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Greetings Maroon Devils,
Where did autumn go? Just last month I was writing about autumn sneaking in the back door ever so quietly
and now―whether we are ready for it or not―the cold nights and mornings of winter have opened the front door with
a bang to let us know it is time to turn on the heat, plug in the electric blanket and pull out the winter cloths. Here in
the Upstate of South Carolina, we experienced record setting lows (32 degrees) overnight on the 18th of October—and
the leaves are only now beginning to change color. Many of the high mountains in Western North Carolina had 2” of snow the same night. Wheeee! Who says we have global worming! The
lazy and hot dog days of summer certainly passed us by this year but thank goodness the drought has ended here in the Upstate
and the majority of lakes are again at full pond.
Yeah, Yeah, I know! Classmates John Price who lives in Connecticut, and Frankie and June Feemster
Rymer and Dick Higgins who live in Utah, certainly have cold winter weather bragging rights. But classmates, I remember going
swimming in the old swimming hole at Mills River in Asheville during mid-October back in the early 1960s while on a bow hunting trip for deer. Yeah!!!
Of course I had been in an old floorless tent with a skunk half the night and when he finally decided to let go I hit the
river head first, cloths and all, did not matter how cold it was--or was not. That’s a true story!
We are fortunate and indeed blessed to live in a country where the majority of us experience a change of seasons. Even
you transplant Floridians get to feel a chill in the air along with the rest of us on occasion.
Lets see, what have we been up to these days? Margaret and I did spend five days in Charleston the week of October 11th—Tuesday through Saturday. Yes, it did rain—heavily in fact—two
of the five days we were there. However, we took some good books to read and enjoyed the down time reading and resting. We
also enjoy the carriage rides which tour downtown Charleston and we waked the residential
areas of the “Battery” and “South of Broad” where old homes pre-dating the Revolutionary
War are still occupied—and many in pristine condition.
Of course when one travels to downtown Charleston for a visit, sampling a variety of delicious low-country seafood is mandatory.
We ate at world famous, Younts, and sat at a table previously sat at by NC governor, the honorable Mike Easley. Plus,
UNC and NBA basketball great, Jerry Stackhouse once sat at the same table as both men’s names are inscribed on
a brass decal attached to the top of the table. Actually every table (over 100 tables I’m sure) in the eating establishment
has some celebrity’s name inscribed thereon. I asked our server if Ron Rice’s name was there and she was not sure
but said it probably was. I requested my name be inscribed on our table and our server asked if I was a celebrity. I replied,
with a name like Rex Redmon how could I not be a celebrity? At that point she did not know what to believe. I told
her she could make a decision after she saw the tip I left. I’ll check the table in the Spring when we return for a
visit. We also ate at the Noisy Oyster, The Crab House and AW Shucks. All good eating houses for sure.
Before traveling to Charleston, I called Classmate
Babs Burleson Hubberling who lives out on Seabrook Island south of Charleston with her husband Stewart. We were hoping to get together with Babs
and Stewart for dinner but our schedules could not be arranged to coincide. Babs sends greetings and her best wishes to all
her LEHS classmates. Like the majority of us, she is trying to get adjusted to new medications for various aches and pains.
Speaking of Classmates in Florida! Let
me again remind everyone of the standing invitation from Classmate Ron Rice, founder and former owner of Hawaiian Tropics
Suntan Lotion. Ron is very generously inviting the Class of 58 Maroon Devils to both his annual Halloween
Costume party and his annual Christmas party at his home in Ormond Beach, Florida.
The Halloween Costume party is Friday evening,
October 30th @ the 6:00 p.m. hour. The Christmas party is Thursday evening, December
17th, also @ the 6:00 p.m. hour. The Christmas party requires
one to dress more appropriately; Morgan—no Jeans! Reservations are requested through Ron’s
assistance, Lara, at 386-672-7577. You must RSVP to get in the door.
Ron, again we thank you for including your
classmates in your holiday festivities.
And more from our Florida Classmates. Ronny and Anne Moore Henderson sent the following e-mail after arriving home to St Petersburg after a summer of motor coach traveling and seeing some of our beautiful country.
Dear Rex,
Just wanted to let you know that we arrived home safely. We really enjoyed the gathering at the Province Restaurant
in Asheville. It was great to see
so many of our classmates, and spouses, at the gathering. We were able to spend the evening talking with so many of
our classmates that we didn't get to visit with at the reunion. We want to thank Sally and Allan for planning and hosting
the gathering.
Glad to hear that Jeff is continuing to improve. We will
continue to pray for Jeff, and you and Margaret.
We left Asheville on September 12 and went to Lawrenceville, GA to visit my sister and her husband for a few days.
