151005 October 5, 2015

Me and Ronnie Hornbuckle, Woody Beck

Two Classmates I Wanted 

To Spend More Time With

by Tommy Towery

LHS '64

        Last week I wrote about two classmates with whom I finally got to spend some quality time visiting. This week I will write about two classmates who I wanted to spend more time with, but failed to do so.

        The first classmate is Ronnie Hornbuckle. Even though Ronnie and I were in different grades, our friendship go back to Boy Scout days, like my relationship with David Bess. Ronnie was in my troupe and his dad was an assistant Scout Master if I remember correctly. We spent a lot of time camping and I would have liked to hear what all Ronnie has been up to since we last got to visit. Ronnie contributed a very interesting story about his dad's record shop when I was working on "The Baby Boomer's Guide to Growing Up in The Rocket City."

        I had a fear something had happened to Ronnie, when he suddenly dropped out of Facebook postings. He was my Facebook friend and I would see his interesting posts often. One day his posts ceased and I could not figure out what happened. When you are used to seeing weekly posts from someone and they stop, you start to fear the worst - especially at our age. That was what I did. I even went online to see if there was an obituary for him, but found none.

        It should go without saying I was excited to see Ronnie show up at the reunion, and I only wish I had been able to spend more time with him.

        The other person I wish I had been able to talk to is Woody Beck. Woody and I go back to the first year of Lee's Traveller. It was Woody who came up with the name for the first Lee High School paper, suggesting it be named after Gen. Robert E. Lee's horse. Like Linda Collingsworth Provost said at the reunion, I thought Woody was one of the most intelligent boys at Lee. His contributions to the Traveller were always thought provoking and he displayed a zest for adventure well beyond his years. He had "deep thoughts." I suppose that accounts for his chosen profession and his accomplishments in life. Someday I want to sit and talk more with Woody.

        Thus ends my third brief episode on some thoughts about my classmates who I saw at the reunion. These are not all, and more will follow in the weeks to come. I hope they invoke some memories for you as well.

Then and Now

John Drummond

LHS '65

        Sally Dawley Stroud sent these photos taken around 1965 of a group which we reproduced at the Saturday morning reunion breakfast.  In addition to Sally and me, Don Stroud and Ken Megginson  appear.  Missing in the new photo is Ben Still.

TV Trivia

            Which TV series premiering in 1959 is considered the first American television program produced for a major network to feature teenagers as leading characters. (In other series, such as Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver, teenagers were portrayed as supporting characters in a family story. )

   (Answer is at the bottom of this screen)

From Our Mailbox 

Subject:        Emails and the Reunion

Pat K. Fanning

        I felt almost sad when, after reading your articles in the Traveller this week when I scrolled down to "Emails" - and it said "no mail this week."

        Bless your heart.  Not another person in either of our three classes helps to keep us all connected as you do. Thank you for that!!  I still am amazed at your journaling through the years.  Wish I had done so.  Also, truly wish I'd kept special notes from family and friends.  But somehow it all just seemed like I'd always have them in my life so what was the use of a piece of paper...?  Duh!!! Now I know... and I encourage all young people to follow your passion and journal.  

        The reunion program was one of a kind - as was the entire weekend.  The joy of seeing so many folks we haven't seen in years - and even those we "could easily see" because they are here in Huntsville -- but our paths just do not cross. This reunion fulfilled a lot of re-unitings.  One of the neatest things for me was the Happy Dance Team practices. Thanks to Tommy Bush for arranging for our rehearsals to be in the ballroom at The Russell Erskine Hotel.  I loved walking through that lobby as it allowed my mind to float back to it's prime years.  As a child, I recall a visit or two with my dad for meetings, etc. to go into that lovely, ornate place.  It was also fun to be with long-time friends and to work our way through the moves of the Happy Dance.  Thanks to Sarajane for having the idea and bringing it to fruition.  

        Our committee meetings were awesome, too.  We worked hard - but the memories and laughter lifted our spirits week after week. Then when we saw it all come together - the sense of relief overwhelmed us.  Our class of 65 luncheon at Carrabas Restaurant on Friday was a great pre-reunion time.   A special thanks to Niles Prestage for arranging for that time together.  To all 3 class hostesses for the Friday night patio gathering - we thank you. Your hard work does not go un-noticed. Brooks Wilbourn hosting the breakfast at the Huntsville Country Club was also special.  The unique decor at the reunion lifted our spirits and sparked our memories of special times and places ---thanks to Carolyn Burgess Featheringill for making that happen.  And the BAND...wow! Thanks to Don Stroud for arranging for the band. 

        It was definitely the Reunion we'll always remember!!!

        Again, I just want to thank you - Tommy - for everything you do all through years - and week by week - to help us keep in touch.  

        Have a blessed week -- and I do hope you get more emails this week. ;-)

        Keep HIS Song in Your Heart,

Subject:        John Drummond's Recent Story About Cruising with Beautiful Girls

Greg Dixon

LHS '65

        Everything about this story is believable except the part about Pat Hartsell and Carol Jean Williams being willing to drive around town with John Drummond and Randy Roman in 1962.  Clearly this was a fantasy experience or wonderful dream that John and Randy had.

        Great story though, John.

 TV Trivia

Answer

        The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (also known as simply Dobie Gillis was an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1959, to June 5, 1963. 

        The series revolved around teenager Dobie Gillis (Dwayne Hickman), who aspired to have popularity, money, and the attention of beautiful and unattainable girls, whose entrance into Dobie's life was often accompanied by the song "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" softly playing in the background. He did not have any of these qualities in abundance, and the tiny crises surrounding Dobie's lack of success made the story in each weekly episode. Also constantly in question, by Dobie and others, was Dobie's future, as the boy proved to be a poor student and an aimless drifter. Often falling in love with a new girl within minutes, often referring to them as soft and round and pink and creamy, the would-be poet Dobie would address his loves with flowery phrases such as "my great, tawny animal" and go out of his way each week to attract, keep, or win back the girl-of-the-moment.

        His partner-in-crime was American television's first beatnik, Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver), who became the series' breakout character. An enthusiastic fan of jazz music (with a strong distaste for the music of Lawrence Welk), Maynard plays the bongos, collects tinfoil and petrified frogs, and steers clear of romance, authority figures, and work (yelping "Work?!" every time he hears the word). Always speaking with the vernacular and slang of the beatniks and jazz musicians he admired, Maynard punctuates his sentences with the word "like" and has a tendency towards malapropisms. The main running gag on Dobie Gillis would have Dobie or one of the other characters rattling off a series of adjectives describing something undesirable or disgusting ("I'd be a ragged, useless, dirty wreck!"), at which point a previously unseen Maynard would appear (entering the scene in close-up), saying "You rang?"

        Zelda Gilroy (Sheila James) was a brilliant and eager young girl who was hopelessly in love with Dobie, much to his annoyance. Zelda did not find Dobie particularly attractive, but fell in love with him because she found him helpless and needing of her care, and also because of the concept of "propinquity" (that is, nearness; as Gillis and Gilroy, they were typically seated together in class).  Despite his protests, Dobie was clearly fond of Zelda, and Zelda claimed Dobie loved her but just had not realized it yet. To prove this, she would wiggle her nose (like a rabbit) at Dobie, who would do the same back to Zelda, though Dobie said it was only a reflex that made him do it.

(Does anyone remember what Dobie would yell in protest at Zelda when she twitched her nose at him?)

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