A Blog for the 1960's Classes of Morgan Park High School (EMPEHI) in Chicago - Formerly EMPEHI.com
Jul 10, 2023
Morgan Park High School, located at the intersection of 111th street & Vincennes Avenue (11100 South and 1700 West) and affectionately known as Empehi, is a Chicago public high school that opened its doors on its present site in 1916. With an expanding student population, an addition was built in 1925, providing the school with a gymnasium, auditorium and swimming pool. Expansion continued with the completion of a major addition in 1965.
In 1983 the campus was greatly enlarged and improved with the addition of tennis courts, a football field, running track, baseball field, soccer field, outdoor basketball courts, student driving range and faculty parking. From its beginning, the Morgan Park High School student body has been multi-racial and multi-cultural. Empehi's long history of racial, economic and religious integration has offered an outstanding environment for the education of its students.
Beginning with 283 pupils in 1916, the school grew over the years to more than 3,300 in 1975, when overcrowding, even with the use of branch facilities for freshman, finally resulted in a court-ordered enrollment plan designed to reduce the student population while preserving an integrated student body.
Dick Biondi, Chicago’s definitive voice of Top 40 radio, dies at 90
Influential in advancing the careers of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis, among many others, Biondi was the first disc jockey to play the Beatles on American radio
By Robert Feder | Special to the Sun-Times
Jul 1, 2023, 8:03pm PDT
In case any of you care or missed it, Dick Biondi died in late June, at 90..
I can remember listening to him for hours at night.
Remember his song, "On Top of a Pizza"?
Interestingly, as an itinerant radio dj he was only at WLS briefly during our formative years, from 1960- 1963, & returned to Chicago at WCFL in 1967.
While still in high school, he worked briefly for another icon of our youth, Rod Serling.
Below is one of the better articles I read about his career.
what are the lyrics to Did Biondi song "on top of a pizza?"
Here are the lyrics to Dick Biondi's "The Pizza Song":
(Verse 1)
On top of a pizza, all covered with cheese,
I saw my first meatball, 'til somebody sneezed.
(Chorus)
It rolled off the table, and onto the floor,
It ro-o-o-o-o-lled, right out of the door.
(Verse 2)
It rolled into the street, and there it was smashed,
It changed from a meatball, into a pile of hash.
(Chorus)
I went out to the street, and scooped up that hash,
Brought it back to the table, all flattened and smashed.
(Verse 3)
I looked for my pizza, all covered with cheese,
I found that it also, blew away with a sneeze.
(Chorus)
I looked all around, but I couldn't find my pizza,
I guess it's gone forever, to the land of the frostbite.
The song is a parody of the folk song "On Top of Old Smoky". It tells the story of a meatball that falls off of a pizza and rolls away, eventually getting smashed into a pile of hash. The singer then goes out to the street to find the meatball, but it has blown away with a sneeze. The song ends with the singer lamenting the loss of the meatball and wondering where it has gone.
The song was released in 1961 by Dick Biondi, a disc jockey on WLS-AM in Chicago. It became an instant hit, selling over 11,000 copies. The song's success helped to establish Biondi as a popular radio personality. He continued to perform the song throughout his career, and it remains a classic novelty song today.
I asked the Bard, the Artificial Intelligence Program by Google, to write an Article about Dick Biondi. Here it is
Dick Biondi, the larger-than-life disc jockey known as the Wild I-tralian, died on June 26, 2023, at the age of 90. Biondi was a pioneer of Top 40 radio, and his flamboyant personality and on-air antics made him one of the most popular DJs in the country.
Biondi was born in Endicott, New York, in 1932. He began his radio career in the early 1950s, and quickly earned a reputation for his wild and unpredictable style. He was known for his screaming delivery, his outlandish costumes, and his penchant for practical jokes.
In 1960, Biondi moved to Chicago to work at WLS, one of the most powerful radio stations in the country. His show quickly became a hit, and he was soon credited with introducing rock and roll to a national audience. In 1963, he played the Beatles' first single, "Please Please Me," on his show, and he later introduced the band at their first concert in Chicago.
