Oh Beautiful Myrna!

It is that time of year,
when we reflect the death of innocence as a nation
and the untimely passing of one of our own!

A beautiful, radiant person
whose memory has raised a spirited consciousness
of honor and courage,
forging us to face the fears of uncertainty
in hopes of galvanizing a nation that will valiantly stand guard
and protect what is truly important to us
not only as individuals
but of a nation as a whole.

Know that you are very much missed by family and friends,
thus we will cherish you forever in our hearts
as our very own personal “Home Angel”
that will be remembered for generations to come.

We rejoice your life on this most significant day of memorial

Rita Villa Rosado

In Loving Memory
Myrna Maldonado-Agosto

  No flower shall there weep, in heavenly vain.
Nor wilt away fold, within destitute’s pain
Blossom from all weary, the Lord’s mercy has spoken.
Child of misfortune, beside him be awoken.

R. Lugo

I Remember Colin
by Rita Villa-Rosado

Colin was Nelson’s mentor and friend before I met him in person.  They used to drive around together in a little red MG sports car that Colin fondly called “Flower Pot.”  At night, I used to call the Minga household from the pay phone at WT Grants on break, to talk to Nelson.  Colbert (Colin’s twin) used to answer pretending he was Colin. Colin would pick up on the confusion and it would be an ongoing prank whenever I called.  I consequently never knew who I was talking to, when either one of them answered the phone.  Colin had taken Nelson under his wing after Nelson’s graduation and realizing that Nelson had artistic potential, he handed a book to Nelson on “Classical Greece.” In the back of the book, there were illustrations of both Greek Gods and Goddesses. Colin loved the highly stylized black illustrations so much that he had us reproduce them on 8x10 canvases.  This information came in handy for me a year later when I had to read Homer’s “Iliad” for I knew most of the celestial characters after helping Nelson oil paint the major deities and offspring, without using Bullfinches’ “Mythology” as a reference.

   Right after my graduation and before shuffling off to Buffalo, I was given the opportunity to make some extra cash working as a summer counselor in Honesdale, Pennsylvania at Camp Ahtaga.  If my memory serves me, it was a piece of property that Lou Grimaldi owned and operated.  Of course, I was thrilled, since it was also around the time that Nelson was scheduled to come home from Camp Lejeune, for a few weeks before heading out to Camp Pendleton.  From there, Nelson would have flown to the other side of the world to complete his annual tour in Viet Nam.  The camp was located 100 miles NW of Nanuet towards the Poconos.  It was a beautiful 2-hour ride traveling around mountains and passing beautiful picturesque lakes.  I believe we, the counselors, were there a few days ahead of the kids so that we were able to go over schedules, names and become acquainted with the grounds.  It was a beautiful place with a lot of room to run around and explore. There was an old garage that was converted into an arts and craft area and the “ole swimming hole” had a couple of canoes and a pier that became a floating raft.

After we unpacked the cars and placed our footlockers at the end of our beds in our assigned units, it was around dinner time and we all gathered in the mess hall brainstorming and getting to know each other as a group.  There were a few unfamiliar faces that were introduced to us as college students also working as counselors.  I do remember the tall, reddish auburn haired woman that had large calves and the kids fondly nicknamed “Piano Legs.” I recall a Chinese counselor with long black hair. From the “Home,” there may have been more, but I remember Lou and his two sons, Fulton, Melanie Lucher, Ishmael Cruz, Rita Mallory, and myself.  When I saw Colin at the camp, I knew from the start, that camp life was going to be an interesting summer;  little did I know that it would have been a summer I would never forget! After the kids arrived, a few of us made a point to meet at the mess hall to unwind after the kids were asleep.  We discussed any problems that came up and went over schedules.  Once the business end was taken care of, Colin would get up and mosey on over to the upright piano, play a few cords and start singing a love ballad called “Save Your Love for Me” by Nancy Wilson. (By the way it’s on the playlist on MySpace.)  Somehow a bottle of Southern Comfort would appear out of the wood work that would be passed around as we’d water it down with Coca Cola.  By the end of the night we all knew the lyrics, and were harmonizing like pros (or so we thought, at the time).  We did this religiously every other night and by the end of the month that song became the camp anthem and the beginning of a romantic connection between ‘Piano Legs’ and Colin!

During the day Colin was the acting coach and had made plans on putting on the Play “Sorry, Wrong Number” for the acting group to perform by the end of the summer.  It was a story about a demanding, high strung, invalid woman trying to reach her husband on the phone, only to over hear a murder plot, which was destined to be her own.  I remember the leading lady to be Jackie Bosco.   The Play centered on Jackie’s character sitting in an armchair with a sheet draped over her legs holding the phone.  Colin had the rest of the players standing just on the peripheral of the makeshift stage where only a light would shine or the person or would step out of the darkness as the character talking on the other end of the line.   We didn’t have a TV, and it was possible that there were a few transistor radios, but this Play would be the highlight and the only organized form of entertainment (other than the PA system that woke us up every morning).  The Play was the talk of the camp! When it was curtain time, Colin made sure that it was at night and the use of lighting was critical in creating a very dramatic effect.

