Est. March 31, 2000 35,424 Previous Hits February 24, 2003 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 35,424 Previous Hits February 24, 2003 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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The Mystery Classmates? Four slightly inebriated Lee Grads. Daytona Beach, FL 1966. Clockwise from bottom left: Jim Bannister, Roger Rozell, Randy Goodpasture, Danny Johnson Subject: Mystery Photo Harold Shepard Class of '67 Here is my guess at the mystery photo. Roger Rozell in the back. Jimmy Bannister in the lower left. Randy Goodpasture to the right. Danny Johnson in the front. ___________________________________ Linda Beal Walker Class of '66 Jim Bannister is the one located at the lower left. ____________________________________ The Old Picture |
Subject: County Cops Picture Carolyn Taylor Class of '64 I know the guy on the first step, Ed Norton. Mr.. Norton was my best friend's father and they lived down the street from me. He always got passes to the fair (when it was at the old fair grounds) so we got to go to the fair every day. As soon as we got home from school (East Clinton), we took off to the fair. Of course, we walked. Mr. Norton was a city cop before he went to the county. After Mr.. Norton retired from the county, he worked security at the airport. Mr.. Norton had four children. Bobby went to Lee for awhile. Bobby was in the 9th grade when we were in the 7th. Mr.. Norton passed away a few years ago. _______________________________________ |
Gerald Ray Smith Class of '64 Dies In Florida Last Sunday afternoon I received an e-mail from Pat Stolz that included an attachment of a newspaper article about the death of another one of our classmates. Gerald Ray Smith, 57, and a member of the Class of '64 died in Florida on January 18th, 2003. I tried to look up his picture in the '64 yearbook but it was not available. According to the yearbook comments, Gerald transferred to Lee from Butler during his senior year. If any of you have a photo of him, I would love to have a copy to publish on the site. Here is the contents of the newspaper clipping Pat sent. Died Jan. 18, 2003 Gerald R. Smith Gerald Ray Smith, 57, of Oklawaka, Fla. Died Jan. 18, 2003 in Ocala, Fla. A Memorial Service will be held in Nauvoo, Ala. With Berryhill Funeral Home in charge of local arrangements. Mr. Smith was a graduate of Lee High School in Huntsville. He was preceded in death by his parents, John M. and Betty Smith of Huntsville. He leaves behind a very special friend Margo Langstaff, also friend, Stanley Baron, both of Oklawaka, Fla. Survivors include one son, John David Smith of Mayview, Mo.; one daughter, Rachel J. Smith of Mayview, Mo.; also left in loving memory are five sisters, Betty Eiler of Kansas, Mo.; Sue Eady of Harvest, Barbara Britton of Huntsville, Florence Hillard of Winchester, Tenn. And Kay Swell of Huntsville; a number of nieces and nephews; two grandsons and one great grand-daughter. _________________________________________________ |
From Our Mailbox Subject: Lincoln Elementary School Paula Spencer Kephart Class of '66 If my mom is right, next year 2004, will be the Fiftieth anniversary of a time capsule buried in a cornerstone of Lincoln School. It is supposed to be opened next year--I am going to call Mayor Spencer to see if her office can follow up on it. I was in first grade--Miss Esslinger's class, and I believe most, if not all, of the teachers are no longer with us. If this happens, it will probably generate news for all the old timers from Lincoln. If this is right, I will let you know what I find out. Also, if anyone else remembers this, I would like to hear from them. ____________________________________________________ Subject: 64-65-66 website Richard "Ricky" Simmons, Class of '64 You continue to do an excellent job with our official website. I look forward to reading each issue of Lee's Traveller. I was the 14th hit one weekend; 33rd tonight. As for the matter of adding additional classes your explanation was very good. Another consideration is that the 64-65-66 combination is a gathering of the first graduating class (and those of us who would have been a part of that class had it not been for family relocations away from Huntsville) with the first class that attended Lee High School with no carry over as Lee Junior High School. Including the Class of '65 fits well here since many students in the classes of '64 and '66 will have shared mutual experiences with them. The class of '66 would have been 10th graders in 1964, and if memory serves me correctly, there were no 9th graders in 1964 and will have not attended Lee; they are the class of '67. To not expand this initial group is the right thing to do. I respect the former students of other classes who enjoy reading what we experienced. I am honored by their desire to do so. But the bond shared by the uniqueness of the classes '64, '65, and '66 must be maintained and not diluted by the addition of other classes. I must admit that I was not