Circular No 1024

 

Newsletter for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

Caracas, 8 of July 2021 No.1024 July A

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Dear Friends,

Here is the second issue this month, and there will be more as news demands it.

Missing Classmates, Roger Henderson and Michael Herrera.  Can you help me in contacting them??

I thank those that have asked and have sent in funds anonymously.

At the end of this issue, you will find the instructions to send funds, I know your limitations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWMRzu5cwBI.

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

Tue, 1 Jun,

Dear Nigel,

Hoping all is well with you.

Below is a self-explanatory exchange between Ladislao and me.

George started a Wikipedia page for us a couple of years ago, and someone unknown has gone into it and done some editing.

It is not satisfactory at all. 

Would you have the inclination or time to have a look at it, perhaps in collaboration with George who was making himself an expert in Wikipedia and see if you can flesh out the page to make it more informative.

I am thinking of perhaps incorporating your pictorial history in it. 

That and some links to the 20-odd Blogs of Ladislao’s Circulars would be a major improvement.

Best,

Don

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Ladislao Kertesz <kertesz11@gmail.com>

Tue, 1 Jun,

Dear Don

Some years back, I believe that George Mickiewicz did something like that.

But I am not sure, at that time he mentioned that he wanted us to be in Wikipedia, like reserving space for our school.

But looking at the date of the last edition 5th of March 2021, maybe it is another guy.

It would be nice to know the author. 

Just checked.  It was created by George on 1 Oct 2016

Edited by john pack lambert who never left the USA. No idea what he did in the editing.

I can recommend an author for the job, Nigel Boos.

Ladislao

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Abbey School web pages

idmitch@anguillanet.com

31 May 2021

Hi, Ladislao,

Doing a search just for fun, I came across a very inadequate Wikipedia page for our school:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_School,_Trinidad_and_Tobago

If there is any among us who is an adept at Wikipedia,

I hope he can add some relevant detail and substance to the page.  

Wikipedia is a forum that will, probably, outlast all of us, and it behoves us to be diligent in adding appropriate detail.

Best,

Don

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From: "George Mickiewicz"

Subject: THE WAY WE WERE

Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:14:11 -0500

TO: ALL MSB BOYS

FROM: George (Yury) Mickiewicz better known as SHISH due to my polish accent/ pronunciation of the English language when as a 10-year old began to learn it at MSB.

So here we go……………..

The above titled 1973 movie THE WAY WE WERE, has a song that captures the emotions that I felt when I recently and accidentally connected to the MSB Blog page:

Mem'ries,

Light the corners of my mind

Misty water-coloured memories

Of the way we were

Scattered pictures,

Of the smiles we left behind

Smiles we gave to one another

For the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then?

Or has time re-written every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again

Tell me, would we? Could we?

Mem'ries, may be beautiful and yet

What's too painful to remember?

We simply choose to forget

So it's the laughter

We will remember

Whenever we remember...

The way we were...

The way we were...

I attended the Mount from 1956 through Form V graduation in 1962.

I was one of the “pagnols” and lived in Maracay, Venezuela.

My family immigrated to the USA in 1963 and I currently live in Collierville, a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee.

I worked with Du Pont at many different locations for 37 years and retired this past April.

Below is a list of some folks who came to mind as I reflected on the different individuals and personalities that shaped and impacted my early formative years.

1962 FORM V GRADUATES, DECEMBER 1962, CAST OF CHARACTERS:

STUDENTS:

David Bratt,      Peter De Morvay,      Jeffrey Henderson,      Eden Hutton,      David Da Costa,      Norman Tang ,      Jacques de Verteuil,      Paul de Verteuil,      Gerhard Most,      Jeffrey Gransaull,      Peter Laughlin,      ? O’Connor,      a seminarian???,      me and ……

My apologies to anyone whom I named incorrectly or forgot to mention.

OTHER BOYS WHO WOULD HAVE GRADUATED WITH THE CLASS OF ’63 BUT LEFT US AT DIFFERENT POINTS AND TIME DURING OUR 7 YEAR JOURNEY AT MSB:

George Iwaszkiewicz,      Alan Ho ,      Gerard Gioanetti,      Luis Izquierdo,      Monsieur TonTon?????,      Paul Zeven,      Joel Blandin,      Juan Nunez,      Edward Lloyd, plus some others that I do not recall. (need the email address for those that are underlined, ed.)

