the hhhart line

Joan Petroske
Written by Sandy Glickman
Reprinted from the HHHARTBEAT newsletter
Our first interviewee is Joan Petroske, who has been HHHART President since 1994. Joan attended Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx, even though she was accepted at the very selective Hunter High School.( Her friends were all going to attend Columbus, and Hunter did not accept boys, at the time.)  She went to Cornell University, where she had a dual major – Child Development and Sociology/Social Work. She worked as a Social Worker, for two years, in a Foster Care and Adoption agency.
Her teaching career in Half Hollow Hills began when, after she subbed for ten days, she was invited to teach Reading half time. She worked with First Graders. She also taught Physical Education half time. Even then they knew that if you ask Joan to do a job, she will give it her all. Her full-time elementary experience started in 1970, when she was assigned a Fourth Grade class at Taukomas.  Working towards her Master's Degree at Hofstra, at night, while she was teaching, and raising her children, Susan and Cliff, was a challenging time constraint, so her husband, Ed, (who was very much a presence in HHH, as a teacher and as a retiree until, sadly, he died in 2006) developed a system whereby each of the members of the family rotated the time-consuming household jobs which often fall exclusively on the woman.

Joan was the building representative for the Teachers' Association at Taukomas and, when it closed, at Vanderbilt until she retired in 1992. She was on the executive board of the TA and became chairperson of the elementary school representatives. Joan was on many school committees and did presentations at various venues.

Joan has been President of HHHART since 1994, She and Ed were involved in lobbying in Albany and Washington and were delegates to NYSUT and the AFT. Presently, Joan is involved as a Retiree NYSUT Delegate in Retiree Council 20, CORTLI, and LIRDC. Her efforts on our behalf have been extraordinary. We are so lucky to have her.

Joan and Ed were very ardent sailors. They sailed at every opportunity, played tennis, spent time at their time-share in the Florida Keys, and lived a very full life. Joan also found time to be president of her Condo Association. Grass does not grow under Joan's feet.

Eileen Lohrey, HHHART Vice President
Reprinted from the HHHART BEAT Newsletter

Eileen attended Great Neck schools, graduating from Great Neck South in 1960 and went on to Oswego State. She graduated in 1964 and was certified to teach K-9 Elementary Ed and Social Studies. Eileen opted to teach elementary school in Schenectady, NY, first, as a fifth grade teacher and later as a 5/6 teacher. She was there for four years, was active in the Schenectady Teachers' Association serving as a building rep. After four years, she headed to Denver, CO, with friends, where she worked for the State Education Department, bused tables and finally got a job in an inner-city school. When she was excessed, Eileen returned to Long Island and was hired by Half Hollow Hills in August of 1969. She was assigned to Otsego and worked there until her retirement in 1997.

Over the years, she became active in the HHHTA serving first as a rep and, prior to retirement, serving on the Executive Board as the Elementary Trustee. Her work on the Executive Board involved different school activities as well as district committees.
She is enjoying retirement! Traveling is fun, although she hasn't driven from LI to Acapulco, Mexico in her Chevy Corvair convertible lately. Last year, she was off to Alaska. Eileen spends time golfing, skiing, reading, "doing lunch," exercising, attending classes and volunteering. She presently serves as Vice President of HHHART where she is involved with many LI professional organizations such as CORTLI and Retiree Council 20.

Eileen is a wonderful asset to our association.

Malinda Dobrins, HHHART Secretary
Reprinted from the HHHART BEAT Newsletter

Malinda is an exemplary product of the Half Hollow Hills School System and a valued member of our Board. For elementary school she attended the old Hills School, and Sunquam. She went to Burr's Lane for seventh through ninth grades and to Half Hollow Hills High School for tenth to twelfth grades. (ed: There was only one high school when she graduated.) Her maiden name was Lianza. Perhaps you were lucky enough to have had her in your class.

