1950: Alex Bencivengo

Here's Alex, our star shortstop on the Plaag's Grove baseball field. We didn't have uniforms, we used rocks or bricks for bases, a baseball that was probably re-covered with black friction tape, and a bat that probably was repaired with a nail to mend a split. BUT.....did we ever have a great time playing our version of "sandlot" baseball! The young fellow you're looking at in this post was our star shortstop. Alex had the incredible ability to cover the SS are of the dusty infield like a vacuum cleaner. Alex was a dear friend during my childhood, and we had many good times together. I miss ya Alex, and think of you often. Alex was the "little brother "of Hamilton School Super Neil Bencivengo, cousin to a childhood crush, Madeline Bencivengo.

1937: Kuser Annex Soccer Team

Here's a team photo of Kuser Annex's 1937 soccer team. There will be more material on "KA" as I dig deeper into my collection.

1947 Kuser Annex "CRIER"

Even as Hamilton High School had their "CRITERION" as the official school newspaper, so too did we at Kuser Annex have our class newspaper. This is the cover on the Christmas 1947 edition. The paper was printed via mimeograph. I have digitized all the issues and they are safely preserved for posterity.

Kuser Annex 1947-1948

Here are 3 of my classmates at Kuser Annex in Hamilton High's class of 1951. Alice Schmidt, Lorraine Prieth, and Lucy Spera pose of the camera.

Many of the younger generation are not aware that Kuser School hosted Hamilton High School's 9th grade for those of us who lived in the Newkirk, Liberty, Kuser Road area of Hamilton.

FYI

Many people have told me that they save my "Sentimental Journey" columns and send them to friends and relatives out of the local area. My column is in the "People" section of the Times EVERY OTHER SATURDAY. Tell your out of town friends and relatives who have computer/internet capabilities that they can find my column published online on those weeks when it appears in the paper. The internet site http://www.njo.com is the site where the Times and the Star Ledger post archives, but it is somewhat difficult to get to the 14 day archives. I find it easier and much quicker to go to Google, and in the "Search For" block, enter this string:
TOM GLOVER HAMILTON TRENTON
you will find my column if it is a week when my column is published.

1934: Kuser 4H Club

SORRY FOR THE LENGTHY ABSENCE! FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS I HAVE BEEN LITERALLY OVERWHELMED WITH VARIOUS COMMUNITY PROJECTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INDULGENCE.

These young ladies are cooking the most delicious dinner for their parents. In my day it was known as "home economics," as I recall. There was no 4H group at Kuser when I attended in the 40's.

1937: Kuser Saftey Patrol

Here's a great example of the neighborhood school concept.
The students pictured are known to many old timers in the Kuser neighborhood. Indeed, that young man on the far left in the second row is my brother, Len, now in his 81st year. Over the years, I have received mail from Ms. Volz. Betty Johnson, shown in the first row, was one of brother Len's grammar school "crushes."

1937: Kuser Annex's Soccer Team

KUSER SOCCER 1932-1933

CLOSE INSPECTION SEEMS TO REVEAL THAT TO BE A SOCCER BALL, ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE A BASKETBALL. I OPTED FOR SOCCER DUE TO THE FACT THAT KUSER HAD A SOCCER FIELD BUT HAD NO BASKETBALL FACILITIES.

THE CLASS OF '32

CHANCES ARE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF VIEWERS OF THIS SITE WHO HAVE RELATIVES OR FRIENDS WHO ARE IN THESE MANY OLD KUSER SCHOOL PHOTOS. IF YOU DO RECOGNIZE ANYONE, PLEASE FORWARD THE INFORMATION TO ME FOR INCLUSION IN THE HAMILTON LIBRARY'S "KUSER SCHOOL" FOLDER. (thomglo@verizon.net)

1944: Class Photo

These kids preceded me by three years at Kuser. As can be seen in the photo, classes were fairly large during that era. Of course, I recognize many of the members, including Dick Soffel, Bob Reed, Rudy Goehrig, Gladys Dilts, Dorothy Glover (Yup, my big sister), and....well, you get the idea.... BASED ON THE SMALL SIZE OF THE PHOTO, I WILL RE-SCAN IT IN TWO SEGMENTS. STAY TUNED.

1931: THE KUSER SCHOOL ORCHESTRA

I HAVE AN INCREDIBLE SERIES OF VINTAGE KUSER SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH WERE DESTINED FOR THE RECYCLE BIN IN MY COLLECTION. THIS DIGITIZED VIEW OF THE KUSER SCHOOL ORCHESTRA, 1931 IS JUST ONE OF THEM. THE DIGITAL GEM HAS BEEN FILED IN THE "KUSER SCHOOL" FOLDER IN THE HAMILTON LIBRARY'S LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION., NOTE THE KNICKERS ON THE BOYS! IF ANY VIEWER RECOGNIZES ANY OF THE SUBJECTS IN THE PHOTO, I SURE WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE THE INFORMATION IN THE LIBRARY FOLDER.

