Merry New Year

Sorry I've been incommunicado the past week or so, but I have a grandson visiting for Christmas and he's distracted me away from things like this. Christmas, at least the gift giving part, was made for the little ones. My two youngest, who are still at home, have gotten to the age where they almost politely take off the paper and what's inside doesn't bring the response that it does from a 5 year old. But last year with my grand daughters in Hawaii, and this year with Owen, has brought back the excitement of Christmas morning.

Now the new year is just a few days away. Can you believe it's been almost 38 years since we graduated? Just think for a second about everything that's happened over that time. From the original dark uncertainty of what you were going to do with your life to the ups and downs of life in general. From the birth of kids to the birth of grand kids. From goals achieved to goals you've had to surrender. From the sweet to the bitter.

The new year is a chance to start something new, so here's wishing each and every one of you a good and prosperous new year.

Snow Cream

Saturday night we got about 6" of snow. It was our second snowfall of the winter and I really don't mind it all that much. Whenever it snows I can't help but think about making snow cream. As a kid, when it snowed a decent amount, the next best thing to do after riding sleds was to make snow cream... and maybe a batch of no bake cookies to go along with it while we warmed up by playing Monopoly or something like that.

I love snow cream. I don't know that there was an exact recipe for it, we just dumped everything together until it tasted right, but if I had to guess it would be something like this.

A bunch of snow
A cup of sugar
A cup of milk
2 or 3 teaspoons of vanilla

We used a dish pan piled high with snow to make it, so it had to be at least a couple of gallons of snow to start out with. It didn't really matter, because the snow partially melts when you poured the liquid into it. The rest of the ingredients are basically to taste, you play with it until you like it. I've heard some folks use an egg or two, but I'll pass on that. Oh, and obviously the snow had to be clean.

Mom wouldn't let us make it with the first snowfall of the year, but heck, most years we only got one snow, so sometimes we would go 2 or 3 years between batches. I read somewhere that if you wait until after the first 2 or 3 inches of a new snow, and there are no pollution sources nearby, the snow will be clean enough. And of course you have to shy away from where the animals live and feed. You know, as Frank Zappa says, "Watch out where the huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow. " :)

Anyway, one of these days I'm going to make it when the grand kids are around. I think that would be something to pass along to them before the store bought stuff ruins their taste buds. I hear Mayfield's makes a flavor called Snow Cream, but there is no way anything that comes from a plant tastes as good as the fresh snow that came from the field across from the house. Absolutely no way.

Brenda's Granddaughter

Her name is Kaylee Jo and she's 4. If you look close enough you'll see Brenda. :)

Donna's Grandchildren

Here is her new grandson, Jordyn Wayne, who was born November 29th, and her granddaughter Jayden Nicole, who is 3. Oh, and the proud grandmother too. :)

Merry Christmas

Like a lot of other people, I love Christmas. The recent events aside, most people seem to be in good spirits this time of year. I know at our house, as I'm sure at some of yours too, there wasn't always a lot under the tree, but it was still a time to laugh and just be together.

At school it was fun too. I think we stopped drawing names in about the 6th grade, which was good because it was around that time when girls got to be very hard to buy for. I had no idea what they wanted or liked. I cringed the last two years hoping I wouldn't draw a girl, but much to Carolyn Brewster's chagrin, one year I did. But even with all that it was still fun.

Christmas is tailor made for family and friends. That's sort of what I have in mind for this blog, made for friends. I want to wish each of you a very merry Christmas, and a very happy and healthy new year.

We're almost 2 years old, and I'm grateful for each of you who stop by. And to those who stop by and don't let us know who you are, how about saying "Hi" some day. I guarantee it will make someone smile. None of us really pester anyone. Heck, I don't email no more than once every couple month or so, if that often.... unless I get sort of a conversation going, because I can be gabby. :)

What A Difference Time Makes

Last night my car broke down. It was the first snow of the year and freezing *ss cold. We had to sit there about 45 minutes until our youngest son was finished with basketball practice so he could come to our aid. Up until last night that had always been the other way around... we were going to get him when he broke down.

As we sat there in the dark we started talking about how much things had changed. When we were younger we would almost look forward to things like that. Broke down? Oh well, make the most of it! My old chevy used to grind to a stop every thousand miles or so. I kept a tire iron under the seat and would get out, raise the hood and whack the carburetor a couple of times and it was good for another thousand miles. Of course my date didn't always know that when it chugged to a stop. :)

And if you did break down that just meant you were late getting to wherever you were going, it didn't necessarily mean your night was going to be any shorter. You just stayed out longer. But last night all we could think about was how cold it was and how miserable it was sitting in the dark like that, and were we out having a good time? Nope. We were going to the store to pick up prescriptions.

What a difference time makes.

What's Up With This?

I saw this story on yesterday's sentinel website about the redevelopment of Loudon.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/dec/02/new-loudon-is-preserving-the-old/

The thing that stuck out, at least for me, is that there is nobody FROM Loudon in it. The "historian" is from Louisville, TN and the other person listed is a developer or something. It reads more like a commercial than a news story.

Not to sound disrespectful or anything... I still love my hometown... but who is going to buy condos along a stretch of river that is polluted with industries on the other side that stink to high heaven on some days?

Who's Who

There are posts here about classmates who are missing and who we've lost touch with, but we haven't really said who is here. I think everyone who has supported this blog as we've moved along should take a bow. This way, when someone new checks in they can see that it's not all me and also get some idea who they're likely to run into if they hang around here long enough.

First and foremost there are the big 3... and no, I don't mean that kind of big... I just mean without them, this blog would be pretty darned bare.

Kathey Guider Lilly -- This whole thing grew out of a comment she made, so it's really her idea.
Donna Morgan Hamil -- She and Brenda have beat the bushes a lot looking for people and spreading the word about this blog. Between the two of them I don't think there's too many classmates left around Loudon who haven't heard about this.
Brenda Nicholson Blankenship - She can remember more stuff than I thought humanly possible.

Also there from the beginning were:

Sandra Fagg Shaw
Nelda Scott Queener
Estes Queener

Those that drop by occasionally include:

Mike Littleton
Darlene Green Williams
Janis Gray Terry
Kay Collis Gordon
Sharon Crawley West
Sylvia Robinson

Those that have dropped by from time to time or supported the blog in other ways include:

Delphia Shelton Presley
Ricky Mitchell
Bo Carey
Susan Rudd
Buddy Guider
Doug Adkins
Tony Woody -- our newest member

Those who know about the blog but do not have, or don't use, the internet include:

Becky Poole Blankenship
Dickie Blankenship
Mack McNew
Doug Christian
Michael Schrimpshire
Sue Crisp

As I've said several times, I do not expect anyone to make this their homepage, and I greatly appreciate the effort you each have put into it. You've given me lots of ideas, either directly or through your comments and it's grown to include pictures and polls and slideshows, and well, just about anything we can fit on here. More than that however, is each of us has a different way of looking at all the memories and that helps keep them fresh -- like that Lemon Delight you spoke about Brenda, if that's anything like a lemon square I'm going to be knocking on your door one of these days. :)

Long story short -- thanks folks. You have always been a great bunch.

Kathey, Donna and Brenda... please add anyone that I've forgotten. Hopefully that's no one.

My New Granddaughter

Say hello to Ella Marie!

Sandra's New Granddaughter

Say hello to Randi Leigh

Welcome Tony

Hey folks, Tony Woody has joined our little group. I've seen your name pop up more than once Tony, but it was all good. He also added his information to the alumni site as well. I'll be sending out a new email list with Tony on it.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Sometimes when I think about Loudon, I catch myself wondering about some things I remembered and whether it's anywhere near the same now. Here's a few of the things that cross my mind.

1. Do the old men still sit on the bench on the corner across from the old White Store and whittle?

2. Is there a walkway on the new bridge in case someone decides to walk across it?

3. Late Sunday afternoon, when the streets downtown are almost deserted, does the church up on the hill still ring its bells and create what I used to call the loneliest feeling in the world?

