Questions: "What are your reflections as the MCHS Class of 1969 marks 50 years since
graduation?"
Most recent response:
Thank you for the heads up about the 1969 program on ABC. Booie and I watched it
and were tickled to see the brief mention of the Atlanta Pop Festival, the
only reason we are together today. Here's the story:
We managed to make it all the way through high school without ever meeting
each other. (Well, as it turns out, we did realize later that we were both
at Glenda Anderton's party the night her parents suddenly came home and
people were diving out of windows to escape. But that's another story!).
So as it happened, Booie's sister Sheila had moved to Atlanta to share an
apartment with Judy Boyd. Judy had followed her future husband, Lynn
Pitts, who was enrolled at Georgia Tech.
Since Sheila was making the big bucks as a bank teller, she wanted to do
something nice for her baby sister's upcoming birthday in September. So
she got tickets for the Atlanta Pop Festival, which was going to take
place at the Atlanta Speedway over the 4th of July weekend. This was
actually a precursor to Woodstock. It was an epic 3-day rock concert that
had some pretty big names including Janis Joplin.
Since Sheila also sprang for a plane ticket, Booie flew down in luxury. I,
on the other poor hand, had to ride for 4 hours curled up in the back of
Stanley Sadler's Sunbeam. Somehow after arriving, I became lost from my
compatriots (the promoters claimed there were 100,000 people there in the
middle of the Speedway).
Everybody knew Sheila, Judy and Lynn, so when I spotted them I went over.
They were accompanied by a really good looking blonde. She turned out to
be Sheila's little sister. It is not hyperbole to say it was love at first
sight for both of us. I won't bore you with more, but I will let Booie
take over here so she can tell you how she used her feminine wiles on this
unsuspecting innocent boy...
Booie here: As you may may recall, the guys called all the shots when it
came to relationships. Mostly because girls were not allowed to. We had to
waste hours by the phone hoping our current boyfriends would call, because
only a girl with no morals would be so low class as to call a boy! (At
least that was the rule at my house).
Well, after spending 3 wonderful days with my new love (fully chaperoned
of course!) I had already observed that he was so shy I would have to
figure out a way to take the bull by the horns or he might never get
around to making that phone call. So before we had to say goodbye, I
cleverly managed to sneak my glasses into his shirt pocket, thereby
forcing the LEGITIMATE need for me to call him to arrange to get them
back.
And the rest, as they say... --Booie and Dan Garant
garant1@bellsouth.net
That is a wonderful story! Dan was my classmate at Campus School, too,
and he is a wonderful person...always has been! Congratulations on your
happy story! --Carolyn Bigger Lattimore
carolynlattimore@gmail.com
Oh How Wonderful, Booie and Dan!!!
You Go Girl! Way to take matters into your own hands, Booie, to get your
Dan, the Man of Your Dreams, into your arms!!! So glad Dan succumbed to
your feminine charms and knew that resistance was futile!!!
I was also at that concert and recall in addition to Janis, there were
Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention and It's a Beautiful Day and
others I am not remembering at the moment. I clearly remember Frank
standing on top of the dugout or crew pit I guess, and gyrating maniacally
all around as only Frank did. Gee, wasn't Jethro Tull there too? Too bad I
didn't see you all there. It was a huge crowd.
I also managed to make it to the Byron Pop Festival that next summer where
Jimi Hendrix played his last American concert before choking to death on
his own sputum in Germany. I was hooked up with my first major
relationship, whom I never officially married but divorced a few years
later due to common-law marriage in Georgia at that time. Thank goodness
that law was redacted! He was a photographer and had a press pass and since
I was schlepping some of his equipment which consisted of numerous heavy
lenses and camera bodies, I also had a press pass. So we were permitted to
go backstage to be in the presence of Jimi himself. Unfortunately Richard
was not allowed to photograph him there, only when he was performing on
stage. As you can imagine, the photos backstage would have been
incriminating.
The other thing about that concert was that half million rockers showed up
again on the 4th of July weekend in a pecan orchard outside of Macon in
Byron. The Allman Brothers were a big part of that event too. Since it was
so hot, the outside showers were a huge gathering spot and soon the well
ran dry from overuse with only trickles dribbling from the shower heads. To
be cooler, about a quarter of the attendees stripped down naked or "nekked"
as we say in south Georgia since they would eventually be "up to no good."
