Mike Blackledge
To a kid, one of the great
advantages of
being a Navy Brat is that you change home ports from time to time – a
life changing event you were powerless to accomplish on your
own.
Our final move brought the family to Houston, my father to Cameron
Iron
Works, and me to Mrs. Martin’s Fifth Grade at Roberts
Elementary. There I met some of my future Lamar
classmates: Letitia
Kinzbach,
Tony Ullrich,
Tom Wise,
Vanita Berson...
At her birthday party, Vanita’s mother actually encouraged us to play Spin The
Bottle
– wow! this is living in the fast lane! I also learned some
of
the harsh realities
of life: Tom told me when we double-dated to take Vanita and Janet Junker to the
Village Theater
that we boys were expected to pay for their
tickets too – say what?
Then came Pershing Junior High – for three years I rode my bicycle (mostly on Bellaire Blvd) to get to school and home again. And I found that when you rode a school bus to a football game, you had an oh-so-mature cheerleader [Marilu Ellis] thanking you for riding her bus – could life possible get any better?
It could. It did. At Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School. Wow, I had made it into the big time. My twin sisters had blazed the trail for me, of course – and by senior year I was living large. I had “my” car – a Renault 4CV that Jimmy Jennings, Eldon Jones, Rick Lilliott, and others managed to put up on someone’s porch during a party – and I had my first steady girlfriend: Sally Clay wore my class ring – right up until the day she dumped me just two weeks before the Senior Prom. I somehow survived and came this close to getting a replacement date with my long-time crush, Letitia – but some snake had asked her out just the night before I called. Then miracle of miracles – I discovered Puff was available and she actually accepted my last minute plea.
Lamar was a continual amazement to me, where it seemed we inmates often were in charge of this marvelous asylum, with just a little choreography from Mr. Keding and Mrs Denny. What great teachers and fun classes – Ms Gladys Pushard for Math [with sliderules at the side: “Don’t take your guns to town, son!”], Ms Hollingsworth for Chemistry, and of course the inimitable Ms Greenwood’s 5th Period Major Works English. Travis wrote his infamous essay on Robin Hood and the Arrow Shirt, and Mike Hattwick was continually due to report on The Fall of the House of Usher which I think he still hasn't read. Ms Greenwood would always end the class by saying, “Oh, you people have distracted me and we haven’t accomplished anything!” And somehow we all got an A.
The Class of 1959 was everywhere doing everything. Especially on-stage. I sat in awe as I watched Susan Ellis, Tommy Tune, and (who? I couldn’t get my eyes off of Susan in those tight black leotards…) perform this sultry sexy song and dance number, Steam Heat. And I listened in awe to the dulcet blend of Jere Wicker, Larry Hitt, and Pat Haragan as they sang to Tony Ullrich’s guitar … songs about whiskey and women and hanging – wow, whiskey? – they gave a class face to a group I had only heard on the 45s: The Kingston Trio.
At the end of the Fourth Grade in Indianapolis many years previously, my teacher brought me to the front of the class and told everyone I would be moving to Houston next school year and admonished me, “Don’t forget us!” I remember looking at her in shock: don’t forget you? Hey, these were my buddies, my teacher – how could you even think I would forget you? Now I can’t tell you a single name or another anecdote from Indiana – but I’ll never forget the great folks and stories of the Lamar Class of 1959. (Summer 2009)
Jack Drummond
To a kid, one of the great
advantages of
being a Navy Brat is that you change home ports from time to time – a
life changing event you were powerless to accomplish on your
own.
Our final move brought the family to Houston, my father to Cameron
Iron
Works, and me to Mrs. Martin’s Fifth Grade at Roberts
Elementary. There I met some of my future Lamar
classmates: Letitia
Kinzbach,
Tony Ullrich,
Tom Wise,
Vanita Berson...
At her birthday party, Vanita’s mother actually encouraged us to play Spin The
Bottle
– wow! this is living in the fast lane! I also learned some
of
the harsh realities
of life: Tom told me when we double-dated to take Vanita and Janet Junker to the
Village Theater
that we boys were expected to pay for their
tickets too – say what?Then came Pershing Junior High – for three years I rode my bicycle (mostly on Bellaire Blvd) to get to school and home again. And I found that when you rode a school bus to a football game, you had an oh-so-mature cheerleader [Marilu Ellis] thanking you for riding her bus – could life possible get any better?
It could. It did. At Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School. Wow, I had made it into the big time. My twin sisters had blazed the trail for me, of course – and by senior year I was living large. I had “my” car – a Renault 4CV that Jimmy Jennings, Eldon Jones, Rick Lilliott, and others managed to put up on someone’s porch during a party – and I had my first steady girlfriend: Sally Clay wore my class ring – right up until the day she dumped me just two weeks before the Senior Prom. I somehow survived and came this close to getting a replacement date with my long-time crush, Letitia – but some snake had asked her out just the night before I called. Then miracle of miracles – I discovered Puff was available and she actually accepted my last minute plea.
Lamar was a continual amazement to me, where it seemed we inmates often were in charge of this marvelous asylum, with just a little choreography from Mr. Keding and Mrs Denny. What great teachers and fun classes – Ms Gladys Pushard for Math [with sliderules at the side: “Don’t take your guns to town, son!”], Ms Hollingsworth for Chemistry, and of course the inimitable Ms Greenwood’s 5th Period Major Works English. Travis wrote his infamous essay on Robin Hood and the Arrow Shirt, and Mike Hattwick was continually due to report on The Fall of the House of Usher which I think he still hasn't read. Ms Greenwood would always end the class by saying, “Oh, you people have distracted me and we haven’t accomplished anything!” And somehow we all got an A.
The Class of 1959 was everywhere doing everything. Especially on-stage. I sat in awe as I watched Susan Ellis, Tommy Tune, and (who? I couldn’t get my eyes off of Susan in those tight black leotards…) perform this sultry sexy song and dance number, Steam Heat. And I listened in awe to the dulcet blend of Jere Wicker, Larry Hitt, and Pat Haragan as they sang to Tony Ullrich’s guitar … songs about whiskey and women and hanging – wow, whiskey? – they gave a class face to a group I had only heard on the 45s: The Kingston Trio.
At the end of the Fourth Grade in Indianapolis many years previously, my teacher brought me to the front of the class and told everyone I would be moving to Houston next school year and admonished me, “Don’t forget us!” I remember looking at her in shock: don’t forget you? Hey, these were my buddies, my teacher – how could you even think I would forget you? Now I can’t tell you a single name or another anecdote from Indiana – but I’ll never forget the great folks and stories of the Lamar Class of 1959. (Summer 2009)
Jack Drummond
I
must say, I'm
having trouble separating Lamar memories from the late '50s
memories. Our
neighborhood seemed to have a large supply of Lamar kids and Lamar
friends of
kids. Some were in our class (Stephen
Engberg, Letitia
Kinzbach,
myself), some were
"older Lamar kids" (Brooke Hamilton, Mary Helen Gibson, Sally Bell,
Maureen Miller), and some were a younger Lamar set (Jody
Todd,
Alice Bell,
Carol Guthrie, Kendall Hamilton) to name a few. Many a night
we
had a fair
number of those folks, plus their friends (Tom Henderson, Tom Wise, James
Davis, Gus
Comiskey,
Jack Whitley,
Sheryl Schoenfield,
to name a few),
just
"hanging out". Then there was the ever popular Haragan Pool Hall,
where Pat
would make you think
you could beat him at 8 ball (I lost a lot of
money there). For whatever reason, the memories of the many dances and pool parties remind me most of "Lamar days". Going over (or calling) to Breen's to get the perfect corsage, only to find out she wanted a wrist corsage. Or worse, she didn't like orchids. It's hard to believe these dances are a thing of the past, as they really were filled with fun, romance and intrigue (like, which boy would wear the white socks). Of course, today my dermatologist is also very pleased we had so many pool parties.
I also have fond memories of the great number of teachers willing to spend inordinate amounts of time trying to help me. I was, perhaps, the least talented student in the history of the school, and still, Ms. Huddleston, Hank Grover (Mr. Lovable), Ms. Chase and Ms. Coats to name a few, never seemed to give up on trying to pull me into the world of achievers. I count myself fortunate to have had such teachers. Lastly, there were a extraordinary bunch of kids at Lamar. Like the people that put the reunions together, Lamar was full of people that tried very hard to make us all feel a part of the Lamar family.
After leaving Lamar, I joined the Navy "to see the world". While I had a really wonderful ti
me,
all my years (only 3) were spent in the US. I had to settle
for
San Francisco, Norfolk and Pensacola, and not "the world". At
the
time,
if you joined before your
18th birthday, you got out when you turned 21. So, at 21, it
was
back to Houston where I did a bit of welding and shop work for Metallic
Building Co. before joining Gulf Oil
Corporation
as a file clerk. The pay was awful, but the environment was a
lot
cooler and cleaner! Eventually I got in to a new field called
Data
Processing
and found my career for life. In 1968, I married Betty Sterrett (my wife of 40 years). We had our daughter Jennifer, in 1972. Jennifer went on to graduate from Rice and I went on to retire from Chevron in 1998 (after 35 years - hard to believe). Since my retirement, I have tried to become a bird watcher, photographer and fisherman. The fish and birds do not like me, apparently, as I have had limited success catching/photographing either. My other time consumer is the PC. I have a web site (not as nice as this one!) where I store all of my bird photos. For those with insomnia, my web site might be helpful: www.itldo.com. By the way, I am happy to report my favorite hobby, weight gaining, is coming along just fine.
