John Benante:
CLASS OF 1969
Bishop Neumann High SchoolClass of 1969
Philadelphia, PA
St. Joseph's CollegeClass of 1973
Philadelphia, PA
John's Story
It's wonderful being retired. Like that song went, "I love to work at nothing all day."
Though that's not quite true - I do have a job providing tech support at a local high school. But I don't absolutely need the job. The extra income is nice, but not essential.
What's best is being able to dress like a rag-picking slob every single day, whether at home or at work. See that picture up there? That's the way I've dressed just about every day since I retired in 2005. No more ties, button down shirts, dress pants, suit jackets. No more carrying combs around. I have a lot of football jersey shirts I wear, various teams. If my wife buys 'em for me, then I wear 'em. I don't much care. Hell, I'll wear a Cowboys shirt if my wife buys one for me. But I've always been a slob, even when I had to dress up. Now I don't have to submerge my inner slob any longer.
Know what I remember most about high school? Um... those black cardboard "school bags" they sold. I think I bought a new one every year. What were they - 5 bucks? Ugly as sin. They would start turning white a...Expand for more
fter a few months from all the abuse - kicking 'em, sliding them along Neumann's tiled floors. Yeah, I remember other stuff about high school too, but there's just something iconic about those school bags.
I remember one priest, I can't remember his name - I think he may have been a Franciscan among all those Norbertines - who banged my forehead - HARD - down into my desk because I'd said aloud that I hated the Boston Celtics. And he was really just kidding around. For some reason, I find that a kind of amusing memory.
Overall, the teachers, lay and priest, were pretty cool. I don't remember really DISliking any of them. And I'm still amazed when I remember how Father Gus would solemnly intone at the start of lunch period, "EVERYBODY... Shuttt..your MOUTH!" And all 200 or so kids actually did! There was more than one time I wish I'd had Father Gus's powers during the many years I was teaching in Philly.
These are just ramblings because nobody is really able to put their "story" in a space like this. Plus, mine isn't really especially interesting anyway.
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