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Image provided by: Farmingdale Public Library
00 ? vo ^ s I I I s DOES ANYONE REMEMBER DAVID? i I Sometimes when I sit working quietly in my third floor classroom during the relax- ed, early morning minutes be- fore students drift in and first period begins, I think of David. \His\ desk sits near the window bathed in fresh sunlight. A new student sits there now, but dur- ing these reflective moments I slip back a year in time and see the serious face of David, his boyish ruggedness framed by his red, curly hair and suffused in the warm light of a winter sun. He only occupied the desk for a few brief months last year - with no special regularity in either his attendance or atten- tion - yet, during these moments it still belongs to him. David is gone now, not only from this desk, but from the world: dead at the age of six- teen. His edeath a year ago caused no great stire in this little, insular world wedged within the walls of a public high school. A few restrained tears from a classmate or two, a sober announcement over the school's PA system during homeroom, a thoughtful letter from his be- reaved parents tacked to the bulletin board to express their grief to the few who knew him; these small gestures blinked briefly as a period mark after the short flash of energy that was him. It troubled me then as it does even now: not why he died, but why he went so unnoticed while he lived. I might even By RICHARD WEISSMANN know the answer, but that too bothers me. David was not a student. He cut too many classes, drew motorcycles and Rock logos in his notebook when he came, rarely did his homework, and slouched with graceful abandon while his eyes took on the fara- way look which betrayed his private escape from the routine of school. Although a fine la- crosse player, he was not a school athlete either. He smoked Marlboros in boxes, drank a few too many beers, worked after school at a gas station, stayed out late \partying scaled frisbees on morning sidewalks. Among the students he was an outsider, a loner who wander- ed the fringe of our tightly knit high school world. He sometimes hung out with the mixed-up bunch who always seems to live on the sidewalk in front of high schools every where; sprawl- ing on car hoods, smoking, spitting, brawling, ratthng chains, and stomping their cleat- ed boots against the building with endless frustration and bravado. But he was not truly one of them either. He was different; he didn't have their anger; his sensitivities were finer, and he spoke quietly and with thought. You might not have guessed this from his appearance be- cause he wore the uniform well. Heavy, chrome-plated wallet chain slung low across one hip mm m£wmi.? YOU.LL QET ALONG JUST SWIMMINGLY WHEN YOUR CAR IS CHECKED HERE BEFORE YOU GO TORBORG & SONS East Rockaway Garage DAVISON PLAZA LY 3-6290 EAST ROCKAWAY Rudes, Schatz & Maguire ATTORNEYS & COUNSELORS AT LAW Competent and Experienced General Practitioners HuuUfaig: FAMILY MATTERS • CRIMINAL MAHERS Oivovce, both in New York Sttte and in Santo Dominpo; Separation Agreementa and Separatioii Actiont; Actions to Annnl a Marraife REAL ESTATE • Contracts and Closinss of Sale or Puidiaae NEGLIGENCE • ^ ^^ ^ ^ Accident and 149 BrMclway, Malpractice eases 8>3>7100 niiiiiti'^iiiiiiiY'TifiiaitHiiTiwnaBBBaMiiiiiiii and weighted down with dozens of keys which rattled when he walked into the class as if an- nouncing the event. His boots were black, motorcycle style, thickly shod and awkward for walking. Dungarees rolled at the cuff, secured by a heavy garrison belt, and matched with a denim jacket emblazoned with Harley wings and Grateful Dead skulls completed his tough-guy image. But it was a pose, a stance, a swagger, anything to maintain the effect; the hard, independent mien of a boy trying desperately to be a man. The boy inside who gave in futiley to tests and tuned himself out of class discussions, could read aloud - when asked - in a clear unwavering voice, de- liberately and confidently. His writing was cramped and sloppy, a labored scrawl peppered with misspellings, butchered grammar and run-on sentences; but it re- vealed a mind rich in original thought, sensitivity, and a rare willingness to communicate true feelings. It exposed a boy in conflict with the rules, unable to inure himself to the disci- plined demands, of school life. He must have found it easy to disappear in the crowded school. Never a discipline prob- lem, always polite and soft- spoken, he didn't attract atten- tion to himself. His I.Q. and reading