Est. March 31, 2000 35,015 Previous Hits February 17, 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, Cherri Polly Massey, Paula Spencer Kephart, Rainer Klauss, Bobby Cochran Staff Photographers: Fred & Lynn Sanders Contributers: The Members of Lee High School Classes of 64-65-66 |
We Are FamiLEE! |
Est. March 31, 2000 35,015 Previous Hits February 17, 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, Cherri Polly Massey, Paula Spencer Kephart, Rainer Klauss, Bobby Cochran Staff Photographers: Fred & Lynn Sanders Contributers: The Members of Lee High School Classes of 64-65-66 |
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Rainer's Visit - From the Other Side by Mike Acree Class of '64 Here is my own report on Rainer's visit to SF, plus some other information about myself which he had wanted to include but didn't really fit his narrative. I had it ready to go shortly after Rainer's report appeared, but then was out of town and have been swamped since I returned. It seems pretty extraordinary to me for someone to fly across the country to visit someone he has had no contact with for 38 years - especially to visit someone who was as out-of-it as I was in Lee days - but then Rainer Klauss is a pretty extraordinary guy. My most vivid memory of him from Lee is probably from Miss Broom's fourth-period French I class. Miss Broom's inveterate response, when Rainer was talking or cutting up, was "Are you hungry?"--threatening to keep him in over the lunch break. Just as consistently, Rainer would reply, "No, I'm Rainer." One day she finally grew tired of the game (although, goodness knows, the poor thing always set it up), and ordered him to stay for a paddling. Several of us sneaked back to watch; she caught us and paddled us, too. Antics aside, Rainer always did seem to have his feet on the ground in a way that I couldn't even dream about for another 15 years. He made it sound in his report as though I knew what I was doing in declaring intentions in math and psychology in the yearbook, when in fact my majoring in both reflected nothing more than a congenital inability to make decisions, and my working in both fields now nothing but irony. I finally realized my senior year at Oberlin that I didn't have the brains to be a mathematician, but once in graduate school realized I was too messed up to be a psychologist, either, and had no business trying to help other people with their lives. I had become interested meanwhile in the peculiar way psychologists do research, using statistics, and started studying on my own to try to figure it out. The conclusion I came to after several years was that it really didn't make any sense, but then that's what I was an expert in and could get a job doing. When Rainer and I reestablished contact through e-mail last spring, I was going to say, he instantly proved my most prolific and literate correspondent. He has a real gift for writing, and we are all lucky to have him on the Traveler staff. He is also modest. You shouldn't believe for a minute, in particular, that wonderful line of his about "moving forward on endorphin fumes" the last 2.5 miles of our hike. (Rainer is too careful a writer to say "running on endorphin fumes.") In fact, I remarked to him as we were climbing the Marin hills that he was less winded than I was. Just a couple of weeks after Rainer's visit, Brian Pfeiffer, who had joined Rainer and me for dinner one evening, invited me down to an all-you-can- eat crab feast in Half Moon Bay, where he lives. Although my main memory of Brian is of a mischievous twinkle in his eye, I wouldn't have guessed what a terrific entertainer he has become. We walked to Baskin-Robbins after the crab fest and then to his house, just 2 blocks away. As we were leaving the Baskin-Robbins parking lot, it looked to me as though Brian were stepping onto the top of a hedge cut flush with the curb. In the dark, I couldn't see how far down the ground was and was looking for a way around. Brian, it turned out, thought he was stepping onto grass, and, with his feet tangled in the shrubbery, fell face-first down about a 6-foot embankment to the street below. (Some people don't know their grass from a hole in the ground.) I told him, of course, how unspeakably cruel it was of him to make me laugh so hard on a full stomach. My family came to Huntsville in 1960 from Hot Springs, Arkansas, so, like many Lee alumni, I suspect, I have a couple of sets of classmates to keep up with. I had had no contact with any of my Hot Springs friends until 1992, when I was visiting my parents (who had retired there) and ran into the mother of one of them. She told me Rick was in Greeley, CO, and in November I got around to calling him. This was right after the election, and he expressed surprise that I wasn't planning to attend the Inauguration--Clinton having been one of our classmates. (My parents had run into him once in Hot Springs when he was Governor; he remembered my mother from our having carpooled to band practice.) It had frankly never entered my mind, but when I found out that about 50 of our classmates were going, I couldn't resist. I only saw Clinton himself from a distance; I was about a 6-iron shot from the stage when he and Hillary made a brief appearance at the Arkansas Ball. But I can't say that I'm very much of an admirer of his--though that's not saying a lot, given that the last President I really liked was van Buren. It's always interesting what the passage of years does to friendships. Some childhood friends have found it awkward relating to me since I'm not a socialist Democrat. Others have had trouble because I'm not a fundamentalist Christian and Republican. Still others, whom I had thought of as close friends at one time, have no memory of me whatever. But I particularly appreciate it when people can maintain good personal ties despite ideological or other differences. ____________________________________________ |