A sad note to add; my wife, Betty, passed away in March, this year (2009).
Lana Feagin (Stripling)
My favorite memory was the Choralettes' trip to Washington DC to the
Cherry Blossom Festival. It was so much
fun singing
with West
Point Cadets and seeing Eisenhower's plane along with the snow that
kept us there an extra day.
…My education continued from Lamar to Baylor where I got a BA in Education. After two years of teaching, then I went to SMU and got MA in Psychology and Counseling. I married Bob Stripling in 1962 and we have a daughter and a son living in Dallas. At age 50 and after teaching 20 years in Dallas, I went back to school so I could get a license in Counseling. Working with learning disabled children and their families has been such a joy and privilege for me. Bob and I have enjoyed traveling together. He is a graduate of St Johns’ School in Houston and attended Baylor also. Bob is a lawyer in Dallas before he retired and is now managing the family ranch near Corpus. Lamar was special in many ways, the teachers were excellent and really prepared us for college. Miss Hollingsworth was a great example. (Spring 2009)
Sue Harlow
(Fredrick)
My favorite memory was the Choralettes' trip to Washington DC to the
Cherry Blossom Festival. It was so much
fun singing
with West
Point Cadets and seeing Eisenhower's plane along with the snow that
kept us there an extra day. …My education continued from Lamar to Baylor where I got a BA in Education. After two years of teaching, then I went to SMU and got MA in Psychology and Counseling. I married Bob Stripling in 1962 and we have a daughter and a son living in Dallas. At age 50 and after teaching 20 years in Dallas, I went back to school so I could get a license in Counseling. Working with learning disabled children and their families has been such a joy and privilege for me. Bob and I have enjoyed traveling together. He is a graduate of St Johns’ School in Houston and attended Baylor also. Bob is a lawyer in Dallas before he retired and is now managing the family ranch near Corpus. Lamar was special in many ways, the teachers were excellent and really prepared us for college. Miss Hollingsworth was a great example. (Spring 2009)
8 March 2019To our classmates:
I extend my love and respect to each one of you who may read this note. You are all just great and I wish to let you know I have wonderful memories about our Lamar days. Memories are good and I have a couple to mention here. Having help getting through Geometry. I needed a little basic training. Thank you very much. And memories of two wonderful Spring Plays come to mind, Directed by Mrs. Denney, Damn Yankees and Pajama Game. My goodness it surely was a great time having Tommy Tune choreograph the dancing. Thanks to all of you who helped me through the good and sometimes challenging times of those High School Days.
My life is full of activities that I have chosen in retirement following a brief career in Social Work. Guess I am a late bloomer as I went back to school at UT Knoxville at age 46 and graduated with a MSSW. I specialized in Geriatric Counseling with visits to Health Care Centers. Funny thing is I try to stay away from these places now.
Now I have the time
to dance a little, take exercise classes, teach line dance cla
sses at our
Senior Center and teach a dance class at church for Hope Academy. Bridge is a
highlight in our lives and a couple of Luncheon Groups add to happiness in my
life. I began learning how to play the
guitar in 2010. So much fun to accompany the Dulcimer Group at my church. Life is good.
The plans for the weekend of the 60th Lamar Reunion sound like so much fun. The Dinner Party with the 50's Music playing will be perfect. I can hear the music now. How special that music is to each of us. The tour of Lamar and Picnic Lunch on the front lawn will be such a treat. The gathering on Friday night will be so nice. I look forward to seeing pictures of the weekend.
I wish you a great
60th Lamar High School Reunion.
- Sue Harlow Fredrick
E-Mail: sue_fredrick [at] yahoo.com
Ruth Hergens (Davis)
My
very favorite
class ever at Lamar was Mable
Scott’s
Major Works English class. Characters like Susan Campbell, Nick Kuntz, Jimmy Bass and my
dear friend, Betty
Ellington, were so much fun to
be around. We all loved Mable Scott’s crawfish gumbo parties
she
gave for the class at her home a couple of times a year.
During
our first period class, we endlessly “analyzed” novels and Lamar gossip
as we talked above Mrs.
Glossup’s
Mixed Chorus, who met during first period also. On rare
occasions, someone was given special permission to go across the street
to the drugstore and bring back “vanilla cokes” to the class.
Lynn Hughes
My
very favorite
class ever at Lamar was Mable
Scott’s
Major Works English class. Characters like Susan Campbell, Nick Kuntz, Jimmy Bass and my
dear friend, Betty
Ellington, were so much fun to
be around. We all loved Mable Scott’s crawfish gumbo parties
she
gave for the class at her home a couple of times a year.
During
our first period class, we endlessly “analyzed” novels and Lamar gossip
as we talked above Mrs.
Glossup’s
Mixed Chorus, who met during first period also. On rare
occasions, someone was given special permission to go across the street
to the drugstore and bring back “vanilla cokes” to the class.
I also vaguely remember my days with the Palamar Club and also a very
brief stint with the Orchestra. I also remember that I could
always smell the swimming pool whenever I ate in the cafeteria.
After graduating from Lamar in 1959, I attended the University of Texas and graduated with a BA. Soon after, I married, and had three wonderful sons, who kept me extraordinarily busy for a number of years. I worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for 15 years, and in 2005 I retired and did some traveling - most noteworthy to Russia.
Currently, I spend my time relaxing with friends and family. I do not like to exercise! I do, however, enjoy ballroom dancing - a lot! And I think that counts. My newest "addiction" is Ancestry.com.
Even though I have lived in Houston for the past fifty years, I have run into only a handful of 1959 Lamar Redskins. I really look forward to the upcoming Reunion and can't wait to see everyone.
After graduating from Lamar in 1959, I attended the University of Texas and graduated with a BA. Soon after, I married, and had three wonderful sons, who kept me extraordinarily busy for a number of years. I worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for 15 years, and in 2005 I retired and did some traveling - most noteworthy to Russia.
Currently, I spend my time relaxing with friends and family. I do not like to exercise! I do, however, enjoy ballroom dancing - a lot! And I think that counts. My newest "addiction" is Ancestry.com.
Even though I have lived in Houston for the past fifty years, I have run into only a handful of 1959 Lamar Redskins. I really look forward to the upcoming Reunion and can't wait to see everyone.
Lynn Hughes
Since 1985, I have been
serving as
a United
States District Judge in Houston. Before that I was a Texas
trial
judge. Oliv
e Dixon Allen (Kinkaid '59) and I
eventually married
and have three children and four grandchildren. My hobby is
unremunerative farming. Olive taught at Kinkaid, co-founded
the Fay
School, designed award-winning costumes, and chaired Trees For
Houston. I picked up my anthropology degree at Alabama and law degrees from Texas and Virginia. I taught at South Texas College of Law for 30 years and at UT for two sti
nts.
The American Association
of Petroleum Geologists has had me as its distinguished lecturer on
ethics. In my spare time, I am chairman of the trustees for
the
World Affairs Council of Houston and a member of the Council on Foreign
Relations. In the 1990s, I advised the European Union and a
few
East European countries on constitutional law and privatization. I am
an advisor at Law & Economics Center at George Mason
University's
law school. (updated June 2009)
After
my
stay at Lamar I studied mathematics, first at Rice and then, for my
graduate work,
at Wisconsin. I taught at the University of Georgia and
at
Bowling Green State University. BG's mathematics department
had a
corner on the market in the small mathematical niche in which my
research
interest lay. This area is called Ordered Groups, which
persuades people that
I must also be a sociologist.There were briefer visits to various other universities. The most exotic of these was a round-the-world trip to Japen, New Guinea, Australia (my visit at a university there being the point of all this), Thailand, India, Jordan, Israel, and Greece. This was before going around the world became almost routine. Become a mathematician and see the world!
I am now retired. I was enjoying my retired state until a year ago, when my wife died. That has been very hard, but I think the worst is past.
From my living room you can see Organ Mountains and the Rio Grande. And up behind the house is a mesa on which I do a lot of walking and running. Hiking has been a lifelong favorite activity of mine, and my interest in chess, which began at Lamar, has recently been revived. Las Cruces is a great place to live ... if you like deserts. (March 2009)
...
Well, I have a
couple of small memories.
I was a
member of the clique dubbed the Slydroolers by Ignatius Snigglefritz.
Three of us were on the chess team: Steve
McCleary, Mike
McCants, et
moi. (I have an issue of the Lamar Lancer to prove it.)
We
also were
in Mr. Gentry's Major Works Physics class. I was a mid-termer
but
decided to stay an extra semester and graduate with the June class.
I
had already taken standard physics, but Calvin told me that he was
going to be teaching a brand new physics course developed at MIT called
PSSC Physics. He was excited about it, and I enrolled for my
second
dose of Newton and Maxwell in the fall of 1958.
The
class was held in a room that at one time had been a lab.
Running
down
the center of the room longwise were a series of sinks on the top of
pedestals. Mr. Gentry liked to lecture in front of
the blackboard running the length of the room. Steve and Mike
sat
in
chairs across from one another, on the opposite side of a pedestal from
Mr. Gentry. During class, they would bring out a chessboard
and
set it
up just behind the pedestal, technically hidden from the teacher.