4. Is the pool hall still open?

5. Do a lot of folks from the country still come to town on Saturday mornings?

6. Where is the public library now?

7. There used to be two drugstores down town, are there any downtown now?

8. If I still lived in Loudon and wanted to catch a Trailways or a Greyhound bus, where would I go?

9. I know the river is (was) polluted at the old ferry, but does anybody still put into the river there now?

10. Do they still have a street festival downtown?

11. Do they still have the 4th of July (?) parade and the Homecoming parade?

12. Where is the Loudon Herald office now?

13. Is there still a Handle Factory in the west end?

14. What’s the name of the old aluminum company that was across the street from the Handle Factory?

15. Is the city dump still up on Reservoir Hill?

16. Is the creamery still in operation?

Where Did They Go?

Somewhere between freshman and senior year, a lot of people moved in and out of our class. They stayed for one , two or three years and then disappeared. I'm sure some moved, some graduated early and some quit. I know someone from each of those groups, but I'm not going to guess at the ones I don't know. Here is a list of people who were with us for awhile and then moved on. I'm not included those who I know have passed, because the underlying question here is where did they go? (If I've messed up on some of these, let me know)

Steve Angel
Thomas Bettis
Jimmy Bingham
Linda Bledsoe
Rela Bostic
Terry Brookshear
Carolyn Brookshier
R L Charmichael
Bobby Jo Chumley
Bobby Coffman
Eddie Davis
Kathy Davis
Glenda Dawson
Terry Ann Dixon
Allen Faulkner
Ronnie Faulkner
Leta Gossage
Conrad Hawkins
Charlie Hill
Red Jaynes
Gary Key
Brenda Lambert
Linda Limburg
Eddie Lorenz
Debbie McCollister
Raymond McKinley
Jerry McMahan
Rachel Morgan
Agnes Oody
James Oody
Patsy Powel
Ronnie Presley
Allen Raby
Franklin Russell
Paul Scott
Jimmy Stevens
Peggy Thearp
Benny Tilley
Diane White
Debbie Wilcox
Ronnie Williams

Pep Bus

Ever ride one? I went a few times. I remember Lenior City once, and I think Clinton, and one of the McMinns (not sure if it was County or Central), and I think Rockwood... or was it Harriman? As you can see these memories aren't all that strong.

All I can remember is they were louder than heck going and the mood coming back depended on whether we won or lost. Once I can even remember sleeping most of the way back.

The thing is, I don't really remember how we got to any of those places. It was before the interstate so it was all backroads.... or at least what might be called backroads now... back then they were "highways". Kingston, Harriman and Rockwood were all down 72 (I think). I couldn't get there now without taking I75 to I40.

Do they still have pep buses? I figure more kids drive these days so maybe they're not as common as they were. I think most of us depended on someone else or rode a bus to school so we had more need for a pep bus. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it just seemed that way, but the parking lot at school is sure a lot bigger now.

Spooky II

There is a crossroads below the house that is a 4 way stop. Three sides of the intersection are wooded. Early in the mornings when I come to work and the moon is out, the road in almost every direction is a shiney ribbon of light grey between the dark, black shape of the trees. It reminds me so much of some of the spooky old country rounds than ran through woods out in Steekee or Piney or down along River Road.

Once when Mervin Cook and I were walking through the woods behind his house, and since it was so dark we started telling ghost stories to try and scare each other. Suddenly, we heard something running thru the woods beside us and it was getting closer. Before we could make up our minds whether we were going to fight or run, these three guys came busting out of the woods. Two of them were brothers. I forget their names but they lived down behind Mervin and one of them was fairly small with a cloudy eye. Anyway they scared the beejezuz out of us.

Another time we were frog gigging down by Philadelphia and was walking thru these woods to a large pond. When we got to the edge of the woods near the pond, one of the guys said they hoped there was no bulls around. About that time one of them shined his light over near the pond and we saw a glimmer of something shiney and someone yelled, "Bull". We started to one before someone figured out it was the light shining off the wet nose of a cow who was standing there patiently chewing her cud.

The last one that comes to mind was one day when we were in the woods along the ridge just south of the high school. I remember David Clark being there along with someone else, I'm not sure if it was Mike Littleton or not. Anyway, we had come to this notch in the hill that had steep banks on both sides and we were walking down in the notch while David's dog ran along the crest of the bank above us. We heard a shot and saw the dog jump and yelp at the same time. We stood there frozen while 3 or 4 more shots went zinging over our heads, hitting David's dog. Finally we yelled and the shooting stopped, but David's dog was running and yelping way back into the woods. It was a couple of the Harper boys (it was their land) and they said they thought the dog was a stray and couldn't see us since we were down in the notch. Believe it or not, about a month later that dog found it's way back to David's house. You could see where he had been shot, but I guess it missed anything vital.

It Takes Me Back

The reason behind this week's poll is that over the years I find several things will whip me right back to high school, but mostly it's a song. With a lot of songs, I can see a particular person or event, including the marching band's almost continual playing of... what was it?? Watermelon Man?

Anyway, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Love is Blue, Theme to Good, Bad and Ugly, Make It With You... just to name a few. When I hear them I'm right back there walking the halls.

Smells do it too. When I walk into a library or bookstore, and catch the smell of printing ink and binding paste, I can still see Mrs. Goode walking around, making sure there wasn't a peep out of anyone, and since I was on the cleaning crew after school, the smell of Windex takes me back too.

If I'm drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cold night, I'm right back in the football stands, and when I visit my kid's school and see the girls huddled around giggling or hear the squeaky shoes on the gym floor as the teams practice, I'm back there too.

The sights, the sounds, the smells. Anyone of them at any time can trigger a memory. It's almost like a flashback! :)

My Mentors

According to the dictionary a mentor is a wise and trusted counselor or teacher. Not all teachers are mentors, and not all mentors are teachers. To me it's what they taught me, something I could actually use, something much more than what was "in the book." Unfortunately, I didn't always learn to apply it correctly at the time. I still wondered through high school, doing just enough work to get by.

Ms. Stallings -- It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you, it's what you think of you.

Mrs. Arp -- Apply yourself. Yes, sometimes it gets hard. It's supposed to, that's how we learn.

Clyde Wagner -- Show up on time, if not earlier, and give it all you've got.

Coach Dutton -- There's nothing wrong with having fun, it's knowing when to have fun.

Mrs. McCall -- Not every authority figure has to be a pain in the keester all the time. She actually had a friendly side. Granted, she didn't show it often, but it was there.

The Wonderings of a Pubescent Mind

The folks over at yesbutnobutyes.com had a list today that brought back a ton of memories, and fully demonstrated the workings of a pubescent male mind. I won't say girls were the only things we thought about back then, but as the old saying goes, they were way ahead of whatever was in second place.

Anyway, sometimes the situation offered choices --- and sometimes those choices could come from anywhere. Like, which do you choose...

Betty, or Veronica?

OR

Jeanie or Samantha?

OR

Marsha Brady or Laurie Partridge?

OR

Nurse Chapel or Yeoman Rand?
OR

Lilly or Morticia?

OR

And probably the most contentious one of them all....

Ginger or Mary Ann?

OR

Listening to the Football Game

Last Friday night I listened to the football game on the internet. I hadn't done that in awhile, but it was actually good to listen. The announcers, I didn't catch their names, will never be on TV announcing NFL games, but they did a pretty good job. They gave it that small town feel. They got excited when the team did well, and complained a couple of times too, but while they were 'homers' they also made some fair comments about both teams. All in all a good job.

Anyway, as I sat there I started thinking about some of the names I was hearing and wondering if I knew their parents, or heck, grandparents by now.

One name was McNew. The only McNews I knew were Mack and Allen.