It was a fantastic performance to say the least that kept us all in suspense. All the kids involved should have gotten an Academy award for their performance!  I knew then that Colin was a very gifted teacher.  He brought out the best in people and he made them understand what was expected and why.  He always kept you thinking out of the box which took my camping experience to new heights.  During the weekends everyone was at the lake, and I remember him asking me if I knew how to swim and if I trusted him.  I said, of course and then he graciously asked if he could take me around the lake in a canoe. Cool, but I wondered why me, and not Piano Legs?  I got in to the boat while he untied the rope and shoved off.  We glided towards the middle of the lake before he started rowing and asked me what my future plans were.  Before I could even think of an answer the canoe started filling up with water and I started cracking up, thinking that my immediate future goal was to swim back to the shore.  We managed to flip the canoe right side up and Colin tied the rope around his waist and we swam back to shore with canoe in tow. While sitting on the bank, drying off in the hot sunlight he mentioned that he was impressed that I didn’t panic throughout the whole ordeal.  Odd I thought, why would you panic, if you were prepared for it?  It then dawned on me that there was a “connect the dot lesson” to be learned in his analogy:  “Once you draw up a plan, you will be preparing yourself for a definite outcome!”

I lived the typical teenage life each day just studying, completing school assignments and working part time.  It was a natural process and I really didn’t give it much thought.  On the other hand, I definitely worried about my future. I had no family outside the Home and didn’t have the faintest idea what I would be doing a year from now.  It was my wake up call but I was fortunate to have Colin to share my aspirations and fears with.  I just turned 18 two months prior and was now considered a full fledge adult. There were things I had to seriously consider back in 1968. There was political unrest, an emerging women’s movement, and hanging in the balance was the person I love, leaving in a few weeks to a war that was starting to turn unpopular.  It was a lot to absorb but Colin, in his gentle ways, convinced me that once your plans were drawn up it would be easy trying to keep things in perspective.  “Believe in yourself” was one of many most important lessons I learned from Colin.  After completing all the paintings, I left for Buffalo and my life enfolded.  It was the last time I ever saw him and I regret never telling him how much of an impact he made on both our lives.  It was a summer of enlightenment and it was one of the best summers I ever shared with another human being. This was his gift to me and I shall always treasure the memory of him!

In closing, while perusing the web for information, I found this tribute to him on Classmates.com, a thread called, “I remember Minga” where many of his Nanuet High School students posted quotes that Colin had used as a teacher. They were called “Mingology” and here are a few excerpts from their posts:

“Never settle, select.  If you settle, you will never be happy.  If you select, you will be happy.”
“Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”
"Being there, is believing you have already arrived.”
"You are unlimited possibility.  Whatever you think about all the time is what your will be, so think big.”
"He who knows and knows not, that he knows, is asleep; teach him…”
"He who knows, and knows, that he knows, is wise follow him.”
"Nothing in the world takes place of persistence. Talent will not.  Education will not.  Genius will not.  Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

 

A Retrospective

The tarp has been pulled from the sacred grounds
that once housed thousands of adolescent souls of distinct commonalities,
besieged by circumstances that placated a society systemically hindered
by the growing population of orphanhood ...

Although St. Agatha fleets in lasting retreat,
I surmise that her grounds will continue to provide a source of serenity
for the youth and leisure promenade that graze her soil for years on end ...

In retrospect, every now and then when I care to
fondly retrieve the innocence of my formative years,
I can still see those dartingly little tadpoles I once caught
(in cutoff waxed milk containers) near Brookside
and feel blessed to have been a leaf from a

"Once Upon A Time"...

View Full Album

RON LUGO
Mt. Carmel/73 Duryea Lane a/k/a Don Bosco/3rd Cottage/
10 Hayden Circle/Loyola/Seton Hall (1959-1974)

The
Reverend Monsignor

 
FRANCIS EUGENE OLIVERIO
Words of Deliberation

Dear Alumni of St. Agatha's,

My first word is that I never forgot you.  You have been so often in my thoughts and always in my prayers.  In the days of our youth, we had each other and that was enough.  We had the security and safety of St. Agatha's and that gave us peace even though we were too young to realize it.  We had the love of the Sisters and dedicated staff and that was our freedom.

A good number of you, over the years, have told me of your love and gratitude for the Sisters.  What they have taught you in becoming self-respectful and independent young ladies and gentlemen was so much, and forever would gratitude pour forth.  As they were good to you, so were they good to me.

Oh, how I loved St. Agatha's!  How I hated to leave!  It was so much fun - stickball, handball, football, snowball fights, underwater football, sleigh riding down the slopes, visiting the units at nights for story-telling.  I really came for the snacks!  Do you realize I ate more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches than a whole nation of people put together???

Over the years a good number kept in touch - a letter, a phone call, a Christmas card.  Some have come for a visit.  Some of you are nearing sixty or more years of age.  Some of you are now grandparents.  I remember the altar boys.  I was strict with them.  I wanted to use all the altar boys from Christmas and Easter.  Sister Paula and Sister Charles used to dress you in red cassocks, big white stiff collars, and big red bows.  Louis Perez always led that large procession.  I wonder how many remember me screaming that in the procession hands had to be folded and one head directly behind the other.  Then I would scream that if any head was out of order there would be bloodshed in the Chapel and that would mean we would have to call the Bishop to reconsecrate the Chapel which was necessary when there was bloodshed.  What you didn't know, altar boys, was that the Sisters who could hear me would laugh and laugh to hear me talk that way!

