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The "biggest" insight, for me, came at the start of my junior year. I
was studying piano, at the time, with Dr. Philip Howard (MTSC!) and was
trying oh-so-hard to ramp up to the college-entry level. Practice,
practice, practice.
On another level, I was involved with the band and the drama club. I truly
cannot remember, yet I think the junior year for us, was when "Beverly
Hillbillies" was produced(?) I truly enjoyed the four years with drama
club --creativeness. Mrs. Anderson was so open to being creative and just
letting one's self "go." I'm sure so many "hillbillies" may remember.
For me, the little "Percy" (and little still I am!), it was a true
eye-opener to work with the likes of Cathy Sakas, Sara Daw, Tommy
Campbell and so many others. To walk out on stage and take your heart
in your hands and just DO IT.
I was so ready to flee M'boro after high school. I knew what I
wanted/needed to go and try to conquer. And with all the help and
support from the Central faculty and so, so many friends during that
four years of "let me get out of here and go try" - thank you all. It
paid off over the years.
One thing that has always been with me: At the start of "Beverly," I was
having a back-stage moment, scared! Mrs. Anderson, God bless her, came up
to me, put her arm around me and said: "Kenny, you know your lines, you
know the movement on stage you need to do -- just go out there, smile,
and kill'um." And then, of course, Cathy and I changed the plot and ...
well, talk to Cathy!
Needless to say, throughout the years of being a professional, performing
musician and arts administrator, and with many professors and cohorts
over the (46!!) years of my career, so many people giving support (I
retired from everything in December 2016) - I have never forgotten Mrs.
Anderson's sage advice.
One more: I was totally dumbfounded to be elected by the faculty to
serve and represent Central at the American Legion Boy's State my
junior/senior year with Randy Odom and Steve Jordan. The body of work I
learned during that week has stayed with me all these years.
And I am sad to say, that due to family obligations, including my
goddaughter's Senior Vocal Recital at Cleveland Institute of Music and
my godson's wedding (at last! after 5 years of "will they or won't
they") at which I will have the honor to serve as the officiant being,
for the past 24 years a Justice of the Peace, that the travel "piggy
bank" is maxed and I will not be able to join with everyone for our 50th
reunion. So, everybody, all stay healthy and we will see you at the
55th!!!
With all good wishes, Kenny Scott (only "Kenny" in Murfreesboro and
with you all) --Ken Scott kscott@gmavt.net
Great Insights Kenny!
I am sure we can all relate. Being in M'boro was certainly centering but
needing to spread those young adventurous wings and see what else was out
there was a big draw for a lot of us too.
My insightful moment came after reading the results of my Kuder Preference
Test. Was that our junior or senior year?
I just couldn't believe that the test clearly stated I would be best suited
to be a farmer!!!! A FARMER, INDEED!!!
Once I got over that shocker, I realized that I preferred to be outside and
the only options listed throughout the test for outside jobs were in
agriculture.
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that the three things most
important to me and that would guide my professional choices, were: 1)
being outside, 2) not having to wear pantyhose to work and 3) needing to be
near an ocean.
I was born and raised on the southeastern coast and being in central
Tennessee just wasn't a good fit for me. My father was still in the Navy
when we first moved to Middle TN and I just couldn't understand how his
enormous aircraft carrier could possibly make it up the Cumberland River.
Decades later after his nondisclosure agreement expired, he called me up
to tell me the entire story of why we were in Middle Tennessee while he
was still serving in the Navy.
The short version is he was in charge of the detonating mechanisms on the
nuclear warheads that were stored underground at Clarksville Naval Base.
When I asked about his office, he said it was in the back seat of a limo
that had all the amenities that James Bond would have had minus the
alcohol. There he would sit with the pilot of the jet that had just flown
in from somewhere on the east coast to arm the jet with nuclear warheads. My father
said his job was to go down the "what ifs" list, meaning what to do if
this or that happened.
He knew that two nuclear bombs were ejected into Wassaw Sound off the coast
of Georgia in the early 1950's long before I moved here. So when I told him
where I was moving, he told me not to live on Tybee Island nor to drink
the tap water.
