Adivsory Board: Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly, George Lehman Williams, Patsy Hughes Oldroyd
Contributors: The Members of Lee High School Classes of 64-65-66 and Others
Well, this last week I launched the campaign for my thrid B-52 book, which I will edit and publish later in the year. After all the attempts at writing the Great Amerian Novel, I finally found the nitch I am most comfortable with.
Please include your class year with your e-mails.
T. Tommy
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From Our
Mailbox
Last Week's
Mystery Photo
This Week's
Mystery Photo
Okay Baby Boomers, what is this week's Mystery Photo item? It has a proper name, and don't cheat and look it up on the internet. What was it called and what was it used for? Stories?
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Through The Looking Glass
by Tommy Towery
Class of '64
This week I have been racking my brain trying to come up with something to feature in this issue of the Traveller. I rarely get writer's block, but could come up with nothing. I went to bed last night assuring myself that some magic insight would happen. The insight did not happen, but I did have the wildest dream.
I have been plagued in the past with recurring themes in dreams. You know the kind, like the one where you find yourself naked in a crowd? In my piloting days I had one recurring dream that I flew my aircraft into some power lines. It didn't matter what plane I was flying I would find myself surrounded by power lines and I would turn the plane every which way trying to maneuver out of them. It didn't matter if I was flying a Piper Tri-Pacer or a B-52, I would almost twist myself up in knots in the bed trying to avoid the power lines.
Well, last nights dream was not that one, but one that I had when I was in college. Since I have two bachelor's degrees and one master's degree I spent a lot of time in college. My dream was that I would show up in class for a test and realize that I had not been to the class all semester and that I had no idea what the material in the test covered. It was like I forgot all about even signing up for the course until I was faced with the final exam.
Well, last night's dream had me showing up in a physics class for the final exam. The test was supposed to be from 6PM to 8PM and I showed up at 8:30PM - 30 minutes late but the class was still going on. The professor handed me my mid-term test to review my scores, and when I looked down at it, I realized that it was not my test, and that I had never even showed up to take the mid-term. Now I was faced with a physics final and had no recollection of ever going to class.
Here's the odd part - the professor who handed me the test was none other than Woody Beck, Class of '65. This scares me because I know Woody does teach at a university, but he doesn't teach physics. In fact, my confession of this will result in me being analyzed by him I am sure, since he is actually a Professor of Sociology and the Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia.
I never took a class from Woody and never even had a class with him after Lee High School. I haven't seen him since one of the reunions many years ago, but still there he was in my dream.
The only positive thing I can say about that is that I did wake up with something, although it is only a blog, to write about this week.
Anyone else want to admit they are crazy and share their recurring dream experience?
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Subject:MARS Military Radio System
Gary Hatcher
Class of '66
While stationed at DaNang AB, Vietnam, I used the MARS system many time to call my wife, former Sharon Pickett class of '66, in Huntsville, as much as I possibly could. MARS was a part of the Air Force Communications Command, AFCC. I was an air traffic controller at DaNang, another part of the AFCC. The radio operators would call the controllers early in the morning (3 - 4am) and let us know that they had good contacts with the states and would take our names and phnoe numbers to make calls to the states. Knowing we were getting off work about the time they starting making calls, they would get to us as soon as they could. It was a great way to talk to loved ones at home. Sharon still talks about how strange it was to talk with someone else listening and having to say over all the time.
My thanks to all the many state side operators and ham radio operators for their service and help to us.
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Subject:Website
J. Paul Womack
Should have been Class of '64
I got to the site via Bob Ramsey. I would have been in the first class in 1964, but we were moved to Chattanooga. As it was, I did attend Lee for freshman and sophomore years. Cecil Fain was principal. It was interesting to see your website. Thanks. Paul Womack
From: Buffalo, New York
Email: revjpw@earthlink.net
Year of Graduation: 1964
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Lynn Bozeman Van Pelt, Class of '66 - The collectors card is from Elvis' first movie, Love Me Tender, 1956. You should get lots of mail about this one. Who DOESN'T remember the first time they saw Elvis on the big screen. My parents took my brother and I on Christmas Day 1956 to the Alabama Theatre in B'ham.(we lived there then) I was so excited. My mean Uncle Ronny had told me over Christmas Dinner that Elvis died in the movie and as a 7 year old girl I had a hard Time understanding it was "just a movie". That soundtrack is still some of my favorite Elvis songs. Long live the King!
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Cecilia (Sis) Watson, Class of ‘68 - The movie was Love Me Tender and it came out in 1956. The song was beautiful , Elvis was young and so handsome. He once dated (according to her) Mrs. Sisson from Rison Jr. High!
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Eddie Burton, Class of '66 - That has got to be from the movie Love Me Tender. I'm sure there was a set of collecting cards from the movie featuring Elvis Presley, Richard Egan and Debra Paget. Elvis and Richard Egan played the Reno Brothers who were both in love with Debra Paget. I think the whole country was interested in seeing if Elvis could really act, and he wasn't bad. Later he fell into those awful formula films which were just another way to sell sound track albums and make money for Col. Tom's publishing companies. I was an Elvis fan. Seeing him on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 is what made me want to play the guitar which turned into a 25 year music career in Nashville.
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Jeff Fussell, Class of '66 - Elvis Presley trading cards? Despite my uncanny grasp of the obvious, I was checkmated on this. Where on earth did they keep this stuff hidden?
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Tommy Towery, Class of '64 - I remember getting these cards. When I first found them on e-Bay my thoughts went back to East Clinton Elementary School which I was attending when these came out. I also remember going to the movie to see Love Me Tender all the while trying to figure out how a Rock and Roll singer would have songs to sing in a movie set right after the Civil War. Wish I still had them as well as the airplane cards that went away with my other childish things.I think most of us have some fond memories of the title song and the early dancing/kissing parties we attended.
