1931: THE LAWTONS OF HAMILTON

THE LAWTON FAMILY NAME IS LEGENDARY IN THE LIBERTY-NEWKIRK-HAMILTON COLONIAL AREA. SOME YEARS AGO, I WROTE A COLUMN RECOUNTING THE REUNION OF CIVIL WAR CAMP OLDEN VETERANS BEING HELD BY THE LAWTON BROTHERS ON THEIR FARM IN THE AREA OF HAMILTON AND LIBERTY STREET. THE LAND ON WHICH KUSER SCHOOL IS LOCATED WAS PURCHASED FROM THE LAWTONS FOR $1.00. I HAD THE ACTUAL RECEIPT MANY YEARS AGO, BUT UNFORTUNATELY A BASEMENT WATER PROBLEM DESTROYED A NUMBER OF HISTORIC ITEMS WHICH I CARELESSLY LEFT IN A BASKET ON THE FLOOR.

1947: KUSER HONOR ROLL

HERE THEY ARE.....THE HONOR STUDENTS FROM KUSER FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY, 1947. IF THIS WERE THE YEAR 1946, I WOULD HAVE BEEN AMONG THE HONOR ROLL LISTINGS. I WAS AN HONOR STUDENT ALL THROUGH MY KUSER YEARS UNTIL 1947. IT WAS DURING THAT YEAR THAT I DISCOVERED GIRLS AND GAVE THEM MORE ATTENTION THAN MISS AMY BELLE SMITH'S ARITHMETIC CLASS...I JUST COULDN'T GRASP THAT ELEMENTARY ALGEBRA.

1940'S: MISS (MRS.?) MCELHENNEY'S 2ND GRADE

THIS IS ANOTHER PHOTO THAT WAS DESTINED FOR THE RECYCLE BIN. THANKFULLY, I WAS ALLOWED TO GO THROUGH THE TRASH BAG AND SALVAGE IT AND A NUMBER OF OTHER ORIGINAL PHOTOS OF VARIOUS CLASSROOM PROJECTS. MCELHENNY WAS A TEACHER AT KUSER SCHOOL. DON'T MISS THE TWO "SWINGING DOORS SHOWN IN THE PHOTO NEXT TO THE EXHIBIT. THEY GAINED US ENTRANCE TO THE "CLOAK ROOM." REMEMBER THEM?

1951: KUSER CLASS OF '51

THERE'S MY BOYHOOD SHORTSTOP IN THE FIRST ROW, SECOND FROM LEFT, ALEX BENCIVENGO.. DAVE SNEATH, LEFT BACK ROW IN POSITION NUMBER ONE, EDDIE PETERSON, 6TH FROM THE LEFT IN THE BACK ROW, ALSO AN ACQUAINTENCE FROM OUR YOUNGER DAYS IS IN THIS CLASS, ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF KUSER KATS WITH WHOM I AM QUITE FAMILIAR.

1921: EMILY C. REYNOLDS

BEFORE SHE WAS A KUSER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, BEFORE SHE HAD A MIDDLE SCHOOL NAMED FOR HER, MISS REYNOLDS WAS A COMMON, EXTRAORDINARY TEACHER. SHE WAS ALSO A NATIVE OF THE BROMLEY SECTION; HER HOME WAS ACROSS FROM THE FAIR GROUNDS ON NOTTINGHAM WAY. THIS LETTER OF APPOINTMENT AS A TEACHER IS FROM MY KUSER SCHOOL FILES.

1947: KUSER ANNEX "CRIER"

FOLLOWING ARE A FEW PAGES FROM KUSER ANNEX 1947 NEWSPAPER, "CRIER." NOT JUST BECAUSE THIS WAS MY CLASS, BUT MORE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ENTRIES ARE SO VERY INTERESTING THESE 60 YEARS LATER. THANKS TO BILL "BEB" PETERS AND LORRAINE FEEHAN MAY WHO HAVE BEEN VERY KIND CONTRIBUTORS TO MY KUSER AND HAMILTON COLLECTION.

