....." to warm us, on a cold winters day

[Tony Caron]

I attended Alton from '75 -'81 missing '79 when my parents sent me kicking and screaming to Israel to be Bar Mitzvahed and live on a kibbutz for five months.

I hadn't thought about Alton in a long, long time, but the other night I had a dream that I was sitting in that "lounge area" between O and P during a rainstorm watching myself in Rush films bringing over three 5's in ten minutes.(one of my painfully few athletic highlights, unfortunately.)

Maybe, it's because we live in a world where I'm not sure if the "enemy" lives across the world in caves and refugee camps or at "home" in the Pentagon or Knesset.

Maybe, I needed to find a place that elicited a sense of comfort and genuine happiness. I knew I wanted to type camp alton into google. I did and lookie what I found.

I was bummed to here that there was a NY reunion across the street from my apartment on 53rd st. at Sutton Place. Oh, well. here are some memories that come to mind immediately.

1) Bringing over three fives in ten minutes in 1976 and watching billy benjamin and joey silver nearly get into a fist fight. Joey wanted me back in my assigned positon as jail guard while billy wanted me rushing. I never brought another flag over again in my career. boo-hoo.

2) Warren Manners (the alpha male of my peer group) hooking me up with a chick at a social. At that stage in my life I couldn't pick up a pitcher of bug juice, on my own. I believe his exact words were "she's got no chest, you'll have to go right for her box". I had only kissed a girl a handful of times by that stage in my life and now I have to go right for her box. Yikes!

3) Being chased down by Emmitt Grady while I was nearing the line with a 25 in my hand. I could have reached across the line, I was so close. Emmitt, being the great guy he was and probably still is, actually apologized for tackling me. Although it was the first flag tag rush tackling reamined de rigeur.

4) I remember that big meeting where Dusty told us that the flag rush would no longer be tackle. I think Mike Perkins cried but I'm not sure.

6) being chased by that lunatic dog Lucky repeatedly.

7) getting close-lined by Lon Sunshine during a b-team football extravaganza, breaking my nose, but still scoring a t-down while Connie Cheatam (a senior) cheered me on, and let me hang out in I, later on.

<IMG SRC="http://www.campalton.com/smilies/glasses.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="8)">sitting out one rush with illness Evan Mintz brought me toast and butter, not at halftime, but right in the middle of everything!

9) The tie of 1981. I still have the poster that reads "fun won in '81", besides every annual beyween 75-81. I 'll never forget that empty, hollow feeling leaving the rec hall in stunned silence.

10) My hockey team shutting down Richie Sands and his Salty Bagels hockey establishment. I was goalie for my team Caron's Red Barons and we shut them out. Stoney nicknamed me "Jacques" for my goaltending prowess.

In surfing around this site I saw names I haven't thought about in 2 decades and realized that a bond certainly exists between all of us and our shared experience.

Nobody I've ever known has had a summer camp experience like we had. I'm sure by now we all realize that. I owe the Silver brothers a debt of gratitude for introducing me to the Alton experience.

To me it's irrelevant if real estate developers turn that place into a bunch of condos or even a parking lot because Alton's essence, importance, and role in our lives has nothing to do with the A-field or the Point or the Rec Hall. It's all about how we feel when we rekindle those thoughts within us.

I learned life-lessons that have helped prepare me for what lay ahead, and I am the better because of it. For the past few hours I was back at interacting with all the hilarious, intelligent characters whom I spent six summers with. Thanks

I don't know if anyone out there has any idea who I am, but I would like to correspond with anyone who does.



tonycaron62@hotmail.com

[Uncle Moish]

Of course EVERYONE remembers you. All Altonians know and remember each other. I am constantly stopped on the streets by alumni [whom I don't recognize; you kids keep changing; my {im}maturity level remains constant!

Other than your remark about the Pentagon and the Knesset [and indeed the latter has a fair degree of crazies - like many members of that body, both Jewish and Arab, who meet with and praise those who wish to see Israel's destruction - but use code words rather than say so directly], your article was a pure delight. [Had you omitted that, you would have gotten only a private response; now I must say, to you and many, many others, that "bar-mitzvah" is not a verb but a noun, and as such, it is something many strive to become, but few [ESPECIALLY ME] actually achieve it.]

But back to your last day at camp, 1981. You were, as I recall, one my "runners" [of the legal variety]. PLAN: On marathon day you would be on the Queens side of the bridge leading in from Brooklyn urging me not to "punk out" of this, my fifth [New York City] marathon. Crossing that bridge [with its ubiquitous clock-marker indicating the half way point], I searched the crowd for your punim, and not being able to spot it, began shouting "Carrot, carrot, where are you hiding?" [and, as I know you may surmise, there was no response. TONY! Just because you were unable to comply with our arrangement, that was no reason to fail to return to Nirvannah!

When I saw you posted, I first went into the Directory and saw for "nickname" a blank. Did you forget [or are you now an {ultra}-sensitive vegetarian]?

Hope you are well. You sound it [except for that glitch; but given the lack of objective information available, and the constant slanted propaganda, who can blame you?].

Uncle Markie


mark@lgpltd.com

[Mike Perkins (Perky)]

Tony- Its been a long time... Great thoughts on this cold winter night... I did cry, but we still had a good time anyway.

[Michael Stone]

Ah yes Tony..Jacques Caron...a jounreyman NHL goalie if their ever was one...thank you for bringiong back one of my favorite camp memories...hockey..i loved organizing the leagues....alton had its share of good players...wher have you gone howie and mark cooper..i remember those bros could play...b silvy was dammn good as well....for a no checking league their were some devastating hits over the benches at rec hall....but everyone knows the most lasting hockey memory in alton history....dov ranhand with his polaxing of danny stromberg........that incident might have rivaled the bench clearing days of teh broad street bullies....i dont thnk i remember seeing the old Doc as pissed as he was over that.......


stoneyfan@aol.com

[Carl Goldberg]

Hey Stoneyfan

I'm still waiting for my hockey award for 1975!

Are you coming east this summer for Bruce??


scjrgold@aol.com

[Michael Stone]

i left the award in the shop.....i went to atlantic city..i have tickets to 4 shows at giants stadium...but wont be going to all of them expeciallly with philly on sale saturday...


stoneyfan@aol.com