Did you know anyone in the HHS Classes of 1958,1959 or 1961. Want to know more about them? Just click below!
Jim McCloskey Saves Another Falsely Accused Prisoner
Excerpted from "At 82, Just-released Prisoner Savors a Taste of Freedom"
By Kathy Boccella, Philidelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
Within minutes of his release from prison Tuesday, Louis Mickens-Thomas was sitting in Tommy Mo's Steak Shop, waiting for the meal he had dreamed about for years. Four fried eggs and home fries.
"I got hung up on that a long time ago," said Mickens-Thomas, 82, who has spent more than half his life - 45 years - inside Graterford Prison. "Whenever I got out, I wanted a breakfast of four fried eggs and home-fried potatoes."
That he would one day get to eat that breakfast again wasn't always certain. In fact, before Saturday - when a prison guard read in the newspaper that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ordered Mickens-Thomas' release, then told him the good news - he thought he might never get out.
"I wasn't expecting anything like this," he said, as if he still couldn't believe he was sitting in a Collegeville restaurant - where his two lawyers, David Rudovsky and Leonard Sosnov, and Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, which works to exonerate the wrongly accused, had taken him - instead of the prison cafeteria.
"What can I say? I'm very fortunate," said the thin, healthy-looking octogenarian, dressed in red-corduroy pants, a gray sweater, and black Princeton fleece that McCloskey had given him that morning.
Mickens-Thomas, who had owned a shoe-repair shop in West Philadelphia, was convicted of the 1964 murder of Edith Connor, 12, largely on the testimony of a crime-lab worker who later was accused of having a long history of perjury and of faking her scientific credentials.He has always maintained his innocence, and for the last 20 years, Centurion Ministries has worked to free him."He's completely innocent," a beaming McCloskey said Tuesday. "He had nothing to do with that crime. . . . We're thrilled and happy to have him here."
During his long confinement, Mickens-Thomas earned a degree from Villanova University and a barber's license. His most recent job, he said, was polishing brass kick plates at the bottom of doors. He has three children, whom he hopes to see, and will be living with nephew Calvin Mickens and his wife in Tobyhanna, in the Poconos.
His last night in prison, he couldn't sleep. Then at 6:30 Tuesday morning, as he left his cell with all that he owned - a television and a small trunk with some personal items - the other inmates lined up as he walked past to say goodbye and wish him well. Even the guards and the prison major offered their congratulations.
Finally, the waitress put a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of eggs, bacon, and home fries in front of him. Don't they serve eggs in prison? someone asked. Not the way he likes them, they don't. He scooped a forkful of potatoes, then dug into a runny egg and sloshed it all into his mouth."Mmm, boy. Wow," he said with a big smile. "You never know how good something like this is until you don't have it."
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The Stephen M. Juenger Memorial Fund was created in memory of a teacher and coach who was active at HHS for 55 years. The fund benefits HHS students who exemplify what Coach Juenger stood for and taught. Its current focus is to provide two scholarships. One goes to a senior athlete that best displays the qualities taught by Coach Juenger; leadership, character and sportsmanship. The second, honors his lifelong devotion to his daughter with special needs. It is awarded to a senior who has displayed excellence in community service.
Website: Haverford High Class of 1959
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Website: Haverford High School - Class of 1958
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Website: 1961 HHS REUNION
-------------------------------------------------------------------Jim McCloskey Saves Another Falsely Accused Prisoner
Excerpted from "At 82, Just-released Prisoner Savors a Taste of Freedom"
By Kathy Boccella, Philidelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
"I got hung up on that a long time ago," said Mickens-Thomas, 82, who has spent more than half his life - 45 years - inside Graterford Prison. "Whenever I got out, I wanted a breakfast of four fried eggs and home-fried potatoes."
That he would one day get to eat that breakfast again wasn't always certain. In fact, before Saturday - when a prison guard read in the newspaper that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ordered Mickens-Thomas' release, then told him the good news - he thought he might never get out.
"I wasn't expecting anything like this," he said, as if he still couldn't believe he was sitting in a Collegeville restaurant - where his two lawyers, David Rudovsky and Leonard Sosnov, and Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, which works to exonerate the wrongly accused, had taken him - instead of the prison cafeteria.
"What can I say? I'm very fortunate," said the thin, healthy-looking octogenarian, dressed in red-corduroy pants, a gray sweater, and black Princeton fleece that McCloskey had given him that morning.
Mickens-Thomas, who had owned a shoe-repair shop in West Philadelphia, was convicted of the 1964 murder of Edith Connor, 12, largely on the testimony of a crime-lab worker who later was accused of having a long history of perjury and of faking her scientific credentials.He has always maintained his innocence, and for the last 20 years, Centurion Ministries has worked to free him."He's completely innocent," a beaming McCloskey said Tuesday. "He had nothing to do with that crime. . . . We're thrilled and happy to have him here."
During his long confinement, Mickens-Thomas earned a degree from Villanova University and a barber's license. His most recent job, he said, was polishing brass kick plates at the bottom of doors. He has three children, whom he hopes to see, and will be living with nephew Calvin Mickens and his wife in Tobyhanna, in the Poconos.
His last night in prison, he couldn't sleep. Then at 6:30 Tuesday morning, as he left his cell with all that he owned - a television and a small trunk with some personal items - the other inmates lined up as he walked past to say goodbye and wish him well. Even the guards and the prison major offered their congratulations.
