In your response to Dick's entry "zero" I sense that Dick is on a mission to get a rose by every past classmate listed in the Memoriam section of this website. When he started this process very few classmates had "in memoriam' comments and hence, there were very few roses. Now, after all of his efforts, there are very few that don't have roses.
Very few of his entries have much information beyond what Dick has been able to research and therefore, most of the entries are limited to date of birth and death. In the case of A.J. and others, I suppose when he is unable to find even that information he has put "zero".
You might ask which you would rather have if you were in this situation, a rose after your name or "zero". Perhaps Dick could select a better choice of words, but regardless, I applaud his efforts. He is trying to get the ball rolling on the rest of us adding our memories.
And on that note, although I didn't know him well, A.J. was a friend of mine and was a great guy. I remember him as always being meticulously dressed. Remember, in those days how you looked was important to us (as opposed to our kids).I hope A.J. went on to have a family and all of his kids dressed sharp while mine...well, enough said. Rest in peace, A.J.
I WENT TO GRADE SCHOOL WITH A.J. & SAW HIM ABOUT 15yrs+ AGO WHEN HE MOVED BACK HERE FOR AWHILE FROM CA. HE WAS IN & ACCIDENT MANY YEARS AGO THAT LEFT HIM WITH A LITTLE BRAIN DAMAGE BUT HE WAS OK. NEVER MARRIED & HIS ONE BROTHER IS /WAS JAMES FERRANTINO THE ACTOR & HIS COUSIN WAS JOYCE FARRANTINO FROM OUR CLASS.DON'T KNOW IF JOYCE IS ON SITE BUT SHE MIGHT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
AJ and I were best friends in grade school. We talked in HS but ran in different circles. We reconnected after HS graduation.
AJ died sometime in the late '80s or early '90s. I forget when. The only reference I ever found to his death was a class action lawsuit brought by his estate against Legal Zoom. I've messaged/corresponded with his cousin Joyce since joining this site to find out what she knew; she wasn't sure of the date either. And she didn't know much more than I did; their families were not particularly friendly.
She thought he died from liver cancer, but more likely it would have been Hepatitis B or C. He was gay, but I don't know if he ever came Out to his family. It's doubtful. After graduating from U of I with a double major in Biology and Education, he taught HS biology for a couple years at the University of Chicago Laboratory School. He planned to get a Masters' from U of C. However, when his parents retired to San Andreas, California in the late '60s, he went with them. We corresponded regularly, and I always enjoyed getting calls or letters from "my crazy friend AJ." However, when he visited me in Chicago in '77, I realized that he really was "crazy." He had a severe substance abuse problem and his behavior was erratic to say the least. The first thing he did upon arriving was to call Walgreen's, impersonate a local physician, and order a prescrption for himself. And it worked. The visit went downhill from there--he got in a bar fight somewhere, lost or stole a favorite leather jacket of my partner's, etc.
That visit more or less ended our friendship. He called me once from California sometime in the mid '80s when I lived in NYC. He said he'd had many careers, everything from driving a semi to being a vice president of some company and that he had lived in many different places, including Pennsylvania and NYC. He called at a time when I was not in a good place emotionally. Most of my friends were dying or dead. I was honest about my distress and that seemed to put him off. He didn't want to hear about it.
Joyce said her family classified him as a dangerous psychopath, that he had conned people and stolen from relatives. I think it would probably be more accurate to say he was bipolar to some degree. My impression was that he lived off and on with his parents and sometimes in SF. As I said, he was Out, but almost certainly not to his family. I expect he experienced great joy and great sadness, but I know nothing for sure about his life after 1977. I doubt he ever had a long term relationship. He once remarked to me--in reference to hooking up with guys--"I don't want to see their new lamps." It was very funny, but probably only to another gay man.
I've kept every letter I ever got, which includes scores of letters I rec'd from him. I'm planning to leave my correspondance to a gay history archive, so at least some part of his life will be documented and known.
I have revisited all the memoriams and corrected the zeros to mean I was unable to find any sources i was comfortable with. Thank you all for your patience. I will now turn over obituarian duties to Gerry Williams. He seems to have a rather extensive knowledge of our classmates. :)
Hope you enjoyed the memories I stirred up. I did.
