Mini-Reunion II at Mullins by Tommy Towery Look and weap, all you classmates that have yearned for a Mullin's Chili Dog. On Saturday, December 8th, the gang assembled at Mullin's Cafe for the second Huntsville Area Mini-Reunion. Moses Preston suggested the get together and was fasionably late for his own party. We were excited about a few special visitors who have not been participating in the web site but still found out about the meeting. The afternoon was spent eating and visiting with each other and listening to tall tales of past and present adventures. Linda Taylor brought her album of previously unseen photos that she took at the reunion last year. A head count of 21 was taken, with several promised visitors becoming "no-shows". I took several digital pictures of the event and you can view them by clicking on the button above. They are being stored on the Shutterfly Web site, which allows you to order your own prints of any photos you see and want copies of. SPECIAL NOTE: A mini-reunion is being planned for the Atlanta area in the middle of January. More information will follow, but tenative plans suggest meeting at The Varsity, perhaps on January 13th. (I think they have chili dogs too!) Anyone intersted should check back or e-mail your thoughts or suggestions to ttowery@memphis.edu |
Est. March 31, 2000 18,808 Previous Hits December 17, 2001 Editor:Tommy Towery http://www.leealumni.com Class of 1964 Page Hits This Issue e-mail ttowery@memphis.edu Staff Writers : Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly , Joy Rubins Morris ,Terry "Moses" Preston Staff Photographers: Fred & Lynn Sanders |
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The Madison County Courthouse As Remembered by Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly Class of '64 It seems that it was not so very many years ago that I stood on the half-demolished steps of the weather-beaten old courthouse. I suppose that it was no longer fashionable enough for our fast-growing city, and a new courthouse was already on the drawing board, awaiting a resting place. A sense of the past was overwhelming as I stood there ... remembering another time, another day. The courthouse was an ancient stone building, which was located in Huntsville's town center. Massive pillars supported each of its four sides, and on top of the courthouse sat an enormous clock with four faces, visible from each of the main directions -- north, south, east, and west. The clocks were never synchronized, but no one ever minded. The pace was slow in those days, and it was of no monumental concern if one were to be a few minutes late for an appointment. Life was easy. And lovely. Along the north side of the courthouse were dress shops, a Krystal Cafe, and a furniture store that later housed the infamous Bradley's, where most of us spent Saturday nights dancing to the music of the Tics. The east side boasted McClellan's, Lerner's, City Drug Store, and Wimpy's Grill. The City Drug Store was one of my favorite places because old-fashioned fans hung from the ceiling, and I would perch upon delicate, wire-backed chairs and listen to the drone of the fans. The cherry cokes there were the best in the world, and the smell of lavender and licorice sticks pervaded the atmosphere. It was a cozy haven to a young girl. On the sign over Wimpy's Grill was a picture of the famous Popeye character, Wimpy. I was certain that Wimpy actually lived inside the grill and made the hamburgers, but I never told anyone. Along the south side of the courthouse were older businesses: a children's clothing store, a shoe shop, and the Scottsboro Cleaners, where my mother had worked for a time. The inside of the cleaners was fascinating to me, simply because I always remembered it being dark and cool, in both summer and winter. The countertop was made of old, dark wood, which squeaked pleasantly. I would sit on the counter and trace with my finger the initials that had been carved into its top. Sometimes it made me sad to think about all those people connected to the carvings. I don't know why. The west side of the courthouse was called Cotton Row, and it was my favorite. Its cobble-stoned sidewalks had shifted with age and made walking very precarious in rainy weather. There were stairs leading down to a beautiful pool, which ran for several blocks and finally emptied into the "Big Spring." It was filled with HUGE goldfish. Descending the staircase was like entering a fairy-tale world. The foliage was lush and verdant, and the fountain was impressive with its constant roar. On the opposite of the pool was a steep rock cliff, which led up the First National Bank. Legend had it that Jesse James had once robbed the bank and then jumped his horse to freedom by way of the cliff and the pond. Although I have no concrete evidence to support this assertion, I am absolutely certain that it was true! The courthouse looked down upon all these places -- solid, safe, and dependable to a small child. When I entered the courthouse, I always noticed a faint, musty odor that antiseptic cleansers had failed to cover. There was the beauty of the sunshine, which filtered in through the panes and the ever-present dust motes. Spidery webs hung from the corners of the high soot-darkened ceilings, and the old wooden floors inside the dark corridors creaked a protest at the slightest weight. There was a