Prom Days

Collins Wynn

LHS '64

Well, Spring Prom days are upon us once again and my mind wanders to days gone by.  This is a photograph from our 1963 Prom held in the lunchroom at Lee High School sometime in the Spring of 1963; it is one of my most treasured mementos from my high school days.  I do not recall if I have previously shared this photograph.  Judy was 15 and I was 16 at the time; we had been high school sweethearts and best friends since meeting in 1959 (true).  Tommy's articles and stories about teen parties and dances remind me of her every time.  She was a sweet person and the best sweetheart any guy ever had.  For clarification I suppose I should say - Judy Adair and CE Wynn.

Below is the original Lee's Traveller coverage of the first prom held by Lee. It was the junior prom of the Class of '64.

The Wayback Machine

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

I continue to ask Mr. Peabody (a.k.a. Amazon Alexa) to play me a song from those days and collect your thoughts about the song. So...Mr. Peabody, take us way back. What is the first song you will play?

"Stand by Me" is a song originally performed in 1961 by American singer-songwriter Ben E. King and written by him, along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. According to King, the title is derived from, and was inspired by, a spiritual written by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander called "Stand by Me Father," recorded by the Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead.

In 1960, Ben E. King was inspired to update the early 20th-century gospel hymn "Stand by Me" by Charles Albert Tindley, which was based on Psalm 46, "will not we fear, though the Earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

King's record went to number 1 on the R&B charts and was a Top Ten hit on the US charts twice—in its original release, entering the Billboard chart on May 13, 1961 and peaking at number 4 on June 16, 1961, and a 1986 re-release coinciding with its use as the theme song for the film of the same name following its appearance in the film, when it peaked at number 9 on December 20, 1986 – January 3, 1987.

"Stand by Me" was ranked 122nd on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1999, BMI named it as the fourth most-performed song of the 20th century, with about seven million performances. In February 2019, the Smooth Radio network in the United Kingdom called it one "of the best love songs of the 1960s".

Editor's Comments: "Stand by Me" was (and still is) one of my favorite songs to slow-dance to. If I close my eyes and listen to the song I cannot help but be transported back to those wonderful days of high school and the dances I attended. I know not all of you have the same memories of those days and to some of you your high school days were not so meaningful. As for me, they were some of the best times of my life and were filled with the company of some of the best friends I will ever have. Whether you were going steady or playing the field it would be hard to listen to this song and not have it bring up some wonderful image of holding someone special in your arms.

I never knew "Stand by Me" was inspired by a different song, one written by Sam Cooke. Here it is recorded by the Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead to compare it with.

I am sure many of us danced to "Stand by Me" at our prom. Since Collins shared his Junior Prom photo, I thought I might do the same. My date for the evening was Ginger Cagle, LHS '66. We had our picture taken at home rather than by a photographer at the dance. Ginger was 14 at the time and I was 16. (We both had birthdays coming up.) It seems like white sports coats and black ties (but not Pink Carnations) were the dress code of the day for the boys and short formals for the girls. Looking at the picture I was forced to remember how girls would buy satin shoes and have them died to match their dresses back in those days. I wonder if they still do.

If you have a prom picture you would like to share please send it to me and allow your classmates to share the memories.

Just a reminder. If you send me a personal email and you do not want it published, please say so and I will obey.

The May 1963 Band Concert

Collins Wynn and Tommy Towery

LHS '64

I received an email from Collins last week saying he was looking through some old things and found something that you classmates might find interesting. He wrote, "Apparently I attended one of these band concerts but I honestly do not recall.  I just happened to find this booklet/program in the bottom of a file box today, May 9th, 2023; 60 years to the day.  Appears to be fundraiser events for the band's upcoming trip to the 1964 Orange Bowl.  The program is complete; this is only the cover."

I ask him if he could scan the program and he was happy to do so. Below is what he sent me. You can go forwards and backwards in the program by clicking on the arrows of the program as seen in the image below. The image is only to show you the arrows and does not work itself.

We hope you enjoy looking back through the program and seeing the names and songs presented.

Three Generals Visit "The General"

Max Kull

LHS '67

We stopped in Lexington, VA, on the way back from a hiking trip to Shenandoah NP.  The photo above is  L-R: Jim Bledsoe, P.J. Johnston, Max Kull (all LHS '67). We also toured the Stonewall Jackson House in Lexington but didn't take any pictures there.  Guides both there and at the Lee Chapel asked us if our high school had changed its name yet.  It was nice to be able to say no.  Not sure how long we'll be able to swim against the tide.

The road trip was really nice.  We had brought along tons of 60's music for the car and it was a lot of fun to reminisce.  The only downside was that all three of us tested positive for Covid upon return to our respective homes.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, and Comments

This week's comments are on the last two issues since they could not be printed earlier.

Janet Holland, LHS ‘67, "The first time I heard "Turn Turn Turn" was when my pen pal in Hong Kong asked me for the words; I turned on the radio and listened for it and copied the words for her. Pete Seeger was a friend of my friend, Harry Chapin. You brought back some old memories!"

Craig Bannecke, LHS ‘65, "Really enjoyed Patsy's Lee's Luncheon story and the pictures make it even better. Always nice putting faces with names and seeing old friends. Jennifer and I don't get back home as often so the stories and photos really help keep us in touch with everyone.  Thanks so much, Tommy, for your dedicated efforts to keep us all in touch."

Joel Weinbaum, LHS '64, "Reading Polly Gurley Redd’s obituary, something interesting surfaced. Mecklenburg Co., NC is where many of my early American ancestors lived some serving in the Revolutionary War in the fight against Cornwallis (see the Mel Gibson movie “The Patriot”), including some from the adjacent Anson Co. By 1840 several of the families migrated from that area around Charlotte crossing Georgia to South Alabama where my mother and all her siblings were born. My mother’s name was Pauline, but her nickname was Polly. Just a curious thing. I like connecting dots."

Mary Ann Wallace, LHS '64, "Tommy, hearing of your cruise. I wanted to tell you about mine. I will take my 3rd Viking Cruise in August. I’d you check their website and set up notices you can get a great deal. I travel with a friend since my husband is not interested in Europe but encourages me to go. Our first cruise was the Rhine River Cruise from Basil Switzerland to Amsterdam. The second was the Christmas Market cruise on the Seine River from Paris to Paris. The one we will take in August is called the Danube Waltz from Hungrey to Passaic. All our cruises have included flight and transportation from airport to boat. There are only 150-170 people on each trip. Free excursions in every port and some you can pay for;  a freebies or a glass of wine for lunch and dinner. We always get a room with a balcony (not very large). Each of our trips has been under $4,000. We book way in advance and can make payments. Something to think about. The more trips you take with them the lower the cost or the better the discount. All excursions are with local guides which makes it so much more interesting. Our first trip to Europe was through Vacations to Go which included flight, car, hotel each night with breakfast included, and a couple of tickets to Cliffs of Moor and Blarney Castle . We did a whole lot more and drove wherever we wanted to. We schedule a demonstration with a sheep herder, Guinness Tour, a Perfumery, a Monastic Cemetery and several other things. It gave us a lot of freedom to see what we wanted but not any freedom with hotels. All have been wonderful adventures. If you need any more information let me know. 

Another great newsletter. Also, if you decide to take more trips one tip is I have T-Mobile cell service (free because we had a tower on our farm which we did not sell when we sold the acreage and our home last year. Back to the point. When you are in Europe you have free data and texting and I’d you have Wi-Fi your calls are free. If you don’t calls are $.25 a minute. There is free WiFi on the long boats."