Another one was Brown. There is a boatload of Browns, so I don't know if I knew their people or not. The same with Russell and Davis and Hawkins.

One was Green. Darlene, is that one related to you?

There was also a Ward, a Watson, a Lawson and a Wallace. I am related to one set of Wallaces on my Mom's side, so that one might be a distant relative of mine. :)

Stormy Weather

I love the wind and rain. The more blustery it is the better I like it. I love the thunder and the lightning too. Sometimes I’m like a dog with its head stuck out the window of a moving car. I turn my face into the wind, close my eyes, and let it whisk away the stress and tension. It never fails to do the job.

Loudon made me that way. Remember how the rain would seem to linger for days, if not weeks at a time? It was almost like the rain clouds would get hung up in that valley and not know the way out. There were countless weeks when it seemed that if it was raining on Monday it would still be raining on Friday, or it started on Friday and rained all weekend long.

I used to hate it. When I was younger it was another day we couldn’t play, or I would have to walk to school in it and be soaked by the time I got there. After awhile though, I found myself enjoying it. There is a quiet to a steady rain that muffles noise and makes it so peaceful, and thunderstorms would leave the air smelling fresh and sweet from the ozone.

I bet you didn’t know that the trees’ moving is what makes the wind blow did you? Yep, they do! And thunder and lightening are from the clouds bumping together. That’s true too. Ask any kid. ;)

It's a Matter of Life

Life isn’t fair is it? When I was small, a boy who lived in our neighborhood drowned behind the hosiery mill. I was old enough to know what ‘drowned’ meant, but I’m not sure I fully understood the impact of it all. Later, in the 4th grade, a friend named Tim Brantley died. He had leukemia or something, I don’t really remember, but it was very upsetting to lose a playmate. Then just before senior year, Lynn was killed. I didn’t really know him all that well, we moved in different circles, but we knew each other in passing… you know, you pass in the hall and say “Hi”… but his death was still shocking and sad, and made even more so by the way he died.

Where am I going with this? Yesterday my youngest daughter found out one of her closest friends has a tumor on her liver and the doctor said he’s pretty sure it’s malignant even though he hasn’t seen all the tests yet. She’s 15, a beautiful young lady with a dazzling smile and personality to match, who just happens to be an excellent basketball player with a killer jump shot. She’s spent countless sleepovers at my house, and you know how it is, you sort of adopt the kids who hang around, even though they’re not yours.

I can see the confusion in my daughter's face. Older people die, not young ones. Behind her sad eyes she’s looking for Daddy to make it better somehow and I can’t help but feel a little impotent. I’ve never had to deal with this as a parent before, even though I’ve been a parent for almost 35 years. So I tell her not to just expect the worst, that it’s far from over, that she should be there for her friend, be upbeat and strong, and wait and pray. Pray a lot. And when she wants to talk about it, I’ll listen, day or night. And when she wants a hug, I will give her that too because I know she will need it. So will I.

Spooky Places

Brenda mentioned Carmichael Inn and it got me to thinking of the spooky places around town. Besides, Halloween is just around the corner.

I guess Carmichael Inn tops the list. The Best family lived there for years, and before that were the Lantern family who were friends of my brother. There were times thought that it stood empty. We used to dare one another to walk the bridge and go over there. It was definitely a spooky place, and if the light was just right or the wind made just the right noise, the hair on the back of your neck stood up.

On the Friendsville side of the dam was another old house. I don't remember exactly where it sat, but it seems to me it was just down a dirt road on the right side of the highway not too far from the bridge. It was two stories and inside some of the plaster and boards had been ripped off the walls. It was another place that made you uncomfortable when it was getting dark outside.

Almost across the highway from that old house, and along the bluffs north of the bridge was (is?) an old cave. I don't recall it being very deep, but it could get spooky too. There was another cave northwest of Lenoir City. I can remember turning left off 11 onto Old Sugar Limb Road, not far from where the Justice Center is now. But I can't remember exactly where the cave was, but it was much larger than the other one. A mobile home would fit in it's opening and there were several spots inside it where you had to crawl on your belly to get through it, and it went back a long way... or seemed to when I was a boy.

On Main Street just above Greer's old warehouse, along the railroad spur, was an old wooden water tower platform. The reservoir that held the water had been gone a long time and all that was left was the platform it sat on. Someone had climbed up there and suspended a noose from the platform, so there were stories of the ghost of whoever used the noose to hang themselves.

Out beyond the Junior High school was a spot called Lover's Leap. It's where someone built the A frame house. (Is it still there?) Anyway, there used to be a path off River Road that led down to a bluff that overlooked the river and it was pretty much a sheer drop of about 75 feet or so down to the water, and of course there were stories of those lovers who "jumped".

The woods along the bluff from Robinson's Mill on old 72 to Poplar Springs were said to be haunted. I don't know if they were or not, but they sure as heck got dark in a hurry.

There were also haunted woods west of Steekee School and there was an old house between Steekee School and old 72 that was said to be haunted.

I guess if I thought longer I could come up with a few other places. Do you know of any?

Song Time Again - One for the Ladies

80s Ladies
(You'll have to complete the 90s part yourself)

We were three little girls from school.
One was pretty, one was smart
And one was a borderline fool.
Well she's still good lookin'
That woman hadn't slipped a bit.
The smart one used her head
She made her fortune.
And me, I cross the border every chance I get.

We were the girls of the 50's.
Stoned rock and rollers in the 60's.
And more than our names got changed
As the 70's slipped on by.
Now we're 80's ladies.
There ain't been much these ladies ain't tried.

We've been educated.
We got liberated.
And had complicating matters with men.
Oh, we've said "I do"
And we've signed "I don't"
And we've sworn we'd never do that again.
Oh, we burned our bras,
And we burned our dinners
And we burned our candles at both ends.
And we've had some children
Who look just like the way we did back then.

Oh, but we're all grown up now.
All grown up,
But none of us could tell you quite how.

We were the girls of the 50's.
Stoned rock and rollers in the 60's.
Honey, more than our names got changed,
As the 70's slipped on by.
Now we're 80's ladies.
There ain't been much these ladies ain't tried.

with apologies to K. T. Oslin

Do It Yourself

I read a story once about a newspaper reporter sitting in a bar when this lady of the evening came up to him and said for $300 she would do anything he wanted. So he gave her the money and said, "Now go to my room in the hotel across the street and write a story and a side bar for tomorrow's paper."

Writing these are sometimes that way. You just run out of ideas. I started this to be about us, our class. Over time it has expanded to cover the 'us' we are now, and the differences between our world then and our world now.

One of the problems is I don't really know that much about 'us'. It wasn't like I was at the top of everybody's list of friends, and I'm okay with that, but it does limit the experiences I can share. Oh, I could talk about this fight or that argument or when this guy and girl decided to crawl into the backseat of the car and do the dirty boogy, but that's not what this space was intended for.

Let's face it. We were a small group of people from a small town. We were before drugs and gangs and cellphones and computers, and while that's good, it sure does limit what we can talk about. Especially when I have the memory of an acorn. I sometimes have trouble remembering things from last week. Just ask Sue, she'll tell you. :)

So, here's another plea for help. I will gladly share the user ID and password to this site with anyone from our class who wants to take a shot at adding something. It can be anything you want, but I would humbly request it not be malicious in any way. You would be surprised what gets people to yakking. I still shake my head when I remember the response I got when I wrote about lockers, but it's little things like that, which we all had in common, that folks seem to like to talk about most.

Let me know. :)

Homecoming Games

Who is the homecoming game against this year? Are the stands still packed?

I guess 30-odd years ago we didn't have many other distractions, so the homecoming game was a hot ticket, or at least it seemed that way. Now that there are video games and computers and DVDs and cable TV and so many other things to do, does the homecoming game draw the crowd it used to?

