New Haven Independent

By the end, alumni from across the ages weighed in on what kind of people have roamed the halls of Hillhouse High, as the school kicked off its 150th birthday year with a celebration Wednesday.

The crowd squeezed into the front atrium for the event. Because that’s where much of the school’s personal history is told. The coming months will feature a personal history theme as Hillhouse looks back on its 150 years.

For instance, emcee Robert Gibson announced, students will undertake an oral history project with alumni, in advance of a May 2009 all-class reunion. Gibson knows about the school’s past and present. Class of 1972, he returned after college in 1976 — and hasn’t left the faculty since. He currently runs the library/ media center.

Lonnie Garris Jr. (at right in photo, with schools Superintendent Reginald Mayo at the event) spoke of the school’s history of long-serving principals. He’s only the 19th principal to serve over the entire century and a half. Speaking to the assembled students and officials, Garris invoked the names of Hillhouse alumni who have made their marks on America: Constance Baker Motley, the first female African-American federal judge; running back Floyd Little; actor Ernest Borgnine; John Daniels, New Haven’s first black mayor; current light heavyweight boxing champ Chad Dawson.

Charles Twyman spoke from the front row of the folding chairs assembled in the atrium. The 1940 Hillhouse grad went on to become New Haven’s first black principal when he took the helm of Abraham Lincoln School in 1963.

Other alums told their stories in silence: Their remembrances are written on the atrium’s yellow-on-blue tile walls. The display was put together as a Percent for Art project during the school’s most recent renovation, by Sheila Levrant de Bretteville (who created the sidewalk tribute downtown to everyday Ninth Square denizens of yore).

Here are a few of those tiled stories:

At Hillhouse there were middle class and wealthy kids, and there were poor kids like me, born and raised in the Elm Haven projects. Academic and social life was terrific for Negroes. I ran track, played basketball and soccer, and was vice president of the student council. I could go anywhere and do anything. Many of us were unaware of what was going on down south. In the summer of ‘54 I went to visit my aunt in Virginia, and was told to sit in the back of the bus. I said, “What?!” — Robert McAlpine, basketball coach, special education teacher, Hillhouse class of 1956.

Hilllhouse was a “comprehensive school” with a real mix of students from all over the city coming to one location. Ours was the last class to have split sessions. When I entered, I went to school for 1 until 5 p.m. We had the mornings free to do homework — no TV! Junior and senior years, we were out by 1 p.m. I could not join clubs, because I worked after school at Herman Pickus Men’s haberdashery on the corner of Church and George. “Pick us for value” was his motto. — Frank Altieri, financial consultant, Hillhouse class of 1959.

My first three years at Hillhouse were rather orderly if naive. Then, just before the Christmas holidays, I was sitting in the cafeteria and became aware of a lot of noise. Chairs were being thrown and a friend of mine who was black said, “Mim, you have to get out of here” and helped me out a side door. It was a “race riot” and I realized that “white” was being attached to me personally. From then on, in English and History class, we talked a lot about privilege, race, and became close as a class. — Mim Kuperstoch Ramadei, wife, mom, Hebrew teacher, Hilllhouse class of 1968.

Skipping school, a Junkie said, “I do not know what you are doing coming here, do you want to be me?” I wasn’t an athlete, was not honor roll. I had to make a choice: do I hang on the block, with the posses, blunt and 40s, or kick in with the Yalies, go to Voter Registration and work on the John Daniels for Mayor campaign? Dierdre Bailey and I admired each other because we both knew not only the streets, we hungered for more. We were in Dr. Saxon’s class studying law, reading Alan Dershowitz. — Joe Harris, educational leader, Hillhouse class of 1988.