St Agnes, Sparkill Alumnui Guestbook

Also see the OLD GUESTBOOK ARCHIVES on St. Agnes home page.

There are currently 67 messages.
There have been 13510 visits since 2007-08-30
This page was last accessed on 2012-02-10

Name:	John J Friedman
Current City/Borough & State:	Dover, Delaware
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	1966-1968
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	y

Comments:

I arrived at St Agnes after the State of New York essentially “purchased” me from my mother, who had her own problems, in the summer of 1966. I remember the relaxing, pleasant vision of the lake out front with the statue of the Blessed Mother. Many different things about St. Agnes are permanently implanted in my memory – some good, some bad. We were bedded down in open bay barracks and each morning we found the day’s clothes at the foot of our bed. The next step was for us to trade with each other for size alone for the clothes were distributed among us based on what they were, not size. The strong survived and were better dressed than the weak and small. I remember, fondly, the church that we filled every Sunday which was truly magnificent. Once we took a hike across the street and picked blackberries. I was covered in fruit color and had a full belly but none to bring home. The other memory was the sound of the night watchman turning his key at several stations during the night.

I spent eleven years in the US Air Force stationed in Honolulu, Virginia and Dover, Delaware – four as a policeman and the balance as a loadmaster on the C5A Aircraft traveling the world. I owned and operated several businesses ending up as the owner and CEO of a mental health company.

I currently reside in Dover, Delaware with my wife Faye and son Travis

Name:	Michael joy
Current City/Borough & State:	New York, NY
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	Fall of 1965 to the spring of 1968
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	Y

Comments:
I was reading thru all the messages and came across one left by Danny Ortiz, back in august 2008, I remember that we were both practicing playing the bugle for memorial day. We were both picked to play taps at three sites along the parade route. We practice and practice and had gotten pretty good. Comes memorial day and at our first stop we got out and tried to play but it was so cold we couldn't blow a note, embarrassing for sure, our next stop was in the town were they had a memorial statue and a cannon. It was a little bit warmer but not enough for us to sound any good. Finally near the end we go up to a cliff over looking a cemetery, by then it was midday and the sun was overhead. We play well, on the way back we got a lift from a staffer with the parade and he said we were much better than those other guys. We both happy he didn't realize we were those other guys.. I have some good memories from st. Agnes.

Name:	michael joy
Current City/Borough & State:	new york, ny
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	1965-1968
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	y

Comments:
I was reading message number 62 by tony perez aka jose ortiz, can't say i remember him but do remember frankie sabital as we were in the same dorm. i remember mr. obrien who would call you over and hit you upside the head with his college ring if you got in trouble and sometimes i did. i remember mr. dockerty who would yell "you ninny" if he was mad at you. he was big on soccer i remember that also.  i remember frankie sabital hanging out alot with henry munge. i heard when i was at st vincents that frankie had died from some kind of intestinal blockage and they couldn't save him. i was sad hearing about it. some of the guys i remember were jaun mecardo, jack gonzalez, bertram sanchez, john welch to name a few. i remember sister ann catherine, sister ann lorraine, sister john amare, sister ann bernadett to name a few. 

Name:	LOU POPOLLA
Current City/Borough & State:	HAWTHORNE NEW YORK
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	1954...1958
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	NO

Comments:
THANK YOU DENNIS CASEY FOR YOUR COMMENTS....I ALSO REMEMBER  BILL MCGINTY...BILLY CARLING...JUAN ESCOBAR....GARY HANSEN...JOE BELLAN....LOUIE PARADISE....ALSO PLAYING CRACKTOP .....BEST MEMORY WAS LIVING AT THE COTTAGE  UNDER SARGE'S  LOVING GUIDANCE......

Name:	Dennis Casey
Current City/Borough & State:	Ohio
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	1948-1957
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	Y

Comments:
Hi, I found this site after my brother Jimmy told me about Victor Ortiz's message.

I was at St. Agnes from 1948 to 1957; my brothers Johnny, Jimmy, and Billy were also there.

Some of my friends were Victor Ortiz, Raymond Ortiz ("Kong"), Joseph Genardo, Howard Miller, William Santos, and Robert Pilkerton. I also remember Sr. Paul Denise, Sr. Basil, Sr. Dorothy Frances, Sr. Catherine Frances (5th grade teacher), Sr. Josephus ("Joe Beakie"), Fr. Jorn, Coach Jim Faulk, Monitors Mr. Joe Rosen and Frenchie, and of course, Karris ("the sarge").

