Judith Ann Johnson Upton

LHS '65

January 9, 1947 - April 13, 2025

Judith Ann Upton, age 78, of Huntsville passed away peacefully on April 13, 2025. Ms. Upton was born in Huntsville on January 9, 1947.

She is survived by two loving daughters, Cindy (Lonnie) Trippe and Kelly (Rob) Rice; three grandchildren, Adam Herring, Lucas Rice, and Emma Rice; two great-grandchildren; one brother, Kenneth W. Johnson, and several nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her mother, Lois Virginia Johnson and her father, Samuel S. Johnson Jr.

Judy was a loving mother, grandmother, and friend. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. She was a woman with great strength and courage. Her greatest joy came from spending time with family. She adored her grandchildren and has left behind a wonderful legacy of love and determination.

Burial will be at Valhalla Memory Gardens.

LEE LUNCH BUNCH

Classes of ’64, ’65, ‘66

Thursday, April 24, 2025 11:00 a.m.

Carrabbas’s Italian Grill

(Upper parking deck at Parkway Place Mall)

Classmates from ‘64, ’65, and ’66, please mark your calendars for the next Lee Lunch Bunch. This begins the 15th year of our lunches together. This is also the 60th year from graduation for the Class of 1965. Hopefully, many of this group will be able to come on this date, share all of the latest from our daily lives, and have a good meal together.

Please do let me know if you are planning to come. I will need to let the manager know how many no later than a couple of days before. Thanks and hope to see you in April.

Patsy Hughes Oldroyd ‘65

304 Wellington Rd.

Athens, AL 35613

H (256) 232-7583

C (256) 432-3396

keithandpatsy@att.net

Post-Baptism Blues

Rainer Klauss

LHS '64

Among the pictures from my early childhood, there is one that stands out because it captured embarrassment and loneliness. I was only 4 years old, but the feelings were strong and are well-remembered.

The scene takes place in August of 1949, in front of the post chapel at Fort Bliss, Texas. I’m standing on the fringe of a small gathering of about twenty people. My mother (turned away slightly, right behind me) cradles my infant brother, Gunter, who is dressed in a long white baptismal gown. Gathered around them are my father (obscured, far right), my older brother, and family friends. The youngest Klauss is the focus of adoration. Close by cluster more family groups, smiling and talking about the other two infants, Heidi Weber and Susie Scharnowski, who have also been christened that morning.

These three children are their family’s embodiments of the new start we were making in the United States. They are natural American citizens. My little brother could have become president of this country.

At the edge of these joyous celebrations, a personal crisis is taking place.  I am struggling to keep my pants from falling down. My parents saw to it that I was properly dressed for the solemn ritual. I’m wearing brown pants and a white shirt that is accented with the same brown at the collar, pocket, and cuffs. I’m a cute little Western dude.  The outfit is brand new—my first fancy get-up—but not enough care was taken to make sure the pants would stay up with only a belt. In the bustle and excitement of getting ready for the occasion, this critical matter was not noticed.  When we spilled out into the sunshine after the ceremony, the problem became apparent—but only to me.

I’ve turned my back to the crowd of smiling faces, the chorus of admiration.  My right hand is dabbing at my cheek, brushing away tears. My left hand rests firmly at my waist. Even though I’ve probably just hitched them up again, the too-large, heavy pants are still threatening to slide past my butt and expose me. I’m alone in my struggle to avoid complete embarrassment. Maybe I sense, too, that I’ve been displaced from the center of attention in a larger sense. We are early in Act One of the family drama of the middle child.

The Wayback Machine

"Going to the Chapel"

The Dixie Cups

I could not find any songs about a young boy's pants falling down to go with Rainer's story, but I did find a song from our time about a chapel.

The Dixie Cups debut single was the release, "Chapel of Love," which became their biggest hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in June 1964. "Chapel of Love" sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The hit single by The Dixie Cups was ranked No. 279 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The trio consisted of sisters Barbara Ann and Rosa Lee Hawkins, plus their cousin Joan Marie Johnson, from New Orleans.

The Dixie Cups (formerly known as The Meltones) are an American pop music girl group established in the 1960s. They are best known for a string of hits including their singles "Chapel of Love", "People Say", and "Iko Iko".

Thanks to Pat Fanning for sending me the information on the passing of Judy Upton. 

I am unable to make the Lee Lunch Bunch get-together this week, due to a doctor's appointment that was made six weeks ago. I hope everyone enjoys getting together with their old friends and classmates.

I thought it would be interesting to write down the number of issues of Lee's Traveller that have been published. By my best count, this is the 1196th issue without missing a week. I can only do this if I have people interested in reading, so I thank my classmates for doing so.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, And Comments

Nothing in last week's issue seemed to invoke any need for comments..