Greetings Maroon Devils,

       This month's newsletter is mostly about you and the correspondence I receive from those who write each month--with one exception-forwarded e-mails and the political arena.   I think it best for me to avoid writing about material from forwarded e-mails and the political arena as I receive many, many forwarded e-mails pertaining to such matters. I promised when I began writing and publishing the class newsletter I would protect the integrity of your e-mail addresses and your privacy by not forwarding unsolicited e-mails and I will continue to keep my promise. However, please do write and share with your classmates what is going on in your life. You know you enjoy reading about others so give them the opportunity to read about you. 

∫  ∫  ∫  Autumn Four Day/Three Night Getaway  ∫  ∫  ∫

     I have received your comments about the Four Day, Three Night Getaway I suggested we have this fall at the Crown Plaza Resort in Asheville.  While I received at least a dozen or more favorable comments for the getaway, the majority of you who replied to my query about the getaway, felt the timing was either not good-especially with the economic downturn we are experiencing in the U.S.-or it is too soon after our 50^th reunion to expect people who live in distant states to travel so far again. In addition, many of you suggested we continue to work on the regional gatherings and promote more interest in those gatherings.

     As a result of your comments I will not move forward with planning a getaway gathering in September this year. I have contacted the Crown Plaza Resort and informed them of our decision.      

∫  ∫  ∫   Regional Gatherings   ∫  ∫  ∫

     Speaking of regional gatherings, an e-mail I received on the 19^th of March from Sally McCanless and Allan White in Asheville will be of interest to those of you living in WNC.

     Sally and Allan announce a gathering for brunch at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant at 34 Tunnel Rd. for the LEHS Class of 1958. The brunch is planned for Wednesday, May 6, at 10:00 a.m. for any and all 58 classmates residing in Western N.C. Classmates Sally McCanless and Allan White are instrumental in putting this gathering together. These mini class gatherings have proven to be a lot of fun in other regions of the country so contact Sally or Allan today and tell them "Thank You, and you look forward to attending".    

     Please contact Sally at Sally's_alley@live.com or telephone her at (828) 277-1158, or call Allan White at (828) 350-9155 by April 18^th and tell them you plan to attend the gathering. They will need a head count.  Margaret and I plan to attend and look forward to seeing many of you. 

     Western North Carolina Classmates, and especially those of you who do live in Asheville, here is an opportunity and an excuse for you to gather again.  Contact Sally or Allan today and tell them to expect you. These classmates are making a conscientious effort to put together a gathering and you need to support them. They are stepping up to the plate, making the call and it sounds like a fun gathering.  They are to be complimented for their efforts. Thanks Sally and Allan for your Class spirit.    

     Also, those of you who are interested in attending a multi-class dinner on March 31 with the Classes of 57 and 56, the Class of 57 is inviting members from the Classes of 56 and 58 to join them for dinner at TGI Friday's in Biltmore on Tuesday, March 31 at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Cliff Mashburn at mashie@citcom.net. Cliff is the Class of 57 host and will need to obtain a head count. Margaret and I plan to attend this gathering also. 

     The gathering for Breakfast by members of the LEHS Classes of 57-61 on Valentine's Day, February 14^th, in Greenville was a tremendous success (22 attended). The group wants to continue to gather at least 4 times a year. Our next gathering, a back yard picnic, is planned for the first Saturday in June at the home of Jennie Lazenby Padgett and her husband, Al, in Spartanburg, SC.  Several members who wish to help plan and organize events for the group will meet for lunch in either late April or early May and plan the event.   

     A back yard Bar-B-Cue is planned at the home of Sidney and Vera Mitchell for autumn when the weather cools.  We will have our final gathering of the year in early December and celebrate the winter Holidays with a Holiday Dinner/Party at a local restaurant.

     We are having a great time at these gatherings and I hope some of you, like Sally McCanless, Allan White, Shirley McDonald and The Fab Four in Texas, will take the initiative to plan an event in your region of the country.  Pick a date, pick a place, pick an event such as a breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a holiday picnic and say, "We are gathering, come join us"!  If you wait for some else to do it, it will not happen.  If you want to know which classmates to contact in your region of the country contact Rex and I'll give you their names and contact information.    

∫  ∫  ∫  LEHS Class of 56 Website  ∫  ∫  ∫

     Speaking of the Class of 56, Dave Roberts, my contemporary with the Class of 56 and brother to Brian Roberts, Class of 58 affiliate, sent an e-mail informing me that big Jim Mills (56), whom many of you will remember as a gifted football and basketball player, has put together a very nice Class of 1956 website that includes some of their reunion photos as well as those classmates who are deceased.

     For your added LEHS reading pleasure you can go on line and view the Class of 56  website at http://www.geocities.com/palm2741/leeedwards.html.  Great job Jim! Now I will have to improve the looks of the Class of 58 site.  After two years of reading the same pages over and over, our site is a little stale I'm thinking.

