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Memphis, TN. - Didn't graduate? You can still participate!We have many readers who went to school with the Lee group but for some reason did not "really" graduate with us. We haven't forgotten you.Please accept our invitation to attend our reunion this year. Some of you elected to drop out of school before you finished. Some of you moved away. Some of you got transferred to a different school district. It doesn't matter the reason, you are still one of us.This happened to me in a way. I went to Huntsville Junior High for the seventh and eighth grade but moved to Lee's district before I started the ninth. I still have many of the Huntsville crowd that I call friends and identify with.So, whatever the reason, you're still invited to come party with us in August. Please contact the person who is the contact person for the class you most identify with, and ask to be put on their contact list for future mailings.We'll keep all of you posted on the progress of our plans.Please include your class year with your e-mails.It is confirmed. The reunion will be held August 20th & 21st at the Marriott.If you think you'll be able to attend this year, please let us know that too. It will help the committee make financial decisions. We are fortunate to have the ability to combine the three class years as we do so that expenses can be shared. If you've never been involved in planning an event of this size you would probably be surprised at the costs involved. Any contracts signed and committments made have to be honored so the committee has to make sure those expenses are covered. So the more participation we have the more we can do to ensure that the reunion will be a success. While you may be a faithful Traveller "weekly reader", there are many of our fellow classmates that still do not know about this site. And while Tommy has also set up a Facebook page for the reunion, we think it is best not to use that site to share personal information. So, please contact your class representative ASAP. And pass the word to any other classmates you may see or have contact with.Even if you do not plan to attend or are not sure if you’ll be able to attend the upcoming reunion, please send in your information. And please encourage other classmates that you may be in contact with to do the same. And check the Traveller each week for planning updates.The tale of the 1965 senior prom, which you read so avidly three weeks ago, was interrupted by a nasty little bit of surgery on the author's nose. This was the result of too many summers of mowing grass in Lakewood, unprotected by sunscreen or hat. But, as I was saying.....After planning the prom, getting a band, and selecting the refreshments, there were only two major tasks remaining: inviting a date and decorating the school cafeteria. It never occurred to anyone that the prom could have been held anywhere else. Inviting someone to go to the prom was a particularly daunting interpersonal challenge for someone who not "going steady." I remember considerable anxiety amongst the guys. For some, they never went out with anyone and a cold call was particularly intimidating. Some went bowling instead. For others who occasionally had dates with different young females, the challenge was fraught with peril. I was in the latter group and understood that my whole summer vacation could be affected by the situation. There were three candidates in my case but happily only one was a senior, Linda Davis (permission granted by the named for use in this story). That made it easier. However, someone jokingly pointed out to me that Linda had attended the 1964 Senior Prom with my nemesis, Bob Ramsey, president of that venerable first senior class. When I mentioned the jest to Linda, she found nothing amusing about it and and became quite frosty. I very nearly had to pursue a lass in the class of 1966. Of course, all Lee girls seemed to know everything and I could easily have ended up at the bowling alley on prom night. But Linda cooled down and we went together. She was surpassingly lovely and the evening was splendid.Decorating the cafeteria was an immense chore which was managed by our class thespians and set designers. I'm embarrassed that I can not name those most involved. My only contribution to decorating was to find "fencing material" to hide the green ceramic tiles on the walls. As the theme was "Tender Is the Night," Someone showed me a catalog that had a perfect product. This was a roll of corrugated paper decorated to look like a stone wall covered with green ivy. It was a bit expensive, around $60, and arrived just a day or two before the prom. To our astonishment, it fit perfectly between the floor and bottoms of the cafeteria windows and was able to be installed in half an hour. As my job was finished, I left the cafeteria in shambles at about 2 pm on prom day thinking that the theater set crew could not possibly complete the task. One group was trying to make the six columns in the cafeteria into weeping willow trees. This involved creating an eight foot wide chicken wire cage around the tops of the columns and then draping green crepe paper strips over the cage to create the weeping branches. It looked good on paper but turned out be very hard to do. When I left at two, only one pillar was partly done and there were five to go. Another crew was building a southern mansion front porch in front of the cafeteria serving lines. The band was to play on the front porch. That part was in good shape. There was a lighting crew as well since fluorescent ceiling lights did nothing for either the mood or our complexions. I had no idea how that would turn out.After picking up Linda around 6 pm we had to pose for pictures at her house and drive over to my house for my mother's photo op. It is amazing what a white dinner jacket and a prom gown can do for a young couple. It was very, very cool and I have photos to prove it. We arrived at the prom at dusk and I was very nervous as to what the theater crowd might have done. Entering the cafeteria through a white arbor, I was stunned to see the transformation. The lights were low, the six weeping willows were fluttering in the air conditioned breeze, and the southern mansion was glimmering in twilight. There were even stars. The stone wall I had contributed, however, was mostly hidden by chairs. The football players needed somewhere to sit and watch the dancing. But it was spectacular and even Mr. Hamilton was knocked out by the beauty. The third and final installment of this gripping tale will feature the exploits of the clean-up committee and the unwise decision that nearly sent your class president and the student body president to jail. A few contributions from classmates about your own prom adventures, appropriately censored, would add color to the story. 
ReunionJerry's and Reunion GolfReunionWe were sorry to learn that the Class of '67 lost another classmate back in February and we are just now hearing about it. She was a regular contributor to Lee's Traveller and her presence will be missed.
