Polly Gurley Redd

LHS '66

June 6, 1948 - April 22, 2023

Denver, North Carolina - Polly Way Gurley Redd, 74, of Denver, North Carolina, died peacefully on April 22, 2023 with her husband James Redd (Jim) by her side. Polly was born on June 6, 1948 in Louisville, Kentucky and raised in Baltimore, Maryland and Huntsville, Alabama. The eldest daughter of the late Ed and Ann Gurley, Polly and her sisters Peggy and Libby, were raised to be fierce advocates for others and Polly committed her life to serving her community through education.

Polly and Jim married on June 20, 1970 and they had four sons, Charlie, Andy, Paul, and Sandy. A graduate of Florida State University, Polly served as an elementary school teacher and principal in Mecklenburg County for many years until she retired from teaching in 2004. Since 2008, Polly has served as the Director of Formation and Communication at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Gastonia, NC.

Polly and Jim loved to travel the world together, from Antarctica to China, but none brought her as much joy as her annual trips to their summer home in Cranberry Lake, NY.

Throughout her life, Polly continued to serve her community with unwavering dedication, inspiring those around her with her passion for education and social justice. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who knew her.

Polly is survived by her husband Jim of Denver, NC, and her sister, Elizabeth Mottram, of Sarasota, FL. Her sons are Charles (Kate Beal), Somerville, MA; Andrew, Washington, DC; Paul, Charlotte, NC; Alexander (Betsy), Sherborn, MA; and niece Elizabeth Donald (David), Charlotte, NC. Her grandchildren are Olive, Viola, and William Redd of Somerville; Sadie Redd and Seren Hollinger of Charlotte; Holden and Ramona Redd of Sherborn. She is also survived by two special friends, Margaret Zeller and Beverly King of Columbus, OH.

A memorial service will be held on June 3 at St Mark's Episcopal Church, Gastonia, NC. Her ashes will be interred in Cranberry Lake, NY in July with a celebration of her life to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to St Mark's to support their outreach to the hungry and homeless in the Gastonia community at https://stmarksgastonia.org/give/ and list it as a gift in memory of Polly Redd.

The April 20, 2023, Lee Lunch Bunch Gathering

of the Classes of ‘64, ‘65, ‘66

Patsy Hughes Oldroyd 

LHS ‘65

As always, it is so good to see many of our former classmates from our three classes when we meet a couple of times each year. This gathering begins the thirteenth year that we have been enjoying these special times together to catch up and reminisce with our dear friends about all that has been and is currently going on in our lives. These days that is almost always about our grandchildren, and some even have great-grandchildren! My husband and I were needed this Thursday for a last-minute babysitting job with our little six-month-old granddaughter, Caroline. Absolutely sure that this is the first time a baby has been in attendance at one of our lunches! She was a very good girl though, and she did not cause any disturbances other than lots of our granddads and grandmas oohing and aahing over her.

Today we met at Carrabba’s Italian Grill in Huntsville with about 35 of us in attendance. Several drove in from out of state, many came from nearby cities, but most came locally from Huntsville.

Our couple of hours together ended far too soon but with promises that all who possibly could would be back in the fall. We made just a few candid pictures of our group for all to enjoy. Thanks to all who came, and we will hopefully see you again this fall in September. Have a safe and wonderful summer!

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?

"Turn! Turn! Turn!", also known as or subtitled "To Everything There Is a Season", is a song written by Pete Seeger in 1959. The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines – consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The song was originally released in 1962 as "To Everything There Is a Season" on the folk group the Limeliters' album Folk Matinee, and then some months later on Seeger's own The Bitter and the Sweet.

The song became an international hit in late 1965 when it was adapted by the American folk rock group the Byrds. The single entered the U.S. chart at number 80 on October 23, 1965, before reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 4, 1965. In Canada, it reached number 3 on November 29, 1965, and also peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Turn! Turn! Turn!" was adapted by the Byrds in a folk-rock arrangement and released as a single by Columbia Records on October 1, 1965. The song was also included on the band's second album, Turn! Turn! Turn!, which was released on December 6, 1965. The Byrds' single is the most successful recorded version of the song, having reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

During 1965 and 1966, the band performed the song on the television programs Hollywood A Go-Go, Shindig!, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Where the Action Is, as well as in the concert film, The Big T.N.T. Show. Additionally, the song would go on to become a staple of the Byrds' live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973.

