We ran cross country together. I was usually dogging it but Alex would say one time, come on Den, get going. I declined with "not this time" and usually finished close to last. "Not this time" has haunted me for fifty years. Through out my life, I've told my kids this story about Alex. Told them to alway accept the challenges that come their way, and ALWAY, ALWAY run at it as hard as they can. Wish I had run those races then with all I had. Regrets, you bet - Important lesson, much better.
Story #2
Alex one day told me anyone could pole vault, and to prove it, he took my pole and charged down the runway. He planted the pole , swung up to vault and ended up with his legs on each side of the pole. Hitting his groin squarly into the pole , he slide down to the ground and spoke in a much higher voice for a day or so.
Alex and I both played violin together in the orchestra and were on the wrestling team together, I think all four years. We were the only two members of our class with that combination. Alex was better than me at both. He always played "Turkey In the Straw" incredibily fast during warm-up and I always remember him yelling something like "Gump'em Greek" during wrestling and I never had any idea then or now what that meant. I recall that Alex also called himself: "Turkles the Terrible"! No idea why but it was pretty amusing as Alex always was. Alex was very lively and always unpredictable. Whatever he did, he brought real energy to that event. I lost contact with him after high school but thinking of him brings only good and fond memories to me.
I was Alex's violin partner through most or all of high school. For all of that time, I had a mad crush on him but was unbearably shy. He used to tease me with a stupid joke with the punch line "Let go!" (a pun on my last name, Hletko). Ten years after graduation, my mother called me in Cleveland, where I was living with my husband and baby, to tell me that Alex called, looking for me. I'm sorry, Alex. Bad timing. You always made me smile.
Alex was a thoughtful, decent, very family-oriented kid. Very proud of his Greek heritage, he was a wide-ranging thinker and very philosophical in his approach to life. His mother was an attorney and judge and I think his father may also have been an attorney. As I think about it, I believe his mom and dad were in legal practice together. We dated somewhat in high school and loosely kept in touch every once in a great while in the ensuing years. I was very happy to hear that Alex had married and had two young children. He might have been in ihis 40's at that point. I'm saddened by this loss.
Alex and I wrestled and were in the orchestra together throughout high school. I was a frequent visitor at his house, knew his father, mother, and sister. A bunch of us used to get together and we would have cook outs in the forest preserves. We called them "Greek parties" because the Greeks supplied all the food. Alex would supply the meat from his freezer, and Tom Mouhelis would supply all the ancillaries (bread, olives etc.) good times. Alex always was thinking about doing some interesting, sometimes not well thought out plans. One time he called me up with the concept of him and me renting a jeep and driving down Federal highway 1 on the West coast all of the way down to the tip of South America. I gave him a quick "hell no" to that plan. I also had the opportunity to meet his wife. A very nice person. Alex is missed. Norm widerstrom
R Dennis Ashley
We ran cross country together. I was usually dogging it but Alex would say one time, come on Den, get going. I declined with "not this time" and usually finished close to last. "Not this time" has haunted me for fifty years. Through out my life, I've told my kids this story about Alex. Told them to alway accept the challenges that come their way, and ALWAY, ALWAY run at it as hard as they can. Wish I had run those races then with all I had. Regrets, you bet - Important lesson, much better.
Story #2
Alex one day told me anyone could pole vault, and to prove it, he took my pole and charged down the runway. He planted the pole , swung up to vault and ended up with his legs on each side of the pole. Hitting his groin squarly into the pole , he slide down to the ground and spoke in a much higher voice for a day or so.
God I miss you Alex. Damn this exit plan.
(Robert )Dennis Ashley
Joe Pearlman
Alex and I both played violin together in the orchestra and were on the wrestling team together, I think all four years. We were the only two members of our class with that combination. Alex was better than me at both. He always played "Turkey In the Straw" incredibily fast during warm-up and I always remember him yelling something like "Gump'em Greek" during wrestling and I never had any idea then or now what that meant. I recall that Alex also called himself: "Turkles the Terrible"! No idea why but it was pretty amusing as Alex always was. Alex was very lively and always unpredictable. Whatever he did, he brought real energy to that event. I lost contact with him after high school but thinking of him brings only good and fond memories to me.
Sandy Hletko (Weber)
I was Alex's violin partner through most or all of high school. For all of that time, I had a mad crush on him but was unbearably shy. He used to tease me with a stupid joke with the punch line "Let go!" (a pun on my last name, Hletko). Ten years after graduation, my mother called me in Cleveland, where I was living with my husband and baby, to tell me that Alex called, looking for me. I'm sorry, Alex. Bad timing. You always made me smile.
Diane Diener (Freeman)
Alex was a thoughtful, decent, very family-oriented kid. Very proud of his Greek heritage, he was a wide-ranging thinker and very philosophical in his approach to life. His mother was an attorney and judge and I think his father may also have been an attorney. As I think about it, I believe his mom and dad were in legal practice together. We dated somewhat in high school and loosely kept in touch every once in a great while in the ensuing years. I was very happy to hear that Alex had married and had two young children. He might have been in ihis 40's at that point. I'm saddened by this loss.
Kathleen Bacom
I remember Alex; he was an "A," and I was a "B." Remember homeroom was alphabetical?
Anyhow, I found some information about him:
Alexander T. Anagnost
Birth date: May 15, 1945
Date of death: May 5, 1997, at 52 years of age
Sorry, Alex, that's it's not more personal, but somehow even that bit of information is a little comfort.
Rest in peace, dear.
Norm Widerstrom
Alex and I wrestled and were in the orchestra together throughout high school. I was a frequent visitor at his house, knew his father, mother, and sister. A bunch of us used to get together and we would have cook outs in the forest preserves. We called them "Greek parties" because the Greeks supplied all the food. Alex would supply the meat from his freezer, and Tom Mouhelis would supply all the ancillaries (bread, olives etc.) good times. Alex always was thinking about doing some interesting, sometimes not well thought out plans. One time he called me up with the concept of him and me renting a jeep and driving down Federal highway 1 on the West coast all of the way down to the tip of South America. I gave him a quick "hell no" to that plan. I also had the opportunity to meet his wife. A very nice person. Alex is missed. Norm widerstrom