Janet Ruth Hudson Watkins 

LHS '66

Sept. 2, 1946 - Dec. 20, 2022

Janet Ruth Hudson Pearce Watkins peacefully gained her heavenly wings Tuesday morning, December 20, 2022, at her home in Harvest, Alabama. Janet was preceded in death by husbands, Garland Pearce and Ray Watkins, respectively; her parents, George Roosevelt and Josephine Ruth Smith Hudson; and a sister, Rebecca Ann Hudson Dilworth. Janet is survived by her daughters, Ruthie Pearce of Madison, Alabama, and Amy Whitehead Kovach (Rod) of Pensacola, Florida.; a brother, George Hudson (Teresa) of Covington, Georgia.; a sister, Deborah Hudson of Huntsville, Alabama; three grandchildren, Ava McConnell of Madison, Alabama, and Landon and Lydia Kovach of Pensacola, Florida ; niece, Jennifer Nicole Hayes (Oscar) of Huntsville, Alabama; nephew, Johnathan Dilworth of Harvest, Alabama; three great-nephews; and dozens of cousins who were her playmates growing up. Interment at Huntsville Memory Gardens.

Our Known Classmate Losses Reported in 2022

Below is the list of classmates who were reported in 2022. Several of them passed away earlier, but were only discovered while working on the list of classmates for the September 2022 reunion.

Susan Miller Lovell

LHS '64

April 30, 1946 – December 26, 2021

Ken Finley

LHS '66

September 29, 1947 - April 12, 2002

Randy Maurice Sherrill

LHS '65

1947-2022 

Elbert Roy Balch

LHS '65

September 10, 1947 - June 11,2022 

Mary Holland Jandebeur

LHS '66

? - April 15, 2021

Jane Anne Cope

LHS '65

February 26, 1947 - August 21, 2014

Devenia Jean Stiles

LHS '65

November 25, 1946 - April 17, 2019

Larry Delano Hale

LHS '64

September 4, 1945 - January 26, 2019

Frances Lee Dilday Wiles

LHS '64

August 30, 1946 - March 30, 2020

George T. Vail

LHS '66

 ?- July 28, 2022

Annalee Milburn Hughes

LHS '64

? - November 29, 2021

Frank William Sliz

LHS '66

September 29, 1948 - December 16, 2014

James Spencer Thompson

LHS '64

1946 - October 6, 2022

Garland Anthony "Tony" Thompson

LHS '64

? - October 21, 2022

I think back to this song and cannot help but remember a modern version using the same tune which was released in 1964 by Freddie and the Dreamers. "I Understand (Just How You Feel)" was written by Pat Best and was published in 1953. Hit versions were initially recorded by the Four Tunes and by June Valli. The recording by the Four Tunes was released by Jubilee Records as catalog number 5132. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on May 19, 1954, and lasted 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at number eight.

A updated version was re-recorded by Freddie and the Dreamers and hit the number 5 spot in November 1964. The band, formed in March 1962 in West Didsbury, Manchester, consisted of vocalist Freddie Garrity (1936–2006), guitarist Roy Crewdson (born 1941), guitarist/harmonica player Derek Quinn (1942–2020), bassist Peter Birrell, and drummer Bernie Dwyer (1940–2002). Although the band was grouped as part of the Merseybeat sound phenomenon centered around Liverpool, they came from Manchester. It was later also covered by Herman's Hermits. Because of things going on in my life it was always one of the saddest songs to me and seemed to be a modern version which seemed to copy the sentiments of Auld Lang Syn.

Happy New Year!

Once again our New Year issue features the classmates we lost during the previous year. There seems to be a long list this year, partially due to the fact that while we were trying to contact everyone to update our lists for the reunion we found many who had not been previously reported.

It has been an honor to be the voice of Lee (in a way) in an attempt to not only keep our group informed but also to keep alive the memories of our days spent at Lee Junior and Lee High schools. We have had some great trips down memory lane and I want to thank each of you who participated in our memories along with the one who silently read and remembered those times.

This issue of Lee's Traveller starts the 22nd year of digital life without missing a weekly publication. That is 1,144 issues in a row, fulfilling my high school dream of being the editor of a weekly newspaper. I could not have done it without the support of all of you, and I thank you for being faithful supporters of my dream.

I hope this year continues to lead us back to a normal existence so we may all enjoy our retirement years. I know I will never get to speak to you or maybe not even correspond with you each individually, but I still wish you the best of luck in the new year. Remember, you can use the form below to contact me about any subject you wish. If you have some ideas you want to see us cover, please use it.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, and Comments

Leon Smith & Pam Grooms Smith, LHS '65, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our LHS friends."