"Grand Island Pictures from the Past"
by Teddy Linenfelser
Grand Island Little League's Bantam League champs in the summer of 1963 were the teammates of the Richmond team. Standing in the back from left are (unknown), Little League President Bunny Luther, Coaches Don Walker and Jim Moynihan. Players pictured (front from left) are Rick Bowen, John Simpson, Mike Cassidy, unknown, Jack Senn, Tom Moynihan and Bob Sepanski; (middle) Keith Harvey, Mike Malaney, Mike Walker, Tom Walker, Mike Hassert and Mike McDonough. Schriners Bernard Langhoop and Islander Emil Anderson presented free tickets to all Little Leaguers for the Buffalo-Toronto baseball game at War Memorial Stadium that year. The Grand Island Little League served 332 youngsters in '63.
Richard Benns, standing in the back and his brother, Jarmen on the right were young camera bugs along with their friend Teddy Klingel Linenfelser who took the picture in the early 1950s. The boys are shown with their younger brother Jim Benns (left) and their next door neighbor, Susan Kohlhagen Long. The Benns, Kohlhagen and Klingel families all lived in a row on Love Road in Grandyle Village.
That's Supervisor Peter McMahon having a laugh with Eric Stefik on the first day of school in September 1952 when all Grand Island grade school students were attending Charlotte Sidway School. The girls in front are Pam Ball Fries (left) and Tam Ellis and just behind them are Mary Ellen Klingel Stewart and Rosemary Loth Fischer. Margaret Lapine Webb, Susan Turnbull and Penny Ball are standing in the rear. The group waited for the school bus in the Loth family's driveway on Love Road in Grandyle Village.
Betty Rogers Beck, who taught dance for decades in the Buffalo area, held dance classes in her hushand, Rod Beck's Marina Restaurant. This class of tap dancers posed in the Island studio just before the June 20, 1954 dance recital which took place at the Erlanger Theater that year. Pictured front are Cathy Haller (Contino), Patty Killian, Patty Dower (Hamilton), Peggy Cotter (Will), Diane Beck (Baetzhold) and Kathy Cotter (Little); in the second row - Ann Burns (Dlugokinski), Susan Hogue (Canty), MaryAnn McCarthy (Coniff), Karen Heimlich (Clarke), Marilyn Noyes, Betty Jane Gardner (Penque), Kathy McCarthy (Northrup) and Eleanor "Bonnie" Dunn.
Betty, owner and instructor was teaching over 200 students that year. Also included among the 35 Island students were Bonnie Taylor (Ford), Judy Dower (Babel), Jane Keyser, Beverly Holcomb, Pat Geary (Kostenbauder), Cynthia Scott (Lee), Nancy Buckley (Valone), Nancy Hogue, Toni Colley, Casey Colley (Ebert), Susan Braun, Sandy Rupp, Sherry Wade (Walsh), Jackie Sceusa (Irovando), Mollie Gushue (Cox), Gale Plazio, Daryl Miller, Cindy Ann Senn, Christine Somer (Weaver), Suzanne Somer and Barbara Adelman. The photo was taken by well-known Island photographer Wendell Stratton.
Teddy Klingel (Linenfelser) teacher/director of Teddy's Islettes from its inception in 1961 through the summer of 1987, was very proud of her students' twirling as they posed just after their 3rd annual recital in the Grand Island Fire Hall Friday, June 4, 1965. This was the year that Arthura Haller, Gail Hoag, Kathy Pedlow, Sue Trautman and Miss Teddy performed to the music of "Hello Dolly," and Valerie Buckley did her solo to "Cotton Candy." Shown front are Heidi Schnitzer, Christine Xanthos, Sally Gollwitzer (Goris), Laurie Job, Lori Burrows; (2nd row) Amy Gabarro, Vicki Popular, Sandra Krueger, Jane Stricker, (hidden face), Sabrina Gratto, Karen Zilliox, Sue Job, Laurie Griffin, Val Buckley (Swain), Terri Bright; (3rd row) Kathy Harris, Mary Stricker, Sharon Dingey (Ullrich), Diane Gollwitzer (Doane), Lynn Williams, Marty Donavon, Jame Card, Gayle Aydelotte; (top) Dotti Stricker, Arthura Haller (Van Heerde), Sue Trautman (McMahon), Kathy Pedlow (Ziemer), and Gail Hoag (Ide), Miss Teddy. Missing from the photo (or hidden): Lela Coulter, June Johnson, Diana Gruber.
Girl Scouts celebrate Juliet Lowe's birthday - 1955
Grand Island Girl Scout and Brownie troops in March of 1955 congragated in the Sidway School gym for the annual Girl Scout birthday party in honor of founder Juliet Lowe. Buffalo headquarters representative Lavina Frank is cutting the cake surrounded by Brownies, Peggy Cotter (Will), Patty Dower (Hamilton) and Carol Chateauneuf (Steves) on the lower left, and (second row, left) Girl Scouts Donna Titterington (Leary), Johanna Johnson, Ann Wallace, Sharleen Killian (Bierbrauer), Barbara Luipold (Baker) and Judy DiTullio (Penque). In the back are Girl Scout Betsy Kinsey (Sims), Mariner Scout Doris Harding (Watson), Mariner Scout Leader Kay Valyear, (unknown), Neighborhood Chairman Marion Klingel, Scout Leader Sally Smith and Scout Kathy Kinsey (Wilcox). The yearly evening event featured skits from each troop and refreshments.
Family portrait - the Linenfelser children, 1957
Dan and Betty Linenfelser moved to Grand Island in 1945 and raised their six children on East River Road at Morgan's Point. Mike (left), Mary Linenfelser Cook, and Paul are sitting in front and Jim, Dan and John are in the back. All but John (Holley, NY) and Mary (Indianapolis, Indiana) still reside with their families on Grand Island.
Island soldiers stick together overseas
It was August 1968 when (left) Airman 1st Class Paul Roeder, Ray Sommer, Greg Yensan and Jerry Hawley, all born and raised here - "were toasting better days," according to Ray who submitted the photo. The foursome, along with Major Torgier Fadum, Airman 1st Class Robert K. Kaiser, Banjamin N. Graf, 1st Lt. Harry W. Roberts, Capt. Franklin C. McKee, Technical Sgt. John A. McCarthy, Airman 1st Class Michael D. McNulty, Gregg A. Yensan and Peter J. Roberts, were part of the 31st Tactical Wing with the U. S. Air Force stationed in Tuy Hoa Air Force Base in Vietnam
Dancers rehearse for Centennial pageant in '52
Community support and a year's worth of planning brought about the very successful Grand Island Centennial celebration in the summer of 1952. To give an idea of how great the town's 100th birthday was, a Centennial Costume Ball in Beaver Island Casino, a huge parade staged in the center of town, a grand prix road race of international proportions, a week-long carnival and a historic three-day pageant were just a few of the events presented during the last week in August 1952. Pictured rehearsing their square dance for the pageant which was produced on a large stage built in the back of St. Stephen's Barn are (left front clockwise) Lee Howe Harris, Dave Dietzer, Joanne Carr, Robert Carr, Bob Buzby, Milton Dietzer and Joan Dietzer (center). The hidden dancer behind Mr. Dietzer is his wife, Adele. Square dance caller Jimmie Fuller and fiddler Jimmy Williams are shown in back.
Comments, corrections or married names may be directed to TeddyL@Isledegrande.com
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