In this (By Student) department,
it is our intention to provide a whole page
for each of our classmates — that is
— for each of you who sends us some stuff on
yourself, and your doings of the past 50 years.
The basic idea is to present a
mini-biography
on you.
So far, we only have reasonably comprehensive
information on two of our classmates — but
more are
on-the-way.
As you read through it, hopefully, you'll find yourself kindled to
start drafting your own story, and
gather together some pictures that we can decorate it with.
Although a
number of our
Daniel Boone High School Class of 1961
classmates have spent some occupational time in
hair-cutting —
Kenneth Paul Sherman is the
only one to have acquired
his own shop
— back in 1972.
After completion of schooling, he went to work for Tom's
Barbershop, in
Lansdale
for one year, and in 1967, moved on to
the Lansdale Barbershop.
Five years later, the owner offered to sell it to Kenny.
He said yes — and in 1974 —
also purchased the rest of the property, including two apartments.
In the late 1970's, Mr. Sherman took some more classes (in styling)
and added the means to attract a greater girth of clientele.
The Shop did very well, with three
full-time
barbers plying their craft, up into the 1990's.
But, 'twas about this time that Kenny determined that the stress of
keeping employees happy, was more than he needed in his life.
So. He cut back to a
proprietor-only
operation, and worked solely by appointment.
Today,
he generally considers himself as retired —
holding his "shop" time to less than 20 hours per week.
In 1959, while still in high school, the young Mr. Sherman had a
part-time
job at Shurr's Oil Refinery, on Route 724 in
Douglassville
— and when they offered
full-time, he took it.
About a year later, he moved on to the
Reading Bone Fertilizer Company,
which is but a femur's-throw from southeast
Reading.
In 1961, it came to Kenny's attention that he was eligible to
be drafted into military service.
He checked out his options, and elected to join the Navy, in a
way that would complete his obligation in 6 years.
He did two years in the reserves, by spending weekends at the
Naval Air Station (pictured
above-right) in
Willow Grove,
Pennsylvania.
This was then followed by another 2 years of active duty,
starting in 1963, aboard the
USS Ticonderoga
aircraft carrier, during the beginning of the United States of
America's involvement in Vietnam.
Kenny adds, "Our ship came to the aid of the
USS Maddox, in the
Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of Vietnam, in August of 1964."
The
Ticonderoga
customarily carried about 90 Vought F-8 Crusaders
(pictured at right) which was a
single-engined jet fighter,
with a service ceiling of 58,000 feet (11 miles) — and
capable of Mach 1.86 (1,225 mph) at 36,000 feet, and a rate of climb of
6 miles per minute.
Airman Sherman's job aboard the carrier was to retract the cable
after the just-landed
aircraft was on deck and stopped.
The planes have to come in at 109 mph, and be brought to a halt within
269 feet (in less than 3½ seconds).
This amounts to a 1.47
G-force of a
nose-dive
for the pilot.
The reason for the extreme speed is in case the plane misses all 4 cables
— they could still pour it on, and get airborne again.
Kenny believes
the Navy was a good choice, because,
"I never had to know what it felt like to kill someone."
Judith Ann Fellman and Kenneth Paul Sherman
were married on Saturday, October 9, 1965, in
LansdalePA,
and honeymooned in
New York City.
Their "newlywed cottage" was an apartment, on Cannon Avenue, in
Lansdale.
They saved their pennies, and bought the first Sherman homestead
in 1969 — in
North Wales.
And 8 years later, Kenny & Judy built the home, in which they live
today — at 421 Hemlock Street in
Lansdale.
By the early 1970's, it was time to start a family
— so the Shermans adopted
Sean (39) and
Dana (36)
and now, also have grandsons: Jerome′ (19) and Colin
(13).
In 1984, they bought a condo in
Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, and
enjoyed vacationing there throughout the '80's —
and ever since.
The area — made world famous in 1963, by
Bobby Rydell —
is actually an island, and is commonly referred to as
The Wildwoods.
A place, once filled with motels of every color imaginable,
Wildwood Crest
and the surrounding areas have recently undergone
some changes in housing.
A lot of
condominiums
have replaced the motels — such as
The Grand, The Ocean Breeze, El Coronado, and The Arcadia.
Even some restaurants have been torn down and replaced
with condominiums, including The Captain's Table,
The Surfside, and
Duffinetti's.
These changes in housing have significantly
morphed
the demographics of this area — from being
a more family oriented
one-vacation-per-summer
place, for the middle classes — to being
a weekend retreat for wealthier families.
"In the early '90's, with Sean & Dana pretty well
grown-up,
we decided we'd get us a major toy. 'Twas a
used one,
but it was new to us — a 1986
Harley Dresser FLH."
This
mega-two-wheeler
was not a mere whim.
Kenny had been nursing this notion for nearly 20 years.
He explains:
When the kids were small, I had a
moped. I used it
to go back and forth to work
for 10 years.
When they were in their late teens, I started to get
bigger cycles
— a 1976 Honda 150cc
— and then a
1983 Yamaha 750cc,
on which Judy and I started to ride together.
It was a great hobby. When we got our first Harley
motorcycle, we joined the
Coopersburg
Harley Owners Group, and were very active.
Judy was in the Ladies of Harley.
I was Head Road Captain for 3 years.
I planned hundreds of rides, and then moved on to become
treasurer for another 5 years.
While in
Washington D.C.
in May of 1995, at the
Rolling Thunder MIA ride,
we heard of a new Harley for sale at Shultz's
dealership on Route 100, back in
Pennsylvania.
Someone had ordered it, and couldn't pick it up.
As soon as we got home, we bought it — a 1996
Harley Dresser FLH.