Sr. Josephus would wake the bedwetters to go to the bathroom; she often shuffled about with the aid of a window pole. Sarge was a close friend of my brother Johnny in the Marine Corps.

Does anyone remember we called the bathroom the hod ("I gotta go to da hod")? I think this term originated from "the head," and we kids must have mangled it over the years.

Some of the games we played included killer tops, flipping baseball cards, and one of my favorites, "business marbles." In "business marbles" you take a box and cut various size holes in it, write a number above each hole, and if you rolled a marble in, you won that number of marbles; if not, you lost your marble.

I remember the skating rink in "little side"; if you only had one skate, you made a scooter by removing the rubber bushing in the front wheel. My favorite skates were the Union 5s.

Sometimes the groups all sat in the stands; we would have a sing-a-long, usually "I Went to the Animal Fair" and "Goodnight, Irene." I remember my good friend William Santos sang solo at such a gathering; he was that good.

Speaking of Santos, I recall one day, the guys and I, finding a steel drum. We rolled it up the hill (the same hill we did sledding and my brother Billy burned black). It was decided that we would take turns getting inside the drum and rolling it down the hill. William Santos volunteered to go first. Down the hill he went, screaming all the way, and particularly so when the drum would bounce a couple of feet into the air. At the bottom he crawled out, knocked senseless. I don't recall any of us taking our turns.

St. Agnes was the place I learned the value of money. I recall having some change, enough to buy a Mr. Big ice cream cone. An older kid pleaded with me to give him an extra penny I had. For over an hour we paced around a tree as he presented his case. Did I give him the penny? What are you kidding? A houses kid will take the shirt off his back for you, but don't ask him for a penny. That penny had no air left in it.

Of course the place wasn't all nice. Rattans, boat paddles, fists, and getting hit on your fingertips; things unheard of in modern society.

I ran away from St. Agnes three times, the last time was for good. It was at the end of summer 1957; I had wrecked a playroom: windows, light bulbs, etc. I was told to wait for the coach by the tree on the fellows field. It was run or die, I wanted to live.

The place had its special moments, especially at Christmas time. They had the world's greatest coffee; it came in pitchers, milk and sugar, ready to drink. I could go on about a lot of positive things, and there were plenty. But you know what the best thing about St. Agnes was? Us kids.

Name:	Tony Perez
Current City/Borough & State:	Pennsylvania
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	Summer 1964 - Summer 1968
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	Yes

Comments:
I was in ST. Agnes from Summer 1964 through Summer 1968.  At the time my nae was Jose Ortiz.  I was friends with Frank Sabital who is buried in the cemetery located there.  My old coach was Tom O'Brien, and my Soccer coach was Mr. Dockerty.  Oh yeah, I was able to contact Mr. O'Brien.  He is doing fine, and will be coming to visit me the end of this month September.  If anyone recalls any of this I would love to hear from you. 

Name:	Janine Paul
Current City/Borough & State:	Brooklyn, NY 11212
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	1980 to 1985
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	Yes

Comments:
St Agnes was a great beginning for my 3 siblings and I. Dominique Hines (Paul) now, Patrice Paul & Andre Pierre Paul. Ms Glasgow was my favorite teacher.

Name:	Mary Hackett Bailey
Current City/Borough & State:	Lake Katrine, NY 12449
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	Y

Comments:

I am writing to you as the oldest child of John Hackett who was a resident of St. Agnes from 1930 until 1940. He was 8 years old when he went to St. Agnes. His mother had passed away in Dec. 1929.

My dad played baseball for St. Agnes as well asTappan Zee HS.

Dad remained at St. Agnes after he was 18. He worked there and also drove for the Sisters. He remained loyal to the Sisietrs and visited frequently. We lived in Levittown, NY and the Sisters were at Holy Family Parish in Hicksville, NY, our parish. We were never far from Dad's family-- the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill.

My Dad passed away on April 2, 2007 at the age of 85. He was the father of 6 children, 12 grandchildren, and, 5 great grandchildren.

Name:	rt ovalle
Current City/Borough & State:	lake wales ,fl
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	1945-1951
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	yes

Comments:

still doing what the Lord enables.....His Magisty is Awesome. His Mercy even greater................rto

Name:	Howard A. O'Brien
Current City/Borough & State:	Anaheim, CA
Dates at St. Agnes(Sparkill):	Sept. 1944 to June 19545
Notify of updates? (Y / N):	y

Comments:
Hello Everyone,
I would like to hear from John Bell, Victor Berdicia, Donald Fallon, Richard luciano, Luis Rodriuiz

Leave blank for top of guestbook