Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

A Few Thoughts and Memories

About Bikes

by Tommy Towery

Class of '64

This is not going to be a lengthy article this week, but I hope it is enough to bring back a few memories.

The photo above is my new "Bike." It is classified as a bicycle in legal terms and does not require a title to be operated. It is by Tennessee law a "motorized bicycle" and thus is not required to be licensed and is "street legal."

This bike is battery powered by a 36 volt electric motor and can go up to 18 miles per hour on straight and level roads. It has a range of 35 miles on a full charge, but the most I've done is about 15 miles on the same charge. You may notice that my feet are sitting on the pedals which I have to use to climb some of the hills in my range. Almost every Saturday I go to the bank on it for a 7 mile round trip. I can also get to the post office, Walmart, and at least three grocery stores on safe routes that keep me out of heavy traffic. Part of my Saturday morning trips are made in bike lane which make it nice.

This is the last of my bikes. Growing up in Huntsville, bicycles were my primary means of transportation until I finally inherited the Bomb - my '53 Ford Customline. That was when I turned 16. Before that I rode bicycles all over the city. Perhaps one of my longest rides was from Maple Hill Cemetery to my girlfriend's house near Jordon Lane. There were also many trips up and down the mountain, and of course I got my Bicycling Merit Badge in the Boy Scouts.

In remembering my early Huntsville bicycles one thing stands out in common for most of them. Almost every bicycle I had during that period ended up being stolen. I'd go outside some morning and it would be gone. When I went to war and found myself in Guam, one of the first things I bought was a used bicycle to get around the base. Since I was only going to be there six months it was not worth the trouble to buy a car. I went outside my officer's quarters one morning to go to the exchange and guess what? My bike had been stolen.

This electric bike is a lot of fun for an old goat like me. I got it with the money I got from selling a small Honda Trail 70 that I traded a VCR for back in 1982. I kept it all these years in storage and sold it on eBay last year for $650. I used part of that money to buy the electric bike.

I thought about getting a Vespa, but they were too expensive and the way to work is too dangerous in the Memphis traffic. But speaking of Vespas, I will always remember Mack Yates had one. I don't know if he knows it or not, but I think he may have saved my life one day. At least he kept me from getting molested in the least.

I was at the Grand News Stand when this pervert started propositioning me. I think I was 14. Anyway, back then I didn't know what to do so I just left the building and he started following me. I was headed west on Clinton and this guy was in heavy pursuit when I look up and sitting there at the red light was Mack on his Vespa. I yelled at him and ran over and hopped on the back of the seat and told him to get out of there. We drove off, and the pervert turned and went back toward the news stand. I guess I should have turned him in to the police, but back then we didn't know much about that type of thing.

Anyway, a belated thank you to Mack. I'd love to hear from any of you with bike, motorbike, or motorcycles stories to share with the rest of the class. They can be memories or current. We just need some people to write in to us.

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A Diary Review:

Moving South, 2007

submitted by Dianne Hughey McClure

Class of '64

May 30, 2007 :

Just moved to Huntsville, Alabama from Chicago, Illinois. Now, this is a city that knows how to live! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! I watched the sunset from a park while lying on a blanket. It was beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here.

June 14, 2007 :

Really heating up. Got to 100 degrees today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30, 2007:

Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. The yard is a breeze to maintain! No more mowing the lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love living in Huntsville.

July 10, 2007 :

The temperature hasn't been below 100 degrees all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least it's kind of windy, but getting used to the heat and humidity is taking longer that I expected.

July 15, 2007:

Fell asleep by the pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body.) Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson, though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

July 20, 2007:

Morgan (our cat) sneaked into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car for lunch, Morgan had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the $2,000 leather upholstery. I told the kids that she ran away. The car now smells like Kibbles and shi**. I learned my lesson, though. No more pets in this heat.

July 25, 2007:

The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!

And it's hot as hell! The home air-conditioner is on the fritz, and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order the parts.

July 30, 2007:

Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. The monthly house payment is $1,500 and we can't even go inside. Why did I ever come here?

August 4, 2007:

It's 105 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today for a cost of $900.The temperature gets down to 78 degrees,but this freaking humidity makes the house feel like it's about 95 degrees. I hate this stupid city.

August 8, 2007:

If another wise ass person cracks, "Hot enough for you today?" I'm going to strangle him. Damn heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!

August 9, 2007:

Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts and sat on the black leather seats in the ol' car. I thought my ass was on fire. I lost two layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ass. Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ass, and baked cat.

August 10, 2007:

The weather report might as well be a damn recording. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to do anything for two damn months,and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this damn desert? Water rationing will be next, so I might as well watch $1,700 worth of cactus just dry up and blow into the damn pool. Not even cactus can live in this damn heat.

August 14, 2007:

Welcome to HELL!!! The temperature got to 105 degrees today. Forgot to crack the window and blew the damn windshield out of the car.The installer came to fix it and said, "Hot enough for you today?" My wife had to spend the $1,500 house payment to bail me out of jail.

Freaking South. What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here?

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