I tried posting an announcement but not sure if it worked.
I am now a 24 7 caregiver, my wife has Parkinsons and we are waiting for an answer on Lewy Body Dementia. The memory lane trip was done at odd hours to help me escape. My focus will now be on finding an online job that is legitimate and that i can do in bits and pieces rather than on a schedule. I had planned on working outside the home but it is not possible. We are have a very limited income and would appreciate any job suggestions.
I can clear-the-air about James Ferrantino (spelled differently and confirmed), who is/was NOT A.J.'s brother. A.J.'s brother (age 80) of many names (Vince, James, Sonny, Jim) is well and lives in Milton FL.
HI DICK; SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR WIFE & HOPE ALL TURNS OUT WELL FOR THE BOTH OF YOU. I CAN NOT EVEN BEGIN TO TAKE YOUR PLACE AS I ONLY HAVE INFO ON PEOPLE THAT I KNEW WELL. SO HOPEFUULY SOMEONE ELSE WILL BE ABLE TO TO YOUR PLACE. GOOD LUCK WITH ALL YOU DO> JERRY
This message is really to Dick A'Hern. I didn't really know AJ personally. But Dick, I want it to go on the record to say that you have been amazing in your work with the deceased members of our class and getting this website going. I thank you - it has and will continue to be a connecting force for all of us. I am sorry I can't give you help in the work force arena - I just retired from a medical career. But my sister-in-law has Parkinson's and she and her husband belong to a "Tango group" of people whose spouses have Parkinsons. The dance helps them to lift their legs and breathe stronger. It's simple movements but the "demonstration" I recently saw was quite impressive! I send you best wishes and prayers. It isn't easy being a full time caregiver. I've been down that road.
Elizabeth (Liz) A. Champion (O'Scanlon)
Zero? What does this mean?
Carl J. Glaser
Hi Liz!
In your response to Dick's entry "zero" I sense that Dick is on a mission to get a rose by every past classmate listed in the Memoriam section of this website. When he started this process very few classmates had "in memoriam' comments and hence, there were very few roses. Now, after all of his efforts, there are very few that don't have roses.
Very few of his entries have much information beyond what Dick has been able to research and therefore, most of the entries are limited to date of birth and death. In the case of A.J. and others, I suppose when he is unable to find even that information he has put "zero".
You might ask which you would rather have if you were in this situation, a rose after your name or "zero". Perhaps Dick could select a better choice of words, but regardless, I applaud his efforts. He is trying to get the ball rolling on the rest of us adding our memories.
And on that note, although I didn't know him well, A.J. was a friend of mine and was a great guy. I remember him as always being meticulously dressed. Remember, in those days how you looked was important to us (as opposed to our kids).I hope A.J. went on to have a family and all of his kids dressed sharp while mine...well, enough said. Rest in peace, A.J.
Gerald T. Williams
I WENT TO GRADE SCHOOL WITH A.J. & SAW HIM ABOUT 15yrs+ AGO WHEN HE MOVED BACK HERE FOR AWHILE FROM CA. HE WAS IN & ACCIDENT MANY YEARS AGO THAT LEFT HIM WITH A LITTLE BRAIN DAMAGE BUT HE WAS OK. NEVER MARRIED & HIS ONE BROTHER IS /WAS JAMES FERRANTINO THE ACTOR & HIS COUSIN WAS JOYCE FARRANTINO FROM OUR CLASS.DON'T KNOW IF JOYCE IS ON SITE BUT SHE MIGHT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
Paul Nicol (Nic) Knappen
AJ and I were best friends in grade school. We talked in HS but ran in different circles. We reconnected after HS graduation.
AJ died sometime in the late '80s or early '90s. I forget when. The only reference I ever found to his death was a class action lawsuit brought by his estate against Legal Zoom. I've messaged/corresponded with his cousin Joyce since joining this site to find out what she knew; she wasn't sure of the date either. And she didn't know much more than I did; their families were not particularly friendly.