Ha! The first home I bought is on Tybee. Oh well. He couldn't tell
me why not to buy the house until well after I bought it. The water, he
later told me, was contaminated with tritium leaking from the plutonium
producing reactors up the Savannah River where it ostensibly could leak
into the drinking water. I still drink bottled water to this day even
though our drinking water is from the deep Floridan Aquifer. Sara Daw Day
drinks from the same aquifer, I do believe.
The other insight about needing to be on the coast and therefore in salt
water came from a few fateful incidents at Elam Mill and Brown's Mill dams.
As I recall those were great swimming holes on hot summer days. However my
first dip in one of those famed swimming holes was a real eye opener. The
water was so very cold even on a hot summer day and I was really skinny
then (not anymore though!) and I just couldn't abide how cold it was.
The other issue I had was buoyancy. The ocean is essentially 35 parts of
salt to 1,000 parts of water and a slender body is much more buoyant in
that salty mix than in pure freshwater. (I must admit though, I was well
into my 30's before I could actually accomplish floating. I struggled with
buoyancy even as an aquanaut with a high tech buoyancy compensator device,
or a BCD, for you divers.)
Anyway, I recall one day while at Brown's Mill my friend Elizabeth moved
too close to the falls and was sucked into them getting caught up in the
"keeper." I remember seeing her head and hair coming up and going down in
an endless cycle as if she was in a cruel washing machine. I struggled to
get to her to help her. The water was so cold my muscles just wouldn't
move my legs fast enough through the water.
Fortunately Sammy Goodwin, God Bless Him, got to her just in time to save
her from drowning. Whew! Thank You, Sammy! That day I decided I just didn't
need to swim in cold fresh water anymore that had dangerous waterfalls and
non-buoyant water.
And so living here on the coast at sea level is apparently where I need to
be. I was very appreciative of my time in middle Tennessee living first in
Clarksville in 5th and 6th grades when my father retired from the Navy and
then attended Austin Peay to earn his master's, then during junior high
school in Nashville while my father finished his PhD at Vanderbilt and
then finally in Murfreesboro for high school when my father began teaching
at MTSU.
I am not sure how I would have turned out had I not had the good solid
experience of being in a small tight-knit community that was so very
supportive and protective in those very tender formative years. I think
back on those years with great fondness for the friends I made and kept,
for the incredible experiences we had through our various interests in
music, sports and clubs and for the teachers who did an amazing job of
giving us the critical skills we needed to make our way in this world.
I too am grateful for the confidence instilled in us by being in Mrs.
Anderson's Drama Club, Kenny. And it was a great delight to have you jump
spontaneously into my arms, your loving, overly-protective "Mumsy's" arms
as the firemen rushed into our burning mansion. You were such great fun!!!
And so I cannot believe you are not coming!!! You just have to be here! We
need to hear your organ recital again. We need to hear your voice in
person again. How much will it take to get you here? Perhaps we can set up
a "Get Kenny to the Reunion Fund." I'll chip in a few bucks. Anyone else?
With Fond Memories of M'Boro and All Y'All. --Cathy J. Sakas cathyjosakas@gmail.com
I remember that rescue very vividly! It actually was at Hall's Hill Mill
(past Guy James farm) and not Brown's Mill. I was with you, Elizabeth, and
my brother, Sam, that day.
Sam and I spotted Elizabeth bobbing in the water very near the dam. It
had rained the day before and the water was high and rushing over the dam
causing an undercurrent near the dam's wall. Sam and I swam toward
Elizabeth and I pulled her by the hair towards us, and then, suddenly, I
was sucked under by the undercurrent.
Sam managed to recover and pull Elizabeth to safety, and I was able to
swim out of the undercurrent. Sam was a certified life guard and was
working that summer at the Murfreesboro Country and Golf Club which was
located on Hwy. 231 S. (and now Indian Hills Golf Club).
We all learned a valuable lesson that day, and that was never to swim in
the river after a rain with "swollen" water. I believe the above incident
occurred in the summer of 1967 (or maybe 1968).
By the way, Sam and his wife, Elizabeth (how ironic!), have moved back to
Murfreesboro after his retirement and an absence of 37 years while living in
Florida and Arizona. He is working part time as a manager at the old
"Martin Theater" which is now named Premier 6 Theater. He regularly sees
former CHS classmates and other "town folks."