I knew better. As a fair-skinned auburn headed girl, I knew I would burn. I
have never seen so many red tushes in my life that next day. The music was
unbelievably incredible! Jimi played the Star Spangled Banner in his unique
arrangement and the crowd went absolutely berserk!
Thanks for triggering that buried memory, Booie and Dan!!!
See you all in early June! --Cathy Sakas
cathyjosakas@gmail.com
I've enjoyed the class of '69 stories. Thanks. --Larry Pinkerton
gtrmain@gmail.com
Smoking was prohibited in bathrooms. Smokers were allowed to indulge out of
doors in a small area we called the "smoke shack." The shack was just a
patch of hard dirt behind the main two story school building.
The smoke shack was the place to educate yourself in the art and practice
of beginner, intermediate and advanced smoking. Unlike classroom teaching,
questions were never asked. You learned by observation, closely studying
and imitating anyone deemed a true, natural born smoke artist, like Ronnie.
Ronnie didn't know what protocols meant but when it came to smoking, he had
them. For example it was never uttered but he innately understood that you
didn't smoke old-fogey filter-less cigarettes, like Pall Mall, Camels or
Chesterfield. While filter-less cigarettes offered a manly looking nicotine
stained index and middle finger, only filter tips such as Winston and
Marlboro could pass the fashion test.
On rare occasions Ronnie could afford a fresh, thirty cent, pack of smokes
and that is when his elegant smoking ritual began. Ronnie was born with the
packing instinct and would beat an unopen pack of cigarettes against the
palm of his hand, packing the tobacco tightly against the filter tip. And
as if he was opening the Dead Sea scrolls he grabbed the red ribbon and
tore it through the cellophane wrapper, allowing access to the top of the
pack while still covering and protecting the rest of the precious cargo.
Ronnie ever so cleanly peeled back the silver paper on one side of the pack
exposing the cigarette filters. He tapped the opened pack gently against
his forefinger freeing one, two or three smokes.
He again packed the individual cigarette by tapping the filter tip end
solidly against his cigarette lighter. Ronnie theorized that this made sure
the tobacco was packed in tightly, thereby giving him a better smoke.
Packing his smoke was an impressive visual and had a high testosterone
reward but there was scant evidence that it enhanced one's smoking
experience.
Ronnie then placed his unlit cigarette slightly to one side of his mouth so
he could talk about cars or girls out of the other side. Then retrieving
his shiny Zippo flip top lighter from his blue jeans, he spun the grinding
wheel against the flint. The spark lit the wick which he had cut precisely
to deliver a perfect size flame. He then cupped his hands around the
lighter and cigarette tip to block the wind but more importantly so he
could peer out above his hands at his audience. Then, like a gunslinger
after a kill he snapped the lighter closed with a soft click, sliding it
into his front pocket in one smooth seamless motion.
Then came Ronnie's mouth and nose dance called French inhaling. He took a
deep draw and quickly released it while vacuuming it up throw his nose in a
continuous and circular trick. This lasted as long as anyone was looking.
If Ronnie sensed he was losing his audience he'd cock his head back, round
his lips and with precision tongue and jaw pressure he forced the smoke out
into three, four, even five perfect rings that drifted as aimlessly as we
teenage smokers.
Holding the "coffin nail" between his index and middle finger Ronnie
rhythmically and without looking flicked the filter tip end of the
cigarette with his thumb to remove the gray ashes. Soon the bell rang but
the show was not quite over. Ronnie flipped his cigarette forcefully
against the old brick building. It ricocheted onto the bare ground right in
front of him. And with the toe of his dime embellished brown penny loafers
he slowly, methodically smashed the life out of it.
Footnote: Some girls smoked but I don't recall ever seeing them at the
smoke shack. It was a boy's world, where many foul mouthed and brave
adventures bloomed and died in those smoky few minutes. These adventures
were driven by a desire for a reputation, good or bad, it made no
difference. Like our plan for a slew of us to make a sixty mile trip to
Robertson county and steal the Bell Witch's grave marker. Only none of us
had a car. We concluded in our favor that it was much too far to hitchhike.
