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
Thanks to all of you who sent me Veteran's Day wishes. I was a little lax in doing a Veteran's Day issue this year but will make up for it next year. I hope all of my Veteran Classmates were remembered on this date.
Please include your class year with your e-mails.
T. Tommy
________________________________________
Last Week's
Mystery Photo
Current Open Topics
Do you have any memories of a special something that you were given, but may not still have? Send in any graduation present memories you would like to share with your classmates.
Do you have a story about the first big thing you bought with money earned from your first real job, either during or after Lee?
What did you do or do you have planned for your 60th Birthday?
_____________________________________
This Week's
Mystery Photo
Above are photos of both sides of an Alabama Sales Tax Token that I found in my cedar box. The mystery is not to identify it nor even why it is still in that time capsule of treasures. I am wondery if anyone can tell us why it existed in the first place. I personally don't know. Perhaps Bobby Cochran might, even though his speciality is paper money. Perhaps some of you who still live in Alabama might know. Can you solve the mystery?
________________________________________
From Our
Mailbox
Opening The Cedar Treasure Chest
(A Time Capsule of Memories)
by Tommy Towery
Class of '64
This week marks the beginning of a series of reflections that I hope will take us all down memory lane on a trip that will last for as long as the time needed to tell the story.
Two weeks ago I offered a “Mystery Photo” that turned out to be a small cedar box that many graduates were given by furniture stores to entice them to buy cedar chests. Dianne Hughey McClure, Class of '64, wrote in to tell that she had one, where it came from, and what it contained.
I also have one. Yes, I’m a male and males are not supposed to keep sentimental things like that, but you must also remember that I was the male that kept a journal that detailed the final days of my senior year at Lee. Many of you owe that small journal a debt, for it was the basis of “A Million Tomorrow – Memories of the Class of ‘64” and probably the inspiration for this web site as well. It was that journal that helps me remember so many things that would have otherwise been lost.
My small cedar box is a “Time Capsule” of memories of which some of you might play a role. So, today I open that treasure trove and detail the things that have been locked up inside it since summer of 1964. The one new edition was a never before revealed journal that carried my life’s story ahead into 1965. Although most of the entries in the 1965 journal are not Lee or Huntsville related, there are several pages that document visits back to Huntsville during those days.
Above is a photo of the box (top right) and a full set of the contents. The one exception is the white page of paper upon which many small objects were place so that they would show up in the picture.
Over the next few weeks I would love to share with you my treasures and the recollections of those treasures in the same way that I shared my journal. I may need some help traveling on this trip, so I might use some of the items as “Mystery Photos” to allow you to share the experience with me.
Please feel free to send in comments on things I say or show you, so that we may all share in the experience. Pease wait until I feature the items before you comment on them so that we can document things in order.
Upon completion of this journey back into time, I will print out all the descriptions of the items and lock them back up with the items for future generations.
__________________________________________
Subject:(Your Question about ) November 5th
Marc Bentley
Class of '65
About 350 years ago a man named Guy Forks tried to burn down the House of Parliament and was burned to death by the crowd. Every November 5, the English people "dress up" their own "Guy Forks" and sort of trick or treat by knocking on doors and yelling, "a penny for the guy" the gratuity is supposed to commensurate with the quality of the "guy" and later after fireworks and bon fires all the "dummies" are thrown onto the fire.
_____________________________________
Subject:We’re Home Again
Rainer Klauss
Class of '64
After 30+ years of life in the fast lanes of Atlanta, Gudrun and I have moved back to Huntsville. I retired from the Gwinnett County Library System on October 31, and we high-tailed it over here on November 2. We’re happy to be back, though getting used to CST is hard for us old folks. Hey, there ain’t no Dunkin’ Donuts here! We’re living with Gudrun’s mom while we look for our dream house.
Rainer & Gudrun Klauss
2012 Stanhope Drive
Huntsville, AL 35811
534-3358
gudrun46@earthlink.net
______________________________
Subject:Last Week's Newsletter
Don Stroud
Class of '65
Hi Tommy,
Just looked at this week's newsletter and was I ever surprised! Thanks for a wonderful visit and for the great (B-52) book. I can't put it down!
You are absolutely correct about how time affects how we feel about our fellow friends. Yes ,you and Sue have a standing invitation to visit us on Riverbreeze and don't wait until your retirement. Once again, thanks for the nice article and for the great visit.
________________________________
Jeff Fussell, Class of '66 - This week's mystery photo is a Tensor "high-intensity" desk lamp. I had one myself, but can't think of anything particularly interesting about it -- writer's block, I suppose.
___________________________
(To which I replied by e-mail and started the e-mail conversation that follows: )
Jeff,
What I find interesting is that even after 40 years we still know the brand name and the technology term “high intensity” to describe the light. Don’t you find that intriguing? It was state of the art before the Ott lamps and I will never know how many hours I used one for study. - TT
_______________________________
Validation of the law of the perversity of nature, if you ask me... I can still recite the first lines of the Canterbury Tales General Prologue, but still pull in on the wrong side of the gas pump. - Jeff
______________________________
Can you recite the Canterbury Tales because a Lee teacher made you learn them? I can “Whan thar Aprile….” Etc. - TT
__________________________
"... with his shoures soote the droghte of march hath perced to the roote and bathed every veyne in swich licour of which vertu engendred is the flour"
I'll get you for this Miss Faulkner!! - Jeff
_____________________________
"Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth, Inspired hath in every holt and heeth..."
You know I’m going to work all this into an e-mail or story don’t you. - TT
_____________________________
"...tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,.."
I say its high time someone exposed the damage done by public education to our fragile young minds. Now, where did I put my car keys?? - JF
_____________________________
Catching Up
Barbara Seeley Cooper
Class of '64
Just read through the last few issues, having been remiss in keeping up lately. The mini-reunion looked fun, and brought back many picnic memories from past Monte Sano trips.
Congratulations on your recent book. May it go straight to Oprah's Book Club.
The mystery items in the last few issues were truly mysteries to me, so reading backwards was a good way to feel smart. Also enjoyed the photos of the picnic. Is Linda Taylor still gorgeous or what? She can't have turned 60! Plus, she sent me an email about her trip to Utah, and I got depressed because SHE was white-water rafting while I was working. She is a perfect example of a perfect 60. Looking good, feeling good, doing good. I may take the latter as my mantra for the 60's.
As Linda said in her email to you, she and I shared our shock at turning 60. My 30th was rough (my life is over), 40 was no big deal (I was right, it IS over), and 50 was a teeth-gritter (accept the things I cannot change). Looking back, it's funny to remember the drama of those birthdays at the time, because I feel the best times for me have been the last 15 years(thank you, Scott Cooper!). Body parts are no longer "up where they used to be", but all of them are in great health, so no complaints! Well, just one: I live in a very wealthy area and many of the ladies have the time and $$ to make plastic surgery a big part of their lives. My action plan is to try not to stand next to them for any length of time, to minimize visual comparisons! Is anyone else as curious as I am to see an 80 year old Pamela Anderson?? Will she need daily surgeries at that point?
Tommy, it was interesting to read that you credit me with the 60th celebrations. Didn't realize that, but I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments. Age is just a state of mind! Nevertheless, it still does not feel real, being 60, and so far I confess I have not used a senior citizen's discount nor have I signed up with AARP. Consider those my "little rebellions." Otherwise, life is really, really good, and being age 60 will look just fine towards the end of July, when #61 rolls around.