Yes, my wife, Judy, and I will attend our 50th CHS reunion! Judy knew your
father when she was an undergraduate at MTSU. She received a work study
scholarship and worked in the History Dept. as their part-time
secretary/receptionist while attending MTSU.
She has had a successful career in education for 47 yrs. and is currently
principal at Barfield Elementary School in Murfreesboro. --Steve Goodwin sjgoodwin11@att.net
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Okay, I'll chime in. I had many great days at Central with friends who
adopted me, the new arrival. I was honored to hang with beautiful ladies
who accepted me into their inner circle - Janeese Jackson, Jane Piggott and
Melanie Waters. At 5'6" I was definitely the shortest and arguably the
homeliest. Apparently they liked me, though; you know, "she has a great
personality." So when at the end of our senior year my name was announced
as Wittiest Senior Girl, I was very surprised and delighted!
I never really thought about being witty, but just had/have a quirky way
of looking at what is happening around me and commenting about it. A good
sense of humor is a good thing. In my case, I tend to see humor in most
situations, and that has gotten me into hot water just a few times.
Mostly, though, it has helped me make friends fast and that last. --Cathy Sakas cathyjosakas@gmail.com
Cathy, Janeese went to Mitchell-Neilson and started gathering us together.
Jane Piggott was the new girl there in the 7th grade and I was the new
girl in the 8th grade. Janeese was the only native among the four of us.
We all love to laugh so you were a natural fit. We were not the only ones
who found you beautiful, I remember a few boys who expressed curiosity and
wanted to get to know you. You can stop wondering why we liked you, we all
had good personalities (except that witch Melanie). You are the whole
package, beauty, brains, fun, and kind to everyone. You still are! --Melanie Waters Bigelow mwbigelow1@yahoo.com
Ok, I must also chime in for this one!! I may have been the "only native"
in this group but I never cared where someone was from or who they knew, I
only cared if I liked them! When I liked someone, I bonded. But I didn't
know how to stay connected sometimes (because I was a wanderer). Doesn't
matter, my only memories of high school are of trying to "get out" and
"get gone" (only because I was so curious about the rest of world and had
to find out)! Other than my memories of you fabulous women, the gang at
Cabinwood and partying by the river, I don't have a lot of specific
memories of high school. High school can be an awkward transitional time
between childhood and "adulthood," so I'm glad I had the support of
girlfriends!!
I do remember that Melanie sat behind me in one class at Mitchell-Neilson
(and, obvious oversight by the school authorities)-- and we were
inseparable. I remember Jane and her family moved into my neighborhood and
we became fast-friends. And, Cathy you were a "no-brainer" fit for our
motley crew. Your sense of humor was infectious (quirkiness being a
plus). And, as far as being "homely," I beg to differ. I'm the one that
couldn't "buy a date in high school"!!
I've only attended 2 reunions to date (25th and 45th and had such a great
time at both) but I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone from our Class
of '69 at the 50th!! I just hope we have name-tags so we can recognize
each other after all these years. --Janeese Jackson jj@janeesejackson.com
(REUNION NOTE: Name tags with annual photos will be available.)
GREAT!!! Name tags AND annual photos.
That will not only destroy everything I have achieved in witness
protection it will show how far I have fallen in 50 years.
I want my money back! In cash. (P.O. Box BR549, Athens, AL 35611)
--Craig Beasley cwbeasley2@att.net
PS: My best day at Central was the day I didn't get caught when the power,
water, and sewer went out.
"POWER TO THE PEOPLE, Y'ALL!!!"
---
Okay, now I have to chime right back....
Janeese, you were a major catch in high school and my goodness you still
are! At our 25th I remember how fun it was seeing Myers Parsons bounce you
on his knee in rhythm to the music low to the floor while the rest of
danced at a more comfortable elevation. I was very impressed with both of
you! And the dress you wore that night as I recall was a slinky black
number that was so becoming! At our 45th you still rocked the look! I do
not however recall seeing Myers bounce you on his knee to the music.
