Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

A Room For All Seasons

By Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly

Class of ‘64

I was born in Huntsville while my family lived on Stevens Avenue, just a couple of blocks away from the front door of the old Mullins Drive-In. I remember that it was a duplex, and that my grandparents lived in the other side. We didn’t have a bathtub, and I can remember taking baths in a washtub. I suppose we didn’t have any kind of bathroom facilities, because I definitely remember an outhouse with the half moon and stars in the backyard. Fortunately for me, I was in the privileged class of those who “have potty, will travel.” During this first season of my life I did not have my own room. My crib was in the same room with my parents. I remember the room very clearly. We lived across the street from a grocery store, which I believe was called “King’s Grocery.” I had a dog, Boxer, who was so-named because she’d sit up on her hind legs and act as if she were boxing. I think she was a Pomeranian, but I only remember that she was white, with a bushy tail.

We moved to Ward Avenue when I was about four years old. I know it was prior to kindergarten. Once again, I slept in the room with my parents, but it was on a fold-down couch which was surprisingly comfortable. We were blessed with a bathroom at this house, and I remember taking bubble baths almost every night. I also remember “helping” Mother make banana pudding in the large Jewel Tea mixing bowl. There was nothing to compare to that banana pudding. At some point, “Daisy,” a Heinz-57 mutt, found us and moved in. She slept at the foot of my “bed” every night.

I have already made reference to our next home at 114 Humes Avenue, across the street from Pat Mullins’ (class of ’64) house. I still slept in the room with my parents, but we had a huge (maybe not . . . could be because I was small) back yard, and I had a swing set! One of the things I enjoyed doing was putting on my bathing suit and swinging in summer showers, which were just enough to cool you off (without the lightning and thunder, of course). When you’re an only child, you find ways to entertain yourself. Mother had told me to notice that when the raindrops hit the pavement, they looked like soldiers marching in a line. I could literally watch them for hours. I was fascinated with rain as a small child, and I passed on the rain soldiers imagery to my children. I have never been afraid of rainstorms. Maybe those early years were the reason.

When I was nine, we then moved to the west side of town where, lo and behold, there was a room that was mine alone! We lived in Butler Terrace at 903-C Brahan Street (later changed to 2203-C). I know it was referred to as the “projects” later, but when I lived there, it was a wonderful place to be. My wish is that each person who lived or now lives in “the projects” should have half the good memories I have. The building was brick on the outside with concrete walls and floors inside. I think the walls were usually a pale green, but I remember the floor as looking as if it had been coated with a dark red paint. It was definitely a concrete-type material. We had a big window fan in the eating area off the kitchen, and it was really enough to keep the entire apartment cool. My room was at the top of the stairs, next to the bathroom, and I slept in a single bed with a grey headboard. There was a small end table next to the bed, and there was a pink dresser with a matching bookcase, which my uncle had built. There were doilies on the dresser and bookcase which my grandmother had made. I also remember pillowcases which she had embroidered, and even a couple I had done, under her tutelage.

Shortly after we moved to Brahan Street, my parents bought me a parakeet. His name was Mike and he shared my room every night. Maybe he’d been used to bunking with someone up until that point, also, because every night he’d squawk and carry on like you wouldn’t believe unless Daddy carried him up the stairs when he went to bed. He even learned to call my dad . . . Lloyd . . . if he forgot him! He was an exceptionally good roommate. I would have been perfectly happy staying in that apartment, but Daddy got a job at Redstone Arsenal, and he made too much money to stay there, so we had to move. Mother and Daddy decided that we should buy a house in the northwest section of town, which put me in the Lee school district.

We moved to 4207 Irondale Drive just before I turned thirteen. It was located just off Stringfield Road, which intersected with Pulaski Pike and Blue Spring Road. We could look out the back door and see traffic on Pulaski Pike through the field behind us when we first moved to the house. And my room! It was fantastic! I had a maple bedroom set with a desk and chair. It was a double bed, with a headboard for books. There was also a cedar-lined wardrobe in addition to the closet, in which I stored my “other season” clothes. The walls were painted lavender, and I had draperies with lavender flowers on a white background. During the first few years, we didn’t have air conditioning, but still used the big window fan. I had an oscillating fan in my room, which brought in the smell of the yellow roses and lilacs Daddy had planted outside my window. That was the best air.

On the desk was a portable typewriter . . . a manual Royal . . . upon which I practiced soooo diligently our senior year to be as fast as Bob Walker. Never happened. On the head of the bed was my pink Princess telephone with chimes. I had a record player/radio which I think was an RCA, but I seem to want to say there was a word on it such as “Imperial.” It was on a stand, with a record rack for my 45’s. It also had the changer which allowed you to load multiple 45’s at a time. It was usually tuned to WAAY radio, however. I also remember that, just prior to the Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Daddy bought me a television for my room for only $5.00! It had a great picture and lasted a couple of years. I remember buying a white dress to wear the night we graduated, and hanging it on the outside of the wardrobe to admire it. My friend, Dianne, was spending the night with me, and we were almost asleep when she let out a blood-curdling scream. It seems that the oscillating fan had blown one of the sheer long sleeves up into the air, and as it fell, it DID resemble a ghost floating and pointing. I have to give her that. Of course, I never let her live that one down.

