Carol Barker Kinkle

LHS '66

January 26, 1948 - February 13, 2023

Carol Jean Kinkle, 75, of Navarre, Florida passed away February 13, 2023.  She was born January 22, 1948 in McKenzie, Tennessee to the late John and Virginia Barker.  In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother, Thomas Barker.

Carol is survived by her husband, Gary Kinkle (LHS '64) of Navarre, Florida; son, Roger Kinkle and wife, Sreypov  of Parker, Colorado; son, Allen Kinkle and wife, Alina of Miami, Florida;  two grandsons, Nathan Kinkle of Parker, Colorado and Lucas Kinkle of Miami, Florida and one granddaughter, Lillian Kinkle of Miami, Florida.

Carol was an avid reader and loved reading mystery novels.  She was a loving mother and wife.

We are sorry to hear of the loss of another classmate again this week. Please reach out to the ones who are still around and tell them how much they mean to you. If you have let some petty little thing create a break in your friendship, it is time to mend those relationships before it is too late.

I am once again trying something new in an effort to get more of you involved in bringing back some great memories. I had some great comments on last week's issue, but I know there were many more of you who could have shared a story or two but for some reason elected not to.

If I get enough positive responses we may contine this feature. I will limit the songs to those released in 1966 or earlier.

Instant Memories

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

I have written in the past about how much I enjoy listening to streaming music on Pandora while I am walking. I also love to put the same music on while I am working on the current week's Lee's Traveller. It seems most of you enjoy me adding a little music to the Traveller each week, so this week I am going to try something new and see how it goes over.

Today when I sat down to start working on this issue, I asked my Alexa to play some Sixties music, with the plan to share the first song that came up with you classmates. The first song that came up was the one below.

My plan is to share this song with you and ask you to respond to it with the first memory that came to you when you heard it. I have one of my own that automatically popped into my mind when the song started. Please don't let my memory influence yours. I want to know what pop's into your head starting with the first few bars. I will share my personal one with you and ask you to do the same.

With the launch of the British Invasion, I was crazy about the Beatles like most of my friends. I had bought the first album "Meet the Beatles" but that was the only one I could afford at the time. One night I was running around with Ginger Cagle, Dianne Hughey, and Carolyn McCutcheon and we ended up going over to Carolyn's big sister's house. (Sorry I can't remember her name.) She had purchased the Beatle's "Please Please Me" album and we were all listening to it for the first time. It included "Twist and Shout" as the last track on one side. The sound hit me as hard as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" first did. I think we played that song (and danced to it) over and over about a half-dozen times. I knew it was a cover of The Isley Brothers original song, but the British influence on it was overwhelming to me. 

Last Week's Questions, Answers, and Comments

Joel Weinbaum, LHS ‘64, "I remember Alan  Hammick’s ‘46 Dodge. The transmission was different and had a clutch for shifting but when you came to a stop you didn’t have to press the pedal to disengage the transmission so must have had a  torque converter for low speed. He let me drive in the neighborhood but my skills for driving were still pretty low then. His mother also became angry with me when I talked him into joining the Naval Reserve. With the draft looming she should have thanked me. But we all had a good time in those formative years. I wouldn’t swap for anything."

Jimmy Troupe,  LHS ‘66, "Tommy, that music was great. Good job. Now I have a question for you. Back in the day, we had a group that recorded an album that was called The Top Hats of Dixie, I have the LP album. I do have a small problem, I have no way to play it. Are you aware of anyone who has converted this album to CD, thumb drive, SD card, or any other download file? Even a recommendation is appreciated."

(Editor's Note: I have the album put out for the Orange Bowl Trip, but not the Top Hats of Dixie one.

Darla Steinberg , LHS ‘66, "It (your music) worked...and I heard snippets of songs I haven’t heard in decades. Fun!"

Craig Bannecke, LHS ‘65, "So sorry to hear of the passing of Alex Haas, another old Lakewood friend just as Elbert Balch and Randy Sherrill were. Growing up in Huntsville and particularly Lakewood gave me a great friendship base that has lasted a lifetime. Our wonderful Lee Reunions over the years have been a great opportunity to stay in touch. Sadly as WE all age,  we are slowly losing that touch. But I am so thankful for everyone I've had and still have from Lakewood to Lee. God Bless everyone!

Betty Jo Key Scholter, LHS ‘65, "Last week's song brings back bittersweet memories, thanks for sharing. I enjoy every week reading all of our episodes. Thanks for keeping us informed, Tommy"