Est. March 31, 2000 26,908 Previous Hits August 5, 2002 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 Contributers: The Members of Lee High School Classes of 64-65-66 |
Est. March 31, 2000 26,908 Previous Hits August 5, 2002 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 Contributers: The Members of Lee High School Classes of 64-65-66 |
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Still Crazy After All These Years |
">
">
">
">
Can you name this week's Mystery Classmate? __________________________________ |
The Great Disney Conspiracy of 1955 by Tommy Towery Class of '64 brain·wash Pronunciation Key (brnwsh, -wôsh) tr.v. brain·washed, brain·wash·ing, brain·wash·es v 1: persuade completely, often through coercion; "The propaganda brainwashed many people" 2: submit to brainwashing; indoctrinate forcibly Now this may seem un-American, but I have to print it. I told you last week that I have thought long and hard and now know that I have discovered a conspiracy which explains the tight bond that exists between the members of the LHS Classes of '64, '65, and '66. After all my reseach, I now feel confident that we were the targets of and are subsequently the products of a giant corporate conspiracy to brainwash the children of America. The plot was dreamed up by Walt Disney and accomplished by using an afternoon TV show for kids that aired daily, beginning in 1955, and lasted for most of our formative years. That show was "The Mickey Mouse Club". I remember many days of racing home after school to plop myself in front of the black and white television set to see (and sing along) with Mickey and the Mouseketeers. I found the following information on www.yesterdayland.com about this show: Next to Howdy Doody (which it helped unseat), The Mickey Mouse Club was the defining children's television program of the 1950's. The show, which aired daily, featured a true variety of entertainment: singing, dancing, guest stars, classic Disney cartoons, serials, and a group of talented kids who became overnight sensations, the Mouseketeers. Led by adult leader Jimmy Dodd, and flanked by hefty Disney animator Roy Williams, the Mouseketeers sang and danced their way into the hearts of the first TV generation. The standout of the group was Annette Funicello. Young America watched as the lovely and talented teenaged beauty developed before their very eyes. Annette soon starred in her own serial on the show, and went on to a successful career in film and music. Another popular element of the show was the serialized adventures of The Hardy Boys and Spin and Marty. Veteran Disney child actor Tim Considine starred in both, making him what many refer to as the "Honorary Mouseketeer." Other serial performers included Tommy Kirk, David Stollery, and Roy Barcroft. One of the most influential and successful shows of its time, The Mickey Mouse Club went off the air in 1959. Notice they use the term "influential"? That it was. With the last show being aired in 1959 and me starting at Lee High School in 1960, my brain had already absorbed four years of daily bombardment of character building and mind-altering songs as I entered those hallowed halls and joined the ones already there. And while we watched Annette blossom into puberty, we were secretly having our character altered through ways we could never imagine. The main thrust of the brainwash came at the end of the show so that even those who joined late would be victimized. How many of you remember the final closing song, which came to be known as "The Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater"? It went like this: Through the years, We'll all be friends, Wherever we may be, M-I-C, K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E Now it's time to say goodbye, To all our company, M-I-C, See you real soon! K-E-Y, Why? Because we like you! M-O-U-S...E... And each of us knows exactly how Jimmy said "Why, Because we like you," don't we? He said it with a sincerity that we believed. So, here's my theory (and to quote Mel Gibson) "This is a conspiracy theory, Pal!" - we were brainwashed to believe that through the years we'd all be friends, wherever we may be. And no matter how hard we have tried to forget those words, that is what we have done. Name me one other generation besides ours that had a message of such magnitude forced into their expanding minds each day for four seasons of their growing years. Other generations watched wooden puppets, green frogs, big yellow birds, and purple dinos. We watched a show about a mouse. We watched it, we sang it, and as we did, we came to believe it. And so it has come to pass and it still exists. Now, over 40 years later, we still believe - "Through the years, we'll all be friends, wherever we may be. M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E." Why? Because we like you! ____________________________________________ |
