Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

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Loose A Parent

Kem B. Robertson

June 10, 1918 - Feb. 3, 2005

Kem B. Robertson, born June 10, 1918, died Feb. 3, 2005, in Friendswood, Texas. He was a native Houstonian and also lived for many years in Huntsville, and Pasadena, Texas. He was a 1937 alumnus of San Jacinto High School in Houston. Before World War II he attended Texas A&M University, class of 1941, and after World War II he attended The University of Texas, class of 1947, and he completed various management courses within the U.S. Department of Defense. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. While with the U.S. Department of Defense, he was chief engineer for production of the Hawk Surface to Air Missile System and chief engineer for manufacturing preparation of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. He was particularly proud of his role in preparing defenses in the southeastern part of the United States during the Cuban missile crisis. Kem was predeceased by his first wife, Jane Hargrove Robertson, his father, Kem B. Robertson Sr., and his mother, Helen Todd Robertson, all of Houston. He is survived by his devoted wife, Katherine Yates Robertson; his three sons, Kem B. Robertson III, and Mike and Pat Robertson, all of Huntsville; two stepchildren, Herbert Yates of Houston and Kay Yates Haslam of Lafayette, La.; and by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 705 Williams St., Pasadena, Texas, followed by a reception at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Peter's Episcopal Church, in his memory, will be appreciated.

Published in The Huntsville Times on 2/9/2005.

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Bill Gilbreath

Feb. 25, 1916 - March 3, 2005

Bill Gilbreath, 89, of Montgomery died Thursday at his residence. A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. today at Laughlin Service Funeral Home with Dr. Murray Wilton officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home chapel from 1 to 3 p.m. Following the funeral service, interment will be in Maple Hill Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Montgomery. The family will greet friends following the service. Pallbearers will be grandsons, Lance Gilbreath, Zack Gilbreath, Barrett Gilbreath and nephews, Gordon Gilbreath, Claude Marks and Ronnie Marks. Mr. Gilbreath was the son of Arlington and Belle Gilbreath of Sylvania. He was a member of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Montgomery. Throughout his life he served his church as deacon, Sunday school director and teacher for The Howard Extension of Samford University, Birmingham. He was dedicated to sharing how to have faith in Jesus Christ with all he met. He was retired from Montgomery Wards in Huntsville after 33 years of service. He was currently serving as Bible teacher and president of the Resident's Council at Elmcroft Assisted Living. He is survived by two sons, Sammy L. Gilbreath and wife, Carol, of Montgomery, and Johny M. Gilbreath and wife, Janice, of Huntsville; three brothers, Gay Gilbreath, Walter Gilbreath and Ben Gilbreath, all from Alabama; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Pauline Terry Gilbreath; and son, Billy Terry Gilbreath.

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Subject:Barbara's Article

Linda Beal Walker

Class of '66

This brought to mind a few unusual names I have come across in the past and in the present.

I worked with a young woman named Brandy Wine. I worked with her at the telephone company where we wrote the service orders. There we had many odd names, for example, Rusty Post. We waited for Chuck Roast, but he never came across the desk.

My grandfather's name was Tom Collins. My father's name was Joe Elmo Beal. I asked mother where he got the name Elmo. She told me he was named after his uncle Otto. Please don't tell me I had an uncle name Otto Moe Beal. That would be too cruel.

I also have a niece named Tenneva, why, because her father was born in Tenne(ssee) and her mother was born in VA ( Virginia). Think of the possibilities there.

The babies that have been born in the last few years to my co-workers have old fashioned names like Hannah Grace, Jedidiah (Jed), Jordan --- Biblical. Gary and Carol Kinkle have a new granddaughter, Lillian. Then there is Sky and Mia, Hayley, Katelyn, Kailyn, Kaylee. And of course, there are the names that get your tongue tangled, i.e. Kimberly Lee, you don't know where to stop with the Lee's.

Whatever the name on these precious babies, we love'em, (especially those of us that were not lucky enough to have babies). Like my greatnieces and greatnephews - Calvin, Amber, Samantha (Sammie) and Charles, ah, Charles, a prince among greatnephews.

