Back in high school days...

I was a very young freshman attending Theodore Roosevelt H. S. on Fordham Road in the Bronx, which was just across the Street from Fordham University. My home room was on the 4th floor on the northeast side of the building. My first class was on the 4th floor at the southeast corner of the building. The building was built in a "U" shape and you had no access directly to the south side of the building from the north side on the 4th floor. A knowledgeable freshman could go down one flight and race across the Causway that connected both sides of the building on the 3rd floor and come back up to the 4th floor and arrive early for the first class. You might ask, why would anyone want to do all this running and stair climbing just to be on time for his first class?

It is very simple. I wanted to impress the most beautiful girl I had ever seen! This beautiful blonde girl was in my home room class and also shared the first class with me, and as if it were planned, my home room teacher would ask me to remain after the bell rang to start the day to do petty chores for her. As all the students were on their way to their first class walking around the fourth floor, I was released a little later. I would then start my running down to the 3rd floor, race across the Causway, and back up to the 4th floor just to get their before this pretty blonde had reached our first class.

This went on for the first week or so without a word being spoken between us when fate stepped in and helped me out with an air raid siren warning. This happened sometime in September 1943, as all schools were mandated to run an occasional warning in which all classes were to march out to the hallways and line up against the walls and avoid all windows. We would stand around making conversation for about ten minutes until the all-clear was given. When we were filing out of the class room I managed to position myself next to this blond girl. Then a conversation started when this girl asked me how I got to the first class every morning before her when I left the home room after her? This was the opening I was waiting for!

Before the all-clear was given I got into a conversation with her about Frank Sinatra appearing in the Paramount Theatre in Times Square and asked her if she would like to go see him perform, as I would like to take her to see him. Without batting her pretty eyelashes this beautiful blonde girl told me off directly: "I do not care for Frank Sinatra and I will not go out with you!" I asked her who she did like, and her reply was: "ROY ROGERS."

(See if you can find Mama and Roy...)

Wishing to seize the opportunity to continue our conversation I offered to show her my short cut to the first class after the all-clear siren was sounded. When the all-clear was sounded I escorted this pretty blonde down the stairs to the 3rd floor, across the Causway to the south side of the building, and up the stairs to the 4th floor again. This short five minute walk was very much appreciated by me as during this walk I learned this pretty blonde's name was "JOAN MC INERNY."

From this chance meeting in the hallway we would walk to our first class together almost every morning. Then one day, Joan informed me that Roy Rogers was coming to Madison Square Garden and that she would like to see him, as she was a member of the Roy Rogers fan club. I did not hesitate for a moment and said, "yes you will! I will get tickets for us!"