Langevin Snippets … from a to Z

By Roger G. Langevin

Langevin Snippets … from A to Z consists of sixty-four short pieces written in the ten years since Roger Langevin’s memoir, The Langevin Legacy, was published in 2008. They encompass a range of topics including noteworthy experiences, memorable moments, special events, and tales of a loving family. The author hopes you enjoy reading these snippets as much as he enjoyed writing them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796031898

Roger G. Langevin

Roger G. Langevin, a family historian, was born and raised in New York City. He is a loving husband, devoted father and grandfather, and most recently, a proud great- grandfather. Now retired after 40 years in the aerospace and manufacturing industries and as a quality assurance consultant, he finds time for hobbies including tennis, baseball card collecting, and writing, which has always been his passion. Roger and his wife, Carolyn, reside in Westchester County, New York.

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Adult Children

The Langevin Legacy addressed our wonderful children (Chapter 16), growing up in South Salem (Chapter 19), and their college experiences (Chapter 20). Time has gone by very fast since my memoir was published in 2008. So I thought we’d bring you up to date with this little snippet on what our four adult children and nine grandchildren are now (~April 2013) doing with their interesting lives.

Catherine and Julio Falcon live in Katonah, NY, in an old restored farmhouse.

Annie, their only daughter will soon be 19 years old and is completing her freshman year at NYU College of Arts and Sciences (major undecided at this time.) She reads everything from comic books to philosophy and the classics, and she loves to write. Annie is a happy girl with a wonderful sense of humor.

Cathy is an avid reader and linguist. She continues her exemplary editorial and managerial career as Chief of the Publications Section at UNICEF, with whom she has been employed for more than 20 years. Her position has entailed extensive travel, e.g., to Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Ecuador, India, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Panama, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, the UK, and of course, Mexico City where she was stationed for five years as Chief of the Communications Department.

Julio continues to work part-time as a sports car restoration mechanic. He never hesitates to help whenever needed and loves to watch Formula One races, football, and soccer.

John and Gail Langevin live in Brecksville (a suburb of Cleveland), Ohio, with their youngest daughter, Alison. John’s job change facilitated their move from Concord, Massachusetts, a couple of years ago.

Amy (26 years old) graduated from Wheaton College in 2009 with a B. A. degree in Psychobiology. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with Steve and their two Siberian Huskies, and is working as a dermatology assistant.

William (25 years old) graduated from Assumption College in 2011 with a B. A. degree in International Finance. He is employed as a staff accountant … and is still quite an all-around athlete, playing hockey and lacrosse.

Alison (23 years old) graduated from Syracuse University in 2012 with a B. A. degree in Sports Management. She served an internship with the NBA Boston Celtics, which prepared her for her current job as game operations assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the AHL Lake Erie Monsters.

John has been on the fast track with a series of high-tech companies since he graduated from Lehigh. He was involved with an IPO and two start-up semiconductor businesses that were acquired by larger companies. He now works for the innovative technology solutions company, Rambus, and is responsible for Sales, Marketing, and Business Development in their LED lighting division. John loves to play golf and ski at their home in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire.

Gail enjoys ice hockey and has played in a women’s league in both Concord, Massachusetts, and in Cleveland. She completed her first triathlon in 2010 and also enjoys golf and skiing. Gail has held a variety of jobs, the most recent of which was as office manager at a venture capital firm.

Nancy and Dennis Sweeney live in Carmel, NY. Their two girls keep them busy … going to horse shows and cheerleading competitions. They will celebrate their 20th Wedding Anniversary in July.

Deanna (18 years old) was elected into the National Honor Society and will graduate high school in June. She plans to go to Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she will pursue a Business Management major and plans to ride for their equestrian team. Deanna has won many ribbons at horse shows.

Maria (15 years old) is now a high school sophomore and is a member of the New York State Math Honor Society. Her first love is competitive cheerleading. She’s on several teams and has accumulated many medals and trophies.

Nancy has enjoyed a variety of interesting jobs, beginning with elementary school teaching, and ranging from Youth Activity Director on the QE2, to starting her own fitness center. For the past three years she has been working for a private equity firm, where she is the Executive Assistant and Investment Relations Manager.