I could go on but it's time to get ready for church. Remember we are too blessed to be depressed, especially about our names that we may not like, for instance, my good old Southern name - Linda Lou. Always hated that middle name.

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Subject:Lee High Traveller

Vern and Joan (Graybill) Lucas

Tommy, What a surprise to find the awesome Alumni website! My sister Elaine class of 66 put me onto it a few weeks back. I'm retired from Coca-Cola and Joan and I are living on Lake Oconee east of Atlanta. I've been going through the past editions of the 'new' Traveller and what memories have been stirred! We are planning to attend the August reunion and seeing many of the old gang. I know I can't Out Race or Out Drink George (Lehman) Williams, but I'd like to participate in the golf outing should there be enough interest. Looking forward to August.

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Subject: Lee's Traveller

Carolyn Burgess Featheringill

Class of '65

Hi Tommy--I learned about the website when I received the notice of the reunion. What a find! As I told Carol Jean when I made reservations for the reunion, I don't know if I have time to read four years of papers before August, but it'll be fun to try! Thanks to you and your fellow scribes, this ought to be one of the best-attended reunions ever.

I'm amazed at the amount of material that you have. If it would be any help, I found that I had saved the last Traveller of my class (you know the one with the class will, prophecy, etc.). If I know Janyce (another NLNN member as long as the "y" is noted), she's probably given you a CD-ROM of the whole year! If not, and you think that the paper would be of any help, I'll send you a photocopy. Just let me know your mailing address as I have no concept of how to scan anything into a computer.

I was excited to learn about your book based on your high school journal, and it's on my list of books that I want to read. As you probably know, Bob Greene--the columnist, not the exercise guru--did a book some years back called Be True to Your School. He also based it on a journal that he'd done over about the same time period. I'd offer to send you the book, but it's one of those books that you read, lend to somebody and then never see again. At least, that's what I think happened to mine! Several of your articles have mentioned items that we'd forgotten; Dippity-do comes immediately to mind. Bob Greene's book reminded me of desert boots--another happily forgotten item.

As I sit here happily pecking away at the keyboard, it certainly makes me happy that so many of us, especially the girls, learned to type at Lee even though at the time we hoped that we'd never need to use that skill. When I see my husband doing the laborious "hunt and peck" method, it really makes me grateful for Mrs. Parks even if she did give me a "C" in typing!

Tommy, thank you so much for giving your time and talents to remind us of how much fun we had. 'Look forward to seeing you at the reunion!

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Subject:Website

Cynthia Barrow Beckett

Class of '66

This is just the greatest website! Thanks so much for setting it up. I, like most, have wondered over these many years what happened with most of my classmates and this really is a great way to catch up.

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Subject:Barbara's Names Article

Barbara Seely Cooper

Class of '64

Barbara's article on names was fun. A few more thoughts on them: I saw a recent article on the names of the PETS of some of the celebrities who have named their children such odd names, and the pets are named Larry and Fred and Ginger and Julie...is it just me, or are people naming their kids like pets and their pets like kids?? Also, has anyone else noticed how much our names can date us? As if there were not a zillion other clues as to my ETA on earth, it seems our names go in cycles. I meet a lot of Barbaras in my age group (or older), but no young(er) ones. Tiffany seems to have been a niche for a while, but now I hear so many "genderless" names: Morgan, Bailey, and other such either/or monikers. Alliteration has seen a comeback with names also: Mom, Dad, and all the kids' names start with the same letter. In summary, I find it interesting (yes, I need a life) to compare how the "new" names will be merged and handed down to future generations. For example, John Ridgeway and I had no children, but his family's tradition was to name the kids after the grandparents in various combinations. His grandmother was Maggie Beulah and mine was Georgia Josephine. No way! On that basis, whatever will we see in the future? Apple Hazel or Scout Sam or Walter Rumer or Phinnaeus Moon Dweezle? I'd rather have pets.

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Subject:Names

Tommy Towery

Class of '64

There are names in three families that I always think of when it comes to strange namings. (1) The "J" family of John, Joan, Jossua, Jean, and Jenna (2) The twins named "Orangello and Lemonelllo" named by a mother who liked orange and lemon jello, and (3) My navigator on my crew in B-52s named Cloyce, who had brothers Royce, Norris, Forrest, and one sister who was named Minnie May. (His aunt had the girl first and named took the Doris name.)

