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01/08/05 - NNHS Newsletter -
Happy Elvis' Birthday!
Elvis Aaron
Presley
(8 Jan 1935 - 16 Aug 1977) |
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Dear
Friends and Schoolmates,
A very special Happy Birthday
today to
Mrs. Wilma
Salmon Robinson of VA!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/Happy-Birthday.html
And today,
of course, would have been Elvis' 70th Birthday. These may interest you:
http://www.elvis.com
- the official site
http://www.ibiblio.org/elvis/elvishom.html
- the unofficial site
http://www.history-of-rock.com/elvis_presley.htm
http://www.elvispresleynews.com
From Fred Mays ('60) of VA
- 01/07/05:
Carol:
I am just now getting to read some of the newsletters that I have been too
busy to read....
Wow, Fred Field ('45) (of CA) sent some interesting
nostalgia....He spoke about
Mr. Wilson's
Barber Shop on Buxton Ave.....also Elizabeth Tedder
Nunnally's
('65/'68) letter....
I
grew up at 137 Sycamore Avenue, the next block from Elizabeth. I did not know
Mr. Wilson had ever had children.....I thought he was a
bachelor...
nevertheless, I
remember he operated the barber shop and there was a partition down the middle
of the small building and Mrs. Philbeck had a beauty
shop on the other side.
This shop was two doors over from Manning's Grocery....a house being in
between which was owned by a very nice Greek family...they had a little girl
named Zoe Ann.
Mr. Wilson lived with his parents (I thought) and their home was next door to
the shop. I knew old Mr. and Mrs. Wilson well as I
worked at 76 Buxton Avenue
at
Manning's Grocery Store from 1958-1960. Lowell Philbeck ('59) had
worked there and I got his job when he left.
Those two years at Manning's
were great years. I
got to know the neighborhood so well as I delivered groceries all over and
also I clerked and stocked
as well. As time progressed, Mr. Philbeck died and
later, Mrs. Philbeck married Mr. Wilson.....down came the partition...I think
it just became her shop...
a beauty shop as he had retired by this time....I was never fortunate enough to go to a barber shop until I worked at Manning's Grocery Store and
made
my OWN money....I was 16 then..my father cut my hair with HAND
CLIPPERS...oh, they really pulled...and I suffered....bad memories there...I started
going to Mr. Britt's
Barber Shop.....He was SO GOOD. I felt like I had died and gone to
heaven
It was such a pleasure to get a haircut with Mr. Britt.
Other N.N.H.S. students
who worked at the store before/during/after I worked there are: Billy Gwynn,
I think class
of '57....Shirley Mueller ('60)....
of course Lowell Philbeck ('59)....Linda
Waterfield ('66).....Mrs. Manning's nephew Beanie or Weanie Scott
also worked there...I
think his real name
was Wade and was in the class of 1966...I cannot remember which was which, father and son, Beanie and Weanie...One was the
brother of Mrs. Manning.
Oh, Tommy Scott ('61), another nephew of Mrs.
Manning, worked there....EVERYONE who ever worked there was so
special....great people.
Mrs.
Manning's niece, Joanne Scott (Fowler) ('58) helped out at times,
I recall....back to the Wilson's...The older Wilson's had another son who was
married
and lived on the corner of Cedar Avenue and 19th Street, exactly one block over from
the grocery store. His daughter was Emma Lou Wilson ('59). She
was
really nice, I recall.....
On another note, the mention of the huge stone in the
Shipyard saying, "We Shall Build Good
Ships....at a Profit If We Can, At A Loss, If We Must; But
Always Good Ships." was, as mentioned, removed from the Shipyard
when Tenneco bought the company....it was sent to the
Mariners' Museum......
It
came back some years later and is available for anyone to see on 41st Street,
next to the DOROTHY, the Tugboat build by N.N. Shipbuilding as their first
ship. This is all across the street from the main office building, which is
on Washington Avenue.
Things are so different since Northrop Grumman
purchased the Shipyard....When
Tenneco owned us, we were still N.N. Shipbuilding, a Tenneco Company.....the
name stayed on the huge Cranes....Now,
Newport News is completely gone...over
100 years as Newport News Shipbuilding....now, it is Northrop Grumman.
They own us, we do not own them. Of
course, this is true. I have been working
here almost 40 continuous years...It will be so August 23, 2005.....