in Huntsville in 1964 but I do recall that as a 9th grader the '60/'61 school year the decision was made to add a grade and drop a grade each year beginning with the '61/'62 school year; this would have dropped the 9th grade in 1963/1964. If this did not happen and the 9th grade not dropped, it would be logical to include them since they would have been at Lee for the graduation of the Class of '64. PS. Are there any '64-''65-'66 classmates, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? This would be a good spot for a mini reunion if there is sufficient interest. If not a reunion, I would at least like to know so we can contact one another. I live in Plano. _____________________________________________ Subject: Re: Are you still around Collins (CE) Wynn Class of '64 Im fine; just really wrapped up with a career again. I was lured out of contented retirement last fall and began a high school career - I am a disciplinarian (wonder where that came from?) at Robertsdale High School (1300 students). I considered re-entering the counter-terrorism arena late last year but decided against it - due to some deteriorating conditions left over from the military - I dont have the stamina nor the agility necessary to be successful - I left that business to those younger and better equipped - it is in good hands. Over the last 3 years I have become active in Republican politics being elected last fall to a seat on the GOP Exec Committe for Baldwin County - important work even after the election but there seems always to be some committment. I am still serving the community on the Board of our Chamber of Commerce (www.cbchamber.org)(check me out) and the Board of my Rotary Club as well. Some of my friends have been encouraging me to run for office but, so far, I have had the good sense to decline. I've got too much now -not to mention family activities and responsibilities. But I always make time each week to check our site. All of the stories are wonderful and heartwarming. I followed the story of Terry's death with a great deal of sadness. On the day I learned of his death I read a letter he had written a few weeks before having to do with friends. Tommy, I was truly humbled to see my name in one of his last articles for the site. Perhaps someday soon the mood to write will strike me again. 'Til then, keep up the good work and stay in touch. Warmest Personal Regards, ____________________________________________________ Subject: 1965 Year book Ginger Cagle Moore Class of '66 gcmoore@charter.net Hi Tommy, will you see if anyone out there has an extra 1965 year book. I know I can order the CD from you, but I'd love to have a hard copy. Thanks. __________________________________________________ |
The Queens of Rison, Etc. by Collins (CE) Wynn Class of '64 I attended Rison most of the time off and on from the 1st through the 6th grade and my remembrances are all good. I did spend some time at West Huntsville Elementary during those years but not a great deal. Because we lived so close to the school from the 4th grade on (Lee High Drive) my friends and I played at the school year round. Walt Thomas lived directly across from us in an apartment in what was the original Rison School (I think). Our access was through a hole in the fence near what would have been the northwest corner of the property - our walk to school via the hole was fairly short. I recall things like my 1st grade class and the annual fall carnival with the "cake walk" and "apple bobbing" as well as the school store etc.. I believe it was my third grade teacher who organized day bus trips to the Lake Winnepesauka(?) amusement park in Chattanooga. There was always a stop at the "Incline(d) Railway" for a ride to the top of Lookout Mountain. This was a really big deal because it was the only amusement park for hundreds of miles in any direction and most of the parents of the kids I knew could not afford a "vacation". But the big attraction for me (and a few others - Mike Smith was particularly accomplished at this) was the ride home that night when it got really quiet and dark on the bus and those so inclined could sit in the back and smooch (and otherwise educate themselves) all the way home. What red blooded American boy would not go for that? Hey, I made the trip at least a half dozen times. As far as the school was concerned - it was big and old and musty (like some of us now). I liked it very much. Our classrooms even had cloakrooms where all manner of mischief could be accomplished without undue notice. I, along with some of my "traveling companions and colleagues" (Walt Thomas, Mike Smith, Mike Chisum, Sonny Turner, Terry Preston, and others), served as "Patrol Boys" complete with belts and diagonal sashes. (One of my best friends Milton (Goose) Shelton; (nowadays known by the socially acceptable and equally non-descriptive name of "Jim") lived in Lincoln so we had not yet met). I do recall some scuffling around (ie, fighting) though, which in hindsight was great fun. Although the best of friends, Walt