Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

What Was in that Room?

by Tommy Towery

Class of '64

On the same side of the building as "A" wing was "B" wing. It was farther to the rear of the building, but as I said, it was on the same side. I remember that it was a primary exit to the side parking lot when classes were over.

This wing was the wing that had a lot of activities, rather than classroom type work. Most of the stories I remember from Lee took place in this wing - not counting the stories about walking around the halls every day. I also seem to remember that in my senior year, the rooms were not used for the same things that the Student Handbook had them listed for, but the major rooms were correct. And does anyone know what the label for the room between G and H is?

I also have a story that I feel compelled to write, which is in the left column of this page.

Can you identify the uses for the rooms in "B" wing? Please put you class year with your answers.

______________________________________

A Not So Happy

Lee Memory

by Tommy Towery

Class of '64

If you look at the photo of "B" wing, right above the "F" was the site of an event that I consider one of the darkest times in my high school days, and one that I wish that I could go back and change. I don't know if anyone else remembers it, but if you do I wish you would email me with your thoughts.

The story concerns a person who was treated as badly and picked on more than anyone else I know who went to Lee. He was in the 9th grade at Lee Junior High with us when I started there in 1960 and I know he was around in 1959 because that is where I got his photo. His name was John Purdy. I didn't put his name under the photo because I wanted you to see if you recognized him without it.

I think John would fit better in this world today than he did back in the Sixties. John was soft spoken and gentle, as opposite from a jock as you could get. And because of that, and the way people were back then, he was picked on unmercifully. Whenever I think of John I think of the day that he came to school wearing a green vest, made out of burlap. John wore it proudly since it was made for him by either his mother or grandmother. It didn’t look bad, but was ahead of its time. Had he worn it in San Francisco in the late Sixties, he would have fit right in. But it was Huntsville, Alabama and the year was 1960. It was not San Francisco in 1968.

His joy in the vest was soon gone as several of the jocks started picking on him for wearing a “tote sack”. My shame is in the fact that although I did not tease him myself, I did not stand up for him either. I am sure that I joined in with the rest of the class as we laughed at the teasing.

This went on most of the day and after lunch, when we were changing rooms between periods, he was verbally assaulted again by one of the jocks as he walked out of room F. I was there when that happened as well. Like “Tommy” in the Kenny Rogers song "Coward of the County", John had taken all he could take. He hauled off and let a fist fly, catching the jock right in the face and down the bully went. I was sure that John would be expelled for that. I felt such trauma in wondering what would happen to him. I had never seen a punch thrown in school. There had been many schoolyard fights after school let out, but never had I witnessed someone actually hitting someone in the face inside the school.

John went to the office for sure, but he was not expelled. I don’t even think he was suspended. I really don’t know the outcome of the incident. I think people picked on him less after that. I do know that it still haunts me today, remembering how badly he was treated by me and my classmates back then, and knowing how great a bunch of friends you all are and how caring you are today. I wish that we could have matured a little sooner.

In the online Social Security Death Index, I found a John Purdy, from Madison, Alabama who was born in July of 1946 and has a Social Security Number that is 867 numbers higher than my own. While I cannot say for sure it is him, I have to believe that it is. This John Purdy died in March 1981 – 27 years ago. If it were not too late, I would tell John that I am sorry. In my own way, I am doing that now the only way I know how.

____________________________

Above is the diagram from the Student Handbook.

Jeff Fussell, Class of '66 - To the best of my recollection, the rooms on the diagram were:

A: The Cafeteria

B: A/V Room (my study hall)

C: (Blank)

D: Band Room

E: Choral Room

Methinks the rest room next to the choral room was the boys' room, so the top one must have been the ladies' room. If I'm wrong about that, it sure won't be the first time!

_________________________________________

Gary Grimme, LHS 1965-66

A. Lunch Room

B. Audio Visual (also used as a study hall)

C. Art

D. Band

E. Choral

Have to admit that I cheated on this one, as I had to go to my LHS Student Handbook from 1965-66 to remember what these rooms were. Or, at least, this is what these rooms were from 1965-66. I have no idea which restroom was the boys/girls; heck, I didn't even remember that there were any restrooms there!