How well I remember the snowball fights!  Zaida Cortez once hit Father Dunne from St. Anthony's with a chunk of ice right in the face!  He has the flattest nose in all of Rockland County.

Love you kids, always will.  After I left, Marcia Wilson sent me a Christmas LP with Mexican Christmas carols.  I still play it.  It is one of my dearest treasures.

God bless all of you.  Much love always. (AgaLinks 2000)

View Full Album

FOR UPDATE ON FR. OLIVERIO OR TO CONTACT/VISIT HIM:
Maria Agosto: wallofreflection@live.com

 

WE REMEMBER

Sr. Marian Cecilia Schneider
(Tenorship at St. Agatha ended in 1964
as Head Administrator) 

Sister Cecilia Schneider, dedicated Sister of Charity for 72 years, educator, administrator, acknowledged leader in the field of child welfare, visionary and mentor to many, entered into eternal life on October 4, 2007. After several years in education, Sister Cecilia earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from Catholic University of America and began her life's work of 40 years in the field of child welfare, serving as Administrator at St. Agatha Home in Nanuet and Saint Joseph's Hall in Brooklyn.

This was followed by 22 years at the New York Foundling Hospital as Executive Director, serving New York City's poorest children and families. Sister Cecilia retired in 1988 and continued as a volunteer until 2006. Beloved daughter of the late Mary and Eugene, she is predeceased by her sisters Marie and Ruth Schneider, Margaret Stanley and Evelyn Schneider, SC, her brother-in-law John Stanley and nephew Patrick Stanley. She was the loving aunt to John, Eugene and Marianne Stanley and Margaret, Frank, Jessica and Allison Tagliaferro.

Eternal Peace Be Yours, Dear Sr. Cecilia
We Homekids of St. Agatha Home know first hand
The total dedication and love you gave on our behalf
THANK YOU!  We are eternally grateful to you

Remembrance

Often throughout my life I have been asked the question, "What was your childhood like, Maria?"  It never ceases that my answer is always preceded by a wistful smile, a teary twinge in my heart and an inexplicable longing.  In an instant I enter a frameless time capsule and immediately I'm transported to a time and place many years ago.
 
It's October 1959, I'm just starting 7th grade and fate has brought me to St. Agatha Home for Children along with my younger brothers Wilfredo and Rudy.  I don't know what I'm doing here except that I see my father, sister and a neighbor walking away and I soon realize we are being left in this strange room with these strange people.  I don't see my brothers Willie or Julio.  Where are they?  I think the word "shock" and "trauma" is what I am experiencing and I cling to my sister's legs for dear life and beg her not to leave me here.  I don't remember much else about this day and I don't think I really want to - I'd rather look somewhere else.

It's still 1959 but I'm now a 53 year old spectator from the year 2000 looking over Little Flower, Magnificat and Goretti - it's much easier to look at things from the distance of a lifetime.  I'm by the water tower watching a group of little girls playing in the courtyard, and the shy one with the long brown hair and big blue eyes looks awfully familiar.  I want to hug her and tell her I love her and that everything's going to be okay - that little girl is ME!  As I scan the courtyard with my adult eyes I notice that from this view I have peripheral vision and can see fine details I could not remember, see or understand before.

I see that there are hundreds of other scared little boys and girls of various ages living in units and cottages throughout the property.  They are just as perplexed as I am about why we are here.  For some reason the adults don't think it's necessary to explain - they really mean well.  The question foremost in our minds, "When am I going home?" never gets answered, so we play, we forget and after a while we no longer ask.

Blessed routine sets in, time goes by, and it looks like things will be alright after all.  I see the nuns in black and white habits with the cute little bonnets on their heads, the large rosary with the crucifix dangling at the end.  I even see Sister Barbara's short clean fingernails and the neat little bow just under her chin.  I realize now how young some of these Sisters are and how much work they have before them tending to the needs of so many needy children.

I see my hero, my anchor, Fr. Oliverio and the sweet gentle smile always available for each and every one of us.  The word "tender" is the love I feel from him.  He has a way of remembering all our names and birthdays and has a perpetual supply of milk and cookies for anyone who cares to stop by.  He is the closest to a true father figure many of us children will ever know.  St. Agatha is Father's first assignment and he's only 26 years old when he first comes here.

I see the chapel where I make my Confirmation, kiss the ring on the Bishop's hand, receive Holy Communion every Sunday, confess all my venial sins every Saturday and feel pretty confident I'm going to heaven someday (if I don't kiss any boys, that is!).  I hear the choir singing "kyrie eleison" with the harmonious blend of Alto and Soprano voices of Nidia Cancel and Patricia Newton raised above the rest.

I hear echoes of laughter and I see us taking trips to Rye Beach, Bear Mountain, Palisades Park, Radio City Music Hall, the World's Fair - the "coolest" of us always sit in the back of the bus and we truly believe we're the "in crowd." I see Ralph Cortez and I holding hands; Robert Hicks and Nidia Cancel dancing the Mash Potato at Seton Hall.  I can hear and see Olga Andino, Emily Morales, Vanessa Hicks, Carol Hetherington and myself harmonizing to “Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains ...” we sound like angels.