I
can't believe he did not know what was going on, but these were two of
his best students. The physics class policy of "Don't Ask,
Don't
Tell"
worked fine for awhile. The whole charade fell apart one day
when
McCants made a particularly devastating move and jumped up from his
chair shouting, "I got you! I got you!
I got you!"
_______________________
Being a mid-termer, I had Mr. Outterson for English. He was a large, graying, owlish man with glasses. He was very gentle, and I own a small book of his poetry. His tests on Shakespeare were fill-in-the-blank. The day before an exam, Mr. Outterson would write the entire test on the blackboard. For each sentence, he would include the answer, carefully underlining it to emphasize that this word or phrase was to be written into the blank on the test. People still failed. (If any of you come to the reunion, please explain this to me.)
One of the great characters of Pershing and
Lamar was Ronnie Armer.
He
was a mid-termer, so I am sure that he is relatively unknown in the '59
class. Ronnie's oeuvre was a persona that emerged when he
adopted
a
certain rhythm of speech. In this persona, he would commit
outrageous
acts and make fantastical claims about his deeds. I remember Bob
Foxworth and me walking home from Pershing in hysterics
over
Armer's
latest escapade.
Being a mid-termer, I had Mr. Outterson for English. He was a large, graying, owlish man with glasses. He was very gentle, and I own a small book of his poetry. His tests on Shakespeare were fill-in-the-blank. The day before an exam, Mr. Outterson would write the entire test on the blackboard. For each sentence, he would include the answer, carefully underlining it to emphasize that this word or phrase was to be written into the blank on the test. People still failed. (If any of you come to the reunion, please explain this to me.)
Leslie
Outterson was a creature of ritual. Each day he would stand
in
the
hall just outside his door. When the last student had entered
the
classroom, he would close the door, walk over to the waste basket, and
compact the contents with his right foot. One day, someone
filled
it
with water and floated a layer of paper on top.
_________________________
In my last semester of high school, I
received a phone
call
one night
from one of the popular girls, a unique event in my
life.
She invited
me to a Beatnik Party the following weekend, apologizing for the
somewhat late notice. I was bowled over by the honor and
accepted
immediately. I had to wear some kind of beatnik gear and,
most
importantly, I had to create a Work of Art to be exhibited at the
party. During the week, Mike
Hattwick told me that he had been invited
but could not come because he had a job at a service station.
Needing
an equal number of each gender, the hostesses had decided to call me.
The
party was given by three girls at the house of one of them.
Everyone
sat on the floor around a spread of dips and stuff. One of
the
hostesses came out of the kitchen after I arrived and noticed me.
In a
loud voice, she said, "Wendell Mendell! What are you doing
here?"
I
immediately replied, "Hattwick couldn't come, so I am his substitute."
After a flurry of consultation in the kitchen, I was assured
that
I
was mistaken.
For my work of art, I had
composed a massive poem of rhymed couplets, á la Alexander Pope.
It
was a narrative, and each stanza ended in a pun. I was rather
proud of
the monstrosity and read it with proper gusto and timing so that the
terminal puns would have maximum effect. Sure enough, in the
brief
pause after each stanza, there were appreciative groans or laughs.
Unfortunately, as I would begin the next stanza to build the
pun, Mike
Blackledge would interrupt me on the second line
with a loud
laugh,
calling out "Oh, I get it!" My carefully constructed rhythm
was
decimated and I am sure no one remembers what could have been a
monument to punnery.
__________________________
__________________________
Reading Tony Ullrich’s detailed memories is a humbling experience as I realize that my 3 years at Lamar are largely blank. However, Tony’s mention of Mrs. Teshner resurrected one small vignette from my subconscious, albeit not one from the classroom. As Tony notes, Jennie Teshner was the consummate Southern belle with all the associated manners and body language. The incongruity was that she was a large woman, visually suited to be a mate to Paul Bunyan. She was not fat; she was what we called ‘big-boned’. I fully understand how she could be the kin of a professional athletic coach.
One
winter morning, I climbed the outside steps to the front of the school
to see Mrs. Teshner perfectly coiffed in a perfectly tailored suit
pressing her bulk against the door, appearing to strain (with delicacy)
every muscle against the obstacle. I probably weighed only
120
pounds
soaking wet; but I strode to the rescue, opening
the door
for her. She
moved into the school, thanking me graciously; and I was immediately
aware that the universe was in alignment as a Southern man and a
Southern woman had interacted in their proper gender-defined roles.
My only clear memory goes back
to
Mr. Wheeler's chemistry class. Ronnie sat behind me and
across
from
Anabel Stelfox (Class of '58), one of the very pretty and proper young
women of Lamar. I remember her wearing a skirt with multiple
petticoats that draped over the seat of her desk. Ronnie
reached
and
lifted her skirt, ostensibly to see what books were hidden behind it
under the seat. After Anabel slapped his arm, he leaned over
and
inquired if she would help test out his Sealy Posturepedic. I
had
no
idea what that meant; but from the look on Anabel's face, I knew it had
to be pretty funny.
Mr. Wheeler had been
honored with a summer fellowship to the federal laboratory at Oak
Ridge, Tennessee, that had been founded to perform nuclear weapons
research during the Second World War. One day he announced
that
he was
going to show slides from his summer work. Ronnie offered to
operate
the projector in the back of the room, and Mr. Wheeler acquiesced
somewhat hesitantly. Before the presentation began, he
apologized
that
he might not remember what was in every picture because there were so
many facilities. Ronnie assured him that he (Ronnie) had also
worked
at Oak Ridge and would be glad to help out if Mr. Wheeler got stuck.
Sure enough, Mr. Wheeler was stumped by a picture of a
building,
and
Ronnie told him the name of the building and its purpose.
After
the
second assist, Mr. Wheeler remarked with complete astonishment that he
could not believe that Ronnie had been telling the truth.
Later,
we
discovered that Mr. Wheeler had carefully labeled each slide, which
Ronnie read before putting it in the projector.
___________________________
Wendell's Life: After I graduated in 1959, I attended the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Physics in 1963. The vast majority of graduates were going to Grad School, but my GPA was not very robust. I began looking for a job.
IBM recruited all CalTech graduates and I got an offer. However, my mother wrote tearful letters urging me to leave the evil California and come home. My Aunt Aileen knew a person in HR in the new NASA installation and could get me a job. I ended up working at the new Manned Spacecraft Center (that had not yet been built) in a group collecting information about the Moon for use by engineers designing the Apollo spacecraft. Note that I said ‘collecting information’ rather than ‘studying’ or ‘researching’. The group had some Ph.D. members but could not be called a research organization.
The intellectual environment at MSC was a stark contrast to CalTech, and I began exhibiting withdrawal symptoms. In 1965, I wangled a one-year NASA fellowship to get a Masters degree. Most people who entered the program went to Univ. Houston or even as far away as Texas A&M. I broke tradition by enrolling at UCLA.
When I returned home for Christmas vacation with Beatle-length hair, my father marched me to his barber to ‘get it trimmed’. (The barber assured him it was not as long as some bikers.) When I returned in June, 1966, with my Masters in Physics, I also brought back a fiance - a Canadian nurse / United Airlines stewardess. My parents were taken aback by her, and she went into long-term culture shock.
We married, had 2 children (now ages 42 and 38), and parted ways 12 years later. When we were pregnant with the first child (daughter), we went to hear Andy Warhol somewhere over in Montrose. I was struck by how different people in the audience looked and immediately began to grow a beard, which I still have. Upon seeing me for the first time, my mother ran from the room crying, talking about murderers.
During my first marriage, I enrolled at Rice part-time in a Ph.D. program, paid for by NASA. The organization I worked for had morphed into a real research group. [The finding of possible evidence of life in a meteorite from Mars was made by some of my long-time colleagues.] When my second child (son) was born, I was studying for Orals. I eventually wrote and defended a Thesis on an experiment flown to the Moon aboard Apollo 17.
In 1986, I married a ‘spinster’ 11 years my junior. Pam had a mathematics degree from Ohio State and had worked in Houston for IBM on the Space Shuttle navigation system for 12 years since her graduation. We are still married and have 2 children, ages 18 and 14.
On my 60th birthday - December 31 - I cut off my Beatle-length hair for a buzz-cut. It will be my coiffure for the next 35 years. Then we will see.
Addendum (filed September 2009):
My current kids are now 18 and 14. John has entered Rice as a freshman, starting as a psychology major. Mark has started 9th grade at Clear Springs High School. Mark will be performing at the Texas Renaissance Festival, playing the character
Henry Fitzroy in the English Court. For the five years,
ending
this past spring, one or both of the boys has been singing with the
Houston Boychoir, a quality organization. Pam and I have been
officers in the Friends of the Houston Boychoir for the last couple of
years. Pam is now serving as a part-time Executive Director,
even
though Mark no longer sings with the choir in anticipation of a voice
change. Our big event last year was
Mark’s appearance
with the
Houston Symphony as a featured vocalist in their Christmas
program. Both kids love to be on the stage and have become
excellent performers.Pam retired from IBM in 2004 after 30 years but keeps very busy, currently with the Boychoir and the Bible Study Fellowship where she is an administrator. We live in a house in League City that we remodeled in 2005 and in which we had a fire in January, resulting in more remodeling.