∫  ∫  ∫   Notes from Classmates  ∫  ∫  ∫

.           Many thanks for the donations, phone calls and cards from those classmates who do not have personal computers and who are receiving the Class of 58 news letter by parcel post. We mail over 50 newsletters to classmates each month in addition to the 225 who receive the notice by e-mail. The numbers include LEHS Alumni from other classes who want to be included in our mailings. The classmates who have adopted you and send you the monthly newsletter do appreciate hearing from you.  It makes all their efforts worthwhile.  We would like to hear from more of you, not necessarily with donations, but a "Thank You" card of appreciation certainly goes a long way as these folks are dong a great service for the Class of 58.

     Following is another note from Sally McCanless expressing her appreciation to those classmates who attended the funeral services for her aunt, Mrs. Elizabeth McCanless, who was also the school secretary at David Millard Jr. High when we attended there between 1952/55. Mrs. McCanless left David Millard to join Coach Herb Coleman as his secretary when Coach Coleman left David Millard to take an executive position with Sales Biltmore Bleachers.

      Although they came largely for the main McCanless family, personally, I would like to thank Carl, Phil and Bette (Dermid) Owen, Melvin and Barbara (Marsh) Morton,and Bill Gardner for attending my aunt's service. Their caring is appreciated. Also, I would like to thank Carolyn Bennett McHaffey, Allan White, and Margaret Ridenhour (60), for expressing their sympathy.

Sally

     I was very touched to receive the following e-mail from classmate, Joann Smith Werhan who is currently undergoing treatments for cancer. She writes...

Good Morning Rex,

     I just felt the need to tell you I have watched the video of the reunion so many times its like the first time I've seen it. Every time I watch it, I know I missed a good time-seeing old friends and good conversations. I must also tell you with warmth in my heart I have come along way in my treatments (God has blessed me). I feel like a spring chicken. I do hope you'r doing good.  

     My son called and said he found a box of articles Charlie had in the news papers when he was writing. I told him to please look and find anything that he had printed for Lee Edwards so when he visits me again he will bring them to me.

     Again, hope things are well with you and thanks for all the news letters. You are a prince. Take care,      Joann Smith Werhan

(Editor Note: Joann is the sister to Charlie Smith [56], sports writer for the Asheville Citizen Times in the late 50s and Chaz, as he was affectionately known, became very involved in the political arena of North Carolina politics.  Chaz lost his life in a plane crash in October of 1980 while campaigning for the governor of NC).

     I also received a nice e-mail from classmate Larry Ingle who lives in Venice, Florida. Larry says,

     We are staying very busy down here.  We have had colder winter than normal.  Has gotten down in the 30's a few nights.  It does get up to 70 or above almost every day in the winter which is the good news.  We are in the low 70's today and looking at the high 70's next week.  This is our busy season with all of the snowbirds and tourist here from all over the world.  Lots of social time with dinner parties, plays, dinners, gatherings at our neighborhood club.

     We have our roadster car club and we take a minimum of one trip per month.  Donna and I and some friends are taking a trip to Europe in May and will be gone for almost a month.  We will visit Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey.  We do a lot of traveling here in FLA. We have season tickets to Disney.  We visit our daughter, son-in-law and grandson in Clearwater as often as possible.  We are trying to do everything we can while we can.  We missed Ron Rice's Christmas Party.  I previously told Ron we would come but Donna got sick and we had to stay home.  We were going to stay with Ronnie & Ann Henderson in one of Ron's guest houses.

     Your trip to Myrtle Beach sounded like fun.  Hope you and Margaret had a good time.  Hope the weather was not to cool.  It has been around ten or eleven years since we have been to Myrtle Beach.  Always had a great time there.  Use to get up there on business as well, traveling with my Territory Manager who covered the area.  We live about two miles from the Gulf so we are on or around the beach all the time.  Last night we had gone out to dinner with some friends and went to the beach to watch the sunset, never get tired of it.  Hope I have not bored you to death but wanted bring you up to date and thank you for continuing to do a great job for all of the Class of 58 Maroon Devils.

     Speaking of our trip to Myrtle Beach Larry, it was cool and windy. Too windy in fact to walk on the beach or sit and watch a sunrise outside. We could see the sunrise from our hotel window however as we stayed in an ocean front room.  We roamed the outlet stores in the strip shopping centers and prowled through antique shops looking for something unique that would say, "Take me, Take Me".  I did buy a good set of golf clubs, relatively inexpensive, in an antique store complete with high torque graphite shafts on both the irons and woods. 

       A highlight of our trip included going up to Calabash and enjoying the delicious seafood they serve up there. We had lunch at Calabash with my first cousin, Barbara Pack Holcombe (61) and life long Beaverdam friend, Syvone Eason Goodman (60).  

