blogjan2026

In this edition of the Prep '58 Blog...

Bob Bennett sent in a thoughtful tribute to the memorial page for Jim Barrett.

A shoutout to Ed Ciliberti for his response to last month's Petroc story. Mahalo, Ed. See Ed's comments later in the Blog.

We heard from Randy Orlowski and Walt about their recollections of Prep, which you can read here. We welcome stories you would like to share with the '58 gang.

A peek at another issue of the Petroc takes us into the second half of our freshman year, when things were pretty busy at Prep.

Bob Filoramo's son Mark created a video for his students that we think you will enjoy. It is available in this edition of the Blog.

We are reprising Bill Wittman's Scotland photos to provide another opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Scotland thru the lens of Bill's camera.

Another delicious recipe from Desserts with Stephanie...

...and photos from John Ricci and Vince of some really cute GG'kids.

Petroc Retrospective - Winter Freshman Year

We have been highlighting an issue of the Petroc in each edition of the '58 Blog and we welcome your comments.

This first issue of 1955 brings us stories about the success of the Debating Society, where we held our own, and then some - Jack Kennedy got a mention; full coverage of Arsenic and Old Lace, the year's presentation from the Dramatic Society; and a story about the musicians at Prep, both the concert band and the Prep Dance Band.

Of course, sports got a mention as the Prep basketball team ran into a few traditional rivals, and managed to get an upset win against Trenton.

Other stories about the the Glee Club, Literama magazine, and other clubs run the range of diverse interests at Prep.

Click here to see the issue.

....Ed Ciliberti

"Aloha Vince.

I liked the story of how St. Peter’s College and St. Peter’s Prep (then St. Peter’s College High School) were separated in 1954 in your latest missive. More interesting is the fact that we, Prep ’58, were the first class to matriculate completely under that new seal and motto, “Sub Umbra Petri”, or, “Under the Shadow of Peter”.

Actually, I prefer the figurative translation “In the shadow of Peter” which suggests a more “protective, fatherly or mentoring sense than the literal “Under” which suggests a more dangerous or threatening sense. Of course, Fr. Murray did wield his “Jugen” or "yoke" over the miscreants among us, so there is that!

The story also brought to my mind the motto of the State of Oregon where I spent a good time of my life: “She Flies on Her Own Wings”, or “Alis Volat Propriis” It reminded me of the time in American history that Oregon bowed to no sovereign.

The following is from Oregon’s Clackamas County Historical Society:

“The phrase, "She Flies With Her Own Wings," originated with Jessie Quinn Thorton (1810-1888), a Supreme Court Justice of the Provisional Government of Oregon. The words reflect the decision made at the third Champoeg Meeting on May 2, 1843 to form a provisional government independent of the United States and Great Britain. The motto appeared in Latin, "Alis Volat Propriis," on the Territorial Seal in 1854.
Oregon readopted "She Flies With Her Own Wings," as the state motto in 1987. In wake of the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment the phrase takes on an even deeper meaning that signifies both female independence and freedom. One that not only breaks through "the glass ceiling," but soars far above it.”
I should remember to clarify the clever bits of coincidental whatnot that my memory serves up periodically. Oregon is “weird”, you know. Spend some time there and it melds with you.

Ed Ciliberti"

Here's the NYT front page from January 7, 1955, 10 years before the USA got deep into the Viet Nam war...

Just in case your memory is as iffy as the Editor's, we found a site that lets you access the top news stories from back in the day. You can select the year and month, and the major news events for that period will be shown. Below are a few of the stories we found from 1955 from the thousands that are available.

February 24: Formation of the Central Treaty Organization.
April 12: The Salk polio vaccine having passed large-scale trials earlier in the United States, receives full approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
April 18: Death of Albert Einstein.
May 14: Signing of the Warsaw Pact.
August 18: First Sudanese Civil War begins.

You can see all the headlines and stories from the 50's right here!

Someone mentioned the Blizzard of '47, and just about everyone remembers it as the most snow since then. Vince told us that his father, who owned a deli in Union City, sold milk right from a milk delivery truck that had broken down in front of his store. Jim Heaney found a YouTube video about the Blizzard that was worth watching. The Editor took a look and found more than a dozen such videos out there. Google "youtube blizzard 47"

Bill Wittman told us that he and wife Peggy have scheduled a 10-day vacay in the Swiss Alps, and we speculated on how high the Alps were, and would there be an issue with oxygen at the summits. There were comments about trips folks have taken to Maachu Picchu in Peru, Denali in Alaska, and Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Tom Reilly said he keeps a few cans of Boost handy, as an Oxygen supplement, when he has guests coming to visit him at altitude in Colorado from their "sea-level" locations. Then came stories about the variability of the weather and particularly snow falls, and the notion that "You have to keep 4 seasons worth of clothes in your car."

We switched over to how things have changed - from the radio to television, from film to digital cameras, etc. Everyone had a mention of a favorite radio show, and there were nods of remembrance with each mention. Tom Reilly told us that he tunes into a forties radio station when he's in the car, and let us know that his wife has something to say about it.

Jim Heaney reported that there is a lot of money being invested in the next moon shot, with the goal of getting to the moon before anyone else, namely the Chinese. He mentioned that the moon shot was being considered as a first step in the race to Mars.

Also mentioned was the situation with the rapidly melting glaciers, and the effect it was having on countries that relied on the alternating melting/freezing of the glaciers in the past. There is a lot of info on Google on this... "south east Asia melting glaciers"

Jim also shared the situation regarding the closing of several agencies involved in tracking atmospheric conditions that have been closed, The Center for Atmospheric Research, for one.