My 39-year old son Jason has been working as an aerospace (mechanical) engineer since graduating from UT Austin quite some years ago. Right now he works for Lockheed on a project related to the International Space Station. His older sister Crystal has worked in a number of positions related to various forms of project management and is currently underemployed and looking.
I now have been at NASA for 46 years, working on research and project planning relating to the Moon. By the time I get both kids out of college, I will be able to retire at age 75. In January 2006 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had the thing removed, but postoperative lab work showed that the tumor (though small and caught early) had grown along a nerve and escaped “the capsule”. We are watching the PSA for signs of residual malignancy that would send me for radiation therapy. (updated November 2009)
After
graduating
from
Rice, teaching math at
Kinkaid High School, going back to Rice for a graduate degree in
medi
eval studies, and
discovering (before I wrote
my PhD dissertation)
that demand for professors in that field was abysmally
low,
I settled
into a career as a professional editor. I've been in California for
25 years now, 19 of them as editor for the Center for Advanced Study in
the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford. I semi-retired in 2005 and now now
have a freelance editorial business called The Book Doctor.
Mostly I
edit scholarly books and articles for social science professors, but
occasionally I get to do books with more popular appeal. In 1988 I married Stanley Peters (he's a '59 Kinkaid and '63 MIT grad, now professor emeritus of linguistics at Stanford). Stanley has four grown children and I have two; between us we now have six grandchildren. My identical twin granddaughters, Carrie and Allison Murfin (see photo at right), live in Austin with their father, my son Brian Murfin, so I make frequent trips to Texas. (Menlo Park, CA; updated November 2009)
I retired from HR Works in
January of 2007.
Since that time I have been active with our local YWCA, an organization
that
provides housing for women in transition and support for pregnant and
parenting
teens.
I finished a two year
term as Board
Chair in September and am
currently finishing my last year on the Board. I have
recently
gone on
the Board of Planned Parenthood of the Rochester
/Syracuse
region and have joined the Rochester Women’s Giving
Circle. My husband
and I
help with marriage preparation for couples planning to be married in
our
church. We especially love gardening, cooking and
entertaining. We
travel a lot to keep up with all of these children and grandchildren,
none of
whom live here! One family now lives in the Netherlands!
Our current number of grandchildren is 10 and one is expected any minute to our youngest son and his wife, in Salt Lake City. (November 2009)
It's
rare that I'll
send a file I receive on to others (I
promise), but this
one
is so impressive, I just had to do it. Hope you
enjoy it as much as Kathy and I did. I can
really rap
with the
pics in the attachment. It's a pretty large [6 MB PowerPoint]
file so it may take a moment
or so to down load. I found it VERY thought provoking and fun
+,
for
people my age.
To
me this is an
unbelievable set of pictures. Nice
music too. Now get this! Re the picture of a young
man gett
ing
a
flat top hair cut - On the shelf you will see three jars of
"Butch
Wax." Yep, the pink stuff! I bought my
jar of Butch
Wax in about 1954 when I got my flat top. Mom raised
cane
over that
hair cut! I didn't tell her ahead of time and I think she was
ready to go
after the barber with a pitch fork! I still have the Butch
Wax -
the same
jar. It went to Japan
for two years and Australia
for two and a half years and all over the world AND it's only about
half gone!
That stuff is so potent that if you ever put a lot on, I'm convinced
your hair
would stay put for ever! Actually, I rarely use Butch Wax any
more since my hair has been trained pretty well by
now. I
guess next
step is falling out! (October
2009)
I
married
Bruce Nelson who I met at UT. He was an ATO,
Navy
pilot, and Captain for Braniff Airways. We are grateful to
God
for our
three healthy and beautiful children who have
been very successful in their own fields. We also have a very
smart
and active grandchild! 
Bruce and I have had four
custom framing and art
stores in
the past. We now have antique
furniture as
well as small
antiques for
sale in Minneola, TX, and limited edition art and
collectables for sale on the internet on our eBay store Art-n-things
Gallery. My passion has been to do portraits since 1978. I have
been selling to the public since that time. I have my
business website www.art-n-things.com up
and running
again. I am still working on the pages. Another passion is to
find homes for abandoned animals of which we have an unbelievable
amount in my area. It breaks my heart to see how callous people are
today. I am looking forward to the
reunion....a blast from the past! (Updated
by Kylene in November 2009. Please note:
Kylene died 22 October 2014 in Holly Lake Ranch, Texas.
Her obituary is here.
)
I
attended Lamar the first half of my sophomore year (1956). I
understand
that, based on that, I may be considered a sort of 1959 "scab".
I would love to attend the [50t
h]
reunion.Lamar is the only high school I ever attended; there was this problem back then about pregnancy. I got my GED in 1966, and graduated 'magna cum laude' from the University of Houston in 1988 (after 18 years of on-and-off night school). I then passed the CPA exam (all five parts at my first attempt) -- of course, I had terrific OJT since I had to start my working career at age 17.
I'm still working; I perform financial and accounting services for several professional services firms (mostly engineers and architects). I asked Lamar if they would consider awarding me a diploma based on my subsequent history but they evidently only do this for military veterans. Oh well......
Nevertheless, I was delighted to find the '59 website and would be pleased to catch up with some of those I recall (mainly from Lanier!). (Spring 2009)
BA from UT , Austin, Plan II, 1964, JD from
Loyola of Los Angeles 1976Former Social Worker for the
County of Los
Angeles, then organizer for Social Workers Union, Local 535,
SEIU. Married to Ed Munak, and we grow organic produce in
Paso
Robles, CA: heirloom tomatoes, gourmet melons and baby
seedless
watermelons, lemon cucumbers. No longer practicing
law.
Volunteer work: founded The Toy Bank, a Christmas program in Paso Robles. Now president of Transitional Food and Shelter, Inc., providing temporary shelter for disabled homeless persons and their families when the patient is too ill to be in an overnight shelter at night and out all day. No one was doing this, so we do it. People were coming out of hospitals with a prescription for bed rest, but no bed. Go to nowheretogo.com to see our work. We serve the whole county of San Luis Obispo, CA , and provided 5389 shelter nights last year. We are an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit working from our homes, renting 12 apartments for our clients' use, at a cost of $60,060/year, plus overflow in motels. We could save on operating expenses if we could buy property, but this has not yet been possible. (Spring 2009)
Polio,
several bouts
with pneumonia, very dangerous strains of influenza during terrible
epidemics…the
se
were overcome in my childhood. My ne
plus ultra consisted of some successes as a practicing
attorney,
sundry scholarly publications,
as in the AMERICAN
JOURNAL
OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, a few
brilliant investment decisions, and reams of beautiful
poetry, which I put to the flames long ago, having written it solely
for myself, and with the comfort that it is fixed immovable in the mind
of God for eternity. The sure and certain knowledge that I
can
laugh with abandon, cry without shame, love deeply, and show dogged
devotion to whomever I have become inextricably bound is all I have
remaining; but these are all that ever really mattered anyway. I have
little advice to offer other than the words of Aristotle…Criticism is something we can
avoid by
saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing. One ought to
stand
for something;
believing in
everything, one will fall for anything. Be committed,
though it traverses
the Universe Divide as the mist, like sparks dancing silently in the
straw, without notice in the mind or memory of Man. (November
2009)
Volunteer work: founded The Toy Bank, a Christmas program in Paso Robles. Now president of Transitional Food and Shelter, Inc., providing temporary shelter for disabled homeless persons and their families when the patient is too ill to be in an overnight shelter at night and out all day. No one was doing this, so we do it. People were coming out of hospitals with a prescription for bed rest, but no bed. Go to nowheretogo.com to see our work. We serve the whole county of San Luis Obispo, CA , and provided 5389 shelter nights last year. We are an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit working from our homes, renting 12 apartments for our clients' use, at a cost of $60,060/year, plus overflow in motels. We could save on operating expenses if we could buy property, but this has not yet been possible. (Spring 2009)
Polio,
several bouts
with pneumonia, very dangerous strains of influenza during terrible
epidemics…these
were overcome in my childhood. My ne
plus ultra consisted of some successes as a practicing
attorney,
sundry scholarly publications,
as in the AMERICAN
JOURNAL
OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, a few
brilliant investment decisions, and reams of beautiful
poetry, which I put to the flames long ago, having written it solely
for myself, and with the comfort that it is fixed immovable in the mind
of God for eternity. The sure and certain knowledge that I
can
laugh with abandon, cry without shame, love deeply, and show dogged
devotion to whomever I have become inextricably bound is all I have
remaining; but these are all that ever really mattered anyway. I have
little advice to offer other than the words of Aristotle…Criticism is something we can
avoid by
saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing. One ought to
stand
for something;
believing in
everything, one will fall for anything. Be committed,
though it traverses
the Universe Divide as the mist, like sparks dancing silently in the
straw, without notice in the mind or memory of Man. (November
2009)
I'm
retired now
after a life spent in the laboratory doing biomedical
research, first in graduate school at UT in Austin, then and
the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA, then at the Fox Chase
Cancer
Center in Philadelpha, and finally at the University of New
Mexico
School of Medicine. I was (am) a virologist and
spent most
of my time researching the molecular biology of hepatitis B virus.I
married Kay
Stribling in 1963 and we had two children, Jennifer now (42)
and
David (now 39). Kay and I divorced around
1975, she
moved to Japan to work teaching English, and I remarried in 1984 to my
present wife Helen. Jennifer lives in Israel, and David and
Kay
(she is now retired) live in Houston and we all maintain close ties and
visit each other. I have one grand
aughter,
Kate Summers, David's
daughter, and we enjoy visiting with her and David and Kay at
his
place in Houston, or in Rockport, where Helen and I have a second
home. Here is a picture of me with a small redfish that I
caught
in Rockport off the dock in back of our house.
aughter,
Kate Summers, David's
daughter, and we enjoy visiting with her and David and Kay at
his
place in Houston, or in Rockport, where Helen and I have a second
home. Here is a picture of me with a small redfish that I
caught
in Rockport off the dock in back of our house.Well,
that
sounds pretty dull, but I've enjoyed a number of entertaining
activites over time: motorcycling, horseback riding, skydiving, flying
my small plane for 20 years, and most recently boating and
fishing in the bays around Rockport - none of which I
have
been particularly good at! But I am still alive.. I
learned
with regret the death of my boyhood friend Glen
Stanbaugh.