I can hear Sr. Alexander saying, "Leave room for the Holy Ghost!" whenever we get together for dances at Seton Hall and how on New Year's she turns off the lights for just half a minute so we can sneak a hug or a peck from whoever we have a crush on at the time.  (Thank you, Sr. Alexander!)  I see my brother Willie riding his bike full speed down the path from Seton Hall and DePaul to the handball courts, at the risk of breaking his neck, just to impress the pretty girls, especially Carmen Sandoval who looks as beautiful as Sophia Loren.

I see my brother Wilfredo visiting me, his "big sister," at the high school girls building for Sunday lunch.  I feel very important when he visits.  I see my brother, Julio, dressed as John  the Baptist; Nolan Roman as Joseph; Gloria Tirado as the Angel Gabriel, and me as the Virgin Mary at the Christmas pageant.  I still know my lines!  "But how shall this be done when I know not man?"

A million more pictures and memories start racing before me, and my heart is filled with both joy and longing - to see you all again, to laugh and share stories, to meet each other's children and grandchildren, and most of all to know that you're all healthy and happy.  And to those of you who may not be happy or are going through changes, to let you know that we are here in spirit, we haven't forgotten you and that you will always be special to all of us.

Sadly we have lost several of our Agatha brothers and sisters and it's too late to say to them the things we are sharing in this newsletter.  We're all in our 40's, 50's and some already at or approaching our 60's - what better time in our lives to get together and reminisce, to look back and reflect, and let our children know what a huge and wonderful family we had and still have.

May this be a new beginning with new memories for each and every one of us, our children, grandchildren and significant others.  God bless you always and I hope to see you real soon!

MARIA AGOSTO (AgaLinks 2000)

AgaLinks’ Beginnings
Inspiration Is Contagious

Back in 2000, myself, Maria Santiago and Frances Maldonado joined forces to reunite the Homekids we grew up with in the 1950’s & 60’s that we had not seen in years.  The networking resulted in our newsletter, AgaLinks,  and in 2001 one of the largest reunions ever held at St. Agatha, where over 300 Homekids showed up.  Little did we know that just four years later the Home would be closing, that Myrna Maldonado would be lost at the WTC, that it'd be the last time many of us would see Jimmy Beaner, Nelson Rosado, Michael Fields, Patricia Newton and a few others who've passed since then.   Several Homekids participated in AgaLinks and thus my collection of notes and stories began, all of which you’ll eventually see here in our Literary Wall of Reflection.

Our paper publication of AgaLinks ended in 2000 after only two issues but it was the beginning of many wonderful things to come.  Many of us have remained in touch since then and thanks to Nancy Canfield’s book HOME KIDS and her St. Agatha Home website, along with the Alumni Committee’s efforts to hold regular alumni reunions, our St. Agatha family is once again reunited.

AgaLinks is now online as of May 2008 and has received 3,231 visits as of this writing.  So many were the stories being shared that my Agatha brother, Ron Lugo, suggested it was time to create a new website specifically geared to showcase all our wonderful memories, poetry, prose and stories.  From our paper publication of AgaLinks to Ana DeJesus' Angelfire website, Augustine Cruz’s sculptures, Nancy’s book HOME KIDS, the St. Agatha Home website, AgaLinks online, Rita Villa’s website, to the Literary Wall of Reflection – we’ve come a long way, Baby! – www.myspace.com/mariaagosto

sculptures by St. Agatha alumnus Augustine Cruz (photo on left)

A Tribute
To The Grounds That Was A Home

And there used to be a home on these grounds
Where the fields were warm and green
And the children of trying times played their games
With the reckless and abandon joy of youth
And the air was filled with a wonder of better tomorrows
Drawn from the nuns and the counselors who did care
Yes, there used to be a home, right here
And there used to be Bear Mountain Park trips
And summer evening movies in the courtyard
And many a New Year Eve dance
That ended with the midnight kiss
Under the watchful eyes of the good Sisters of Charity
These events and more filled our youth
And there used to be a home, right here
And there used to be the roar of cheers on these grounds
From our soccer field, from our football field and from our pool
We witnessed the fall of Rockland’s best against the likes of us
And on the canvas, on the stage and on paper
Some of us painted, acted, sang and wrote
The joy, the hurt, the love and the hope of those years
Yes, there used to be home, right here
And although the fields are warm and green
We now find a new meaning on these grounds
With disbelieving eyes the old buildings are gone
And now we the children of trying times are adults
Wandering up and down the new Outdoor Center grounds
With friends and children of our own
Trying to capture a glimpse or two of what we were
............
Yes, there used to be a home, right here

(AgaLinks 2008 )

JOSEPH "CHINO" VELEZ
(1950s-1960s)

 
So What’s So Special About A Homekid?

* A Homekid knows who I am and where I've been; I don't have to explain because he and she knows. * A Homekid is my brother, my sister; we shared the same childhood, played the same games, felt the same joys and disappointments. * Homekids are my family and I feel as close or closer to them  as I would to my own siblings. * With a Homekid I can be myself; I don't have to wear a mask because I'm accepted just as I am, good or imperfect.