1947 KUSER ANNEX "CRIER," PAGE 2

1947: KUSER ANNEX "CRIER" PAGE 3 (CARLTON WILLIAMS WROTE "KEYOLE GRANNY")

1947: KUSER ANNEX

THIS IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF KUSER ANNEX "CRIER" SCHOOL NEWSPAPER PAGES I HAVE DIGITIZED. MY FRESHMAN YEAR AT "KA" WAS THE ONLY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE I HAD IN FOUR YEARS AT HHS. MISS LARZALERE WASN'T MY FAVORITE TEACHER, AND I CERTAINLY WASN'T HER FAVORITE STUDENT. SHE TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE UP MY AFTER SCHOOL JOB AT KUSER FARM OR FORGET ANY PARTICIPATION IN THE SPRING ENTERTAINMENT, OR ANY OF THE VOCAL MUSIC PROGRAMS. I WAS DEVASTATED, BUT MY MOM AND POP GLOVER NEEDED ALL THE EXTRA MONEY WE KIDS COULD BRING IN, SO I SADLY ACCEPTED THE FACT THAT I HAD TO FORFEIT ONE OF THE LEAD PARTS IN THE ANNUAL 9TH GRADE "SPRING ENTERTAINMEN," THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM, AND ALL THE OTHER EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.

1947: THEY WERE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE...

....YES, THE LOVE OF MY LIFE ......UNTIL SHIRLEY, MARYANNE, MADELINE, MARY, KAREN, JOAN AND FINALLY JUDY, MY WIFE OF 54 YEARS CAME ALONG!

1923: ROSALIE KUSER SCHOOL

DID YOU KNOW THAT KUSER SCHOOL WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED "ROSALIE KUSER SCHOOL" BACK IN THE VERY BEGINNING YEARS OF KUSER? EARLY ARTICLES IN THE "DAILY TRUE AMERICAN" AND "TRENTON STATE GAZETTE" BEGAN SHORTENING THE NAME TO "KUSER" A FEW YEARS AFTER THE 1909 DEDICATION .

2007: COME BACK TO GRAMMAR SCHOOL WITH TOM!

DICK AND JANE, MULTIPLICATION TABLES, DIAGRAMMING SENTENCES, NO COMPUTERS, NO TYPEWRITERS, NOTHING BUT PAPER, PENCILS AND STRAIGHT PENS, RECEPTIVE STUDENTS AND DEDICATED TEACHERS.....WE'LL RECALL THEM ALL IN THIS INTERESTING PROGRAM WHICH I WILL BE PRESENTING AT KUSER MANSION. I HOPE TO SEE AT LEAST A FEW OF MY VIEWERS THERE!

2007: JESSE ANDERSON: 1933-2007

TOM'S NOTE TO NEWCOMERS TO THIS SITE

DOUBLE CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT AND RIGHT CLICK ON IT TO SAVE IT TO YOUR COMPUTER'S HARD DRIVE OR OTHER STORAGE DISK . MOST NEWSPAPER ARTICLES CAN BE COMFORTABLY READ WITH THE EXCEPTION OF VERY LARGE GRAPHICS WHICH REQUIRE A HI RESOLUTION LCD MONITOR. DON'T FORGET TO SIGN THE GUEST BOOK. COMMENTS PRO AND CON INVITED.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK THE ARCHIVES

AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PAGE!

(CREDIT THE HAMILTON TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY LOCAL HISTORY,

TOM GLOVER COLLECTION.)

JULY 15 2007: "KUSER KONCERT"

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE AN AUDIENCE FOR "THE MUSIC WE GREW UP WITH!" EVEN THOUGH THE MEDIA IN GENERAL PREFERS TO CATER TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION, WE IN THE SENIOR CITIZEN COMMUNITYSTILL RECOGNIZE GOOD MUSIC WHEN WE HEAR IT....WE CAN ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS!THIS GRAPHIC IS A VIGNETTE OF THE SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2007 KUSER FARM CONCERT WHERE MORE THAN 100 OF OUR CITIZENS CAME FOR AN EVENING OF LISTENABLE MUSIC. SON TOM JR. AND I WILL BE "BACK ON THE FARM" EACH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FROM 6 TO 8, WEATHER PERMITTING.