I
hope to see
everyone this fall.
(Spring 2009)
Some
old friends gave up trying to locate me. I have been retired in
Thailand for 10 years now. Spent most of of my adult life working
overseas in the oil & gas business in engineering. I'm
blessed with my wife, step daughter (21 yrs) and am raising my
nephew (3 yrs). Health is good, of course along with some
maladies common to folks our age.
email: jerrysw10[at]gmail[dot]com
When my family moved to Houston from Dallas in June of 1949, our first home was at
2223 Dorrington,
in the shadow of the Shamrock
Hilton
Hotel. I began the 3rd grade at Oran
M. Roberts Elementary on Greenbriar, then on to John
J. Pershing Jr. High. Some of you will remember Celeste
Ullrich, my
older sister, class of 1957. We had no TV, The home was not yet
air-conditioned. I remember sleeping with the windows open, And I could
hear the noise coming from the horse-racing track, the clickity clack
of the railroad trains coming and going, and the car-racing noise from
Playland Park. That was the music that put me to sleep at night.
Mom and dad bought me a small AM radio, and I began listening to radio. My main memories there were of KLBS ( which years later became KILT). KLBS was owned by one Gordon McClendon, who called himself “the Old Scotsman.” Because of KLBS, I began hearing old Houston Buff games called by Lowell Passe; the days of Vinegar Bend Mizell, Harry “the Hat” Walker and others. We went to many Houston Buff games, down off the Gulf Freeway. I got to see Baseball clown prince, Max Patkin, at least 3-4 time over those quick, short years.
Now, back to the music. One night ( this was about 1953 ), I got curious about the other end of the radio dial. I turned down to the far right end, and discovered “the Blues.” I had discovered KYOK and KCOH. The DJ’S were totally different from what I had ever heard, but the music was just wonderful. I didn’t know it at the time, but those Years, on through the years in Lamar were the hey-day of blues stars like Muddy Waters, Little Junior Parker, Wille Mae “ Hound Dog” Thornton, Howlin’ Wolf, Jack Champion Dupree, Jimmy Reed, and all you reading this can add your favorites. The DJ’s all had funny names. “Zing Zang” Davis & Dizzy Lizzie, Daddy Deep-throat”, amongst others. I was enthralled. I had no interest in playing this genre, but I couldn’t take my ears off of it for years. So, all through Lamar, I was enjoying the pop stuff, but my main interest was the blues, until “Tom Dooley” hit the airwaves.
Tom Dooley, the first smash-hit for the Kingston Trio was released in August, 1958, just as we were beginning our senior year. I was smitten. I didn’t know what that odd-sounding instrument was, but I knew I had to learn to play it. That odd- sounding instrument was the 5-string banjo, as played by the late Dave Guard. (Please see my website: www.5stringbanjer.com ). Well, I searched all over Houston for a 5-string banjo, that I could afford, and I found one for $35 at a pawn shop on Market Square. I took it to Red Novak at H&H Music, and he put it back to playing order for me, and I was on my way. I spent a lot of hours, during our senior year, trying to figure out what Dave Guard was doing. I just had to pick that banjo. And here I am, 50+ years later, still sitting in a small music studio, teaching folks to play that great sound of Bluegrass Style banjo.
Having come from Pershing Jr. High, my first experience with group singing was the mixed chorus, there, under the direction of Mrs. Virginia Perkins. I loved that class, that first time of singing with others, in an organized group. That love of group singing carried over to Lamar, and the mixed chorus under Mrs. Rosamund Glosup, a great lady, and a huge influence on my high school life. Most of my specific memories are faded, but I do count those class times as some of my happiest times in school. One memory that I’ll never forget, and someone else might also remember; Mrs. Glosup had chosen a really hard piece, that I believe was titled; “Ho Spo Dee Po Milwee.” Not sure what language that was, but It was difficult to perform. We practiced and we practiced ……. The musical piece was accapella, and it modulated many times. Well, We performed it one time, in the Lamar auditorium, at some function ( someone help me, here), and we got off, off-timing, off-key, off- everything. It was tough going, for what seemed eternity. Mrs. Glosup just stood there and pulled us along, and somehow, near the end, we got back on track and finished, on-key, together. Whew !!!! Mrs. Glosup was a great lady.
The
Satellites, Larry Hitt,
Pat Haragan,
and Jeremy
Wicker, already
an established group, asked me, I believe, to join them, with guitar,
near the end of our junior year. We were all in the mixed
chorus,
and I felt very fortunate to be able to provide back-up for their vocal
arrangements of the pop songs everyone loved to hear. As our
senior year continued, we began singing some of the folk songs that
were becoming so popular at that time. I had not yet begun
using
the banjo, so I believe all our performances that included me, included
me on guitar, only. Larry’s booming bass / baritone voice
kept
the vocals steady, and Pat and Jeremy’s same voice range allowed them
to trade off on upper parts. Believe me, all three could
really
sing, and their voices worked very, very well together. We
spent
part of one day. at our 40th reunion, singing and playing, and getting
caught up on our lives, and we promised ourselves we would get together
from time to time and play and sing. Thanks to The Satellites for
letting me be part of the musical group.
We talked many times about getting together and spending a weekend doing Satellite music, and it finally happened, the weekend of December 3-5, 2004. Jeremy and Pat both had beautiful homes at Wimberley, so Larry and I drove up to get us all together. Larry stayed with Jeremy, I bunked at Pat’s lovely home. We had two and half days together, and once again, I was reminded of Larry’s beautiful bass / baritone voice. Boy, can Larry sing !!!! Jeremy and Pat have maintained the quality of their tenor voices, and once, again, traded off on the higher parts of the songs they sang.
There is this restaurant, named Charlie’s I believe, and the menu, filled with fried food, is your cardiologist’s nightmare. At the time, this place was known for having a mostly Bluegrass jam session on Friday nights, so to off Charlie’s we went.
We were standing in line, and I looked up to the wall, and there were pictures of the various pickers, and I noticed the name, Garry Boggs, with an arrow pointing to his place in the picture. I said, “ look fellows, Garry Boggs is in this picture.!” Well, as we were looking, one of the employees at said Charlie’s asked us if we knew Garry, and we all chimed in with a simultaneous “yes! We had all gone to school together.” This fellow said, Garry was on his way for the jam session, so we were all ready to add Garry to the reunion, and the jam session.
The jam session was held on a really nice pavilion, built behind the restaurant, And included a really nice fireplace for the cold weather. There were about 20 pickers there, men and women, guitars, mandolins, fiddles, and two of us with banjos, filled out the group. Over the years, I have attended hundreds of these great jams, and they are always fun. The songs vary from Bluegrass, to country, to Christian
Gospel, both old-time and contemporary. The jam session had been going on for about an hour, when this same fellow, with a much more serious look on his face, came up and grabbed two of the regulars, and pulled them outside the jam session pavilion. It was obvious to all that something serious was going on, and finally he walked up to the group, and simply stated that he had just received word that Garry Boggs had just been found in the street in front of his house, dead of a heart attack. An immediate state of shock hit all of us. I waited to see if the jam was going to shut down, and the regulars all just voted to stay and pick. They thought Garry would have liked that, so we picked on until it got late.
Larry, Pat, & Jeremy were so kind that night, just to sit behind me, while I played with this group of total strangers. We had another day and a half to continue the Satellite reunion. I really had a great time. I wish we could get together more often.
Thanks Larry, Pat and Jeremy. We’ll all be interested to hear your individual memories of your history of the Satellites.
Bert Kivell - Bert Kivell - I always wanted to go only to Lamar, but a very large part of that desire was because of Bert Kivell. I had met Mr. Kivell during my Pershing years. And knew he was a great, thoughtful coach. I guess I can truly say, I came as close to idolizing him as I ever did any teacher. I truly loved Mr. Kivell.
Early in our senior year, on a cold, rainy day at a triangular track meet at the old Jeppesen stadium, I ran in a 220 yard dash final with Ray Poage. I knew I couldn’t beat Ray, but I did know that if I ran with him, I would have a really good time in the 220. Well, Ray ran a 21:2 in that race, and I ran a 21:4. That was the fastest 220 I ever ran, and I owe it all to Ray, pulling me down the track.
I remember Bill Hamlett’s drive and determination as he trained for the long distance races. I got tired just watching Bill’s work ethic. Those are the things we remember about our friends and classmates. I remember the fun and humor of Frank Udemi and Dickie Davis. They made track practices fun. I remember the younger Freddie Ames and Mike Dalton, both of whom added so much to our team.
