LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR CLASS OF 1945

By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History, Daily Gazette, Recorder 

Monday, December 22, 2025

    The war that had dominated their youth was drawing to a close.  The Amsterdam High School class of 1945 yearbook reported that students would never forget the D-Day assembly June 6, 1944 and the memorial service for the late President Franklin Roosevelt in 1945.

Richard Ellers, voted by classmates the wittiest and noisiest boy, witnessed the Presidential funeral and wrote a first person account for the school paper, The Item. Ellers became a journalist with Ohio’s Cleveland Plain Dealer’.

Another member of the class was Roger Bowman who starred on the high school baseball team that had an incredible five-year, 47 game winning streak which ended in 1945 with a 1-0 loss to Norwich. Bowman went on to pitch for the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. His major league career ended in 1955 and he died in 1997.

The late Thomas Constantino was a class member who became president of Amsterdam’s Noteworthy Company. Jesse Henderson became a prominent physician in Schenectady.

John Tesiero’s yearbook picture stated, “Pleasure before business.” Tesiero would reverse that prophecy and become president of Cranesville Block and owner of the downtown Amsterdam Riverfront Center.

The class roster reported that my cousin Myrna Cudmore wanted to be a missionary and probably would be “saved.” She became a teacher, married Baptist minister George Hawthorne and their offspring all did church work..

Favorite high school sayings in 1945 were “I pass” and  “bring your own rope.”

One Halloween the high school flagpole was painted A.H.S. Penitentiary in a gruesome shade of blue.

Fraternities and sororities were key social institutions with names including Nu Delta Sigma, Phi Delta and Kappa Rho. The yearbook referred to scandals during Hell Week when pledges were taken for a workout on the golf course.

Teen hangouts were Doyle’s Confectionery on Guy Park Avenue and Kresge’s on Main Street.

The students endured a coal shortage in the winter of 1944 and 1945. It was so cold in 1943 that classmate Durward DeGroff came to school in his pajamas.

Voted most popular boy in the class and senior class president was Louis B. DeLuca, Senior. DeLuca would hold his class together by forming a committee of 25 in 1950 that organized reunions every five years until 2005.

In 1945, DeLuca joined the Navy and was sent to Japan. He was recalled during the Korean War and served on ships guarding the U.S. East Coast.

Raised on James Street by Gaetano and Assunta DeLuca, Louis married his high school sweetheart, Madaline A. Smith, and in 1956 moved with her to Harvard Street. They raised four sons.

DeLuca worked in the printing business with classmate Tom Constantino at Noteworthy. For 23 years, DeLuca taught graphic arts and photography at Amsterdam High. He helped many students gain employment in the printing industry.

DeLuca organized a scholarship for sons and daughters of classmates until there were no more to benefit. He made sure letters went to classmates every year describing happenings at the high school and community. He saw to it that the class of 1945 attended many homecoming parades.

DeLuca died of cancer on November 26, 2006, a year after the last reunion that he helped organize for his high school class.

RIP-SPORTSMAN JOHN THOMAS

     Sports reporter Thomas Krum of Johnstown died this month at age 78.  Known to sports fans as John Thomas., he did play by play on radio and was a frequent MC at sporting events.  He reported sports for WGY radio on the Don Weeks and Joe Gallagher shows. He also did announcing for the Albany-Colonie baseball team and the Gloversville Colonials football team

You can reach Bob Cudmore at 518 346 6657 or [email protected]