Order food and drinks on your own
___ Main Event - $50 per person - Don’t forget your photo ID
___ Mass and Tour  

Provide your full name as on Photo ID for entry into Susquehanna Club:  

Full name of Classmate as on Photo ID: 
                                                                                                            
______________________________________________________

Full name of Classmate's guest as on Photo ID:
                                                                                                            
______________________________________________________

Classmates Maiden Name:
                                                                                                            
______________________________________________________

Address:
                                                                                                            
______________________________________________________

Phone:
                                                                                                            
______________________________________________________

E-Mail:
                                                                                                            
______________________________________________________

Number attending:  _____         Amount enclosed: _____

Please make checks payable to McDevitt Class of 1967 Reunion 
Send to  your check and registration information to
McDevitt Class of 1967 Reunion  
P.O. Box 6733 
Harrisburg, PA 17112   

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: September 1, 2017 

Bishop McDevitt High School


Rocco Ortenzio Stadium

Bishop McDevitt High School Chapel




PRIDWEN 1967 THEME

Opening Statement in Pridwen 1967

PEACE ON EARTH, which men of every era have eagerly yearned for, can be firmly established, only if the order laid down by God be dutifully observed. 

Closing Statement in Pridwen 1967

May He banish from the hearts of men whatever might endanger peace,

May He transform them into witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love.

James Eugene Barbush
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Harrisburg, PA  17112
(717) 514-5549


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Friday, July 7, 2017

HEED The Small Still Voice and VISIT The Passing Generation

Over the past year, we have been planning for our 50th High School Reunion to happen in September 2017.  During these past months my memories of days and people of yesteryears have been stirred up.  That's been enlightening and inspired me to dig deeper into the people I knew from yesteryears.  

 As this milestone reunion began to come up on the horizon, I wondered about it and was thinking, "50 YEARS, that's 1/2 CENTURY.  That's a long time.  That was another time in the history of my generation.  Things are so different today, not like they were when I was a teenager. This is a time that my father would not recognize.  I can hardly believe, but I do believe, the differences, both good and bad, between now and then."

 As planning progressed and as I reviewed information about our Class of 1967, I began thinking about people that I used to know and saw on a daily basis in our relationships, classmates, friends, and relatives.  That brought me to look at people from two generations, my generation and the generation before me.

Being stirred by my thoughts of days gone by and people from those day, I wrote and article about some of my experience.  It's titled, "HEED The Small Still Voice and VISIT The Passing Generation".  Click that title and you can read it.  

 I hope you read the article, because I believe there is great benefit to you and others if you do what I recommend regarding the people who have been a significant part of our lives, and whom we remember but do not still see, whether classmates or not.

 For information on Bishop McDevitt High School's Class of 1967, 50th High School Reunion, contact me or go to the below links for information.

 Event Page:  Bishop McDevitt's Class of '67 - 50th Reunion - September 23, 2017

Facebook Page:  Bishop McDevitt HS Class of 1967

James Eugene Barbush
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Harrisburg, PA  17112
(717) 514-5549
JamesEBarbush@GMail.com



http://jamesebarbush.blogspot.com/2017/07/heed-small-still-voice-and-visit.html

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Saturday, April 15, 2017

Those Who Taught The McD Class of 1967 and Are Still With Us

WHEN REALTY SET IN . . .

We had our first planning meeting for our 50th year reunion in August 2016.  At that meeting, we were discussing faculty and Lou Bianchi mentioned that there were only about 6 faculty still living.  That was a shock.  Reality set in.  The age of the Crusaders of the Class of 1967 became a reality.  Out of the many teachers, lay and religious, only 6 remained.  If that is correct, there are 5 lay teachers (all men) and 1 nun.  They are:
  1. Mr. John D. Brixius
  2. Mr. Joseph M. Borzilleri   Class of 1961   74 years old
  3. Mr. Michael C. Fry            Class of 1952
  4. Mr. Joseph W. Intrieri                                79 years old
  5. Mr. Robert H. Rempe
  6. Sister Mary Victor
Class of 1971's 45th Reunion in 2016
Mr. Fry, Mr. Brixius, Mr. Borzelleri, Mrs. & Mr. Rempe
I'm sure each of our 1967 Crusaders has memories of their favorites, and maybe their not so favorites.  Some of our 9th grade teachers were recent college graduates, such as Mr. Rempe and Mr. Borzelleri.  Thus, they were not that much older than we were, yet they were our authority figures.  

Finding Mr. Joseph M. Borzelleri online, we learn that he is now only 74 and of the Class of 1961.  That's only about 6 or 7 years older than we were/are.  If we had known how fresh and green they were back then, would we have been so respectful? We probably would have because those were the days when authority was respected by most teenagers.  For me, it's surely a yes, because my father knew his father.  I found that out when my father went to the Borzelleri home and he took me along.  I think I was a freshman (not sure, could have been earlier).  Dad was involved in an insurance fraternity and he went to the Borzelleris to assist them with their insurance policies.  It was a unique visit for me because it was when color television was new and not everyone had one.  The Borzelleris had one and I remember seeing Disney's Wonderful World of Color on their TV screen while Dad was taking care of insurance matters.

As I remember, it seems that most of the priests I had for classes were much older than us and even had gray hair.  They all have passed on.  
  • My favorite was Father Langan.  He was quite special.  He took a bunch of us to the shore one summer.  
  • Father Murray was a tall, silver haired comedian.  One year, we were Murray's Marauders with Red Berets when we attended the football games and sat together.  We followed in the footsteps of the Class of 1966 who wore Green Berets.
  • Father Pop-Out (I need to look up his name) was a stout comedian of sorts with black wavy hair. The nickname came from "pop-outs" we took out of our religion workbooks.
  •  Father Green was a gentle, gray haired, low voiced fellow.  He'd always say, "How you?"
WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF FAV AND NOT SO FAV TEACHERS - LAY, PRIESTS, OR NUNS?

Mr. Brixius (1995)          Mr. Rempe          Mr. Fry
JOSEPH BORZELLERI.  We want you to know that at the time of this writing, we learned that Joseph Borzelleri has a rare form of cancer and he was in the hospital in February 2017.  Also, his daughter, Lauren, passed away in March 2017.

Here are those teachers whom we can still find today as they were 50 years ago .  We all should look them up, write them a letter, give them a call.  Tell them what they meant to you and what they still mean to you.
PLEASE NOTIFY JIM BARBUSH IF YOU KNOW OF ANY MISINFORMATION IN THIS POST ABOUT FACULTY STILL LIVING.


THE TWIN TOWERS STILL STAND




Event Page:  Bishop McDevitt's Class of '67 - 50th Reunion - September 23, 2017

Facebook Page:  Bishop McDevitt HS Class of 1967

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This Blog is developed, maintained, and posted to by

James E. Barbush
Graduate of Bishop McDevitt HS Class of 1967
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Harrisburg, PA  17112
Cell:  717-514-5549

Founder of Barbush Enterprises

Co-Founder of The Shepherd's Voice


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