So at Central I didn't catch on until later in our friendship that your dad
was Mayor Joe Jackson. I do believe that our red blooded male classmates
who were feeling the full press of their raging teen hormones kept that
fact in the back of their minds. "Now what if I mess up somehow and end up
getting hauled in with the Mayor's daughter in tow." I am sure that kept a
few would be suitors at bay. No wonder you wanted to get out of M'boro to
see the world and it is no wonder you moved just about as far away as you
could and still be in the lower 48. I eventually got that.
Now as I also recall gorgeous Jane was the Homecoming Queen at one point or
the Senior Representative to the Queen's Court and Melanie was also in the
Queen's Court at some point. I also recall Melanie was a very lovely SPO
Sweetheart. So you see, I was among real beauties recognized by peers, I
just wasn't one myself. Okay, I was cute, I'll go with that and again "with
a great personality" (wink,wink). Marla was certainly in the beauty realm
as well and I know she held some title bestowed by classmates.
So, obviously I don't have my annual in front of me because if I did I
could look this stuff up myself, but I think it would be interesting to
list our homecoming queens and court, cheerleaders (I remember Elaine,
Donna and Debbie), team captains (Dale football and maybe Bart or Steve J.
in basketball), band leaders (Sally as a most stately drum major) and
majorettes (lithe Sally H.). Most Likely to Succeed (wise Cy and sweet
studious Patty??), etc. for the Superlatives. Class officers (Steve J.,
president....), etc.
If someone doesn't mind listing all those classmates, I think others might
like to remember their claims to fame as well. Maybe the reunion committee
has already thought of this and we will see these lists when we convene in
June.
In the meantime, I wish everyone a lovely spring that is mostly pollen
free! Our fair city and coastal areas are awash in beautiful colors from
the prolific bloom of our azaleas and wisteria and dogwoods and pears and
red maples. (My two black cats look greenish yellow from our very high
pollen count!)
I just returned home from our annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown
Savannah, touted to be the second largest parade in the nation at 4.5 hours
long. Because the 17th fell on a Sunday the celebration planners and
bishops and priests lobbied to have the parade the day before, today. I am
still in my green attire and Crabette uniform and hat. My band called The
World Famous Crabettes performed in front of the Leopold's Ice Cream Shop
(established in 1919). For over 20 years we were in the parade on a float.
Our last parade appearance was in 2014 when our elderly drummer fell off
his seat stopping the parade. He had a low blood glucose episode and had to
be hauled off to the ER. We have since decided floats are not the way for
us to participate in this ancient Savannah celebration. Also having a
"facility" close by sure helps and I know you know what I mean!
Happy St. Patrick's Day Eve and Erin Go Braugh (or as my friends say, Erin
Go Bra-less)! --Cathy Sakas cathyjosakas@gmail.com
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Dunno what my favorite school "space" was... I suppose it was the band
room in the good, ole annex! My playing was't the best because my old
tenor sax was ancient and I didn't get much practice room outside of
school. My dad hated hearing me practice. Guess he expected Boots Randolph
tooting. But despite my frustrations I loved band including the constant
misadventures. Being in the marching band was great! Speaking of
misadventures, there was study hall!!! --Mike West west_michaelc@yahoo.com
Oh please do tell about study hall!!!! --Cathy Sakas cathyjosakas@gmail.com
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While at CHS, I confirmed my dislike of Math even though I had excellent,
supportive Algebra teachers, Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. McNabb. I made good
grades because I took Algebra in summer school (not for credit) and then
retook the courses during the school year. My father sat with me at a card
table in the living room every day to help with my homework.
On the positive side, I realized how very much I liked English and
History, and again, excellent teachers made those classes come alive for
me. Writing weekly themes for Mrs. York, Mrs. Womack, and Mrs. Mason
solidified my writing skills, and a I breezed through the English courses
at Clemson.
So my successful transition while at Central was to gain an understanding
of my academic strengths and weaknesses -- to realize that I had to study! --Carolyn Bigger Lattimore carolynlattimore@gmail.com
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Since we have a guest moderator this month, I decided to go ahead and post
a "remembrance" for December:
Among my funniest moments in high school was the following event in the
cafeteria.
You might remember a smoking area was outside of the cafeteria. I never
went out there, but I recall it being there.
