Gloria Helen Kindberg Woody

LHS '66

? - May 6, 2025

Gloria Kindberg Woody, 76, of Huntsville, AL, passed away on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. No services are planned at this time. Berryhill Funeral Home assisted the family.

Memorial Day 2025

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

I found the following information on Memorial Day on Wikipedia. "Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is the federal holidays in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial beginning of summer in the United States.

It is a day for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn the military personnel who died in the line of duty. Volunteers will place American flags on the graves of those military personnel in national cemeteries. Others such as family and friends will also come to lay flowers and grieve on the graves of those who died in the US military."

The Wayback Machine

"Galveston"

"Galveston" is a song written by Jimmy Webb and popularized by American country music singer Glen Campbell who recorded it with the instrumental backing of members of The Wrecking Crew. In 2003, this song ranked number eight in CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. Campbell's version, produced by Al De Lory, also went to number 1 on the country music charts.

Within a year of Campbell's hit version, Rolling Stone states, "recordings of 'Galveston' had sold six million copies, having been cut by 27 different artists, from fellow country star Faron Young to jazz great Dizzy Gillespie."

The protagonist is a soldier waiting to go into battle who thinks of the woman he loves and his hometown of Galveston, Texas. Campbell's recording of the song, released in early 1969, was perceived by many (who listened carefully to the lyrics) as being a Vietnam War protest song, but Campbell performed it up-tempo. In his original promo video, Campbell was dressed as a soldier in a military-style outfit. Webb has challenged the implication of Campbell's version that it was in any way "a patriotic song". According to Webb, the song is "about a guy who's caught up in something he doesn't understand and would rather be somewhere else".

I have featured the Memorial Day video before, and I will probably feature it again in the future. The recognition of the loss of this group of classmates should never be forgotten. Lest We Forget!

Last Week's Questions, Answers, And Comments

Don Blaise, LHS ‘64, "Keith Wilson - a truly great man and example for the young men he coached and mentored . God was very important in his life and I look forward to seeing him again when my time comes."

Joel Weinbaum,  LHS ‘64, "The movie, "Dr. Strangelove," comes to mind with your story of potential sacrifice and the determination of the actor/pilot "Slim Pickens," with his infamous ride to the target. I guess all the Cold War Era and Vietnam veterans have had that sense of the ultimate sacrifice as well. After joining the Naval Reserve March of '63 while still a Junior, but of age with parental consent, one boy I had spoken to in the hallway at Lee said they will send you to Vietnam. My response was that I would go wherever they needed me. At my house we didn't talk about the growing Vietnam era, you join, you serve...call me a draft dodger!"

Carolyn Burgess Featheringill, LHS ‘65, "Congratulations and thank you for the 1,200 issues of The Traveller.  The weekly “paper” has been a big part of the glue cementing the Fami-Lee.  ‘Looking forward to the next 1,200!"

Delores Kilgore, LHS '66, "Thank you, Tommy for all the hard work you put into this precious School Newsletter! You are so so appreciated!"