scores were too high to justify his placement in a special, slow class. His level-headed calm- ness kept him from the school psychologist. He drifted through school getting dropped from some classes for over-cutting, pausing long enough in others to remain a token student. Too much time and very little direction allowed him to become a \spirit a student who fades in and out of the academic world unchallenged and weight- less, always someone else's prob- lem. A subtle threat to the ordered process of public educa- tion, he eluded us with ease. On a bitter-cold, winter day last year, David returned home from a late concert, probably warmed by too much alcohol, perhaps subdued by the late- ness of the hour. He had been warned so many times about his habits that this time he found th the door locked. Sleeping in the car in the garage must have been bone-chilling. Sometime during the night he started the car for heat and was asphixiated in a cloud of carbon monoxide. It was no one's fault. We all helped it happen. The average American hen lays 217 eggs a year—versus 203 for the average British hen! SItbrarQ ^oUB E^ST ROCKAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY DISPLAY Photographer Judith Acker is a resident of Oceanside and a gradu- ate of Fashion Institute of Technology's Photography Department. She is formally of the prestigious Tcholak Labs and several photo- graphy studios in New York City. Her past assignments have includ- ed Georges Kaplan Furriers, Marekese Enterprise an commercial assignments for the Journal of the American Dental Association. As a mother of two young children, she is presently concentrating her efforts on photographing children. The display during the month of January in the library exhibits Judith Acker's new concentration on photographing children. LYNBROOK Come to Lynbrook Public Library and purchase your tickets for Symphony and Ice at Radio City Music Hall. Starring three Olympic stars, Peggy Fleming, Toller Cranston and John Curry, Symphony and Ice is an ice extravaganza you will not want to miss. The cost including bus is $22; the date is Saturday, Feb. 19th; 2:30 p.m. matinee. Tickets are on sale now. We regret there will be no refunds. January is a month of programs at the Library - something for everyone. Thursday, Jan. 13th, 7:30 p.m. - How to Prepare a Resume; Learn how to prepare an attention-getting resume. Tuesday, Jan. 18th, 7:30 pjn. - \Ragtime\ with James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Howard Rollins; America in the time of ragtime. Thursday, Jan. 20th, 8 p.m. - \Ask the Chiropractor,\ a health care lecture. Don't forget - Saturdays at 1 p.m., children's matinee; always a great film or films. Eleanor Simpson, Executive Director of the Long Island Tourism and Convention Commission, shows how easy it is to keep Long Island clean by using handy plastic litter bags given to the Commis- sion by LILCO. The litter bags are being distributed to tourists at the Commission's information centers and at 23 community art fairs and street festivals throughout Long Island. Pictured with Ms. Simpson is LILCO*s Regional Affairs Director Robert Duffy, who organized the Commission in 1978 and served as its Chairman. Since that time, LILCO has cooperated closely with the Commission's efforts to promote tourismand local convention attendance, which make a significant contribution to the Island's economy. \With over 80,000 visitors to our tourist information centers this year, it will be nice to give them this helpful gift,\ said Ms. Simpson. \The litter bags will help visitors leave Long Island as clean and beautiful as they found it.\ WH V S UFFER? two deMdM of CHIropractlc EKpdri«nc« that Xf\ . „ AND BECAUSe. the <pfnal »xamfnatlon will help aetermlpe If .yftur problem* •Veiplne.related n'-tl will respond to Chiropractic Care for Treatment. YES, WE ACCEPT ... No Fault (Auto), Workmen's Com- _ (Auto) 5 pensatlon, Medicare. Union Health Plans,. GHI (E), Nt _ lor Medical, as well as all othar major medical Insurance plans, as full few York State Ma- ^'.payment and on assignment. •Does not include x-ray, additional exam, ^If needed. Visits by appointment. 3684 Oceanside f #<OOP£RMAN (516) 678-6622 HIROPRACTiC OFFICE IVIQRH'S MODERN GL^^^ Tafce A«l¥anfg9 Of Our C^mpM* One-Stop Service For Ail Your Cleenlng « Leutidrf Needs THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRONAGE BRING IN $10.00 WORTH OF DRY CLEANING GET •a.OO OFF (incoming order only • must be accompanied by Utis coupon • no exceptions) (Expires January 1 5 , 1983) East Rockaway 432 Atlantic Ave.