I was still living on Irondale Drive after graduation, during the second season of my life when I met Ed. We had our first date on a Sunday, and my father passed away the following Saturday. Ed was a co-op student at Auburn, and after we were married, the office was kind enough to arrange work for me, also, even though I couldn’t officially be listed as a co-op student. I didn’t have enough quarters remaining to complete the program. During our working quarters, while we were at NASA, we lived with my mother, and I once again had a roommate in the lavender bedroom. (Ed was almost as well-behaved as my Mike, who had passed away after six years with us.) Our son, Chris, was born just three weeks after we moved from Irondale Drive for the last time.

There were many more rooms (all with the same roommate), during the next 30 years. There were rooms in the married students’ apartments at Auburn, in the officers’ quarters on Redstone Arsenal, and several in Anderson, South Carolina as we progressed from rented apartments to houses where the rooms were really mine. Now, during the fall season of my life, I find myself living in Charlotte, North Carolina, never dreaming that I would have ever left Anderson. The room is great, but what it all boils down to . . . what makes it all wonderful . . . is the roommate. Thinking back, I realize that I only had a “room of my own” for a very brief period of my almost fifty-eight years (Did you guys know I was so OLD?), from nine until twenty-two. I have since concluded that, for me, not having to share a room is grossly overrated.

I hope to be living in South Carolina again, when I reach the next season of my life, winter, and after Ed retires again. I think I just may retire, too, from something. In any case, I’ll let you know when it happens, hopefully a few years from now. I’m definitely looking forward to the next “Road to Anderson,” but I don’t think I’m old enough or wise enough for winter just yet.

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Before we show you the guesses sent in by Classmates, we will tell you that the red backgrounded Lee symbol was not a decal. Actually it was a double sided "flyer" that had the 1964 football schedule on the back. These were printed on very thin paper and were given out instead of the little business cards that normally had football schedules printed on them.

Walt Thomas, Class of '64

The mystery item might be a decal. When the paper backing was peeled off, the decal could be stuck on books, etc.

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Dwight Jones, Class of '64

Sure is strange how things seem to pop into your mind when you see them. I may be wrong but seems to me like the item was a decal that was put out by Lee High School that you could put on your car window. I have know idea who sent it in though. Maybe someone who still has the right idea that Lee High School was named after General Robert E. Lee. Seems to me that is a rebel flag in the picture and a Confederate uniform the man is wearing.

If this is the decal I'm thinking about I also remember it was blue in color and you had to soak it in water and let it slide off onto the glass you wanted it to stick to. I put the one I had in the center of the rear window of the first car I ever owned, the old black and pink '54 ford with white leather interior and a gear shift in the floor board that had been put in backwards. If I recall the normal setting for a shift in the floor was starting from neutral would be to the left and down, then back to neutral, to the right and up to second and stright down for third. Reverse is from neutral, to the left and up. On this car first gear was from neutral to the left and up, back to neutral and down for second and stright up third. Reverse was from neutral, to the left and down. I loved the floor shift going from first to second when I was out on a date. Enough said.

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The East Clinton Wreck -

The Rest of The Story

by Annewhite Thomas Fuller

HHS Class of ‘64

(Editor's Note: This week we got the true facts about another Urban Legend we've been discussing from a lurker to our site. (For those of you who don't speak geek, a lurker is a site visitor that reads and enjoys a website, but never participates or sends things in.) In the July 19th issue, Dianne Ralston Lashbrook, Class of '65 wrote: "There is something else about East Clinton that I have often wondered about and maybe you can help me. It may be an urban legend but while going to school there I was told by other kids that there had been an accident at the stop sign on the corner where the sandbox stands." We had the story verified the next issue, but now we get the true facts.)

Annewhite Thomas Fuller writes:

Hello from that “other” school (the red and blue one).

I’ve been keeping up with your news for a couple of years now and enjoy the memories that cover so many of the folks I grew up with and Huntsville before it became so “modern”. Be sure you archive the site so it will be around for our patrons in the Heritage Room to look up old friends and favorite places.

The wreck at White and East Clinton happened May 15, 1957. Demetra Morring (16), the driver of the car that ran the stop sign was thrown from her car and died at the scene. Her passenger, Martha Jo Cook (16) was not badly injured. Bobby Cook (17) and Jerry Brooks (19), in the other car, did not seem to be physically injured.

“The Morring car, following the collision, swerved into a tree then bounced into a second tree. The impact with the first tree dislocated the door and apparently hurled Demetra Morring to the pavement. Then as the car catapulted backward toward a second tree, the front bumper apparently struck her under the chin. Her head also hit the tree… Coroner Jimmy L. Giles said that death came instantly.” (Huntsville Times, May 16, 1957, p. 1)

Keep up the great news page!

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(Editor's Note: Annewhite is a friend of mine from not only schooldays, but from Central Presbyterian Church. She and I go back a long time. In those pre-teen growing years we spent many hours at vacation Bible school, church camp at Ovoca, and Sunday school. Later, when we got into the teen years we shared time in Westminister Fellowship. I always thought she was one of the nicest girls I ever knew and had a crush on her for several years which, until she reads this, she may have never known about. She made several trips which I am sure she has never forgotten with me in my "Red Bomb" and the one home from church camp one year always comes to my mind. I didn't know if it was going to make it back to Huntsville or not. Many years later on a return to Huntsville to do some research at the library I ran into her and was so happy to once again call her my friend. I had no idea she has been reading the Traveller, but am happy to have her approval on the job we are all doing.)

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