A REMINDER FROM TOM

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE THE GRAPHIC.

AND

DON'T FORGET TO LOOK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS WEBSITE TO ACCESS THE PAST ENTRIES ON THIS SITE. THEY BEGIN IN JUNE, 2006. CLICK ON EACH MONTH, AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO START FROM THE BEGINNING.

1947: Kuser Annex "CRIER"

Imagine if you will, a sixty year old mimeographed newsletter which has been ravaged by age. Take one of those antiques, scan it to the computer, and with the magic of computer technology, all the tears, stains, discoloration, and fading print can be brought back to life, even better than the originals, and printed on much higher quality paper. Here is a page featuring one of my favorite "Kuser Kids,"Charlotte Wilson (Colye) with whom I went from Reception Grade to 12th grade at Hamiton High. The reprinted graphic is from the Christmas, 1947 edition of the Kuser Annex monthly newspaper, the "CRIER." We read once again about the life we lived back there a Freshmen at Kuser Annex, a group of Hamilton Class of 1951 students who attended ninth grade on the second floor of our much loved Kuser School. Here again, generations of the future will be able to access these files at the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection and see how grandma and grandpa or great grandma and great grandpa spent their educational years in the middle of the 20th century!

THAT VERY SUCCESSFUL KUSER FARM CONCERT

TO ANY VIEWERS OF THIS SITE WHO ATTENDED MY MONDAY, AUGUST 28TH MUSIC PROGRAM, "ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS MUSIC," MY HEARTY THANKS. I PRINTED UP 125 PROGRAMS, AND AT THE END OF THE EVENING ONLY 12 WERE NOT DISTRIBUTED, SO YOU CAN SEE THAT MORE THAN 100 LOVERS OF THE MUSIC WE GREW UP WITH WERE IN ATTENDANCE. UNKNOWN TO ME AND THE POWERS THAT BE, THE GAZEBO HAD ONLY ONE LIGHT. AS DARKNESS ENVELOPED THE LOVELY KUSER FARM PARK, I FOUND MYSELF BATHED IN THE LIGHT OF ONLY ONE VERY DIM LIGHT! I ASKED THOSE IN ATTENDANCE IF THEY HAD A PROBLEM "SINGING IN THE DARK" INSTEAD OF "DANCING IN THE DARK," AND I RECEIVED A ROUSING "NO PROBLEM!" THE SHOW MUST GO ON, AND IT DID. THE MANY POSITIVE COMMENTS I RECEIVED ON THE PROGRAM WAS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED. AS I AND THE CROWD IN ATTENDANCE SAT IN COMPLETE DARKNESS, I LIKENED IT TO SINGING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE WITHOUT THE FIRE!

COME SING WITH ME! YOU'LL LOVE IT!

I have been performing my music presentation in many local venues over the past 20-plus years. They have proved to be quite successfull.....not due to any great singing talent I may have but that success lies in the fact that I am bringing music back that we haven't heard in 50 or 60 years. Old songs like "On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City," "Maybe You'll Be There," "Sentimental Journey," "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," and literally hundreds of the songs we grew up with.

Many of the songs I learned while "Kuser Kat" back in the 1940's are part of the program. Long forgotten school music such as "The Erie Canal," "Pomp and Circumstance," "Long Long Ago," "Tying Apples on a Lilac Tree," "Go in and out the windows," "A Capitol Ship" (for an ocean trip was the walloping window blind. No wind that blew dismayed her crew...." Remember?

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! AUGUST 27

Circa 1943: Wartime at Kuser

Here's an article detailing activities at Kuser School during the WWII years. How well I remember "Red Cross Day! I still have one of those little red cross buttons around the house somewhere.

Mary Kelly: A Kuser School Legend

There are very few old time "Kuser Kats" who weren't in Miss Kelly's Reception grade. Back then, Kindergarten was known as Reception grade. Miss Kelly's room still looks much the same as it did in the 20's, 30's, and 40's. I recently visited the school, and Ms Crea, the Principal, allowed me to go through the halls and photograph some of the scenes of my childhood. One of the photos I took was the fireplace in Mary Kelly's room; much the same as when I was a boy. How many of you remember sitting on the floor while Miss Kelly read "Dick and Jane" to us? (And let's not forget Dick and Jane's pets, "Puff" and "Spot!"