Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

An Evening With Linda

by Tommy Towery

Class of '64

When we made our last minute trip to Huntsville last weekend, Sue and I invited whoever that wanted to join us for dinner to meet us at Mullin's. We got several regret e-mails and one acceptance. The acceptance was from my Class of '64 classmate, Linda Taylor.

We were also happy to see a friend from the Rison-Dallas Association, Ann Franklin who shared a few minutes of time with all of us. Ann had to fill me in on the planned Rison-Dallas Association's reunion which is scheduled for August 4th, 2007. We'll have more on that later.

Ann had to leave but we spent the evening eating and visiting with Linda, catching up on old times and new lives. After we ate we drove around Huntsville a while, visiting Lee and then up to the mountain to see the lights. Linda treated us to ice cream at Bruster's and let me tell you that a double scoop is more than just two scoops - it's like a pint of ice cream.

We talked a lot of retirement and of current jobs, and about our mutual hobby of photography. I asked Linda to send me an e-mail about what she is doing now in her second career, working for a company called Holbrook working with planning student travel. Below is what she had to tell me.

"The pleasure was all mine, spending time with longtime friends, sharing the enjoyment of common pleasures of photography, travel, and a city I truly love. Huntsville, by choice, even after having traveled around the country with my dad in the computer industry from early on (late 50's) and then my parents moving back to California and Florida, has been my home. I have never wanted to "come home" to anywhere else, even after having traveled over a lot of the world.

I must admit, I do have a job I love, however, there are two sides to it. The working, everyday side of working with educators to plan field adventures wherever they want to take their students, or do research, or just to travel with friends that love learning and adventure. This is the fun part of being on a computer everyday and on the phone a lot!! Or, having someone call you at 1:00am stranded at the airport in Belize!! But, the other side is extremely rewarding, getting to travel with a group that I have coordinated their field adventure and working national educator conferences around the US, attending workshops, meeting some fantastic research people in the field, seeing parts of the US I haven't seen and teaching our Field Based Learing Seminar in Costa Rica that (training program for teachers). The end of July I will be working the GLOBE conference in San Antonio (never been to the Alamo!) with a couple of extra days to see the place and then leaving to join one of my groups, a horticultural professor from Virginia with a small group of students, in Honduras for a couple of weeks. I do work for a fabulous company whose mission is definitely on the right track.

I don't want it to sound like I'm trying to sell a trip, but just thought it could be really fun for us to do. Whatever you think. Please add to or edit if you want.

With having said that, I would love to do a trip for those of our group sometime that enjoy traveling and learning, appreciating and respecting other cultures and environments and having a heck of a lot of FUN! We could start with our own Private Reserve in Costa Rica! Great Rainforest Lodge, the best food!, river cruise and white water rafting, ziplining, hiking, horseback riding, active volcanoes, research stations, museums, ruins.......animals like you've never seen in the wild! Photography where you can't miss. Anytime a few would like to do this, just let me know. The only reason I'm saying this is because most of us are retired and it is time to enjoy some of what life has to offer that we haven't had the time to do previously and I am in a position where I can help us do it. See how easy this is for me to get a great "academic price" for us: Lee High School Alumni Adventure! Those good old school days can still be good for something!!

Seeing you guys is always a treat! I especially enjoyed the time spent with you."

Maybe we need to get Linda and Eddie Sykes to work together to get a trip planned for some of us. Eddie has some great ideas about getting a cruise together for his classmates, if he could ever get anyone to commit to it, but that's another story.

Anyway, it was a great visit with Linda and we envy her for finding a job doing something she really cares about. I think it would be great to go on a trip with her someday (with Sue also, of course!)

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Linda Beal Walker, Class of '66 - MagiCubes were flash cubes I used on my Kodak flash camera. The cubes were made so you would get 4 flashes from one cube and with 3 in a box, there were 12 flashes for the film with 12 pictures on it. I think I still have that camera. That was the beginning of my photography hobby. I have seven 35m camera, 1 polaroid and no digital camera. My ex-husband never knew what to get me for those "special" occasions so I managed to get several different lenses, a tripod and even a camera or two. And it began with the Kodak with the MagiCubes.

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Dink Hollingsworth, Class of '65 - The mystery item is a pack of flash cubes for cameras and took the place of individual flash bulbs for cameras that used a film cartridge. There were four flashes per cube.

When Marty and I were in Germany we had a German Long Hair Dachshund and each time we took indoor slides, the dog would go crazy barking and making a fuss. For some time we thought he was afraid of the flash until I dropped on one the floor while changing cubes. He snapped the cube up and ran to his bed and when I tried to get it away from him, it was like taking a bone from him. He never chewed any of them but kept them in his "stash".

Very strange behavior but it was fun when we got him home to watch relatives wonder why the dog would go crazy when we were taking slides and by this time I would just flip him the cube and he was content.

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Don Blaise, Class of '64 - Those cubes were “magic” because once you inserted them on the top of the camera one had four shots before changing to another cube. If I remember correctly each time you took a picture the cube would automatically revolve to the next flash bulb position. Your time and dedication to keeping this site up is so very much appreciated. Thanks,

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John Turrentine, Class of '65 - The Majic Cube was a photo flash that automatically rotated to the next side of the cube and you were ready for another photo using the flash.

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Dianne Hughey McClure, Class of '64 - These cubes were used on cameras for the "flash" pictures.It would turn automatically when you took a flash picture four pictures could be taken before the cube had to be changed.

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Barb Biggs Knott, Class of '66 - As far as the mystery photo goes, If I am remembering these correctly, there were 4 flashes on each cube and it rotated on the camera when you used it. I had a camera that used these, but it was so long ago. I could be completely wrong about them but I don’t think so.