Finally, the waitress put a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of eggs, bacon, and home fries in front of him. Don't they serve eggs in prison? someone asked. Not the way he likes them, they don't. He scooped a forkful of potatoes, then dug into a runny egg and sloshed it all into his mouth."Mmm, boy. Wow," he said with a big smile. "You never know how good something like this is until you don't have it."
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The Stephen M. Juenger Memorial Fund was created in memory of a teacher and coach who was active at HHS for 55 years. The fund benefits HHS students who exemplify what Coach Juenger stood for and taught. Its current focus is to provide two scholarships. One goes to a senior athlete that best displays the qualities taught by Coach Juenger; leadership, character and sportsmanship. The second, honors his lifelong devotion to his daughter with special needs. It is awarded to a senior who has displayed excellence in community service.
This is the 6th year for the Juenger Fund. The 2010 athlete award recipient is Jeff Hosan. Jeff captained the undefeated cross-country team and was the top Central League finisher at the season-ending meet at State College, PA. He also sung in the All-East (15 state) championship chorus, played sax in the in HHS's jazz band, was a member of the school's HI-Q team that placed 3rd out of 21 teams in Delaware County and was named a Commended National Merit Scholar Finalist. Jeff participated in dramatics at HHS and as a member of the Upper Darby Summer Stage and joined his church group to build roofs on a youth center and church in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
The 2010 Juenger Fund Service Award went to Lizzy Kribbs. Lizzy has been president of the HHS Best Buddies Chapter for 2 years and is also the president of a cluster of Best Buddies clubs in 15 of the region's schools. Best Buddies benefits students who have Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other physical and intellectual disabilities. It is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver and has programs in all 50 States and on 6 continents. In addition to her administrative duties, Lizzy maintains a heavy academic schedule including 3 AP courses and 2 honors-level courses while working with her own best buddy.
Best Buddies, under Lizzy's direction, has established the largest extracurricular activity at HHS with over 100 volunteers. Again in 2010, Haverford High hosted the Best Buddies Friendship Ball attended by 350 students plus their chaperones from the 3 county region. Lizzy also organized a very successful wing-bowl fundraiser to kick off the event.
---------------------------------------------------------Sad News about Sid Young.
Sid Young, a long-term teacher and coach at HHS, suffered a stroke in the Fall of 2009. Sid was a key founding member of the Juenger Memorial Fund Committee and the founder of the HHS Sports Hall of Fame, now in its 15th year.
Sid has made some progress since his stroke but remains in a nursing home in Delaware County. He may be contacted through his wife, Sandy, at their home at 508 Harrington Road , Havertown, PA 19083.
Jim said that Sid has been suffering from congestive heart failure after his stroke.
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The Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer ( Nov. 29, 2009) had a story about the FM radio station WHHS at Haverford High started in 1949. This station is believed to be the oldest student-operated radio staion in the country. We would like to identify identify the person pictured as a show host in 1959. Unfortunately, we can no longer link to the article because it it is no longer online.
----------------------------------------------------------- TALKING PENNSYLVANIAN
For those who think we 'talk funny' here's why ...
You've never referred to Philadelphia as anything but 'Philly' and New Jersey has always been ' Jersey ...'
We don't go to the beach, we go 'down the shore.'
You refer to Pennsylvania as 'P.A.' (pronounced Pee-Ay). How many other states do that??
'You guys' (or even 'youze guys', in some places) is a perfectly acceptable reference to a group of men and women.
You know how to respond to the question 'Djeetyet?' ( Did you eat yet ?)
You learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre , Schuylkill , the Poconos, Tamaqua, Kutztown, Tunkahannock, Bala Cynwyd, Duquesne and Monongahela. also Conshohocken.
And we know Lancaster is pronounced Lank-ister, not Lan-kaster.
You know what a 'Mummer' is, and are disappointed if you can't catch at least highlights of the parade.
At least five people on your block have electric 'candles' in all or most of their windows all year long.
You know what a 'State Store' is, and your out-of-state friends find it incredulous that you can't purchase liquor at the mini-mart.
Words like 'hoagie,' 'crick,' 'chipped ham,' 'dippy eggs', 'sticky buns,' 'shoo-fly pie,' 'lemon sponge pie', 'pierogies' and 'pocketbook' actually mean something to you. ( By the way, that last one's P.A. slang for a purse!)
You not only have heard of Birch Beer, but you know it comes in several colors.
You know the difference between a cheese steak and a pizza steak sandwich, and you know that you also can't get a really good one anywhere outside of the Philly area. (Except maybe in Atlantic City on the boardwalk.)
You know that Blue Ball, Intercourse, Paradise, Climax, Bird-in-Hand, Beaver, Moon, Virginville, Mars, Bethlehem, Hershey, Indiana, Sinking Spring, Jersey Shore, State College, Washington Crossing, Jim Thorpe, King of Prussia, Wind Gap, and Slippery Rock are all PA towns .... and the first three were consecutive stops on the old Reading RR! (P.S. - That's pronounced Redd-ing.)
You can identify drivers from New York , New Jersey , Maryland or other neighboring states by their unique and irritating driving habits.
A traffic jam in Lancaster County is 10 cars waiting to pass a horse-drawn carriage on the highway. (And remember ... that's Lank-ister!)
You know several people who have hit deer more than once.
Driving is always better in winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
As a kid you built snow forts and leaf piles that were taller than you were.
You know beer doesn't grow in a garden, but you know where to find a beer garden.
Once a Pennsylvanian, ALWAYS a Pennsylvanian!
