I memory serves, Lance was drafted as a pitcher by the San Francisco Giants organization but not long after suffered a crippling arm injury.  If it was the elbow, he suffered the same fate as many others; that is, their injury predated by about a decade the sea-change procedure known as Tommy John surgery.  Had that surgery been available to Lance, he could have gone on to be a Hall of Famer--he certainly had the talent. 

In fact, Dick Bosman, considered to be the second best pitcher on the Red Devils team, led the American League in earned run average in 1969 and pitched a no-hitter for the Cleveland Indians in 1974 against the Oakland Athletics, then a powerhouse force in the American League.  One can easily imagine Lance experiencing similar success. I hope he overcame that unfortunate setback and had a great life in whatever endeavors he pursued.  R.I.P., Mr. Tobert.

I knew Veronica before Bradford. as we had both played clarinet in the CYO Band, along with her brother, Mike.  She was a treasured member of both, and it is heartening to read about the exemplary life that she led.

Band members will remember this: When we went to Washington and New York in the summer of 1959, we actually had to share a suitcase with another band member (apparently so all the band equipment and personal luggage would fit on the bus (or buses; there may have been two, given the size of the band, color guard, chaperones, etc.).  Many funny stories and other details about that trip have been lost in the mists of time, but I was lucky enough to draw John as my suitcase mate, and I couldn't have had a more amiable, accommodating partner.  He was a fine musician and, I'm sure, a credit to whatever organization to which he lent his talents and congenial personna.  R.I.P., John.  

Posted on: May 11, 2023 at 4:45 AM

I've just been notified that there seems to be moss growing on my profile, so herewith this update:
Once in a great while the mail contains more than bills and advertising, such as on the day last October when I received the Fall issue of The Note, a great publication out of the music department of East Stroudsburg University in Pa., a private school with many elite jazz musicians on its faculty. It contained an interview piece the editors requested, one I had done long ago with a genius of a jazz composer/arranger/saxophonist (Willie Maiden) who was Maynard Ferguson’s right hand and confidante for many years and later a key figure in Stan Kenton's resurgence in the early 1970s.

I was told they were going to run a “short biographical blurb” about me, so imagine my shock when I opened the magazine to Page 7 and saw a full-page piece titled “The Multi-Faceted Jim Szantor.” I’m still reeling from that (and hope they didn’t mean “two-faced.”)

Here is the link:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhRdcCtvBg3k97Ajf6kr_dbGycvcbA

I hear you, but I see his name listed in Classmate Profiles, and many of those reminiscences predated our actual Bradford graduation day. 

Please don’t misconstrue this as a criticism in any way, but how strange and ironic in this day of instant and incessant communication that we’re just learning of Skip’s passing nearly six months after the fact.  I guess it’s a two-sided coin:  We’re proud that so many of our classmates drifted away and succeeded in far-flung locales as they—to trot out an old saying—went out to seek their fortunes.  But at the same time that success and those subsequent adventures removed them from our radar screens and--naturally so--as we immersed ourselves in our own lives, families and careers.  We had, after all, a class of 600-plus, and that, alas, leaves only so much time for keeping track of people like Skip and others whose journeys escaped into, as a poet once said, into the mists of time.  But even with the belated and unfortunate news, the vivid and loving memories laid out here by Chuck, Tom, Cecil, Nancy, Suzette, Mary and Cherie more than compensate for the time lag and bring not only his life but those precious “Wonder Years” days back into the sunny side of our memory banks.  R.I.P., Skip.  (I wonder if anyone ever called him “Stoddard” and lived to tell the tale.)

This unprecedented outpouring of heartfelt tributes is testament to the impact and imprint Buzz made on our lives. I had the good fortune of having him as a commuting buddy to UWM, and I'll always treasure those memories--of those train rides and long waits for buses in Milwaukee in which we would discuss not only the minutiae of our days but our hopes and dreams for the future. A mighty oak has fallen, and we all stand on more barren ground as a result. I offer my condolences, Suzette, as well as my prayers for the best possible future without your exemplary partner.

HB, DD! Hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday, Mary! And remember to just burn the candles at one end!

I knew John from 1st Grade at St. Mark's all the way through high school. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he had been in my kindergarten class at Lincoln Elementary, but that memory has been lost in the mists of time.  He was the personification of a hard-working model citizen and one of the nicest guys I've ever known.  My condolences to his family and many friends.  

Posted on: Mar 18, 2021 at 1:13 AM

Jim, Happy Birthday. Hope you had a great day. Stay safe.