Alexander Haas, Jr.

LHS '65

? - January 6, 2023

Alexander Haas, Jr, 75, of New Market, died Friday, January 6, 2023.

Alex is survived by his aunt, Sherry St. Clair Jacks, his nephew Eric Lucas Thayer, his niece, Jennifer Thayer Reyes, many cousins, 1 great-niece, 6 great-nephews, and 3 great-great-nieces. 

He was preceded in death by his sisters, Karol Gwen Haas and Janet Haas Thayer; his father Alexander Haas, Sr. and his mother, Lois St. Clair Haas. 

Mr. Haas graduated from Lee High School in 1965 and joined the Navy. He got his Master's degree in Sociology at the Univ of Nebraska. As a chef at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, he used to make turkey sandwiches for Dean Martin. 

Mr. Haas was an expert in VAX computer systems and created a random number generator published in a scientific journal Dec 1987. He entered BBQ contests all over the southeast and wrote a cookbook called Everyday Low Carb Cooking. He loved beer, Germany, darts, pool (both billiards and swimming), telling Auburn jokes, and watching Bama games.  

Walking Music

Beta Version

Tommy Towery

I'm going to try something new this week that I have not tried before. Below is a link that should allow you to hear a Mashup of a bunch of songs put together. I do not know if it will work or not, but I am sure some of you will quickly alert me if it does not.

I have repeatedly informed you that I do a mile-and-a-half walk on my church's track three times a week. And while I walk I listened to Oldie Goldie songs with my Bluetooth earphones. I listen to a random mix of songs from Pandora and spend most of my thoughts remembering the people and events which are triggered by the various songs.

Last Monday I decided to keep a list of the songs I heard during my laps around the track and I have put "bits" of them all together into one Mashup (as they call the process today.) I have uploaded the file to my Google Drive and hope to have it set up so you can listen to it. It is only about three minutes long (does not include the entire songs) so I hope you will take the time to listen to them.

I am asking you to share with me if any of the songs have a special place in your life and what person or event is triggered by them. Did you see any of the artists in concert, for example, or do they bring up memories of some memorable party?

A personal memory of mine is shrouded in a bunch of cobwebs in my mind about the song "Rhythm of the Falling Rain." I seem to vaguely remember we had an assembly in the auditorium back when the song first became a hit and whoever was putting on the show we attended did a cover of that song. I wonder if anyone else remembers that. 

If this doesn't work this week I will try to figure out why and we'll try again. 

Click on the link and let's see what happens

Rhythm of the Falling Rain

The Cascades

"Rhythm of the Falling Rain" is a song performed by The Cascades, released in November 1962. It was written by Cascades band member John Claude Gummoe. On March 9, 1963, it rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and spent two weeks at number 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked the record as the number 4 song of 1963.

Once again I thank the six classmates who took the time and effort to comment on last week's issue. It is a treat for me to allow Lee's Traveller to be the media for us to share the memories of our shared school days.

Last Friday was the showing of the final episode of "Young Rock 3" and I was shown in several scenes, but was back to being a blur once again. I am leaning against a rail as the wrestlers come and go toward the rink. My bald head is most noticeable.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, and Comments

Joel Weinbaum,  LHS ‘64, "Was it classmate Robinson on Monte Sano who had the Model A Ford with mechanical brakes who locked bumpers in a too quick stop on California. Worn-out electric fuel pumps are responsible for many cars today sitting on the side of the road. No pushing is going to start those cars. But I have helped push a few. We need a discussion on cars. The lead singer/guitarist in last week's video isn't actually strumming his guitar while singing. As I have told before, my neighbor in Tennessee was Orbison's drummer when he recorded Pretty Woman. Originally from Nashville but graduated Auburn. Nice family kept his trap set in the bedroom. 

Richard "Ricky' Simmons, LHS ‘64, "In my senior year at the University of New Orleans (then LSUNO) during my first year of my 46-year of marriage to Vicki, I was driving a 4-door 1960 Ford Fairlane with a three-speed (shift on the column). I had a failure of the starter and no funds to repair it. However, it did not take much of a roll to "push-start" it.  Fortunately the garage under our apartment was on a slight rise and I could get enough a roll that would sufficient for me to jump into the car and "pop" it into first gear to start it.  At university, I would find high terrain to park (and UNO is mostly flat-ground) and repeated the same process to start.  I carried a pair of KEDS gym shoes in the car to help with traction. Fortunately, I scrapped together the funds to fix the problem in a short time.

Sarajane Steigerwald Tarter, LHS ‘65, "A friend in high school had a VW Kerman Gaia that needed pushing at least half the time we went somewhere! We’d push her lightweight car to a place in the road that had a decline (Her using the driver's side frame and me in the back). When the car started rolling down the hill she’d jump in the car and I’d start running and pushing as fast as my short legs would go! At just the right speed she’d pop the clutch and the car would take off. It was a feeling of exhilaration every time. I’d jump in, we’d giggle, and take off for another adventure. Makes me smile just thinking about it. 

Linda Isbell Creek, LHS ‘64, "I had almost forgotten about pushing a car to get it started.  I remember Daddy getting us out of bed before it was barely daylight to push his truck to get it started.  It was usually in the winter and I hated leaving my warm bed.  I knew better than to protest."

Mike Acree, LHS ‘64, "My car-pushing story postdates Lee, but made me laugh.  Early in graduate school, at Clark University in Worcester, MA, about 1970, two of my classmates and I had to go to Boston on the same day for interviews.  Ed agreed to take Rick and me in his VW squareback. It was pouring rain that morning, and all of us were dressed in our best.  But Ed's car wouldn't start.  He got out to push, while Rick took over the wheel (I never learned to drive a stick, though I tore up a few people's transmissions before they believed me).  Ed threw up from the exertion.  When we finally got going, on the heavily trafficked Route 9, Ed's windshield wipers somehow got out of sync.   They kept snagging each other, making them useless in the downpour.  Ed said in disgust that it looked like a cockfight."

Skip Cook,  LHS ‘64, "In the summer of 1963, my across-the-street neighbor Alan Hamrick (sp?) decided to rebuild the motor on his 1946 Dodge-a gift from his grandfather.  Alan and his dad (an engineer at Redstone) spent many an evening working on the 6-cylinder motor.  Side note: Alan wanted to split the exhaust and install dual glass pack mufflers.  He didn't have the funds to buy 2 glass-pack mufflers so the car ended up with the original muffler on one side and glass-pack muffler on the other side.  One hot summer night the motor rebuild was completed.   As you can imagine Alan was ready to start it up.  His father said "NO", we'll start it up when I come home from work tomorrow!  The next day after his dad had gone to work, Alan couldn't wait and a crowd of the Lakewood neighborhood guys gathered to watch and listen.  Alan ran the battery down trying to start the car.  No problem, we'll push it off.  About 5-6 of us pushed it out into Barrywood Drive, got it up to speed, and Alan let out the clutch...the engine popped and we though it tried to start.  The car was now at the top of the hill so it didn't take much effort to push it across Force Drive and getting it going downhill, now with some real speed.  Alan popped the clutch again and the car bucked, snorted, and backfired-eventually coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill.  Another friend tied a rope to the mighty Dodge and pulled it around Lakewood for about 30 minutes...no luck.  The car was towed back to Alan's house, carefully placed in the garage.  When his dad got home that afternoon and the "official starting ceremony" was to occur, of course the car wouldn't start.  His father looked under the hood and announced the distributor cap was on backwards.  "Aren't you glad we waited until I got home?  It couldn't have started with that cap on backwards" his dad exclaimed.  None of us revealed the secret.