2007: KUSER FARM SUNDAY EVENING SUMMER CONCERTS

2007: STARTING SUNDAY, JULY 8TH

I will be hosting the early Sunday evening music programs at the Kuser Farm Gazebo this summer from 6 to 7:30 or 8 PM. The success of my outreach programs to senior citizen groups throughout the area over the past 20-plus years led me to believe that I could bring the same musical program to the summer visitors that I have been performing over the years. Most of those who attend the summer Kuser concerts love and respond to the "easy listening" nostalgia type of music, as opposed to the contemporary music of the younger generation. We'll be singing, dancing and listening to the music of Perry Como, Mario Lanza, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Barry Mannilow, Patti Page, Rosemary Clooney, Don Cornell. Classic country music, easy listening love ballads, silly songs, the 40's, the 50's, the 60's, World War II, you name it, we're probably going to sing it.

ALL SONGS WILL HAVE UNDERSTANDABLE LYRICS!
ALL SONGS WILL HAVE A MELODY!
ALL SONGS WILL HAVE A "G" RATING!

I hope to see many of my senior citizen friends at the concerts, and I encourage them to bring members of the younger generation to listen to "The Music We Grew Up With.
"OH YEAH, I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THAT LITTLE CONCRETE DANCE FLOOR IN FRONT OF THE GAZEBO. I WELCOME ALL OF THE DANCERS IN OUR MIDST. WE'LL HAVE POLKAS, LINE DANCING, JITTERBUG, WALTZES, FOX TROTS, OLD FASHIONED "CHEEK TO CHEEK" DANCING AND MAYBE EVEN "THE STROLL!

"THERE WILL BE NO RAIN DATES.

A Mystery Kuser School Stage Play

Thanks to Audrey Homan Sperling HHS '48 for this photo of a mystery Kuser School stage production. There's Marilyn Van Marter, sister of my Hamilton High Class of '51 classmate Shirley Van Marter, Angelo Calabrese, brother of another HHS '51 classmate, the late Lenny Calabrese, Bob Mohr, brother of still another HHS '51 classmate, Lois Mohr.

1945: Kuser Annex

Perhaps one of our viewers remember Mrs.Dunphey. By the time I got to Kuser Annex in 1948 she had moved on so I never had the privilege of meeting her. I suspect that she was replaced by Mrs. Veronica Larkin.

Betsy Scott Fitzmeyer said...

I do so much treasure the memories from Kuser Annex 1946-1947, especially Latin Class, and as co-captain of my cheerleading team. There used to be a picture of the team displayed at KA. I would love to have a copy of it to pass on to my children. Any ideas about whom I should contact??

1959-1960: RUTH PARKER, KUSER PRINCIPAL

They couldn't have chosen a better replacement for Emily C. Reynolds than this lady! She was cut from the same cloth as Miss Reynolds. Both were fair but very strict disciplinarians and at the same time loved and respected by her students.

Betsy Scott Fitzmeyer said...

Ruth Parker was one of the two best teachers I had at Kuser during 8th grade. The other was Irene Gaydos.

I began school at Kuser, which was supposed to be named after my great, great grandfather Henry Lawton who donated the land for the building of the school. In any event, I still cherish my memories of my days at the school, and of Miss Reynolds and Mr. Shockey, the scool's custodian.

7:31 AM

BETSY SCOTT FITZMEYER SAID:

Fascinating! I very much liked the same two teachers, although Mrs. Carnochan (spelling?) was my all time favorite. I recall Miss Parker lecturing us to keep the collars on our blouses down. The latest fashion was to wear them up in celebration of be-bop. Miss Parker would not allow us to use ball-point pens. They were pretty messy when the first came out, but so, too were the ink wells we were asked to use. I loved to watch Miss Parker write. She had a way of "winding up" in a circular motion before she let the pen hit the page.
Henry Lawton was my great grandfather, and William Henry Lawton, my father, was the oldest of Henry Lawton's grandchildren (born 1900). Dad told me that his grandfather wanted the school named after the Civil War Camp because it was on that very land that the soldiers had camped. I would like to talk withBetsy Scott Fitzmeyer to find out what our relationship is. I had not known she existed until I read the article. It would be fun to talk to her if she is agreeable.

Tom's note to Betsy: I changed the spelling of Miss Carnochan's last name to a closer semblance of the actual name, but I can't say that my spelling is correct.