* By being a Homekid I know that I'm never alone and that all I need to do is reach out to one of them and they'd be there for me.
* With a Homekid I feel a sense of calmness and acceptance, of everything being alright, of being understood. * Being a Homekid means that no matter how many years go  by I will always have kindred spirits who care what happens to me.

* As a Homekid I know that when my body is old and weak I'll
be able to rejuvenate my spirit with my precious memories of my days at St. Agatha - a community unlike any other. * I may not
have  the house of my parents to go back to but I know that as
long as there's a Homekid, home is where they are because
"HOME" IS A PLACE IN MY HEART.  (AgaLinks 2000) 

To all those of you that remained true-blue Homekids, the above is for you. THANK YOU to all of you with whom I had the privilege to share my childhood, for you continue to be a source of strength for me today.  All of YOU made St. Agatha Home for Children a place that my brothers Willie, Julio, Wilfredo, Rudy and I will forever remember with much love.  May we continue to be a lighthouse for each other.

MARIA CRISTINA AGOSTO
Magnificat/HS Girls Big House/HS Girls Little House (1959-1965)
To Contact Me:  wallofreflection@live.com 

The BANDROOM where we did our plays, accepted visitors, and how I waited for six years for some family to visit me.  After many years I accepted the fact that I would not have any visitors, so I volunteered to answer the phone for those who did.  The PLAYS - Senorita, the Cinderella Story.  I remember the song "In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be ..." and The Pinafore "I am the captain of the Pinafore and a right good captain too ..."  GORETTI, MAGNIFICAT, LITTLE FLOWER.  The BIG HOUSE and LITTLE HOUSE of the high school girls across from SETON HALL where the boys lived.   NIDIA CANCEL waiting for ROBERT DIAZ in the gazebo.

 Participating in a fundraiser by sending out red paper bricks so we could build a ramp between the living quarters and the dining room and be able to get across it in the winter when the snow was up to our knees.   How the nuns wouldn't let us see the end of the Ozzie and Harriet Show when RICKY NELSON "rolled his eyes" (so we always had a lookout!).  I remember always getting doses of MOM (milk of magnesia) whenever I had a stomachache.   HOT CHOCOLATE the night before Christmas.   SINGING IRISH SONGS and staying outside even when it was bitter cold. We had to have RECREATION.

The 6:00 PM BENEDICTION BELL.  When Maria Agosto fell over the red bike.  The CONSTRUCTION OF THE SWIMMING POOL and someone losing their tissue paper (used to stuff our bras!).

The CANTEEN and LOUIS MARCHENA dancing.  Having to Waltz with EDDIE POLK (he was fine! and a good singer too).   Coming from CHAPEL on Sunday mornings racing to get to the frying pans just to learn that they were hidden.  FR. OLIVERIO, my rock, my most favorite person and MARGARET McGRAFF being totally taken by him (she thought it was love!).  I remember when he wore the plaid red and blue shirt and showed us how to play softball.  Playing BASKETBALL against LAKESIDE and when we were winning with only seconds to go I would be put in.  NIDIA was a champ as was VANESSA HICKS.  MRS. RAMSEY making our favorite meal for our birthday, southern fried chicken, French fries, a cake from scratch, vanilla ice cream and no green vegetables! FRYING BOLOGNA when we had cold cuts.

MRS. AINSWORTH "GIGI" and her turquoise convertible taking us for rides and to the movies on Friday nights.  MR. CONNOLLY's penmanship lessons every Tuesday:  Aa, Bb, About, Abroad, Afraid, Across.  Writing a LETTER TO SANTA and one to DEAR FRIEND.  The curly-haired doll given by the telephone company.  My visit with my foster parents and sitting on the telephone books in their formal dining room.  Buying a dress and shoes for EASTER from ROBERT HALL CLOTHING STORE.  The LARGE SAFETY PIN that we used to gather the mesh bag where we put our dirty laundry.  The STOLEN KISSES by the LAUNDRY ROOM.  Going BOOT SKATING at the nearby pond when we couldn't afford ice skates (there's a development there now).  The dances: THE GRIND at Seton Hall when the nuns said, "Make room for the Holy Ghost!"  SR. BRIDGET making sure that a dime could bounce from the bed.  SR. ALEXANDER'S smile and how she thought so much of my sister, Rosa.

The GARDEN with tomatoes, rhubarb and other fresh vegetables.  Wearing a MANTILLA on my head (black lace circle) for Chapel.  The CHRISTMAS PAGEANT and being in the CHOIR.  Ironing my white pleated skirt.  The GREEN UNIFORM, white blouse and brown & white Oxfords we wore to school.  MR. YOUNG, the chauffeur, in the brown station wagon with the wood panel siding.  MRS. AVALON - all the make up she wore: arched eyebrows and thick lipstick covering her small lips.  St. Agatha's phone number: NA3-3461.   Getting in trouble for saying, "MO GOT YA!"   MARCIA WILSON coming on the bus with me when she lived with THE GRIMALDIS to spend the night after school.   MARIA AGOSTO'S green "pleather" coat which she thought was so cool. (Note from Maria Agosto: hey, pleather was "cool" and I looked cute - I wore that coat until the pleather cracked!)