___________________________________

Sarajane Steigerwald Tarter, Class of '65 - I think I know some of the information on the drawing.

A was the cafeteria or lunchroom

B (I think) was a Science room (This was my homeroom in 7th grade and Mrs. Bryson taught us Science)

C was the Art room (I was Minnie Hedden's aid a couple years)

D was the Band room

E was the Choral room (Carol Jean and I plus four other girls were in a group called the 'Sextets' until Ms Graham realized that I couldn't

sing!)

The girls restroom was on the north side of the drawing (I think).

____________________________________

Eddie Burton, Class of '66 - Wasn't A the lunch room or cafeteria? I'm sure I'm wrong. It's been 42 years for me. Heck I'm lucky if I can remember where I ate lunch yesterday, let alone 42 years ago.

___________________________________

Escoe German Beatty, Class of '65 - I think I can name all but "B" ... "A" is the cafeteria (or better known the ballroom for proms, Sadie Hawkins dances, etc.)..."C" was Mrs. Hedden's art room..."D" was Mr. Foleys band room ..."E" was Miss Georgette Graham's choral room first and then became Mr. Jenkins after her. The girls powder room was next to the art room "C". Remember how we all had to go to the lunch room in a straight line and then line up in the back of the room to exit back down the hall? Does any one remember that during homeroom a head count would be taken of how many were going to buy lunch and then a runner would take the number to the office? Remember always on Fridays we had a square fish stick with a slice of lemon on top...I know because I would only eat the lemon! What the heck was "B"???

_________________________________

Vern & Joan (Graybill) Lucas, Class of '64 - Tommy, Joan challenged me to remember the rooms on 'A' wing, but I was unable to remember anything but the Lunch and the Band rooms. She however remembers the folowing:

A-Lunch Room

B-Home Economics

C-Art

D-Band

E-Choral

The top Restroom was the girls

Thanks for the challenge, but next time how about more 'left brained' question. Joan always beats me with these sort of questions. Vern

____________________________

Linda Beal Walker, Class of '66 - I do not know the name of a TV series with Kenneth Tobey and I didn't want to Google it this week; however, I do know that he starred in the movie "The Thing from Another World" (I have two copies - B&W and colorized). This is one of my two favorite all time movies, and was the first appearance of James Arness (way before Gunsmoke), who played as the Thing. It was not as gruesome as the remake, but I still like the way the dogs bit off the Thing's hand and the scientists determined that it was vegetable matter and then the mad scientist fed it plasma and little pod "Things" began to grow, and the Thing was killed by "cooking" it. Ah, good old simple science fiction.

_______________________________

Charlie Hancock, Class of '66 - Is this weeks mystery photo from "The Whirlybirds?" It was a series of the adventures two young guys that ran a helicopter service.

____________________________________

Another Story From

The “A” Wing

By Tommy Towery

Class of ‘64

One of my greatest memories of events that happened in the “A” Wing of Lee High School still brings smiles to my face. It is behind the reason why I asked which was the boy’s and which was the girl’s restroom in that wing. The story goes back to the days of wrap-around skirts and when they became popular at Lee. One day, after lunch we were walking back to the classrooms and I was walking behind a very popular and very attractive classmate, whose name I shall not reveal. She was walking down the hall and was looking behind her talking to someone as she walked. She did not see the fire extinguisher hanging on the south wall and she clipped the handle of it hooking the strap from her skirt into the handle. The fire extinguisher did not give, but the knot in the skirt did, and the wrap-around skirt, un-wrapped around. Feeling the rush of air I suppose, the girl grabbed onto the skirt just before it hit the ground and rushed into the close by girl’s restroom, her white panties and bare skin legs given a heart-jumping show to a poor teenage boy with puberty hormones racing. Had the restroom not been so close, it would have been an awesome sight watching her run down the hall with her skirt trailing behind like the tail of a kite. Ah…sweet memories. <Smile>