Dennis continues to serve as the Head of Operations at the Frick Collection, in New York City, a position he has held for the past 14 years, which he began after completing his U.S. Army career. He’s a Civil War buff and a military historian.

Karen and Tim Lynch live in Fairfield, Connecticut, with our three youngest grandchildren.

Nick (13 years old), an excellent student, is an altar server and plays the upright string base in his school orchestra. He loves baseball, has progressed to the blue stripe belt in karate, and earned his Connecticut Safe Boating Certificate on his 13th birthday.

Alex (11 years old) loves science and technology and playing the keyboard (piano) at the School of Rock. He is also an altar server, earned his green stripe in karate, and enjoys performing (hamming it up) in the school drama club.

Gianna (8 years old) is a conscientious student. She’s a very flexible gymnast, who is taking Hip Hop dance classes, and has natural abilities in choreography. Gianna is a Girl Scout, enjoys arts & crafts, is very creative, and loves playing with her American Girl dolls.

Karen continues with her moderating, facilitating, and report writing engagements. She facilitates workshops and training on strategic planning, creative problem solving, and brainstorming/ideation. Karen has been a leader at CPSI and is proficient at facilitating the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model.

Tim is a graduate of Sacred Heart University, a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Little league coach, and is active in the local Republican Club. As the Director of Marketing with Focus Vision, he specializes in digital marketing and has expertise in consumer behavior.

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Arthur Avenue

Every year before the holidays, we make our trek to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to stock up on authentic Italian provisions. It takes us about an hour to get there by car. From the Merritt / Hutchinson Parkway, to the Cross County / Sprain Brook / Bronx River Parkway, we get off at Exit 7W, Fordham Road, which is not very far from Fordham University, the Bronx Zoo, and the New York Botanical Gardens. We make a left onto Arthur Avenue, drive a few blocks, and after crossing 187th Street, look for a place to park. There is a public parking lot, but we prefer to park right on Arthur Avenue and feed the parking meter a bunch of quarters ($2.00 for 2 hours).

Our first stop is usually Teitel’s, which carries a huge selection of imported goods. With a case of tomatoes and a large can of olive oil, olives, and cheeses (Parmesan, Romano, and Provolone), we tote our first load in our folding travel cart to be stored in the car. Then we go to the Arthur Avenue Retail Market’s butcher, Peter’s, where we get veal cutlets and other fresh cuts of meat, and Mike’s Deli, for cold cuts.

Next we stop at Madonia Brothers Bakery to get our stock of breads, bread crumbs, and biscotti. By this time our cart is again full and we take a second run to put everything in the car. We’re now ready for lunch, but first we’ll have some raw little neck clams on the half shell, served at stand-up tables on the sidewalk in the front of Cosenza’s Fish Market.

For lunch, depending on what mood we’re in, we go to either Mario’s (a landmark noted for its Neapolitan dishes), Dominick’s (casual and family style – cash only) or around the corner to Roberto’s (for a delicious meal). If we’re not too hungry, we’ll just grab a sandwich at Greco’s in the market.

After lunch we make our way to Borgatti’s for fresh raviolis and then go across the street from Our Lady of Mount Carmel church, to Artuso’s for pastry and cannolis … and maybe a lemon ice in the summertime.

We then bring the last load to our car with a feeling of satisfaction for our return trip home with fond memories of our latest excursion to Arthur Avenue.

On our bookshelf, we keep a copy of: The Arthur Avenue Cookbook – Recipes and Memories from the Real Little Italy.

