Tim Whitt ('66) of VA and    Mike Leonard ('68) of VA are both celebrating their birthdays today.  Have a doubly-super day, Gentlemen!

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/Happy-Birthday.html

   And Tim - where is your sister,    Bridget (Whitt Jones - '65) ?!?  She and I were such good friends at Magruder, and I love her dearly and think of her often - and miss her!

Hi, Carol

I so much enjoy your web site. I have been busy the past month with the passing of my mother-in-law. She was 84, so I haven't had anything to contribute to the site for awhile.

   We're very sorry to learn of that, Tim.  Please accept our deepest condolences.

I came across something I wrote three years ago about my father, John Rogers. I think a lot of the group could relate to what was written so I'm requesting you post it to the web site on or about Fathers Day.

Thank You,
Tim Rogers

PREFACE

 First I found it difficult to separate any one member of my family, because we were a FAMILY.

I was born in 1947, preceded by Jerry and Ronnie in that order. WE were THE ROGERS of Greenbriar Avenue (not to be confused with the Rogers on Claremont Ave). Through out my life to this day (56years later) when I speak of Mom and Pop or my brothers it is done so with pride. I’m not quite sure how this pride came about but like so other things, far more of Mom and Pop rubbed off on my brothers and myself than we realized until we were much older. As life dictates my brothers’ and I have somewhat grown apart, busy with own lives but make no mistake “blood is thicker than water”.

POP

My first image of Pop as a child is him getting off the bus at the corner after a day in the shipyard, with the lunch box in hand that Mom had packed that mourning. Dressed in Khaki shirt and pants, rain or shine. I don’t recall ever hearing him say he didn’t want to go to work until a few years before he retired (40yrs in the yard). When he got home from work and before Mom would call us to supper he would spend a few minutes looking over the house and yard to see what needed to be done and maybe give us kids a job to do the next day if it was summer or Saturday if in winter.

Being a product of the Depression, the job came first with Pop. This may be a little hard to understand today and was way beyond my comprehension as a child but years later as an adult I understood, in his mind without a job he could not provide for his family.

I don’t remember my father telling me that he loved me or that he was proud of me, it was just understood and never doubted! You see back then there was no such thing as a man expressing his feelings; this was the days of John Wayne.

The order of authority was the President of the United States, POP and then GOD, as I didn’t have to answer to the former or the latter for some years to come Pop had the final say. That is not to say I always did what Pop said, it just meant I had to be willing to except the consequences! I recall Mom and Pop having maybe two arguments in my whole life and they lasted about five minutes at which time Pop would say “that’s enough, end of discussion” and that was THE END. This may sound a little totalitarian but removed all confusion.

A few words about Mom must be said at this point, mom was Pop’s lieutenant. She took care of the day-to-day running of the household and was the primary teacher, and disciplinarian, dealing out rewards and punishment to us kids as needed, but if she said, “we will have to tell your father” we knew we were in BIG trouble. The woman was an absolute saint and had a very large influence on us, even on Pop. I could write a book on how to be the perfect mother and it would be based on our mom!

I do not remember Pop having many friends when I was a child. He was working a great deal in the 50’s and early 60’s and took great pride in the ships he helped to build. I do remember going over somebody’s house after church on Sunday who lived in Hilton Village. The adults would talk and my brothers and I would watch Wild Kingdom on TV. We also would go on a drive now and then by the Shipyard and the C&O coal piers. Boy wouldn’t that be exciting to kids today! Also we would visit some neighbors who had moved by the name Novaks (not sure of the spelling).

I don’t want to give the impression Pop was some kind of dictator or something, he was not, but like his love, his authority was never in question

Around age 7 or so I went to help Pop do some work on someone’s house who was always referred to as Uncle John. This is where I was introduced to the flashlight and folding rule and had it explained to me they were tools and not toys! They were still neat to me. Somehow I never seemed to be able to hold the flashlight where Pop wanted it. I discovered this to be a common problem with kids of that age when my own kids came along.

1956 was a banner year for the Rogers, we went to South Carolina to visit relatives, also

The family, (Mom, Pop, Jerry and I) went fishing together near Jamestown that year; I don’t think Ronnie was with us as he was at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. That was the only time Pop and I went fishing together. 1979 I took Pop to see the movie, “Midway” I though he would like it as several of the ships involved in that battle he had helped to build. He enjoyed it but commented, “There was too much cursing”. This brings us to another subject, cursing. Cursing was not allowed and I think I was 16 before I heard Pop say anything besides an occasional damn. He was working on the lawnmower and having cut himself, called it a S.O.B.

Pop didn’t seem to have a lot of time for us kids, like going to Little League games with Ronnie or Jerry or anything that was interesting to me because he was always working, but he more than made up for it with the Grandkids when he retired. A quirk of Pop’s was to clean the floor furnace in the house we lived in as kids every Saturday mourning. I think this was done to get Jerry and me out of bed because he would clean it even in summer! 

There were things about Pop that you had to admire; he never did things halfway, they usually were done with over kill. Although he had only a ninth grade education he was a foreman for many years in the Electrical Dept. at the Shipyard, he struggled nights studying and smoking a lot completing Navy Basic Electronics and Nuclear Power school. When the school was over he put the cigarettes down and never touched them again. After he had been retired for sometime Mom became sick and was in a coma for weeks, Pop stayed by her side the whole time until her death. The strength and dedication he displayed couldn’t be match by any other man.

