Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly, Joy Rubins Morris, Rainer Klauss, Bobby Cochran, Collins (CE) Wynn, Eddie Sykes, Don Wynn, Paula Spencer Kephart, Cherri Polly Massey
Contributors: The Members of Lee High School Classes of 64-65-66 and Others
From Our
Mailbox
We are trying to collect the names of all of our classmates we have lost since our reunion in 2005. You can click on the In Memory link above to see the names of the ones we know of. Perhaps there are more?
Please include your name and class year with your e-mail to me.
T. Tommy
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This Week's
Lee-Bay Item
Reunion Opened For Visitors
Remember that you don't have to be a member of the Classes of '64-'65-'66 to sign up and to come to our reunion. The Reunion Committee has elected to open our doors and hearts to members of other classes or just friends from other schools who would like to attend. Even if you did not graduate with us, you're still invited. The Reunion Application can be found below and you are welcome to send it in with your money and attend all the activities. We welcome all who want to party with us.
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Last Week's
Myster-Lee Photo
My Memories of
The Russel Erskine Hotel
by Tommy Towery
Class of '64
First of all, I want to share with you some information I received following a massive web search and a few e-mails back and forth with a contact up North. I was really interested in this “Circulating Ice Water” claim for the Russel Erskine Hotel, so I started doing some research. I finally found that it was a common luxury in the best hotels back then to have real “ice water” available in the rooms. A large tank was installed on the top floor of the hotels and was filled with water that was kept cold by adding ice to the tank. Many hotels had big ice machines in the basements and would carry the ice from there up to the roof to put in the water tank. A hotel in Houston, Texas, had an ice machine in the sub-basement that made 17 tons of ice daily to help acomplish this. The “ice water” was gravity fed to the rooms to allow the guests to have cold water whenever they desired. When you think about it, it sure beats putting on your jump suit and walking down the hall to get a bucket of ice like we have to do today.
I remember the Russel Erskine being a grand hotel. Perhaps it was because it was so grand that I did not hang out there very much. I do not know for sure, but I am almost positive that I was intimidated by the uniformed doormen that controlled traffic into the building. I am also sure that I did go inside a few times as a kid to see what it looked like, but not often. I do remember three times that I was actually inside the hotel for legitimate reasons, and all three times for very different reasons.
My first time was in 1960, when I was a Boy Scout. I had just returned from the 5th National Jamboree in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was invited to go speak to the members of the Kiwanis Club about that experience. That club has sponsored my trip and as a condition of that, I had to come back and tell them all about it. So, at 14 I gave my first “speech” to a group of professional grown-ups. I think it was in a big meeting room on the second floor of the hotel. The surprising thing about that was that it did not bother me to get up and talk to this room of strangers sitting in a room in one of the most elite establishments in Huntsville. I have to think that positive experience was one reason that I elected to minor in Speech in college.
Move the clock forward about a decade and I made my second memorable trip to the Russel Erskine. It was sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies that while I was on a trip back to Huntsville that I learned that the hotel had gone out of business all the contents were being sold. I took my first wife inside the hotel to show her what it looked like, and it was sad. It was not as bad as the Tower of Terror, but it was dark and the air was still. It had that abandoned building smell and look, probably because it was abandoned. It made me very sad to see the place that was the symbol of luxury as I was growing up reduced to the state in which it then sat. It was just another piece of the puzzle of the demise of downtown Huntsville. I was sure that it would be razed and demolished, and that also made me sad.
I was surprised to ever have a third trip to that tall building to even talk about. I went there with my cousins to visit their mother, my Aunt Cecilia. The hotel had been turned into a low income housing high-rise and that was the first time that I had ever gone above the second floor and ever gone into one of the rooms. The rooms may have been grand as a hotel room, but I found it sad as a living space. My first wife and I had lived in a motel room for three months when I was in the Air Force going through training at Merced, California. It got old quick. The idea that this room was the only living space and contained all the “stuff” that my aunt possessed was upsetting. Although it was once the grandest place in the city, it was now the final home for many of the residents.
The article in the Huntsville Times that was printed in the Traveller last week hints that the hotel is vacant again. I have not heard back from any of you Classmates to confirm nor deny that, but it appears that once again someone is looking for a way to put the hotel to use. If it were in Memphis, it would be converted to condos like many of the other old hotels here. I do not know what awaits it there.