I remember Joe Delorenzo’s true grit and drive as he trained with Ray in the 440 yard dash. I still wish I could see Ray Poage run that curve on the track, one more time… For those of us, who ran with Ray, and who loved track, there was just something about Ray Poage’s running stride, and the closest word I can find is “magnificent”.
Gladys Pushard – senior year Calculus, first floor, windows facing the main parking lot. I made the mistake of qualifying for major works math class, differential & integral calculus our senior year. I remember being in awe of all who were in the class. Wendel Mendel was there, as was Mike Hattwick, Jim Jennings, Kathleen Much, Jeremy Wicker, Mike Blackledge, Woody Tompkins and a lot of the other truly bright kids in our class. I really struggled with those calculus classes. The bright side was the one of the two southern belles I had as teachers, Gladys Pushard. Mrs. P. was such a thoughtful, wonderful lady. She showed me helpful patience, and somehow I got through with B in differential, and an A- in integral.
Mrs. Teshner – Mrs. Teshner, English grammar, was the other southern belle. I really loved that class. I loved diagramming sentences. I believe I got my love for words from her, in that class. What most of you don’t know, is that she was the sister of Polk Robison, the long-time basketball coach and A.D. at Texas Tech U., in Lubbock. Polk was a friend and classmate of my parents, both of whom graduated from Tech in 1934. I didn’t know this till many years later, but dad graduated at the top of his 1934 class. Dad was so shy, he never talked about it.
Mable Scott – Mrs. Scott, American Literature, third floor, window facing the football field. Some years ago, I saw a PBS interview with the now famous Lamar graduate, Linda Ellerbee. Linda’s interviewer asked her to name her biggest influences among her teachers, and without hesitating, Linda Ellerbee broke into this effusive praise and love for our Mable Scott. Mable Scott became almost her entire focus in that part of her interview. I remember, pretty much going into Mrs. Scott’s Lit. class, not wanting to be there, and leaving, really sad that I would not take another class from Mable Scott. Linda Ellerbee, where ever you are, you are right about Mrs. Mable Scott.
Mrs. Huddleston – “Bonus nachos”……. “Uh! I mean buenos noches.” Junior year Spanish, second floor, windows facing the main parking lot. I include Mrs. Huddleston, because she really loved to teach. Spanish was her class, and she really loved to see the light come on her student’s eyes. She was happy when we learned, and she showed it, in her words and actions. The term is “encouragement.”
Lee Keding – King of the white silk tie, the eclectic, the esoteric, the true meaning of “one-of-kind.” That’s our Lee Keding. Mr. Keding sponsored my club, Ramal, and we had fun, with him as our teacher / sponsor. The Choralettes went on a road trip, by bus, to perform at a function in Woodville, Texas. ( you ladies can fill in here with your memories ). Mr. Keding let me go along as moral support, and escort. All I remember is that my head was swimming the whole trip; all these beautiful girls and I got to go along for the trip. I never really got to know Mr. Keding, but he is truly a most “unforgettable character.”
Recently, I got an email from classmate, Jim Mcdugald. Jim made contact, and I was really glad that he did. We have chatted back and forth. Jim lives in Franklin, Tennesee. Jim sent me a picture, of our JV football team, from the 1958 Orenda, And there we are. Among others, are Ronnie Armer, Jim, Danny Tompkins, Larry Hitt, Ray Poage and Kenny Hardin. I couldn’t help but notice, that I was the smallest one on the team. The picture doesn’t lie. The JV squad played 7 games that year, and lost all but one. The 4th game was against Spring Branch, at their old stadium over there on Westview. We lost that game 19-0. Worst, that was the game in which I was injured and had to stop playing football. I was blocking for Ray on a punt return, and the Spring Branch player blind-sided me, plowing into my right hip, the result was a pinched nerve (sciatic), and a muscle injury I am still plagued with to this day. The doctors told mom and dad, I should never step on a football field again. I quit football, and it nearly killed me. I was never much more than a blocking dummy for the main offense, during practice, but I loved being out there on the field, being part of the team.
After Pershing beat Lanier in the City Football Championship game, the year before, and all things had calmed down, it began occurring to me that, pretty soon I was going to be playing with these guys from Lanier. Yikes! And Dubble-Yikes!
I do remember that the B-team dressing room, you know, the one with the peep holes cut into the cracks so we could see into the girl’s dressing room, was pretty cold for awhile, but time, I felt , would help to heal all wounds. One day, I smarted off about something, and Bruce Langston challenged me, and all of a sudden, I had a fight on my hands. So, with Joe Delorenzo as referee, Bruce and I walked across Westheimer to the front yard of a house, behind the drug store, where Bruce pretty much proceeded to pound me into grass. I think Joe’s presence stopped the need for my early funeral. Don’t remember what I said, but I’ll do my best to not say that again.
There is one lady in our class who has had my heart since Pershing. A genuine love and caring for her. Ever since that 1st day in the 7th grade, and I saw her outside one of those wooden building classrooms. Some years ago, we had a chance to spend time together, and I confessed of that long-standing love. She was a little more than surprised. We had always been friends, and that’s all. I won’t tell you who she is, I don’t want to embarrass her publicly, but she knows who she is, and that’s enough.
My junior year, I dated an older woman, Sheila Scott [Class of 1958]. Sheila was just so much fun, And I really enjoyed her singing. I have a picture of Sheila and me at the Livestock show & rodeo that year. We were cowpoke and cowpokette that day, for sure.
I had a huge crush on Harriet Melendy [Class of 1961]. I have a picture of us, at the Sadie Hawkins Dance, that she invited me to attend as her date. Harriet is now Melendy Britt, TV star and actress. If you search Melendy Britt, she’ll come up. Looks like she is as beautiful as ever. I thought of trying to get in touch with her, and see if she would come to the 50th with me, but I finally said, probably best to just leave well enough alone.
Whenever I hear a Johnny Mathis song on the radio, I think of one Barbara Waddill [1960]. We dated at the beginning of our senior year, and we would go the den of her River Oaks home on Olympia, and a hug and kiss till our faces hurt, always with that Johnny Mathis album playing in the background. Fortunately, the Waddill’s had a maid, and she kept an eye on us for every minute I was there. “Momma Bop” was Barbara’s nick-name. Mom and Dad took Barbara and me to College Station one night for a Texas Tech / Aggie Basketball game. Momma Bop and I hugged and kissed in the back seat all the way home. I had never done anything like that before in my life, and I caught “what for” and a lot of grief for that, for days after. Barbara Waddill was one of the most genuine, honest, and funniest girls I have ever known.
My date to our senior prom at Lakeside C.C. was a beautiful junior named Melinda Kendall. I had seen her in halls at school, and thought she was such a beautiful girl. We were graduating and I just lost touch with her. Would have liked to continue to date. Some years ago, I saw an article in the Houston paper, that she had something to do with The Beatles, and some kind of on-going suit or something.
Like all the rest of you fellows, there were plenty of other girls I was madly in love with, if only for a day, (guys, wasn’t it fun to be young and stupid) or a week. Guys, all we have to do is go through our Orenda, and It is amazing the huge number of beautiful girls that stood around us, everyday, all day, at school. Fellows, we were truly surrounded by beautiful ladies. We were so very fortunate !!!!!! (Fall 2009)
[June 2012 update:] Hi, 59ers - my business partner, Gary Henderson, and I, after 2.5 years of a lot of work, are finally open for business, with my On-Line Bluegrass banjo lessons. See my videos here and the Banjer Productions website here.
Some
old friends gave up trying to locate me. I have been retired in
Thailand for 10 years now. Spent most of of my adult life working
overseas in the oil & gas business in engineering. I'm
blessed with my wife, step daughter (21 yrs) and am raising my
nephew (3 yrs). Health is good, of course along with some
maladies common to folks our age.I
won't be able to make the reunion this year; we have previous plans to
come home for Thanksgiving. I would like to try to make some
contacts in the future. Good luck with reunion - I'll be thinking of all of you. [April 2019]
When my family moved to Houston from Dallas in June of 1949, our first home was at
2223 Dorrington,
in the shadow of the Shamrock
Hilton
Hotel. I began the 3rd grade at Oran
M. Roberts Elementary on Greenbriar, then on to John
J. Pershing Jr. High. Some of you will remember Celeste
Ullrich, my
older sister, class of 1957. We had no TV, The home was not yet
air-conditioned. I remember sleeping with the windows open, And I could
hear the noise coming from the horse-racing track, the clickity clack
of the railroad trains coming and going, and the car-racing noise from
Playland Park. That was the music that put me to sleep at night.Mom and dad bought me a small AM radio, and I began listening to radio. My main memories there were of KLBS ( which years later became KILT). KLBS was owned by one Gordon McClendon, who called himself “the Old Scotsman.” Because of KLBS, I began hearing old Houston Buff games called by Lowell Passe; the days of Vinegar Bend Mizell, Harry “the Hat” Walker and others. We went to many Houston Buff games, down off the Gulf Freeway. I got to see Baseball clown prince, Max Patkin, at least 3-4 time over those quick, short years.