SNEAKING INTO THE WOODS to smoke MARLBORO CIGARETTES before age 16. One day Sister asked if we knew of anyone smoking and we said "No!" and Sister replied, "Blanca, let me introduce you to Maria.  Maria, let me introduce you to Blanca."  Cigarettes were only 35 cents!  I remember learning how to use a phone and getting a job at LEDERLE'S.  We went to CHURCH every Sunday and learned HYMNS.  We even learned SONGS IN LATIN.

I remember graduating from 8th grade and trying to lower my sleeves - that was a no-no.  I made my own prom dress - it was pink brocade with a low plunge neckline and it cost me seven dollars.  The other girls had thirty dollar dresses from their parents, whereas I made my own in HOME ECONOMICS.

Yes, there were good times, but I remember the not-so-good more.  We had three square meals a day and snacks, but we couldn't choose what we ate or how much.  I remember so much more, but mostly I remember the pain of not being with my family until I was twelve and then I didn't know how to be part of a family.  That's when my mother died and then I had PARLOR.  I was taken out of St. Agatha only to be returned.  I was going home for good - NOT - I went back until I went to a foster family in NANUET on the borderline of PEARL RIVER. (AgaLinks 2000)

MARIA SANTIAGO
Little Flower/Goretti/Magnificat
HS Girls Big House/HS Girls Little House (1953-1964)

Jim & Mary Bryant
"True Grit"

Article in Camp Agape
Program Release Manual 2008

Director - James V. Bryant
Co-Director - Mary W. Bryant

Preparation

In working with At Risk youth began at Saint Agatha Home in Nanuet, NY.

James Bryant began his employment as child care worker, then supervisor of child care and Senior Recreation Specialist.

Bryant was responsible for a number of programs in the recreation department which included organizing the football and baseball teams;  a game room, a Ranger's Program and a trophy winning Drill Team.

Mary Bryant also began employment at Saint Agatha as child care worker and Resource and Recreation Specialist in the Resource and Vocational Guidance Department. Mary's duties included teaching personal hygiene and hair care grooming skills in the cosmetology department.

James and Mary worked more than 30 years for the agency.

James "Jim" Bryant and his wife are the parents of two daughters Sharon and Sonya, one granddaughter Melissa.

Jim and Mary retired in 1995, relocated to Clinon, North Carolina.

Jim and Mary are active members of St. John Deliverance Tabernacle, Inc., Nyack, NY; their pastor is Apostle Elizabeth Alston.

View Full Album

TO CONTACT JIM & MARY:
P.O. Box 1566, Clinton, NC 28329
Home:  910-592-7006 * * * Cell: 910-379-8444
 

 FREEDOM  FIGHTERS
Colbert Minga & Colin Minga

Article By Robert Kelly-Goss
Albemarle Life Editor

In 1963, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement,
Elizabeth City was site of protests and sit-ins
Rule of the day was separate but equal

In August 1963 the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood before one of the largest gathering of people in Washington D.C. ever, gathered to make a stand in the name of civil rights. He gave his famed "I have a dream speech."

One month later, in Elizabeth City, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, King's speech and organized by members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, local students from then Elizabeth City State Teachers College began organizing a march to raise awareness and stimulate dialogue in this Southern community that, like others, was under the rule of segregated Jim Crow laws.

The route the estimated 450 students — roughly half of the student body — would take began at Moore Hall on the college campus. It would wind down Southern Avenue and then onto city hall on Colonial Avenue. It is the same route students take today, each year, when they march to commemorate the memory of Dr. King.

Along that route there were a number of businesses. One of those was Central Restaurant owned by O.P. Wilkinson.  It would be one of several sites where students who were barred because of the color of their skin would march into, sit down and refuse to leave in protest of unjust laws.  Those students were arrested.  Thurlis Little, the current ECSU athletic director, was a co-captain of the college's football team in 1963. He was one of the students involved in the march and subsequent sit-ins that would see members of the student body and football team arrested and charged with trespassing.

"We were all brought in for processing," recalls Little. "We were carried into a room downtown and they were processing us but Earl (Francis) and about three others I can remember ... they were arrested for sitting down at the lunch counter. They were already in jail. The rest of us were in orderly protest and a march. We were given an ultimatum. Either move on and disburse or be arrested."

Little says a number of the protesters were members of the college football team, then known as The Pirates.  Because of a scheduled football game that weekend, then Police Chief W. C. Owens Sr. was willing to cooperate with Vaughan, who was with the students on the march, and Coach Thomas Caldwell, to let all but Co-captain Norris Earl Francis go for the sake of the game.  Francis, Colin Minga and his twin brother Colbert Minga were, however, detained and charged with trespassing.

That day, brothers Colbert Minga and Colin Minga were arrested along with Norris Earl Francis for staging a sit-in at the Central Restaurant in Elizabeth City. The students were charged and convicted for trespassing during the September 1963 protest march. The conviction was, however, overturned by the N.C. State Supreme Court the following year.