From Our Mailbox Hi Tommy, See I can use the computer. I just read the past issue about my graduation. It was a very nice story. Thank you for taking the time to recognize my "accomplishment'. It was tough getting back into the school mode, but it was worth it to accomplish a goal I had wanted to accomplish for a long time. It was good to see you this weekend and hope to see you again soon. Take care, Dian(n)e (Hughey) McClure Class of '64 Location: Huntsville ______________________________________ Subject: Reunions Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 17:10:30 -0500 From: "Robert Alverson" <BobAlverson@peoplepc.com> Mary and I really enjoyed the get together at Mullins. It is the first time we have made one of the off reunion events. We will have to look into some others. We would be interested in seeing more pictures of the events of the day. Saturday night mention was made of the 40th reunion in 2005. Although this will be the 40th anniversary for my class why not consider changing the year to 2004 and mark the 40th anniversary of Lee becoming a High School? All three classes would still be involved because we were part of that history. Keep up the good work with the website. Bob Alverson Class of '65 Location: Huntsville _____________________________________________ Subject: Reunion Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 16:16:00 -0500 From: "Taylor, Lamar ACQ" <lamar.taylor@redstone.army.mil> How about inviting Butler and Huntsville to the next reunion.Classes of 64-65-66. Lamar Taylor ______________________________________ Subject: A Million Tomorrows Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 15:02:36 -0500 From: "Cheryl Massey" <cherylmassey@attbi.com> Tommy, I just finished reading your book. It took me about a week. My husband told me the other night that he never knew me to take so long finishing a book. I replied that before I never had to keep going back and forth through my 64 yearbook and the scanned copy of your yearbook to try to solve the mysteries of who some of the people were. I knew that you had changed some names and left others with their true identities. I wasn't always sure which were real and which were not. I have to tell you that your stories brought things to mind that I hadn't remembered in a long time. I didn't think that I ever felt "homesick" for Huntsville, but I do now. You have given me back some very precious memories and feelings that had not come to the surface before. I thank you for that. You seem to be fond of quoting songs, so as Bob Hope would sing, "Thanks for the memories". Cherri Polly Massey Class of '65 ____________________________________________ Subject: Hello Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2002 13:13:52 EDT From: TiaBJ@aol.com Hi Tommy, I am hoping this will go through successfully. Have not been able to email you in prior attempts. Enjoyed the website, and was pleased to see the picture of the General on horseback. I remember helping to paint him on the cafeteria wall lo these many years ago. Also, I ordered a video of the 2000 reunion (paid for it too, I think) and never got it - but moving does confuse things. I would have loved to be at the mini-reunion but my parents no longer live in Huntsville so my trips there are going to be pretty scarce, unfortunately. Since I truly feel my husband Scott and I live in Paradise, it would be fun to see any of our crowd that ever heads down this way. Bonita Springs is about midway between Ft. Myers and Naples in SW Florida. The beach and glorious sunsets are only 10 minutes away. I will indeed keep checking the website. I had wondered where Skip Cook got off to, so it was fun to hear he and Bobby Cochran were at the last reunion. Would love to hear from classmates. Thanks for all your work and dedication! Barbara Seely Cooper Class of '64 From: Bonita Springs, FL (currently) __________________________________________________ Subject: Grandchildren Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2002 23:47:30 EDT From: DALEDEE8@aol.com I have been enjoying this site very much. It brings back a lot of good memories. Delores and I have 9 grandchildren . Ryan our youngest was born on July 19th. I didn't know one could have so much fun enjoying grandchildren like we do. They range in age from 2 weeks to 9 years. I hope to attend some of the upcoming reunions . I am still in the retail world and work most weekends. I hope to see you at the next reunion. Keep up the great work. Dale Thompson Class of 64 Huntsville Al. _________________________________________________ Subject: Mini- Reunion Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:24:08 -0500 From: "Jim Bannister" <jbann@hotmail.com> I only got to spend a short time with ya'll but I really enjoyed the mini-reunion.....It was well worth the trip.....It is amazing that all these people that have gone so many different paths can get together, talk, joke, and carryon just like we did in high school....There is definitely some kind of bond there.....Maybe your "M-I-C Mind Control" theory is valid.....Thank you for the work that you do on the website and thanks to everyone who put the mini-reunion together.... Jim Bannister Class of '66 (Editor's Note: I bounced the MICKEY idea off of Jim at the reunion and that was when I decided to share it with the rest of you. Mickey Mouse Roll Call...sign in now!) ___________________________________________________ |
