Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

J.R. Brooks, Class of 1964 - I can tell you some of those in the school days picture. I am the really short nerdy guy in the middle. Linda Isbell (my heartthrob at the time) is the girl on my left. On her left is Twila Whirley who attended junior high school with us, but moved away. The girl on the far left of the picture is none other than Carol Bailey, the classmate who sent it to you.

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Carolyn Burgess Featheringill, Class of '65 - I loved the picture sent by Carol Jean Bailey Olson '65 from about 1960. I was reluctant to respond as one of the classmates, the cute girl on the right, had me stumped completely. Maybe if we all work together, we can solve the puzzle. That's Carol Jean on the left, Judy Scarborough (I think) next to her, J. R. Brooks in the middle, and Linda Isbell next to J. R. Please keep the pictures of the people coming as we who are "directionally challenged" can only marvel at those among us who are able to identify the satellite images.

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Rainer Klauss, Class of '64 -School Days photo (left to right): Carol Bailey, Judy Scarborough, JR Brooks, Linda Isbell, and the delightfully named Twila Whirley, cracking up, perhaps, at Dwight's comic shutterbug technique.

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Judy Bills Tate, Class of '65 - The School Days picture in the front of Lee High School is of Carol Bailey Olson, Sonja Matthews, J.R. Brooks, Linda Isbell and Twyla Worley.

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Here's the real answer...

Here is an old picture take many years ago by the late Dwight Kephart. I thought it might be a good one for people to identify. From left to right is Carol Jean Bailey (65), Sonja Matthews, J. R. Brooks (64), Linda Isbell (64), and Twilla Worley. I am not sure when Twilla graduated or if she did finish with us. I know Sonja went to Lee Jr. High with us.

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Subject:Coat Hangers

Aaron Potts

Knoxville, Tennessee

(Go Big Orange)

Hey Tommy,

I didn't graduate from Lee but I did transfer there when it was first combined with Rison and Lincoln schools. In answer to Ann Franklins question about the coat hangers, I remember the coat hangers very well. We collected the coat hangers for the PTA contest. I was in Coach Hub Myhands class and we won the contest by collecting the coat hangers from everywhere. We collected enough to come up with $400.00 and that was a lot of money in coat hangers. He treated us with doughnuts from I think it was Cormans bakery. We competed against two other classes. One was Ms. Hanvey (who's classroom was next to the principal, Mr. C.V. Fain) and the other was Ms. Mitchell (I think). The teacher that had the classroom just beyond the door that lead out to the east side of the building, down the hall from Ms. Elizabeth Monroe. I loved that old Lady.

Another money maker was going out to Ms. Monroe's farm and pulling corn. She would drive the pickup truck and we would pull the ears of corn off the stalks and throw them into the back of the truck. We would also have a "car wash" to earn extra money.

Tommy, you are doing an excellent job with the TRAVELLER. I have moved to Knoxville where I have retired and this in my contact to the North Alabama area. I hope you don't mind if I visit!

Take care and have a great week.

For Ann Franklin, it was good to travel down the road of yesteryear. I still have great memories of my teen age years there with my very first love.

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Subject:Coat Hangers

Don Blaise

Class of '64

Tommy:

You are not imagining things about collecting coat hangers for extra money. We lived in Westlawn during the 1st through 3rd grades and there were several laundry/cleaner establishments close by that would buy used hangers. If I remember correctly we got a penny each but the cleaners wanted 50 or more before they would buy them. Spent many a Saturday collecting them so we had enough money for a movie, a model airplane kit or a toy.

There was also a big scrap yard in west Huntsville that would buy copper, brass, steel & so on. It was much harder to find that stuff but it paid better when you did, especially copper and brass.

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Subject:Last Minute Thoughts

Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly

Class of '64

In response to Chip Smoak's question as to whether I was going to let that put-down go unchallenged: "Nah, Chip. I KNEW that a Brazilian was a million more than a Gazillion. I just wanted to give Lehman a chance to show off because he's so shy."

Also, Tommy, in reference to the coat hangers: I remember collecting them at home and taking them in to school (East Clinton, I believe), in bundles. I recall that they sold them back to the cleaners to raise money for the PTA. We also won prizes for the classroom that collected the most hangers. Or not. I just make it up as I go.

A thought for your assorted comments in the Traveller (which I enjoy immensely): Why do people always say, "It was in the last place I looked!" ??? What? After you find it, you say, "I think I'll look in a few more places just for the heck of it." ???

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Subject:A Big Springs Memory

Carolyn Sloan Abel Lewis

Class of '68 at Huntsville High

carolynalewis@comcast.net

I would like to thank Rainer Klauss, class of '64, for his article, "A Big Springs Memory," in Lee's Traveller because it jogged a memory for me. In 1956, I was 6 years old. Even though the memory is distant, I can still hear the "Jolly Cabellero" in my mind's ear as I well remember the sounds of a variety of accordian music drifting to the back of my house in the '50's as Mom guided each of her students through their lessons. It brought a smile to my face as I read Rainer's account of his anxiety over his recital....a feeling that I too, was well aquainted with each time I performed my musical selections. Fortunately for me, one of my brothers, Jim Sloan, emailed the link to the website for Lee's Traveller so that I could enjoy this article. I wish that Dad could read this too but we lost him to cancer in June of 2000. However, Mom will read this and smile too.