Do you guys still go, those of you that live close? How about you folks further away, have you been to any since you left? If I were there I would most likely fall into the group that go sometimes, or at least better then half of them. Things do get in the way; family, jobs, and other commitments, but homecoming would be one of the few places I could go to with a lot of others so I could see how people have changed.

And yep, they would be looking at me too. Hopefully most would say something kind. :)

Toofers

This week I have officially felt old. Last Friday I had a few teeth removed. Two were from an old root canal gone bad and the other was my last wisdom tooth.

The Air Force tried twice a year to take my wisdom teeth, "Better give them up now, before they start giving you trouble," they always said. That made no sense to me at the time. Why pull something that didn't need pulling? They didn't hurt, they weren't impacted, they weren't crooked, there was nothing wrong with them, but you could see the dentists almost salivate at the prospect of getting to pull something. They got 3 over the years for one reason or another, but I held on to the last one as long as I could.

So, now I'm thinking they were right, or put another way, if I had let them pull them all years ago, my mouth wouldn't be so sore right now. :)

Starry Night

Over the course of this blog we have all commented on things that have changed over the years, and for the most part that change was to be expected. After all, we were young and our lives lay before us. No one had any idea of what they would be or where they would end up, we only knew what our dreams and plans were. So yes, most things were supposed to change, but some things were not.

The other morning I left for work about 5:30. A front had passed during the night and left the sky clear and bright and when I walked out of the garage the sky was filled with stars. They were the same stars I loved to look at when I was a kid, but these days they are not as clear or vivid.

Back then there were so many more of them, filling the sky from one horizon to another. Now they're dim and hard to see because of the pollution and light saturation from bright city lights and shopping centers. You can still see Venus showing off her pretty self most mornings just before sunrise and Mars looking red and angry from time to time, but some of the others I haven't seen clearly in awhile; like Pleiades who seems to have lost a sister or two or the sky is just too hazy to see if all 7 of them are there or not.

They weren't supposed to change. People do, place do, but not the sky. I would love to show my grandchildren the night sky I used to see, maybe someday I will find a place where I can. Is the night sky in Loudon still the same? I sure hope so.

Cliques

This is one of those topics that might make you cringe when you first see it. How in the heck do you bring it up without ticking somebody off? Answer. You don't worry about it. It's one of those "if the shoe fits, wear it" type things

There are two nearly undeniable truths about cliques. First, at one time or another all of us have railed against them, and second, we have all been a member of at least one.

Not all cliques are bad, in fact, most aren't. There are the ones that could be a touch malicious, but if someone has a problem about them being exlusive, well, that's what a clique is, right?

The band folks had a clique, and so did the jocks. Then each of those had subcliques... cliques within cliques... like drummers or horn players or football players or basketball jocks. The kids who went to Loudon Junior High had a clique, and so did the folks from Philadelphia, or Steekee, or any other feeder school.

Some cliques were hot, like the cheerleaders; or not so hot, like the smokers.

Every year we went from one clique to another until we were members of one of the most popular cliques of them all... seniors. :)

I remember being in 3 cliques all the way through high scholl... skinny ugly guys who smoked. :)

Reunions

This past weekend I went to Pennsylvania with my wife for her 35th high school reunion. It is the 3rd one I've gone to with her, and so far, the best. It was more informal and low key than any of the others and everyone seemed to have a good time.

I will admit to a little uneasiness at being around a group of people I really didn't know, but I hung in until about 11 when I went upstairs to our room to catch the Tennessee score.

I did notice a few similarities between this reunion and the ones I've been to for our class.

There was about 25-30 percent of the class that attended.
A couple of the guys showed up without their wives, but 15 to 20 of the ladies showed up without their husbands.
Most of the people who still lived in that town did not show up. Some didn't even bother to respond to the request for information to make up a class contact list.
The ones who did show up seemed to really enjoy themselves and the few I know personally that didn't attend expressed disappointment after the fact.

Also, I've talked to several people at work who had reunions this past summer and I've heard a few tips or ways of making them more fun.

1. First, schedule them either early or late in the year so there will be less chance of a conflict with family vacations.

2. Post the first couple of ads about a year in advance in the local newspaper or other source and let the local folks think about it a little longer.

3. Have it over several days (weekend) and make it so that each day/event is optional. That way someone who may not be able to attend one thing, because of work or whatever, can attend something else, and people from out of town might be more willing to come in for several days as opposed to just one.

4. Make one of those extra things family oriented, so those with kids/grandkids can attend, like a picnic or something like that.

5. Everyone who usually attends 'adopts' someone who usually doesn't attend and encourages them to show up.

6. Celebrate every classmate's birthday since we will all have one sometime during that year.

If anyone else has any ideas, add them to this post. You're going to be 58 before you know it. :)

Travelogue

If you guys ever find yourself up in this direction I'd like to suggest a little place you might want to stop and visit. About half way between Louisville and Indianapolis on Interstate 65 is Columbus, Indiana. Get off I65 there and head west on Stare road 46 toward IU, and about half way to Bloomington you will come across a little town called Nashville. Yep, Nashville, and it even has a Little Opry Theater,

Nashville is in Brown County, and Brown County looks like somebody took a scoop out of the Tennessee foothills around Loudon and dropped it in southern Indiana. It makes me home sick every time we go down there. Spring, summer and fall, it would be tough to tell the two apart. I will grant you that winter would look a little different, but heck, why worry about a little snow? :)

Nashville, Indiana is full of little shops and stores where you can buy anything from clothes to food, and a lot of things you didn't even know you had a use for. Sort of like Gatlinburg, since it's touristy, or artsy, or whatever you want to call it. Actually the video of the sidewalk in front of Tic Toc's that I spoke about in the last post looks a little like Nashville, Indiana too.

Hey, better yet, call me when you get up here and I'll meet you and show you around myself. :)

Changes

The other day I saw a video clip of the sidewalk from the old Richeson's Drug Store to Tic Toc's and I was struck by how... hmmm... different.... it looked. Not in a bad way, just different, and any difference takes some getting used to.

Also, I haven't seen the amphitheater, but we used to run those woods and fields hunting for squirrels and rabbits, so that too would look different. As would the new bridge --- does it have a walkway?

Different is fine. At least it's being kept up and improved. Right?

But along with what's been added, there are things missing. The old grammar school, the old jail, the chair factory and the old bridge come to mind. And so do a lot of people I knew in school. In fact another one passed just the other day.

And we've changed. You and me. A few more pounds here and there (a lot more for me), our hair more gray than any other color, and a host of wrinkles and creases that adorn our face. Say they came from laughing if you want, and I'm sure a lot of them did, but they're there just the same.

So when I come face to face with you guys again, and I will, I'm not going to be surprised about how much you've changed. Okay, maybe a little. :) But you know what? It won't make a damned bit of difference.

Why Didn't You Guys Tell Me?

You can learn a lot, even at my age. :)

I found this on Wikipedia today:
"The University of Tennessee's sports teams, called the "Volunteers" or "Vols," are extremely popular in the surrounding area. In recognition of this popularity, the telephone area code for Knox County and eight adjacent counties is 865 (VOL)."

All this time I've been trying to think of something that would help me remember my sister's phone number... that 865 part was a big stumbling block, especially after it was 615 for so long (and wasn't there another one at one time?) I had to look it up almost every time I called her. Now I know how to remember it. :)

Going Back to School

I guess if I look back at the first week or so of school each year, it wouldn't be so surprising that most of us have lost track with one another.

In an area as small as Loudon, there would be a lot of kids I didn't see over the summer. Granted, I did not move in many circles, but I don't think many people did. We all had our close friends that we saw frequently, then there were those we might bump into a few times over the summer, and then there were those we didn't see at all.

So the first week or so was spent catching up. All the latest gossip. Who was going with who... who had broken up... who got a car... who was taller... the list could be as long as the people in our circle.

In a way, it was almost like learning each other all over again. Some who were boisterous became quiet, and some who were quiet opened up and became more outgoing. Maybe there was more stubble on this or that chin, or this or that girl had a few more curves. In some cases the changes could be dramatic over that short 3 month period.

