This is a place to post comments, photos, whatever...about growing up in the Hialeah Area...or anything else that is on your mind. In the past, we've been using our individual webpages for this purpose, but now we have a dedicated forum on our website. Please note that this forum is "not secure" and that comments you make are available to anyone that visits this website.   Vince "Vinny" Rusinak

Lynn Anderson (Dewhurst)

Another,Hialeah is McDonald Park is named after David H. McDonald, a Sargent who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was unfortunately killed in action in 1969. Before his deployment, Sgt. McDonald was a City of Hialeah resident. Davy was also in our class and a member of the swim team.  I vaguely remember that he was the first fatility from Hialeah  

James Voyles (HHS 1963)

I knew both Tim and Davey.  Tim lived on E. 4th Avenue, just one house from the corner of 65th St. (Gratigny Rd.) I was one block further east, on 5th ave. and 65th St.  He and I were both in the Class of '63.  Davey and I were on the swim team together.  I was a diver, and Davey was a strong swimmer.  After graduation from HHS, Davey worked at O'Quinn Park, the hangout for us North Hialeah types. Spent many days and nights playing ping pong, pool and basketball there.  I'm glad to see that Hialeah has remembered them.  I've been gone from South Florida for almost 50 years, and I didn't know of these two parks.  Hialeah did have a wonderful recreation department.  R.I.P. both Tim and Davey. You are well remembered.

James Ward

Could not find a plaque commemorating David

Randall McGee (HHS 1963)

James Voyles (HHS 1963)

Ooops! Actually, Tim was in the class of '62, a year ahead of me.  That's the first mistake I've made this year!!

Nancy Lundblom (Blizzard)

I remember David as one of the nicest guys at Hialeah.  He always had a smile on his face and was friendly to everyone.  When I first learned of his death it was a shock, and still is today.  I am glad that the city of Hialeah has memoralized him and Tim Artman by naming parks after them.  Although I didn't know Tim personally, I knew who he was as he dated Jane Chapman and married her sometime after graduation.  We will never understand why two such promising young men were taken from us, but I will never forget them.  I have seen the Vietnam memorial several times in Washington DC, and the traveling memorial twice, and I always look for their names and say a prayer for them.  May they both R.I.P.

Richard Powell

Richard Powell

We lost Hershal this week, This picture above was taken at Shulas at our 2018 reunion, We got to catch up after 50 years, We both played sax in the TK s, So many memories, Gonna miss him and all his birthday wishes to everyone.

Richard Powell

Richard Powell

Hershal and me getting  ready for the Autumn Capers show in 1964 in picture above

Gene Baker

.Last time I saw Hershal was at Ormond Beach Round-up.  I was so happy to get a chance to reconnect with him after so many years!  I also have fond memories of him and Band.  My sincere condolences to his family.  May he have eternal peace!

Vince "Vinny" Rusinak

When Nancy and  I watched the Apple TV+ movie Boy's State the other night, Nancy really related to it as she reminded me that she attended Girl’s State in Tallahassee between our Junior and Senior years at Hialeah High School. I asked her who went from HHS, and of course she needed to grab our yearbook to verify the names. She found that for the girls, she went with Caryl Gardner Broaderick, Sharon Facente Hills, Chris Riley Leff. For the boys, it was Gerry Litzinger, Gus Males, Homer Wills, Paul Stokes and Tom Watts. So, I said to her there were representatives from Palm Springs JHS, Westview JHS and Palm Springs JHS, but there was no one from Filer JHS. I know you are as shocked as I was realizing this travesty, but it’s probably too late to do anything about it…as if it would have made any difference to any of our lives!

Seriously, how about all of you. Have any of you run for a governmental office since our high school days...and thank you in advance if you did! And if you did get elected (especially those of us who were Filerites), would you tell us about your experiences as an elected official?

Vince "Vinny" Rusinak

This should bring back a lot of memories growing up in the 40's, the 50's and 60's: 000/5/4/7/31745/userfiles/file/Images%20of%20our%20youth.pdf. We didn't have cell phones back then, but what we had, I feel, was much, much better! I'd like to credit whoever put this together, but I don't know who did it...it came from a friend in an email. I get almost all of the photos, but in one of them it seems that someone has pasted donuts to the back of their head? Maybe someone can tell us what this is all about?

Bruce Nierenberg

Pretty cool stuff. lots of memories. wakes up the older brain cells!!

