Broadcast legend, Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow witnessed first hand the birth, growth and growing pains of rock and roll. He spun us through the turbulent times when musical styles shifted radically; kids didn’t trust anyone over thirty and everything seemed possible. Rock and roll was nothing short of a cultural revolution, beginning with the seeds of rebellion sown by black R & B artists in the 50’s and escalating through the British Invasion, surfer sounds, Motown, the Summer of Love, Woodstock, the beginnings of heavy metal, punk and beyond. 
Bruce feels his decade of live Palisades Park concerts were a precursor to Woodstock. He felt producers saw the ability to draw thousands to the park with live performances (actually all performances were lip synched). Different era and back then it was accepted by those in attendance. With the advancement of technology the audiences became more critical. On the subject of Woodstock, Bruce feels, as one that was right there in the mix of it for those infamous three days that Woodstock was the ultimate emotional aesthetic expression of the times. Woodstock was about returning to the fundamentals of who and what we are as a community of people. And for a few days, it worked.
She was the shy girl in high school, the one that loved to have a book in her hands to read, now, today...she writes them. Karen attended St James until graduating in eighth grade, learning her faith and love of reading at the hands of the Sisters of Mercy. Living only a few blocks away from the Barron Library, she spent most of her summer days and weekends lost in the stories and biographies of famous people. As a self described tomboy, only the draw of a well- told story could keep Karen in her room and it was not unusual for her to read four books a week.
As a result though, her love of reading was rekindled and the love of writing was born again. With two published books under her wing, Karen and Michael set about breeding Nigerian Dwarf Goats on their farm in Jackson, NJ. And then, her life took what she calls a bend in the road - breast cancer. Karen spends much of her time now helping tend to the farm, writing and speaking to the public about her nationally acclaimed writing and commitment to her Catholic faith.
Welcome to the month that officially ushers in summer at the beach. WHS seniors are plotting their senior hooky day getaway and winter is behind us.
Unscrew the cap of a bottle of Coppertone...directions to follow.
We can still hear and smell Seaside like it was yesterday, the cool salty morning air that clung to you like Saran wrap, the hot sand on the beach and the wild surf. Can't forget those brutal sunburns and windburns. The sounds and lights...of the rides, especially the Himalaya, Led Zeppelin. Walking the boardwalk and smelling all the different foods from the stands, sausage and peppers, pizza, meatball parm, cheese steaks, french fries, the clams and oysters on a half shell, corn on the cob, cotton candy, the waffles and ice cream, Kohr's custard. Whether it was with family, friends or our senior hooky day...the Jersey Shore was special. A kid growing up in Butte, Montana will never understand.
Raymond Ruiz - I seemed to have spent most of my time on the Jersey Shore in my college years. I dated a girl whose family had a house in Beach Haven on LBI. It was beautiful down there. Then I started playing music more and I would play some small venues in places like Keansburg, Seabright, Long Branch, etc. I was actually getting my equipment out of my wagon for a gig when I found out Elvis passed away. My claim to fame is I was in a band (1977-78) and all the guys were from Woodbridge. The name of the band was Horizon. The other four musicians were then ages 17 - 19. I was the old man at 25. The lead guitarist was a 19 yr. old kid named Richie Sambora (he was the one that told me about Elvis). So I can tell my friends and family I played the Jersey Shore with a famous rock and roll musician. What a talented young man. I knew back then he would make it big. There came a time when I decided I wanted to make more money and do weddings and banquets. Richie, although we both did, said he preferred to stay with rock. Oh well, he's a millionaire and at almost 59 years old I am a retired math teacher teacher who is still playing classic rock and doing gigs. I have enjoyed my life as it unfolded, but as the saying goes..."Those were the days my friends...".
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He drove the MG..you just knew back then that Bob had a smart head on his shoulders.
His sense of successful business didn't end there. When he arrived in Florida in 1984, Bob took the opportunity to buy into a auto accessory store franchise called The Driver's Seat. Started with one store and then opened three more. Eventually he purchased the two pre-existing stores. Bob founded Palm Beach Motoring in 1997 as a catalog company to car enthusiasts. Since he had the inventory and the vendor relationships already established, it was a natural transition into a mail order business. An online version of the catalog was launched in 1979. In 2000, PBMA-FL.net became Autogeek.net. Bob implemented the invaluable experience that he learned while operating on the boardwalk to provide customers with the same insight and care they receive in a store, via the Internet.
In 2006, Bob started Autogeek.net, his own car detailing forum. It was a new way to answer customers' questions about their products and facilitate conversations betwen people who share a common hobby.
Last year, Bob was pleased to develop a relationship with the co-hosts of Truck Y, Matt Steel & Bruno Massel, and bring them into the PBMA family as spokesmen for Autogeek.net. Recently, Autogeek.net's 6th Annual Detail Fest was the largest to date. He had over 3000 people in attendance as well as 40 manufacturers displaying their products all in his midway tent. It was a two day event, complete with a car show, truck show, live entertainment, a beer garden and food concessions. The How-To detailing classes were filled to capacity and streamed live on the Internet. Best yet, over $5,000 was raised for the PBMA charities. The event this year was filmed by Fox Sports Network (FSN) to be aired in the summer of 2011. Autogeek.net is in it's 2nd year of sponsoring SPEED channel's Two Guys Garage along with the race car for Massel Racing. Lastly, our tireless classmate has had the pleasure of being the Executive Producer for his own show, Autogeek's What's in the Garage? hosted by Mike Phillips, which aired earlier this month.
In addition to a rewarding career, Bob is very proud of his family, especially his two daughters, Kristin and Kelli. When he's not working, Bob enjoys getting out on the water on his boat. "I'm fortunate to live on a canal (what they call a lagoon in Florida) and like to go to a waterfront restaurant or over to the Bahamas every chance I get. When my girls were growing up, we spent family vacations in the Florida Keys. I still take the boat down to the Keys whenever I can to enjoy the simple peaceful lifestyle."
Our classmate, Dickie Janni, comes from a family that owned a piece of the Rahway Ave and Green Street corner for many years. Dickie's grandfather opened a Sweet Shoppe on the site in 1930. Pictured here in 1940 is his dad, Richie, who eventually converted the businees into what we remember as "The Village Inn". The bar and restaurant served the community from 1948 til 1987. (Note the price of a cup of coffee back then)
Who amongst us doesn't fondly recall the 50's and 60's when WPIX childrens programing was a daily mainstay? Each afternoon we looked forward to our Wonderama, Captain Kangaroo, Soupy Sales and others. One of the stars we sat in front of our black & white Zeniths to watch was the multi-talented Chuck McCann
Daytime television hadn't yet become the massive money generator that it is today, which is why most local programming pre-1970's was aimed at children. Multi-faceted performers like Chuck McCann were expected to go out there with no scripts, very little budget and scant support behind the camera.
In closing, Chuck had reached his destination and asked me to hold on for a moment while he spoke to the rock...I heard him introduce himself and a voice back from a speaker instructed him to proceed through the gate. "Rich, have you ever dealt with the rock?" I laughed and said no Chuck, realizing where he was by then. He said, "Hef has been my best friend for over forty years and we're here several times a week. If you would like to visit you can be my guest." I said, "Chuck, you're on!" You see, the rock was the hidden security speaker at the driveway entrance to the famed Playboy mansion.
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Faculty of School Eleven, 1934
