Guest Column

Seaford Avenue visits stirs up memories

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I got a call from my cousin, Artie, on a Friday night.

“Gerard, the Seaford Avenue School is opening its doors for the last time tomorrow. The school is being knocked down and a senior housing development, The Seasons, will replace it. I’ll meet you there at 11 o’clock.”

“OK. See you then.”

I had heard this was happening, but now it was for real. This place was a big part of my childhood, although I only attended for one year. My house was a block away, so the triangle where Waverly Avenue meets Seaford Avenue, was the edge of our turf. It seems odd in this age of play dates and summer camps that we just walked here to school or summer recreation.

On May 2, I parked and went in the Waverly Avenue entrance, where there is an island for bus pick up. Up the three steps, and into the hallway, I turned into the first room. Seeing a key on the floor in the coatroom, I walked over and picked it up. I found myself drifting back to Joni, asking me in a coatroom just like this, if I ever kissed a girl. “No,” I replied, suddenly feeling a little strange. Then she pulled the door shut, put her lips on mine, and was out of there in one move. That was pretty slick, looking back, and I was in love. I could not think of anything else for a week. Returning home in a sweet fog, I told my family I was to be married. They had a good laugh about that one.

Walking out, and down the hall with that key in my pocket, I spotted my cousin by the gym where he was talking to a group of people. On the wall by the gym was a banner, signed by some of those who attended over the years. We walked into the gym where Artie talked about the morning gymnastics classes. Mr. Keithline, the gym teacher, came in before school to work with the students who wanted to attend. The class was popular with the local kids and successful.

From there, we walked to the cafeteria. I remembered the craft group for the summer recreation program was held there. That was run by Seaford's athletic director, Rocky Valvano, whose son, Jimmy, led North Carolina State to an NCAA title in basketball. I went to my first pro-basketball and hockey games with them.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, we saw a ladder that went to the roof, and up we went. Looking down, we could see that triangle where the aforementioned avenues meet. Also, the ball fields where we played our first Little League games. So many firsts in my life happened here. Later on, as a father, I brought my son here to practice baseball and ride bicycles. He continued the tradition with his friends.

As we walked out the front door on Seaford Avenue, a crowd gathered around a model of the new housing units for sale. A few people were saying that they were not told when the demolition was to start, or about possible danger due to dust, but most seemed in favor regardless. Lower taxes, and home values in the area will rise. The school’s last year was 1981 as a grammar school, then it became a Five Towns College. Since then, BOCES took over, but it has been empty for a few years and fell into disrepair. But as I left, I felt sad and recalled a line from a song by a band called Living Colour: “You can tear a building down but you can’t erase a memory. I know it’s old and all worn down, but it has a value you can’t see.”

It seems with every step into the future, we lose part of the past.