nothin Sweethearts Swing Ultimate “Senior” Prom | New Haven Independent

Sweethearts Swing Ultimate Senior” Prom

Markeshia Ricks Photo

Mermelstein and Karmasin trip the light fantastic.

Herbert Mermelstein and Pearl Karmasin’s romance started the way so many do: Girl meets boy at a party.

Like many budding romances, it built up to an unforgettable swinging night at the senior prom — in this case for seniors, like Mermelstein and Karmasin, in their tenth decade of life.

We met at a New Year’s party here in January,” Mermelstein recalled. We were all sitting around a table and she asked if she could join the table. I said, Why not?’

During the course of the party, they got to know each other and he discovered that Karmasin’s birthday was in March. I said, I’m taking you to lunch for your birthday.’”

Karmasin didn’t take him seriously. But when she turned 96 in March, Mermelstein, who recently turned 91, was a man of his word. They went to Outback Steakhouse.

We had the whole thing — the bloomin’ onion, coconut shrimp, steak,” he said. We’ve been dating ever since.”

Senior Prom sweethearts Herbert Mermelstein and Pearl Karmasin.

On Thursday the two residents of Tower One/Tower East got dressed in their best evening wear and went to their first prom together. Billed as a senior prom,” the event is an intergenerational collaboration between the community for the elderly and the teens from of the B’Nai B’rith Youth Organization.

Aside from the fact that the event was dominated by octogenarians, nonagenarians and one soon-to-be centenarian, it was a prom just like any other.

Lois Itchkawitz, Sharon Lake, Julia and Alexander Elkin, Leah Beech and Myriam Eldrich

Attendees wore flowers and took pictures with their friends. Like a dutiful principal and chaperone, Mark Garilli, who is president and CEO of Tower One/Tower East, helped people put on their flowers and made sure the evening went smoothly. He said within the first hour of last year’s prom, they knew that the event had to become an annual one.

Sylvia Rifkin and Izzy Juda with friends.

But we’ve said we have to recruit some men,” he said: 86 of the 100 people in attendance were women.

Sylvia Rifkin and Izzy Juda came together last year and decided to give it another go this year. Unlike Karmasin and Mermelstein, they are not a romantic item. They’re just friends. Juda was crowned king last year, but he was good natured about handing that honor to someone else.

Juda was last year’s prom king.

I’m giving it up,” he joked. I’m abdicating my throne.”

Rifkin and Juda with friends.

Gertrude Lerman, 99, has lived at Tower One/Tower East for eight years now. She said there are always fun happenings like the prom to be had at the towers. She joked that prom would be over by 8 p.m. given the age of the attendees. It’s fun,” she said. Lerman, who ultimately was crowned this year’s prom queen, turns 100 on June 19. Franklin McCauley was crowned prom king.

2016 Prom Queen Lerman’s secret to 100: be happy.

When the music started to get good, the prom goers made their way to the dance floor.

Mildred Godfrey, 85, showing everyone how to bounce back from surgery

The handful of those who had dates danced together.

Rifkin gets down

But just like traditional proms, eventually the tunes were pumping, and date or no date, people started to get loose.

Bette Kozak: best prom ever.

Bette Kozak attended her high school prom in 1960 at Evander Childs High School in the Bronx. This prom at the Towers was way better, she said. This is much more fun. I didn’t like my date [back then] so much.”

Mermelstein jams with Tower One/Tower East staffer Crystal Brown

Pearl Karmasin, who attended her 1937 prom, learned Thursday that her sweetheart had some pretty sweet moves on the dance floor. Mermelstein, a World War II veteran who missed his senior prom because he joined the Air Force, cut plenty of rug as his date looked on admirably.

I didn’t know he could do that,” she said of one particularly memorable moment whern Mermelstein boogied down to the floor.

Y-M-C-A!

Though Mermelstein’s dance card kept filling up — She wouldn’t let me go,” he said of one dance partner — he periodically came to check on his best girl to make sure she was still having a good time. The two could often be seen holding hands or touching affectionately.

I never at this point in life would have expected to meet someone at 95 years old,” Karmasin, who lost her husband of 65 years about 10 years ago. Mermelstein lost his wife of 64 years in 2014. He says he loves me already. It’s nice to have someone now who cares about you.”

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