Daniel Meltzer's Comments

I live in Grovers Mill Estates off 571

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you...don't visit the site that much and had a lot of turmoil recently. I actually live in Princeton Junction, right off 571....so we're practically neighbors. I don't remember you either however, but I'm sure we know all of the same people. I played a lot of Basketball at 164 and Park Drive East. I actually went to PS 219 because I lived on the wrong side of the Jewel Ave. border and went on to Campbell and Bowne.

sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. You can get in touch with my brother by phone 5162205436 i know he would love to hear from you

Hi, Danny. Yes, I remember you and that party, and how can we forget Mr Agronovich? I have very fond memories of that class. Are you in touch with any one else from KGH? My sister is also an optometrist. She and her optometrist husband work in Kingston, NY.

Hi Dan,

Your recollections are more right than wrong. We had a ping-pong table in the basement, not a pool table. My brother was in the boy scouts, Troop 109 at the Jewish Center of KGH. I was in Troop 199 at PS 164. Our dad was an optometrist, his name was Alvin Schiff. I guess you could have been to my house. I am 5 years older than you, so if you were 12 or 13, I would have been up at UB by then and don't recall it

Anyway its always great to hear from a fellow O.D.. Now we know P.S. 164 produced at least 2 of us!

Harold

Hey Daniel,

We live in the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach area of the O.C., about five
minutes from the Pacific. Do you get out to the West Coast ? Where is
your domain ?

dg

It might have been Steven Fienbloom. He was at my Bar Mitzvah but met a bad end. I think the story was that he put an end to a long time coke habit by killing himself in his Mom's place, where he was still living, a couple of years ago. Andy Tivoli knows more details. I remember him as a black belt karate expert who use to use my face for practice.
Mitch

Hi Danny,
I'm sure whatever you remember is the way it was. So now I'm kinda pissed off that you didn't invite me to the party. I mean what was the big deal? I must have had a pretty bad rep then. I was banned from all the Bar Mitzvahs except a few kids whose parents were willing to take a chance. My 2 boys are that age now and I have to watch them go through some of this stuff. They're both pretty wild and I can only thank God that my teachers in 164 couldn't e-mail my folks every day with the crap that I tried to pull off.
and hatima tova to you as well.
Mitch

Hi Daniel,

Nice to hear from you after all these years. The website always brings back a flood of memories. A great social networking tool. I am thankful that I ended up in California. I do keep in touch with a few buddies from the old neighborhood and my wife and I love to go back to NYC for vacations. It sounds like things are going real well for you and your family. Our Governor
in California is looking for a 7 billion dollar loan to keep our great state functioning, brother can you spare a dime ?? Strange days indeed.
Regards,

Dave G.

Hi Danny,
I got your e-mail, though I can't imagine what you think is personal after 40 years, so I'll comment on the open forum in case anybody out there has a better memory than me.
I have no memory of any party that I wanted to go to with Linda Sanders, it's not that I didn't have a crush on her but the time line seems wrong. I liked Linda when we were in 6th grade and I even remember a trip we took to the old World's Fair with Robbie Sues and Robin Strauss. But by the time 6th grade was over, she was already hot and heavy with Richie Piazza (see 164 Ballplayers) and I had moved on. In 7th grade at Campbell I hung out with Robin Strauss, Lori Goldman and Barbara Singer and I have no idea whatever became of them. I have no idea who Andrea Brandon or Gail Modeck are, so be sure you're not confusing me with someone else. I'm certain Mrs Sondike went to her grave cursing me, or if she's still around, is still babbling about me in some old-folks home. I wasn't an easy kid and she took revenge by leaving me the only kid from the IGC who didn't get to go on to SP in JHS. Which made me pretty upset at the time, but in retrospect was totally justified..
Your kids are welcome to visit, I get friend's birthright kids all the time. Be careful that I don't turn them into little Zionists.
Mitch