Pop wasn’t perfect; he didn’t care much about sports and didn’t have what most would consider a hobby. He did raise chickens and rabbits for a while. I think this was a carry over from the war when the meat was needed, so after the war I guess it was a hobby. Nothing went in disrepair so maybe that was a hobby also. He volunteered his time to the church and was voted Man of The Year by the local Rotary Club for his time and help given to others.

Pop died December 16, 1985, at his eulogy I cried like a child because it wasn’t until that moment that I realized a hero had died. That Hero was our Father!

Pop, we love you and miss you greatly!!

Tim

   Thank you.

D

 

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/old-stomping.html

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/OOSG-S-Z.html

          http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/veterans.html

   Thanks again, Sweetie!

   When my daddy worked at Kecoughtan, one of his associates was Dr. James F. Connor (who later served as one of Daddy's honorary pallbearers).  Dr. Connor's son, a fresh graduate of Hampton High School, was departing for college.  This was probably in the fall of 1956, though it could have been as late as 1958 (but I doubt it).  He had a record player and a large collection of 78's that he no longer wanted - Bing Crosby, Dick Haymes, The Mills Brothers, Dinah Shore, Perry Como, etc..  I was the elated recipient of the whole splendiferous collection, some of which I even still might have.  Possibly.  "Possibly maybe."

   Two records which I definitely do not have were probably my favorites.  They were of some woman whose name I cannot recall singing Irving Berlin songs - "Remember", "All Alone", "Always", and "What'll I Do?".  I quickly memorized them, down to and including her styling and phrasing.  She had a deep voice, which was quite uncommon for a female recording artist of this era.  It was low and seductive, not unlike Julie London's.  But it wasn't Julie, of course.  Nor was it Jo Stafford.

   The question is, "WHO WAS SHE?"

   I am 98.3% sure these were either on the RCA Victor label, or on the Decca label.  I will know her when I hear her.  Yes, there will be a prize.  And yes, I'll even pay up.

   Thanks!

   Thanks so much, Carrie!   I posted your remarks on the B&M page, and then made the cover page which    Bill Lee (Warwick HS - '54) of NC suggested:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/all-drive-ins.html

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/B-M-Drive-In.html

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/montys.html

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/W-S-Drive-In.html

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/green-acres.html

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/sidney-lusts.html

   Thank you again, Carrie!    It just gets more fun, doesn't it?

   You did, indeed, Captain, but I was reluctant to mention that yesterday as I was unsure of the exact relationships.  And I do vividly remember all the Monfalcones we saw as we were traipsing through Greenlawn Cemetery almost three years ago, searching (vainly) for    Mrs. Eunice Leyland's grave.

   Thank you, David!

   SO cool - I love trivia!  Thanks so much, Jane!

 

   What fabulous news - and what a treat for us all!!!  Thanks so much, Brown Eyes!

   Well, Joe, I'm so glad you agree with me!  Life is just way too short not to be filled with hugs and kisses and love and kind words!

   And that's another reason I keep urging y'all to attend as many reunions as possible!

   Thanks, Sweetie!

   Certainly, Roberta!  I'm glad that I actually remembered it!  It's just sooo embarrassing when I forget!

 

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/television.html

   Thank you, Dee!  Sometimes we forget!  So don't forget!  You DON'T want to miss this one!
 

REUNION REMINDERS:  

   Reunion information is ALWAYS posted very near the top on the front page, and on the Reunion Page section:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion-page.html

   Henceforth, it will be repeated here, lest you forget:
 

On Sunday, July 2, 2006, there will be a Sunday morning brunch, also at the Radisson, for the cost of $20.

If you attend both events, the combined cost will be $75.

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion-class-of-1966.html
 

The 60th Birthday Celebration
for Members of the NNHS Class of 1964
will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2006, 7:00 - 11:00 PM at Spirit Events, 12672 Patrick Henry Drive,
Newport News, VA 23602.

CONTACT Dave Spriggs at nnhs64@cox.net
AND CHECK THIS WEB PAGE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION - 03/27/06:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/60-BIRTHDAY-1964-B.html

On Saturday, October 21, 2006 at 7:00 PM, a casual get-together will be held in a Hospitality Room, Country Inn & Suites on Route 17, Newport News, for all classmates
who wish to attend. 

CONTACT Judy Leggette Elliott at jandcelliott@aol.com
or 757-868-1111
AND CHECK THIS WEB PAGE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION - 04/19/06:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion-class-of-1956.html

Visit Brenda's 1962 Web Page:
 http://geocities.com/typhoonmom1/

AND CHECK THIS WEB PAGE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION - 05/10/06:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion-62-planning-mtgs.html
 

Hi, Carol:

I just wanted to share his unusual blossom on the Aloe Vera plant which I placed in my yard last year. It had been in a pot for 8 years and never bloomed, but this year it is a different story.

Always,

Adonis

   WOWZERONI!!!  That's incredible!  I had no idea that Aloe Vera plants bloomed - ever!  Thanks, Joe!