She thought he died from liver cancer, but more likely it would have been Hepatitis B or C. He was gay, but I don't know if he ever came Out to his family. It's doubtful. After graduating from U of I with a double major in Biology and Education, he taught HS biology for a couple years at the University of Chicago Laboratory School. He planned to get a Masters' from U of C. However, when his parents retired to San Andreas, California in the late '60s, he went with them. We corresponded regularly, and I always enjoyed getting calls or letters from "my crazy friend AJ." However, when he visited me in Chicago in '77, I realized that he really was "crazy." He had a severe substance abuse problem and his behavior was erratic to say the least. The first thing he did upon arriving was to call Walgreen's, impersonate a local physician, and order a prescrption for himself. And it worked. The visit went downhill from there--he got in a bar fight somewhere, lost or stole a favorite leather jacket of my partner's, etc.
That visit more or less ended our friendship. He called me once from California sometime in the mid '80s when I lived in NYC. He said he'd had many careers, everything from driving a semi to being a vice president of some company and that he had lived in many different places, including Pennsylvania and NYC. He called at a time when I was not in a good place emotionally. Most of my friends were dying or dead. I was honest about my distress and that seemed to put him off. He didn't want to hear about it.
Joyce said her family classified him as a dangerous psychopath, that he had conned people and stolen from relatives. I think it would probably be more accurate to say he was bipolar to some degree. My impression was that he lived off and on with his parents and sometimes in SF. As I said, he was Out, but almost certainly not to his family. I expect he experienced great joy and great sadness, but I know nothing for sure about his life after 1977. I doubt he ever had a long term relationship. He once remarked to me--in reference to hooking up with guys--"I don't want to see their new lamps." It was very funny, but probably only to another gay man.
I've kept every letter I ever got, which includes scores of letters I rec'd from him. I'm planning to leave my correspondance to a gay history archive, so at least some part of his life will be documented and known.
Richard A'Hern
I have revisited all the memoriams and corrected the zeros to mean I was unable to find any sources i was comfortable with. Thank you all for your patience. I will now turn over obituarian duties to Gerry Williams. He seems to have a rather extensive knowledge of our classmates. :)
Hope you enjoyed the memories I stirred up. I did.
I tried posting an announcement but not sure if it worked.
I am now a 24 7 caregiver, my wife has Parkinsons and we are waiting for an answer on Lewy Body Dementia. The memory lane trip was done at odd hours to help me escape. My focus will now be on finding an online job that is legitimate and that i can do in bits and pieces rather than on a schedule. I had planned on working outside the home but it is not possible. We are have a very limited income and would appreciate any job suggestions.
thanks
Dick A'Hern
Joyce A. Ferrantino (Ferrantino-Karlen)
I can clear-the-air about James Ferrantino (spelled differently and confirmed), who is/was NOT A.J.'s brother. A.J.'s brother (age 80) of many names (Vince, James, Sonny, Jim) is well and lives in Milton FL.
Joyce A. Ferrantino (Ferrantino-Karlen)
Thank you Nic for your candid, more accurate account of our experience with A.J.
Gerald T. Williams
HI DICK; SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR WIFE & HOPE ALL TURNS OUT WELL FOR THE BOTH OF YOU. I CAN NOT EVEN BEGIN TO TAKE YOUR PLACE AS I ONLY HAVE INFO ON PEOPLE THAT I KNEW WELL. SO HOPEFUULY SOMEONE ELSE WILL BE ABLE TO TO YOUR PLACE. GOOD LUCK WITH ALL YOU DO> JERRY
Pamela A. Nelson (Koprowski)
This message is really to Dick A'Hern. I didn't really know AJ personally. But Dick, I want it to go on the record to say that you have been amazing in your work with the deceased members of our class and getting this website going. I thank you - it has and will continue to be a connecting force for all of us. I am sorry I can't give you help in the work force arena - I just retired from a medical career. But my sister-in-law has Parkinson's and she and her husband belong to a "Tango group" of people whose spouses have Parkinsons. The dance helps them to lift their legs and breathe stronger. It's simple movements but the "demonstration" I recently saw was quite impressive! I send you best wishes and prayers. It isn't easy being a full time caregiver. I've been down that road.
Pam Nelson Koprowski
Richard A'Hern
Before I go off the grid, Thanks to Pam, Jerry, Nancy, Debbie Murphy and any others I missed for your kindness.