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Subject:Skating

Linda Beal Walker

Class of '66

From the video, it looks like you still remember the skating moves. I was only a street skater, nothing fancy, just speed and noise. I could not do that now. I fall just walking out of the office off the curb and without wheels. (February 15, 2007 - and I'm going to be hobbling for quite awhile. )

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Subject:Carter's Skateland

Aaron Potts

One of the first to attend Lee

Your story of Carters Skateland was very interesting because I also knew Linda Pell and Sherry Adcock. I was dating Sally Black at the time and Jerry Fanning was my best friend. He was dating either Janice Weidman or Kay Mc Karen but we would go to Carters almost every Friday and Saturday night. I was not very good at the “two step” but I liked the “sweetheart waltz” and the “bounce”.

One Saturday evening while skating, we were on couples only and as Sally and I started toward the center of the rink, we were going to turned at the center. I lost my balance and rather than pull Sally down with me, I turned loose and sit down on my butt. As I started to get up, Sherry and the person she was skating with were on the opposite side of the rink and as I started to get up, she put out her skate to turn around and struck me in the back of the head. It knocked me as cold as a limp dish cloth. Not only did the skate hit me but it sent my head onto the floor. I don’t think Sherry even lost her balance. Carter’s was one of the best places I can remember that we went. I certainly do miss those days. We also had another good friend named Don Medlin. Don has since passed away and he was a good friend that I could trust with my life as I felt the same about Jerry Fanning. Linda Pell and Sherry Adcock skated so well, anyone would have thought they were professionals. Sally could skate almost as well as they did.

Jerry Fanning had a pair of DOUGLAS SNYDER skates and I always wanted a pair but couldn’t afford them. When those wheels rolled, you couldn’t hear the bearings and they were so smooth. Thanks for the memories Tommy. At least I can look back and think of the time when I was young and the only thing I had to worry about was when the next week-end would come. That is one chapter in my life that will never die as long as I can breathe. As far as I am concerned, those were the happiest days of my life.

Thanks again Tommy and you are doing a remarkable job.

(Editor's Note: I had a pair of skates like that as well. I was given them by Gene Bales, a friend of my brother Don. They were called precission wheels, and I loved them. Still have them by the way!)

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Subject:Skating and Writing

Linda Cianci

Class of '66

Tommy, my thanks also for faithfully keeping everyone in touch with the past.

I think the cubes are flash cubes, perhaps for Instamatic cameras.

Speaking of skating, I also have fond memories of skating at Carter's. Never did learn to skate backwards. Going backwards - to around the early 60s - I got the most thrill out of what I called line skating. Jerry Brewer would be on the inside, plus four or five more would hold hands, and the one on the outside got a real thrill - didn't even have to move their feet, just hold on for dear life (sometimes let go to save their life). Fast-forward to around 1984 - the first time I'd tried skating since around 1963/4 (and last time). I stepped onto the floor, with little girls from my Sunday School class on each hand, and that's all I remembered for a time. Down I went - you guessed it....no hands. My tailbone remembered that trip down memory lane for about two months.

Thanks for the prompting to write letters. I teach English to international women and have taken up letter writing again to communicate with them when they go home. Each is amazed that I would hand-write them letters. I really like the instant communication by email, but there's nothing like getting those letters from them. Our postman usually brings them to the door and seems to enjoy telling me I got another letter from Japan or China, or wherever, as much as I enjoy getting them. Another benefit is the improvement of my handwriting; it was starting to look rough from lack of use.

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Subject:Carter's

Barb Biggs Knott

Class of 66

Thanks for your memories about skating and Carter’s Skateland. I loved skating there. When I think of Carter’s, I remember the ‘Suicides’ (soda) and the song “A Thousand Stars in the Sky”. I can’t remember who sang that one, but I remember skating to it.

(Editor's Note: It was done by Kathy Young...here's a youtube video of her performing it recently.

Watch a modern performance by clicking here.

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Fountain Pens

by Jim Bannister

Class of ’66

Amused by Eddie Syke’s article and inspired by the Editor’s note in last week’s Traveller, I went looking for resources to write a proper letter. A real fountain pen and stationary were a must. A fountain pen will even make my scrawl, which has been compared to hen scratch and Chinese Braille, look elegant. In a small box amongst several Pez dispensers and other must have items I hit the jackpot, not only one but two fountain pens. This started me down memory lane. I remember the 4th grade when I first learned to use a fountain pen. The pens were as large as a Churchill cigar and had to be filled by dipping the nib into a bottle of ink and pulling down on a lever on the side of the pen. What a mess! This was done strictly under the close supervision of the teacher. I think the cartridge ink pens became available in the 5th grade. A lot cleaner method but by the end of penmanship class everyone was still covered in ink. Washable blue, yeah, right!

I finally mastered the fountain pen and continued to use one even after ballpoint pens became the writing instruments of convenience. Permanent black became my ink of choice. I wrote many letters, memos, and other communications with my trusty fountain pen. Then NCR forms virtually put an end to the fountain pen. “Press hard for multiple copies”. The fountain pen was relegated to only personal correspondence. Then computers, word processors, and E-mail killed that usage. Until now, with the inspiration of our “Most Illustrious Editor”, I will attempt to revive the letter writing skills learned in grammar school (if I can find some ink).

Attached is a photo of several of my historical pens. L-R ·A Cross ballpoint pen , given to me as a high school graduation gift. The matching pencil has long been lost.

·A Sheafer 22kt gold-filled fountain pen that I bought in Japan in 1971.

This is an “Old Friend” and my favorite.

·A Mont Blanc fountain pen & matching ballpoint pen. The symbols of my executive status in the ‘80’s. Both are fine writing instruments.

·A Bic Stick ballpoint pen. This is what I use now on a daily basis. You can’t read my writing anyway.

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