Thomas and I fought from time to time usually due to the meddling of Mike Smith. Mike never got directly involved in anything - he was the quintessential "athletic supporter", some might say "agitator" - but he sure got others involved. I never did get a chance to fight with Mike though; he ran too fast. For me, Sally Black and Gail Thompson were the Queens of Rison Elementary from the day I got there until the day I left. My admiration for them, though distant, was large and unwavering. Oh, what I would have given for just one kiss! and then another and another and another and another into infinity (if one is good then two are great and three are better yet). They were both out of reach though - Sally always had a boyfriend and Gail belonged to Mike Smith. My friends and I spent a good deal of time just wandering around the neighborhood day and night doing everything in general and nothing in particular. Playing a little backyard football; selling coke bottles, jumping off roofs, throwing water balloons, etc. Terry Preston was right on the mark with his stories of us. I particularly recall Sonny Turner. There were a lot of kids who lived within a mile or so of the school and so we all grew up together crossing paths from time to time. Does anyone else remember the little store built on to the front of someone's house on, I think, McKinley Avenue that sold cigarettes 2 for a nickel? It was 30 years and tens of thousands of dollars later that I finally kicked the habit I picked up there as a 14 year old boy; it was sure tough getting the nicotine monkey off my back. My brother Don (Class of '67) and I have talked many times over the years about how completely unrestricted our childhood's were. Neither of us ever felt that we could not go pretty much anywhere we were willing to walk to and from - consequently we covered a lot of ground from say 10 to 15 years old and the same holds true I believe for all the boys that I knew. What is more amazing to us is that we never felt any particular sense of danger or hazard while exploring whatever was interesting within a 5 mile radius of Rison School (including walking to the top of Monte Sano). Our parents, along with most everyone else's, were completely comfortable with our roaming hobbies - it was evidently not a dangerous time or place. I did not allow my sons to do such things in their adolescence years out of concern for their safety. Our wanderings were completely natural and unscripted events but we were never late for dinner ("supper" at our house). Don has a particularly good memory and has written some short stories built around Rison and Lee - with his permission I'll pass some along later. All of which brings me to a few questions. 1) Were there any really serious discipline problems at either Rison or Lee (the kind we hear of and experience today)? I sure don't recall any. 2) Where were all the Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disability students when we were growing up? Were they there and I just didn't notice? I thought everyone in my class (64-65-66) was pretty sharp intellectually and generally well behaved according to the standards of the times (excepting, of course, Harold Tuck who was a just a bit mischievous and could on occasion be somewhat hard to handle). I don't recall ever hearing 'special education' mentioned - perhaps there was a separate school that I did not know of. 3) Were there child kidnappings and assaults and we just didn't hear about them? It seems that most of the bad news I have ever heard started with Charles Manson, Richard Speck, Ted Bundy and the idiot in the tower down in Texas all of which occurred in my high school days and after. Speaking of Harold - does anyone remember an ad in the 'Traveller' which read ---"For Sale-Slightly Used but Not Abused Mechanical Drawing Equipment"? More Later. I'm working on a list of questions for everyone although some are difficult for me to recall. After a few bottles of Merlot everything becomes perfectly clear. With a sufficient supply available I shall endeavor to proceed. Warmest Personal Regards to All; especially "The Two Queens of Rison Elementary". ___________________________________ Speaking of "Queens of Rison", the photo below does not actually go with Collins' story but was on one of the Old Huntsville CD's I recently purchased. We all know Rison was around for a long time, but does anyone have a clue as to who these two are? They are listed on the CD as "The King and Queen of Rison". |
