171106 November 6, 2017

A Trip Home

by Collins (CE) Wynn

LHS '64

Originally Published February 11, 2005

    Some months ago I had reason to visit a friend of mine's wife who was in Huntsville Hospital battling cancer. I drove up from the Gulf coast alone and got into town around 3pm. I was supposed to be at the Hospital at 6pm so I used the time I had just driving the streets for a while visiting my parents and grandparents in our cemeteries plus wandering through old neighborhoods.

    I even stopped in Mullins, sat at the counter eating a hamburger with pickles and mayo, and listening to the general conversation. I noticed with some pride that a few of my old football pictures were hanging on the wall but I was really, really proud to see my Dad's picture as a Huntsville Police Officer hanging on the left hand side of the door as I was leaving (circa 1957 or 1958). He's the big guy in the middle. 

    I still had a few minutes when I left Mullins so, in the dusk and on a whim I made two more brief stops. First I turned north on Andrew Jackson and pulled into the parking lot of the Jackson Way Styling Salon. I walked in the door and asked if Floyd Hardin was there - the only guy in the room was standing with his back to the door. He immediately turned around, walked straight up me, hugged my neck, and said "Dad gum, Mabel, where you been so long?" He knew exactly who I was even though I now have a beard, a pony tail, 10 extra pounds and bald on top not to mention being 56 years old and that I had not seen him in 34 years. It was a delight to sit and talk with him for a half hour or so. I left a message with him for all my old friends that he still sees. Mike Smith and Walt Thomas know the story of how I came to be called "Mabel" in the neighborhood so we can leave that for another time.

    After that I made a quick turn west on Humes Avenue and saw a guy cutting his grass in what used to be Mike Smith’s front yard across from the old Woodmen Of the World Hall. I casually pulled over and hopped out of my car and walked up to the guy. He cut the engine and I asked him “Hey, are you Billy Layne?” His response was typical for Billy; “Depends on who wants to know!” he said. When I told him who I was he grabbed me by the arm and said essentially the same thing Floyd had except with a little more enthusiasm “Boy, where’ve you been all these years?” I had a few minutes before I had to go so we could talk for only just a bit. Mike’s mom was at the grocery so I missed her. I asked Billy to pass on my regards to her and Mike.

    I left the hospital that night and drove directly back to south Alabama. What a wonderful feeling to come home again if only for a few minutes.

    Author’s note:  This is a story from 12 years ago written for Tommy and LHS.  I have lightly edited it for this edition.  Of course, the subject of my visit was terrible, and it was memorable for that reason.  Aside from that I was almost overwhelmed by pleasant melancholy emotions during the events described here.  At the time I had not been home for a very long time; it truly is where my heart lies – ‘til then I did not know how much I truly missed it.  I suspect this may mirror the experiences some of you may have had over the years.  Please enjoy.

One More Commercial

John Drummond

LHS '65

    The series about cologne was really fun.   I would now like to offer a TV commercial about shaving cream?  This one features Joe Namath shaving (with Noxzema), then being rubbed cheek-to-cheek by a young Farrah Fawcett.  If memory serves, this was filmed in the late 1960s or early 1970s, before she became well-known for "Charlie's Angels."  A guy I interned with at Grady Memorial Hospital grew up in Corpus Christy, Texas and his main claim to fame was that they were high school classmates;  made him a Hero among male fellow interns.

The Sell of Smell

by Tommy Towery

LHS '64

    As John noted, we have had such fun talking about the aftershave, colognes, and perfumes of our high school days, I think it would be just as much fun to continue the subject with another product.

    I think it would be a safe bet to say that most of us boys did not start worrying about body odors much before we entered high school. Prior to then, most boys at least, did not use any type of deodorant or anti-perspiration products to cover up the smell of our maturing bodies. I am willing to admit I am wrong if a majority of you want to dispute my claim.

    I would love to hear from any of you who remembers when you started worrying about body odor, and what product you first remember using to combat it. I would especially like to hear from the female side of this discussion. 

    The main reason I am asking is because in my research of the subject, I came upon the following interesting bit of information. It seems a major breakthrough in the delivery of such products happened during our time at Lee.  I have edited the text to eliminate the name of the product described, and am posing the question to all of you about which antiperspirant you think is being described as the first product using this technology to fight the problem in the early 1960s. The text stated:

    In the late 1950s, manufacturers began using aerosol technology to dispense personal care products such as perfumes and shaving creams. In the early 1960s, the first aerosol antiperspirant hit the market. Aerosols became a popular way to dispense antiperspirants, by 1967, half the antiperspirants sold (in the USA) were aerosol sprays, and by the early 1970s, they accounted for 82% of all sales.

    What was the first aerosol antiperspirant? Please send me your own memories of this smelly subject or the product you used instead. It will be interesting to see what kind of responses I get.