Group List: "The Motleys"

The following were members of "The Motleys" and the corresponding girls' group (alphabetized by first name so you can look for someone identified by first name in a photo):

Present at the '99 reunion: Amy Stone Bob Handloff Ellen Mosen Ellin Kramon Ginger (Naomi) Rosenberg Janie Seligson Joni Ehrlich Josh Smith Larry Krakauer Linda Greenberg Mike Douglass Neil Gordon Phil Barnett

Not at the '99 reunion: Bobby Brown Erika Lauter Errol Stone Judy Fischman Lois Jacobson Monty Sonnenborn Peggy Sommerfield Peter Klein Peter Marcus Sara Jane Radin Steve Kaplan

But why "The Motleys"? I had forgotten about that myself, so I asked the omniscient Bob Handloff, who wrote:

"The Motleys" was the nickname given to the group following an incident in 1953. My understanding of it: following several days of rainy day schedule (and just before visiting day), Sub-senior boys group leader Jack Herman, ably assisted by Pat Covici and Mandy somebody, was looking for something to re-focus the group. His solution: using electric shears, he and the others cut a spot out of everyone's hair. This became the "motley spot" and hence the name "Motleys".

This event took place just before visiting day, and Josh Lieberman was not amused. (He believed group identification could have fostered in some other fashion and, I understand, willingly shared that feeling with Jack in what was mostly a one-way discussion.) Notwithstanding his wisdom, Josh had no quick remedy for the spots, and so had everyone's hair cut so as to minimize the effect caused by Jack's injudicious clippings.

Of course, this name should technically be applied only to the boys' group, but the list above obviously includes the combined boys and girls.