Past Poll Results

Favorite Male Teacher
Dutton	3	33%
Headlee	3	33%
Arp	2	22%
Ratledge	1	11%
No one else received votes
Favorite Year
Senior	6	86%
Freshman	1	14%
Sophomore	0	0%
Junior	0	0%

The Old Courthouse

Donna sent me this picture of the old courthouse. It has to be taken from somewhere in the 70s since you can see the old jail. When did they move the old Inn into that spot? I'm not very familiar with the positioning of the statue, but can you see it from this angle? I know this is close to the spot where they would put up the old "greazy pole" during a fair of some kind when I was a kid. In fact, almost the entire courthouse lawn was used in some way or another. And finally, wasn't the time capsule buried on this the side?

And The Winner Is.....

Final Poll Results for Favorite Year:

Freshman	1	14%
Sophomore	0	0%
Junior	0	0%
Senior	6	86%

Well... Did It Open?

Janis sent me a link to a story that the high school may not open on time this year due to some violations found by the state fire inspector. (Thanks Janis) I found another couple of stories about it after surfing around a few minutes and I actually thought the Knoxnews.com story was a little funny. It stated that one of the findings was for a door that was needed in a glass wall "in the 40 year old building" I tried to figure out which glass wall they're talking about, but all I kept coming back to was it's 40+ year old and they're just now finding out the wall needs a door??? Good thing none of those cigarette smokers from years ago set the place on fire, especially the ones smoking in the boys room.

A Slightly New Look

I made a few changes if you look close enough. I fooled around with the colors a little bit. I thought the red contrasted better against the blue background., at least for the headings.

I added a poll that I'm going to try to keep updated a couple of times a month. Any suggestions for poll questions would be appreciated. As of now I don't expect I'll post any Hillary/Obama/Thompson/Giuliani polls. :)

Somewhere in my update I've lost the coding that shows who added posts. I'll look around and see if I kept my notes on how I did that.

Also, at the bottom of the screen are links to help you move around the blog. On the first page there is a link to older posts, and on any other page there are links to both older and newer posts, plus a home link which will bring back to the main page.

Along with those links is another link to let you subscribe to the posts using Atom (there's also a subscription link on any comment page). Atom is a "feed" from the blog for those who use newsreaders. If you don't use newsreaders, then don't worry about, and if you do happen to click on it, don't worry about that either. It will simply download an innocuous little file to your PC that is a text version of the posts on the blog.

Anyway, those are the changes. Hope you like them.

Well, What'll It Be?

Come on in and have a seat.

It's good to see you again.

What'll you have? We can talk about all kinds of stuff, just open up and tell us what's on your mind.

Is there anything we haven't covered yet that you want to know? Anybody you'd really like to see?

C'mon... give us a topic!

The Alumni Site Has Been Updated

I have updated the alumni site. For all those who have added their information and agreed to have their email addresses known, I have hyperlinked their email address to their names. If someone holds the mouse over a name, the email address will show in the status bar at the bottom of the browser, or may show in a pop up, depending on how your browser is configured. If you have your email program attached to the browser and you click on the name, it will open a blank email addressed to that person.

Also, once again I would like to ask those of you who have not added your information to the alumni site to please consider doing so. There are currently 4 people listed on the 70 page.

The Top Ten Lists

The Ten Things I Enjoyed the Most

10. Dodgeball - c'mon, it was fun
9. Irritating Miss Goode, or was it Mrs. Goode? Either way it was fun.
8. Study Hall - a mid day social hour
7. Fair Day - there was only 4 of them, but they were good ones
6. The time between classes - the hustle and bustle and racing to keep from being late
5. Going for walks at lunchtime - with different people at different times. It's a way to really get to know someone.
4. Walking to/from school - it was a pain in bad weather, but it was also very social and you could keep up with a lot of the gossip.
3. Senior year - As I've said before... they cut us a lot of slack as seniors.
2. Football games - No explanation needed.
1. People - You guys and most of the others


The Ten Things I Enjoyed the Least

10. Working after school. It was necessary but it cut into some fun things, especially Senior year.
9. No car - the only reason this isn't higher (lower?) on the list, is that walking had it's good points... see the other list.
8. Exams - 'Nuff said.
7. Hall passes - or, more specifically, not having them when you're asked for one.
6. Dress Code - but only in retrospect. I would have preferred to wear jeans.
5. Sitting in the office - being made to sit where everyone in the hall could see you and know you were in trouble.
4. People - the few people who irritated me, or I didn't get along with. I'm sure I made more than a few of other people's lists in this category.
3. Getting caught - doing anything. I was caught a lot more than my share.
2. Being turned down for dates - ego bruising.
1. Leaving - for the longest time I couldn't wait to graduate, and then I did. Why did I miss it so much when it was over when there were times while I was there that I couldn't wait to get out?

Fashions

Along about this time each summer we started making plans for school. Most of us had been working a couple of months and the money was burning a hole in our pockets. What to wear, what to wear?

You made it a point to drop in the 5 to 5 or Family Fashions, and a couple of stores in Lenoir City I don't remember the name of, and you looked over the clothes racks. Which pants and which shirt? Oh, and you couldn't buy a shirt without socks to match. And how many of each? You knew what you had left over from last year, but you couldn't wear that again. So you had to pick enough new stuff to look like you were keeping up with everyone else.

I remember right before Senior year I even bought a suit. Me, in a suit! I only wore it to church. :)

I will never forget the eye sore outfit I wore to the banquet Senior year. Brown checked pants, burnt orange shirt (with socks to match), orange and white stripped tie, and a Tennessee orange blazer. If I had bothered to look at myself in the mirror that night I would have probably laughed my butt off, but at the time I thought it looked alright. Thankfully, nobody had a camera. :)

Song Time Again

For the past 20 years I've identified with this song. Parts of it remind me of things all the way back to high school. Okay... so I changed it a little. Just be glad I'm not singing it :)

Old Hippy
With apologies to the Bellamy Brothers

He turned fifty-five last Sunday
And his hair is almost gray
But he still ain't changed his lifestyle
He likes it better the old way
So he grows a little garden in the back yard by the fence
He's consuming what he's growing nowadays in self defense
He get's out there in the twilight zone sometimes
When it just don't make no sense

He gets off on country music
Cause disco left him cold
He's got young friends into new wave
But he's just too damned old
And he dreams at night of Woodstock and the day John Lennon died
How the music made him happy and the silence made him cry
Yeah he thinks of John sometimes
And he has to wonder why

(Chorus)
He's an old hippie and he don't know what to do
Should he hang on to the old
Should he grab on to the new
He's an old hippie, new life is just a bust
He ain't trying to change nobody
He's just trying real hard to adjust

He was sure back in the sixties that everyone was hip
Then they sent him off to Vietnam on his senior trip
And they forced him to become a man while he was still a boy
And in each wave of tragedy he waited for the joy
Now this world may change around him
But he just can't change no more

(Chorus)

Well he stays away a lot now from the parties and the clubs
And he's thinking while he's joggin' 'round
Sure is glad he quit the hard drugs
Cause him and his kind get more endangered everyday
And pretty soon the species will just up and fade away
Like the smoke from that torpedo...just up and fade away

(Chorus)

Feeder Schools

I know the old grammer school burned several years ago, and the old junior high school building is there, but not a school anymore -- in fact, I'm not sure what it is now, but I've been thinking about all the schools that fed students to the high school. Are the others still around?

Is Jackson, Davis, Steekee, and Philadelphia schools still active? Are any of them new schools? Did I miss any other feeder schools?

I know there is at least one newer school not far from the high school, but I don't know if it's a grammar school or middle school or both.

Are there any plans to build a new high school? If so, where are they going to build it? Where do you think it should be?