MSB STAFF THAT WE INTERACTED WITH BETWEEN 1956 AND 1962:

Fathers Bernard,      Eugene,      Jerome,      Augustine,      Peter,      Gregory,      Cuthbert,      Anselm,      Paul,      Benedict,      Christopher,      Ildefons,      Francis,      Ignatius,      Chrysostom, and ……….

Brothers

Vincent,      Bruno,      Crispin,      Anthony, and …..

Miss Kitty,      Hugh Henderson (he taught us in Form IV),      Mr. Rai,      Mr Yip Chuck,      Mr Thomas (he was groundskeeper for the playing fields, pool, tennis courts, etc.), Coaches ?????, the driver who took us to the “dentist” on Wednesdays in POS, and ……

God willing, I hope to contribute to future editions with the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Beautiful of my MSB memories plus my current life.

May God bless y’all and your families,

George

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From: "Don Mitchell, QC" <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

Subject: THE WAY WE WERE

Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006

Thank you, George,

I am sure that Ladislao will be happy to hear from another long-lost survivor.

It is really good to hear from you.

Keep well.

Don

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From: aj.mickiewicz

Subject: SENDING INFORMATION

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:03:12 -0500 (CDT)

Que tal Las:

Terrific job, my brother, in creating the circulars and, most importantly, the benefits derived from them for the mount boys. 

In reading the different circulars it seems to me that you would like to have different information (pictures, attachments, message, etc.) sent to different "addresses". 

Please send me the latest specific instructions so I can send you the right information to the right place.

Have you received 2 notes that I sent you in the past 7 days?

Dios te bendiga,

Jorge

(You can use the kertesz11@yahoo.com, which is reserved for those that send in 50 words a year, ed.)

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From: "George Mickiewicz"

Hello Ladislao:

I was very happy to accidentally come across your web page.

Lots of good memories came back from 45 years plus ago as I read the articles and viewed the corresponding photographs.

I attended the Abbey School from 1956 through graduation in 1962.

Like you, my family lived in Venezuela .

We immigrated to the US in 1963 and have lived here since.

I married my wife Fara, a Cuban refugee, in1970 and we have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

I recently retired after 37 years with Du Pont but continue to consult for Du Pont on a part time basis.

We live in Collierville which is a suburb of Memphis , Tennessee .

May God bless you and all the Old (“NEW”) Boys and your/their families,

George “Shish” Mickiewicz

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Dear George,

Good to hear from you.

Sorry for the late reading but I have been a bit busy and the Circulars have slowed down a bit.

Your Circular would be No. 255 soon to be published.

I am glad for your photo, any xmas photos??

Also please send a short run down on your classmates, where are they??

Any contact with them?

God Bless

Ladislao

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From: "George Mickiewicz"

Subject: 1956-1962 MEMORIES - THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT

Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006

I am not referring to the proverbial apple, July mangoes, oranges nor grapefruits but rather that enigma commonly referred to as the opposite sex, women, fillies, girls, broads, chicks, babes, and have forgotten the Trinidadian idioms that we used……….

Greetings from Wilmington , Delaware , where I am attending a team meeting prior to a consultation trip to Baroda , India , next week.

I took time during the flights to reflect on my 7 years at MSB.

I decided to capture a few reminiscences on a topic that always has lots of interest to the male species and, in this process, provoke readers to share their memories and boast (lie) of their accomplishments in their early years.

My apologies to the ladies who read these circulars if you misinterpret my intents.

Please remember that I am going back 45-50 years to when we were very young kids.

My intent is not to demean but to honour you and all that you represented to us.

You were indeed a very important part of our lives.

I also invite you to share your recollections around this topic if you visited the mount.

MSB staff applied constant energy to prevent any contact between the sexes at the Mount in the period between 1956 and 1961.

The first breakthrough came in 1962 when, through some miraculous intervention, the Form IV and V boys were allowed to attend a dance at the catholic girl’s school in POS whose name escapes me.