Biondi's career took him to several other cities, including Los Angeles and South Carolina. He also hosted a variety of television shows, and he even recorded a few novelty records. But he always considered Chicago to be his home, and he returned to the city in 1984 to work at WJMK, an oldies station. He remained on the air there until his death.
Biondi was a larger-than-life figure who left an indelible mark on American popular culture. He was a pioneer of Top 40 radio, and his flamboyant personality and on-air antics made him one of the most beloved DJs in the country. He will be remembered as a true original, and his legacy will live on for generations to come.
In addition to his work in radio, Biondi was also active in charitable causes. He was a longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society, and he also raised money for a variety of other organizations. He was a generous and compassionate man who cared deeply about others.
Biondi is survived by his wife, Nancy, his two children, and his four grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and fans.
James C. Kingsley, Ret. C.P.D., Age 76, passed away July 5th. Beloved husband of Nancy (nee Ahern). Dear father of Sean and Ian Kingsley. Loving brother-in-law of Maureen Ahern (Thomas Szulc), and Peggy Ahern. Cherished uncle of Lisa (Nick) Gedraitis and great uncle of Mae. Survived by many dear friends and relatives.
Visitation Tuesday 10:00 am until time of service 1:30 p.m. at Donnellan Funeral Home, 10525 S. Western Ave. Interment St. Mary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Misericordia – In Support of Emma Rose Tracy - at www.misericordia.com. For more info call 773-238-0075 or sign guestbook at www.donnellanfuneralhome.com
Danang has changed a bit from our time in the 60's and 70's. We had very nice fireworks then, but better today. Safety is much improved!
The Da Nang International Fireworks Festival
The event attracted 8 fireworks teams participating in the competition: England, Italy, Poland, France, Australia, Canada, Finland, and the home team Vietnam.
With the meaningful theme “The world without distance”each artillery team will have 20 minutes to give the audience spectacular performances.
Fireworks nights will be organized under the themes of each night: Love Without Distance, Peace for the World, Equality for Humanity, Unlimited Creativity, and Sustainable Tourism Development.
The final night will take place on the evening of July 8, 2023.
Photos from Danang, Vietnam, Tet New Year Celebration. A little different today then back in our day.
Danang is Fireworks Festival city. Lunar New Year’s Eve Fireworks is a great celebration.
Which is the way I remember it. We watched the Tet Celebration for 1970 from the top of Hill 327 looking over DaNang and south to Chu Lai. You could see many tracer rounds fired up from positions up and down the coast, with multiple explosions. Very impressive.
We got up on the roof of our building on top of 327 to view it. Likely not the smartest move. The rounds were going up, mostly, although whatever goes up must come down. And it was always possible that someone might aim at the perimeter lights of the Hill. Oh, well, big sky, little bullet.
I don't have any photos of our this - my camera was too primitive. It was spectacular, with tracer rounds visible up and down the coast, from Hai Van pass south towards Chu Lai. They just don't make fireworks celebrations like they did back in the good old days.
This time-lapse photo shows a Douglas AC-47 "Spooky" at work on the outskirts of Saigon. The sheet of red raining down from the night sky represents only one of every five bullets fired from the gunship’s miniguns. (U.S. Air Force)
The Fireworks in Danang, Vietnam are much nicer and better than the ones during the Vietnam War.
Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men (and Women)
________________
Fireworks Hill 327 XMAS Eve 1969
Twas the Night Before Christmas,
When all through the House
The Creatures were stirring
and shooting up the place
On Christmas Eve 1969 I arrived in Vietnam. It was gently raining. A very large hill loomed inland over the Danang airport swathed in bright perimeter lights like a halo in the mist. It was impressive and beautiful and frightening. There was a great deal of firing and flares from the hill and some of the guys thought we were under attack.
We ran into a large building, one Marine shouted, "They're really getting hit up there. Take cover!"
I moved to the Hill - Hill 327 to MASS-3 a month later and found out that there had been no attack. It was simply a "lighting it up" impromptu firex to celebrate Christmas. Of course no one would openly admit that. You could fire at noises or sounds, so the troops were firing on Christmas eve at numerous noises and sounds.
