150914 September 14, 2015
Put It in the Books -
The 2015 Reunion Was
A Resounding Success
by Tommy Towery
LHS '64
After five years of waiting and untold months of planning and organizing, the 2015 combined reunion of the Lee High School classes of 1964, 1965, and 1966, honoring the Class of ’65, is now history. An accurate count of the number of attendees is still unavailable due to the number of walk-ins and cancellations, but an estimate of over 225 people is not unlikely. This included at least four classmates who have never attended an earlier reunion. Glenn James headed the reunion committee and their efforts resulted in a weekend to be remembered.
The activities started out with the traditional Friday evening social in the courtyard and hospitality rooms for each of the classes. For the first time in memory, the evening was not sweltering hot though an earlier thunderstorm did increase the humidity effect. But all in all, the temperatures were the nicest most can remember for this part of the fellowship, and the comradery lasted well into the early morning hours.
Saturday morning the Class of ’65 had a breakfast at the Huntsville Country Club which included stories by several of the males in attendance about their high school jobs of caddying for the club members. One classmate admitted he only completed one round of golf before he decided being a caddy was not going to be a part of his life.
At 1pm a group met at the new Lee High School for an eye-opening tour of the current school conducted by the principal, Anne Jobe. It was amazing the differences 50 years have made, not only to the physical structure of classrooms, but also to the academic world of current students.
The decorating committee started setting up early Saturday afternoon and encountered several obstacles before their successful conclusion. The first problem came when the stage being set up for the band consumed most of the area previously reserved for the dance floor. It appears the area required for a group that size was not thought out in advance. Don Stroud had been recruited to coordinate the set up and eventually worked out the changes needed to accommodate the evening’s activities. Once again Carolyn Burgess Featheringill arranged to provide the over-the-top decorations of signs of our past favorite Huntsville establishments to fill the night with great memories.
Niles Prestage
At 6pm registration commenced and the buffet soon followed. Niles Prestage, Class of ’65, was the evening’s master of ceremonies and speakers from each class provided the night’s program. J.R. Brooks represented the Class of ’64, Greg Dixon and Paulette Reddick Turner the Class of ’66, and Hub Harrington and Linda Collingsworth Provost the Class of ’65. Paulette’s insight on being the first and only African-American when she first attended Lee enlightened many classmates.
Jim McBride
The special entertainment of the evening was provided by Jim McBride, the Class of ‘65’s renowned songwriter and member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Jim sang three of his top hits, starting out with a song he wrote for a reunion, then Dixie Boy, and finally his chart topper, Chattahoochee.
Members of the Happy Dance Flash Mob
After a short break, the crowd witnessed a flash mob of fellow classmates doing a coordinated dance routine of the Happy Dance. Several weeks of secret practice evolved into a moment to remember.
Memphis, TN -Since I did not get back to my room until 2:15 am Sunday morning, there was a slight delay of my usual early posting of this week's Traveller.
I had a great time at the reunion and want to once again thank each of you who expressed your gratitude for my continued dedication to providing you with this form of continued communication each week. I was humbled by many of your comments.
I have included some of the photos I took, and in the next few weeks will provide you with a link to the PDF version of the directory and follow up with some of the other promises made by the program committee. Also I will provide a link to all the photos I took when they get posted on the web
My heart felt thanks goes to all who worked on the committee and for their dedicated efforts to make this reunion a success.
I received many requests from classmates who wish to be added to the mailing list and I hope to accomplish the task without fault.
Junctional Rhythm provided the music for the evening’s dance, which went well past the scheduled stopping time of midnight. Dancing continued to be a favorite activity unhampered by age for all who participated.
Finally a group of approximately 20 continued their fellowship until well after 2am in the courtyard.
Though hampered by some dining SNAFUs and an unexpected power outage, a large group enjoyed breakfast in the Marriot Sunday morning prior to heading home with promises to meet again in five years for the 2020 reunion.