There was a whole lot more, and you can watch it here.

If you can't make it to an in-person Cuppa, you can join the gang in a Zoom Cuppa, wherever you are. We have plenty of room, and there's no entrance fee. The next Zoom Cuppa is scheduled for Monday, Feb 9th @ 12:00 pm EDT. Vince will send out the meeting invitation with the pass code. Please keep the email!

We started off with an Organ Recital of sorts, with Mark Filoramo letting us know about his upcoming (the next day!) surgery. After it's all over, he will be minus one gall bladder, and looks forward to a little easier time of it thereafter. Mark has been on a weight loss program for some time now, and has lost over 140 pounds.

Bob Pipchick followed with a report on the progress of his post-op program after his neuro surgery on his neck. Bob reports that he has regained feeling in the area that was affected by the surgery, and can function for short periods of time without the neck brace he has been wearing since the surgery.

Dave reprised his now famous hickory daiquiri doc story, and encouraged Mark to tell the story to the surgical team before his procedure, as Dave has done before each of his many major procedures. We'll get a report from Mark on the surgery and the story telling next Cuppa.

We got into a discussion of cursive writing and a story about how today's students are no longer taught cursive, thinking it almost unintelligible.

Lots more chatter, and then lunch arrived. We took a photo and headed home.

You should join a Reo Cuppa if you can. We have had as many as a dozen attendees in the past, and would like to get a good crowd every month. We have scheduled the Cuppa events for the 2nd Tuesday each month to allow as many guys as we can to attend. Put the Cuppa in your calendar, and join in the fun.

We will give it another go on Tuesday, Feb 10th @ noon at the Reo Diner in Woodbridge.

Bob Filoramo's son Mark, a teacher at the Ross Street School in Woodbridge, NJ, using AI and his remarkable imagination, created a video for the students that we think you will enjoy.

It is a bit of a fantasy, but the presence of the students in the video, and the "magic" of AI allowed Mark to create an alternate reality for his students to broaden their creative horizons and allow them to experience a whole 'nother level of opportunity for self-expression.

A tip of the hat to Mark from the Editor who has some video creation and production chops of his own, and recognizes good work when he sees it. This is really good work!

Click here to see Mark's video.

Prep '58 Website - Check it out...

On a recent Zoom call, we had a discussion about the Prep '58 website, and discovered that several guys on the call did not know that there was such a thing as a Prep '58 website. Some thought that the Blog was the only thing available for viewing.

Vince went thru a very quick report on the website (see image of the Home page to the left) and invited everyone to check out all that's available. And there really is a whole lot to see!

The entire collection of Petroc's from our 4 years at Prep;
the '58 Book Library with reviews by the gang; various photo and video collections, and other features of interest.
We have all six of the photos from our senior retreat at Gonzaga, with most of the guys identified.
G'Kid photos sent in over the years;
Links to the '58 Petrean, Reunions, the After '58 Bio's, and a whole lot more.

If anyone has a suggestion for another feature for the website, send in your idea to Vince, and we'll give it a look.

Click here to visit the Prep '58 website.

Happy browsing!

We're stuck (again) at 41 Bio's...

We hope to get to 50 or more. If you have not sent in a Bio, please take a look at the Bio's we have, and send in one of your own. There's a dozen delicious chocolate chunk cookies just waiting to be shipped for sending in your Bio.

'After '58' got started in March, 2017, when we received this suggestion from Bill Kretzer to collect stories from the '58 gang about what they did after graduation.

"I think there would be a bushel of interest in interviews with each & every ‘58 graduate. I for one, since I went away to college and never returned to NJ, didn’t keep in touch as much as I should have and would be curious to hear how everyone’s life turned out."

Bill sent in his Bio, and 8 years later, we are at 41. We hope every one of the '58 gang will pick up on Bill's suggestion and send in their story in an email to Vince.

It takes no more time to put your story together than it would to tell it to your grandkids, so how about it? We will return the favor by sending a baker's dozen of Stephanie Grillo's famous Chocolate Chunk cookies. We've already shipped out over 500 of the best cookies you've ever tasted, and there's more where they came from.

Take a look at the whole collection of Bio's so far.

Desserts With Stephanie - Valentine's Day Desserts

Vince's wife Stephanie publishes a Baking Blog - Desserts With Stephanie - featuring 100's of recipes for cakes, cookies, pies and other delicious desserts. Her recipes produce delicious results, and are easy to follow. We have been featuring them in our '58 Blog.

Her Chocolate Raspberry Tart For Valentine's Day tastes delicious, so we thought you might like to try it this year. It's sure to generate a 'Yummy" or two. Click here to take a peek at the recipe.

If you like it, give it a Thumbs up. For more delicious recipes, support Stephanie by becoming a Subscriber.

Click here to subscribe to Stephanie's channel.

BTW, in addition to his duties as videographer, the Editor offers his services as an official dessert taster, and looks forward to sampling them every month. This treat is delicious and the recipe makes it easy to make. Try it!

Prep '58 Blog - January 2026

Petroc Retrospective - Winter Freshman Year

Prep '58 Website - Check it out...

We're stuck (again) at 41 Bio's...

Bill Wittman - Scotland Photos (They are worth a second look

Desserts With Stephanie - Valentine's Day Desserts

John & Joann Ricci - 4 GG'kids!

Vince's GG'son Rylee is 4 years old...