My First Valentine's Dance by Ginger Cagle Moore Class of '66 My first Valentine's Dance was on February 17, 1961. My cousin Joyce was 17 and was going to her Valentine's dance at Huntsville High School and she thought it would be cute for me and a date to go alone. I was 12 and Tommy was 15. His grandmother lived upstairs from my aunt. We had met a long time ago when he was 10 and I was eight. Every time he spent the night with his grandmother, I found excuses to come over and visit my aunt. In Tommy's book he said that through some scheme, known only to Venus or Cupid, he was the one invited to go to the dance with me. But I guess what he didn't know at the time was that I had talked about him for ages - I had such a crush on him for a long time so everyone thought it would be cute for us to "tag" along with Joyce and her date and she thought it would be cute too. So I guess my family asked his. I was afraid he wouldn't go, but he did. I couldn't wait for the night to get there; I was so excited that Tommy was going. He finally knocked on the door and my stomach surely had more butterflies than his. I was so afraid that he wouldn't like my dress, or maybe change his mind. Tommy had on a suit and his famous tie. He had me a flower and I had one for him. I kept those flowers in my freezer until they absolutely fell apart. I was shaking like a leaf. Tommy siad we spent a lot of time on the sidelines at the dance, but we danced some too. He was a real good little dancer and at least we danced, talked, and had a good time. After the dance we left and went riding around. We sat in the back seat, me in the middle and Tommy hugging the door frame. But we were together and I was so excited just being with him. By the time we got home we were at least holding hands. It was the beginning of a longtime relationship and a good memory. ______________________________________ |
A Valentine Story by Paula Kephart Class of '65 My little story is probably too late for the Valentine's issue, but if so, that's ok. I first met the man I would marry in the LHS library--I worked there because I couldn't take PE. He came in and flirted and surprised me that he was interested in me. I was shy and quiet and tried so hard to blend into the woodwork. He was very insistent and finally I agreed to go out with him. Valentine's day was coming up very shortly. I received a gorgeous yellow box of chocolates and the cutest stuffed bulldog with a sweatshirt--had the name "Tuffy" on it. Istill have it even now. I thought I just lucked up, someone popular, wanted to go out with me. We had a very up and down relationship for six years before we grew up and decided we were right for each other. He had played all the sports, dated almost all the girls, made some bad grades, but went on to UAH and received a master's degree before he finished. He was Dwight Kephart, the love of my life. I had one other one, but it was a long distance romance, so it fizzled. Besides, I knew who I loved. We had a wonderful life together for 26+ years and it was blessed with two sons. Dwight is very missed, but left wonderful memories. I only wish the happiness we shared could be the kind that everyone can have in their life at sometime. Grateful, but lonely at times. _______________________________________ |
From Our Mailbox Subject: Key Club Sweetheart Pageant Gosh, The Key Club Sweatheart Pageant!!! I remember standing backstage with Jim Hutto and Phil Wilson discussing the fact that we had never seen so many beautiful girls in one place. We wished that all of them could win. They were all winners then and still are now. Does any one have photos of the Key Club "Navel Choir" and the "Boy Shy Ballet" performances? Maybe we could get a return performance, with the original casts, at our next reunion. Jim Bannister Class of '66 Birmingham, AL ___________________________________________ What a fantastic job you guys are doing! Your articles have opened a flood gate of memories both sad for those classmates that have left us and some of the best belly laughs that I have had in some time! Keep up the great work and a sincere thanks for a job well done. Don Stroud From: Trussville,Alabama E-mail: www.riverbmd@aol.com Year of Graduation: 1965 _______________________________________ The loss of so many young people from our class has given me pause as well as a chill. Rick Dyer From: Birmingham E-mail: rdyer1946@aol.com Year of Graduation: 1964 __________________________________________ Subject: Lee High School I am Belinda Gross Cribbs, wife of Ronnie Cribbs in the football picture on the third row, far right. I can't wait to show Ronnie the picture. He has fond memories of his time spent playing football. Your web site is such a delight. Would you know if the class of 1967 has one? Ronnie and I were married 2 weeks before my high school graduation. We have two sons and six grand children. Ronnie is retired from Dunlop Tire and Rubber Corp. and now works for our oldest son Charlie, a Roofing contractor in Huntsville. Our youngest son lives in Chattanooga And is still in school. I really enjoyed the reference to the Von Braun era. My Dad moved to Huntsville from Memphis in 1953 to work with the team of "Rocket scientist from Germany". Dad was a design engineer. I can remember always feeling some connection to the space industry and to the Redstone Arsenal. In reference to the comments about the encouragement to go to college I have this memory. I also remember a pretty intense emphasis on the sciences when I was in school. I believe that is why I always loved biology and anatomy and physiology. (Not a space industry science but a science just the same). Yes, education was important in our booming town. Ronnie's Dad left the farm in Athens to work on the Arsenal as a carpenter and eventually retired from there as an engineer working in the missle program. His mother was raised in Huntsville (Westlawn) and was on the assembly line in the munitions plant at the arsenal and later retired as a librarian from the technical library there. Many people were able to upgrade their educations thanks to the technical boom in Huntsville with the help of government money. Belinda Cribbs cribbs@nehp.net Class of '67 (Editor's Note: I do not know if any other class has a site such as this. I address the issue raised by Belinda in a sperate article on this site.) _______________________________________________ |