COLIN & COLBERT MINGA
*Colin: 6th grade teacher and counselor at St. Agatha Home
Also a teacher at Nanuet Middle School
(various cottages mid-1960s - early 1970s)

ESCAPE OF ABSENCE
Homage to The Fallen

What is a sky without birds?
A Rainbow without colors?
Trees without a breeze?
Love without a mate?
…
... Dauntingly Unimaginable!

The importance of recognizing the virtues of life’s vitality and its companionship with others, is as important as appreciating the fleeting souls that have left before us. In paying homage to our dearly departed we not only recognize our connection with their existence but also secure the light of their glow!

St. Agatha Home for Children has seen many a wandering soul pass through its gates over her illustrious tenure in addressing the call of humanitarianism. Some have seen the twilight; others have met with misfortune...

It is not but by fate, at the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, that summon our final rest in destiny. In light of his mercy and in memory of all our St. Agatha Brothers and Sisters now at eternal peace, I earnestly share and dedicate this courtside memorial “Homage to the Fallen.”
(AgaLinks, March 2009)

RON LUGO

“Iron Man “

Letter to:  Ramon’s sister, Lucy (Colon) Marrero & Family
From:  Ralph Willis, friend of Ramon 

June 16, 1988

Ramon Colon had class and excellent taste in music, people, food, clothes and interior design/ambiance.  His vocals and music were from the heart, not superficial and gut-less.  Therefore, he was able to rearrange and reproduce his music; a case in point: "Spirit."  This song goes back at least to when the first band formed in about 1980-81.  That was when we first "performed" it; who knows when he "wrote" it.

Ramon had unlimited charisma.  At times he was composing, organizing the band, working two jobs, dealing with studio personnel and music lawyers, club owners, landlords and musicians.  Too much for most people to handle.  His energy had no end.  No matter how disappointing things could get, he always saw the lighter side of it.

Ramon loved R&B and dance music the most; he also could dig straight-ahead jazz, but it wasn't his first love.  About two months before Ramon left us, I had told him he was an "iron man" because of his inner strength.  I got that phrase from the title of a "straight-ahead jazz" album.  Ramon said, ironically, "Oh, I have that album!"

Ramon had too much stamina and charisma to just leave us flat.  Although he's gone, we're not left hanging.  He left us a message - among his final recordings were "Stand" and ironically again, "Spirit."  Besides, he hasn't gone far; he's still crooning and bangin' away on the piano somewhere.

The precious photo that appears at the top of this article was signed by Ramon to Sr. Maureen Catherine in the 1960’s.  At a recent reunion,
Sr. Maureen lovingly handed it over to Lucy.  Great were the emotions
Lucy felt in knowing that Sister had carried her brother’s photo with her
all these years.

Thanks to our Agatha brother Ron Lugo’s amazing talent and skills in photography the photo looks as fresh as the day it was taken.  On behalf of Lucy & Ramon’s family, Ron, THANK YOU!  You are an inspiration to all of us and we deeply appreciate your hard and dedicated work to make us all shine as brightly as the stars in Heaven.  You are truly a “brother.”

RAMON COLON
Rest in Peace, Beloved Brother
Various cottages (1958-1963)

 
Sneakin’ Out

I remember when I was in St. Agatha - I used to visit my mother for a  day until I found a boyfriend and I wouldn't come back the whole weekend.  I got punished  (grounded) – everyone had to go to bed. I wanted to sneak out again to see my boyfriend.  There was a Sister downstairs reading a book.

I was wondering how to get past her to sneak out, so I thought of it.  I put my pajamas on over my clothes. I went downstairs.  She asked me where I was going - I said to the bathroom - she said ok.  I went  in the bathroom, took off my pajamas (clothes underneath), opened the window and climbed out!!

One day I cut classes to go to the candy store and I got suspended for three days.

Another memory I have is of Rosa de Jesus and I walking down to Nanuet with our shoes off.

I remember all the good times we had going on trips.

I remember building a pile of snow and jumping into it ... I didn't want to leave St. Agatha - it was the only home I knew.  I appreciated growing up there.  (AgaLinks 2009)

LINDA SHANER (a/k/a PATRICIA)
72 Duryea Lane/Goretti/HS Girls Big House (1955-1968)

Beginnings

My brother, Francisco (r.i.p.), and I were born in Puerto Rico.  When I was two years old my parents moved to NY with us. We lived in Manhattan for a little bit then moved to Brooklyn.  In 1959 my mother discovered that my Dad was having an affair and after that we did not see our mother for several years.  I later learned that she did not want to take us back. She was finally on her own and wanted to live the life she had never been able to live. I was 8 years old when we went to live with my Dad and his new wife. She had a daughter that was six years older than me. Right from the beginning we knew that she did not want us around. She especially disliked my brother. I could never understand why.  Anyway, she was very cruel to us and would beat my brother with a hairbrush. I would get even by dumping her perfumes down the toilet - LOL ... I was my Dad's favorite so she would not dare hit me.

When I was 11 years old my Dad told me that my brother was going to live in a Catholic home for kids. I remember the day he told me like  it was yesterday. I told him that if my brother was going to go away that I was going with him. My Dad did not say anything to me but that summer he took us to St. Agatha's for a visit. We were taken around the grounds and the cottages and we met some of the nuns and some of the kids. I think we spent several hours there. On the way home my Dad asked us what we thought of the place. My brother did not like it but I knew that it was going to be our new home.

