Back to the Future

July finds me in Wayne, on a quick trip to celebrate my mother's birthday. For one lunch, we ended up at Burger Deluxe, which for those of you who haven't been by there lately, used to be the Spindletop Diner on Route 23 north. So there I was with my parents and my wife, Linda, and suddenly I time warped to 1966 and I was sitting in approximately the same place in the building as I did 45 years ago, listening to the same music and eating the same menu fare: burgers and fries. I looked to my right and noticed that there were two large photo enlargements of the building in its Spindletop garb.  I remember thinking of taking a photo to post for this blog but promptly forgot as I starting munching down on my excellent mushroom swiss burger.

I have been particularly fortunate in that both my parents are still with me and my sister, and it provides me with a window on my future and I always enjoy being back in Wayne, if not long enough to visit with all of you who are still in New Jersey and especially those of you in Wayne. Each planned get together, such as the one for AWJHS 7-3/8-4 next spring is just a cross ruff method of getting extra trips to see my folks and vice versa. I am coming to appreciate the time I spend with my folks as they age IMHO very gracefully.

As ever though, there is always a reminder of our mortality. I just received a note from Bob Tomlin letting me know that John Bradley passed away recently:

Our condolences go out to the family of John Bradley, who passed away on July 8, 2013.

  

John, "The Man, The Myth, The Legend," was a high school geography teacher at Wayne Hills for four decades until he retired in 2000. He was a wonderful teacher who was passionate about making a difference in the lives of his students. Not only was John the "voice of the Patriots" for many years, he was an iconic track official, he also coached cross country for 20 years and girls basketball for 30 years. His combined successes in these two sports made him the winningest coach in Wayne Hills' history.

John was an active member of the adult cooking scene, teaching multiple cooking classes for over thirty years. He also loved to travel, and sponsored many school-based trips to Europe.

Visitation: Thursday, July 11, 2013 2-4 & 7-9 PM at

Moore's Home For Funerals, Wayne, NJ

Mass: Friday, July 12, 2013 10:30 AM St. Mary's R.C. Church,

Pompton Lakes, NJ

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to: Wayne Scholarship and Honors Board- In memory of John Steven Bradley. Mail to Wayne Hills

HS, c/o Ed Zambrano, 272 Berdan Ave., Wayne, NJ 07470 

For more information: Mooreshomeforfunerals.com