Always a smile and a great sense of humor. Little guy with a big heart.
Some of the recent post got me to thinking about Laird. I seem to remember an old tradition in gymn class at MHS of giving "feeney birds" to any one who was late. Laird seemed to get more than his share of them and looking back that tradition real stinks. Following is the note he wrote in my yearbook, as I'm sure he did in many others:
"As you slide down the banister of life, remember me as a termite in a splinter."
I didn't know Laird never having classes or same activities but he always made the effort to say hi with a great smile to everyone passing in the halls. I'm sad he died so young he had so much to offer. Cindy
Laird and I were very good friends. I don't think I ever said anything but he would call me every night and talk. He asked me out a few times and I found it to be a very difficult situation because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I only wanted to be friends. He was a very kind and thoughtful person. Laird had an enormous heart for a little guy. I think I had heard he had been in a car accident after we graduated. I'm not sure. He will always be missed - especially with that great big smile and his wonderful sense of humor.
Laird was a friend and neighbor for many years. Went to Glenwood school together, his mom and mine carpooled. My brothers and I played with him in the brook behind his house on Elmwood Place. We were all little then, and had great times.
His family moved to the Parsonage Hill Rd area in Short Hills and Mary Diggs family moved into his house.
I was at U of Akron in fall of '63 when I heard about his fatal auto accident. He was on his way to college in the Midwest with friends and one of them was an Akron resident so it was in the local paper. So sad, he had grit and determination to succeed.
It's been well over fifty years since I've heard or spoken Laird's name. At first I thought it was a mistake. Then I realized folks were actually discussing HIM!
When we were in Jr High I had the lucky job of carrying his books from class to class. We were allowed to leave ten or more minutes before class ended. At that point I would do ANYTHING to get out of those boring sessions. I did that for two full years. We then went on to the brand new MHS. I can't recall if he was in our class. I lost contact with him.
The summer before we all left for colleges around the country, I came home to prepare for my experience. Almost the minute I arrived home my companions had nothing but stories about Laird. Everyone seemed to enjoy a different tale about his life and doings. He had passed away a short time before I came back.
If I recall properly, he had a small sports car rigged with special elongated pedals to shift and break. There was speculation that those had something to do with his horrible accident. I'm sure no-one will ever know.
It's curious that his life and times have been resurrected. I thought for sure I was the last person on Earth who remembered him. It makes me feel glad that he's still in the minds and heart of many classmates.
Great comments from all you folks about Laird, the only guy shorter than me at Glenwood! Not sure how this all got started about him, but it does bring back many memories from a long ago and different time. Laird, Bobby Chandler and I took a lot of kidding, but we gave back as much as we got, a lesson very usefull later on in life. Glenwood brothers and sisters, remember:
Marbles in the dirt next to the entrance.
Kickball in the parking lot. Homers kicked over the bicycle rack.
Mrs. S. third grade nature walks and her kinkajou which she would bring to class. No way I'd remember how to spell her name!
Fourth grade Monroe calculators brought in by Terry Tiffany thanks to his father. Wonder if one is in the Smithsonian?
Fifth grade with Mr. V, one of my most memorable teachers, another one I won't try to spell! Field trips to everywhere including my father's foundry. Mr. V. even took a few of us lucky ones on a ski trip to Vermont's Mt. Snow. The introduction of the "dial system" in town. Visits by Ma Bell to teach us how to use our new fangled dial phone! Yikes, how old are we anyway? I still can't use half the functions on my "not so smart phone." Daily postings on the board and discussions of the collision between the Stockholm and the Andrea Doria. Air raid drills, always a scary moment. Duck, cover and hold, yeah right.
In those days we rode our bikes back and forth to school, something rare today. After school the adventures began on the way home. Creating our own fun and mischief was the order of the day, sadly not so much for kids anymore.
Hope this brings back some of your memories as well. It always amazes me that I can remember stuff from so many years ago, yet can't recall what I ate for dinner last night!
You all got me thinking back on the days with Laird so I "let the time slide roll" and remembered this story that I hadn’t thought about in decades. He and I go as far back as I can remember and I was blown away upon hearing of his death in the fall of freshman year at college. Crazy tragic. We lived two blocks apart with me up on Baltusrol Way. There was a warm September day when we were probably in 1st or 2nd grade and had been playing at Laird’s house on Elmwood. In mid-afternoon, Laird suggested going to meet his dad at the Short Hills train station, his train normally arriving around 6. In those days, you will remember, we were old enough to wander far and wide around our neighborhoods and it wasn’t at all unusual at 6 or 7 years old to walk or bike up to Haggett’s on Chatham Road for penny candy where $.35 got you a chocolate milkshake and egg salad sandwich and a haircut a couple of doors down was still just a quarter. Heck, we walked almost a mile to Glenwood School (in my mind the queen of Millburn Township elementary schools) uphill both ways, of course, every day and always got our feet wet in the creek at Hartshorn Arboretum.