They're Not All Baptists

The title of this has nothing to do with the faith or the practitioners of the faith, well... at least not a lot.

When I was growing up, and even through high school, we always went to a baptist church. First Baptist, Riverview Baptist, and Calvary Baptist were the ones we were members of at various times.; but at other times we would visit Corinth, Blairland, Mt. Zion, Prospect, Jackson Chapel, or any number of others. Then if you throw the Missionary Baptist churches in with all those... well, that's a heck of a lot of churches for such a small town.

Obviously there were other denominations; Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Church of God... did I miss anybody? And when I think back, the few people I knew who said they were Methodist were always at the Baptist church I went to. I don't think even now I could tell you the exact differences between the different faiths, but back then there seemed to be a lot of gray areas and blending together between them.

That establishes my attitude, either right or wrong, about religion when I graduated high school. Then along comes the Air Force. Military basic training has one job -- to get you ready to become a useful part of whatever branch of service you're in. The quickest way to get this done is to more or less scare the everliving daylights out of you by coming down on you as hard as they can and see if you will break. If you break, they get rid of you, and if you don't, you're at the perfect mindset for them to start funneling everything into your beleaguered mind.

And so it was for me. After a few days there I was just as scared as everybody else and I prayed to God that if He got me through it, I would go to church so much everybody would think I lived there. Anyway, for the first couple of weekends at basic you are pretty busy and there's limited time for anything extra... like church. But on the third week we were able to go, so I went looking for the nearest church. We still couldn't leave the base so I found a military chapel a few streets from the barracks. I was ready to live up to my part of the bargain. This is where my slightly bent attitude about religion came into play.

It never, EVER occurred to me that there could be any reason I couldn't just walk right into the church and sit right down. It was a church, right? There was one of those glass covered signs out front, but I didn't bother to read it. Why should I have to, a church is a church is a church, right? So I walked right in as pretty as you please and sat down. I didn't think anything was different until everybody stood up and the procession started and then I realized I was right in the middle of a Catholic mass!! I had no idea what I was going to do. I couldn't get up and walk out, I had picked a seat up near the front on the aisle. If I got up everyone would see me! So I sat there. Well, actually I sat there, stood there, knelt there, then I did it all over again a couple of more times. There was no preaching, no hell fire and damnation, and in the end, not really that bad of an experience. But it was definitely an eye opener for a small town boy being exposed to the world for the first time.

I think even God got a chuckle out of that one.

Crusin'

Did you cruise? Where? I remember going from Philadelphia to Lenoir City with a focal point of the A&W in Loudon. Rarely was it any place else. But then, cruising was a fairly limited thing for me anyway since I had to depend on a ride. We could get 6 guys in Larry Lankford's VW, or later Wayne and Allen's Duster.

I remember once we cruised by Delphia's house almost all day when there must have been 6 or 8 girls there. It was a Saturday afternoon I believe, but it could have been during the summer too. I'm not sure anymore who all was there besides Delphia, but I want to say Gail Cunningham, Cherry Shelton and it might have been Brenda, Darlene, Lynette, Doris and Becky. But honestly, I don't remember. Help me out ladies if you do remember, which you probably don't. It's funny how some of the stuff you remember is some little obscure something or other that everybody else has long forgotten.

But I remember they were in the back yard almost every time we passed and we went around the curve next to Delphia's house at about 5 mph. Not that we wanted to be conspicuous or anything. :)

But it must have been a really fun day..... it made a memory. :)

The Real Home Depot

Well, as you can see I've been surfing the internet again, and look what I found. Some guy went through East Tennessee taking pictures of all the depots and he even took one of ours. Is this still standing? The site didn't say how old the pictures were so I don't know if this was taken last week or last year or ten years ago.

When I was a kid some trains actually stopped here. We lived just below the Commerce Street crossing and I can remember waving at people on the old sleeper cars. I can also remember a couple of times we jumped one of the trains and rode it down to Philadelphia or somewhere near there. The trains slowed down for another station or something and we jumped off and walked back to Loudon. Cheap thrills, huh? Funny, but I don't remember anybody jumping a train going north. The railroad bridge must have made them squeamish. I know it did me, although I did walk across it a couple of times.

Sandra's Grandkids

These are Sandra's grandkids. Clockwise from the left, this is Alysha, Jon Paul, Carla and Hayvin. They're a good looking bunch, huh?

Dodgeball

My youngest started high school a week after she finished the 8th grade. Well, not really, but they did let her take PE during the summer so she could squeeze in another elective during the school year. The other day I asked her what they had done that day during class and she said "We played dodgeball." That was a bit of a surprise because all I've heard for the last 10 years or so was how schools were moving away from games like that because it was harmful to both their bodies and self esteem... or some such thing.

Anyway. I loved dodgeball in school, or battleball as some people called it. It was THE gym game during PE. You could tell a lot about a kid by the way he played the game. The more aggressive, athletic ones were out in front, catching the balls thrown at them and then chasing the other guy back to the wall. The more shy and timid ones stood back against the wall, moving side to side to dodge the balls thrown at them. Some even got hit as soon as they could so they could sit down. A couple of times when I didn't feel like playing I did the same thing.

My worst experience in dodgeball was having Arnold Hawkins pen my head between the ball and the wall at the gym in the old high school. I turned just in time to catch sight of the ball out of the corner of my eye just before I got it in the side of the head. I had a headache for hours after that.

I can remember once in freshman year (I think) when the girls joined us for a game. The major irritation then was that I was knocked out of the game before more than half the girls were. :)

Another How-To

Since the blog has gotten bigger the search function at the top of the screen might come in handy. Just put a name or a word in the search field (upper left near the red B) and click on "Search Blog."

Who Would It Be?

If there was one person from our graduating class that you could see, who would it be?

That might be easier for you folks who stayed around Loudon to answer, but for those of us living away it's a hard question. Obviously if you count those who have passed on the question would be easier. It would be good to see Allen or Doyle or Mike or Wayne or any of the others again, but obviously we can't. By the way, this is a rhetorical question, I'm not really expecting anyone to answer (unless you want to).

For me, Doug Christian would probably top the list. I haven't seen him in probably 15 years and he was one of my running buddies, not just in high school but back through grade school as well. We've just not been lucky enough to cross paths when I'm home, I guess. In the list of those I've seen once, but would like to see again would be Jabo Lynn, Edward Watson, Eugene Henley and Tony Woody, but I don't think I've ran into Gary Poe or Donnie Miller or Carl Schrimpsher or Donna Kyker or Sandra Ward or Jimmy Littlefield or John Williams or Debbie Nathenson or Peggy Dunkin since graduation. I guess Donnie and Donna are together wherever they are since they were always together in high school. Not seeing Peggy bothers me because in my annual she wrote "You'd better keep in touch with me!" I've been trying.

Anyway, if there was a magic wand you could wave, or genie's lamp you could rub, who would you conjure up?

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

One of the things I get to do by having two teens still in high school is compare what they do with what we did. It helps keep my high school years fresh in my mind.

Anyway, the other day my son told me about a friend of his who had broken up with his girlfriend and how hard it was for his friend. Usually at times like this I try to bite my tongue and not pooh pooh their experiences like they're no big deal, or give them advice like "You haven't seen anything yet" . It is traumatic for them, just as it was for us. They know the grown up world is ahead of them and holds all kinds of problems, but they have enough trouble getting through the world they're in now to spend too much time worrying about what lays ahead.

Obviously breaking up is not as hard as the divorce that statistics say is waiting for some of them and I'm not trying to compare them. Divorces have a lot more at stake, but think back for a second. Breaking up wasn't exactly a walk in the park. I've gone through both and I can tell you about the scars I got from each one. Breaking up may not cut as deep, but at the time it sure felt like it.

