- Name:
Kathryn Zufall-Larson
- Mailing address:
Shoreline, WA
- When and where were you born?
1949, Mineola, New York
- When did you come to Mountain Lakes?
1956
- Tell us something about your family. Did your parents also live here?
We moved here when I started 2nd grade. My parents still live in Mt. Lakes
- Where have you lived in the Borough? In which houses?
My parents built a house on Laurel Hill Rd. (41?) It is right at the top of the road which continues up from Lake Drive after crossing the Boulevard. When I was in high school (around 1966) they moved to 302 Boulevard, where they still live. You may call them if you like – Bob and Kay Zufall
- What do you remember particularly about the houses and properties where you lived?
Beautiful, and they look about the same now.
- What are some of your special memories growing up in Mountain Lakes?
- A wonderful place to grow up.
- Playing in the woods behind the Laurel Hill house.
- Taking a big bike trip adventure to ride to Del’s Village.
- Climbing on a few of the roofs of the old houses!
- The Memorial Day parades.
- Lots of high school activities, mostly around music, organizing the school orchestra, etc.
- The fireworks – which I still come to see now and then.
- Where did you go to school? What particular memories do you have from your school years? Are there any special stories you associate with that time of your life?
Wildwood, Lake Drive, Briarcliff and the “new” high school.
- Where did you and your family shop?
Del’s Village and some in the Mt Lakes shopping area. Shoes in Boonton (remember the store across from the movie theater where they xrayed your feet to see if the shoes fit?)
- What were the roads and the lakes like?
Just about as they are now.
- Are there any special people you remember who contributed to the life of the town? Why do they stand out in your mind?
Not really. I was more influenced by the schools. My parents may have info on this.
- What did you do for fun formal recreation, sports and entertainment in general?
- Skiing in New Hampshire every year.
- Lots of music – All State Orchestras etc. Summer music camps etc. My 3 younger sisters and I were a string quartet.
- Are there any special events that stand out in your mind?
Assassination of Kennedy
- Did your parents and the parents of your friends work nearby? In New York or elsewhere? How did they get to work? How did commuting change over your time here?
Father was a urologist in Dover. Mom was home but later got a Master’s in Ed from Columbia. Commuting was not an issue.
- How did various laws affect the way people lived?
Don’t know
- Did you have a sense of Mountain Lakes as a unique place in its lifestyle, its homes, as a community?
Yes
- How did the world’s events — World War I, the Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the assassination of JFK, Viet Nam, Watergate, etc. — affect you and fellow Mountain Lakes residents when you were growing up?
Shock at assassination of JFK – we were kids in high school.
- What made living in Mountain Lakes special to you, as you think back over your life here?
A wonderful small town where you knew everybody in your class. High academic expectations and opportunities. In retrospect, the safety. Proximity to NYC as I got older.