Newsletter for Alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
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Dear Friends,
Another newcomer to the Circulars.
The prayer to an Editor, long lines and good prose.
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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.
Sho 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-colored 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"
Subject: THE WAY WE WERE
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:49:35 -0400
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@mail1.dupont.com
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 kertesz12@yahoo.com, which is reserved for those that sent 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
Like you, my family lived in Venezuela
We immigrated to the US
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
Attached is a recent picture with my grandson Tanner.
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 Circular have soled 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 07:33:37 -0500
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
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 intent.
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 fro 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
* 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
* 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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We shall wait for the next S topic, coming soon in your favourite Circular.
God Bless
Ladislao
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Photo in this issue:
06GM0001GMI, George Mickiewicz
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