Class of 1962: May 2011

Welcome !

WE THE GRADUATES, the illustrious class of 1962, having departed from our Alma Mater some 49 years ago, have moved through the world with good effect. Among our ranks there can be found; College Professors, Mayors, Lawyers , Engineers, War Heroes, Fire Fighters, Educators, Published Authors, Artists and Well-known Entertainers just to name a few of our many, many achievements. As of this writing, we have not yet uncovered a good horse thief or pirate, but we are still searching.

If you graduated Belleville High in 1962, please contact us !! Contact classmate Norman Price - norman.price_nj@yahoo.com

Or, join us on Facebook; you will find many of your classmates already gathered there at "Belleville High School Class of 1962"

Veterans Note: Our class committee maintains an on-line roster of classmates who have served in the Armed Services. You can view it here ==> Roster. If you have served in the military and your name is not yet on the roster, forward your information to the email address above and it will be added to the roster with thanks.

Please note: all "Links To Class of 62 Sites" are repaired and functional.

NEW - Classmate Ray Hackett has shared with us his collection of Basketball action shots and news clips. Click here to view the collection ==> Basketball.

NEW - A Varsity Football Program from Nov. 4, 1961 is now available in the photo gallery. The Program is courtesy of Classmate Nina Pipitone Colannino. Click here to view the Program ==> Program.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Cheerleaders !

We thought they would never end, didn't we; all those perfect Saturday afternoons at Municipal Stadium where we gathered throughout the Autumn to watch football, see pretty girls, eat hot dogs, pizza, salty soft pretzels, see our pretty girls, drink Coca Cola, cheer for the team and see all those pretty Belleville girls. Yet, they can still be seen, all those exciting Saturdays, in those clear images that rise up with the steam in our morning tea. Look carefully .. yes, I can see them now .. it's happening again!

There! .. coming out onto the field are the stars of the show, yes, it's the Cheerleaders. The football squad will be along in a bit, but they are not as pretty. Let's welcome the girls with a cheer of our own. C'mon, shout it out now:

Perky Judy, loud and clear, give our team a rousing cheer !

Nina, Nina, pretty lass, make them throw a touchdown pass !

Lovely Helen, once again, tell them - we need first and 10 !

Jackie, Jackie, cute and bright, tell them - get that ball and fight !

There are 12 girls in all, but first and foremost are those four lovely beauties from the Class of '62; Captain Judy Pirone, Nina Pipitone, Helen Denzler and Jackie Melius.

Do you remember the pep rallies in the auditorium? .. wow! I hope the young kids today are enjoying the experience of an indoor pep rally with an auditorium full of excited, shouting students, with rousing cheers echoing off of the walls! It's amazing how the old auditorium stood up to it
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To simply say they were enthusiastic does no justice to our vibrant, dynamic group of girls. Always the stadium was packed with a raucous crowd of restless teenagers; we really filled and vibrated those stands. Everyone within a mile of the stadium knew when a game was in progress. But the roar and din of the throng did not deter our girls. Confident and fearless, they stepped up and controlled the pandemonium, eyes blazing, pom-poms fluttering, performing eye-catching summersaults, lifting their megaphones, barking with girlish but commanding voices.

Our team is coming out on the field, listen-up as the girls swing into action ..
♫ Cheers of glory for Belleville High .. ♫
Hey Alex, he's our man, if he can't do it, Vinnie can, hey Vinnie, he's our man ... and on through the names of our stalwart gridiron warriors.
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One of the most valuable services provided by our Cheerleaders was to keep us abreast of what was happening on the playing field during the game. The loudspeaker squawked a lot. It wasn't easy to hear the play-by-play descriptions coming over the P.A. system, however you could hear the girls and could get a sense of the action from their cheers; for example:

Hey, hey, what do ya say, let's go back the OTHER way;

suggested that maybe things had not gone well on the last play. Or;

Push 'em back, push 'em back, WAY back

hinted that we might be in trouble. And there was;

That's alright, that's o.k., we're going to win it any way!

which meant, oops! If only we could have given the ball to the Cheerleaders ..

Just when things were looking really bleak and desperate, the girls would take command of the game. Do you remember this sequence that would bring us to our feet, screaming -

Take it away, take it away, De-fense take that ball away!

Hi ho, let's go, we got the ball now fight!

Let's go Belle - ville, let's go Bell - ville

Gimme a "B" [BEEE!] ...

Let's GO, let's GO, let's (clap) REALLY GO!

First and ten, first and ten, do it again, do it again.

The ensuing touchdown by the Bellboys would release a powerful roar, the likes of which we may not hear again in our lifetime. We would leave the stadium feeling exhilarated, congratulating the team and thanking those wonderful, pretty Cheerleaders who had made the day so exciting.