MAROON & BLACK THREADS

Written and Published Online by Rex Redmon from Greenville, SC

W/contributing notes and responses from Class of 58 Alumni & others

Greetings LEHS Class of 58 Alumni…

Ahhh, spring in the southland is softly knocking on the front door seeking the opportunity to tiptoe forth with warmth and fresh new color. I’m sure come Friday the 21^st,  the first day of spring, the drabness and cold of winter will finally slip away under the backyard fence from whence it came and we shall look forward to summer with great anticipation as we begin the six month count-down to reunion time in September. (For those who have not caught on yet, our 50^th Class reunion is September 19^th and 20^th--this year).   

I do hope all is well with everyone. I am aware of those classmates who do have on- going health concerns and we remember each of you in our daily prayers.  Others with new health concerns, and who are contemplating treatment methods for those concerns are included in our prayers as well.  

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Steering Committee Meeting

The 50^th LEHS LEreunion Steering Committee monthly meeting was held at Kelsey’s Restaurant in Hendersonville on Tuesday evening, March 18^th at 6:00 PM with the following committee members in attendance; Ken Cooper, Jo Anne Dalton Vaughn, Becky Denton Lawrence, Suzanne Jacobs Gershen, Elaine McPherson Cole, Patsy Farmer Jones, Jo Ann Chandley Elliott, Morgan Pritchard, Don Printz and spouse Debbie, Pippa Clark Dolen our guest detective from the Class of 59, and my wife, Margaret and I. B.L. Coleman, Jennie Lazenby Padgett, and Anne Beckham Ewald were on holiday and Sidney Mitchell and Bob Sevier had business commitments. Also, we were all happy to have classmate, Tom Hatcher, from Marion, Virginia, drive down to join us for the meeting. Tom sent the following e-mail Wednesday morning after sitting through the meeting Tuesday evening.

Rex, I appreciate having the opportunity to attend and participate in the meeting of the Steering Committee.  Mostly, I appreciate seeing my former classmates after an absence of many years.
 
One of my concerns going into that meeting was that it appeared the Friday function was going to be structured with little time for interpersonal communication.  I found that this concern was not valid as you and the other members of the committee put that to rest quickly.
 
Another concern is that I as well as many other classmates due to rebellion, illness etc. did not have a senior picture taken.  My question is how will that impact the ID Badges being prepared?
 
I was very much impressed with the work ethic of the Committee Members and with the amount of thought that has gone into preparations for the reunion.
 
Hopefully, the problem with the email can be straightened out.  My address is all lower case and is as follows:
 
                      tahatcher42@hotmail.com
 
I look forward to receiving a listing of those without PC's to whom I can mail copies of the Newsletter.
 
Please list my email address.  tah

We certainly thank Tom for his kind words and to answer one of Tom’s questions about the senior class photo; we are simply dropping back to the junior class or sophomore class photos and we will use one of those photos.  Perhaps too, several classmates might have to supply us with photos of their high school years if none are available in any of the annuals. Tom and I were also experiencing e-mail difficulties. He was not receiving e-mails from me when I sent mailings to all classmates. We have now resolved the problem.

Sub-Committee reports were first on the agenda at the meeting. Patsy Farmer Jones and her Registration Committee are beginning to make classmate name tags.  Spousal or “significant other” name tags will be processed after we receive registration forms in July. (More to follow about the registration forms). Each classmate will have a name tag with his/her photo and name on it. The names will be typed as large as the tag allows.  Spousal and guest nametags will be a different color with only the name printed on it.

Jo Ann Chandley Elliott and Elaine McPherson Cole next reported the decorations committee was busy gathering material for table decorations. They were reluctant to tell us exactly what they were planning this early in the game, but if their decorations were anything to compare with the decorations at the rally we held in Asheville last April, we need not worry.  

Fortunately, we are holding our reunion events in venues with fine décor and there will be little needed in the way of wall decorations, if any.  They assure us the tables will look wonderful.  Let’s see, as I recall, the present Asheville High School colors are Maroon and Black also. Now isn’t that a coincidence? Stephens Lee colors were maroon and black as well.  How many of you knew Stephen Lee was a white educator and was instrumental in starting the Stephen’s Lee School?