Pre-Lee Stories Continue: East Clinton Street Stories by Tommy Towery Class of '64 I waited to see if anyone else was going to send in any memories of East Clinton Street Elementary School, because I know some of you went there. Since no one else did, I guess I will have to tell the tales. I'll start off by talking about the photos above. Remember these little books? They were a do-it-yourself yearbook I guess. We got them when we got our school pictures. We traded pictures, stuck the ones we got in trade in the book, got some autographs or "Roses are red..." comments in the back, and at the end of the process we had a yearbook for that year of our school. Each person had their own, and how it turned out depended upon whom you were friends with and how bold you were in swapping photos. I used another page for the heading of Collins' story in the left column. Who else has one of these still? I started East Clinton in the Second Grade, after spending half the first grade at Farley and the last half at Rison. I started there because we moved to East Clinton Street. I could walk the block up the street to the school. It must have been 1953, and I went there until I graduated from the sixth grade and made the move up the hill to Huntsville Junior High. I must admit that most of my friends at East Clinton made the same move and ended up going on to Huntsville High, along with my brother. Some of these were Buddy Crabtree, Bob Davis, David Sutton, Paul Bryant, and Mike Thompson. But our move between the eighth and ninth grade gave me my introduction to Lee. East Clinton was a neat school to me. I loved the color of the bricks, that tan color they had. It was the most modern school that I had ever attended when I showed up there in the second grade. I think Dianne Hughey was in the third or fourth grade with me (maybe more) and she had better hope that I never find the picture I have of her from those days. Rainer Klauss and Carolyn Taylor are also alumni. Some of my fondest memories were centered around the lunchroom/ gymnasium/ auditorium room in the back of the building. I also remember the outside water faucets that were in back. (I need to go back someday and see if they are still there) and the big area we could play in for recess. I loved recess and lunch. Lunches were 25 cents those days and after you ate you took your tray and put it away in a window like we did at Lee. I used to carry my quarter in an aspirin tin in my pocket. On Fridays we had fish sticks of course. There was one other memory about the fact that if you cleaned your plate you could take it up to the serving counter and they would give you a piece of white bread with a mixture of surplus butter and honey mixed together into one of the sweetest nectars that I had ever eaten. It was a brownish yellow color, with tiny bits of butter in it. And it was the stickiest mess you ever seen if you let it drip down your hands. We had milk cartons of Meadow Gold milk that you had to open on the side with a pull-tab and drink with a straw. It was only later that you got to open the ends out to drink the milk. I was in a play in the second grade in the same building. My part was that of a Royal Guard in a castle and my line came at the end of the scene and I had practiced it for weeks. I don't remember the name of the play, but the line was "If he gives half to you and half to me, then he will have nothing left for himself." When the big day arrived I was ready to do my line when one of my anxious classmates pulled the curtain shut thinking that the scene was over and I never got to say my line. I'll continue this later with some other memories, or wait for some of you other Clinton-ites to chime in. Oh, and by the way...below is another photo from my little yearbook to share with you. |
Love! The plain and simple truth is that when I met my husband (we both worked for the same state agency) he lived in Athens and I lived in Huntsville. I had never been to Athens that I could remember except possibly once when I passed through on my way to Rogersville. My first official visit to Athens was to meet his parents. I cannot say I was overly impressed with Athens since to my way of thinking I was only visiting - Huntsville was my home. As our relationship progressed and we became engaged, we decided to live in Huntsville (the old Haystack Apartments). We began our married lives on top of the hill overlooking University Drive. We had been there less than four months when we decided to buy a house. We looked in Huntsville, Madison, and finally Athens. I was pulling for Huntsville or Madison but financially, the best bang for our money was Athens. We bought a house on the west end of Athens and lived there for almost eighteen years. We then sold that house and moved to where we are now living. However, we will be moving soon to our new house (just built) where we plan to spend our remaining years. We have dubbed the new house our retirement home and plan to remain there until we are firmly planted in Huntsville Memory Gardens (we have four plots there). The things I miss most about Huntsville: 1. I miss the old neighborhoods (we lived on Triana Boulevard right behind old Butler High School when we first moved to Huntsville) and Meadow Hills/Lakewood (where I lived during/after my high school years). 