Mike was one of my favorite classmates, even though I cannot remember what class(es) we actually shared. I just know being around him was always fun. He had a depth about him, intelligent and interesting and with a wonderful sense of humor, and he and Jim Fulton loved to tease me, but always in the spirit of fun.
Mike was one of the first guys I met when I moved to Englewood; I was hoping to see him at many reunions and was shocked and saddened to hear of his passing – especially as a result of “Agent Orange.”
I have many fond thoughts of him from school, the Boy Scouts and the time that we were studying for our HAM operator’s license. Mike’s call letters were K2GIP (“Pig” spelled backward, he told me). He got his license, I never got mine; I couldn’t get the Morse Code down pat.
He was exceptionally bright, confident but modest and whimsical. After he moved to another neighborhood most of the time I only saw him in school. My most vivid memories stem from our Advanced Math class where John Lundy was our, pardon the expression, “teacher.”
Lundy’s attitude in class was cavalier, even arrogant; he was doing us a favor by showing up. Unlike Mrs. Dincin, Miss Eckerson, Miss Boerger, Miss Cotter, Gladys Francis, George Baldwin (and I err by not mentioning others who had a real passion for what they were doing and were dedicated to teaching us), Lundy was at the station waiting for the next train.
He was supposed to teach us Algorithms, Trigonometry and Calculus. If we didn’t get it right away, it was our problem; not his. Unlike the teachers who felt that it was their charge to “teach us” not just “cover the material,” he did not have any patience for us. Coach Baldwin was “tough” on us (“A Quitter never wins and a Winner never quits.”) but he taught us the value of teamwork (“peer coaching” in our academics) and pride (“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog” on the field); Lundy’s “sink or swim” attitude left more than one student in the lurch. Lundy didn’t quite “get it.” But I digress; this story is really about Mike’s good heart and friendship.
In any case, when the unit on Algorithms ended, Lundy announced that he was giving a test the next day with only one question. He told us, “Pass the test or fail the entire unit”. I, for one, was in trouble. When I told Mike that I didn’t have a “clue” as to what was going on, he didn’t say “Good luck” or “Hope you pass the test tomorrow,” instead he offered to help me out.
I went to Mike’s house after school and I would swear that in what seemed like less than 45 minutes, Mike taught me not only the whole unit that Lundy was supposed to teach but what seemed like the whole course – and I mean “taught” because I finally understood the concepts and how I could put things together to solve any Algorithm problem on which we would be tested.
Thanks to Mike, I “aced” the test the next day. And, what did Lundy do when he saw that I got it right and scored 100%? He made me report – alone – after school that same day to take a different test. I “aced” that one, too, thanks to Mike, a good friend and teacher.
Constance Merlino (Tamburo)
I remember Mike very fondly. He was very intelligent, pleasant , and had a fun sense of humor.Barbara LaPointe Lowell (LaPointe)
Mike was one of my favorite classmates, even though I cannot remember what class(es) we actually shared. I just know being around him was always fun. He had a depth about him, intelligent and interesting and with a wonderful sense of humor, and he and Jim Fulton loved to tease me, but always in the spirit of fun.Jay Shapiro
Mike was one of the first guys I met when I moved to Englewood; I was hoping to see him at many reunions and was shocked and saddened to hear of his passing – especially as a result of “Agent Orange.”I have many fond thoughts of him from school, the Boy Scouts and the time that we were studying for our HAM operator’s license. Mike’s call letters were K2GIP (“Pig” spelled backward, he told me). He got his license, I never got mine; I couldn’t get the Morse Code down pat.
He was exceptionally bright, confident but modest and whimsical. After he moved to another neighborhood most of the time I only saw him in school. My most vivid memories stem from our Advanced Math class where John Lundy was our, pardon the expression, “teacher.”
Lundy’s attitude in class was cavalier, even arrogant; he was doing us a favor by showing up. Unlike Mrs. Dincin, Miss Eckerson, Miss Boerger, Miss Cotter, Gladys Francis, George Baldwin (and I err by not mentioning others who had a real passion for what they were doing and were dedicated to teaching us), Lundy was at the station waiting for the next train.
He was supposed to teach us Algorithms, Trigonometry and Calculus. If we didn’t get it right away, it was our problem; not his. Unlike the teachers who felt that it was their charge to “teach us” not just “cover the material,” he did not have any patience for us. Coach Baldwin was “tough” on us (“A Quitter never wins and a Winner never quits.”) but he taught us the value of teamwork (“peer coaching” in our academics) and pride (“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog” on the field); Lundy’s “sink or swim” attitude left more than one student in the lurch. Lundy didn’t quite “get it.” But I digress; this story is really about Mike’s good heart and friendship.
In any case, when the unit on Algorithms ended, Lundy announced that he was giving a test the next day with only one question. He told us, “Pass the test or fail the entire unit”. I, for one, was in trouble. When I told Mike that I didn’t have a “clue” as to what was going on, he didn’t say “Good luck” or “Hope you pass the test tomorrow,” instead he offered to help me out.
I went to Mike’s house after school and I would swear that in what seemed like less than 45 minutes, Mike taught me not only the whole unit that Lundy was supposed to teach but what seemed like the whole course – and I mean “taught” because I finally understood the concepts and how I could put things together to solve any Algorithm problem on which we would be tested.
Thanks to Mike, I “aced” the test the next day. And, what did Lundy do when he saw that I got it right and scored 100%? He made me report – alone – after school that same day to take a different test. I “aced” that one, too, thanks to Mike, a good friend and teacher.
Leah Tomchin (Alexander)
One of the nicest, most talented and most amazing person I have ever known.Leah Tomchin