While the news still covers the Columbia disaster, it is sometimes hard to believe that we were there from the start of the Space Program. We watched (and felt) the tests and our parents or friends' parents or neighbors worked on the rockets. Many of you became "rocket scientists". So it is only fitting that we tell all of you classmates that left Lee High School and went on to help take us where we are today how much we admire and appreciate your efforts. ___________________________________________________________ |
Can you name the Mystery Classmates? ___________________________________ |
We used this photo in an earlier issue, but since then our readership has grown and it seemed to fit so nice with the new one that we though we might show it again. Who has a Photo Boot photo with the most people in it at one time? It looks like four big strong males are the most. Send me any copies of Photo Boot photos you have and mabye we'll put them all on a special page. ___________________________________ |
The Problems With Adding Other Class Years To This Site by Tommy Towery, Editor Class of '64 When we did the readership survey a couple of weeks ago, one suggestion was made several times. The question was raised as to why we did not expand our website coverage to the Classes of '67, '68, and later classes. Before I get to the answer of why we do not officially add more classes to our "official" site, I want all of you readers to understand that you are always welcome to read, share memories, and submit stories, ideas, or photos to the site. It does not matter if you are from the Classes of '64, '65, or '66, or even if you went to Lee High School. Any submissions that fit the theme of this site are welcome from anyone. I would like to make something else clear. Within the last year, I have had two e-mails to me personally wanting the same expansion. Both times I wrote back and told the writer that I would do all in my power to assist them in setting up a site for their classes. I offered to help them get a free web host, give them the templates to do the paper, and give them unlimited telephone support to get them going. I never heard back from either person. If anyone is wondering why we did not include more classes in the beginning of this project, I will share some insight on that. The first goal of the website was to promote the 2000 reunion for the Classes of '64, '65, and '66. For any new readers that may not know, for the past several reunions these three classes have banded together to host a single reunion for all three classes, using '65 as the hub of the group. Therefore, the 35th reunion for the Class of '65 was the date for the 34th reunion of the Class of '66 and the 36th reunion of the Class of '64. The next reunion is scheduled to be held in 2005 for these groups. Some of you might recall that in 1995 we had a combined reunion for these classes which also included the Class of '67. All of the money collected went into one pot and the reunion was paid for with that money. Each class was responsible for promoting their reunion and finding their own classmates. Historically, any money left over from the reunion was kept to be used as seed money for the initial mailings and promotion for the next reunion. To my understanding, when the 1995 reunion was over, representatives from the Class of '67 informed the reunion committee that they wanted their share of the money returned to them since they decided that they would not join in with the other classes for the reunion that would be held in 2000. Perhaps it was because it was too "odd" a year for them. Having not been a part of the committee, I am not positive of the content of that conversation, but it has been suggested to me that the Class of '67s representatives basically no longer wanted to be tied to the other classes. This is a political situation and I don't want to hurt feelings, but I have heard this from many sources. So, in 2000, when this web site was started to promote the upcoming reunion, the Classes of '64, '65, and '66 were the audience. Another event took place at the same time that also affected the audience of the group. As I was designing the website, I got word that another Lee alumni from the Class of '68 was also thinking of starting a website. He stated on a message board that he had been working on it several months, but he said that he didn't have time to finish it but would some day in the future. I contacted him, told him that I had a site almost finished and suggested that we combine our efforts to make one site and work together on it, rather than have two sites serving the same purpose. I also told thim if that was not acceptable to him, that my site cover the 60's and that he could have the rest. I knew that the idea of trying to cover all of the Lee classes for all the years with the ideas of what I had in mind (Lee's Traveller) would be too large of a task. I sent him the web address of my site, and asked him to look at it and for us to collaborate on the design. He apparently felt very threatened by my offer, and before we could work things out, and without notice to me, he went ahead and registered his website name and started posting notices on other websites that his site was the official site for Lee High School alumni. I contacted our reunion committee and informed them of what was going on, and the unanimous opinion of the committee was that if I were willing to support it that we would establish our own site, and let him have the rest of the years to do whatever he wanted. That is why you see at the top of our webpage that our site is called "The Official Website of the 1964-65-66 Alumni of Lee High School Huntsville, Alabama". He has consistently sent out e-mails to other groups that his site is the only approved site for graduates of Lee High School, and I have had to follow up and notify others that is not the true case. Most who have visited his site tell me that our site does a better job of reporting news and memories and that his site is not kept up to date on many things, such as the In Memory page. His "official" site stopped at 2000 ignoring 2001 and 2002, and in the same period of time