Other Memories
by Sarajane Steigerwald Tarter
Class of '65
I went to the party at the Russel Erskine Hotel on April 28th given by the Historic Huntsville Foundation. Several of the workers who had been there many years ago were giving tours of the building including riding on the original elevator. They are renovating the hotel so that elderly people who are on a limited budget can rent the apartments.
I remember going to hear Tony Mason sing in the RE cocktail lounge and I'm thinking that was in the early 70s. Also, my good friend Pat Goodson had her wedding reception there in 1972, as did her parents and brother and sister when they married.
I'm glad they aren't tearing it down and putting up a parking lot!
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Big John
By Don Wynn
Class of ‘67
Several years ago, I saw an event that I want to share with our readers. It’s about something that a classmate did - something that I thought was extraordinary but he probably just thought it represented another day at the office. I am not going to tell you what he did yet, you will have to read to the end of the article to find out.
About 1992, the 20th Special Forces Unit of the Alabama National Guard arranged to make a practice parachute jump on Redstone Arsenal. Several of our classmates were members of that unit. They were going to jump from the open doors of a Huey Helicopter into the middle of the Tennessee River where an inflatable boat would pick each man up without even slowing down. That sounded like it might be a good show, so I went out to the jump site to watch.
Before the jump, the men gathered for a briefing by the Jump Master. He described the jump scenario and went over the details of the jump. He discussed safety and reminded each man of the steps that each should take to have a safe jump. I don’t believe there was a man in the group with less than 10 years of parachute experience but they never stop talking about safety. These men do things that involve tremendous risk and they don’t take safety lightly.
Four men fully loaded with combat packs and their parachutes boarded the Huey, two were seated in the open door on each side with their feet on the runners. The pilot revved the engine and the chopper lifted off with a bunch of soldiers ready to take a big step into thin air. The whoop, whoop of the engine combined with the downwash of the prop got my adrenaline going as I sat on terra firma. Their heart rates were probably in the normal range but mine wasn’t.
The chopper disappeared up the river, preparing for the long, straight run to the jump zone. It must have gone several miles because the sound faded into the distance. In a few minutes, I could hear the approach. Just like in the movies, I heard it a long time before I saw it. From my vantage point under the trees at the edge of the river, I finally saw the chopper just as the first man rolled off the skids. The helo couldn’t have been more that 400-500 feet in the air. It flew down the middle of the river at a pretty good clip too, maybe 50-60 miles an hour. After they started, members of the 20th Special Forces just poured out until the chopper was empty. Chutes opened in an impressive line that traced the path of the helicopter.
Two of the men landed in the river and were picked up by the inflatable. My brother; Collins Wynn, Class of ‘64, and another soldier were caught by the wind. C.E. was carried across the river and managed to land safely in a clearing. I have always kidded him by telling him that it shouldn’t be that hard to hit the Tennessee River. That is not the event that is the thrust of the story but it is a detail of the day that I will always remember.
The other soldier whose chute was caught by the wind was a full bird colonel who was making his last jump as a member of the unit. He was scheduled to retire in a few weeks! Since they were jumping with the older, round chutes, he did not have much maneuvering ability. He was not able to find a clearing to use for his descent and came down in the top of a huge oak that was clearly visible to me. His chute was caught in the canopy of the tree and he was suspended about 100 feet above the ground. He had no chance to extricate himself and I did not see any way that anyone could help him. I just thought he might have to release himself from his parachute and take the express elevator to the ground. He could try to climb down somehow or maybe he could rappel.
The balance of the team assembled as a group and a decision was made on a method to extract their team-mate. The chopper landed and a 100 foot rope was attached to one of its skids. The chopper lifted off. Right then, I thought they were going to lower a rope to the stranded guy which seemed like a pretty good idea. As the helicopter gained altitude and the rope played out, I discovered that I was wrong. John Fulda; Class of ‘65, had a harness on. That harness was attached to the free end of the rope. As the helicopter continued to rise, Big John lifted off the ground dangling at the end of that rope. As the helicopter got higher with John on the end of the rope, he started to look a little like a spider dangling from the ceiling. The pilot flew John across the river and gently lowered him into the tree. When John was near enough to grab the Colonel, they hooked up. The Colonel tied himself into John’s harness and released his parachute.