Don Printz reported the food committee was finalizing the selection of food so not to overlap the same food, especially vegetables, both Friday and Saturday evening.  The menus will vary for each event and promises to be top notch choices. The box lunches that will be eaten at the school Saturday after the school tour and catered by “Chef Moe” of Asheville, will offer two choices; either roast beef or turkey served on homemade Focaccia Bread, a Garbanzi salad and a large “Naked Oreo Cookie” with a variety of beverages from which to select.  We do know at this time, the school lunch will be $12.00 per person; $10.00 for the lunch and a $2.00 donation per person for the school which they expect.  Suzanne Jacobs Gershen is committee chairperson for the school tour and will report on that event as we get closer to reunion time.     

Ken Cooper next reported both he and I have talked to two different DJs who we are considering for the Saturday evening event. Yet, recommendations for a DJ are not  forthcoming at this time.  We plan to interview other DJs.

Pippa Clark Dolen next reported that we have finally located every living Class of 58 alumni.  Bob Cunningham is living in Charlotte and we thought him to be in Maryland.  Charlie Beaman is in San Pedro, California, instead of Texas.  Betty Jo Conner Swayngim is in Asheville and we are pinpointing her exact location at this time. Betty Lou Rice Evans is in Spencer<, NC, instead of Cornelius, NC.  Even though they were classmates at one time., Frank Sentelle and Donald Lee Russell asked to be removed from our records as they graduated from other high schools and feel their allegiance is with those schools.  We will comply with their wishes. Thanks Pippa, for a job well done.

Next I reported on the programs for the reunion events. Very briefly let me tell you about Friday evening the 19^th, at the County Club of Asheville. (A full report for Saturday’s event will follow in a later newsletter after all plans are finalized).  Other than some brief announcements and a welcome from our Senior Class president, Sidney Mitchell, Friday evening is exclusively a time for socializing and reuniting. (We will have drinks and food of course). A reunion is about a gathering of a group of people with a common bond who have been separated for a period of time.  Friday evening will be a time for all of us to “catch up”.

I next proposed to the steering committee that we take advantage of the class website and offer registration forms for the reunion on-line. We will of course mail the registration forms to all those classmates who do not have PCs.  The money we can save from postage and the time we can save by not having to print and mail all the registration forms is well worth the on-line effort. Phone calls to all those classmates who have not responded by the deal line of July 1^st will be in order.  The registration forms will also include a place for your family information and your personal Bios. The forms will be up and running on the website sometime in May.

Ken Cooper gave us an excellent break down on the expected costs of the reunion events Friday and Saturday evening.  The numbers continue to come down as we receive donations from many classmates. We expect to announce the final reunion events costs in the May newsletter because donations continue to arrive daily. We do feel we will be able to include some former teachers as guests and also help particular classmates with financial difficulties to attend at least one reunion event.  We will not consider a hospitality suite at the Renaissance as someone asked, as the cost is $400.00 a day. That money can be put to better use.      

As soon as I get a camera ready ad for the web site we will offer LEHS memorabilia for sale on the website. The material will be available direct from the supplier and the class will not benefit financially from the sale of those materials, and neither will the keepers of the web benefit.  (More to come on that in a later newsletter). There will not be any sale of memorabilia at the reunion events.  We want everyone to enjoy the reunion and not have to work during the events.

Our next meeting is scheduled at Kelsey’s Restaurant in Hendersonville on April 22 at 6:00 PM. All classmates are invited to drop by, have some light refreshments and dinner, and sit-in on the meeting if you so desire. Please let us know you intentions ahead of time so we can give the restaurant a head count. The food at Kelsey’s is wonderful and reasonable.  

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Notes, E-mails & Phone Calls from Classmates

It is always good to hear from Classmates scattered across the USA. Following are some of the messages received during the past thirty days from many classmates who sent donations.  

Jennie Lazenby Padgett received a nice letter from Gwenda Palmer Pace who lives with her son in Florida.  Gwenda has some health concerns and is not sure whether she will be able to attend our reunion festivities until closer to the scheduled event. Her school spirit abounds however and she sends her best wishes to everyone.

Bill Morgan who lives in PA dropped us a nice note to say, “Yo Rex, “Things (for the reunion) really seem to be coming together and I know how very much work “you all” are putting in. Thanks so much for that.  Regards, Bill.  (Isn’t it interesting you can take the boy out of the south but cannot take the south out of the boy “you all”.

