161003 October 3, 2016
YOU'RE INVITED TO JOIN THE PARTY!!
Hello, classmates, this is your invitation to join your friends in the class of 1966 in celebrating our 50th year since graduating from good ole Lee High School.
Here are the details:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2016
Party down at the FURNITURE FACTORY -
619 Meridian St. - 6 p.m.
Food & drinks are available for purchase and the music will be 50's & 60's played by a deejay.
Would you like to request a certain song to be played? Or maybe you would like to dedicate a song to someone. Do you remember how it's done?
Here's an example: "This song is dedicated to Esther from John. Thanks for a fun prom night and a wonderful memory in the back of my pick up." ....or something like that.
Send all song requests and dedications to this email address and we will get them to the deejay.
Looking forward to a fun time celebrating our youth!
If you would like to added to the email list, drop an email to: classreunion1966@gmail.com
Let us know you are coming so that we can have a head count. More info coming your way later.
Nashville's Shock Theater with host Dr. Lucifur ran from 1958 to 1967 on WSIX-TV. The show was live and ad-libbed.
Friday Nights, Fred Sanders and Frankenstein
John Drummond
LHS '65
Tommy's retrospective of new TV shows from 60 years ago has been a fun trip down Memory Lane. The series reminded me of when my family first moved to Huntsville in February 1958, about the time there was a huge ice storm that socked in Monte Sano, where my father had rented a basic 1950s brick ranch, 3-bedroom, 1 bath, at 4206 Choctaw Drive, right next to Monte Sano State Park. I thought my father had gone insane, moving to this godforsaken hick town far from where I had attended the 5th grade in Los Angeles, California; Jerry Mathers (Beaver Cleaver) and I went to the same dentist, and Leif Erickson (well-known TV actor) had a son in my Cub Scout Troop. Alabama History had been taught in the 4th grade, so I was clueless about our new home state.
At the time, Monte Sano had no elementary school, so we took an ancient, overly crowded bus down the mountain to Blossomwood Elementary School, grades 1-6, near Big Cove Road. The bus picked up me and my little brother Mont at 6:45 AM; still dark in the winter. We were therefore destined to later attend Huntsville Junior High and Huntsville High School. I made some great friends at Blossomwood, including the twins Gig and Tom Robinson (we have since lost Gig) and Tommy Harper, all of whom became lawyers; they may or may not belong to the same firm as J.R. (who, like Elvis and Cher, needs no last name).
After finishing 6th grade in June 1959, school zones had been changed, and we "Mountain Kids" were re-assigned to the new Lee Junior High School; after an initial out-cry at being denied admission to HHS, we quickly adapted to LHS, and realized how lucky we had been (with the possible exception of Dag Rowe). Unfortunately, the bus schedule had NOT changed, and I still got picked up at 6:45 AM, dropped off on Chickasaw Dive around 4:00 PM; long day, but that was part of the price we paid for living on Monte Sano. But we were a close-knit group, and I doubt any of us, given the choice, would have preferred living in "The Valley" as we called downtown Hunstville. When the winter weather became dangerous, with snow and/or ice, our Vice-Princiipal, Mr. Jones, in his lispy Yankee accent, would announce over the PA: "Would all Mountain Students please assemble in the Auditorium to take the early bus home."
But I digress, as an intro to the real subject about T. Tommy's retrospective on TV in the 1950s. My New Best Friend became Fred (Buddy) Sanders, in my 5th grade class at Blossomwood and riding the bus twice a day, every day. His father Fred Sr., sold cars for Woody Anderson; his father and mine also became best friends. They called each other "Fearless Fred" and "Fatal Floyd" (my Dad's birth name was Floyd, but he was called "Bud" from the day he was born). Our fathers played golf, bridge, watched countless TV football games (Fred's father never missed an Alabama game) and experimented with making homebrew beer in our garage; sadly I recall that no batch was ever considered drinkable. But that fact never stopped them from trying again and again. The wretched, foamy liquid mess was poured into the ditch beside our house; the squirrels seemed to be very happy for a day or two.