concession stand, which was operated by a blind man and his wife, who was slowly losing her sight. I once asked the old man how he could tell the difference between a one-dollar bill and a five-dollar bill. He replied, "Easy, child. There is a difference of four dollars." I still couldn't understand how he knew, and it was many years later before I realized that he was making a joke. The courthouse was an unofficial congregation center. Early Saturday morning, they arrived -- farmers in red, flannel shirts and faded blue coveralls; middle-aged men with thermoses of coffee, and frail, older men who wore the ever-present hats and button-up navy sweaters and who almost always drove either a black Chrysler or Studebaker. They were usually chewing tobacco with true dedication and fervor! I remember dodging enormous globs of juicy, brown tobacco, which were spat rather carelessly in anyone's direction. I remember shrubbery, which was trimmed into the shape of rabbits at Easter, and rows and rows of great oak trees. The ever-present children would dart back and forth to the water fountain, where the old State Trooper, Mr. Ryan, wearing his ten-gallon hat, would lift us for a quick drink of water. My favorite game was hide-and-seek, and I usually was drawn to the statue of the Confederate soldier, which stood between two colossal oak trees. I would often snuggle down next to the statue's base while hiding, and with my heart pounding in my throat; I sometimes dozed under the soldier's protective gaze as I waited to be found. I remember the water fountains, one reading "White," and one reading "Colored." I used to think this meant that the non-white fountain had colored water. That was my first introduction to segregation, I suppose. I remember being very sad the day my mother explained the significance of the two fountains to me. The courthouse was a center of warmth -- a place where one could swap stories or discuss the price of nails with his neighbor. Now standing in its place is a great slab of cold, hard concrete, which holds only records for me. Even though the old courthouse was weather beaten and gray, it had heart. It remains for me a symbol of the past -- a guardian of the memories of a young girl who grew up in Huntsville, Alabama in another time, another day. To those of you who helped make those memories, I thank you. Other Classmates Share Their Memories My Memories by Tommy Towery Since Barbara has done such a wonderful job of describing the courthouse, I will only give the highlights of some of my memories. I remember my (and many of your's too) old Scoutmaster Lucky Sandlin working in the microfilm room in the basement of the courthouse and how we would go there and visit with him many times. Later on, he left that job, and Dianne Hughy's dad took over, if I remember right. I remember having to wait at the Courthouse until closing many times (way too many times) to see if my dad was going to bring in the check he owed for child support. All the checks went through the court and they could only give us a check when he paid them. I remember also how sorry all the people that worked there were and had compassionate they were with me when they finally had to ask me to leave because he never showed up. I remember the preaching on the steps on Saturday, and that one of the Yankee invaders from the North that we rented a room to (we called them "roomers"), when I lived on Clinton Street, would take his guitar down and play it on the steps on Saturdays too. I do remember the blind man that ran the concession stand, and I also wondered how he knew what denomination bill we gave him. Of course, I never had a bill to give him and would only rarely buy a Coke from him and then it was change. I remember 1955 and the Huntsville Sesqui-Centennial celebration and the Kangaroo Court they held for the men of the town that had not grown a beard for the celebration. And like many of you, I remember the still-of-the-night of the Courthouse Square on the nights that I emerged from the dances at Bradley's and how aware I was of the ringing in my ears after dancing all night in front of the band. The cool night air would chill me even in the summer, since I usually also left the building with my clothes soaking wet with sweat. (How did you girls ever put up with all us sweaty guys?) Subject: RE: LHS 64-65-66 December 10th Update Posted Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 16:18:46 -0500 From: "Cook, Charles" <CookCE@cdm.com> My dad retired from the navy in 1959 and moved to his new job at Redstone Arsenal. My mother and I followed him there in early 1960. I can't recall every going downtown before then and actually seeing a court house. I remember liking the court house square. I seem to remember that the water fountains on the outside of the Court House had plaques or signs that indicated that they were placed there by the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union). I also remember that this was the first time that I saw water fountains that were seperately marked for "white" and "colored". Being raised on navy bases I hadn't really experienced segregation before. Skip Cook Class of '64 From Our Mailbag... Subject: RE: LHS 64-65-66 December 10th Update Posted Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 15:13:48 -0500 From: "Cook, Charles" <CookCE@cdm.com> I know this is late but as you