(Marilyn Moore Jennings, class of 60). From there we went by Ormond Beach to visit with Ron Rice and then we worked our way down to St. Petersburg. It was great to see our daughter and her family. The grandchildren
had grown a lot in four months.
Thanks so much for the wonderful newsletter that
keeps us all up to date with everything that is happening. We really look forward to getting it each month. Anne and Ronny
Sandy
Setzer Rau who lives in Crlsbad, CA sends her love and appreciation via the following e-mail.
Wow Rex - what a long and newsy newsletter--soooooo
glad Margaret's son, Jeff, is doing so very well. I'm jealous
of all the wonderful gatherings all of you are having. Makes me wish I was on the "right" coast. :-)
We close escrow on our new home tomorrow, then
all the work begins...... in process of selling the old one........ crazy time. :-) Blessings to you and yours, Sandy :-)
Sandy was referring to the Maroon Devil mini-gatherings
that take place in various cities around the country.
Nancy Drum Clark sends the following e-mail with reference to a mini-gathering in the Chapel Hill-Raleigh-Durham
area of NC. That’s Tar Heel, Wolf Pack and Blue Devil country for you sports enthuiasists.
Rex, Do appreciate all your
news each month. Sorry, that I have not gotten back to you about getting everyone in our area together. Have had
a lot on our plate. My 46 years old daughter moved in with us the first of August. She lost her husband at 46
3 years ago and has not been well herself. She has two large masses that are being addressed this week. I
am having surgery Tuesday for a badly torn rotator cuff. Dread it soooo much, but living in constant pain is not fun
either. So I hope you understand that I just can't plan ahead at this point. If you would rather get someone else
that would be really okay with me. So sorry about Margaret's son and hope that he continues to improve. Does Robert
Redford come to Ron Rice's Christmas party??? Ha. Hmmm. One good blessing is that we finally sold the house
in Asheville. Gave it away but we are glad not to have two houses. God bless. Love
to you both. Nancy
An Upstate South Carolina mini-gathering of Maroon Devils from the LEHS Classes of 57-62 is planned for Tuesday
evening, November 10th at the
City Range Restaurant in Greenville, SC. Other
LEHS alumni outside the Upstate who wish to attend the mini-gathering must RSVP to Rex Redmon at Redhrex13@aol.com or 864-284-6360 no later than Saturday,
October 24th. We will gather at 6:00 p.m.
for a social hour and refreshments and have dinner at 7:00 p.m. Join
us if you can.
Classmates
Allan White and Sally McCanless inform The Maroon and Black Threads a Holiday dinner gathering is planned for the WNC Class of 58 Alumni at O’Charley’s
Restaurant on Tunnel Road in Asheville
for Thursday, December 3th at 6:00
p.m. Mark your
calendars now for this very special event. Everyone attending the dinner is expected to bring a universal gift (suitable for
male or female) valued at no more than $10.00. You may RSVP to Sally at Sallys_alley@live.com or call Allan at 828-350-9155.
Another e-mail from Sally with regard to a gathering of the Class of 58 Women of WNC says the following:
Rex The Birthday Girls (the name is not absolute yet)
will meet on Friday, Oct. 30th, 12:00 noon at the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore. Because of so many conflicts of time, travel, and holidays, "the girls"
do not plan to meet again until the end of January. The many WNC '58 sisters in our class are invited and will be greatly
missed if not present. Linda Tandy will be temporarily unavailable, so, please RSVP to Sally at sallys_alley@live.com, or telephone 828-277-1158.
Charlie Waddell, Class of 57 and brother
to Bill Waddell, Class of 59 sends
the following e-mail. You may recall in a previous newsletter I wrote Charlie recently connected with the Class of 57 to inform
them he is not deceased as previously listed. Since his reconnection to the Class of 57 and Maroon Devils from other classes
as well, Charlie has been an avid reader of Maroon
and Black Threads.
Hi Rex, I just wanted to take this moment to say hello and to tell you that the newsletter that you just sent was really great
and very informative as always. You do a job beyond belief and I can't quit telling you how much I appreciate it.I kept reading your last entry over and over, the
one that you had the quote of the poet, Javan. You can insert wording into your newletter that never fails to get one
thinking about we indeed have at this point in our life. You are a MASTER.
Rex, I did notice one thing about the Class of 57 website. It is the reason that I had written you when we first started
our exchanging mail. If you remember, I had a problem getting to Glenda's site. You are leaving out two letters.
(hs). The correct website is: leeedwardshsclassof57.com I just wanted to bring this to your attention so that other classmates
may be successful in locating it without the problem that I had.
