It's Not the Same Old Place

I am impressed by their space management, but it looks like some of the rooms are chopped up and smaller. It appears that at least some of the free standing lockers on the east end of the building are gone because now there is a classroom over the cafeteria in a space that was only used by lockers.

Another Look at Then and Now

When I looked at the LHS website the other day, one of the things that struck me was the curriculum changes. I know I’m going to miss a few of these, but we basically had:


English 1 – 4
Math
Applied math
Algebra 1-3?
Physics
Geometry
Trig
World History
US History
Civics
Science
Biology
Chemistry
Band
Industrial Arts
Drafting
Agriculture
PE
Typing
Bookkeeping
Shorthand
Home Ec
Journalism
Speech
Latin
Health
Driver’s Ed
General Business
Government
World Geography
Sociology


Now they have a few more.

English
Honors English
Applied Communications
Yearbook/Newspaper
Advanced Placement English
Visual Arts
General Music
Band
Chorus
Show Choir
Chorus Ensemble
Spanish
French
Weight Training
Care of Prevention of Injuries
Volleyball (credit)
Track and Field (credit)
Wellness
Driver’s Ed
NJROTC
Algebra
Geometry
Math for Tech
Pre-Calculus
Foundations
Math
Physical Science
Geology
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Anatomy and Physiology
Ecology
World History
US History
College Prep US History/Economics
US Government
Economics
AP US History/Economics
Sociology
ACT Test Ready
Mentoring
Office Assistant
Green House Management
Leadership Development
Agriscience
Turf Management
Wildlife Management
Livestock Management
Consumer Economics
Family and Consumer Science
Family Dynamics/Interpersonal Comm
Textiles and Clothing
Graphic Design
Clinical Internship
Rehab Therapy
Health Science
Medical Therapeutics
Anatomy and Physiology
Emergency Medical
Cooperative Methodology
Culinary Arts
Child Development
Early Childhood Ed
Keyboarding/Computers
Interactive Multimedia Design
Desktop Publishing
International Marketing and Business
Marketing and Management
Career Management Success
Auto Mechanics
Transportation Core
Automotive Suspension and Steering
Automotive Engine Performance
Automotive Brake Systems
Automotive Electronic Systems
Principles of Machining and Mftg
Principles of Engineering
Principles of Manufacturing
Manufacturing Applications
Construction Core
Carpentry
Electrical
Residential Construction

You might say we missed out.

I Am Not Really a Stalker

Although I will admit that sometimes I do feel like one. When beating the bushes for old classmates, or following leads you guys have given me, I have located a few people , and even though they don’t always respond, I’ve kept their location in mind. For example, Sunday afternoon I was looking at the LHS website just for grins and I noticed Arthur Kelso’s name was missing from the list of teachers. I hope wherever he is now, he’s doing well. That also brought to mind Debbie Husky who I had tracked to a particular site, and a quick look at her school’s site showed she had moved on too. Good luck to her also. Did I start looking at other school sites looking for them? No, I didn’t. I figure they’ve made their decision whether to participate or not. They are still welcome to join in, if and when they choose to, but I'm not doing the bloodhound work again, not just yet anyway.

When I approach someone about the sites, it’s to get their participation. If they respond to my email, I will answer them back as soon as I can in order to keep their interest up. After that I will only occasionally email them unless they email me more frequently. I figure this is just like school, some of us are a little on the quiet side.

I’ve said this several times before and I will repeat it often. I am not doing this to sell anything or pester anyone or get anything going with anyone other than as friends. There are no old romances, near misses or unfinished business that I want to dig up or start over. I am doing this because I want to bond once again with a bunch of people I felt close to and who have influenced my life a great deal,

Remaking a Classic.

Damn pink eye. It only added to the drugs I was already taking. Are any of you at that stage yet? Yesterday I remade an old classic rocker from the late 60s, White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane. But instead of....

One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small,
And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all...

It has become....

One pill makes me sleepy, and one pill makes me pee,
And the last one that he gave me don't do anything for me....