Bette Wilson McClain who lives in Charlotte writes, “Rex, I LOVED this issue of the newsletter and am sending it to friends of mine who never lived in Asheville. I cannot wait to see everyone. (Bette is presently contemplating back surgery so let’s remember her in our prayers too. We also discovered we are distant cousins.)

Babs Burleson Hubbeling, who lives at Seabrook on John’s Island, SC, one of my favorite vacation spots, sent some recent photos of she and her husband, Stewart, along with a very nice letter and a donation in the memory of her cousin, Mickey Ammons. Also included with her letter was her personal bio for the past fifty years.  Babs says, It was indeed a pleasure to talk with you last fall about the 50^th reunion. You and the committee members have indeed done much work planning for an enjoyable weekend.  She loves living on Seabrook Island and she has lived an interesting life, full of both joy and sadness. Her bio will appear in the reunion directory along with everyone else’s bios.  

    Mary Carolyn Hawkins Pfalzgraf of Texas sent along a nice letter too.  Rex, I am always so grateful to hear about all the info you send from all over, and the warmth with which you do it!  The pictures are priceless and the news keeps us up-to-date on what is happening there—Gene reads the Asheville paper online almost everyday, but I don’t, so I love hearing about it all.  Thank you for linking us together!

Next week,(Week of 2/23)  Lynette Kelly, Betty Ann Ray, Mary K. Ricker, and I are meeting again for lunch in Grapevine, TX.  We are now trying to get together every month since last Oct.—I think we missed one month.  We email and call—amazing connection!  We would not have been able to form this connection without you!  (Mary’s husband is Gene Pfalzgraph, Class of 59) This kind of letter warms my heart and makes my job all worth while.

Jane Jenkins Merrill sent Ken and I a note that says, Just want to say thank you for the newsletter and all the work you have done. I know it takes a lot of time, but I really enjoyed reading the newsletter and finding out where our classmates are living. Jane asked for a copy of the class directory with which we obliged her.

Lewis Goforth, our old Riverboat Captain who is now land locked in McMinville, TN, sent a note. Lewis says, I look forward to seeing everyone this fall.  Is Mrs. McNeil, our 10^th grade Biology teacher still around?  I missed talking to her 25 years ago.  I owe her a lot.  (Mrs. McNeil is still living and if we have teachers as guests, she and Mr. McNeil who taught Algebra will be invited.)  

A nice card from Billie Rogers Stapleton says, The Best Things in the World aren’t Things, they’re People like You. Thank You with All of My Heart. Billie adds, Rex, I really appreciate all your efforts toward making our 50^th reunion the best that it can be! Looking forward to seeing you and all our classmates in September.  

One day the phone rings and on the line a female voice says, Is this Rex Redmon? This is Becky Atkinson. I cannot write every word of the conversation we had during the next 30 minutes, but our conversation was simply great.  She informed me she was going to attend the reunion as a single lady and is challenging all single ladies to attend as well.  She does not want to hear, “Well, I can’t attend without a husband/wife or escort”. So, everyone who has such thoughts, you are going to have to answer to Becky if you use that excuse not to attend the reunion.

I heard from Keith Nelon who is the retired postmaster in Old Fort, NC.  Keith appreciates all the hard work the Steering Committee is putting forth.  He sends his regards and looks forward to September 19 and 20.

Kent Lominac, who still lives in Asheville and retired 3 years ago after a life’s career with Harry’s Cadillac and Pontiac®, an automobile company I’M sure all of us remember, called to say hello and thank us for sending the newsletter to him. Kent informed me his wife, Inez, isn’t well. She suffers from some gastric issues and is presently hospitalized. Let’s also include her in our prayers. Kent brought me up to date about our infamous classmate Ron Rice. Kent told me Ron sold the very successful company he founded, Hawaiian Tropic Suntan Lotion®. Playtex® bought the company from Ron and resold it soon after. Kent told me Ron is thinking about sponsoring another beauty pageant. Ron has for years sponsored a Miss Hawaiian Tropic Beauty Pageant. Hmmm…wonder if he might need some help with that project?  

Ken Cooper received a note from classmate Linden Stewart who lives in San Francisco, CA. Linden tells us he is appreciative of us mailing the newsletter to him. He reads it with great enthusiasm, but is afraid he cannot attend our reunion events in September.  Stewart, we will miss seeing you.