     While in Myrtle Beach we see did Dolly Parton's, Dixie Stampede, and enjoyed that show.  However, I did not particularly enjoy eating a full course dinner with my fingers. They do not serve silverware. I came home sick with an attack of bronchitis (from all the wind I'm sure) and for the next week Margaret was a very good care-giver. A strong antibiotic finally knocked the bronchitis from my system.

     Following are exerts from a neat e-mail I received from Classmate Charles Schnall.  Charles says,

Hi:

            First let me thank you all for the mailings regarding the Class of '58 and the reunion which I know, had to be the best.

          As for me I am doing great-and my memories of Lee Edwards HS and my time in Asheville are some of the most special treasures of my life. If someone ever asks about me from school, I sure would not mind you giving them my e-mail address.  

          I again, thank you so much for keeping me in the loop.  I wish I could have been at the reunion but that was not possible.  I send my best thoughts to all my fellow classmates.

Charles

     Classmate and Reunion Steering Committee member, Becky Denton Lawrence, is celebrating her ??th birthday on March 18^th. We all wish you a happy birthday Becky.  Becky also has a new e-mail address. It is beckylawrence@att.net

∫  ∫  ∫   More Classmate News   ∫  ∫  ∫

     Classmate Don Printz and his wife, Debbie, were recently in Greenville for a three day conference.  While they were visiting Greenville, classmate Morgan Pritchard, his wife Jerri, and I had the pleasure of sharing dinner with Don and Debbie.  Margaret was in Coco Beach, Florida, visiting a terminally ill former sister-in-law and was unable to join us.  Don and Debbie live in Stone Mountain, Georgia, but retain a residence in Asheville which they visit frequently. We had a great evening visiting with Don and Debbie.

            Speaking of Morgan Pritchard, he and Jerri celebrated their 49^th wedding anniversary March 17^th, St. Patrick's Day. At a small dinner gathering with Sidney and Vera Mitchell along with Jo Anne Dalton Vaughn and Margaret and me, Morgan told us he chose St. Patrick's Day to get married so he would not ever forget his anniversary date.  Actually, we had reason to celebrate two wedding anniversaries. Margaret and I will be married 5 years on the 20^th of March. Ain't young love grand?  Morgan also reports he has sold the turquoise and white 55 Chevy he brought to the reunion school tour. Someone made him an offer he could not refuse he says.  

     Margaret and I are planning a road trip the week of May 17^th.  We plan to spend a night in Montgomery, Alabama, and have dinner with classmate, Sarita Kricken DeRamus. We will then travel to Mobile, Alabama, and spend three days with friends there but plan to visit with classmates Dot Miller Stevens and Sandy Jones Lee as well. We are then off to the Dallas, Texas area to visit with friends there but a side trip to break bread with Betty Ann Ray Richardson, Mary Carolyn Hawkins Pfalzgraf, Mary K. Ricker Thompson and Lynette Kelly Ames, plus any other classmates who live in the area, will be a highlight of our visit to Texas.

     As we leave Dallas, our journey will take us east to Interstate 30 as we head for home. If time permits, gathering with classmates Shirley McDonald Hedrick, Joel Zibelin, and David Edwards in Knoxville for a meal would be nice. It would be good to see David as he was not able to attend our 50^th reunion.     

     Speaking of Brian Roberts earlier, I received a letter from Brian the week of March 16^th.  Brian is interested in obtaining a Class of 58 annual as he transferred to Florida after the 10^th grade and did not graduate with the Class of 58. If anyone has extra annuals they wish to donate to Brian, Shirley McDonald Hedrick or Babs Burleson Hubbeling (Shirley and Babs' annuals were lost-one in moving and the other in a house fire) they would greatly appreciate obtaining the year book.  If push comes to shove, I can always copy an annual, bind it and send it to them. I sent Brian some photos of the reunion, and one classmate in particular he remembers Martha Ann Fuller Hale. Martha Ann, do you remember having Brian as an eight grade sweetheart?  Brian also sent a check to offset mailing expenses for mailing the newsletter and to sponsor the Class of 58 website.  Thanks for your donation Brian.  Brian's name will be added to the website sponsor's page.

     Today, March 19^th, I received a pleasant phone call for Classmate Babs Burleson Hubberling who lives on Seabrook Island, South Carolina., south of Charleston.  Margaret and I have vacationed on Seabrook and it is one of the most beautiful residential islands in the Lowlands.  Babs was both full of good cheer and enthusiasm as she told me she has talked on the phone with classmates Madelyn Eve Clow in South Port, NC, Janet Carter in Cherryville, NC., and Patsy Farmer Jones in Hendersonville, NC. She is thrilled the 50^th Class reunion and all of the ongoing communication and information about the Class of 58 has not only brought so many of us together, but is keeping us connected. Babs and I attended school together for 12 years and I always chose her as my square dance partner in the 4^th grade because she was so pretty. We plan to get together with she and Stewart later this summer when Margaret and I travel to the Low Country for some R. & R. 