Malinda went to Oneonta for two and a half years and went on to graduate from Hunter College. She got a Masters' in Arts and Liberal Studies from Stonybrook University. She took more than seventy-five additional credits and has certification in Health Science and Special Education (CW Post). She was certified in Home Economics (which exists now as Family and Consumer Sciences).

Malinda taught in Half Hollow Hills from 1969 to 2001 – Home Economics at East and West. While working, she was active in Suffolk Family and Consumer Science Organization for which she received a Teacher- of-the-Year Award.   At the High School, she was advisor to the Future Homemakers of America and various other clubs. For the last five years of her career she coached the Dixettes Kick Line.

After she retired, Malinda went to Hofstra where she was trained as a Personal Trainer and where got National Certification as a Health Fitness Instructor.  Now she teaches adult education courses, Fitness First, at East, and she volunteers at the Huntington Nutrition Center, where she holds osteoporosis prevention classes. Malinda obviously loves teaching and being a student.

Malinda's husband, Lee, is a registered piano technician. Her daughter, Marlene, graduated from High School West in 1989. She was married in 2005 and is the mother of Sam, and soon to be the mother of Mackenzie.

As a member of the HHHART Board, she volunteers and participates in any jobs that need to be done, in addition to her duties as secretary. Need envelopes stuffed? Malinda is there. Need a house for the Retirees End-of-the Year Party? Malinda has graciously opened her home for this occasion for the last eight years. Need someone to coordinate HHHART's participation in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach ? Malinda is the one.  What an asset Malinda is to our organization!! 

Rowena Book, HHHART Board
Reprinted from the HHHART BEAT Newsletter

Straight from our hospitality and social programs committee is Rowena Book, this issue’s Board Interviewee.

Rowena was born and raised in Chelsea, and graduated from Salem Teacher’s College in Salem, MA. She always enjoyed kidding around with her students about having had special training in “How to be a Witch!!” She received her Master’s Degree from Stony Brook University.

Rowena and her husband will be married 60 years in November of this year. They have three children.

Her experience in the business world involved work at an advertising agency in Boston, Esso Standard Oil in NY, and, while her husband was in the army, the Fort Lee Army Post in Virginia. Although she had always wanted to work in the business world, it was when she was doing student teaching that she fell “in love” with teaching. How fortunate for the students of Half Hollow Hills. She worked at HHH at the High School East Business Department from 1970-1990, and loved every minute of it!! Rowena did extra curricular work with the FBLA, the Future Business Leaders of America, and was a member of the building committee at High School East.

Rowena is enjoying retirement as an opportunity to keep learning, attend lectures, take courses, enjoy the arts, and travel. How lucky we are to have gained Rowena as a member of the association.

Helen Chipkin, HHHART Board
Written by Barbara Arbuss
Reprinted from the HHHART BEAT Newsletter

In this issue, we're highlighting Helen Chipkin, an ideal model of an elementary school educator. She attended Hunter College for one year and then went on to Queens college where she graduated and was certified in Elementary Education. While teaching in HHH, she received her Masters degree from C.W. Post.

After teaching in the Syosset School District and K in Park Shore in Dix Hills, Helen began her HHH career teaching at Forest Park, transferring to the Vanderbilt School when it moved into its new building. She taught primarily in the primary grades. (Pun intended.) She taught second grade for one year and in a team teaching third grade for 3 years. But her greatest love was working with first graders. She spent most of her career at Vanderbilt in this grade.

HHHART is very fortunate to have Helen on its board. She has worked on the programs, social, and hospitality committees and is always ready to help. For many years, she worked with Honey Kellman to plan and set up the HHHART fall luncheons .

Helen has many interests and great energy so when she retired from teaching in 1992, she began working in the business world in the insurance industry with her husband, Dave.    After she was certified, she became an independent insurance agent. When she retired for the second time (from the business world), she became an adjunct at Old Westbury College working with student teachers where she thoroughly enjoyed training future teachers.

