Dr. Abby Gilbert Budnick's Comments

Hi Abby, Gordon told me about the website and I joined tonight.  You are one of the friends I remember well.  You lived across the street from the side entrance to the school, and we played at your home many times. I remember your mother, Joan (Mrs. Gilbert to me!).  Our mothers were Blue Bird leaders together.  And like my brother, I have thought of you when I hear Mikado or Pinafore.  Do you still sing?  I hope so. I've met PS164 alums and we all can still recite the Gettysburg Address and sing the school song, though you probably sing it on key!   I'm not very high tech, but will try to navigate the PS164 site and hope to connect.  Smiling with memories of a good time and a good place.  Nancy

Of course I remember you, Abby.  You were the pretty little girl I immediately noticed when I moved to Kew Gardens and entered Mrs. Bloom's class in 3rd grade.  After 45+ years I recently reconnected with Harold Schiff whose son is considering Case Western University here in Cleveland. He remembers you exactly the same way!  Here's some congruence:  Our son, Elliot graduated from Cornell in 2008, spent two years doing Teach for America in NOLA and is now a law student at Tulane.  He's 26; our daughter, Molly is 22 and graduating from Harvard in May!  I'm approaching retirement though I still enjoy teaching music and playing piano.  I agree with you:  Life is good!

Hi Abby!

Kindergarten was such a l-o-n-g time ago, that my memory is very hazy.  I hate to say this, but I do not remember you....there was a girl (whose name I forgot) who came home with me on a snowy day and once we took off our snow gear, my mother found out that we had not told her parents that she was coming home with me. We immediately got dressed again and my mother drove her back home where her mother and grandmother were crying and waiting for her.  Now..that was not you, was it?  If you were in the class of '64, then it may not have been me because I was in '66.  I actually called my mother in Tokyo last night to ask her and she did not remember your story either.  Sorry I don't remember....but then again, there are a lot of things I don't remember.  One of my classmates reminded me on this site that we once forged a signature and she came over to my place for lunch! (she usually ate at school, I think)...

By the way, where did you live back then?  We lived on 137th St. off 75th Rd.  I posted pictures of the old neighborhood when I went back for the Reunion. 

Even if you may have been mistaken or just my bad memory, I always enjoy hearing from P.S. 164 alumni!

Regards,

Yumiko

Hi Abby,

OF COURSE I remember you! How could I not? We were all such close friends back then. It's great to hear from you. If you ask Ruth, she is always amazed at the great detail I recall our childhood years. Ruth and I have remained the best of friends since "birth"....

I am in touch with Karen also. Ironically, I am meeting up with Rick Ginsberg for lunch this Sunday!

I am so glad to hear from you.....and I will be in NY this summer on LI.

I have 2 envailings to go to...both of my parents passed away in these past 4 months.

But, if you are around in June- maybe we can meet for lunch!

Send me your regular e-mail- we can catch up....

Great to hear from you,

Deb

Hi Abby!

First of all it is marvelous to hear from you after all these years! And how strange that last night I looked at the website for the first time in a long while to see if there was anything new, and today I got your note! What is amazing to me is how you and others remember things about me that I had forgotten about. I believe now that I wrote that TWA story about an airplane that flew into the twilight zone or something along those lines. How cool of you to remember it! I may actually have it packed away somewhere. My mother made up a scrapbook of much of my stuff like the play program. It's fun to look back on it.

Anyway, I have lived in the Detroit area for the past 35 years. I am an Optometrist like my dad was. I have a 17 year old son graduating from high school this year and now he is the one doing the school plays. If you are interested, this is a link from his recent performance in Beauty and the Beast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaQ98R9V_Gs  

He plays Belle's father Maurice and sings a duet with her. Although he has been accepted to several great colleges for engineering next year, he is also a gifted tenor and plans to study music as well.  He resembles me as a kid in many ways (not all good ones) but needless to say I am very proud of him.

I have also been in touch with Ruth Ellen, Debbie Moin, Ricky Ginsburg and Jay Singer through this site. I have always been friends with Bob Farkas and Larry Rothenberg and talk to them regularly, and still see Stanley Eisen when Kiss comes to Detroit. Ruth mentioned in one of her posts that someone should organize a class reunion. I think that would be great. The problem would be where to hold it. Ruth and Larry are in Seattle, Bob is in Dallas, Debbie is in Florida, Jay is in Cleveland, Ricky (and Myles Schacter for that matter) are in Kansas. Although I have not been I touch with either of them in years, I know that Eric London lives in New Jersey and Arvin Mirow lives near San Diego. They are both psychiatrists by the way. As we all have a BIG birthday coming up this year, it would be a great time for a reunion. Any suggestions?

So I hope you are doing well. My email is his2020@gmail.com

if you want to contact me directly. Thanks again for writing.

Harold

abby,

i have started to scan some photos and have the first one of the block i lived on around the corner from you.  will be scanning the ones of your father and you and i playing at the garden apartments.  if you'd like to see, please give me an email address to attach.  my regular email is: estherwasmydog@yahoo.

regards,

peter monroe