Just think about it. Remember how you tried to arranged things so you could be near that special person as much as possible, maybe even to the point of where you sat in a particular class. So what could rub more salt into a wound than having to plop down in the seat right next to them everyday in Civics or whatever after you've broken up? Or finding yourself dialing their number out of habit when you picked up the phone. Or how about your friends, the ones who knew you both and at least for a time felt uncomfortable around both of you because they don't want to choose sides?

Yep, the hazards of grown up life are very dangerous, but high school had pit falls all it's own. And if you went together a long time I dare you to try and tell me that it doesn't still bother you just a little bit when you think of it now. Of course it does.

Janis' Grandaughter

This is Janis' granddaughter Chesney, and I believe she is 5. Is that right Janis?

Here's My Bunch

These are my step-grandchildren, the fringe benefit I got when my daughter married their Daddy. This is an old pic, Beth is now 9, Jessica is 11, and Alex is 12. They live in Oklahoma.

These are my son's sons. Caleb (white shirt) is 5 yrs & 7 mos, Levi (red shirt) is 3 yrs & 10 mos, and Ian is 1 year & 6 mos. They live in Georgia.

My Crew

Okay, I'll take the first plunge. He are my six grandkids... number 7 due around Thanksgiving.


This is Owen. He's 5 and lives in Wyoming.


This is Drew (7) and Aiden (5). They live in Hawaii.



This is Sean (7), Bryce (almost 2) and Wade (5). They live in South Carolina. They are going to have a new brother or sister around Thanksgiving. Grandpa Doug is holding out for a girl.

Well, as you can see, none of them live close to Grandpa Doug and I wish they did, but their parents have jobs that take them to different places. We see Owen about once a year. He'll spend a month here in a few weeks (hopefully). The girl's Dad is in the Army and before Hawaii they were in Japan, so we went some time without seeing them. We spent this past Christmas and New Years with them. The other 3 boys we see once or twice a year. Every time I look at this picture I want to squeeze the stuffings out of Bryce. :) I want to hug all the others too, but he's the baby and I owe him a few. :)

Well, that's my crew. Show me yours.

How About Pictures

Hey, with all the buzz about new grandbabies lately maybe it's time to start showing some off. This blog is about the Class of '70, right? Well, that's us now too, so why not add some of the stuff we're doing these days? I think it would be great to see Janis' and Sandra's new grandbabies, don't you?

So, what do you say? Send me pictures of your kids or grandkids or yourself, and I will post them on here. And, if anyone wants to, I'll show them how to post their own.

I have noticed that when new people come here one of the first questions they ask is what is so and so doing now? So let's show them.

Checkups

I've been a little quiet this past week because it was my checkup week.

One thing the Air Force got me in the habit of doing is having regular checkups, and I do it every year. The only difference is that since I've turned 50 they take longer. What used to be a fairly routine and simple procedure is now getting more and more complicated. They poke and prod in more places and take some of the ungodliest samples. Then there are follow ups for this or that, and what used to take maybe a half hour, now takes a couple of hours on several days during the week.

I do have a cholestrol issue, which is something I share with a lot of other southern males, and if anyone remembers from the last reunion I attended, I am also a bit... hmmm.... portly. So I have other traits I share with some of my southern peers in that I can't see my feet when I'm standing up, my belt buckle points a little too much toward the ground and I have a serious case of old man boobs.

I guess I am getting older. My body says I am, inside and out. More pills for the inside and the skin is filling up with age spots and honestly seems to look thinner. The funny thing is I don't really FEEL that much older. I feel the same now as I did when I verbally spared with Mrs Goode and Miss Mize during senior year.

Don't you?

Something I've Always Been Curious About

Down the south hallway, near the stairway leading down to the cafeteria, and between the restrooms, was a room labeled "Dark Room". What was that? Did the annual staff use it to process the pictures they took? Did they take any?

My locker was across the hall and a little bit west of the Dark Room and I only recall the door being open once or twice in four years. I can remember people joking about it and saying things like, "If they opened the door, the dark room wouldn't be so dark."

Then there were the rumors of people using it for something other than developing film, since it was locked and secluded, but then rumors get started over a lot of things.

So, can anyone shed some light on the Dark Room?

My Sentiments Exactly

Even if we are occupied with important things and even if we attain honor or fall into misfortune, still let us remember how good it once was here, when we were all together, united by a good and a kind feeling which made us perhaps better than we are.

--Dostoyevsky

Must Really Be Selective Memory

Lately, Brenda has been telling me things that makes me think that maybe my memory isn't all that great after all. She's not doing it intentionally of course, but when I mention something she mentions something else and it floors me that I don't remember anything about it. The last time was when I mentioned the prom she mentioned "Senior Week".

I don't remember any of it. Well, I do remember bits and pieces of graduation, but not much else. There was Class Night, I think it was called, where we walked as couples into the auditorium and there was a program that included the reading of our senior wills. I don't remember that.

I don't know if I was working or what. I can't believe I'd intentionally miss it, but who knows. I was as stubborn then as I am now. But if I did go, and if sometime one of you ladies reads this and says to yourself, "That jerk walked with me and he doesn't even remember," Please accept my humble apology. I'm sorry.

Then there was Baccalaureate Service night, a church service of sorts. I don't remember that either. Maybe I was at my usual station in the back pew. :)

If I went and had a good time, I hope someone remembers better than I do and tells me about it. If I didn't, sounds like I really missed something.

Prayers

The comment was made recently that we have lost several classmates in the past year.   It does seem that we've lost more than our share.

At the same time there are other classmates who have lost parents and other loved ones recently.  Susan Jone, Susan Rudd, Morris Wilson and Doug Adkins have all lost a parent in the past few months and then yesterday Mike Littleton lost his mom.  I hope I didn't leave anyone out.  I'm sorry if I did and would ask that if I have please add them.

Please remember all of them in your prayers.

You Can Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later

During senior year the military recruiters came to the school to administer their “qualification” tests. I am sure one of them mentioned the scores would be used to select a “career field” if we ever joined one of the services, but either my selective hearing missed it or I ignored it. To me it was a day (or half day, can’t remember which) out of class. Besides, I had a job at the new plant, Maremont, and it paid enough that within a few months of graduation I could have a place of my own, and then I could really party. Sure, I still had to deal with the draft; every one of the guys had to in their own way, but at 17 you’re immortal, so there was no way that would be a problem. But it was. The draft lottery that summer pulled my birth date and there was little doubt I would be drafted, so I opted for joining the Air Force instead, sort of legalized draft dodging.

A few weeks into basic training we were given a chance to pick the job we would most likely be doing for the next 4 years. They led us into a room and sat us in front of a chart so big it took up an entire wall that contained all the jobs in the Air Force and the scores it took to get in them. Then they gave us the results of those test we had taken during school. You know… the tests I wasn’t all that concerned about, and the effort I had put into them was obvious. They were categorized into 4 areas: mechanical, electronic, administrative and general. I don’t remember my exact scores, but I do remember that mechanical was my highest at 35. The scores were so low that at one point one of the instructors looked over my shoulder and said, “Damn boy, you should have got better scores than that by just spelling your name right.”

Surely I could find something though, even with the scores I had. How about medical tech? Nope. The general score for it was around 80 which was light years above my score. How about drafting, after all, I had taken Industrial Arts from Mr. Caldwell. Nope. I needed a mechanical score of about 60 for that one. Okay, so how about aircraft mechanic? Nope. That needed a score around 50 in mechanical. Okay, so how about a cop? Nope. 45 in general. Drill Instructor? Nope. 45 in general too. There had to be something I could do! Visions of being sent to the Army after all were swirling around in my head. Cook! How about cook? Nope! Cook needed a general around 40. I wasn't smart enough to fry an egg for the Air Force!

So I took my highest score, 35 in mechanical, and starting at the bottom of the chart I moved up to the best sounding job I was qualified for. There, finally, I found it. Rubber Raft Repair. That had to be a great job that razor sharp mind of mine reasoned. I mean this was the Air Force, not the Navy, right? How many rubber rafts could the Air Force have? Take my word, they have a ton!