And we all agreed that no one in their right mind would pick up a gang of
knuckleheads toting a tombstone. --Larry Pinkerton
gtrmain@gmail.com
Larry, you should have been a writer! Great job describing what turned out
to be the way to so many folks early demise. By the way, were you smoking
or just watching? --Walter Bowen
walterbowen1951@gmail.com
Larry, our English teachers would be proud of you. This description of a
teenage smoker is fabulous! Now the kids "vape," but the ritual and
motivation are the same. --Carolyn Bigger Lattimore
carolynlattimore@gmail.com
Larry, I never knew there was an "art" to smoking. Your description was
equivalent to a James Beard award-winning chef describing a gourmet dish!! --Rise' Hayes rise.hayes@mail.webengr.com
Larry, what a great narrative! --Mary Baskin Miller gamaymay@gmail.com
Larry Pinkerton - delightful prose! Something tells me you kept your
writing talents to yourself at CHS. I would have loved to have had you
and your guitar in my English class !An addendum: I am not a smoker but I
can chime in about some of the girl smokers. --Nancy Nunley Lyons nunlyons@att.net
My memories of high school center around polishing all those buttons on
the band uniforms and shining those shoes, every week during football
season and during band competitions. Also trying to hold that French horn
up at a 90 degree angle to the ground while marching!
Working as an office assistant when a senior under the esteemed Betty
Hamilton, who was MUCH nicer than she appeared to be when one got in
trouble.
Can't wait to see everyone at the reunion! --Pat Todd Nelson Trishruns@aol.com
Oh my gosh....those buttons! And soaking the white belt in a mixture of
dishwasher detergent and Chlorox to get it extra white. And rubbing
Vaseline on the top of the hat to make it shine. I took the Band so
seriously! The Stage Band was fun. That's when I learned to love the
music of Glenn Miller. What a smooth song "String of Pearls" was and is. --Carolyn Bigger Lattimore carolynlattimore@gmail.com
Speaking of polishing those shoes for band....I discovered that Futura
floor wax was the perfect answer! --Mike West west_michaelc@yahoo.com
Pat, I always had so much respect for you band members. I never attempted
an instrument: I was a piano girl (and my husband gave me a harp on my
50th because I am such an angel, doncha know?!
My sister was a French horn player; such a lovely sound but hard to walk
home with one! I never had a class in 4 years with my band friends (I
guess our schedulins was grouped and band didn't match up with my ball
schedule).
I was good friends with Carol Patterson and would attend your competitions
at MTSU in late fall. I would sometimes assist with smelling salts during
inspection! These days those competitions are widely watched with full
stadiums and handsome ticket prices. In the 60s, I would take a blanket
and spend a day watching from the stands along with about 30 others --
total!
Couldn't believe it! I would get chills watching /listening to medleys
from "How the West Was Won" and "Porgy and Bess." Y'all outshone The Band
of Blue, in my amateur opinion. What were your other performance tunes? --Nancy Nunley Lyons nunlyons@att.net
Cleaning spats with Ajax
Buttons with Brasso with a piece of cardboard behind the button. --Mary Baskin Miller gamaymay@gmail.com
Nancy, two that I remember were "Land of 1000 Dances" (Da,
da,da,da,da...etc) and a patriotic number that thrilled us all, ending
with "Battle Hymn of the Republic," which always thrilled the crowd. The
band directors Wayne Pegram and Bob Lee were great arrangers of medleys.
Did I ever tell you that my first education class in college was with your
dad, who was an inspiration to us all?
Hope to see you at the reunion! --Pat Todd Nelson Trishruns@aol.com
Pat, Thanks for answering my band questions and for the kind comments
about my dad. As my friends took his MTSU classes, I thought it best for
me to avoid them at the time. Now, I wish I had taken them. He was my
best bud.
I was a 4th period office girl. I answered to the demands of "Miss Hamp".
She was a real treat to be around with her contagious wheezing laugh and a
naughty smirk; I thought she looked and acted like Jonathan Winters.
However, we all knew when to get out of her way during her bad mood days;
then she could be an ogre! We office helpers were tasked with calling
absentees whose fake voices and excuses were always fun to register. Miss
Hamp and Mr. Faulkner were the disciplinarians so we had access to the
skinny on some of our "visitors." It's not that we had our ears to the
door, but we could put two and two together. And, there were always the
chronic offenders; you know who you were.
One day Miss Hamp came out of her office and said, "Nunley, come here. I
have a special project for you." Ooh! A special project! I was intrigued.