On Friday nights, Buddy and I would often spend the night at his house or mine (and sometimes Kem Robertson, another Mountain Boy and close friend). We would stay up late (at the time, that meant 11:00 PM) to watch "Shock Theater," which were re-runs of black-and-white horror films shot in the 1930s and 1940s. We made popcorn or fudge brownies, and thought we were really cool. The Frankenstein Monster was of course played by Boris Karloff, his Bride Elsa Lanchester. My personal favorite was Dracula, played by Bela Lugosi. And could anyone ever imagine an actor other than Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Werewolf? As opposed to today's horror genre, filled with buckets of blood, gratuitous violence and gore, the fun back then was built on dialogue with a crafty, mysterious plot and suspense.
If you enjoyed horror or science fiction programs of our era, please e-mail T. Tommy a response about your recollection of TV shows or films of the genres. He and I know very well that you all have these memories; all he wants is just a few moments of your time on e-mail to share them.
Memphis, TN - I need to explain why I did not add the new folks who requested to be added to the mailing list and those who requested me to change their email address last week. As you may have noticed, Sue and I were on a vacation in Europe, and I had limited wifi and internet access where we were staying. I have attempted to make all the requested changes this week. By the way, we did make it to Switzerland, but did not stop off in Newfoundland on the way home as we thought we might.
I hope many of you can make it to the Class of '66's reunion, since all of you are invited to share the event with them.
LEE LUNCH BUNCH
Thursday, October 27, 2016
11:00 a.m.
Logan’s Restaurant – fireplace room
Balmoral Drive
Huntsville, AL
Cooking recipes
Mike Crowl
LHS '65
Firemen Chicken
This recipe got its name from L.A.Firefighters.They were on TV several years ago and during an interview about easy meals to cook for the men, they gave out this recipe. I tried it and have enjoyed eating it since.
Here's the ingredients and preparation instructions.
1. One pkg. of 3-4 boneless or bone-in chicken thighs.You can use another chicken part , if you don't like thighs.
2. Two bottles of 8 oz. Russian dressing.
3. One box of Lipton onion soup mix.Use one envelopes.
4. One jar of orange marmalade. Use at least 8 oz. to 10 oz. This is a sweetener ,so go to your preferences.At least 8 oz.,I use 10 oz.
5.One pkg. of instant potatoes or two if serving four.You can make your own if you prefer.
Use a sauce pan .
Pour both bottles of Russian dressing in pan. Add a little water in dressing bottle and swish around to get all dressing out,begin to warm on stove.
Pour in onion soup mix.Make sure to stir in.
Add the orange marmalade and stir in.
When ingredients are like a sauce take off stove.
Put chicken in casserole dish and sprinkle a little salt and pepper and pour sauce over chicken.
Put lid on casserole dish and stick in oven ,at 350 degrees, for one hour.
If chicken is not completely submerge in sauce, you can flip chicken over halfway through cooking process.
Prepare your mashed potatoes when chicken is done. Use the sauce on your chicken and on top of mashed potatoes.
Serve with salad.
If you have leftovers you can freeze for later date or refrigerate for next day.
By the way, I have used boneless thick cut pork chops , they taste good as well.
I love trying new recipes.Anyone have an easy recipes ,please share with us. I have ,a meal in 10 minutes recipe I will share with you later. If you like fish you will love it.
My brother Don (back), my mother, and me and our TV on East Clinton Street.
The Vintage Television
Tommy Towery
LHS '64
New Shows for 1957
From Our Mailbox
Subject: Tennis at Lee
Polly Gurley Redd
LHS '66
When I was at Lee for Junior and Senior High, I played a lot of tennis on those courts. I remember being told that we were the first school to have tennis courts because Mr. Fain was such a serious tennis player and demanded them when the school was being built. I played with Mr. Fain and with Ramona Jones who was the girls PE teacher. She was required to wear dresses for the teacher dress code, I guess, and in my mind’s eye she is out there in her tennis shoes and a teal blue shirtwaist dress making me do all the running around the court. I never did leave early though, since I lived on Monte Sano and would have had to walk around to the parking lot and would have been seen. I loved tennis at Lee and played a lot in college before I hurt a knee on the track and gave up the running.
Thanks for the memories, Mike.
