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
NASHVILLE - I came to Nashville this weekend to participate in a hot air balloon ride, but it was cancelled due to weather so I will have to reschedule it. Since that was what I planned to do the web site about this week, it put me a little behind the curve.
Thanks for all the kind words about the youtube flag videos. I'm not going to print all of them, but I do appreciate you all taking the time to thank me for them. The same goes for several replys about finding the Carter's. I'll follow up with those suggestions as soon as I can.
Please include your class year with your e-mails.
T. Tommy
________________________________________
Last Week's
Mystery Photo
This Week's
Mystery Photo
From Our
Mailbox
Coca-Cola Culture
by Eddie Sykes
Class of ‘66
My earliest memories of Cokes goes back to pre-school when living in Oak Ridge. Every Sunday we would go for a family car ride that would conclude with a stop for the coldest Coke in town, according to my Dad. It was the 6 ½ oz bottle from the service station Coke machine. It always had ice in it. That weekly Coke trip was a family event made into a game. The winner was the one that got the Coke bottle from a city the longest distance away from Oak Ridge. My dad would pull out a US map to settle any disputes. That outing and geography lesson ended when Cokes became available in six packs at the grocery store.
I worked in several grocery stores while going to Lee. We would play the same game for a dime or quarter. There was a US map in the back room with a string thumbed tacked on Huntsville that we used to measure the winner. My favorite job at the store was sorting bottles. I know all of you used to collect bottles to turn in to the store for the two cents deposit. Well someone had to sort all of those bottles down by product to return for refilling. Isn’t it amazing how a single product had such a social impact on our generation.
Think about this. Our first job was collecting bottles. Our first kiss was from playing spin the bottle. Our first date was “going out for a coke”. Most of us still call soft drinks - “Cokes”, even today! However, I think Double Cola was the first cola to come out with prizes under the cork on the cap. Royal Crown also made the first popular diet drink called Diet Rite Cola. The other brands had to be very creative to compete with Coca Cola because the brand name was so much a part of our culture. We all could identify with the theme communicated in the movie “Back to the Future” as it reflected on the cultural changes that took place during the fist 40 years of our lives.
One of my favorite bits was a dialog that took place at the soda fountain:
[In 1955, Tab and Pepsi Free were not invented yet]
Lou: You gonna order something, kid?
Marty McFly: Ah, yeah... Give me a Tab.
Lou: Tab? I can't give you a tab unless you order something.
Marty McFly: All right, give me a Pepsi Free.
Lou: You want a Pepsi, PAL, you're gonna pay for it.
Our generation saw all of these changes. Soft drinks migrated from the soda fountain, to the bottles in vending machines, to our refrigerators. Refrigerators were not massed produced until after the war in the late forties. By 1955 80% of American household had refrigerators. That changed the marketing strategy for many products like milk and Cokes. By 1960 milk and soft drinks were sold in grocery stores and the six pack of Coke replaced the trip out for one. I remember the cost of a carton of Cokes was a quarter plus deposit. Do you remember how big a 10oz bottle seemed when it first came out? The soft drink revolution had begun and every flavor and size imaginable hit the grocer shelf. Having a Coke was no longer a special event -- it just became a standard part of our everyday life.
I have one other special memory of Cokes. My Dad and I would watch the Alabama Football replay on TV on Sunday evenings. Coca Cola and Golden Flake sponsored the Bear Bryant show. Each show they would open an enjoy a Coke and potato chips and so would we.
____________________________________________
Subject:Carter's Skateland
Aaron Potts
In this week’s issue I saw where someone wanted some pictures of the skating rink. Not sure if you remember the “clown” there. It was Clayton Travis. Below is his information. If anyone might have pictures of the place it would probably be him. I don’t have an e-mail address for him. I hope this helps. Right now I have no idea where Jack and Betty are or if they ever had any children. I could be mistaken but they could have gone their separate ways.
__________________________________
Subject:Lee's Traveller Mousepads
Sarajane Steigerwald Tarter
Class of '65
I'd be glad to send a Lee High mousepad to anyone who would like one.
My email address is:
starter@hiwaay.net
Thanks for the tribute to our US flag on Highway 72. It must have taken you hours to do such a nice thing for us.
____________________________________
Subject:Looking for Ron McNeeley
Florence Sherwood
Class of '71
Does anyone know how I can contact Ron McNeeley from the Class of 1972? I have a wonderful story about his Dad that I would like to share with him. I haven't seen him since I graduated. Thanks!
From: Denver, Colorado
Email: fsherwood@helmenergy.com
________________________________
Jim Bannister, Class of '66 - Having been an executive with Birmingham Coca-Cola Bottling for several years, I will have to disqualify myself from identifying "Sprite Boy". I do, however, have a few other interesting things about Coke.
Does anyone know why the Coke bottle had its contour shape designed by the Root Company (They Root family still holds the patent)? Hint: Same reason the Grappico bottle had bumps.
Answer: In the early days of soft drink bottling ice was used to cool the product. Glass bottles were very expensive and the contour & ribs helped to secure a grip on the bottle.
__________________________________________
Dianne Hughey McClure
Class of '64
Has New Grandson
Just thought I would let you know I am a nana again. His name is Caden Driskill He weighted 7pounds and 8 oz and is 18 inches long and of course he is the cutiest baby at the hospital at this time. He has a whole head full of very dark brown hair He was born at 7:15 on July 2 Stella put in a bunch of labor hours but he was too comfortable is his little home so he had to be taken by c-section. Stella is doing okay Caden is in intensive care right now because he did not cry at birth and then quit breathing but he was given O2 and he seems to be doing good now. he has had a couple of periods of apnea since his birth but he is eating well his color is good and he is crying as he should. he will have to stay in the hospital for about a week for observation but I am feeling very positive about him.
I just thought I would let you know because important news should be shared with our friends.That makes Grace -12 and Cheyenne - 7, they are Kelli's girls and now Caden which is of course Stella's A new baby in the family is just what we need with everything else that is happening Babies always bring hope don't they?
____________________________________
Flintstones...We're The Flintstones
Carter's Skateland Style
by Judy Scarborough Milner and Sarajane Steigerwald Tarter
Class of '65
Does anybody remember dressing up in costumes to go to Carter’s? We think it must have been Halloween , around 1960, when we were just beginning our terrific teens. This was also the time when our creative imaginations kicked in. To the chagrin of our mothers, we decided to goes as Betty Rubble and Wilma Flintstone. Our costume design put our mothers to the test. Shirley (Steigerwald) was the dressmaker and Edith (Scarborough) was the jewelry craftswoman.
Our leopard/tiger print dresses were an “off the shoulder” design with short skirts and zigzag hemlines. The jewelry was the highlight of the costumes. Even Judy’s Chihuahua Honey contributed to the costumes by losing her treats for the next six weeks. We wore dog bone earrings, necklaces and anklets. Fashion magazines all over the world caught on to this trend.
Not being allowed to officially date, our parents provided us with cardboard faces of Barney and Fred. Pa Steigerwald and Ma Scarborough would have preferred that we continue dating similar characters until at least 30!
_______________________________________
Okay, so the photo may be easy for you, but ask your grandkids what it is? Most of you can identify the Mystery Photo, so why not send along your favorite story about one of these?