Now, back to the music. One night ( this was about 1953 ), I got curious about the other end of the radio dial. I turned down to the far right end, and discovered “the Blues.” I had discovered KYOK and KCOH. The DJ’S were totally different from what I had ever heard, but the music was just wonderful. I didn’t know it at the time, but those Years, on through the years in Lamar were the hey-day of blues stars like Muddy Waters, Little Junior Parker, Wille Mae “ Hound Dog” Thornton, Howlin’ Wolf, Jack Champion Dupree, Jimmy Reed, and all you reading this can add your favorites. The DJ’s all had funny names. “Zing Zang” Davis & Dizzy Lizzie, Daddy Deep-throat”, amongst others. I was enthralled. I had no interest in playing this genre, but I couldn’t take my ears off of it for years. So, all through Lamar, I was enjoying the pop stuff, but my main interest was the blues, until “Tom Dooley” hit the airwaves.
Tom Dooley, the first smash-hit for the Kingston Trio was released in August, 1958, just as we were beginning our senior year. I was smitten. I didn’t know what that odd-sounding instrument was, but I knew I had to learn to play it. That odd- sounding instrument was the 5-string banjo, as played by the late Dave Guard. (Please see my website: www.5stringbanjer.com ). Well, I searched all over Houston for a 5-string banjo, that I could afford, and I found one for $35 at a pawn shop on Market Square. I took it to Red Novak at H&H Music, and he put it back to playing order for me, and I was on my way. I spent a lot of hours, during our senior year, trying to figure out what Dave Guard was doing. I just had to pick that banjo. And here I am, 50+ years later, still sitting in a small music studio, teaching folks to play that great sound of Bluegrass Style banjo.
Having come from Pershing Jr. High, my first experience with group singing was the mixed chorus, there, under the direction of Mrs. Virginia Perkins. I loved that class, that first time of singing with others, in an organized group. That love of group singing carried over to Lamar, and the mixed chorus under Mrs. Rosamund Glosup, a great lady, and a huge influence on my high school life. Most of my specific memories are faded, but I do count those class times as some of my happiest times in school. One memory that I’ll never forget, and someone else might also remember; Mrs. Glosup had chosen a really hard piece, that I believe was titled; “Ho Spo Dee Po Milwee.” Not sure what language that was, but It was difficult to perform. We practiced and we practiced ……. The musical piece was accapella, and it modulated many times. Well, We performed it one time, in the Lamar auditorium, at some function ( someone help me, here), and we got off, off-timing, off-key, off- everything. It was tough going, for what seemed eternity. Mrs. Glosup just stood there and pulled us along, and somehow, near the end, we got back on track and finished, on-key, together. Whew !!!! Mrs. Glosup was a great lady.
The
Satellites
The
Satellites, Larry Hitt,
Pat Haragan,
and Jeremy
Wicker, already
an established group, asked me, I believe, to join them, with guitar,
near the end of our junior year. We were all in the mixed
chorus,
and I felt very fortunate to be able to provide back-up for their vocal
arrangements of the pop songs everyone loved to hear. As our
senior year continued, we began singing some of the folk songs that
were becoming so popular at that time. I had not yet begun
using
the banjo, so I believe all our performances that included me, included
me on guitar, only. Larry’s booming bass / baritone voice
kept
the vocals steady, and Pat and Jeremy’s same voice range allowed them
to trade off on upper parts. Believe me, all three could
really
sing, and their voices worked very, very well together. We
spent
part of one day. at our 40th reunion, singing and playing, and getting
caught up on our lives, and we promised ourselves we would get together
from time to time and play and sing. Thanks to The Satellites for
letting me be part of the musical group.The
death of Garry
Boggs
We talked many times about getting together and spending a weekend doing Satellite music, and it finally happened, the weekend of December 3-5, 2004. Jeremy and Pat both had beautiful homes at Wimberley, so Larry and I drove up to get us all together. Larry stayed with Jeremy, I bunked at Pat’s lovely home. We had two and half days together, and once again, I was reminded of Larry’s beautiful bass / baritone voice. Boy, can Larry sing !!!! Jeremy and Pat have maintained the quality of their tenor voices, and once, again, traded off on the higher parts of the songs they sang.
There is this restaurant, named Charlie’s I believe, and the menu, filled with fried food, is your cardiologist’s nightmare. At the time, this place was known for having a mostly Bluegrass jam session on Friday nights, so to off Charlie’s we went.
We were standing in line, and I looked up to the wall, and there were pictures of the various pickers, and I noticed the name, Garry Boggs, with an arrow pointing to his place in the picture. I said, “ look fellows, Garry Boggs is in this picture.!” Well, as we were looking, one of the employees at said Charlie’s asked us if we knew Garry, and we all chimed in with a simultaneous “yes! We had all gone to school together.” This fellow said, Garry was on his way for the jam session, so we were all ready to add Garry to the reunion, and the jam session.
The jam session was held on a really nice pavilion, built behind the restaurant, And included a really nice fireplace for the cold weather. There were about 20 pickers there, men and women, guitars, mandolins, fiddles, and two of us with banjos, filled out the group. Over the years, I have attended hundreds of these great jams, and they are always fun. The songs vary from Bluegrass, to country, to Christian
Gospel, both old-time and contemporary. The jam session had been going on for about an hour, when this same fellow, with a much more serious look on his face, came up and grabbed two of the regulars, and pulled them outside the jam session pavilion. It was obvious to all that something serious was going on, and finally he walked up to the group, and simply stated that he had just received word that Garry Boggs had just been found in the street in front of his house, dead of a heart attack. An immediate state of shock hit all of us. I waited to see if the jam was going to shut down, and the regulars all just voted to stay and pick. They thought Garry would have liked that, so we picked on until it got late.
Larry, Pat, & Jeremy were so kind that night, just to sit behind me, while I played with this group of total strangers. We had another day and a half to continue the Satellite reunion. I really had a great time. I wish we could get together more often.
Thanks Larry, Pat and Jeremy. We’ll all be interested to hear your individual memories of your history of the Satellites.
Favorite
teachers
Bert Kivell - Bert Kivell - I always wanted to go only to Lamar, but a very large part of that desire was because of Bert Kivell. I had met Mr. Kivell during my Pershing years. And knew he was a great, thoughtful coach. I guess I can truly say, I came as close to idolizing him as I ever did any teacher. I truly loved Mr. Kivell.
My favorite memories of track
………Sophomore year
Our Junior Varsity 440 yard relay team, Frank Udemi, Pat Foley, Dickie Davis and I, won city in the 440 yard relay. I won the 220 yard dash, and I placed third in the 100 yard dash. I still have the ribbons in a shadow box mom and dad made for me, when we graduated and went on to the next steps in our lives.
Two of the fastest sprinters in entire the State of Texas, our sophomore year were Bert Coan ( Pasadena ) and Lynn Gray (Baytown). They were the Mutt and Jeff of track, because Bert Coan was about 6’ 4”, and Lynn Gray was only about 5’9”.
At the Pasadena Relays, Coach Kivell entered me in the 100 yard dash, and somehow, I qualified for the finals in the 100. I walked to the start line, and when the lanes were assigned, I found myself …. little old me …… little, skinny Tony, in the lane between Coan and Gray, with Coan on my left, and Gray on my right. There was one false start, and then, on the second gun, we were off. Now, here’s the funny part……. I came out of the blocks and when I got vertical to where I could see ahead, I noticed that Bert Coan and Lynn Gray were already 4-6 strides out ahead of me. This was my first taste of what it requires to be a world class sprinter. Coan won that night with a 9.7, and Lynn Gray finished second with the same 9.7 time. Seems Coan could lean further because of his height advantage. I placed 6th out of 8, with a 10.4 / 100. Still, this is one of my treasured memories. Coach Kivell put his arm around me, and told me I had done well, and as a sophomore, I still had a lot of time to improve.
In March of our junior year, while working on starts, I pulled my left hamstring, so severely, that I lost my entire junior year. Brokenhearted, I did not run one race my whole junior year. I was crushed, beyond words. I rested and re-hab’d over our junior year, ran in the Junior Olympics during the summer, and was ready to go for our senior year.
I remember the track team flying in someone’s DC-3 to
the
Border
Olympics. The most beautiful Barbara
Hoffman was our track queen and she went with us. I
remember
seeing Bobby Morrow in the Cadillac bar there, and being brave enough
to walk up and shake his hand. Our Junior Varsity 440 yard relay team, Frank Udemi, Pat Foley, Dickie Davis and I, won city in the 440 yard relay. I won the 220 yard dash, and I placed third in the 100 yard dash. I still have the ribbons in a shadow box mom and dad made for me, when we graduated and went on to the next steps in our lives.
Two of the fastest sprinters in entire the State of Texas, our sophomore year were Bert Coan ( Pasadena ) and Lynn Gray (Baytown). They were the Mutt and Jeff of track, because Bert Coan was about 6’ 4”, and Lynn Gray was only about 5’9”.
At the Pasadena Relays, Coach Kivell entered me in the 100 yard dash, and somehow, I qualified for the finals in the 100. I walked to the start line, and when the lanes were assigned, I found myself …. little old me …… little, skinny Tony, in the lane between Coan and Gray, with Coan on my left, and Gray on my right. There was one false start, and then, on the second gun, we were off. Now, here’s the funny part……. I came out of the blocks and when I got vertical to where I could see ahead, I noticed that Bert Coan and Lynn Gray were already 4-6 strides out ahead of me. This was my first taste of what it requires to be a world class sprinter. Coan won that night with a 9.7, and Lynn Gray finished second with the same 9.7 time. Seems Coan could lean further because of his height advantage. I placed 6th out of 8, with a 10.4 / 100. Still, this is one of my treasured memories. Coach Kivell put his arm around me, and told me I had done well, and as a sophomore, I still had a lot of time to improve.