.......Yesterday, I was visiting at
Riverside Rehab (old Mary
Immaculate/Buxton Hospital) and I drove around the neighborhood...Sooo
changed. The
Workman home,
which was next door to us has been torn down.....It was not old.....only build
in about 1953 or 1954.....Jimmy Workman ('61) and Robert
Workman
('57) lived there. The house was later owned by the late Josh Foyles,
who taught Science at N.N.H.S. I really like the Foyles' as they treated
me
as an adult.....Possibly some had Mr. Foyles who read this email. I have a
way to contact his daughter as she works for ESI, here in the
Shipyard.....
this is Anna Marie Foyles.
This is all for now....Take care Carol...you are the greatest......
Fred Thanks so
much, Fred! You're such a fountain of information; I always enjoy
speaking with you and receiving your notes. I suppose
I'll need to make a page for Manning's Grocery Store and that Beauty
Shop! For now, I posted your shipyard notes:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/old-stomping.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/railway-shipyard.html
From Fred Field ('45) of
CA: - 01/07/05:
Hello Carol, Fri. Jan.
7, 05
As I have said before, most
anything might get me started.
Today it was an article in the
Daily Press website (www.dailypress.com).
By Stephanie Heinatz
(in part)
"LANGLEY
AIR FORCE BASE -- Langley Air Force Base is finally receiving its first F/A-22
Raptor after more than two decades, battles over soaring costs and several
setbacks because of testing delays and avionics problems.
"One of the Air Force's newest fighter jets is scheduled to fly into the base
around 3:45 p.m. today. The plane, one of the first built, will be used to train
maintenance
crews, a base spokesman said. Today will be the last time it flies.
"In two weeks or so, another Raptor will arrive. This plane will be the first
one used in flight by local pilots ….."
That article triggered a couple
of memories from the 1930s - when the Base was known as Langley Field, an
Army
Air Corps facility.
1939
- A Sunday newspaper article stated that the very first model of the new Boeing
B-17 Flying Fortress
would be on display at Langley Field for one day only. By
noon my family had decided that it was easier just
to go see it than to listen
to my pleading. So we piled into the Chevy and off we went. The B-17 was
parked
next to the runway and it had two rope rings around it - one inside the
other. The visitors all stood just
beyond the outer rope. A uniformed soldier
gave a speech which included vital facts, some of which were
surely stretched.
For example, he said it could carry a full load of bombs to Europe, drop them,
and then fly
all the way back to the U.S. In addition, the crew included a
complement of gunners, said to be able to counter
any attack from enemy
planes. And finally, in a more reverent voice, he revealed that installed in
this very
plane was the secret Norden Bomb Sight. With this
amazing device the B-17 could drop a bomb into a pickle
barrel from 10,000 feet!
Then came the big
treat that made the visit really worthwhile. The soldier said that children
under 12 could
come inside the outer rope and take a closer look. We were
allowed to walk under the plane, and touch the
huge tires. But we were warned
not to go inside the smaller rope circle - which kept us away from the plane's
nose. I had to ask the soldier why we couldn't go inside the smaller circle.
He came over and whispered
into my ear, "Because that's the part of the plane
where the Norden Bomb Sight is." I kept that important
secret all through the
war, which is probably part of the reason why we won.
Ca. 1935
- A Sunday open house was held at Langley Field. Several types of planes were
displayed beside the
runway. I dragged my family over to the smallest one.
This was the standard Army Air Corps Pursuit Plane
(the term
"fighter" was not yet in use). This plane was the type used to try to shoot
King Kong off the top of the
Empire State Building. It was an open cockpit
biplane with two machine guns mounted to shoot forward. I was
a lucky kid that
day. I had worn my cap with the goggles. We boys called them "aviator
helmets;" the grownups
called them "Lucky Lindy" hats. The host soldier spied
me with the goggles and asked my parents for permission
to put me in the
cockpit. Of course they agreed - boys have run away from home for less than
that. I was lifted
up and dropped into the cockpit. To my surprise, there was
nothing to sit on. I could see perfectly well out of the windscreen, but I had
to be standing up to do so. I vocalized my puzzlement. The soldier explained
to the crowd
that in the plane was a bucket seat. It was down low because the
pilot would wear a parachute - and would
actually sit on that. The combination
put him up high enough to see. As the soldier reached to take me out, I
shouted
"wait" and began to shift the goggles over my eyes. Then I leaned forward and
made an authentic
machine gun noise. There was some mild applause from the
crowd as I shot down the evil enemy. The soldier
smiled and managed to conceal
his impatience.
So how come I ended up in the
Navy?
Fred
Well, I don't know, Fred. Sometimes
these things just happen! GIGGLES!
I certainly am getting a kick
out of the time travel! Thanks so much for sharing these stories with us
all, Fred!