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Blast from the Past!

submitted by Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly

Class of '64

I received an email from a friend yesterday, and it made me think of the recent comments on the LHS website re: fender skirts, etc. I am sending this on in case you need a filler. I didn't write any of the following, but I could have thought most of them. (The parenthetical comments are mine.)

I haven't thought about "fender skirts" in years. When I was a kid, I considered it such a funny term. Made me think of a car in a dress.

Thinking about "fender skirts" started me thinking about other words that quietly disappeared from our language with hardly a notice.

Like "curb feelers" and "steering knobs." Since I'd been thinking of cars, my mind naturally went in that direction first. Any kids will probably have to find some elderly person over 50 to explain some of these terms.

Remember "Continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool as a Lincoln Continental. (I remember the "Continental" kids. They changed their name to the "Tics.")

When did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some point "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake." (But, to be honest, there's always a hint of drama when I drive. D'you think perhaps the term "parking brake" came into favor when we used to go up on Monte Sano with our dates?)

I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "foot feed." (What the heck . . .?)

Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home, so you could ride the "running board" up to the house? (The running board was cool. Al Capone's and Elliott Ness's guys all had them, but it seemed kind of stupid to ride outside the car when you knew someone would be shooting at you with a Tommy-gun, didn't it?)

Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but never anymore -- "store-bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days. But once it was bragging material to have a store-bought dress or a store-bought bag of candy. (I remember my grandmother making clothes from flour sacks. For those of you with ties to Wisconsin, I have a bit of trivia for you. My Wisconsin-born friend always said "boughten," and finally, I could stand it no longer! I told her there was no such word. However, she insisted I look, and I did find it in my big ole dictionary several years ago. Not in the current one, though. I fixed that!)

"Coast-to-coast" is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement and now means almost nothing. Nowadays we take the term "worldwide" for granted. This floors me.(On a lighter note, pre-"coast-to-coast" you didn't hear the term "double-wide.")

On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50s, everyone covered their hardwood floors with, WOW, wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors. Go figure. (I remember Daddy refinishing our hardwood floors. Then he put area rugs down that almost covered the floors.)

When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in a family way?" It's hard to imagine that the word "pregnant" was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical, for use in polite company. So we had all that talk about stork visits and "being in a family way" or simply "expecting." (Remember when Ricky had to keep one foot on the floor during the "I Love Lucy" shows? I think I remember when he wasn't even allowed to sit on the same bed with Lucy.)

Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in usage. (Thank goodness. Who can say "brassiere" with a straight face, anyway, except for a French person?) I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now. "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all. (I'd crack up at "unmentionables!")

It's hard to recall that this word was once said in a whisper --"divorce." And no one is called a "divorcee" anymore. Certainly not a "gay divorcee." Come to think of it, "confirmed bachelors" and "career girls" are long gone, too. (And I say, "Good riddance to THOSE antiquated labels.")

I always loved going to the "picture show." (So did I. I still find myself wanting to say, "the show" sometimes.)

Most of these words go back to the '50s, but here's a pure '60s phrase I came across the other day . . . "rat fink." Ooh, what a nasty put-down! (Weren't those the guys who stood on the running boards whom Elliott Ness chased? And pre-rat fink, James Cagney said, "Ooh, you dirty rat!" Really nasty stuff there, James.)

Here's a word I miss -- "percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffeemaker." How dull. Mr. Coffee, I blame you for this.(Remember the percolator in the Maxwell House commercials? Percolator, percolator, percolator. It IS fun to say.)

I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro. Words like "DynaFlow" and "ElectraLuxe." Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with "SpectraVision!" (Does anyone else besides us have four or more remotes for one room? And can you work them? Can you find them? Can you take them away from your husband?)

Food for thought: What happened to "lumbago"? Nobody complains of that anymore. Maybe that's what castor oil cured, because I never hear mothers threatening their kids with castor oil anymore. (I NEVER complained of lumbago. What is lumbago? I don't want to get it. Just want to know what it is, so I can avoid it. If castor oil is connected in ANY way, I definitely don't want it! I do remember that older people used to believe that the "purge" was the end-all cure-all. I'm just glad there were no leeches living close to my grandmother's house!)

Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me most -- "supper." Now everybody says "dinner." Save a great word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts. (And "foot feeds" and "lumbago." Then send me an email and tell me what they are!)

I thought some of us of a "certain age" would remember most of these.(Even if we can't remember what we went to the top of the stairs to get until we reach the bottom again!)

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Reunion Updates

Judy "Fedrowisch" Kincaid

Class of '66

Well, the reunion letter has been mailed out - to the classmates that we could verify current addresses for. We have received information on 16 names from the list - now we have 16 more to add!!! We've been gathering information from all the handbooks from the past reunions and finding some names that were in some of the handbooks and not others. It's been a major undertaking so please bear with us. We want to include everyone that we can find and/or remember. As Jeff Fussell's letter pointed out, there are many classmates that may not have graduated with us, but may have gone to Lee for several years and there moved, joined the service, etc. We'd love to have them join us at the reunion and would be honored to recognize them as honorary members of our class.

Just let us know how to contact them and we will send them the reunion information. The new names that have been added to the missing list at this time are: Bob Alford, Jim Culverhouse, Bobby DePriest, Mike Dowell, Judy Essen, Betty Jo Finley, Doug Finnell, Art Gibson, Lynn Hale, Harriet Hess, Bill Johnston, Richard Lyons, Paula Organic, Tammy Quillen, Ron Sharman, & Sandra Diane Smith.

Please visit the website weekly. We will continue to keep you informed of the ongoing reunion plans & the progress we are making in locating our classmates. Looking forward to seeing all of you.

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Carol Jean William Carroll

Class of '65

I've heard from a number of classmates since our reunion notices have gone out. (my e-mail address on class contacts needs to be changed). Several have found the web-site for the first time and are raving about it. Thanks for all of your hard work and all the others that contribute. It's amazing what a difference the last five years (since our last reunion) has made in our ability to contact lost and not-so-lost classmates!

I especially wanted to encourage our classmates that have never been (or haven't been for a long time) to come. The entire weekend is filled with fun. Our Friday night get-together is a real ice-breaker. We have made friends with classmates we either did not know or did not know well in school. For those of you who have not attended--on Friday night we have a casual party in the courtyard at the Marriott with each class having a room that has snacks and soft drinks. Everyone gathers in courtyard until all hours of the night (or is it morning)? One classmate thought it was a pool party, but I assured her that I didn't think there would be too many that would be caught dead in a swimsuit (clothes hide a multitude of sins)!! We want to invite others to come who did not graduate with us, but was at Lee with us, to register and send your information through the web-site. The class of '67 is also invited, although there is no one that is working for that class.

One thing that I would encourage our classmates to do is to send your information in asap. We always have classmates that pay at the door and that is fine, but it is nerve wracking on the reunion committee in those last few weeks worrying whether or not we will have enough money to pay for everything. We realize that for some the price seems a little high, but the only reason we can do it for the amount we are charging, is because we have three classes to spread the cost around. The cost of food, the band, etc. has gone up tremendously since the last reunion. The Marriott has a block of rooms reserved for our classes at a very reasonable cost (sorry, the mind is gone and I can't remember exactly how much). Not only do our out of town classmates stay for the weekend, but lots of us in Huntsville do too! Just be sure when you make reservations that you tell them that it is for the Lee High Reunion. Most of the rooms are close to the courtyard so that the only persons we are disturbing is ourselves! If you had rather not do that, ask for a little further away.

There has been mention of having a golf tournament on Saturday. Since we do not seem to have a golfer on the reunion committee, just e-mail me and if there is enough interest, I'll try to coordinate it. Anyone out there want to volunteer?

In case anyone is wondering about the (unofficial and unscientific) poll we took earlier on what month our classmates would most like to have the reunion; May and June did have the most votes as a group but not either as an individual month. But even though we started early, there was only one weekend available in May and one in June. Those dates conflicted with other invaluable committee members plans. (Alice Preston are you listening)? We realize that August can be a very hot month, although this has traditionally been a good time for most of our classmates.

Hope to see EVERYONE at the Reunion, 'cause we are FAMI-LEE!!

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