IN 1961, WE DIDN'T HEAL OURSELVES OR THE WORLD (HEALING SEEMS A VERY NEW AGE CONCEPT), BUT WE DID
DESPERATELY TRY TO SAVE WHAT WE HAD OR WHAT WE WANTED TO GET.
IN 1961, I DECIDED, ONCE AGAIN, TO SAVE THE WORLD. I HAD SUCCESSFULLY DONE SO SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO MY 16TH
YEAR, BUT THIS MY SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS TO BE PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING SO I HAD CONCLUDED THAT
MY WORLD AND I NEEDED TO BE SAVED.
SOME YEARS EARLIER, I BELIEVE 1957, I HAD AS A 12 YEAR OLD SAVED OUR WORLD BY PREDICTING THAT A YOUNG US
SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS WOULD BE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS MORE THAN MY MUCH
OLDER (16, I THINK) NEIGHBOR COULD STAND FROM A DUMPY, KNOW IT ALL KID WHO LIVED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE HIM,
SO HE PROMPTLY BET ME THAT THE KENNEDY GUY I WAS RAVING ABOUT WOULD NEVER BE ELECTED. AND IF HE WAS, HE
WOULD EAT HIS HAT. THE HAT HE ATE
DURING THE SECOND WEEK OF NOVEMBER THREE YEARS LATER WAS A CHOCOLATE COVERED CAKE SHAPED AS A
FEDORA WHICH HIS MOTHER FORCED HIM TO BAKE TO PAY OFF HIS DEBT.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL - TO THE GENERATIONS THAT GREW AND FLOURISHED IN OUR BROOKLYN
NEIGHBORHOOD IT WAS A SHRINE TO THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THEIR CULTURE, EDUCATION. TO MY FAMILY IT
WAS MORE THAN A PHYSICAL PLACE, IT WAS INDEED A SIGNIFICANT PART OF YOUR LIFE'S EXPERIENCE. FROM THE DAY IT
OPENED IN 1930 TO THE DAY MY YOUNGEST COUSIN GRADUATED IN 1977, MY FAMILY HAD AT LEAST ONE MEMBER IN
ATTENDANCE AT LINCOLN. MASSIVELY BIG, OVER 5000 STUDENTS ENROLLED, IT WAS, BY CONSENSUS, THE FOREMOST
ACADEMIC PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN NEW YORK, IF NOT THE EAST COAST. IT WAS THE SPAWNING GROUND OF GIANTS IN
LITERATURE AND THE ARTS - ARTHUR MILLER, JOSEPH HELLER, LOUIS GOSSETT, NEAL DIAMOND, JACK CARTER, NEIL
SEDAKA, THE TOKENS OF "THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT" FAME, MUSICIANS, ARTISTS, JOURNALISTS TOO NUMEROUS TO
MENTION SHAPED THEIR TALENTS AT LINCOLN. AND NO LESS THAN FIVE NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS IN CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS
AND MEDICINE MIXED THEIR FIRST CHEMICALS OR DISSECTED THEIR FIRST FROG AT LINCOLN. ALMOST 75% JEWISH,
OVERACHIEVEMENT AT LINCOLN WAS THE RULE NEVER THE EXCEPTION.
WHEN I ARRIVED AT LINCOLN, I HATED THE PLACE. MY TWO YEARS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL HAD BEEN MISERABLE. SURE
MY GRADES WERE GOOD, BUT I SUFFERED THROUGH YEARS OF WHAT MY PARENTS CALLED THAT AWKWARD AGE. I FELT
CLUMSY AND THE WHOLE FEMALE THING WAS JUST A CONSTANT ANNOYANCE. I HAD HIGH HOPES THAT HIGH SCHOOL
WOULD BE BETTER BUT THOSE HOPES WERE INSTANTLY DASHED WHEN I NOTICED THAT EVEN SOME OF MY LIFE LONG
FRIENDS WERE DRIFTING AWAY FROM ME.