Christopher "Chris" Smith

Thanks, Vinny, that was so much fun. That one picture, in case no one has answered you yet, is bobby pins and curls, boy that lady really did a neat job. I guess that's how they used to curl their hair if they wanted almost a "permanent" look.

Chris

Patricia Hermansader (Brandt)

That did bring back a lot of memories. I could persoanlly identify with almost all of them. Thanks for sharing!

Brenda Becker (Egles)

Pretty cool memories.  I can relate to most all.  I remember my Mom curling her hair with bobby pins.  I played Pickup sticks all the time and of course Jacks as a kid.  I bought a package of Jacks from a antique store a couple of years ago.   Thanks for sharing.  Take care.

Genevieve "Dev" Perkis (Steffen)

Oh my goodness!! Are we that old??? (Yep)Thank you Vinny for that walk through our past. The good OLE days as they say. Life was so much simpler and then we had so much fun in our Senior year!  I remember I always wanted a perm to have curly hair and weat the FLIP. Now my gray hair is as straight as it can be. That was a lot of searching to get that list so thanks for the memories.

Susan Clarke (Singleton)

Wow... That was a trip down memory lane. Brought back good memories of my mom, dad, schoolmates, neighbors, and myself playing Croquet in our front yard, a frequent pastime... and also the colorful chickens at Easter and getting in so much trouble when I put them in our neighbor's swimming pool...  I don't usually post anything here for lack of something to say.. but I do read and enjoy all the posts you and others share.. but this one really did bring back lots of good memories and deserved a response.. Thanks to all, so many times over, for taking the time to post and keep this Forum going and sharing the memories of our younger years...

Sandra McKleroy (Hunter)

Susan Clarke, Do you remember me?   You let me drive your car to get my drivers license. 
I have fond memories of the time we spent together. 
I would love to hear what you have been doing for the past 50-60 years if you are up for it.

James Ward

Just an FYI , I came across the old turn table bridge going across the Miami river into Miami Springs and got a shock.Hollomans restaurant and the old Circle theater where I spent many Saturday morning and nights have been bulldozed and an apartment building will be going up.

Paul Korry (HHS 1963)

James, you're dating yourself cause the bridge & Holliman's has been gone for some time. However, that's one of the prices of growing further in our "Golden Years".  PK - HHS'63.

Sue Mellen (Porretto)

Progress always poses threats to our childhood memories.... my family used to eat at Holloman's restaurant on Sundays- I remember always ordering fried chicken and mashed potatoes.  I am actually surprised it stayed there as long as it did.  Several years ago, my sister and I visited Miami and we actually got LOST .... there had been sooo many changes.  Can't imagine what has changed since then.  But there is a sadness in seeing these landmarks disappear.  Thanks for sharing!  Every time I view the posts on this site I think of friends with whom I have lost touch and remember thinking that we would always stay connected.  Through college, that worked, however, once that was behind life kicked in and we moved, married, worked and made new friends.  But the memories of the times and friendships from HHS will be with me forever.  

Thank you for getting this up and keeping it fresh!!  Happy Thanksgiving to all... PLEASE STAY well... distance and wear a mask!!

Genevieve "Dev" Perkis (Steffen)

James I've lived in Miami Springs since getting married in 1965. My husbands parents moved to Miami Springs in 1944.

Many residents fought the new building that is to go up but money spoke louder. However it is at a standstill.The old movie theater was a derelect and needed to be torn down but many residents thought Hollamans (even though it had closed way before) and the other businesses should stay. We no longer have any good  resturants in the area. Remember Billy's Seafood, Cisco's, Beef Steak Charlies, and Victoria Station? Only hotel after hotel along 36th Street. We are still fighting to keep this little city like a little Merryberry but it is changing whether we like it or not. We are now part of the gray hair group with our kids and grandkids living here!

James Ward

Paul, Both one way bridges are still in use today. I remember the turntable bridge rotating when I was young. The other one way  bridge going from Springs to Hialeah was a lift bridge using concrete counter weights which were finally removed about 30 years ago when someone noticed the steel cables holding them up were about rusted through.

Dev, I remember all those restaurants you mentioned and their locations. Although they weren't in in Hialeah or Miami Srings there was Bahama Steak house and Chesapeake's on 36 st. & N. River drive. I remember Brothers Three at the Parkway hotel on Curtiss Pky. 747 club on Ponc and of course how could you leave out Big Daddy's on the Circle. The only place still going is Tom's sports bar on 36 st.