The Cohen under Ellen's picture also died young. I think Ellen died first. Marsha was a beauty queen and acrobat and our prom queen. I knew her from 7th grade on. She smiled maybe twice that I can remember (although she made Phi Delta); whereas, Ellen smiled, joked, sang and laughed all she could.
This was the Forest Park High and Baltimore of Barry Levinson's Diner, a much different place for teenage boys than for teenage girls (at least the girls I knew), but not a paradise for any of us.
Ellen Cohen (soon to become Mama Cass) second from top left
....and we all wore pearls.
8 comments:
OMG. This is fascinating. I loved Mama Cass. Her voice was amazing. Did you really know her? California Dreamin' was truly seminal stuff.
Hi Peter
Yea, she was amazing. She was in every school play with her best friends, Sharon and Shelly. After graduation, they all went off to summer stock, then NY. Sharon acted awhile and Shelly, a dancer, I think left for Europe.
I knew Ellen only slightly, probably through Sharon who'd been a good friend of mine since junior high and through another Lower Park Heights neighborhood friend, Barbara. Once we all went out to a drive-in and had non-kosher cheese burgers, which was ok by me, but some of their families kept kosher, and they were ecstatic to be able to be eating away from home.
Though Ellen was in my class year, she wasn't in any of my classes. I believe she was in the commercial tract; whereas, I was in the academic. I remember her as being extremely nice, very pleasant, un-mean.
This was posted a while ago but my mom has that yearbook and was in classes with Ellen Cohen. She sang duets in school with her too. Cool post!
George, Thanks for writing. Who's your mom? Did she go to Forest PArk?
Esther
Hi Esther, Yes, she is Judith Hoy. She graduated in '60. If I remember correctly, she said there was two different graduating classes in '60 but don't remember which she was in.
George,
Judy Hoy was in everyone of my elementary school classes I think everyone. ps#59. Her mom was our school police woman and tried to say a little girl, also named Esther, from getting hit by a truck. The child died and your grandmom got a broken arm I believe. How is Judy? Please tell her hello for me. Are you on FB?
Esther
Hi again Esther, I'll send you a PM.
Ellen ran around with us , Eddie Merwitz and others,I still keep in touch with her daughter. Eddie and I wen’t to Forest Park Feb. 60 and another friend of Ellen was Nathan Surasky who wen’t to city. We were also friends of the diner guys and those that hung out at Ameche’s and north west bowling alley. Joe caplan
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