Addresses:

Arthur Avenue Retail Market – 2344 Arthur Avenue

Artuso Pastry – 670 East 187th Street

Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodles – 632 East 187th Street

Cosenza’s Fish Market – 2354 Arthur Avenue

Dominick’s Restaurant – 2335 Arthur Avenue

Madonia Brothers Bakery – 2348 Arthur Avenue

Mario’s Restaurant – 2342 Arthur Avenue

Mike’s Deli – 2344 Arthur Avenue

Peter’s Meat Market – 2344 Arthur Avenue

Roberto’s Restaurant – 632 Crescent Avenue

Teitel Brothers – 2372 Arthur Avenue

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Astoria

While growing up in Astoria (see: The Langevin Legacy, Chapter 8. Astoria), my parents, my younger brother, Paul, and I lived on the ground floor of a multistory apartment building (27-24 Hoyt [25th] Avenue) situated at the foot of the Triboro Bridge. It was one block from the el, which was the elevated BMT subway line running along 31st Street and going into Manhattan.

The apartment was adjacent to a large sandlot field, where I frequently played ball with my friends. Through third grade I attended Public School (PS) 7 on 21st Street (also called Van Alst Avenue). My parents enrolled me in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (23-25 Newtown Avenue) at the start of the fourth grade. I really didn’t like Catholic school, so after three days, I was transferred to PS 85 (23-70 31st Street).

In June 1950, I graduated from the sixth grade and was promoted to Junior High School 141 (37-11 21st Avenue), at the foot of Steinway Street, not too far from the Steinway piano factory. After school I worked part-time at a candy store a block away from our house, stocking shelves, cleaning up, or doing whatever I was asked to do.

On a typical Saturday, for only 25 cents, my brother and I would spend the entire afternoon at the Crescent Theater (25-22 Astoria Boulevard).

I always loved playing ball: pick-up games, stoop ball, stickball, or pitching against the handball walls under the Triboro Bridge. Nearby Astoria Park provided another ball-playing venue as well as a large public swimming pool in the summer.

In the early 1950s, I used to watch favorite TV shows on Tuesday nights at the home of a neighbor, Joe Rezek, whose father owned a plumbing business and was one of the few rich guys – his family had a television set. When I was in junior high school, my parents moved to another apartment at 23-34 24th Street.

Carolyn was also living in Astoria with her parents, at 25-18 33rd Street, just a few blocks away, but we didn’t meet each other until 1957. We dated and got married in 1959 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church. Our wedding reception was held at the Astorian Manor [now Astoria World Manor] (25-22 Astoria Boulevard), where the Crescent Theater used to be.

As newlyweds, Carolyn and I moved into our first apartment at 23-03 28th Avenue. Our first child, Cathy, was born at Astoria General Hospital [now Mt. Sinai Hospital of Queens] (25-10 30th Avenue), just a couple of blocks away from our apartment.

We quickly outgrew our two-room apartment and in 1961 moved into another apartment in Whitestone (146-32 20th Avenue), a few blocks from the Whitestone Bridge). In 1963, we bought our first home in Malverne (70 Stuart Avenue), and after ten years on Long Island we moved our family to South Salem in the town of Lewisboro, New York, where we have lived since 1973.

From time to time we return to our Astoria roots. Carolyn and I like to have lunch at the famous Neptune Diner (on Hoyt Avenue and 31st Street) and visit the old neighborhood, reminiscing about the good old days in Astoria.

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Ave Maria

Maria was nine years old and Carolyn was her fifth grade religious education instructor. On January 13, 2007, Carolyn was teaching Session 12, Finding God.

The assignment had to do with Jesus looking for followers (disciples) to carry his message into the world. He placed an ad in the newspaper to fill the position. Each student was asked to respond to the ad.

When Carolyn showed me Maria’s job application, I was so moved by her response to the ad that I had to include it here, verbatim:

Why I want the job: I want this job because I want to dedicate my life to God and I would love to spend time with Jesus.

My qualifications: I go to church every Sunday. I am an altar server. I do the rosary every night, and I have statues, pictures, and crucifixes all over my house.

Plans for the future: To pray for every other person that is in need of prayers.

People who will recommend me: All my friends and family.

Maria C. Sweeney, 1/13/07

If Jesus were hiring, Maria would be first on his list.

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Baseball Nostalgia

Baseball is said to be America’s favorite pastime. It sure was mine.

Baseball Cards -

While growing up in Astoria, Queens, in the 1950s, I was a devoted Yankee fan. My