As it turned out though, the old saying is right, "God watches over kids and fools", because it really wasn’t that bad of a job. I met some great people and that job combined with upholstery so I did end up learning a trade. Something I could fall back on if I needed to after I got out. I haven't used it so far, but I can still sew pretty well.

Several years later I retook those tests and did a little better with my lowest score being an 80 in general. Had I gotten that much smarter? Nope, not really, but by that time I had a wife and small son so I was definitely more motivated.

Funny how a little kid got me to do in a few months what a host of teachers couldn't pound into my head in 12 years.

Proms

Since it's that time of year, maybe we should talk about our proms. The thing is, you folks will have to do most of the talking because I didn't go to either one. I came close senior year, but as they say, close only counts in hand grenades, horseshoes and drive ins.

I have always had the opinion that, if possible, you went to the prom with that special someone. Maybe I was wrong, maybe you could just go with whoever as long as you went. I think my middle son had the right attitude. He went stag to his proms thinking he wouldn't be limited to just one girl since there were always a few guys who never danced. I would never have dreamed of going stag.

Was there a tux place in Loudon? Lenior City? Or did the guys have to go to Knoxville to get a tux, unless they opted for wearing a suit?

Where did the girls get their gowns? Did they have to plan months in advance so they could get one or were they relatively plentiful?

Did you dance? Or was it more fun to sit and talk with whoever was at your table?

From time to time I wish I had went to at least one of them, if for no other reason than to say that I went. Tell me how much I missed.

Ever Cheat?

Okay, okay, hold your horses. Don't let the title make you jump to conclusions. I'm talking about cheating on tests.

Some of the kids at my son's school were caught cheating and it may affect whether they get to attend the prom this weekend or not.

I can honestly say that I never cheated. Now I'm not being magnanimous or holier-than-thou or anything like that, I just never cheated. It's not that I didn't have the urge, but with my grade history they would have known immediately if I had cheated. Besides, I approached most of my classes with a certain amount of nonchalance anyway so cheating would have been putting too much effort into it.

I know of a few times someone grilled someone else about the questions that were on a test, and I drew science and biology pictures for other people. Was that cheating? I guess it would depend on your definition.

Did the Coaches Teach, or Did the Teachers Coach?

Who was a coach and who was a teacher?

The only class I can think of Coach Ratledge teaching was my gym class a couple of years, so to me he was definitely a coach.

Coach Watson was more of a teacher to me. I only had him in Driver's Ed and I'm not sure what other classes he may have taught, but I saw him more as a teacher.

Coach Dutton taught Civics which was one of my favorite classes, but he was still a coach to me.

Coach Arp was a teacher. I had him for a couple of classes and he seemed to know what he was doing, so he was definitely a teacher.

Did Coach Petty teach anything? I can't remember. I only recall him as basketball coach.

Wasn't there also a female basketball coach? Mrs. Marcus maybe?

As you can see, sometimes I get the coaches and teachers confused.

Maybe I Do Have Selective Memories

My 16yo broke out my yearbook the other night and was reading... and laughing at... some of the things people had written. I won't use names, but two stand out, and for the live of me I can't remember what led to the remarks.

The comments were from a guy and a girl and they both basically said the same thing, "Altho we've had some rough times, I think you're not all that bad... etc."

Not that the remark is all that bad, I just can't think of anything we might have had words about. I'm not the easiest person in the world to get along with, I'll admit that, so maybe I'm just in denial. :)

Twenty Questions

1. Who was the science teacher our freshman year? I remember she was fairly tall, with dark hair and glasses.

2. Who was boy’s basketball coach before Mac Petty?

3. What was the make and model of the Driver’s Ed car senior year?

4. Wayne and Becky Poole are siblings as are Wayne and Allen McNabb, but how are Ann, Doris, Franklin, Joe and Mike Russell related?

5. Are Larry Thomas and Mary Thomas related?

6. Are Joe Watson, Edward Watson and Gordo Watson related?

7. Are Brenda McKee and Billy Jo McKee related?

8. Are Betty Stafford and Mike Stafford related?

9. Are Mary Ann Hamilton and Peggy Hamilton related?

10. Are Dwight Allen and Debbie Allen related?

11. Are Jerry Jones and Susan Jones related?

12. Are Ann Williams, John Williams and Gary Williams related?

For the record, as far as I know, Lynette and I are not related.

13. Who was Frog Williams?

14. What was the name of our Senior Class play? Did we even have one?

15. What was the date of graduation?

16. What was the song the marching band played at all the football games senior year?

17. What nights of the week were basketball games usually played?

18. How many girls were on the court during a girl’s basketball game?

19. Why did we bury a time capsule?

20. What married couples were teachers during our four years?

Where Are They Now?

Over the past year I have managed to get information on most of our classmates. Let me rephrase that. With a huge amount of help from Donna Morgan, Brenda Nicholson, Kathey Guider and Sandra Fagg, I have been able to get at least some idea of where a lot of our classmates are.

Here is a list of people I have not gotten any information on (that I remember), either through one of the others, one of the reunions, or the good ol’ internet. (Sorry for any misspellings. I am an atrocious speller. Just ask any of my English teachers.)

Dwight Allen
Janice Barr
Jim Barr
Janie Barrier
Lynn Black
Vickie Carver
Peggy Dunkin
Debbie Everett
Patsy Farmer
Larry Faulkner
Shirley Faulkner
Brad Grey
Mary Ann Hamilton
Peggy Hamilton
Mary Harrison
Eugene Henley
Brenda Henry
Jackie Horner
Sue Jenkins
Susan Johns
Jean Julian
Jackie Kiser
Dallas Knox
Donna Kyker
Jimmy Littlefield
Catherine McDonald
Brenda McKee
Billie Jo McKee
Donnie Miller
Rhonda Montooth
Brenda Moore
Debbie Nathenson
Nancy Jo Perkins
Gary Poe
David Ridings
Sylvia Robinson
Janice Rolen
Nancy Rowe
Carl Schrimpsher
Biddy Shubert
Betty Stafford
Devona Stephens
Glenda Summey
Larry Thomas
Mary Thomas
Gail Vaughn
Edward Watson
Joe Watson
John Williams
Tony Woody

That’s 50 people. That means we have either talked to, or have some idea where, the other 77 are. If you have any idea where these folks are, or how we can get in touch with them, please let me know.

My Rules

From the beginning of this blog I have tried to maintain certain rules.

1. Star Trek had its prime directive of no interference, and I have my prime directive of not intentionally writing anything negative about anybody. I have tried to stick to this rule even though I realize this is such a one dimensional means of communicating and sometimes what I write and how someone else reads it can be two very different things. But I still try.

2. As Bing Crosby used to say, I try to “ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive, eee-lemon-ate the negative.” Do I have high school memories that aren’t so pleasant? You betcha! I’m just not going to dwell on them. To me it would be unhealthy to be digging up bones almost 40 years later.

3. Stay on topic and off the soap box. This is probably the hardest thing for me to do. After all, I am a southern male and I do tend to speak my mind. This just isn't the place.

4. KISS. Only I’ve changed it from Keep It Simple Stupid to Keep It Short Stupid. I know I tend to get wordy on some of these things, but you should see what I delete sometimes. :)

5. Don’t let this interfere with my real life. I truly do enjoy doing this, but at the same time it’s just something I do with my spare time, no more, no less. My family and my life still come first and I am able to turn this on and off as I need to. I love you guys and learned a long time ago to put my memories in perspective. This is just a way for me to maintain contact with a great bunch of people.

6. Keep getting more and more people involved. At times this is the prime directive and where I routinely put most of my energy. I’ve said several times that I don’t like making this blog so Doug-centric. I want everybody involved. I figure to this point I’ve contacted roughly 25% of the class, and the ones who visit this site have told another 25%, so we still have our work cut out for us. We’ll get there.