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BETHPAGE
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OLD BETHPAGE
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PLAINVIEW
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ISLAND TREES
VOL. 14 NO. 32
PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
For The Week Of January 24 - January 30,1980 20 cents par copy
The End
Of An Era
The shadowy figure in the photo at right takes a last
symbolic shot- with an imaginary basketball aimed at
a no-longer existing backboard.
The decaying court, now forty jjears old, the last
remnant of what once was, for perliaps four hundred
boys, the center piece of the Powell Avenue School, is
about to be covered over.
A tar base has been applied to the cracks in the
.cement, the weeds growing out of the court where once
sneakered feet seeked victory, are kone. The grayish-blackish
outline of the "key" where for over twenty
years most of the action was centered, will be covered
over today or tomorrow, its dimensions never again to
be copied. The game is different now and the key is
passe.
The court is small, just eighty feei; long, tennis-sized
really. But the foul lines were sixteen feet from the
perforated iron, square backboard t sat held a rim just
nine feet high, the shorter rim allowed the illusion of
teenagers playing the game as professionals. Some
did, on the north side of the court. The side that faced
the red brick two story grammar school. Now it faces a
new monolith, a handball court situs ted just in front of
where the basement stairs used to be. Now the court
looks upon the back of the library. But only for a day or
so more. Perhaps the court is gone at this writing.
Covered over with a new face. Erasing memories of a
different, sweeter time.
Earasing the feats of players who embraced this
court for some 22 of the courts 40 years of existance.
When the red building came down, wiien the annex and
the bike shed came down, the heart went out of the play
on the court. And a different breed of player moved to a
different court with fan shaped backboards and a
modern layout.
For 22 years, the court was the scene of daily heroics
by John Leo, Bill Elinger, Paul Dana, Jerry and Davie
Croan, Mike and Vinnie Cornicelli, Jackie Moesch,
Ritchie Kaufman, John Schmeizer, Bobby Albertson,
Tom McCallum, Ralph Camerlengo, Bob Fox, Sal
Rugierro, Jim Winters, Joe Melone, WaUy Kalinyak,
Patrolman Vince Baumer, Frank Barone, Roger Head,
John Fantry, Sal Griesofe, Charley Gaizer, Tex
Surprize, Frank Gagliardo, Frannie Geer and Annie
Greco. Yes Annie Greco, Bethpaue's best female
athlete, graced the court for a time. Tough
competitor too.
The new court will be part of a park with two tennis
courts, a handball court and perhaps, in the future, a
little league field. It will be time for new heros to
emerge. But it would be nice, if just once more, some of
the old players returned for a final game of three on
three. If not, then suffice it for our shadowy symbolic
figure to be frozen on the old court shooting a
basketball at a rim that can only be seen in the mind's
eye. Our figure representing all
mentioned, and all of the people who came to play.
They played well.
mm. Paper
Drive
Bethpage Midget Football
fundraiser
Clean out your basement, attic
or garage of unneeded papers
and bring them to:
Bethpage High School
(parking lot by Cherry Ave &
ball fields).
Sat. Jan 26
between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bethpage Baseball Association, b e .
1980 BASEBALL REGISTRATION
Boys and Girls, Ages 8 through 18
TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1980
JFK Jr. High School-Bway
7:30 PM to 9:30 Plf
Parents Must Accompany Registrant
Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | Bethpage-Tribune_1980-01-24 |
| Subject | Newspaper |
| Description | This is a Newspaper distributed locally within Bethpage, Old Bethpage, Island Trees, Plainedge and Seaford. |
| Creator | Florence Cullem |
| Publisher | Florence Cullem |
| Contributors | Scanned and Prepared by Hudson Microimaging, Port Ewen, New York 12466. |
| Date | 2010 |
| Type | Periodical |
| Format | PDF; TIFF |
| Source | Bethpage Public Library |
| Language | English |
| Coverage | United States |
| Rights | The Newspaper is in the Public Domain and Digital Rights are held by Bethpage Public library. |
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