Old Folks' Pride

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

(Editor's Note: This was copied from an email I received from an Air Force Friend. I think it is talking about most of us.)

Old Folks are easy to spot at sporting events. During the playing of the National Anthem old Folks remove their caps, stand at attention, and sing without embarrassment. They know the words and believe in them.

If you bump into an Old Folk on the sidewalk he will apologize. 

If you pass an Old Folk on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady. 

Old Folks trust strangers and are courtly to women.

Old Folks open car doors for their ladies.

Old Folks hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.

Old Folks get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children and they don't like any filth or dirty language on TV or in movies.

Old Folks have moral courage and personal integrity. They seldom brag unless it's about their children or grandchildren.

The Old Folks know our great country is protected, not by politicians, but by the young men and women in the military serving their country.

This country needs Old Folks with their work ethic, sense of responsibility, pride in their country, and decent values.

We need them now more than ever.

Thank God for Old Folks!

Other Books by Classmates

Mike Acree, LHS ‘64, "My book The Myth of Statistical Inference was published by Springer in 2021.  It is a rewrite of my dissertation at Clark University in 1979; I worked on it altogether for 48 years.  Despite the $160 price tag, sales in the first 2 years have been phenomenal, with over 20 copies worldwide.  Amazon, convinced that you won’t be able to resist after having a taste, offers the first 50 pages online for free.  Three of our classmates have a copy, though they have been tight-lipped about their reactions."

E.M. "Woody" Beck, "In regard to your call for published books, I’m very proud of A Festival of Violence: Analysis of Southern Lynchings, 1882-1930 co-authored with my colleague Stew Tolnay, published in 1995 by the University of Illinois Press. It won a couple of awards and is still being sold by UI Press:  Winner 1992 Social Science History Association President’s Book Award.  Winner 1996 Mid-South Sociological Association’s Best Book Award.  Chosen Outstanding Book by Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights. Nominated for the 1996 Merle Curti Award in American Social History, 1996 Lillian Smith Book Award, 1996 Oliver Cromwell Cox Award, and others. Next week I’m off to Morocco again. Spent ten days there last February. I’m taking one of my nieces along on next week's adventure with a stop-over for a few days in Paris. If you’ve never been to Morocco, I can recommend it."

Collins Wynn, LHS '64, "Recently you asked about books.  My brothers Don, Tony, and I wrote one about five years ago - I have attached a copy of the cover.  The photo is of the three of us reliving some childhood memories in Centennial Park on a random summer day in Nashville at about the same time.  This book is a self-published family history complete with a number of photos and is 250 pages in length (in small print, ha).  We printed only 25 copies and gave them all to family members for mementos.  I kept one copy.  There is a chapter about Lee High School. Our lifelong friend, Walt Thomas contributed some family memories most of all of our dad.  It was a pleasing project - I have often thought of a second edition but, like many other activities, the need to publish another is now long gone."

I don't know what keyed me to feature this clip from our past, but this is one of the shows I really liked when I was growing up in Huntsville. There was a teacher at Lee which we joking sometimes called "Zorro." Do you remember who and why?

Seems like last week was filled with doctor's appointments. I spend more and more time doing that I am afraid. Many thanks for the responses from our classmates who have written books.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, 

And Comments

Mary Ann Wallace, LHS '64, "As each week's edition is sent out I am back to my jr high, high school and college years.  Thank you so much for your time Tommy.  You make it so much fun to read what you find interesting.

I was never an Elvis fan but I remember when his first movie came out.  I was living in Florence and my Mother-In-Law asked me to go to the movies with her.  I reluctantly agreed.  The theater was packed and there were girls swooning through out the theater.  I was amazed.  Don’t think I ever swooned over any singer but enjoyed so many of them.

Around seven years ago two of my female cousins from Louisiana were visiting for my 70th birthday party.  My brother, Jimmy, passed away in the wee hours of the day of the party.  Lots of friends from Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, and of course Alabama so it wasn’t something I could cancel.  It was at Double Head Resort and food was already on the grills and people had already checked into their rented cabin houses.  My brother had been sick and was close to the end of his life.  My cousins stayed for the funeral so on Monday I drove them to Memphis to see Elvis’s home.  Elvis’s house was not something I was interested in but it took my mind off my grief.  I am glad I went and enjoyed the tour with my cousins.  It was great to see where he lived and the museum with memorabilia.  Such a talented young man.

My newsletter posts do not have a way for me to respond.  I hope you don’t mind my response directly to you.  Post if you want.

These years included a lot of concert through the year.  The Letterman, James Brown, Linda Ronstadt, Leon Russel, Stevie Nicks, Heuy Lewis.  Some from a different era but rememberable.  Never had the money to buy popular 45s or LPs.  My husband had a lot of old LPS that we gave to our grandson last year.  Wow, what wonderful opportunities we have had.

Dianne McClure, LHS ‘64, "I saw Bob Barker when we went to a taping of The Price Is Right. We waited about three hours in line to get in and we had tickets. We didn't get on the show,but sure was an experience. It was one of my favorite shows on TV at the time."

Joel Weinbaum,  LHS ‘64, "While you and Skip were listening to all that good music in HS I was out delivering newspapers and listening to the roar of the exhaust of my motorbike. You both have a whole repertoire of listening experience...to be so lucky at this age."

John Powell, "Thanks for sending this to me. Much appreciated."