It was our first brand new one.
In the 1990's, the
Sherman-duo went on lots of
small trips. They were trying out the idea of being
semi-retired folks.
In fact, they put 77,000 miles on the '96 Harley, in only
4 years.
In 1999, they bought their second new Harley, and rode it until
2002, when Kenny felt that he could no longer keep them safe,
and decided to give up cycling.
He said he hated to let it go — but preferred
to remain alive.
Did the Shermans find a replacement activity ? Yep.
At Stoudt Auto Sales, Warren Street Bypass,
ReadingPA.
Anybody & everybody in
Berks County
knows: if you're looking for a
pre-ownedCorvette
— you go to Stoudties.
For the past 53 years (since 1958) they've sold an
average of 112 Corvettes per year.
Kenny says, "The Corvette
may not be as much fun as motorcycling,
but it's far safer."
He and Judy got a 1999 C5,
with 385 horses, and 6 speeds, "and it'll do 175
mph at the flick of the pedal — even though it's
plain vanilla stock."
But Kenny adds, "I don't drive the car recklessly, because speeding
tickets are expensive — plus, police love to stop
red Corvettes."
The machine had been owned by the CEO of a company in
Wilkes-Barre.
He traded it in on his 7th
Corvette.
It had only 19,000 miles on it;
came with a removable glass top & new skins,
and had never been in the rain.
On their trips, the Shermans get 25 mpg in 6th gear.
And, "if you dump it in low gear", says Kenny,
"it'll redline in less than 3 seconds."
Then he muses, "It's a lot different than the
1939 Chevrolet 'Corvette' that I had in 1959!"
'Twas early in '59 that the newly
16-year-old Ken purchased
his very first automobile.
He paid
$50
to a fellow in
Geigertown
for a green Chevrolet Town Sedan.
The picture (at left) is very similar, except that Sherman's was
2-doored, rather than 4.
But adore it, he did — as was well evidenced by
the maintenance log which ensued 'midst the next 20 months.
Doing nearly all his own work on it, Ken replaced the rear axle once,
the clutch twice, and the transmission thrice — one time of which,
he converted the factory standard column shift to the floor.
Plus ...
It finally even became necessary to swap out the original motor for a
235 cubic-inch Chevy six
from 1953. The '39 had the
216 cubic-inch 6-cylinder,
with 85 horses at 3200 rpms. The 235 cubes boasted
115 ponies, at 3600 rpms.
The other major difference with the new power plant was that instead of
a Carter W1-420S carburetor, it had the Rochester 7004915.
In late-1960, when Ken traded his chariot in on Sherman Vehicle #2, at
El-Mor Chevrolet, in
Morgantown —
he got back the
$50
that he had paid for it.
The "new" machine was a
turquoise & white
1955 Chevy Bel Air, 2-door
hardtop,
with the 265 cubic-inch "mouse-motor" (above/left)
— the first Chevrolet V8 engine that
Detroit
had produced since 1918.
GM
produced 185,562 of this model and body style
in 1955 — and it was a major
fave amongst the young set.
It had a sticker list of $2166 —
but 6 years later, Ken paid $800 for his beauty.
In the past 53 years, actually, Ken has not had that
many vehicles.
6 cycles:
the '81 Dash Moped;
the '76 Honda;
the
'83 Yamaha;
and the '86, '96, and '99 Harley Dressers.
And with roofs — 9 of those:
the '39 and '55 Chevies;
a '63, '67, and '73 Olds;
an '81, and an '87 Buick;
a 2000 Chevy Blazer;
and then (now) the major toy —
the '99 Corvette.
In 1994, Ken started the
ramp-down
of his barbering activities — though even
today
(17 years later) he is still snipping.
It began by letting his two
full-time
employees range to other pastures.
He then became an "appointments only" shop
— and in 2003, cut back to 4 days a week.
This is when Ken inaugurated volunteering at
Joanna Furnace,
2½ miles north of
Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, on
Route 10.
"I did odd jobs; helped with repairs; and whatever
else was needed."
But his habitue task was mowing the grass — which
kept him real busy in the summers.
He also mows at Branch Creek Community Church,
Harleysville,
Pennsylvania,
nearly every week.
After 8 years at
"Joanna"
(in March of 2011) Ken turned in his key.
"The trip is over 100 miles each week,
and it is starting to wear me down."
"My hobbies include playing guitar in church,
and playing music with a group in nursing homes on Sunday
afternoons — as well as doing haircuts for
shut-ins,
and for hospice when needed.
I also enjoy cutting wood, and burning my fireplace in the winter."
In the world travel department:
besides (while in the Navy) visiting Vietnam, China, and Japan,
and enjoying numerous leisurely excursions & side-jaunts on the
Hawaiian island of
Oahu,
on at least a half-a-dozen occasions —
Kenny (with Judy) has motorcycled to the extremes of our states
— including even Florida and California.
During his school days, he lived at 501 Farmer Street
— behind the American Legion Home,
at 445 East Main Street, in
Birdsboro.
We asked Kenny about his philosophies on life, and what he might
like to pass on, to future generations.
He said:
"Things are different now than in the
'50's & '60's, when I was growing up in
Birdsboro.
Drugs were a myth, or I never knew of it.
A person's word was his bond — or
it seemed so.
"Back then, it was how we could help each other.
Now, it's: 'what can I get out of it ?'
There are still good people in the world, but ...
"The one tip I might suggest is:
put God in; take self out."
Kenny says, "The Corvette
may not be as much fun as motorcycling,
but it's far safer."
'Twas early in '59 that the newly
16-year
With the
This DBHS Class of 1961 - By Stu (2) Page