Family Focus

The Bagley seventh-grade class of 1964 with retired teacher Norman Gosman

Marty Levinson of Huntington Woods with

Norman and Ruth Gosman of Arizona

Sheila (Shana) London of Seattle, Ina Strichartz of
Washington, D.C., Amy Mason Hanegan of Seattle, Lisa
Silver of Nashville, Jolie Topper of Orchard Lake and

Alan Amberg of East Lansing at the
Bagley drinking fountain

Debby Ross Podolsky of West Bloomfield, Arthur

Lisa Silver of Nashville, Wendy Saint Gerstenberg of

Slabosky of East Lansing, Laurie Kosins Weintrob and
Shelly Ross Bassin of Clarkston enjoy brunch.

Garden City, Nancy Yakes Stone of Ann Arbor and
Jolie Topper of Orchard Lake celebrate at Sea Grille.

Carol Krugel Ellstein of Wolverine sing 1960s songs.

Different Homecoming

"Bagleyites" share childhood memories 45 years later at a weekend reunion.

Lisa Silver and
Carol Krugel Ellstein

Special to the Jewish News

T

hey say you can't go home again,
but don't tell that to the 65 stu-
dents, two teachers and assorted
friends of the Bagley seventh-grade Class
of 1964, who gathered at a recent weekend
reunion to reminisce and revisit their
childhood alma mater and neighborhood.
John J. Bagley Elementary School
is located on Curtis Avenue between
Roselawn and Greenlawn in northwest
Detroit. Previous classes attended Bagley
through sixth grade and stayed intact
through high school, but that wasn't the
case for us. Overcrowding at the junior
high school kept us at Bagley through
seventh grade; however, social turbulence
of the 1960s disrupted our friendships
and unraveled neighborhood bonds as
families migrated to suburban oases. Most
of us adapted to our new schools, but we
never forgot our Bagley roots.
"In an era before play dates, comput-
ers and cell phones, we played 'hit the bat'

60

June 24 ' 2010

in the street and rode bicycles through
the alleys," said David Rogovein of West
Bloomfield.
"We came out to play when someone
yelled our name in sing-song;' said Amy
Mason Hanegan of Seattle.
And we went home only when we
heard it shouted down the block:' added
Jolie Topper Warpool of Orchard Lake.
"For a long time, many of us had hoped
for a Bagley reunion, but nothing hap-
pened until last October at the Southfield
High School Class of 1969's 40th reunion:'
said Bennett Terebelo of Southfield, a
Bagley and Southfield alumnus married to
former Bagley classmate Suzi Butrimovitz.
"Nine of us spontaneously found each
other and began to reminisce Suzi added.
After the Southfield reunion, Bagley
school and neighborhood reminiscences
and reunion discussions continued via
e-mail. The list eventually grew to encom-
pass 110 former Bagley classmates now
living in Metro Detroit, outstate Michigan,
other states and Israel.
In addition to planning a reunion, the
Bagley group wanted to return something

to the school that had given them such a
strong foundation as children.
"Our classmates, along with the help
of local businesses, raised over $2,200
for school supplies, Christmas holiday
fun, field trips and a future carnival,"
said Marsha Ober, one of the fundraising
organizers and a social worker at Jewish
Family Service in West Bloomfield.
"Sending the kids on field trips was
paramount," said Joel Alpert of West
Bloomfield, one of the reunion organizers.
Over the past several months, six class-
mates spoke with current Bagley students
about how the school influenced their
lives and career choices.
"It was a great pleasure," local pediatri-
cian Dr. Marty Levinson said of his class-
room visit. "They just kept asking ques-
tions until the time was up."
The reunion weekend featured four
events. On June 4, former students, retired
teachers Pat Lieberman Binder of Ann
Arbor and Norman Gosman of Green
Valley, Ariz., and companions gathered
at Bagley for a tour and presentation
organized by Brian Kingston of West

Bloomfield. Evening cocktails at the Moose
Preserve in Bloomfield Hills followed.
On Saturday night, 1960s cafeteria-style
food was served at the Sea Grille in West
Bloomfield. In addition to mingling, a
filmstrip presentation of familiar child-
hood faces and landmarks enthralled the
group; an impromptu chorus harmonized
to school songs and '60s music.
"What a blast!" said Roy Gold, mayoral
candidate of Coral Springs, Fla.
The weekend ended with brunch at
Joel and Gail Alpert's house in West
Bloomfield, catered by classmate Paul
Saginaw's Zingerman's Delicatessen of
Ann Arbor.
Since the reunion, several people have
expressed a desire to continue our sup-
port of the school. Bagley classmates who
would like to participate in future reunion
activities should contact jjbagleyreunion@
gmail.com.

❑

Lisa Silver is music director/cantorial soloist

at Congregation Micah in Nashville, Tenn. Dr.

Carol Krugel Ellstein is a psychologist in Indian

River and Petoskey up north.

