Lee High School - Huntsville Alabama Alumni

Subject:Grady Reeves

Suzanne Pettus Thomason

HHS Class of '64

I enjoyed the latest newsletter. I especially enjoy the writings about Grady Reeves. His son, Robert, is a friend of mine. Another friend of mine, Larry, and I made a record at First Methodist Church in Huntsville when Larry was 4 and I was 5. I played the piano and Larry sang. ( I played by ear.) The record was titled "It is No Secret (what God can do)". Grady played it every morning on WBHP while we were eating breakfast, and it would be followed by "Mr. Sandman" by the Maguire Sisters.

You make me think of the good times we had as we were growing up. Thanks for that!

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Medical Info

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.

Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

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Huntsville High's

Class of '64

Seeking Reunion Assistance

by Suzanne Pettus Thomason

HHS Class of '64

I have chaired the last three HHS '64 reunions. I put a message on Classmates.com to let those who are members know that we won't be having the reunion this year. I have a lot of people I am trying to find, especially emails for them. It is much harder this year to find classmates because of the privacy act. I went to "address.com" before and got the addresses, but I can't do that any more. Some have retired, moved to another location, remarried, etc. so it is very hard for me to find them. Especially the "girls".

Our last reunion in 2004 was great. However, we had several classmates that asked that their information not be shared with people on the reunion committee or with other classmates, so I have the only copy of the database with everyone's snailmail/email addresses, landline/cell phone numbers, etc. I try to keep it updated, but some people don't think to let me know when they move or change any information. The hardest part of planning a reunion is finding everyone to try to get them here. I would appreciate any help you can give me.

(Editor's Note: I know we have a lot of readers who haven't requested update emails from me, so I do not know who they all are. If you have any friends, relatives or co-workers who were in the Huntsville High School Class of '64 please ask them to contact Suzanne.)

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Woody Beck, Class of '65 stands by grave of Aaron Potts' father in France.

Why Do I Do What I Do?

by Tommy Towery

Class of '64

I probably ask that question to myself more often than you folks ask me. Sometimes, when email is slow or someone gets upset about something I write, or it's late at night and I'm tired but I know I still have to get the site published, I ask it a lot. Then every so often I get reminded of the answer. It often comes as the result of some small piece that I publish in one of the weekly issues of Lee's Traveller. It might be something small and insignificant to me, but it might be very important to someone else. I felt that good feeling a couple of years ago when I helped find the owner and orchestrated the return of a class ring that had been lost for 33 years on Monte Sano Mountain.

(http://leealumni.homestead.com/040308.html)

That feeling came back to me again this week, through a series of emails and photos that were shared with me. I was just the mediator in the story, and this story is not about me, but it makes me feel like I have done something to help someone else, and that is what it is all about.

It started with a simple email from Woody Beck, Class of '65:

Subject:Trip to Normandy

Woody Beck

Class of '65

On 3 June I'm headed to Normandy again for the 65th anniversary of D-Day. This will be my 5th or 6th visit to those beaches. I've also visited the Battle of the Bulge region of Belgium/Luxembourg/Germany multiple times. If there were Lee graduates (or non-graduates) who would like to visit those historic areas, I'd love to put together a trip. If you know of anyone who might be interested, how about passing this along.

Unfortunately it came too late for any of us to take him up on it, but it spurred Aaron Potts to reply that he wished he could, since his dad was killed in action and was buried there. He asked me for Woody's email address and contacted him.

Upon his return from the trip, Woody sent this email to Aaron:

Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 7:18 AM

To: Aaron Potts

Subject: Normandy

Aaron,

Got back from Normandy at 9pm last night. It was very emotional. Because of all the security (Presidents Sarkozy, Obama and Prime Ministers Brown and Harper, and Prince Charles, and a whole nest of others), they weren't permitting sand buckets so I had to take the photo of your dad's grave without darkening the letters...I've got a couple of other things I'll send you next week in the mail to your home address.

Cheers,

Woody

Aaron sent this reply to Woody and CC'ed me:

Good morning Woody,

If Mr. Webster could only tell me the words to show you how much I appreciate you going to the trouble to do this for me. You did a remarkable job with the pictures. I was so excited to get them. How can I ever repay you for this? June is usually trying time for me and the older I get the more trying it gets. I can't get over the way you went out of your way to assist me in these pictures

You need to let me pay you for the trouble I have caused you and to show my appreciation for you taking the pictures and sending them to me. If you only knew how much I missed my dad as a child growing up. My mother was forced to go to work and basically leave us at home alone from the first grade until she retired. Consequently, I never knew both of my parents.

But, once again, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you keeping us in mind when you were there. I hope you had a wonderful time and I’m glad so glad you returned safely!! With the planes falling out of the sky I’m always reluctant to put my life in their hands.

Thanks again and my family members thank you as well!!

Sincerely,

Aaron

The next email in the group was from Woody back to Aaron:

Aaron,

I was honored to do it. As it turns out, I'll be in Huntsville on Saturday. Got time for coffee Saturday morning? Just give me a location in Decatur and a time, and I'll meet you there. I'll just bring the thing I was going to mail.

Next came the final email below, which was sent to me, and culminates the entire exchange between the two classmates. It gives me a warm feeling inside. It shows what a great person Woody Beck really is and how little it takes to make a difference in someone else's life.

Tommy,

I had an opportunity to meet with Woody Beck today and I was too stunned for words. He had gone to the D-Day invasion ceremonies and brought me back the flags that were placed on my dad’s grave. He also brought back a “shoulder patch” that commemorated the 65th year of the landing. We got together at Mullins and I got an opportunity to meet his brother.

Tommy, thanks for being the “go between” and helping to arrange the meeting with Woody. Just “thank you” is no where enough for your personal attention with the classmates. How can we ever thank you?

Sincerely,

Aaron

Thanks Woody, and thanks Aaron for allowing me to share in this human interest story. It is one for the books.

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