Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Two Cool Cats


Fred Williams and Warner Dean Hancock (Class of '57). I believe that's a Tootsie Pop that Fred is holding. Do they still make Tootsie Pops?

Monday, January 30, 2006

At the Hop

Claudia Moss New and Noah New, caught on film about a hundredth of a second before breaking into a hot jittberbug move.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

First Methodist Church
















Some of you will remember this building better than others. It was very familiar place to me when I was growing up.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Is This Ann Pendleton?


What do you think?

Back to the '50s









From the left: Robert and Mary (Clark) Mortimer, Claudia (Moss) and Noah New, Dolly (Pinson) and Ron Huffstutler. [Click on photo to enlarge it.]

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Mary Clark -- Second Grade


I can't recall whether they took our school pictures before or after we left W. M. White school for the First Methodist Church Sunday School building. Mary seems pretty happy, no matter where she was at the time.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Girls in Hats

What I want to know is where Mary and Gladys got those hats. And I can see those jerseys in my mind's eye right now. I'm willing to bet they were maroon and white. Am I right? And where did they come from?

That's Ann Pendleton behind Claudia, and Melinda Mansell is sitting on the ground off to the right, holding a baton. I have no idea what she was doing with the baton. Maybe a twirling exhibition.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Down Mexico Way


Judy Crider, Bill Crider, Francelle Crider, Jimmy Fulwiler, about 1965.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Thursday, January 19, 2006

May 1959

Neither of these people was in our class, but I like the picture. The guy with the really cool cap is Warner Dean Hancock (Class of '57), and he's dancing with Martha Wilson (Class of '62).

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Another One from Cameron Park


That's Lance in front, of course, with that great old double-lens reflex camera. (So, Lance, where are the photos you took?) Mike's behind her. Then we have Ina, someone I can't quite make out, Dolly, and Jimmy Fulwiler.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

May 1959


Another one from Cameron Park. From left to right: Bill Crider, Claudia Moss, Mary Clark, Mike Leary, Ann Pendleton (who's apparently in the Twilight Zone), and Margaret Stubbs. As you can plainly see, that's Gladys Fisher behind Ann. This one was in the annual, but Mike (who was the editor) cut me out of it. I don't know who that is on the far left with only 1/4 of his head showing. This one enlarges nicely if you click on it.

Monday, January 16, 2006

30th Reunion, July 1989


Bill Crider, Claudia Moss New, John Marion Black. I have no idea what we're looking at. Bob Tyus is behing me, and I think that's Barbara Guest between Claudia and John's shoulders. But I'm not sure.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

30th Reunion, July 1989

Left to right: Mike Leary, Bill Crider, Bobby Gene Tyus.

Friday, January 13, 2006

May 12, 1992









This shot was taken in the living room of 401 S. McKinney Street in Mexia. Standing in front is Lauren Bettinger, Francelle's daughter. From left to right: Mike Leary, Fred Williams, Bill Crider, Margaret Stubbs, Francelle Crider, Melinda Mansell.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Cops


I don't know how old this patch is, but it reminded me of Boss MacKenzie and Chief Parten. Anybody ever get stopped by the police in Mexia? The only time I remember getting stopped was for running a stop sign. I can't remember who stopped me. When I pointed out there wasn't a stop sign to run, he thought I was being smart with him. Then I asked him to take a look, and, sure enough, there wasn't stop sign. There was one there within a week, though.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Ann and Claudia, May 1959

Another one from the Cameron Park band trip. Ann is typically camera-shy.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Melinda Mansell

Like the picture below, this one was taken at the lake. Melinda Mansell (Class of '61) has just caught a ball. I don't know who threw it, and I don't know who that is on the right, either.

Monday, January 09, 2006

At the Lake

It's May 1959, and Margaret Stubbs (Class of '60) is hiding behind a tree while holding an RC Cola. I don't know why she's hiding. Maybe because she didn't want me to take her picture.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Happy Birthday, Elvis!


















Today is Elvis Presley's birthday.
It would be impossible to overestimate the importance of Elvis Presley to people of our generation, I think. One of my fond memories of MHS is of the time John Marion Black slipped into Gilbert Smith's office and played Elvis' Christmas Album over the speaker system during lunch. From the reaction of the teachers (I'm thinking of Mrs. Burleson), you would have thought that obscenities were being broadcast. Everybody else loved it, though. Those were great days.

Mrs. Burleson probably hasn't paid any attention to the current popular rap "songs," but I have to wonder what she'd think if she heard some of those lyrics.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Another Bible School Photo

I can identify some of these people. Not all, though. That's Peggy Flowers standing in the back, behind Richard Perkins. Is that Joe Owens to her left? The head between Richard's head and the (Leslie?) Owens head belongs to Mrs. Dollar. You can see Genie Schuh's face to the left of them, and I think the one barely visible behind her is Mrs. Mary Hintz. Mrs. Measles is next, and Suzanne Hayter is on the end of the back row. Faye Euganks is in front of her. Is that Jane Edwards in front of Faye? Lynn Hammer is in the middle, with Bobby Wasson to his left and I'm on Bobby's left, looking pained. I'm not at all sure about the other two guys. One of them looks like a slightly chubby Fred Williams, and the other one is no one I can put a name to. You can click to enlarge the picture and see what you think.

Update: Genie Schuh (Class of '57) has checked in to say that looks like Cecil Stephens standing on the left. I think she's right.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

From Santa to Scout

After all the dam pictures below, I thought I'd change pace a little with one more Christmas picture. This yellowed newspaper clipping is a shot of (from left to right) Fred Williams, Molly Walker, Maurice Easterling, and Fred Brown. I'm sure most of you remember these people.

The occasion was a pile of Christmas toys to be delivered to the kids at the State School. Remember going to the theater for a morning of cartoons and paying for your admission with a toy? That's where the pile came from.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

The Drought Breaks



These pictures were taken when the drought ended in the middle '50s. Two are of the water pouring over the dam, and the third is the river below the dam, between the dam and the old bridge.


The Dam at Fort Parker Lake


























Here we have three views of the dam at Fort Parker Lake. Most of you probably remember that when the "drought broke" in the 1950s and the run-off filled the Navasota, practically everybody in town went out to see the water flowing over the dam.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

I'm either a little late with this, or very early. It's Santa, who's sitting in the Sears store in Mexia with Ginny Pat Schuh (Genie's sister) on his lap. Santa is Fred Williams of the class of '57.

Monday, January 02, 2006

#1 Song

For the first week of January 1959, "The Chipmunk Song" was #1. But for the rest of the month, an oldie written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harback in 1935 was in the top spot. Can you guess what it was, or will you have to listen to the clip? Click for the answer.
this is an audio post - click to play