Junior
Year
In March of our junior year, while working on starts, I pulled my left hamstring, so severely, that I lost my entire junior year. Brokenhearted, I did not run one race my whole junior year. I was crushed, beyond words. I rested and re-hab’d over our junior year, ran in the Junior Olympics during the summer, and was ready to go for our senior year.
Senior Year
Early in our senior year, on a cold, rainy day at a triangular track meet at the old Jeppesen stadium, I ran in a 220 yard dash final with Ray Poage. I knew I couldn’t beat Ray, but I did know that if I ran with him, I would have a really good time in the 220. Well, Ray ran a 21:2 in that race, and I ran a 21:4. That was the fastest 220 I ever ran, and I owe it all to Ray, pulling me down the track.
I remember Bill Hamlett’s drive and determination as he trained for the long distance races. I got tired just watching Bill’s work ethic. Those are the things we remember about our friends and classmates. I remember the fun and humor of Frank Udemi and Dickie Davis. They made track practices fun. I remember the younger Freddie Ames and Mike Dalton, both of whom added so much to our team.
I remember Joe Delorenzo’s true grit and drive as he trained with Ray in the 440 yard dash. I still wish I could see Ray Poage run that curve on the track, one more time… For those of us, who ran with Ray, and who loved track, there was just something about Ray Poage’s running stride, and the closest word I can find is “magnificent”.
Gladys Pushard – senior year Calculus, first floor, windows facing the main parking lot. I made the mistake of qualifying for major works math class, differential & integral calculus our senior year. I remember being in awe of all who were in the class. Wendel Mendel was there, as was Mike Hattwick, Jim Jennings, Kathleen Much, Jeremy Wicker, Mike Blackledge, Woody Tompkins and a lot of the other truly bright kids in our class. I really struggled with those calculus classes. The bright side was the one of the two southern belles I had as teachers, Gladys Pushard. Mrs. P. was such a thoughtful, wonderful lady. She showed me helpful patience, and somehow I got through with B in differential, and an A- in integral.
Mrs. Teshner – Mrs. Teshner, English grammar, was the other southern belle. I really loved that class. I loved diagramming sentences. I believe I got my love for words from her, in that class. What most of you don’t know, is that she was the sister of Polk Robison, the long-time basketball coach and A.D. at Texas Tech U., in Lubbock. Polk was a friend and classmate of my parents, both of whom graduated from Tech in 1934. I didn’t know this till many years later, but dad graduated at the top of his 1934 class. Dad was so shy, he never talked about it.
Mable Scott – Mrs. Scott, American Literature, third floor, window facing the football field. Some years ago, I saw a PBS interview with the now famous Lamar graduate, Linda Ellerbee. Linda’s interviewer asked her to name her biggest influences among her teachers, and without hesitating, Linda Ellerbee broke into this effusive praise and love for our Mable Scott. Mable Scott became almost her entire focus in that part of her interview. I remember, pretty much going into Mrs. Scott’s Lit. class, not wanting to be there, and leaving, really sad that I would not take another class from Mable Scott. Linda Ellerbee, where ever you are, you are right about Mrs. Mable Scott.
Mrs. Huddleston – “Bonus nachos”……. “Uh! I mean buenos noches.” Junior year Spanish, second floor, windows facing the main parking lot. I include Mrs. Huddleston, because she really loved to teach. Spanish was her class, and she really loved to see the light come on her student’s eyes. She was happy when we learned, and she showed it, in her words and actions. The term is “encouragement.”
Lee Keding – King of the white silk tie, the eclectic, the esoteric, the true meaning of “one-of-kind.” That’s our Lee Keding. Mr. Keding sponsored my club, Ramal, and we had fun, with him as our teacher / sponsor. The Choralettes went on a road trip, by bus, to perform at a function in Woodville, Texas. ( you ladies can fill in here with your memories ). Mr. Keding let me go along as moral support, and escort. All I remember is that my head was swimming the whole trip; all these beautiful girls and I got to go along for the trip. I never really got to know Mr. Keding, but he is truly a most “unforgettable character.”
Football
Recently, I got an email from classmate, Jim Mcdugald. Jim made contact, and I was really glad that he did. We have chatted back and forth. Jim lives in Franklin, Tennesee. Jim sent me a picture, of our JV football team, from the 1958 Orenda, And there we are. Among others, are Ronnie Armer, Jim, Danny Tompkins, Larry Hitt, Ray Poage and Kenny Hardin. I couldn’t help but notice, that I was the smallest one on the team. The picture doesn’t lie. The JV squad played 7 games that year, and lost all but one. The 4th game was against Spring Branch, at their old stadium over there on Westview. We lost that game 19-0. Worst, that was the game in which I was injured and had to stop playing football. I was blocking for Ray on a punt return, and the Spring Branch player blind-sided me, plowing into my right hip, the result was a pinched nerve (sciatic), and a muscle injury I am still plagued with to this day. The doctors told mom and dad, I should never step on a football field again. I quit football, and it nearly killed me. I was never much more than a blocking dummy for the main offense, during practice, but I loved being out there on the field, being part of the team.
Pershing
vs. Lanier
After Pershing beat Lanier in the City Football Championship game, the year before, and all things had calmed down, it began occurring to me that, pretty soon I was going to be playing with these guys from Lanier. Yikes! And Dubble-Yikes!
I do remember that the B-team dressing room, you know, the one with the peep holes cut into the cracks so we could see into the girl’s dressing room, was pretty cold for awhile, but time, I felt , would help to heal all wounds. One day, I smarted off about something, and Bruce Langston challenged me, and all of a sudden, I had a fight on my hands. So, with Joe Delorenzo as referee, Bruce and I walked across Westheimer to the front yard of a house, behind the drug store, where Bruce pretty much proceeded to pound me into grass. I think Joe’s presence stopped the need for my early funeral. Don’t remember what I said, but I’ll do my best to not say that again.
Loves,
Crushes and
Heartaches
There is one lady in our class who has had my heart since Pershing. A genuine love and caring for her. Ever since that 1st day in the 7th grade, and I saw her outside one of those wooden building classrooms. Some years ago, we had a chance to spend time together, and I confessed of that long-standing love. She was a little more than surprised. We had always been friends, and that’s all. I won’t tell you who she is, I don’t want to embarrass her publicly, but she knows who she is, and that’s enough.
My junior year, I dated an older woman, Sheila Scott [Class of 1958]. Sheila was just so much fun, And I really enjoyed her singing. I have a picture of Sheila and me at the Livestock show & rodeo that year. We were cowpoke and cowpokette that day, for sure.
I had a huge crush on Harriet Melendy [Class of 1961]. I have a picture of us, at the Sadie Hawkins Dance, that she invited me to attend as her date. Harriet is now Melendy Britt, TV star and actress. If you search Melendy Britt, she’ll come up. Looks like she is as beautiful as ever. I thought of trying to get in touch with her, and see if she would come to the 50th with me, but I finally said, probably best to just leave well enough alone.
Whenever I hear a Johnny Mathis song on the radio, I think of one Barbara Waddill [1960]. We dated at the beginning of our senior year, and we would go the den of her River Oaks home on Olympia, and a hug and kiss till our faces hurt, always with that Johnny Mathis album playing in the background. Fortunately, the Waddill’s had a maid, and she kept an eye on us for every minute I was there. “Momma Bop” was Barbara’s nick-name. Mom and Dad took Barbara and me to College Station one night for a Texas Tech / Aggie Basketball game. Momma Bop and I hugged and kissed in the back seat all the way home. I had never done anything like that before in my life, and I caught “what for” and a lot of grief for that, for days after. Barbara Waddill was one of the most genuine, honest, and funniest girls I have ever known.
My date to our senior prom at Lakeside C.C. was a beautiful junior named Melinda Kendall. I had seen her in halls at school, and thought she was such a beautiful girl. We were graduating and I just lost touch with her. Would have liked to continue to date. Some years ago, I saw an article in the Houston paper, that she had something to do with The Beatles, and some kind of on-going suit or something.
Like all the rest of you fellows, there were plenty of other girls I was madly in love with, if only for a day, (guys, wasn’t it fun to be young and stupid) or a week. Guys, all we have to do is go through our Orenda, and It is amazing the huge number of beautiful girls that stood around us, everyday, all day, at school. Fellows, we were truly surrounded by beautiful ladies. We were so very fortunate !!!!!! (Fall 2009)
[June 2012 update:] Hi, 59ers - my business partner, Gary Henderson, and I, after 2.5 years of a lot of work, are finally open for business, with my On-Line Bluegrass banjo lessons. See my videos here and the Banjer Productions website here.
"I
went to Roberts Elementary from kindergarten through 4th grade, then
transferred to West University Elem. because we moved. At
Roberts, we
lived on Southgate, just two houses east of Kirby (it was a narrow
blacktop road then). While in Kindergarten, I kissed a girl
right
in the middle of class! Our dreaded (alcoholic)
teacher, Ms.
Howard, made us stand out in the hall for an hour with our noses
touching. I swore off girls for months after that."
rtner