Anyway, having told nobody, off we treked up Baltusrol Way to the train station. I remember vividly getting thirstier and thirstier in the hot afternoon sun waiting for this train but wait we did. To help pass the time, we took our first chance at putting pennies on the track rail for the train wheels to flatten them like the older boys did. Dangerous? Maybe, but great laughs. The hours went by as did several trains and a bunch of flattened pennies but no train discharged Mr. Schoeber. Probably somewhere around 7 pm with the sun nearly setting and the street lights coming on, a Millburn cop car pulls up to the station with the officer inside motioning us over to him.
“Boys, are you Schoeber and Engler?” bellowed the officer.
Scared as hell, “Yes sir”, we shakily replied wondering, of course, what we could possibly have done wrong and why he knew our names.
“Your parents are looking all over for you and are worried sick. Do you know what time it is? What in God’s name are you doing here?”
“Waiting for Laird’s dad’s train to come and it hasn't come yet”, I squeeked.
“It’s Saturday, you knuckleheads, SATURDAY!” laughing his ass off, “Laird’s dad’s at home! Get in and I’ll take you home!”
Embarrassing, no doubt, but Laird and I could think of nothing cooler than riding in that police cruiser!
Great to see so many vivid and positive comments about a past classmate. I didnt go to Glenwood with him, or know him well. But I did fish with him and do remember him being in a good mood even at 6:am. Nice to see comments from two of my best memories from high school. Gilbert Engler and Ted Biddison. Two people that made my high school days better. That probably goes for more than a few other classmates.
It's been such a long since we lost Laird. It's wonderful that so many still have fond memories of their time with him! Laird was my neighbor, living directly behind me when I lived on Hartshorn Drive. We often got together at my house after school to do some crazy stuff...go hunting with BB guns, try not to hit each other with our bows and arrows or play with my crazy German Shepard. One fond memory I have of Laird is when he joined us for opening day of trout season at Diamond Mill Pond. We all had hip boots on to wade across the 50º water, but since he couldn't buy any boots in his size, he just walked in the water with sneakers. The air temp was frigid and in less than an hour his feet were frozen - we built a fire and got him warmed up. He never caught a fish and we had to carry him back over the stream.
Those were good years, and I remember Laird always having a smile on his face. When I think of him I am always saddened that he left us so soon after graduation.
Seriously John, he wasn't smiling, he was freezing. We went often , the 3 of us to diamond mill pond. Also with Phil Benn. We also caught frogs for the science class with the British teacher. What morons we were!
Alfred 'Cooker' Lotman
Always a smile and a great sense of humor. Little guy with a big heart.
Some of the recent post got me to thinking about Laird. I seem to remember an old tradition in gymn class at MHS of giving "feeney birds" to any one who was late. Laird seemed to get more than his share of them and looking back that tradition real stinks. Following is the note he wrote in my yearbook, as I'm sure he did in many others:
"As you slide down the banister of life, remember me as a termite in a splinter."
May he rest in peace.
Cindy Scofield (Steinmann)
I didn't know Laird never having classes or same activities but he always made the effort to say hi with a great smile to everyone passing in the halls. I'm sad he died so young he had so much to offer. Cindy
Ronnie Lozowick (Cusack)
Laird and I were very good friends. I don't think I ever said anything but he would call me every night and talk. He asked me out a few times and I found it to be a very difficult situation because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I only wanted to be friends. He was a very kind and thoughtful person. Laird had an enormous heart for a little guy. I think I had heard he had been in a car accident after we graduated. I'm not sure. He will always be missed - especially with that great big smile and his wonderful sense of humor.
Lois Schmachtenberg ((Mohler))
Laird was a friend and neighbor for many years. Went to Glenwood school together, his mom and mine carpooled. My brothers and I played with him in the brook behind his house on Elmwood Place. We were all little then, and had great times.
His family moved to the Parsonage Hill Rd area in Short Hills and Mary Diggs family moved into his house.
I was at U of Akron in fall of '63 when I heard about his fatal auto accident. He was on his way to college in the Midwest with friends and one of them was an Akron resident so it was in the local paper. So sad, he had grit and determination to succeed.
Philip Larson
It's been well over fifty years since I've heard or spoken Laird's name. At first I thought it was a mistake. Then I realized folks were actually discussing HIM!
When we were in Jr High I had the lucky job of carrying his books from class to class. We were allowed to leave ten or more minutes before class ended. At that point I would do ANYTHING to get out of those boring sessions. I did that for two full years. We then went on to the brand new MHS. I can't recall if he was in our class. I lost contact with him.
The summer before we all left for colleges around the country, I came home to prepare for my experience. Almost the minute I arrived home my companions had nothing but stories about Laird. Everyone seemed to enjoy a different tale about his life and doings. He had passed away a short time before I came back.
If I recall properly, he had a small sports car rigged with special elongated pedals to shift and break. There was speculation that those had something to do with his horrible accident. I'm sure no-one will ever know.
It's curious that his life and times have been resurrected. I thought for sure I was the last person on Earth who remembered him. It makes me feel glad that he's still in the minds and heart of many classmates.
Take Care Mates!