Hi Danny.
I can't remember the source of the inspiration, but it was probably Hogan's Heroes or the movie "The Great Escape" with Sreve McQueen. WWII and Hitler were familiar topics around my house as my folks were both Polish Concentration Camp survivors. They would often compare my poor behavior with what the Nazis put them through, so I kinda got used to that stuff. You can write me also at mspilcer@012.net.il
Mitch

Hi danny. It's great to hear from you. I never thought anyone would read my profile. I was coerced into writing my bio from a colleague of mine who happened to be an alumnus of '67 and practices two blocks from my office in Kingston, NY. Amazing. What a small world. I remember spending a lot of great times with you and even remember your house which I pass by several times each month when I visit my folks. I also recognize several people, Nancy Schachter ad Tiv, on your comment wall. It's really great to hear from you. I always knew you would be an optometrist like your dad. By the way, I don't work at Wal-Mart. Couldn't meet the requirements, so I ended up being a periodontist instead. Hope to talk to you soon and maybe even find an opportunity to meet.

Sam

Hi Danny,
Shana tova,
I went to visit my folks in Queens during the summer and passed by 164 and hung out on Main St. and even had dinner at Angelos with Wendy Feldman and Nancy Goldstien.
Living in a small village in the Galilee where I keep very busy as a farmer and an innkeper. I have 2 boys in the 5th and 6th grade who are always in trouble at school. I wonder where they got that from. Thank God they didn't have teachers e-mailing your parents everyday with the crap you did when I was a kid.
Mitch

Hi Danny:

OK. So first the apologies. I remember bugging you all the time in Hebrew School - sorry about that. I have never forgotten you, because one time you had a pencil in your hand and you were pushing me away (for good reason - I deserved it) and the pencil caught a bit of my cheek and left a very small (hardly noticeable) spot on my left cheek. My mother queried me about it when I got home and I told her I stuck myself by accident. Well that small spot is still there to this day! I bet you don't remember that at all. I remember that you took karate lessons (or some other martial art).

I see you are still very skinny. I'm not as trim as I was back then, but in reasonably good shape (much better than Tiv!!!)

I'm married, two boys 21 and 17 - also have a Jared - my oldest. Youngest is Joel.

Anyway - nice to hear about you. I keep in contact with Andy and Mitch Pilcer (you may remember him) and Nancy Shachter Barr. Nancy is coming to town next week with her husband and the four of us will have dinner.

Happy New Year.

I'm sure we are, I'm just not sure how. There aren't that many Hendras. They're all from Cornwall and they're all related. I have a wall plaque of Tony Hendra's "Deteriorata" that a friend gave me. And my boys both got a kick out of "This is Spinal Tap" (that same friend of mine was buddies from childhood with Chris Guest, also of National Lampoon, just to show what a small world it is). I'm proud to have a famous wise guy in the family. I like to think we share those genes.

So you had to suffer junior/senior high school like the rest of us, eh? Too bad... ;-)

Guess you must have been out at the new campus in Amherst. I was there from '66 to '70, back on the old campus. There were peace riots every spring in those years - spring semester '69 was cut short in April to send students home - and the Student Union was the very center of campus activity. The new campus was designed without a Center so that would never happen again. And I don't believe it ever did. Interesting place, UB... But then, so is PS 164.

Nice to make your acquaintance, Dan!

Hi Dan, Fun to hear from you! Several years ago, I was looking for old classmates online and I found a Daniel Meltzer that I was sure was you. I told him I still remember the word you beat me with in the spelling bee - biliousness. How could any sixth grader know that word? I'm living on the Central Coast of California, have been here since '79. Coincidentally, I pulled out my old autograph album last night, reminiscing with Michelle Miller, who is staying with me for a couple of days.

Perhaps -- and this is no guarantee -- around Thanksgiving. Maybe sooner, depending on the status of a particular project.

Hi Dan - I don't think we knew each other, but your bio caught my eye. I graduated from SUNY Buffalo myself, in 1970 - 4 years before you. But I graduated from PS 164 in 1961 - 8 years before you. Looks like you didn't spend much time in junior or senior high school. I'm envious - and impressed! Guess you weren't just a great speller, as Andy mentioned...