Below are glimpses of my memory as they relate to this general topic.

* Boys with sisters were very valued friends as it gave one at least a chance to talk to a girl when the family visited the mount on a Saturday or Sunday. Being told that a sister liked you was one of the greatest things that a boy would experience.

* Boys strutting like peacocks in front of the young ladies to attract their attention when they visited resulting in a to and from dance of eye and body movements.

* A very good classmate friend being almost expelled for actually going all the way with the attractive young lady who lived near the sports field. Then being granted “superhero” status due to this achievement for the rest of his tenure at the Mount.

* The French invading Farfan territory…. By the way I met Priscilla in 1962 at the Howard Ho homestead and must confess that I developed a crush on her at the time. She, on the other hand, wanted absolutely nothing to do with me.

* Sports Day, Family Day, Anniversary Celebration were anticipated with great excitement because these events opened the door for lots of fantasies and potential opportunities but very, very few ever materialized as the mothers, fathers and monks were always on the lookout.

* Going to dentists with attractive female assistants; especially the orthodontist in POS with the blond bombshell. Then walking the streets before the bus left to pick up a girl. My personal record in this event was zero in 83 attempts.

* Non-Trinidadians not allowed to play Carnival to “avoid the potential to sin”; here having good Trinidadian friends was an asset because you could potentially be invited to their home and then be able to enjoy the festivities.

* The non-Trinidadians going to Mayaro Beach or The Islands during Easter vacations which was usually too short and, therefore, not cost effective to fly back home. In the presence of an attractive young lady you would always see a pack of hungry wolves frothing at the mouth with lust in their eyes. Boys would boast of conquest but no one ever believed them.

* The infamous “FEEL UP”, or similar term, denoting male-female skin contact with the inherent understanding that greater recognition was given by the boys for certain segments/parts of the female anatomy than others. This was the first topic of conversation when the boys returned to the mount after their vacations. The “conquerors” would share their experiences. The young boys would listen with great awe and respect to the old boys sharing their successes. These poor young innocents never knew that in most cases these stories represented lies, dreams and wishful thinking versus actual accomplishments.

* Let me now share with you one of my “feel ups”. I was invited by Howard Ho’s family to spend a day at their beach house located after you passed Maracas Bay . We had to go by boat as a road did not exist then. On the way there I got an opportunity to sit next to one of their cousins whose name I cannot recall. The young lady was probably 5 years or older than me. As the boat travelled and the waves rocked it, my leg came into contact with hers on numerous occasions. A little bulge developed in my swim suit and the SHIS brain went on overload with sinful carnal emotions, thoughts and desires. Eventually the little bulge deflated and moisture developed in my bathing suit………. due to the wave spray coming into the boat. Of course this contact meant absolutely nothing to the young lady. I do not remember today but I can just imagine the boasting and exaggerated untruthful stories that I told my friends upon returning to the mount.

* On another occasion I was “pelting” (recall this as the term that we used for throwing) for mangoes at the bottom of the small field. A young cute East Indian girl who lived in one of the homes in that area approached me with an indecent proposal. I got real scared, panicked, and ran away. I shared this event with 2 other friends who immediately rushed to the mango tree but the girl was no longer there.

In closing, T women were/are indeed attractive, beautiful, sexy, silky, mysterious, challenging, statuesque, interesting, and intelligent. Their black, brown, yellow, red, white and mixed countenances were/are indeed a sight to behold. If interested call 901-854-3950 for a ……

Hopefully some happy, good memories were rekindled in your mind and, perhaps, a few smiles shined on your face as you read these words.

Be blessed, be good and be safe y’all,

George (Shish, Yury)

PS – in my next note I will reflect on a different topic also starting with the letter S.

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EDITED by Ladislao Kertesz,  kertesz11@yahoo.com,  if you would like to subscribe for a whole year and be in the circular’s mailing list or if you would like to mention any old boy that you would like to include, write to me.

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Photos:

06GM0002GMI, George Mickiewicz

06GM0003GMIIND, George Mickiewicz

15LK7776FBHME, Henri Mendoza

19LK0010KMA, Kumar Mahabir