I felt - special.
"I want you to go in that bathroom across the hall and tell me who is
smoking." Oh. Not what I had in mind. I knew who would be there; not
their names, but upperclassmen who had a tough reputation. I thought she
was kidding so I replied, "Aw, Miss Hamp, don' t ask me to rat on someone.
I don' t want to do it."
She wasn't kidding. She gave me that look, that glare. Never mind that she
was sitting there with a cigarette hanging out of her own mouth." Nancy
Nunley," Uh-oh. Both names." You are being insubordinate. Get in that
bathroom and report back to me!"
Dang. She was serious. I replied, "Well, okay, but you are going to get
me beaten up!" I was scrambling inside my head trying to carry out her
orders, yet protect myself as I crossed the short distance to the door. I
entered the bathroom, looking at the floor. I smelled smoke and saw 3
pairs of shoes by the window. I said something like, "Hey, y'all, Miss
Hamp is on the warpath looking for smokers and has sent me in to inform
her if I see anyone smoking. Well, I don't SEE anyone, so you might want
to spread the word that this bathroom is being watched."
I left and heard them slither out behind me. With a clear conscience, I
returned to Miss Hamp and reported to her that I did not SEE anyone
smoking in the bathroom. My hair was not pulled, my dignity was intact, I
was not insubordinate, and all parties were satisfied. Whew! --Nancy Nunley Lyons nunlyons@att.net
I think Ms. Hamilton was way ahead of her time. --Jim Spears jimbspears@bellsouth.net
Wow, Nancy! You should have been a lawyer! --Carolyn Bigger Lattimore carolynlattimore@gmail.com
Hello All,
My thoughts never seem to fit the question categories, so, if you will
bear with me, I thought I would throw some thoughts your way. If not, just
click on the trash can!
In my family, I am known as the "Memory Keeper" or "Chief Rememberer." As
it might apply here, I thought I would serve as a "Memory Jogger."
Here is a category. I will start it and maybe you can add to it!
Stuff We Liked - 1965 -1969
Hair: The flip, teasing. Prell, Pert, VO5 , Herbal Essence, Head &
Shoulders shampoo. Rayette hairspray (sprayed-on concrete!) - Tame,
Spoolies! Dippity Do ! Sun-In ( I know some of you fellas used it!).
Clippies, Clippies with bows, headbands, especially stretchy ones. Long
straight hair parted in the middle was very popular.
At my house, we were folically-challenged having been cursed with curls.
My sister was a champ at utilizing those huge Kroger frozen oj cans in
lieu of small curlers to smooth her hair. And we both were chastised for
trying to iron our hair in those pre- curling iron days!
Suntans : We all wanted that glow and would resort to all manner of
potions, concoctions and even danger to achieve it! - Coppertone, Hawaiian
Tropic, Q.T.(Quick Tan -- came in a tube and would turn your skin an
unlovely shade of orange or rust), baby oil/iodine (you would smell nice
as you became a human French fry), sun lamp, Solarcaine -- to relieve the
pain from the sun lamp!
Fashion: We were in an exciting time of transition, and that included
fashion. The British invasion was dominated by fashion influenced by the
designers/shops of London's Carnaby Street, designer Mary Quant and models
Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. The tiny prints we liked in our fabrics were
aspirations of prints from Liberty of London. Remember madras, straight
and a-line skirts, sweater/skirt sets, knee socks, shirtwaist print
dresses with pintucks (the fave was by Ladybug with the status Ladybug
straight pin; people would sometimes steal those little pins!), love
beads, stick pins for collars, mohair sweaters, 2-piece swimsuits( a big
no-no at my house) , good-bye to garters and girdles and hello to
pantyhose! -- a new kind of freedom !, halter tops, empire dresses, tent
dresses, mumu dresses? Peter Pan collars and button down. Do you recall
the loops on the backs of boys' shirts being grabbed as a talisman, of
sorts? Boyfriend catchers? Some girls would all but rip the shirt off of
some boys to get that tiny piece of fabric and stick it in their wallets.
Shoes: rah-rahs, Bass Weejuns from Brown's (penny loafers or tassle
loafers?), "J.C." sandals(altered Weejuns), Converse, Adidas.
