Letters from Our Readers:

A letter to Rockaway Memories dated February 6, 2010

I just viewed your website and I think it's marvelous! I was born in St. Joseph's hospital in 1953. My parents moved to 1215 Neilson St. (at the corner of Central Ave) in 1943. They came to the Rockaways during the summers of their childhoods to escape the heat of the Bronx. I have vivid memories of Roches Beach Club and, when it closed, the subsequent Spartan Day Camp, owned by Edith Kruvand, where I spent the summers of my childhood. Spartan eventually moved to Atlantic Beach, where Edith ran it along with her son, Mike.

I remember the Pix, the Strand and the Columbia theaters, the King George, the Sugar Bowl, Father's, Victoria Bakery, Ginos, Elfenbein's Bakery, Mortons Army Navy store. I remember my brother taking me to one of the theaters to see Jerry Lewis LIVE. I was about 5 yrs old and I was so excited I couldn't stop giggling.

I remember PS 39 and being in the first wave students at the brand new PS 197. Our apartment building was the 2nd one built in the Rockaways and it was over "Doc" Schwartz's Drug Store, across from the Shaaray Tefila synogogue and Hebrew school.

I lived in Far Rockaway for the first 36 years of my life and still maintain friendships with several of the people I grew up with.

My husband, an East Side kid, can't understand the strong bond of love we Rockaway Rats have for our home town. To me, it was like spending summers in Malibu lying on the beach, listening to the Beach Boys. How lucky we were to be able to spend hot summer nights playing at the concessions on the boardwalk and eating Jerry's knishes!! How great was it to have Playland so close!

Thank you so much for this wonderful gift and the time and effort you have put in to this fabulous website.

Elissa (Morgenstern) Dellosso (FRHS, 1971)