With a signal from John, the pilot lifted both men out of the tree. He flew to the middle of the Tennessee River and gently lowered his human cargo into the water. They released themselves from the rope and the inflatable picked them up. I think I have seen the same type of pickup done in some old John Wayne movies about WWII. They performed just like they were trained to perform. Every man did his job and kept his cool in the process. Every man walked away.
I was stunned by the entire event but I was not so stunned that I didn’t think that dropping them into the river was odd. ‘Why did they drop them into the river?’ I asked! CE explained that the jump would still go into the colonel’s log book as a water jump. After all, he left the helicopter in flight and ended up in the water without touching the ground in between. These guys have a sense of style!
John Fulda is physically a big fella but there are lots of other reasons why he is called "Big John."
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This one is on e-Bay and I am sure that most of you can look it up on the internet to find out the name of the movie (even though it is blacked out) if you tried. But, who can name it without looking it up? Just to keep this honest and fun, this is a four part Mystery.
(1) What was the name of the movie?
(2) In which theater did it premier in Huntsville?
(3) What was the high tech feature of that theater at the time?
(4) What was the name of the hoop-la ceremony that was held at the opening of this movie at that theater?
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Tommy Towery, Class of '64 - Although you can only see half of her, the girl holding the notebook for Govenor Wallace is Lois Ann Uptain I believe.
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Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly, Class of '64 - The only classmate I can identify with Gov. Wallace (besides The Most Illustrious Editor, of course) is the young lady standing next to Tommy. Her name is Jackie Vickers, Class of '64.
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Linda Kinkle Cianci, Class of '66 - In this week's Myster-Lee photo, the band student standing next to Tommy looks like Jackie Vickers - at least I think that was her first name.
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Rainer Klauss, Class of '64 - The young lady between you and Governor Wallace is Jackie Vickers ('64), the first-chair clarinet player for the Lee High Band. I don't know who's looking over your right shoulder, though.
I also don't know who the fellow in the white coat is in the "Myster-Lee" picture, but it ain't Lehman Williams.
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Subject:Death of Mike Garrison's Son
Paula Spencer Kephart
Class of '65
Mike Garrison's son died last week. Here is the obit from The Huntsville Times:
Matt Garrison - June 17, 1969 July 11, 2005
Matt Garrison, 36, of Huntsville passed away Monday at his home. Matt was a 1987 graduate of Hazel Green High School. His father, Austin M. Garrison, preceded him in death. He was a member of The Oasis Christian Center. Survivors include his mother, Paula Patterson Garrison of Huntsville; two brothers, Andy Garrison and wife, Lisa, and David Garrison and wife, Adriene; four nephews, Hunter, Bleau, Drew and Beau Garrison; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Garrison; and a host of family and friends.
With regards to the mystery photo in the July 11th issue, I think the one in the white coat is Glenn Kennedy and the one on the floor is Butch Adcock.
Thank you and all the staff for your hard work in preparing such an informative newsletter and bringing back so many good memories!
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Subject: Golf and Photo
George "Lehman" Williams
Class of '64
Friday Golf - count me in. I will also play on Saturday if anyone wants to join me. I don't think that is me in the picture. I can't remember ever wearing a white sports coat - but then again - I don't remember a lot of things, I just tried to enjoy the moments.
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Subject:Pictures and Articles
Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly
Class of '64
My first thought was that the young man in the white jacket was C.E. Wynn and the one on the floor resembled Terry Preston. I guess I must be wrong since C.E. sent the picture in.
After reading your comment about the golf course being easy to walk, I had to chuckle. Shows where our priorities are today, huh? Then I read C.E.'s comment about the Limbo -- ". . . How many of us remember it, and who would attempt it today?" I am STILL laughing about that one. Heck, C.E., just remembering it is akin to doing the Limbo!
The only classmate I can identify with Gov. Wallace (besides T.M.I.E., of course) is the young lady standing next to Tommy. Her name is Jackie Vickers, class of '64.
I remember going to several things at the Russel Erskine, but cannot bring up any clear memories to write about. I do remember that it seemed very elegant back then. I was always impressed with the linens and the carpets there.
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Subject:Mystery Photo
Sarajane Steigerwald Tarter
Class of '65
I think the mystery photo is Taylor Wright from the class of '66. I'm wondering what they're doing on the floor. Is it the alligator?
