STORIES and MORE by JACK
Surfing the Waves of an Old Fella's Memory
JM ALIBI NOTE 1960
IN 1960, SIX MONTHS BEFORE WE WERE TO BE MARRIED, IT WAS ARRANGED THAT MY PARENTS WOULD MEET MJ'S PARENTS FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE HASTINGS HOME IN ROSELLE. MY FOLKS WOULD DRIVE THE 20 MILES FROM KEARNY TO ROSELLE, AND I WOULD MEET THEM THERE. BECAUSE ON THAT DAY I WAS COMMUTING BY TRAIN TO MY LIONEL OFFICE IN MANHATTAN IT WAS MY PLAN AFTER I LEFT WORK TO TAKE A COMMUTER TRAIN TO NEARBY ELIZABETH SO AS TO CAB IT TO ROSELLE FOR THE GATHERING OF THE CLANS. BUT FATE DEALT ME A NEAR FATAL BLOW WHEN AFTER NAPPING ON THE TRAIN FROM NYC TO ELIZABETH I DISCOVERED I MISSED MY STATION...ONLY TO BE TOLD THE NEXT STOP WAS PHILADELPHIA SINCE THIS NOW WAS AN EXPRESS TRAIN. HORRORS! I WOULD NEVER MAKE THE GET TOGETHER & HAD NO WAY TO LET EVERYONE KNOW MY DILLEMA (NO CELL PHONES IN THOSE DAYS). I PLEADED MY CASE TO THE CONDUCTOR, MR. LAPIDUS & HE GAVE ME THE EXCUSE NOTE SHOWN HERE. BY DINT OF BEING YOUNG & DARING, HOWEVER, I UNCERIMONIOUSLY JUMPED OFF THE TRAIN SHORTLY AFTER ELIZABETH WHEN IT HAD TO SLOW DOWNFOR TRAFFIC. APART FROM BEING 30 MINUTES LATE, SLIGHTLY SCRUFFED UP AND WITH MY ALIBI NOTE FROM THE CONDUCTOR...WE ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER. 
JOHN AND NELL HASTINGS 1960
Anne & Bill Rooney 
John & Eileen Rutter
Mary Jane's mom & dad 1960 photo from our wedding
JOHN MASON AND SONS CIRCA 1910
Robert (Buck) Mason standing, left, and John Mason standing, right. Jack Mason 1946
MY BROTHER FRANCIS 1982
Francis Mason, 1952
Francis Mason, 1934-1985. On stoop is Abigail ("Dear-Dear") Hesplip with Jackie & Francis Mason 1936. Upper pic taken in MonmouthBeach, NJ.
MASONS AT 1947 WEDDING PARTY
Catherine (Mason) Korec
Jack at Piano, Francis standing in back,
Catherine, Mom and Dad standing in front
BLUE ANGELS
1955 Blue Angels
Dear Jim...Thanx for your photo of current Blue Angels...which reminds me of my own brush with this amazing team. The year was 1955 & I was just finishing "basic" flight training at Pensacola, when I met a newly arrived Lt. Nello Pierozzi. As I remember, we met at a boring cotillion tea dance, when Nello asked me if I knew where there was some action. I agreed that the dance was a stiff, and I proceeded to introduce him to the downtown ginmills. It was during our prowl that I learned he was a BA, and we had quite a laugh when I confessed that I thought he was a greenhorn! Shortly after, I was transferred to Memphis NAS for advanced training, and Nello of course remained at Pensacola since this was now their new home base. But traveling all about the country gave these guys a lot of opportunity to stay in touch, so when Nello called to tell me the Angels were soon to perform in Memphis, I invited him to join me for breakfast at the BOQ...which he did. Now, you have to remember I was a lowly 1st Lt. USMC and had minimal dining room privileges. So, when the Base Commander and the other big boys at the head table sent word to Nello to join them, and Nello politely declined...I thought I'd pee my pants. That took chutzpah, and I'll never forget the guy from Mass. that for a short time in my life could be called a buddy! By the way, Nello is the guy on the far right in the photo.
Dear Jim...Thanx for your photo of current Blue Angels...which reminds me of my own brush with this amazing team. The year was 1955 & I was just finishing "basic" flight training at Pensacola, when I met a newly arrived Lt. Nello Pierozzi. As I remember, we met at a boring cotillion tea dance, when Nello asked me if I knew where there was some action. I agreed that the dance was a stiff, and I proceeded to introduce him to the downtown ginmills. It was during our prowl that I learned he was a BA, and we had quite a laugh when I confessed that I thought he was a greenhorn! Shortly after, I was transferred to Memphis NAS for advanced training, and Nello of course remained at Pensacola since this was now their new home base. But traveling all about the country gave these guys a lot of opportunity to stay in touch, so when Nello called to tell me the Angels were soon to perform in Memphis, I invited him to join me for breakfast at the BOQ...which he did. Now, you have to remember I was a lowly 1st Lt. USMC and had minimal dining room privileges. So, when the Base Commander and the other big boys at the head table sent word to Nello to join them, and Nello politely declined...I thought I'd pee my pants. That took chutzpah, and I'll never forget the guy from Mass. that for a short time in my life could be called a buddy! By the way, Nello is the guy on the far right in the photo.
ROBERT (BUCK), LILLY MASON AND 10 CHILDREN LATE 1920S
Robert, Vincent, Lilly, Audrey, Florence, Nancy, John, George, Jimmy, Leo
MY FIRST PHOTO, SUMMER 1945
Taken on Kittatiny Mountain when I was camper at YMCA Camp Kittitiny (Oranges & Maplewood), NJ, 1945...Daddy's little girl 
43 years later in Oregon
MARY JANE'S GRANDFATHER and MOTHER
James Hugh Hastings 1856-1919 Nell (Hastings) Kane, halloween, circa 1915 
R&R Pataya, Thailand
BVI 1983 
1970 LAKE MINNETONKA MN 
MJ 1981 Marco Island FL
1955 Blue Angels
Dear Jim...Thanx for your photo of current Blue
Angels...which reminds me of my own brush with this amazing team. The year was
1955 & I was just finishing "basic" flight training at Pensacola, when I met
a newly arrived Lt. Nello Pierozzi. As I remember, we met at a boring
cotillion tea dance, when Nello asked me if I knew where there was some action.
I agreed that the dance was a stiff, and I proceeded to introduce him to the
downtown ginmills. It was during our prowl that I learned he was a BA, and we
had quite a laugh when I confessed that I thought he was a greenhorn! Shortly
after, I was transferred to Memphis NAS for advanced training, and Nello of
course remained at Pensacola since this was now their new home base. But
traveling all about the country gave these guys a lot of opportunity to stay in
touch, so when Nello called to tell me the Angels were soon to perform in
Memphis, I invited him to join me for breakfast at the BOQ...which he did. Now, you
have to remember I was a lowly 1st Lt. USMC and had minimal dining room
privileges. So, when the Base Commander and the other big boys at the head
table sent word to Nello to join them, and Nello politely declined...I thought
I'd pee my pants. That took chutzpah, and I'll never forget the guy from Mass.
that for a short time in my life could be called a buddy! By the way, Nello is the guy on the far right in the photo.