ACADEMICALLY MY FIRST TWO YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL WERE COMMENDABLE; I NEVER MUCH HAD TO STUDY TO GET Bs
AND I WAS AN ABSOLUTE WIZ AT TAKING THE YEAR END REGENTS' TESTS. BUT BY THE END OF MY SOPHOMORE YEAR, I
HAD COME TO REALIZE THAT I WAS AVERAGE; I WAS NOT PART OF THE ELITE AND CERTAINLY NOT PART OF THE
IN-CROWD AT LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL. I WAS STUCK IN SOME TYPE OF PERPETUAL JUNIOR HIGH TIME WARP FROM WHICH
I NEEDED TO BE SAVED.
SEMI-DETERMINED TO IMPROVE MY LOWLY STATUS, I DECIDED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FALL HIGH SCHOOL RITUAL
KNOWN AS "SING." SING WAS A COMPETITION BETWEEN THE SOPHOMORE, JUNIOR AND SENIOR CLASSES, WHERE EACH
GROUP WROTE, PRODUCED AND PERFORMED A 45-MINUTE MUSICAL SHOW WHICH WAS PERFORMED AND JUDGED ON A
FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER, WITH THE WINNER BEING ANNOUNCED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SUNDAY
PERFORMANCE. I WAS TO BE IN THE CHORUS OF SOME 100
JUNIORS DRESSED AS CAVEMEN SINCE THE PLOT WAS ABOUT SEVERAL JUNIORS (THE LEADS) WHO GO BACK IN HISTORY
TO DISCOVER THEY NEED TO STICK TOGETHER WHEREVER THEY GO.
WHEN I RECEIVED THE SCRIPT AND THE SONGS (LYRICS WRITTEN TO FIT SHOW TUNES OR OTHER SONGS), I DISCOVERED
THAT SOME OF THE LYRICS WERE PRETTY TERRIBLE. I WROTE WHAT I THOUGHT WERE SOME BETTER ONES AND, NOT
KNOWING WHO I WAS GOING TO OFFEND, SUBMITTED THEM TO THE SCRIPT WRITERS. ONE WEEK LATER, MY LYRICS
WERE IN THE SONGS AND I HAD BEEN ADDED TO THE SCRIPT WRITING COMMITTEE, MOST OF WHOM WERE CLASS
LEADERS AND LONG STANDING MEMBERS OF THE IN-CROWD.
OUR JUNIOR CLASS WON THE SING AND I HAD FOUND MY NICHE.
MY SENIOR YEAR, THE CLASS OF '62, AT LINCOLN STARTED WITH SENIOR SING. THIS YEAR WE WERE GOING TO TOYLAND
TO LEARN THAT YOU COULDN'T STAY YOUNG FOREVER AND I WAS NOW A LYRIC WRITER OF SOME RENOWN. AMONG
OTHERS, I WROTE THE TWO SIGNATURE SONGS OF THE PRODUCTION; THE FIRST TO THE TUNE OF "HEY, LOOK ME OVER":
LET'S GO TO TOYLAND
WE'RE TIRED OF IT ALL
OF BOOKS AND OF TEACHERS
AND OVERCROWDED HALLS.
I WISH I WERE YOUNGER
'BOUT NINE OR TEN
I'D FORGET ABOUT TRIGONOMETRY
AND PLAY WITH DOLLS AGAIN.
AND I'D BE YOUNG LIKE A FRESHMAN
NAIVE AND SO GLAD
DON'T SAY I'M RASH MAN
YOU WERE ONCE A LAD.
THINK IT OVER AND YOU WILL SEE
THIS IDEA IS OKAY
TO TOYLAND
LET'S GO TO TOYLAND
WE'RE OFF TO TOYLAND
RIGHT AWAY!