     Babs also brought me up to date on the continuing saga of Gus Donnelly and his infamous 32 Chevrolet Coupe Street Rod. She told me a new story about the car. Babs related about a trip Gus, his intended wife, Barbara; Babs and her intended husband, Stewart; took in Gus' little Chevy Coupe.  The four of them were returning home from out of town when it began to rain very heavily and all four of them had to pile and squeeze into the front seat.  Low and behold as the clouds burst and the ensuing flood of rain descended on them the vacuum powered windshield wipers stopped working. Emergency measures were quickly taken as Babs and Barbara worked the wind shield wipers individually by hand from inside the car.  Mile after endless mile they worked the levers back and forth from inside the car until their fingers were numb and their hands ached and cramped. Only those of you who have ridden in an antique model car will know about windshield wiper levers and wipers with vacuum pumps. It was good to hear from Babs.

     I have tried to Call Francis Arnette at home to see how his surgery went but I have been unable to reach him. I also called the Veteran's hospital in Asheville to see if he was still admitted but getting information from the Veteran's hospital is next to impossible.  I will keep trying to reach him and give a report on his progress in April.  Many of you asked about him.

∫  ∫  ∫   Lets Talk Sports  ∫  ∫  ∫

     In particular, let's talk NCAA basketball. Who are you pulling for in the NCAA tournament? Do you feel your favorite team has a prayer's chance of winning or, how far in the tournament do you feel your favorite team will advance?  I can truly say, here in the Upstate, we have Ken Cooper, Sidney and Vera Mitchell, Morgan and Jerri Pritchard. Jo Anne Dalton Vaughn, and Margaret and me, all pulling for the Tarheels. (Go Heels!!!)  Don Printz is a Duke fan and expects the Blue Devils to do well.

     Who could ever forget the 1957 NCAA tournament when the Tarheels played Kansas and Wilt Chamberlin for the National Championship? Three overtimes it took for the Heels to win. What a game!

      I also remember 1975 with 20 seconds left in the final game of the regular season with Duke, the Tarheels were 8 points behind. The Tarheels had to foul and Duke missed all their free throws attempts and the Tarheels converted all their field goal attempts. As thje final seconds ticked away and the Tarheels down by one point, Charlottean Charlie Scott hit a long jump shot at the buzzer that won the game for Carolina. That was a memorable ending to a great game.  And who could forget Michael Jordan's wining jump shot at the buzzer in 1982!  There have been some great Tarheel moments.

     Here in South Carolina I'm surrounded by Clemson fans and a few die-hard SC Gamecock fans as well as a few Furman loyalists. However, there is one thing for sure, if anyone ever questions you about the state of North Carolina, you can always say, "Well, they play some pretty good basketball there". 

     To  be truthful, I think the tournament will be won by one of 6 teams. The Tar Heels, Oklahoma, Memphis, Louisville, Pittsburg or Connecticut have great teams and should do well in the tournament. Who are the sleepers? Duke and Syracuse are always a threat. I know I'll be glued to the TV for the next few weeks.

     (Editor Note: Friday's games are all played and my brackets look like this-14 wins and 2 loses! Clemson and Illinois let me down. I should have known better about Clemson. They have chocked in crucial games all season.  But I had hopes for the local team.

∫  ∫  ∫   Website Information  ∫  ∫  ∫

     To limit the number of bytes I am using on the Class of 58 website which will enable for me to keep the cost of the site at a reasonable charge, I have taken the liberty of removing all of the archive Class of 58 newsletters from 2006 and 2007. However, the newsletters are not gone forever. I have them preserved in a holding file on the website. In addition, I am going to copy and publish all of the newsletters up through 2008 in a bound book much like I did the Bio books.  The published hard copies of the newsletters will be available in May for $15.00 including postage. Proceeds from the sale of the newsletter book will be deposited into the LEHS bank account which now has a balance of $668.49.  Please make your checks payable to "LEHS Reunion Account".  You will notice we now have 9,481 hits on the website.  Thanks for opening the website and for reading the monthly newsletter.

     We continue to have many classmates who are in declining health or have health concerns. The list is long. As well, many classmates are care givers to spouses who are in ill health and we need to remember all those classmates in our prayers.  Pray for our country, the government, the economy, for our men and women who are in harm's way in the military, for the many blessings we receive in our lives that we take for granted, and for the forgiveness of our sins.

       Let me close this month's newsletter with a final basketball score.  Heels 101, Radford 58. So far, so good!!!

Cheers and Blessings,   

Rex