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Pre-Orders Available
For Souvenir Shop Items
by Tommy Towery
Class of '64
With the reunion less than a month away, I am busy trying to remember all the things that I want to bring with me when I attend. So far I’ve got two laptop computer and two video projectors and a screen lined up, along with various books and knick-knacks. Those of you who know me also know that I can’t possibly bring all my Lee memorabilia, so here’s the plan.
If you have never visited our Lee’s Traveller “Souvenir Shop” you might want to. It can be found by clicking on the link at the top left of this page. Here are some of the best sellers and the highlights we offer.
If you have lost your 1964 or 1965 or 1966 Lee High School yearbook even if by divorce, we can help you. I have scanned each page of each of these books into computer files and have burned them to CDs viewable on your computer. I have two different styles for you to choose from. One CD format is a “Flip Album” which is presented on your computer screen like a book and you click on it and the pages turn forward and back. You can enlarge them to read better and see them at real scale.
The other CD format is one in which the yearbooks are stored in three formats. One format is just “jpg” or picture files. One format is Microsoft Word, and the third format is as an Adobe PDF file. You can download a free PDF viewer to read them on your computer. The best thing about the PDF is that you can print out any or all pages and they will be almost the same size and the original yearbooks. Instructions are included for all formats, however these are primarily PC and not Apple Macintosh files.
I also have hard copies of both of my own personal “Great American Novel” books available. The first one is “A Million Tomorrows…Memories of the Class of ‘64” and is over 350 pages of life at Lee during my senior year in 1963-64. The other one is my latest “While Our Hearts Were Young, Vol. 1” and is a collection of 12 Huntsville related stories about the times we lived in when we were kids.
To insure that you will absolutely get a copy of any of these things, I am going to take pre-orders and bring them with me. If you e-mail me with your order, I’ll have your name on it and it will be waiting for you. Pay me when you pick them up. Pay me? Oh, yes…the prices.
For Reunion 2005, I’ve come up with some special prices. I hope those of you who have already bought them at the original price can appreciate that this is a one-time special sale.
“A Million Tomorrows…Memories of the Class of ‘64” is cut to $7.50.
“While Our Hearts Were Young, Vol. 1” will be $5.00.
All three yearbooks in the jpg, MS Word, PDF formats on one CD is $15.00.
Individual year jpg, MS Word, PDF formatted yearbooks are $7.50 each.
Each year Flip Album Yearbook is $7.50 each.
There's no postage charge, since delivery will be made in person
I can't bring everything, so I am making this offer. E-mail me at ttowery@memphis.edu if you have questions or want to pre-order any of these items from the Souvenir Shop. All profits help support the cost of producing Lee’s Traveller each week.
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Rison-Dallas Association
Still Seeking Help With Cookbook
by Ann Franklin
Guest
(Editor's Note: I was contacted by Ann asking for assistance from my classmates who attended Rison School before they went to Lee or lived in Dallas Mill Village.)
What's this you say? It's the cover page for our Rison-Dallas Association Cookbook that's just waiting to be written and published! And what do we need? We need you to send in your recipes. The recipes can be very simple or very complex or something in between. Whatever they are, please send them.
On Messages from the Association page, we talked about writing a cookbook and encouraged you folks to submit your recipes, but, so far, we have received very few. To get things started, we created this cover page for the cookbook in the hope that it will inspire you cooks to overwhelm us with your recipes!
What do you think about the cookbook’s title? Do you have a suggestion for a title? If you do, please send us your suggestion(s). The person submitting the winning title will be given a free copy of the published cookbook.
Our plan for the cookbook is to make it both a cookbook and something of a history book - a history of Rison School and Dallas Village. We may use some information from our website. Do you have any comments or suggestions that you’d like to make? Tell us about them.
So, overwhelm us with your recipes. We have folks anxiously waiting to get started putting the cookbook together.
The cookbook can be a treasured keepsake for us all.
The Rison-Dallas Association website can be found at
For those who will be in attendance on Saturday night, we would like you to answer one or both of the following questions;
1) "My greatest but least known accomplishment (honor, achievement) since I left LHS is ________________________"
2) "A fact about me (what I have done, who I have met, where I have been) that most of my classmates would probably never guess is __________________"
E-mail them to Niles Prestage, Class of '65, at napjr@aol.com .
The rules are that the statement or fact must be true and they are to tell no other classmate who will be in attendance their answers. We are really going to have fun with this!