From Bill Black ('66) of
GA - 01/07/05:
I just read the tag line to Sherry Mitchum
Baker's Last Will and Testament.
"..and last, but not least, I leave to be with
Bill."
Sherry, bay-bee... Did I miss hooking up with you
back in '65? My apologies. I was distracted. I remember that was
the summer Bill Raper, Bobby Parrish and I spent many long hot
days perfecting the button-hook pass on that field next
to the grey warehouses at 50th and Virginia Avenue, so we could play football
our senior year.
Both of us showed up for the first day of practice,
showed our stuff, and after running plays with the rest of the team,
Coach Duff posted a list of who he wanted to see at the second day's
practice. I'll always respect his tactfulness and
honesty. After he shouted: "Here's the list of who we want to see tomorrow,"
and taped it to the locker room door,
he said, and I'll always remember his way of gentle way of nurturing a young
prospect.. he said "BLACK! What the HELL
are you even LOOKING at that piece of paper for?"
So, Sherry... Is lunch good? Where do I meet you?
And be sure to bring Jackie Lyerly along so you can both meet my wife.
I'd add something here but I'm
laughing too hard. Thanks, Bill! You are a HOOT!
From Joe Madagan ('57) of
FL - 01/07/05:
Hi, Carol:
Please give my thanks to Kelly Lee Loose
Bustamante ('58) of TX for identifying Jimmy Lee Raynor and
his mother,
Rosalie Raynor. I had forgotten that Jimmy was a gifted artist, and that
his mother wore a coin changer on here belt
almost all the time. The names sure slipped from my memory, and it is nice to
connect the names with memories that are
a bit foggy.
Somehow I knew a TYPHOON would come through with the names
of folks in our past!
TYPHOON Regards,
Joe
Isn't it fun when someone can supply instant
answers to old questions that way? Thanks, Adonis - and Kelly!
From Ron Miller ('59) of
NC - 01/07/05:
Carol -- I think
Joe Madagan's ('57 of FL)
questions about the newspaperboy on a skateboard may have been answered
correctly
by Kelly Loose Bustamante (’58) of
TX. Her comments brought back some
memories. Jimmy ("Tex") Raynor
did indeed get
a newsstand of his own in front of the shipyard main gate, and it was his
grandmother who had to use a skateboard. Jimmy did use one
fairly frequently, but didn't have to.
Jimmy and I were fairly good friends. He was quite the artist, and tried
several entertainment gigs. He put on some shows for the kiddies
on Saturday mornings at the Warwick Theater, before the western serials.
That's when he adopted the nickname "Tex". I went to 3 or 4
of them to lend him some moral support. He was quite good.
I worked with Jimmy for a while at Dow Badische in the 70's -- he was a
warehouse shift foreman for them -- maybe the warehouse
manager at the time. Haven't seen or heard of him since I left the area in
1979.
Anybody know his whereabouts? (I did a people
search on Yahoo, and found several J and James Raynors in the Peninsula area).
Thanks. Ron
Thanks for the
confirmation, Ron. Does anyone out there know where to find Jimmy?
From Joe Madagan ('57) of
FL to Kathy Pilgrim Clark ('63) of VA - 01/07/05:
Hi, Kathleen:
Since you described this (Epiphany) scene so well in
your recent message to
Carol, take a look at a photo, and notice the ice
in the James River. As you said in your message, the practice has been
discontinued in Newport News. It is sure celebrated
at Tarpon Springs, Florida each year. Of course, it is much warmer.
Always, Adonis
Thanks, Adonis!
BRRRRRR!!!
From Craig Miller ('63) of
Fl - 01/07/05:
Carol,
I loved the
story about the birds in the snow.
With respect
to your concern about letting religious thoughts "sneak-in" to the newsletter,
I agree with you that "we are who we are".
I hope my old classmates will still love me even though I was "converted" in
1982! Since then, I have become a forgiving, loving person,
who never, ever condemns anyone, regardless of their faith or lifestyle.
(We're all sinners.) When you've been forgiven as much as I have,
you can't point fingers at anyone! You don't have to agree with me
for me to love you.
Obviously, I
enjoy the Biblical references and stories about how my classmate's lives may
have been touched by God.
I enjoy all
the other stories, and memories, too. You shouldn't try to be 100% secular or
100% religious. Just be yourself, I think you've found
a very nice balance. For those who haven't surrendered their heart to the
Messiah, they can tune-out the religious stuff like I used to do.
However, there
might be that one day, when, like me (the dirtiest, nastiest, devil-dog in
South Florida) that someone might "see" the
immeasurable love and forgiveness of God's Son and be supernaturally crushed
by this love to repentance and faith in Christ.