Anyway, during one lunchtime, I was eating some potato chips, I think,
when the calls went out across the expanse of the cafeteria.
"Girl fight!!!!!"
I think almost everyone in the room, including some cafeteria employees,
rushed to the windows to see the imbroglio in the smoking area.
As I recall, the fight was broken up fairly quickly to the disappointment of
almost everyone.
I believe the story was that the two young women were fighting over a
"fella," of all things.
In the ensuing 50 or so years, I always have thought of that scene when
I've heard anyone mention "girl fight." --Jim Leonhirth leonhirt@tecomm.com
Thanks for Sharing That Memory, Jim!
Anyone else remember that or a similar situation?
I really don't recall any fights myself, at least I wasn't involved in any
personally.
I do recall being eyed skeptically my first week at Central because I had
just moved from Nashville where the fashions were different than those of
M'boro.
Kathy Nixon had just arrived from California and she and I both had
waist-length straight hair. We both experienced someone pulling our hair
from behind in the restroom ostensibly to see if we were wearing wigs!
That was the extent of my unwanted physical encounters with
other girls, thankfully.
Anyone else???
Happy, Happy New Year to One and All!!! --Cathy Sakas CathyJoSakas@gmail.com
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My parents were very supportive and came to most of the home football games just to see the band march at half-time. Many parents did this. As for classmates' parents, I remember that Tommy Campbell's parents worked hours and hours on the Orange Bowl trip because they were the Band Boosters president that year. Mr. Pegram had the Band serenade them with "their song" and that was a lot of fun. I also remember the teachers who were also our classmates' parents: Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Mason, Mr. Scott, Mrs. Smythe, and Mrs. Womack. There may have been others that I don't recall. --Carolyn Bigger Lattimore carolynlattimore@gmail.com
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I am late to the party with my response on a significant event.
I have a few.
The first happened early on when I was a member of the Beta Club and was
asked to perform at the National Beta Club Convention held in Nashville. I
recall that Alison Riel, Rick Dearman and Doug Gleaves were already going
to perform and since I sang with Barry Shipp and Bobby Coursey who were
under-classmates, it made sense that I was asked to join the trio of
upper-classmates. We performed a Peter, Paul and Mary song called "It's
Raining."
We each took a verse as a solo and then joined voices on the chorus. The
harmonies were stunningly beautiful. But it was a terrifying experience to
be so young with not much experience in performing for a huge auditorium
full of kids are our own age. I recall Alison, Doug and Rick being
outwardly calm but perhaps they, like me, were quaking in their shoes. I
made the decision to not wear my contacts that day so I wouldn't clearly
see individuals in the audience. Bad decision. I tripped going up the
stage steps but Doug steadied me to prevent the potential utter disaster
of me sprawling on to the stage.
The second series of events forever etched in my memory banks are the
acting opportunities. I played a lawyer in the play "Night of January
16th," at least I think that was the title. I also was a snobbish Mrs. Pennyworth in "The
Beverly Hillbillies" with Kenny Scott as my son. Kenny and I shocked our
director, Mrs. Anderson, when we improvised in the final rehearsal as the firemen ran on
stage to put out the fire in our mansion. Kenny jumped up into my arms,
and I carried him offstage. The rehearsal audience erupted in guffaws and
Mrs. Anderson was delighted, so she let us keep that in the play. Thanks
Kenny for a memorable time!!!
Perhaps my favorite acting role was as Ruth Buzzi's Gladys Ormphby, the
dowdy old lady in “Laugh-In.” I played her opposite Walter White's Dirty Old
Man forever immortalized by Arte Johnson. Walter and I improvised all our
scenes. We were the emcees of our senior talent show and I am fairly sure
our performances together sealed our being voted superlatives of Wittiest
Senior Girl and Boy. Walter was brilliant as he entered stage on an
undersized tricycle and toppled over on cue. He even had the leering snort
that Arte perfected in his recurring role. I, of course, made myself up as
close as possible to Ruth's Gladys with hair severely parted in the middle
and pulled back into a tight bun. I even had stockings rolled down around
my ankles. We had a great time. Thanks Walter!!!