2. I miss riding the bus into downtown Huntsville and either going to the movies or going swimming at Big Spring Park. 3. I miss the picnics we used to have at Big Spring Park. My father worked for Rocketdyne and a group of us Rocketdyne transplants would meet the park and spend the day grilling, swimming, etc. 4. I miss the picnics on the mountain. We would spend a Saturday playing ball, hiking, Frisbee throwing, and eating a lot of great food. 5. I miss the drive-ins (Woody's, Whitesburg, etc.) 6. I miss driving from one end of the Parkway to the other in less time then it takes to read War and Peace. 7. I miss downtown Huntsville. I miss weaving in and out of the stores, passing folks on the sidewalk and stopping to say hello, and the smell of popcorn as you passed the movie theaters. 8. I miss Five Points. I rarely drive down there anymore unless it is alumni related. 9. I miss the Polynesian Restaurant that was on South Parkway (they had great food and great atmosphere). I also miss Mr. Steak Restaurant (worked there briefly as a hostess many moons ago). 10. I miss the loop between Shoney's and Jerry's Restaurants. Drove many a mile between those two places. 11. I miss seeing familiar faces when I go to the malls. Once in a while I will bump into someone I know but not nearly as often as I would like. _____________________________________________ We'll start collecting stories and will publish one or more a week. Be patient if your's is not published the week it is received. Click on the box above to go to the form to fill out. _____________________________________________ |
How I Ended Up In Athens, Alabama by Joy Rubins Morris Class of '64 |
This week we start a look at the bottom of the Lee hourglass. We have shared many stories about the top (our Pre-Lee days), and I thought it would be interesting to see where the sand fell when it dropped out of the center (our Lee days) of the glass to the bottom (our Post-Lee days). I have asked each of the staff writers to give us a little insight into how they ended up living where they live now. As an added feature, each was asked to list the 10 things they mssed the most about Huntsville. I am sure there will be duplicate favorites, but that is okay too. Joy Rubins Morris was the first to respond, and so she gets her story printed this week. We hope this will become a weekly feature and that you classmates will also share the same information in the future. Click on the box below Joy's story to share your own information about where you ended up, even if you stayed in Huntsville. As we start to collect stories, we will print one each week. I think many of us wonder how people ended up where they did - like Eddie Paulette living in Sweden. I know Bob Walker ended up near Daytona Beach, and I'm sure there is a reason to that too, besides Biker Week. Brian is in Half Moon Bay; Mike is in San Francisco; Bobby in St. Louis; Cherri in Texas along with Rick. We have lots of stories to share. T. Tommy ______________________________________ |
Bottom left corner clockwise: Gary Metzger, Collins (CE) Wynn, Mike Smith, Harold Tuck - Spring Break of '64 _________________________________________ |
Past Issues of Lee's Traveller on the Web Another interest item that came up with the Readership Survey was the lack of understanding by many of you about how to go back and see old issues of the Traveller. Many of you responded that you were not aware that you could view past issues. The answer is "yes, you can." At the top of the main page each week, under the picture of Lee, are two images of past issues of Lee's Traveller. Inside each of these issues are links to other things that are located on our site. All you have to do is point your mouse to the link that says "Past Issues" and click on it and you will be taken to an index page for all the past issues that are still available for viewing. They are listed by date with a small description of what is in the issues to the right. You point your mouse to the date you wish to view, click the button, and you are taken to that issue. When Lee's Traveller was first established, it was designed to distribute informtaion about the upcoming reunion and was not in the same format that we currently enjoy. Most of the time the early updates were done by replacing the old stuff with new stuff and then saving the changes, but not the original content. A lot of the early stuff was administrative things about the reunion and did not have stories, etc. so we did not save it. June 10, 2001 marked the date of the first weekly issue of the web version of Lee's Traveller and we have published a new paper every week since then except for the 9-11 week. The earlier ones are not as well designed as the later ones, but most of the information is still there. We recently archived the entire 2002 year into PDF files and have then on a CD-ROM which can be viewed easily without being on-line. This CD will be available soon in the souvenir shop, which will be redesigned and discussed in the near future. _____________________________________ |
A Mystery Photo From 1962 I just got this one from my brother Don ('67). Would you want to see who can name them all...........plus, notice all the cigarettes....I count at least 4 Collins (CE) Wynn Class of '64 |