You never know
when God will knock on the door of someone's heart. You and I cannot convert
anyone, but if we're faithful about sharing
the truth of God's Love, the Holy Spirit will do the supernatural work of
conversion, if He can find an open heart!
Thanks, Craig! I do think it's
interesting how very many of us have found other paths from the faiths in which
we were raised.
One day when I'm bored (HA-HA!! HA-HA-HA!!!), I think I'll call for
a survey just to check the percentage on that. I have good reason
to believe it is quite high. It could probably be developed into a major
study of some kind. Thanks again, Craig!
From Joe Madagan ('57) of
FL - 01/07/05:
Hi, Carol:
Fred Field ('45) of CA sure gave us an
insight as to the history of the ferry slip located at
the foot of Manteo Avenue
in Hampton. He mentioned that it was relocated to the Small Boat
Harbor in Newport News.
To refresh your memory, this is the ferry slip that was
used to transport cars and people to Norfolk before the Hampton Roads
Bridge Tunnel was constructed. I made mention of this location in reference to
the basketball teams of the mid '50s traveling
to Norfolk for games.
Always, Adonis
What a great
image! Thanks for sharing it with us, Joe!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/ferry.html
From Frances Goodson Wang
('65) of MD - 01/07/05:
Hi All,
Had a lovely talk
with Carol today and she encouraged me to post the following.
My father has the
ability to do water witching. He knew that there was a strong river under
Newport News, along
with weaker tributaries. I was surprised to learn that others actually knew
about this. Daddy helped many people
locate water to drill their wells. Most, as was ours, were used for gardens.
Our well's water was ice cold but tasted of iron.
I share his ability
but to a much lesser degree. When my branch will twist to the water, the
force dramatically changed
when he would put his hands on mine, the branch would literally tear the skin
from one's hands to turn. Interesting.
My Auntie, Anna
Coffee, worked for many years in Nachman's. She
was in clothing. The last I recall visiting her she was
selling hats. I have many fond memories of going into that store. I helped
my mother pick out her china there, bought a
lovely white bathing suit there in '65 and almost won a contest as a model for
Nachman's after being selected as a finalist
for my writing. A lovely cheerleader won. That is where I picked my first
perfume scent...a serious matter for a young lady.
I often went with my mom for treats in the tea room, also. All in all, many
happy memories related to Nachman's.
I enjoy reading the recollections of others.
Frances
Thanks, Frances!
It was great fun on the phone; thanks for calling! I posted your note, and
I'll be working on that nice batch
of pictures you sent me as quickly as I'm able!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/nachmans.html
From Judy Phillips Allen
('66) of VA - 01/08/05:
Carol,
Amen to your
comments! You are the boss! Your way is OK by me. Most are
interested in most letters
you include. I love it! We can't all be expected to be interested or agree
with everything we read, so we just
have to do like shopping for groceries. Leave the sweets on the shelf or take
them home and ENJOY!
God Bless!
Judy
GIGGLES! Thanks, Judy! I
appreciate that!
Y'all have
a good weekend - and take care
of each other! TYPHOON FOREVER!
Love to all, Carol
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NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com
PERSONAL WEB SITE:
http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/cluckmeat
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Love Me Tender
Words by Vera
Matson
(Elvis Presley,
1956)
Love me tender,
Love me sweet,
Never let me go.
You have made my life complete,
And I love you so.
Love me tender,
Love me true,
All my dreams fulfilled.
For my darlin’ I love you,
And I always will.
Love me tender,
Love me long,
Take me to your heart.
For it’s there that I belong,
And we’ll never part.
Love me tender,
Love me dear,
Tell me you are mine.
I’ll be yours through all the years,
Till the end of time.
(When at last my dreams come true
Darling this I know
Happiness will follow you
Everywhere you go).
"Love Me
Tender" midi courtesy of
http://www.menziesera.com/singalong/love_me_tender.htm
at the suggestion of Dave Spriggs
('64) of VA - 01/07/05
Thanks, Dave!
"Love Me Tender" lyrics courtesy of
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/elvis-presley/49149.html
- 01/07/05
First Elvis
Image courtesy of
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/elvis.htm - 01/07/05
Second Elvis Image courtesy of
http://www.buy-images.com/3c-Elvis-Presley.html - 08/06/04
- I think....
Musical Bar clip art courtesy of
http://clipart-darktreasures.com/Clip_Art/ClipArtMusicSheetMusic.htm
- 02/05/04
A Special
Thanks to Tom Norris (HHS - '73) for reminding me that today is Elvis' 70th
Birthday! Thanks, Babe!
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