“MY HS PROM 1966”
……………..It’s prom season so I thought I would post this picture………I graduated from Elmont Memorial High School in 1966. My best friend since 7th grade, Robert Tirman, BOBBY, and I double dated. Actually, we triple dated with another couple. Bobby took a friend named Phyllis and I took my HS crush Mary. Bobby and Mary both became my life long friends. I’m wearing a silver boutinnere because Mary wore a silver mini dress that she made. She was a terrific artist, and goy a scholarship to NYU. She and one other girl were the only ones in mini dresses. Andrea’s way neon pink! All of the other girls wore typical prom dresses. I thought Mary looked fabulous…..After the dance at the HS gymnasium we all drove into NYC, [I drove]. and we went to the ROYAL BOX, a night club in the Americana Hotel. Edie Adams was the performer. She spotted our table right away….we sort of stood out! She came over during her act and asked us questions, and of course flirted with us young guys! Needless to say we were the youngest people in the place!!!….and the cutest!! The audience applauded! She sang a song that she dedicated to us. We had a great time…..Then we went to a disco named CHEETAH. It was located somewhere in Times Square. The huge place was entirely covered in Cheetah fabric! There were huge screens showing the dancers…Once again we stood out. The girls in their minis fit right in, but us guys in our tuxedos were prom night giveaways!!! .We got home in the wee hours of the morning, We went home to change and then we all went to Jones Beach on Long Island….I know I have more pictures somewhere, but I can’t find them…..I will keep looking……Graduation was bittersweet……Mary went to NYU, Bobby went to Wisconsin and I went to Parsons…..so our lives separated. Of course we all kept in touch, but it was so different from our HS days when we saw each other everyday, and were attached at the hip…..We were all onto new adventures. Bobby and I eventually traveled around Europe when he was studying in Sweden, and we went to Alaska and than our trip to Rio….but our lives were to take us on very different paths…….Mary moved to California and became an art teacher. She married and had two daughters…..Bobby lived in NYC and became a psychologist. We all kept in touch and saw each other when we could, but we were all so busy with our come visit her in Calif,……Maya called the next day and told me Mary had a heart attach and passed soon after she spoke to me…….Mary and Bobby died within three months of each other. These two people meant so much to me. They were such an important part of my life…… After Jac, they were the most important people in my life……..I miss them everyday. There’s a whole in my heart and a space only for them that will never be filled……I hope someday we will all meet again…….healthy and young and beautiful.