Fragrances: Guys -- English Leather, Old Spice, Canoe, Brut, Aramis, Jade
East. Girls -- Ambush, Tweed, Woodhue, Toujours Moi, Jean Nate, Wind
Song ("I cant get you out of my mind..."), Shalimar, Muguet de Bois,
Emeraude.
Cosmetics: Clearasil! Max Factor pancake makeup, Cover Girl liquid makeup,
Maybelline for eyes, Coty powder, Avon (especially the tiny lipstick
samples), Cutex nail polish, Tangee lipstick, Erase concealer stick, blush
being introduced instead of rouge, Revlon, Ponds, Bonne Bell, Yardley,
Noxzema, Oil of Olay.
These are just starters. I bet you can add to the list. I am a night owl.
It is after 10:00 P.M. and my brain is firing on all cylinders. I have
other categories and may send them in if it is not being too obnoxious.
Meanwhile, travel down Memory Lane with the list I began! --Nancy Nunley Lyons nunlyons@att.net
LOVE IT, Nancy!! Your list really brought back some memories! May I add
another category?
Purses: choo-choo bags, reversible button-on cover purses with wooden
handles (from The Cotton Patch!) --Rise' Hayes rise.hayes@mail.webengr.com
Rise',
I loved my brown Choo-Choo that Santa got me at Sullivans. And those
cloth purses were even better monogrammed! Oh, I forgot about monograms!
Both guys and girls sported those. --Nancy Nunley Lyons nunlyons@att.net
Hey Nancy, it is not obnoxious, and your memory is amazing! I barely
remember high school!
I bet others can add to your list. Thanks to Jim for asking the questions
during the last year and thanks to all who have provided answers.
Who's next? Hope to see you in a few weeks! --David Lasseter dblasseter@gmail.com
Wow, Nancy! You really do have a fabulous memory! One perfume you left
off the list was my favorite: Chantilly. I coveted the dresses at The
Village Square, but never convinced my mother to buy one. I also remember
that knee socks were very popular. They were so popular with me that one
cute boy asked if I had wooden legs because I wore them so often.
Mortification! : ). I still love tights and socks though! Keep
writing... --Carolyn Bigger Lattimore carolynlattimore@gmail.com
That's priceless! A tall girls advocate in the 60s!! --Elaine Lannom Jackson eljackson7@aol.com
Goldstein's and Pigg & Parsons were the fashion choice stores for young
men during those high school years. I can remember if you had monogrammed
button-down shirts, round or v-neck sweaters, monogrammed London-Fog
jacket, alligator belt, tassle shoes, and a good fragrance cologne, you
were dressed with the "in" style. Oh those were the days when we
went on dates to the theatre, sports games, school dances, fraternity
and sorority dances (formal or theme fun dances) "all dressed up.
Great memories! --Steve Goodwin sjgoodwin11@att.net
Nancy,
Loved your list! So right! How about these memories?
Entertainment: How about Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Bonanza, That
Girl, and our parents with Lawrence Welk and Gunsmoke? Motown and the
British groups? Folk singers (Rod McCuen) and protest songs. Dances in
elementary school gyms.
Cars: Driving around the Tops/Shoneys parking lot to see who was there?
Driving around the square to see what was in Goldstein's window? Telling
your parents you were going to the MTSU library when you weren't (or was
that just me). Huge social advancement when you got to drive yourself to
school.
Hair and Makeup--I frosted my hair for the first time with a FrostnTip kit
I smuggled into the house. Still not sure why I didn't get in trouble for
that one. I pierced my ears in my bedroom myself (not at the same time).
Debbie Delbridge Cope once asked me how I got my eyeliner so straight and
I still am in doubt if that was a compliment or if she was teasing me.
Razors with blades you changed. Bonnie Bell 10-0-6 lotion.
Fashion--How about rolling the waistband of your skirt over to make it
shorter once you left the house. Absolutely no pants for girls at school,
but we had those oh so attractive gym uniforms. Ladies? Remember Rockin
Robin in gym class? Your clothing list was spot on, Nancy. We may not have
had school uniforms but we certainly wanted to conform! I made just about
everything I wore and I remember looking at those little ladybug pins with
envy. (I did quite a bit of sewing for drama club too. ) Dona Comer
started a thing with different colors of tennis shoes to match her outfit.
And don't forget the cardigan sweaters with the grosgrain ribbon in the
front edges we all wore.--Sara Daw Day saraday1@gmail.com