I hope and pray that our sick classmates of all years are blessed by God and get a blessing of better health in the near future. Brother Bill and Mary Dot celebrated their 50th wedding day together on Sept. 4th. Isn't that great?
He has been having some heart problems lately, along with some black outs, time to time. He has some good doctors on
his side and is doing a lot better. A matter of the proper medication solved a lot of it. He is already back at
Eblems doing his thing. He just can't resist beating the bushes and helping the needy. God bless him for what
he does.
Things here in Daytona are like a ghost
town. 1 out of 2 houses are empty, for sale or in foreclosure. Business places of all types are failing at an
alarming rate. Motels and Hotels are either closed or filled to about 25-30 percent. I don't know what Americans
are going to do. The things have gotten so out of hand and so massive that I do not think that anyone can turn it around.
Not in our lifetime anyway.I'm gone till later........Have a great day Rex.
Charlie’s younger brother, Bill, is not going to let big brother have the last word. Bill wrote the following e-mail after attending
the Class of 59 reunion on September 18th and 19th. Rex, I just finished
reading the Maroon and Black Threads. As good as you were in sports, you are even more gifted for writing
and putting together the website newsletter! I loved your closing poem, so true. I was at the '59 reunion. As usual it was
so good! The best part as always is seeing all our good friends from our past. Just a few minutes after talking to these loved
ones, you go right back to our school days. The wrinkles and years of ageing are all gone. You only see the people as they
were as teenagers. I continue to be involved with the Eblen Charities here in Asheville. What a blessing it is. We were featured on the front page of the New York Times two weeks ago . The story
was about fighting poverty here in Asheville area. We started the charity seventeen years ago by raising
400 dollars in a yard sell and gave it to a lady that had MS. That was exactly what her bill was. This past year we were
blessed with raising over five million dollars and assisted over 125,000 families here in Asheville. We go everyday to schools like Claxton, Vance, Asheville High , Hall Fletcher etc. etc. All of the
schools we all attended. We provide meals, snacks, medications, clothes, eye glasses, insurance, actually anything
that will make life a little easier for them. We put on all kind of fund-raisers, such as golf tourneys, charity walks , auctions
etc. Thanks to our good friends in Asheville, such as Grove Park Inn, our friend from class of 57, Hezzy Miller, who has been
with us for years, Roy Williams from UNC and Roberson High School, Brad Johnson from Owen High School and Fla. State and Tampa
Bay Super Bowl Champs. Brad Daughtery from Owen and UNC and now NASCAR . Have a good day Rex. Keep up the good work and Shalom to you!!! Bill Waddell class of 1959.
Don Printz is very loyal and is keeping me up-to-date with the progress of his wife, Debbie,
as Debbie begins radiation and chemo treatments for colon cancer. Two e-mails from Don follow.
1. Please continue praying. We are
planning to see the surgeon tomorrow and a week later to work on the ostomy and then get the staples out. Then in mid to late
October radiation/chemo starts. By the way, we lost both our power and telephone late
Sunday, about 10 hours after Debby returned from the hospital. This is the most rain I've ever seen in one week. I have a
gauge in the back yard. From early Tuesday September 14 through Monday, September 21 (exactly one week) we got 19 inches
of rain. 2. (October 18) Dear Rex: Another answer
from the Lord: After just five sessions with radiation/chemo, Debbie’s pain has stopped completely. (The radiologist
said this is usually weeks before this happens.) The nausea from the chemo is not too bad if she takes the anti-nausea medication
and, most important, she now has more strength then at any time in the past month. We are now on chemo/radiation
week #2; she has to take a total of 5 weeks of therapy. Don
The following
e-mail message is very uplifting and comes straight from the man himself—Mickey Hoyle. Rejoice with me as you read his message.
Rex: I want to thank you and the class
of 58 for all your support and prayers these past months. My last trip to Houston, TX., the first of Oct., was a successful one. The chemo has continued
to reduce the tumors in my liver to the point that my doctors have scheduled surgery on Nov. 4. They told
me initially that my best case scenario was to have surgery. My support system has been great and I want
to personally thank you and all my friends and classmates from Lee Edwards for all your love and support. I
will be in the hospital at MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Texas 77030. for approximately two weeks beginning Nov. 4th. Again, let
me thank you and all the members of the class of 58 for your support. Mickey Hoyle
Friends,
God hears prayers of intersession, and in His own way, answers them. Let’s give prayers of Thanksgiving for both Debbie
Printz and Mickey Hoyle for the miracle of treatment through medicine—but continue praying for healing for our friends. Classmate Jo Anne Dalton Vaughn had knee replacement surgery
on September 15th in Greenville, SC and is recovering very well. Jo Anne is walking without assistance and
she wishes to thank all her Maroon Devil classmates for their prayers, the many cards she received and for the phone calls—Oh,
I’m supposed to mention the visits and food also. Jo Anne is overjoyed for the renewal of friendships
with her classmates and sends her love to each of you for caring.