What a nice tribute and I thank Rainer for his Big Spring Memory.

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Subject:Coat Hangers

Rainer Klauss

Class of '64

I remember collecting the coat hangars several times while I attended East Clinton, too, but can't recall who was supposed to benefit from that effort. Maybe somebody else can dredge up that information.

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Subject:Hello to my friends

Jimmy Durham

jimmy_d@tds.net.

Hi Tommy. My name is Jimmy Durham.I think a lot of you will remember me. We lived at 1308 Mckinley Ave. Iplayed a lot of football and basketball with Hub Myhand. Please excuse my typing i am new with a computer. Tell C E Wynn I do remember the Floyd Patterson fight. My e-mail is jimmy_d@tds.net. Would like to hear from some old friends thanks.

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Don Wynn, Class of '67 - The photo this week is much tougher and may give me an opportunity to get one that my brothers miss! Sibling rivalry is a wonderful thing! I believe it is the Brahan Springs Park and Lagoon. It is located just east of Milton Frank Stadium. The trees in the upper left portion of the photo are pine and were planted about 50 years ago. My family lived near this site before we moved across town and into the Lee district. That was long before the stadium was built. My brother C.E. and I were playing in that area when those trees were planted. I think those trees are 50-60 feet tall now. Drake Avenue in the road at the bottom of the picture. The Tennis Courts are next to Drake Avenue. The train that used to operate at Big Spring Park was moved to this park and operated for years as Sertoma Playland. The tracks for the train ran around the northern lagoon and across the dam in the middle of the picture.

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Jimmy Troupe, Class of '66 - Could this be the scene of the senior picnic for the class of '66? Why yes, it is Brahan Spring Park where part of the picnic was moved to and got somewhat rained out. Oddly enough I still have some home video of the day. It is 8mm that I have put on a dvd. Not very much film though (you know how "children" are with a camera. I vaguely remember just a few seconds of the picnic on film along with a little more of the class "carnival" ( I think it was called). I do remember an old car everyone was smashing with a sledge hammer, a pole climbing contest (I think Rodney White was in), as well as a few eggs being tossed at a head sticking out of a hole.

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Jeff Fussell, Class of '66 - I quickly recognized the shape of the Brahan Spring Park lagoon north of Drake Avenue. What surprised me was the apparent absence of the Sertoma Amusement Park on the north end of the lagoon. It seems like those kiddie rides were always there. Riding the miniature train around the lagoon was something I never outgrew. I always held my breath when we crossed the bridge at the bottleneck of the lagoon.

A lot of people will remember Brahan Spring for the great sports facilities. For me, it was Sertoma Park. It was sad to see it go.

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Steve Cook, Class of '66 - The aerial photos are getting harder but I believe this weeks picture is the world famous Braham Spring Park off Drake Ave. The outline of the dark area indicating the ponds is the identifiable feature. Thanks for the memories.

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Classmate's Father Passes Away

William H. Esslinger

May 3, 1923 - Sept. 26, 2005

William Hosmer Esslinger, resident of Huntsville and Whitepine, Colo., passed away Monday surrounded by his family. Born in Florence, he was a chemical engineering graduate of Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., and a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps. Mr. Esslinger was a systems analyst in Operations Research for the Army Missile Command. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and a charter and lifetime member of the Madison County Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. His volunteer work included Red Cross disaster relief and March of Dimes fundraising. He was a charter member of the Upper Tomichi Historical Association. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Margaret Lipscomb Esslinger; daughter, Linda Esslinger Morrell and husband, Ed, of Marietta, Ga.; sons, William Thomas Esslinger and wife, Teresa, of New Market, John Robert Esslinger and wife, Betty, of Scottsboro, and Timothy Christopher Esslinger and wife, Sue, of Huntsville. He is also survived by grandchildren, Tollie Esslinger Godwin and husband, Glenn, of New Market, John Robert Esslinger Jr. of Huntsville, Jason Edward Morrell and wife, Kristy, of Atlanta, Margaret Elizabeth Morrell of Alpharetta, Ga., Thomas Keith Esslinger of Birmingham, Sarah Frances Esslinger of Madison, Lauren Elaine Esslinger of Decatur, and Brian William Bellan of Huntsville; and three greatgrandchildren. He is also survived by his loyal dachshund, Che Che. Memorials may be made to the Upper Tomichi Historical Association, P.O. Box 104, Sargents, CO 81248 or the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, 101 Sivley Road, Huntsville, AL 35801. Interment will be at the Esslinger Cemetery, McMullen Road, Gurley.

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