The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole consistent member. Although their time as one of the most popular groups in the world only lasted for a short period in the mid-1960s, the Byrds are today considered by critics to be among the most influential rock acts of their era.

Editor's Comments: As a folk song lover, this song was always special to me. Who would have dreamed the Biblical message's words would ever become a number-one folk-rock hit of its time? My personal love of this song was enhanced when The Byrds performed at a student association concert at Memphis State University in my sophomore year. Already known for their first hit, "Mr. Tamborine Man", the Byrds performed a great concert with me sitting in the audience. Though this was timed after my Lee High School days, many of you were still there at the time of its release. 

Some internet problems prevented the timely announcement to many of you last week. The continuing Knology email system blocked the announcement for many others. I was unable to correct the problem because at the time I was on a 13-day Trans-Atlantic cruise from Miami to Bermuda, Ireland, France, and England, returning via air from London to Portugal to Miami. During the time we visited Blarney Castle in Ireland and took a tour of Paris. I was without internet during the cruise, but had pre-arranged the notifications to be sent out at the appropriate time.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, and Comments

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

Cecilia LeVan Watson, LHS ‘68, "I remember being in an army hospital on the Arsenal on my 21st birthday. One of the male nurses came into my room singing Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkle.  He didn't know this would be a life long happy memory!"

Mary Ann Bond Wallace, LHS ‘64, "Great job Tommy on another period of history that I think I missed out on.  To this day I love to sing along with songs that are on the radio, especially in my van, but most of the time I can't tell you the name of the song or the vocal artist.  You bring back so many memories of those golden days.  I am not familiar with the Armory.  I am sure I saw it at some point in my life but I moved to Huntsville the 2nd semester of my 7th-grade year in 1959.  I did go to the skating rink while I was in the 8th and 9th grades and maybe the 10th.  It was a regular weekend event.  My father would drop me off and come back at a specific time.  I loved those days.  When I started dating my husband (Florence, AL) he would carry me to an Armory in Sheffield to weekend dances.  So guess the Armories across the state of Alabama were used for weekend dances.  Thank you for your work and memory. Jim McBride, I am always amazed at your accomplishments.  My husband introduced me to country music and I fell deep into that wonderful hole of music.  We are all so proud of you and your accomplishments."

Nancy Davidson Hummel, LHS ‘65, "I didn't go to many dances during my Lee years. When I was dating we usually went to the movies. Mom and Dad would only let me go out one weekend night. The other was usually spent babysitting for 50 cents an hour. Can you imagine?! I'm enjoying hearing about your experiences and love all the oldies you are using. They bring back many wonderful memories and feelings from that time in my life. Thanks, Tommy. Hope you are continuing to heal."

Linda Taylor, LHS ‘64, "The Armory was the only dance place in Huntsville where my purse was stolen!"

Tom Gilbert, LHS ‘67, "Tommy, thank you again for your diligence and hard work for each week's issue. I look forward to each and every one. l am really enjoying the music in the last few issues."

Mary Ann Bond Wallace, LHS ‘64, "Another memory you have written about that I had forgotten.  I also attended a couple of dances at the Aquatic Club.  A lost memory I am so glad you mentioned.  Since I went to college in Florence the Weejuns were at a lot of dances in Florence.  I wish I could remember the names of the band members.  I know one was a lanky young man that became a school teacher and taught at the elementary school our daughter attended.  I will check on this and see if I can find out some of the names of the band members.  I think I also participated in swim meets at The Aquatic Club.  Great memories that you always bring to mind.  So glad you kept that journal.  I am encouraging my grandkids to keep a journal but no takers yet.  But the oldest is 21 and he must have 40 journals.  He went to Alabama School of Fine Arts for creative writing and so all thoughts, song possibilities, events he has recorded.  When he went to college he carried all of them with him at my daughter's objection.  Life is good!"

Danny Kinkle, Huntsville High, "Tell Escoe the Jerry in the Weejuns was Jerry Roger's.  Jerry and his brother Jimmy played with the Weejuns."

Richard "Ricky" Simmons, LHS ‘64, "I had transferred to East Jefferson High School in Metairie, Louisiana in June of 1963 and I missed the first graduating class events at Lee. Metairie is just west of New Orleans; after graduation from "EJ " I attended LSUNO (now the University of New Orleans) just on the other side of New Orleans on the Lake Lake Pontchartrain lakefront.. "House of the Rising Sun" brings back many fond thoughts of those years...even when I was not In Huntsville.  That song was very popular...one of the few songs I learned to play on my guitar...the chords were simple."