Peter Hercky on His Letter Jacket

The Jacket

Debbie, my wife, often chuckles and accuses me of living in the past. Whereas most people might define themselves by the college from which they graduated, I am more likely to reflect back to my Weequahic heritage.

Once, when Chanukah was nearing, Debbie saw me admiring an authentic Yankee jacket at the mall. She knew I had been a Yankee fan ever since I cam to American and Arthur Lubin told me that Mickey “Mendl” was the best baseball player. However, after a bit of thought, she got the idea that what I’d really like is a Weequahic jacket.

She first envisioned one of those “jock” jackets with the leather sleeves and varsity letter over the left panel. To her credit, she decided that this jacket should have more updated look. She quickly learned that one doesn’t simply walk into a place like Andy’s on Osborne Terrace and ask for a Weequahic jacket. No, Debbie searched and found a store in South Plainfield that advertises custom team jackets. There, she leafed though a few catalogs until she found just the right design. It had a white, brown and orange overall color scheme. She carefully spelled out the name W-E-E-Q-U-A-H-I-C, for fear it might be misspelled, and specified that it be emblazoned with brown, chenille letters against a white background.

A few weeks later I had my jacket. Needless to say it was a tremendous surprise and greatly appreciated.

The Letter

About two years ago, as I was browsing through a flea market, I spotted a 7” tall, bright orange, chenille letter on a brown substrate. It wasn’t the same square serif typeface as my soccer letter, so I was not sure if it was a real Weequahic letter. But, for $3.50, I took a chance and bought it. Most people, to whom I showed it, insisted that it was an “M” rather than a “W”.

I decided to call the company whose name was stamped on the back and was told that they’d had a fire in 1975 and all their prior records were lost. Undaunted and determined to prove that it was, indeed, a Weequahic letter, I referred to our yearbook and chanced upon Rosalie Hodes’ smiling face. I let my eyes wander southward (for research purposes only) and noted that the “W” on her sweater bore a striking resemblance to my newly found “W”.

I confirmed its “W-ness” when a 1949 Weequahic graduate faxed me a copy of his varsity letter. Apparently this letter, which now adorns the back of my jacket, pre-dates even me. Now, that’s an antique!

Since receiving that jacket about six years ago, it seems that whenever and wherever I wear it, someone invariably stops me in order to share his or her own Weequahic memories. Whenever alumni, current students, teachers, even people from rival schools see the jacket, they’re somehow moved to approach, smiling brightly, eager to strike up a conversation. People who would otherwise never approach a stranger, have recognized the Weequahic name not only throughout New Jersey, but also in Manhattan, Vermont and Washington, DC. I wonder if the same would happen if Debbie had decided in favor of the Yankee jacket.