Throughout her working days, she raised two children, Judy and Eric.  Eric lives in the Albany area with his wife and Helen's two grandchildren, Meghan and Michael.  She dotes on her grandchildren and frequently takes trips upstate to visit.  Her daughter lives on Long Island which makes getting together much easier.

Helen has enjoyed many different activities outside of work.    She attends the theater, enjoys art tours and book clubs, and plays mah jong and canasta. But most of all, she is an avid traveler. She has been to China, Israel, and Egypt    She recently became engaged to Arthur Gilbert after being introduced by Honey Kellman who knew him well since he was best man at her wedding.    They have traveled extensively – to Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and Africa. They are enlarging Helenʼs home at this time and plan to live in Plainview with Chips, an adorable 5 lb. Yorkie.
Helen has been on the HHHART Board since 1995 and we are fortunate to have her vigor
and expertise to help us all.

Marilyn (Honey) Kellman, HHHART Board
Written by Barbara Arbuss
Reprinted from the HHHART BEAT Newsletter

Everyone knows Marilyn as Honey and she is a honey. She was brought up in Brooklyn, went to Lafayette High School, and graduated from Oswego. After graduation 3 “Oswego Gals” took a car trip cross country. It was such fun for them seeing the U.S.A. that way in spite of no air conditioning in the car and water bags in front to cool the radiator. This fostered a love for traveling, and the following summer they were off to tour several European cities and countries. Honey and Hal continued to travel with their family.

Honey's first teaching assignment was in Uniondale. She left to start her family. She has two children, her daughter, Carolyn, who is an attorney and her son, Michael, who is CFO of the ADL. She has two grandchildren, Alex and Emily, who are the loves of her life. When she returned to continue her teaching career, it was at the “famed HHH School District”, first at Manasquan and then on to Vanderbilt where she met Ruth Steinberg and others who are her closest friends – her support system as she says. When Honey retired, Ruth encouraged her to join many, many activities and to do many of the things she has enjoyed these past years.

Since she retired, her life has changed. Her husband, Hal, has Parkinson's disease and at this time, is confined to a wheel chair. The past few years have brought many challenging situations for her. Her motto continues to be “Keep Smiling”. She enjoys weekly Mah Jongg games, lunch with the ladies, theater and movies with Hal when possible. She is a staunch tennis and METS fan.

She loves being a HHHART Board Member, planning some of our luncheons with Helen Chipkin, and working with others on various projects.  And we love working with her.

Gloria Montesano
Written by Gloria Montesano
Reprinted from the HHHARTBEAT newsletter

Our Board interviewee for this issue is Gloria Montesano, Programs and Social Committee.
I was the eighth child of immigrant parents. My mother was 44 at my birth and she probably would have had more but, unfortunately, my father passed away at the age of 49. I grew up with four wonderful brothers and three sisters.
I gave my mother a jolt when I told her I wanted to go to college since the prevailing consensus at that time was that young girls never went to college and when I informed her that tuition would be ten dollars a semester, she fainted! Luckily, my brother had just been mustered out of the army and gave me the money to start my extended education. Incidentally, upon his 70th birthday I made out a check to him in the amount of his original investment with interest. Was that a surprise!

I graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. and received my Master's at Queens College. I taught at William Floyd, Herricks, New Cassel and Half Hollow Hills covering a span of 41 years.

Teaching was the joy of my life, so much so that I feel as though I didn't work a day in my life. One of my greatest rewards was being operated for breast cancer by one of my former first grade students who related to me all he remembered about his cherished first grade experience. I was happy to see that he finally learned how to tie his shoes.

Currently, I am teaching religion at St. Matthew's and am part of the adult choir. I am also very active in the St. Matthew's "Yes Group," (Young Energetic Seniors) which meets once a week for social and travel events. My favorite pastimes are reading, hiking and knitting. (Thank you Honey Kellman for your help here.)

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