The Generals Know The Blues (At Least In Songs They Do) We never knew that there were so many "Blue" songs, nor that it would be so hard to try to validate whether or not they were real or fictional or even if they were in the 1950's and 1960's. After reading all the entries and trying to remove duplicates, we finally threw our hands and the entries up in the air and started singing the blues ourselves. It was so bad that the very word B-L-U-E did not look like the correct spelling of the word "blue". When the papers floated back to the ground, here is the one that came up on top. Gary Kinkle, Class of '64, came up with the most complete list of songs, correct or incorrect. Here is his entry for this week: Wedding Bell Blues - In the early 70's we saw the 5th Dimension at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville. They sure knew how to put on a class act. They had some of the best songs then and I still like hearing them today. Blue Hawaii -The best movie and album Elvis ever made. We had the album until we put it in the back window of the car, thinking it was going to be safe, (not thinking about what the sun was going to do to it) had a lot of pretty flower shaped albums when we got to Colorado. Blueberry HillI - I think Richie Cunningham from "Happy Days" made this song as popular as Fats Domino. Bobby Vinton, Roy Orbison, Elvis and Ray Charles never had a bad song. Last year I decided to put my records on CD's so I could listen to them at work and in the car. Songs: 1. Blue Monday -.Fats Domino 2. The Little Blue Man - Betty Johnson 3. Blue, Blue Day - Don Gibson 4. Summer Time Blues- Eddie Cochran 5. Blue Hawaii - Elvis 6. Lavender-Blue - Billy Vaughn 7. Mr. Blue - Fleetwoods 8. Pretty Blue Eyes - .Steve Lawrence 9. Blue Star. - Felicia Sanders 10. Weary Blues - Lawrence Welk 11. True Blue - Bing Crosby 12. Singing The Blues.- Marty Robbins 13. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold - Elvis 14. Learning the Blues.-.Frank Sinarta 15. Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino 16. My Blue Heaven - Fats Domino 17. Blue Suede Shoes.- Carl Perkins 18. Love Is Blue - Paul Mauriat 19. Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton 20. Wedding Bell Blues - Fifth Dimension 21. Blue Bayou Linda Ronstadt 22. Blue Spanish Eyes.- Al Martino 23. Blue Moon - Marcels 24. In Blues.- Ikettes 25. Venus in Blue Jeans - Jimmy Clanton 26. Blue on Blue - Bobby Vinton 27. Baby Blue.-.Echoes 28. Blues In The Night.- Rosemary Clooney 29. Blue Angel - Roy Orbison 30. Blue Tango - Bill Black 31. Is A Blue Bird Blue? - Conway Twitty 32. Blue Winter - Connie Fracnes 33. Navy Blue - Diane Renay 34. Red Roses For A Blue Lady - Vic Dana 35. I Chose To Sing The Blues - Ray Charles 36. Blue Autumn - Bobby Goldsboro 37. Indescribably Blue - Elvis 38. Blue Moon Of Kentucky - Patsy Cline 39. Lovesick Blue - Patsy Cline Jennifer White Bannecke's, Class of '66, list of 18 songs, was not quite as long as Gary's, not quite as complete, but certainly included some grasps at straws as seen below: Hey Tommy, I'm cocked and loaded this morning (in my husband's Mr. Bannecke's words) so here goes on the Blue titles. Blue In the Night - Rosemary Clooney Little Blue Riding Hood - Stan Freberg Learning the Blues - Frank Sinatra And for Extra Credit????????? Deep Purple - a shade of BLUE Get Off My Cloud - clouds are BLUE (Jennifer...perhaps in Georgia, clouds are blue, but in Memphis and other parts of the country where I've been, the sky is BLUE but clouds are WHITE. <<REJECT>>) The Ballad Of The Green Berets - green is almost BLUE (Of course Sgt. Barry Sadler, singer of this song must have had the blues. In 1989 in Guatemala, on his way home in a cab from a day of drinking and carousing he was shot. A victim of robbery, assassination, or general bad luck is uncertain. He died 14 months later.) I Heard It Through The Grapevine - grapes are kinda BLUE Maybe some people would call this cheating ??????? Nah !!!!!!!!! Barb Knott, a new member of our group, added a few more legit songs, which were not in Gary's list but were included in her own list of 32 songs. Blue Skies GI Blues The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Crystal Blue Persuassion Red Roses for a Blue Lady Blue Christmas Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain Mule Skinner Blues Lonely Blue Boy Louisiana Blues The Birth of the Blues And Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues Memphis Blues Again Living the Blues Tombstone Blues Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues Outlaw Blues It's All Over Now, Baby Blues And finally the "King of the Music Trivia" , Jim Bannister, Class of '66, added his blue cents worth with a list of 25 (his own goal and limit). His list included: Have You Ever Had the Blues - Lloyd Price Bell Bottom Blues - Derek & The Dominos (Eric Clapton) Blue Danube Waltz - Strauss ..2001 A Space Odyssey Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams Sr. Red Roses For A Blue Lady - Wayne Newton I'm Feeling Blue - CCR Never Felt More Like Singing The Blues - Guy Mitchell I'm Blue - Shangri La's Nel Blu DiPinto Di Blu - Bobby Rydell (Volare) .. I know this one is a stretch _____________________________________ |
It's going to be a busy month of August for the editor, but I'll try hard to still keep The Traveller on schedule. I'll be installing 113 computers in labs and 54 computers in faculty offices between now and the beginning of the school year the last week of August. I have not had time to do the photo CD of the reunion yet, but that is on my schedule of things that needs to be done. I'll still try to put a few photos of the 2K2 Reunion for the next couple of weeks, and I have some Huntsville city photos and some photos of Lee High School that I want to share with you in future issues. T. Tommy __________________________________________ |