The day after Christmas my Dad told us he was going to take us to the circus in NY. I don't remember what happened but we ended up going to the movies and we saw the movie "Han Christian Anderson Fairy Tales." The next day he told us we were going for a ride. We didn't have any luggage so at first I didn't think anything of it. But as he drove it finally dawned on me that we were heading to St. Agatha's. When we got there, there was a nun waiting to greet us. I then saw my Dad take our luggage out of the trunk. My brother began to cry and the Sister, whoever she was, hugged him and told him it would be ok. I never shed a tear. I turned away from my father and never said goodbye. I was taken to 5th cottage and my brother was taken somewhere else. That is how my life began at St. Agatha's.

I have some good memories of being there, such as the girls that were my friends but I have some unpleasant memories as well.  I was a very headstrong kid and I guess  I was a very angry kid.  While I was there I adjusted and made many friends. I did well in school and had a pretty good social life. I had many boyfriends ... I remember being called "boy crazy" LOL.  One of my fondest memories of St. Agatha's were the holidays. The Sisters really tried to make them a joyful occasion for us. As I became older I realized how much the Sisters tried to make us happy. I remember Sister Henry playing music for us when we went to bed. I love all kinds of music and I think I got my love of music then. I learned how to make my bed, set a table and clean a house in St. Agatha's. I remember when I had my own kids I would set the table for breakfast the night before. It's what I remembered seeing when I woke up every day. The tables were always set and ready for a meal.On another occasion I convinced the girls in my dorm (Evelyn, Brenda and Wanda) to sneak out and go into town. There was a school dance I wanted to attend. So we climbed out of our windows and away we went. We did go to the dance but on the way back we discovered that the Sisters had called the police and they were looking for us. The four of us got separated and we got back at different times. I recently read in my record that I got back at 2:30a.m.

My brother never adjusted to St. Agatha's. He was a sad little boy and many times he would get picked on. He was small for his age. He did make some good friends. One of his closest friends was Wilfredo Agosto. My father would take us home sometimes for the holidays and my brother really, really loved that. Sadly on some occasions my Dad would arrange to pick us up and never come. My brother would cry and cry. My mother also came for visits. She always had a different man in her life when she came. And she always told us that it was my Dad that put us in St. Agatha's and that she could not take us out.  Sometimes I would go to the visits and sometimes I just stayed in the cottage or at the pool. My Dad was the more involved parent and we saw him more often. In June of 1966 my Dad withdrew my brother and took him home. He told me that he had separated from my stepmother and would be living alone with my brother. He felt that since I was a girl that he could not take care of me so he decided I should stay until I turned 18. I was 15 years old. I don't remember what my thoughts or feelings were at that time. I stayed on until August. I ran away from St. Agatha's and got all the way to New York. I went to my great-grandmother's home in Manhattan. I remember I got there at 3 a.m. I scared her to death. The Sisters contacted my Dad and he knew exactly where to find me. I went back with him to pick up my clothes and never returned.

At that time in my life I wanted to forget about my life at St. Agatha's but as I got older I began to remember my life there and after some time I regretted leaving. I think my life would have  been very different had I stayed and graduated. My life was very hard "on the outside." But I survived it. I have three beautiful children and eight grandchildren. I have a masters in public administration and a great job.
 
My brother joined the Navy when he was 17 and went on his own when he got out. He got a BS in social work and he worked very hard to help children in the foster care system. He was their best advocate. When he was 21 years old he told me that he was gay. I loved him and didn't care about that. We were always very close and helped each other throughout our lives. He died in 1992 of AIDS and I thank God every day that I was able to nurse him during his illness and I was with him when he took his last breath.

It was a long road to get to where I am now BUT the years I spent at St. Agatha's gave me the strength, drive and positive outlook in life to help me succeed. I don't remember many of the kids I shared my life with at that time but in my heart we are all brothers and sisters and I will always love each and every one of you ... AND THAT FOLKS IS MY STORY!
(AgaLinks, April 9, 2009)

ANA FANFAN
5th Cottage (1962-1966)

Christmas Without St. Agatha
What a blow, feeling low
The Home ... a place I'd go
My life, you know
Hell ... why did they take our memories & souls?
Reborn at 3 ... 4 ... and 5 ... my brothers & I
The beauty of girls running up & down the halls, you know
My fellow brothers hanging out & playing ball
Fighting each other & staying close
That was the Home

Christmas without the Home, what a blow
Counselors like Jim Bryant, Coach Burns,
Lou Grimaldi, Jim Tisdale & Rudy Polk
And those, you know
The nuns: Sisters Louis, Robert, Christine,
Loretta, Miriam & Thomas
Christmas without the Home, you know

Walk the grounds
Not being able to reminisce in the snow,
the moon & the glow
As I used to drive through around Christmas time
Sad, you know ...
Our Home taken down by endless cranes
People who did not know us, nor the Home

Christmas without the Home, what a blow
Sad ... but it had to go ... I think

“Homekids Forever" (AgaLinks 2008) 

HECTOR MEDINA
Gonzaga/12 Hayden/11 Hayden/DePaul/
Seton Hall/10 Hayden (1960-1971)