said "this is a busy period." I rode the bus to Lee from 8th grade to the point where I could beg the use of the 1963 Falcon from my father. Jim Harris lived a couple of blocks away from our house in Lakewood Subdivision. Our bus passed through Lakewood, Meridian Hills, and then went back down the Parkway and Highway 72 to Lee. One morning Jim was going through his brown bag to determine what fine fare his momma had packed for lunch. When he peeked into his sandwich, he discovered that mom had made peanut butter and jelly for the daily feast. Jim made it clear that he deserved better lunches and that he had told his mom that he didn't want PB&J. He vented his emotions by carefully peeling apart his sandwich, leaning out the window of the bus, and throwing the piece of peanut butter and jelly covered bread squarely onto the windsheild of an oncoming car. A direct hit. The driver of the car, obviously on his way to work, executed a perfect three-point turn and came after the bus. He pulled in front of the bus, got out of his car, and came onto the bus. He charged down the aisle demanding to know who had thrown that #$%^** sandwich. Our normally active crew was very quiet. With totally innocent eyes we stared at the intruder. Nobody said a word. I think I was somewhere between panic scared and thinking that this was the funniest thing I had ever seen. The stranger left our bus in no better mood than when he arrived. When the bus driver resumed the ride to school, everybody on the bus broke out in tear-filled laughter. Skip Cook Class of '64 Subject: Re: LHS 64-65-66 December 10th Update Posted Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 17:59:25 -0800 (PST) From: The Neumanns <neal_neumann@yahoo.com> I know you did a memory lane feature about Goldsmith field, but how about one on Milton Frank Stadium? Keep it goin! You're doing great. Neal Neumann (Editor's Note - Thanks for the suggestion Neal. We're collecting ideas about the things that all of you want to cover and will add that to our list. Next year we'll continue to add to our memories and welcome all suggestions. We also have some other ideas for additions to the website, and I have promised myself that during the Christmas break at school I will complete the scan of the 1966 Silver Sabre yearbook and add it to our Sourvenir Shop offerings.) Subject: HELLO Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 15:28:41 -0600 From: "Edwards, Patricia" <Patricia.P.Edwards@msfc.nasa.gov> To: "'ttowery@memphis.edu'" <ttowery@memphis.edu> Have not gotten an update from you lately - was wondering if everything was OK. They are coming along nicely with the Zesto's renovation - going to be a real "spiffy" place. Sorry I don't have the capability to send pics. Patricia Pfeiffer Edwards (Editor's Note: I've been having my announcements to all the folks at NASA bounce back as non-deliverable. I guess it's a crackdown on personal mail at work.) Subject: Re: LHS 64-65-66 December 10th Update Posted Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 08:50:21 -0600 From: "Pat Stolz" <pstolz@knology.net> TOMMY, I THINK I HAVE THE NAMES FOR THE PICTURES IN THE YEARBOOK. PAM GOATLEY, GINGER GAMBRELL AND JUDY ADAIR. TWO ISSUES AGO THERE WERE SOME PICTURES FROM CAROLE JEANS HOUSE, I COULDN'T FIND THEM, COULD YOU DIRECT ME. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I SAW HAROLS SHEPPARD LAST WEEK AND GAVE HIM THE WEB SITE, HOPE HE WILL CHECK IT OUT. PAT TORZILLO STOLZ (Editor's Note: Debbie Dratz is the other name. She is the one on the right. Also, you can find the old issues of the site by clicking on the "Past Issues" button at the top left of the page.) ________________________________________ |
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Est. March 31, 2000 18,808 Previous Hits December 17, 2001 Editor:Tommy Towery http://www.leealumni.com Class of 1964 Page Hits This Issue e-mail ttowery@memphis.edu Staff Writers : Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly , Joy Rubins Morris ,Terry "Moses" Preston Staff Photographers: Fred & Lynn Sanders |
Mini-Reunion II at Mullins by Tommy Towery Look and weap, all you classmates that have yearned for a Mullin's Chili Dog. On Saturday, December 8th, the gang assembled at Mullin's Cafe for the second Huntsville Area Mini-Reunion. Moses Preston suggested the get together and was fasionably late for his own party. We were excited about a few special visitors who have not been participating in the web site but still found out about the meeting. The afternoon was spent eating and visiting with each other and listening to tall tales of past and present adventures. Linda Taylor brought her album of previously unseen photos that she took at the reunion last year. A head count of 21 was taken, with several promised visitors becoming "no-shows". I took several digital pictures of the event and you can view them by clicking on the button above. They are being stored on the Shutterfly Web site, which allows you to order your own prints of any photos you see and want copies of. SPECIAL NOTE: A mini-reunion is being planned for the Atlanta area in the middle of January. More information will follow, but tenative plans suggest meeting at The Varsity, perhaps on January 13th. (I think they have chili dogs too!) Anyone intersted should check back or e-mail your thoughts or suggestions to ttowery@memphis.edu |