THE SECOND LYRIC WAS ABOUT OUR RETURN TO REALITY TO THE TUNE OF "THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES", WITH
APOLOGIES TO BOB HOPE:
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
WE THANK YOU EVERYONE
FOR GIVING US SOME FUN
BUT WE INSIST THAT WE DESIST
PRETENDING WE ARE YOUNG
WE MUST LEAVE YOU NOW
WE THOUGHT WE WOULD LIKE IT HERE
WE DIDN'T HESITATE
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT
TO RUN AWAY
AND HERE TO STAY
TO GET AWAY FROM FATE
BUT WE WERE SO WRONG
THE FEW PRECIOUS HOURS WE'VE SPENT HERE
THE FEW PRECIOUS GAMES THAT WE PLAYED HERE
INADVERTENTLY MADE CLEAR
YOU CAN'T BECOME ETERNALLY YOUNG
IT SEEMS WE MUST SAY GOOD-BYE
TO ALL OUR TOYLAND FRIENDS
INSPITE OF HOW IT TENDS
TO BREAK ONE'S HEART
WE MUST DEPART
FOR NOW THE JOYRIDE ENDS
BUT WE MUST LEAVE NOW.
WITH OUR SING VICTORY THAT FALL, WE BECAME THE FIRST CLASS TO EVER WIN TWO SINGS AND I WAS FIRMLY
ENTRENCHED AS PART OF THE IN-CROWD OF THE CLASS OF '62. I WAS A LEADER, A DOER, SOMEONE WHO COULD MAKE
THINGS HAPPEN.
AND, OF COURSE, IT WENT BY TOO QUICKLY. BUT TO PARAPHRASE WALTER CRONKITE I WAS THERE, AN INTEGRAL PART
OF THE ENTIRE SCENE. OUR CLASS WAS THE FIRST TO TRAVEL ON A WEEKEND OUTSIDE OF THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF
NEW YORK TO WASHINGTON, DC ON A SENIOR TRIP WHERE WE PROMPTLY WRECKED AN ENTIRE FLOOR OF THE
SHOREHAM HOTEL (THOUGH A WHOLE BEVY OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRLS WHO HAD MANAGED TO FILL TWO BATHTUBS
FULL OF BEER EAGERLY PITCHED IN); WE WERE THE FIRST
CLASS TO HOST FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS IN ANY HIGH SCHOOL IN NEW YORK; THERE WERE HEART-BREAKING
LAST SECOND PLAYOFF LOSSES IN BOTH FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL; WE WENT ICE-SKATING AT ROCKEFELLER
CENTER AFTER A THEATER PARTY TO SEE THE MOVIE "WEST SIDE STORY" ONLY DAYS AFTER IT HAD OPENED, FOLLOWED
BY MANY OF US GOOD JEWISH KIDS ATTENDING CHRISTMAS EVE MASS AT ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL; AND THEN THERE
WAS THE INFAMOUS BOOK BURNING BARNFIRE ON BRIGHTON
BEACH TO CELEBRATE THE END OF SCHOOL AND OUR SUBSEQUENT CAPTURE AND TICKETING BY NEW YORK'S FINEST ON
THE BOARDWALK. AND I STILL DISTINCTLY REMEMBER WATCHING THE SUNRISE FROM MY PARENT'S APARTMENT AFTER
AN ALL NIGHT REVOLVING PARTY CELEBRATING OUR SENIOR CLASS NITE MUSICAL PRODUCTION, WHILE MY PARENT'S
WERE UP AT THE CONCORD IN THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS THAT WEEKEND IN MAY. AND, OF COURSE, GRADUATION.
AND SLOWLY AS THE EXCITEMENT OF THAT WONDERFUL YEAR FADED, I BEGAN TO GRASP THAT ALL OF IT WAS NOT
ABOUT BEING IN THE IN-CROWD NOR EVEN ABOUT BEING WITH MY FRIENDS NOR ABOUT FIXING OR SAVING ANYTHING; IT
WAS ABOUT ME BEING ME AND I WAS OKAY.
THE WORLD, UNFORTUNATELY, WOULD LIVE UP TO THE LINE I HAD WRITTEN EARLIER., "YOU CAN'T BECOME ETERNALLY
YOUNG". IT WOULD NEED PLENTY OF HEALING IN THE RAUCOUS SIXTIES AND I WAS READY TO HELP.
Allen H. Kaplan
Yom Kippur 5757
September 23, 1996
Copyright 1996 by Allen H. Kaplan