150511 May 11, 2015

My 16th Birthday

By Escoe German Beatty

LHS '65

        It was May 14,1963; yep, that was the magical day for me. I could finally get my driver's license!  But, before that would happen a discovery was made.  One of my very best friends, Sarajane Steigerwald, and I had the same birth date.  I don’t remember just exactly how it all came about but a birthday party was planned and my parents (bless their heart) agreed to host the event.

        Some of the guys that played the guitar, and any other instruments that were portable, had said they wanted to provide the music.  Daddy had a fountain Coke machine delivered for the refreshments and that was about all the “trimmings” I remember.  

        These were SIMPLE times and that Coke machine was about as special as it got!  We, Sarajane and I, were very surprised by a birthday cake that Pam Goatley presented to us.  She had gone around and collected money from everyone at school to purchase it.  Of course, EVERYONE was invited to the birthday party.  We just didn’t know that literally everyone in Huntsville would show up!

        As many of you will remember this was well before email, personal cell phones, and instant messaging. However, we did have our own unique ”speed-of-light” party notification system.  One trip around Jerry’s and one trip around Big Boy’s emptied both establishments for the evening and relocated all the previous patrons into my front yard!  It became quite a large party and we all were having a merry old time.  People kept appearing by the carloads.  These were people that I had never seen before and still didn’t recognize 20-plus years later when often they still identify themselves as having been at the “party."  

        What a crazy night!  I had the best parents in the world but Daddy finally decided it was time to scatter the masses and shut it down.  It was quite a while before they were up for another party but it did happen once more; and that’s another story.

        Yes, I do remember my 16 birthday I got to share it with my best friends and many strangers and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!!!

    (Editor's Note: I was honored to be one of the attendees who was actually invited to the party several days before the event took place. It is funny, but for several years afterwards I always put this party at the top of any I had ever attended in my entire life. It was the party legends are made from. The oddest thing I remember is when I was trying to get inside the living room in house, the best I could do was make it into the kitchen and there was no further passage available. It was the end of the trail because the living room was packed front to back and side to side with bodies of people, only a few of which I recognized.

        It was only after Escoe sent in the story that all the images came back to me about this very special event. When I first started requesting 16th birthday stories, I had completely pushed aside the memories of this one which I can't believe had escaped my thoughts. Thanks, Escoe, for bringing back some special memories of my own teenage years.)