A Classmate from Grace Elementary,
David Millard and LEHS schools, Roslyn Cooley Lewis sent the following e-mail. Rex, Allen and I send good
wishes to all of you. We are off tomorrow to visit friends in Colorado
for about 10 days. They are promising snow this weekend, and since we are not big fans of hot weather and refuse
to "grow up" when it comes to snow---we are very excited!!! Take care. Roz
Classmate Mary Carolyn Hawkins Pfalzgraf and one of the Fab Four out in the Dallas area sent the next e-mail. Rex and Margaret, Sounds like you are both doing well from the newsletter. Margaret, I’m so
glad your son is improving! We just returned from Gene’s 50th LEHS reunion which as you
mentioned was September 18th and 19th. We had a great time. The weather was typical “Waterville” with rain from the 17th when we arrived until the 20th
when we left. There were two events: a picnic on Friday at the Firemen’s Camp and a dinner/dance Saturday evening at
the new Asheville Arts Center/old Pack Library. The picnic started with no rain and the deck looking out at the French Broad was full of people. Then about eating time, the rain returned sending
us inside the building. There was no program—just a lot of visiting. Then Saturday night, the Asheville Arts Center was such an interesting site. The event was held in the reception area—set
up with large round tables, a heavy hors d’oeuvre’s buffet, drink bar, and ice cream bar. There was no program
again, but there was a champagne toast along with Auld Lang Syne. As I said, we enjoyed being there and seeing people we had
not seen since high school. FYI….we caught a glimpse of Mickey Hoyle, but he did not stay long so we did not get to
wish him well. One of the observances during the Asheville
trip was the downtown night activity—so many people out and about, music through doorways all over the place. Quite
a change from the old days when the streets rolled up at 10 P.M. I don’t want to get into comparing the two reunions because they
were just different. I am just grateful for the peripheral things that resulted from the ’58 reunion—the renewed
friendships, the rediscovered people who were not “friends” long ago but have become friends now, the enthusiasm
generated so far ahead of time, the extended connections through the newsletters and website, and for you, Rex, continuing
to keep us connected—no easy task! The Fab Four has not gotten together since last winter. We have all had issues involving
work and health, but it is time to get together again since time has resolved some of these issues. I just emailed them today
about lunch—hoping to hear back from them soon. Hope you and Margaret will get some traveling in and maybe even have a return visit
from you two! Take care, Mary
I frequently talk with
classmates who live here in the Upstate and the majority are doing well. Jennie Lazenby Padgett is again going at
full speed after suffering some down time from a blood clot in her leg that moved to her lungs. She tells
me sometimes she over does things and has to take a couple of days to rest. Sidney Mitchell continues to
work with his commercial construction company where he says business is improving as he has new jobs starting in Texas and Chicago and is putting some people back to work so he is constantly on the go. He and Vera
just returned from vacationing at Litchfielsd Resort in Virginia. Yes, he got rained on too. Morgan Pritchard and Ken Cooper are still playing golf as frequently as they
can and Ken still works part time at “The Reserve” Golf Resort. Morgan sold the 55 Chevy he had on display in
front of the school at the class reunion. B.L Coleman is still on the road traveling hither and yon in
his mobile home. (He does have a permnant residence in Mauldin,
SC) B.L. goes south in the winter and returnd
in the spring. He will be attending the November 10th dinner here in the Upstate however. Margaret’s
son, Jeff, is doing very well and is recovering quite nicely from the stroke. He returned to work part time two weeks ago
and has been released from out-patient therapy. We greatly appreciate all your prayers and best wishes. He has made a miraculous
recovery considering his condition immediately following the stroke. Margaret’s older son, Eddie, who lives in Sarasota Florida, is a marathoner and we are expecting him to be with
us this coming weekend. He is running a marathon Saturday, the 24th from the Jonas
Ridge area of the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Morganton, NC down the mountain 26 miles to Morganton.
Oh, to be at least 40 years old again. I drove to Charlotte Saturday, the 10th
of October to visit with my two children, and grandchildren, while Margaret and three of her lady friends
were out doing their thing in nearby Waynesville. They take an annual trip to a street festival held in Waynesville each year.
I had a great visit with my extended family whom I had not seen since Easter. As I conclude this month’s newsletter
I want to thank each of you for your comments and support of the newsletter. Your comments make all my work worthwhile.
Cheers, Peace and Shalom
Rex Redmon
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