Memorial Day - 2012

We haven’t added anyone to this list this year and I’m happy about that. It’s still tough looking at some of them and being reminded of a store house of memories.

Wayne McNabb is the best friend I’ve ever had. Even now. I sat behind him in first grade and he put up with my crap for a long time. I can remember once in 7th or 8th grade we decided on the spur of the moment to skip school, so we jumped the fence behind the Junior High School and spent the day exploring the woods from Lover’s Leap to Matlock Bend. We couldn’t have picked a worse day. It was cloudy and cold and not the best day to be hiking in the woods. But at least it wasn’t school.

Right behind him then would be Allen McNabb. I’ve known him as long as I’ve known Wayne. Allen was the one who talked me into coming back from Atlanta after the ’68 year, and I’m glad he did.

I’ve known Pat Lowe most of my life too. When we were kids, we all knew that Pat had some medical issues, a hole in his heart or something like that, but he was still just as physical as the rest of us. I lost track of him at one point and didn’t run into him again until high school. He hadn’t changed much. He was one of the kindest, friendliest people I’ve ever known.

So was Larry Langford. He was another one of those lifelong friends. He had a red VW during high school and I remember one morning when we had 7 or 8 of us in that little car. The theme from Good, Bad and Ugly was playing on the radio. Somehow, it seemed appropriate at the time.

Freddy Lindsey was another longtime friend. His passing hit fairly hard, for two reasons. First, he wasn’t living that far away from me at the time (just below Memphis), and I didn’t know it; and then for being no older than he was.

Mike Delaney went way too young. He was always a bit of a dare devil, but a great guy. I knew him from the first grade. We had our differences, but I always thought him to be a good friend.

I knew Jimmy Brantley before high school, even though he lived in Philadelphia. The most vivid memory was a wooded hill behind his house, where he cleared a path down that hill and through those trees, and would jump in his wagon and take off down that hill. It was a wild ride, because the hill was steep and the trees were big and mature, but he did it over and over and wrecked his wagon all to hell.

At one of the reunions, someone made a comment about Patty Hicks, Sherry McMahan and Betty Scott, that they were always together. And it’s true. It’s just sad they’re together in this picture.

I didn’t know Lynn, Bobbie Jo, Doyle, Janie, Estes or Pat Rucker until high school, and while I didn’t know them that well, they were good folks.

We continue to miss them all.