The third memorable event for me was being in ADK and going to New Orleans
my junior and senior years for Mardi Gras. Our Lamda Chapter was hosted by
our sisters in whatever ADK chapter they were in New Orleans. My friends
in ADK Lamda had to petition my parents to let me go. In a moment of
weakness, my parents agreed.
I have never spent a more debauched time in my life! What an experience!
My host was an incredible young lady who was miraculously evenly matched
with my adventurous spirit. She even managed to get me an ID card for
visiting the bars and visit we did! She had a friend with whom she set me
up for a date, several dates that first year, who had a baby blue Mustang
convertible. I remember riding down Canal Street with the top down sitting
on the back of the seat with my host as Bob Dylan wailed out “Subterranean
Homesick Blues.” I didn't know what the lyrics meant then, but the music
was incredible and it was one of the most euphoric feelings I had ever
felt. The second year, my senior year, was a much different experience. My
boyfriend happened to be a sponsor of ADK, Barry Shipp. What a dangerous
thing to do for us to both be on that trip essentially unsupervised.
Fortunately good upbringing prevailed and we managed to behave ourselves,
just barely. That too was an incredible experience and one that as an
adult would not let my child, if I had one, do. It is ironic that we as
teenagers were so convinced how adult we were.
I am happy I had all of these experiences and that some of you were right there with me. It was a
good time with excellent experiences and outstanding parents and teachers
doing their best to make us productive, self-sufficient adults. And they
succeeded for the most part!!! --Cathy Sakas CathyJoSakas@gmail.com
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My favorite club was the Drama Club. It was so great to create sets, costumes, makeup, lighting, and if you were chosen, you got to create a role on stage. Mrs. Anderson always found a way to bring out our best and had such patience! We would get to know people from other grades and backgrounds. Some of my favorite memories were made on that stage, both in front of and behind the curtains. --Sara Daw Day saraday1@gmail.com
Me too, Sara. Doing Ken Scott's makeup. All the laughter and just pure joy. --Kathe Holbrook Traynham KHolbrookTraynham
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I enjoyed Mr. Ray Donnell that I had my freshman year. I loved diagramming. He made it fun. I also enjoyed Billie Jean Chrisman. I had her for English. There were others that were good teachers: Mrs. Ben Hall McFarlin, Mrs. York, Mrs. Sams and Miss Sara Murray. We were fortunate to have good teachers at Central, and they were good to us, and they cared about us. --Brenda Todd Sledge brenda.sledge09@comcast.net
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Celebrating OurselvesAlthough every generation may regard itself as having encountered difficult challenges in its formative years, members of the Class of 1969 came of age during one of the more turbulent periods in the history of the United States.
Those in the generation, of course, have to acknowledge that their parents were members of the "greatest generation" that had to overcome not only the challenges of the Great Depression but also of World War II.
This heritage provided something of the turbulence that the Class of 1969 faced with a generational divide that had political, social, and personal consequences in an era of political and social revolution.
Movements for civil rights, women's rights, and gay rights flourished and brought demonstrations to the nation's streets as a war in Southeast Asia divided the nation and also brought demonstrations to college campuses. Whether the world even could survive became the focus of an environmental movement.
For some in the generation, the assassination of a president was the first introduction to national politics. Over the course of twenty years, five presidents held the office due to the assassination, opposition to the Vietnam War, a presidential resignation, and the ramifications of the Watergate scandal that resulted in the resignation.
These large events, however, only provided a context for the day-to-day lives of members of the Class of 1969 who as generations before and after have had to decide how they wanted to spend their lives and with whom, if anyone. They had choices about jobs, military service, education, family, and pastimes. They also had obstacles to confront and to overcome to set their goals and to reach their goals.
During the next few months, members of the Class of 1969 will have the opportunity to remember those formative years and the lessons they learned or perhaps needed to learn. They can remember the personalities, sites, and events that helped to shape their lives and contribute to them.
Each month between now and the 50th reunion, scheduled June 7-8, 2019, a question on the class email list will begin a discussion of all those remembrances. This website will provide a repository of those thoughts during the reunion year.
The intent is not a celebration of a school building on East Main Street or even an academic milestone, but rather a celebration of ourselves.
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