in existance, he has recieved 21,653 hits for all 36 graduating classes, whle we have received 35,015 hits for just our three class years. That is the reason that for our classes this is the official site. As our site has grown in content and audience, we have always welcomed the members of the other classes and will continue to do so. Anyone that has requested to be added to the mailing list has been added without reservation. Many say that no other alumni group does as good a job with a website as ours. I guess that the bottom line is that I do not have the authority to officially claim to represent the Classes of '67 or '68. I was given that authority by the reunion committees of '64, '65, and '66. After the survey, I asked the Lee's Traveller staff to comment on the suggestion to bring in the other classes. The majority opinion was that the burden of trying to expand and give the same quality of service to other classes that we currently give to the current site would be too much of a task on our resourses at this time. It was suggested that I once again offer my assistance to those that want to do something for these classes. Therefore, I reapeat my offer that if any of you from either of those classes wants to develop your own site, I will assist you. I do not see that as a threat to our readership. Another option is that I can give each class a section on our site to put your own class specific sections such as the "In Memory" section and "Class Contacts". It would require that they collect the information to be published and send it to me and I could cut and paste it into the format of our site and establish the web links to that information. It is important for all of you to know that even though your class year might not be on the masthead of this site, you are still welcome as classmates with all the memories and get togethers, including the monthly Mullins Breakfasts and the mini-reunions. We are famiLEE! Go Generals! ______________________________________ |
Welcome to another issue of Lee's Traveller. This week we get "the rest of the story" of the reunion of two of our classmates and we share some of our Valentine stories. This issue also contains a response to one of the questions presented to us on the Readership Survey earlier this year. We will try to cover as many of the topics as possible in the next few weeks to give you the answers to your questions. Overall, we were very happy with both the participation and responses to the survey questions. It seems that most of you are happy with the way things are going. One suggestion was for more photos in the paper, and we will start trying to do that. We really need you to send us your photo memories. If you have access to a scanner, please scan them at 72 DPI only. That is all the resolution that a web page can use. If you scan them at a higher resolution, like 300 DPI, it makes tremendously large files that clog down e-mail systems and which I will in turn have to reduce to 72 DPI anyway. Any memory stories should be submitted via the e-mail either as text or as an attachment such as Microsoft Word. If all of this is teco-gibberish to you, contact me and I will assist you in getting the stuff to me. If all else fails, you can mail me your photos and I will scan them and send them back to you. Oh by the way...any of you Huntsville classmates that read The Old Huntsville magazine, will find a story in this month issue that I wrote for them about the time that we rented out our rooms to the people that were moving down to work at the arsnel. It's called "The Roomers of Clinton Ave." and is in the February issue. Thanks again for all the support. We would be nothing without your participation. T. Tommy _____________________________________ |
The Philosophy of Wine submitted by Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly Class of '64 A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes." The professor then produced a bottle of red wine from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the particles of sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things -- your family, your partner, your health, your children -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. "Take care of the rocks first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a good bottle of wine." Happy New Year to all and don't let too much time elapse before you enjoy that good bottle of wine! ___________________________________________ |
Say WHAT? submitted by Bob Cochran Class of '64 Question: If you could live forever, would you, and why? Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever." Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA Pageant ---------------------------------- "Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean, I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." Mariah Carey -------------------------------- "Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for a Federal anti-smoking campaign --------------------------------- "I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body." Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball player (and student) ----------------------------------- "Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country." Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC ------------------------------------- "I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves." John Wayne --------------------------------------- "It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." VP Al Gore (and THANK YOU for FINALLY explaining it to me!) ----------------------------------------- "I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix." Dan Quayle ------------------------------------------ "It's no exaggeration to say that the undecideds could go one way or another." Dubya _____________________________________________________ |
I found this picture on a CD of Old Huntsville. I don't know for sure, but thought maybe someone might have a story about one or more of these Madison County Police gentlemen? ______________________________________________________ |
NOTICE: Terry Davis - Barbara is looking for your new e-mail address. Send it in. |