Phil Larson
Ted (Ed) Biddison
Great comments from all you folks about Laird, the only guy shorter than me at Glenwood! Not sure how this all got started about him, but it does bring back many memories from a long ago and different time. Laird, Bobby Chandler and I took a lot of kidding, but we gave back as much as we got, a lesson very usefull later on in life. Glenwood brothers and sisters, remember:
Marbles in the dirt next to the entrance.
Kickball in the parking lot. Homers kicked over the bicycle rack.
Mrs. S. third grade nature walks and her kinkajou which she would bring to class. No way I'd remember how to spell her name!
Fourth grade Monroe calculators brought in by Terry Tiffany thanks to his father. Wonder if one is in the Smithsonian?
Fifth grade with Mr. V, one of my most memorable teachers, another one I won't try to spell! Field trips to everywhere including my father's foundry. Mr. V. even took a few of us lucky ones on a ski trip to Vermont's Mt. Snow. The introduction of the "dial system" in town. Visits by Ma Bell to teach us how to use our new fangled dial phone! Yikes, how old are we anyway? I still can't use half the functions on my "not so smart phone." Daily postings on the board and discussions of the collision between the Stockholm and the Andrea Doria. Air raid drills, always a scary moment. Duck, cover and hold, yeah right.
In those days we rode our bikes back and forth to school, something rare today. After school the adventures began on the way home. Creating our own fun and mischief was the order of the day, sadly not so much for kids anymore.
Hope this brings back some of your memories as well. It always amazes me that I can remember stuff from so many years ago, yet can't recall what I ate for dinner last night!
Best Regards to You All!
George Gilbert Engler
You all got me thinking back on the days with Laird so I "let the time slide roll" and remembered this story that I hadn’t thought about in decades. He and I go as far back as I can remember and I was blown away upon hearing of his death in the fall of freshman year at college. Crazy tragic. We lived two blocks apart with me up on Baltusrol Way. There was a warm September day when we were probably in 1st or 2nd grade and had been playing at Laird’s house on Elmwood. In mid-afternoon, Laird suggested going to meet his dad at the Short Hills train station, his train normally arriving around 6. In those days, you will remember, we were old enough to wander far and wide around our neighborhoods and it wasn’t at all unusual at 6 or 7 years old to walk or bike up to Haggett’s on Chatham Road for penny candy where $.35 got you a chocolate milkshake and egg salad sandwich and a haircut a couple of doors down was still just a quarter. Heck, we walked almost a mile to Glenwood School (in my mind the queen of Millburn Township elementary schools) uphill both ways, of course, every day and always got our feet wet in the creek at Hartshorn Arboretum.Anyway, having told nobody, off we treked up Baltusrol Way to the train station. I remember vividly getting thirstier and thirstier in the hot afternoon sun waiting for this train but wait we did. To help pass the time, we took our first chance at putting pennies on the track rail for the train wheels to flatten them like the older boys did. Dangerous? Maybe, but great laughs. The hours went by as did several trains and a bunch of flattened pennies but no train discharged Mr. Schoeber. Probably somewhere around 7 pm with the sun nearly setting and the street lights coming on, a Millburn cop car pulls up to the station with the officer inside motioning us over to him.
“Boys, are you Schoeber and Engler?” bellowed the officer.
Scared as hell, “Yes sir”, we shakily replied wondering, of course, what we could possibly have done wrong and why he knew our names.
“Your parents are looking all over for you and are worried sick. Do you know what time it is? What in God’s name are you doing here?”
“Waiting for Laird’s dad’s train to come and it hasn't come yet”, I squeeked.
“It’s Saturday, you knuckleheads, SATURDAY!” laughing his ass off, “Laird’s dad’s at home! Get in and I’ll take you home!”
Embarrassing, no doubt, but Laird and I could think of nothing cooler than riding in that police cruiser!
Jim Raphalian
Great to see so many vivid and positive comments about a past classmate. I didnt go to Glenwood with him, or know him well. But I did fish with him and do remember him being in a good mood even at 6:am. Nice to see comments from two of my best memories from high school. Gilbert Engler and Ted Biddison. Two people that made my high school days better. That probably goes for more than a few other classmates.
John Visceglia
It's been such a long since we lost Laird. It's wonderful that so many still have fond memories of their time with him! Laird was my neighbor, living directly behind me when I lived on Hartshorn Drive. We often got together at my house after school to do some crazy stuff...go hunting with BB guns, try not to hit each other with our bows and arrows or play with my crazy German Shepard. One fond memory I have of Laird is when he joined us for opening day of trout season at Diamond Mill Pond. We all had hip boots on to wade across the 50º water, but since he couldn't buy any boots in his size, he just walked in the water with sneakers. The air temp was frigid and in less than an hour his feet were frozen - we built a fire and got him warmed up. He never caught a fish and we had to carry him back over the stream.
Those were good years, and I remember Laird always having a smile on his face. When I think of him I am always saddened that he left us so soon after graduation.
Jim Raphalian
Seriously John, he wasn't smiling, he was freezing. We went often , the 3 of us to diamond mill pond. Also with Phil Benn. We also caught frogs for the science class with the British teacher. What morons we were!