Sandy Setzer Rau from Carlsbad, CA sent a note and wishes everyone well.  Sandy is in touch with Nancy Drum Clark and Shirley McDonald Hedrick regularly and is enjoying rediscovering all her former classmates. 

Mary “Mimi” Helen Patton Shutko sent an e-mail from Houston, Texas, requesting a directory change on the website. She also requested e-mail addresses and the whereabouts of classmates living in Texas. I gave her my list of the 10 female classmates who live in the big state of Texas. May Helen tells me she is definitely considering attending the reunion as her parents still live in Asheville, yet she has concerns about remembering everyone. I told her not to worry as we will all be wearing name tags with our senior class photos on them.

Steering Committee member, Elaine McPherson Cole, was New Orleans bound the last time I heard from her. Elaine’s company, “Stitch In Time,” was involved with a local builder in Asheville who did extensive renovation work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did her damage. Elaine, along with other invited guests from the Asheville area are involved in a publicity tour of the New Orleans area.  

Barbara Hall Morris from Smoaks, SC calls frequently to check on things.  She is presently making room reservations for the reunion events. She reminds me to tell classmates hello for her.    

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Classmates Respond with Donations

Your donation responses have been wonderful during the past thirty days. To all of you who have generously sent donations, we, The Class of 58 50^th Reunion Steering Committee, extends to you our utmost thanks. Your donations will go a long way to help pay the necessary expenses incurred while putting on your reunion and in addition, help reduce the costs of the events for each individual.  What started out as $100.00 weekend per person is now well below that mark and we will continue to adjust the costs until we post the registration forms in May.

Ken Cooper and I are crunching the numbers and every time we receive a check, we reduce the price of each event a little more. Therefore, by May 20th, when we hold our May Steering Committee meeting, we will tally the final cost of the reunion events and post the prices of each event on the website in the May Newsletter for all classmates to see. For those classmates who do not have PCs, they will read the information when the Newsletter is mailed to them by their adopted Steering Committee member. Therefore each of you will be able to download your reunion registration forms, fill them out, along with your personal bio, write your checks and send them to either Ken Cooper or myself.  Our addresses are listed at the end of the newsletter.

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Oldies and Nostalgic Websites

I frequently receive addresses to various websites from classmates that have interesting and nostalgic materials for viewing. Also, more than often, I receive more than I need.  Let me assure each of you, if I post a website to the newsletter and suggest it is interesting viewing or reading material, you have the liberty to trust me.  Following are several website addresses for your viewing pleasure. Open them, they are really neat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=663eUBEw6W0  Here are the original Diamonds.... Little Darlin and Many, many oldies....check it out as you stroll down memory lane

            http://www.main.nc.us/ashe/ncpost/asheville_postcards.htm.  Old Postcards of Asheville buildings and scenery.

            http://www.jeffpittmanart.com/pages/asheville_art-paintings.html  Asheville and WNC paintings.  ( A nice treat)

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Class of 56 News

            My contemporary with the class of 56, Dave Roberts, sends the following news about the Class of 56.

CLASS OF 1956 NEWS

Thanks to Ed Dalton for sending the news article below about their activities with the University of New Hampshire's Peace Corps program.  Note also that Ed has a UNH email address for this email but his yahoo email address is still a working address.
Regards,Dave

Hi Dave,

     It’s always good to hear from you and to receive your emails which keep our LEHS class connected.  Many of us are scattered throughout various parts of the U.S. or the world, and your emails bring us together again.  The class reunions are also great, although a lot seems to happen during those five year intervals.  The reunions seem to

go by quickly, and sometimes we don’t get a chance to talk all those friends.  I was also fortunate to attend the ’57 reunion last year with many friends in that class. 

      We are still here in New Hampshire, after returning from our Peace Corps assignment in Belize, Central America.  Last July and early August, we returned to visit our little village of Maskall, Belize.  We are still in contact with them, and finding ways to help continue with programs we began there.  This year, I was also fortunate to be selected as the University of New Hampshire Peace Corps representative, and am now assisting others to become Peace Corps Volunteers.  The website below has a recent article in the UNH newspaper which talks about it.  A journalism student stopped by my office one day, and wanted to do a brief story for her class project.  The newspaper chose to publish it.