Norman Allen was a person that I went through several phases in my life with. Some bad and some good.H e wasn't a man with whom you would want to get in his face. First of all you would need a ladder.

I,being President of the Choir, thought I could come and go and do as I pleased. Boy was I in for a surprise when he threw me, almost physically, out for a marking period. Imagine, all As and one F due to me challenging his authority. I lost. I don't think we spoke until after graduation.

I went into the service as I needed to grow up. You do, very fast. I went off to Viet Nam as many of my classmates did and learned a lot about commitment and respect. The day after I returned home, I went to PHS to see Mr. Allen and Mr. Stefaniak, two men I now respected more than ever.

In 1975, the Chorus was entered into the Guinness World Book of Records for singing twenty four hours straight at the Bergen Mall. I was proud of all of them and stopped down several times during that day. In 1975 , past chorus members held a dinner at the high school to honor him.

In 1976, while I was going through some hard times he was there for me. He liked his Rheingold and Knickbocker.

In November of 1976, with Gail alongside him, he performed two Hymns at Sandi and my wedding.

The last time I saw him he had retired, lived in Florida and was going upstate N.Y,. He stopped by the high school and I saw him at a wrestling match.

Norman Allen was a good roll model for both young men and women. Thank you for being part of my life.

I have a question for anyone reading this. Did you ever get singled out by him for hitting a wrong note or something else. If he pointed at you, the person next to you thought he was getting reprimanded. Why? Probably because of the crooked arm. HA HA

Norman you are loved and missed by everyone you touched.

Thanks,

Al Gunderson