Blogfinger

Rutherford High School gym. 1959. Photo by Jason Studios–found in the back of my yearbook. © Click to make sure we all were behaving ourselves.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

School dances were held in the gym.  The place was festooned with crepe paper streamers.  The slow dances were more like steamers. Cheek to cheek was the way. There was a live band playing Chuck Berry, Paul Anka, Buddy Holly and so many more. Music of that era was the soundtrack to our lives. Jackets and ties were essential for the dances.

Our school only had about 600 students, so we all were spread out over a variety of activities. I had best friends—three of them were the first team, but there were others orbiting and intersecting. Jeff (dark jacket, seen above with Priscilla, the corsage girl) was very smart. He introduced me to Hemingway. His mom was the town librarian.

Another friend was Tom (with the glasses.)  He once got annoyed at me for referring to him as  a “nonagenarian.” We were all in the band, and we all played sports.

Jeff had a motor scooter, and he would ride, with me on the back, through the Lincoln Tunnel to get to Greenwich Village to hear folk music and jazz.

I am the guy in the background looking up at the ceiling.  I don’t know why I was seemingly distracted at that candid and sensuous moment.  Maybe I was trying to focus on something other than that dark haired pretty girl who was so close. Note the “ducks ass—-DA” on the fellow with the light colored suit.

THE PENGUINS with a song featured on the soundtrack of Back to the Future.