Stand Up

I hate getting up in front of people. I didn't used to. All through high school I was a cut up or clown of just obnoxious, whichever way you want to look at it, then in the USAF I would brief auditoriums full of people all the time, once with then Secretary of Defense Casper Wienberger in attendance.

I remember in English a particular book report I gave for Mrs. Arp. It was a book called "The Prevalence of Nonsense", and it is still in circulation. It was a book about... well... nonsense, or the sometimes silly things people believe, and was one of the first of the "reference" type books that were the craze in the late 60s/early 70s.

I remember a science report, a biology report, something for Miss Mize in Journalism, and something I believe for Mr. Arp in American History. I remember doing them, but I had no style. As funny as I wanted to be, I wasn't. I may have gotten a giggle from time to time, usually when I stumbled over a word, but the real laughs went to others.

Pat Lowe. Pat had a very subtle sense of humor that popped up at unexpected times. He probably didn't like being up in front of the class, but he said more in a fairly short time than I could say all period. And it was funny. But that was if he wanted to do it. If he didn't want to do it, there was no way you could make him.

Edward Watson. Edward was the closest thing to a real comedian in the class. Everybody had days they could make you laugh, Edward did it all the time. I remember a report he gave once as Paul Harvey and another time his report turned into his rendition of Guitarzan. I don't think he considered anything off limits.

Allen McNabb made faces at different people around the room during his reports and if someone laughed he would go into his teacher impression and tell them to be quiet so he could finish his report. He was also a master at mocking the teacher under his breath as he walked back to his desk and say stuff that would get him kicked out of the class, if not out of school, if the teacher actually heard him.

Kenny Parks. We would sit along the back wall of history and talk most days, and if he was called on to answer a question or come up to the front to say something, he nailed it every time. I sat there wondering how he heard it all since we talked through most of it and I had no clue what the topic or the answer was. But not him, and if he bought a book to class I didn't see him open it very often.

There were a few others I didn't have the pleasure of having class with, so I'm sure I missed out on some of their original moments. Tony Woody, Mike Littleton and Jimmy Littlefield to name a few. I don't recall a class with Mike Skinner either, but I remember him from junior high school and he could get a classroom rolling too.

I miss those days.

Short Term Memory

The more and more I consider what to put in here, the more and more I realize that long term memory is not the real issue. The real issue is short term memory.

I can remember quite a bit from high school as if it happened yesterday. Sometimes in fact, something fresh will pop into my head early in the morning or when I'm driving somewhere, and I think it will make a good post. Later, when I sit down at the keyboard, nothing comes to mind except this nagging thought that I should have made a note.

As the Stones said, "What a drag it is getting old."

So, I'm still open to suggestions. Anything and everything will be considered, just drop me a line and if I can't remember it I'll let you know. otherwise you might be helping me clear out a cob web or two. It can be anything. For example the next time you want to rag your kids or grandkids about how baggy his pants are or how tight her top is, try to imagine your father or grandfather going after a pair of jeans back in the 60s and coming back from the store saying, "All they had to buy were these damned bell bottoms. I don't see how in the world kids wear this stuff."

Small Town Saturday Night

I bet it’s not 25 miles from Lenoir City to Sweetwater, and not much more than that from Midway to Greenback, but that little chunk of land is pretty much the extent of my travels when we went running around on Saturday night. Occasionally we might go to Knoxville, and I can remember going to Friendsville or Ten Mile or Vonore or Madisonville, but those were about the only deviations. Rarely did we go further south. I bet I haven’t been to Chattanooga 3 times in my life (not counting driving through)

That’s not a huge area I know, but at the time it was enough. Maybe it was limited, but I don’t remember ever being really bored. If there wasn’t something to do in one place, we went to another. Sometimes it might be as simple as stopping by the IGA in Philadelphia for a coke and bag of peanuts, or maybe watching what was showing at Cole’s for the umpteenth time, or driving up to the back door of the bar just across the Monroe County line for a couple of quarts of beer. (I can’t remember the name of the place, that group of brain cells has long since died) And on those times you could actually get a real date there was even more to do.

Anyway, if each of us threw in 50 cents for gas we could drive around all night, so the sky was the limit, or at least the county line was. :)