06/28/06 - NNHS Newsletter
Richard Rodgers' 104th Birthday

"What's wrong with sweetness and light? It's been around quite awhile."

- Richard Rodgers
(28 June 1902 - 30 Dec 1979)

   The only MIDI file either our Wizard of Wonderment,    Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA, or I could find managed to rip all the loveliness right out of this song which has been so precious to me for most of my life.

   We made the decision to go with two formats today, and that's how you have the privilege of hearing this wonderful composition of Richard Rodgers.  I hope you enjoy it.

   Thanks again, David!

1.   Danny Coleman ('63) of NC - 06/26/06 - 06/28/06:

Hi, Carol.

I'm Danny Coleman (NNHS '63). I got your site info from    Evelyn Fryer Fish ('58 - of TX), who I just met last week online. I'd lived down the street from    Bucky Keller ('58), her first husband, on Maple Avenue. You're not far from me. I live out here in the country between Clinton and Newton Grove, off Hwy. 701, the last 24 years, my wife's home area.

This is a great site, wish I'd run up on it sooner. I'd like to help out with the expense. I'll send a few dollars this week and every so often. Don't be afraid to ask for help with it.

   Bless your heart!  Thanks!

I remember your name well, but I'm not sure if we've met. You might remember my sister (half sister) Nina DiGiacomo ('68), who married Charlie Shields. I'm at coastar2002@yahoo.com, if you might wish to contact me any time off-site. Thanks.

   I think you live less than an hour from me.  We've been here just over four years.  We came to visit my sister,    Eleanor (Buckley Nowitzky - '59 - of NC), and never went home.  She's been here since 1986 or 7.

   By the way, when your Class Reunion was held in 2003,   Susie (Estelle) Overton Jones ('63 - of AL) had you on the List of Missing Classmates.  She'll want you to "report in":

Hi, Carol.

Thanks for the quick reply. And, yes, please post any info/pix you might have. I'm always glad to hear from folks. Didn't know '63 had a recent reunion. Often wondered if anyone was active with it. Last I remembered was the '73 reunion, when    Butch Delozier ('63) was organizing. I didn't go because of an illness in my family. And Mal Whiteside ('63) said there was one later, but I didn't get the word. I've been down here for 24 years now, so I don't know much. You have quite an expansive site, challenging for a computer dummy like me, but I'll try and enjoy it all. My email is coastar2002@yahoo.com for anyone interested. I'll stay close by, and thanks again.

   Welcome aboard, Danny!   You're all officially posted.  Now all we need is your birth date - and of course, any memories you care to share!

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

  Henry Hoyle ('65) of Northern VA

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

   I started to mention the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, but I think now we're down to about a half-dozen of us on the mailing list who are Latter-day Saints, and they weren't likely to forget the date or its significance anyway.

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/12-23-05-NNHS-Joseph-Smiths-200th-B-day.html
 

http://www.nauvoonews.com/collection/carthage/carthage.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage_Jail

   I really was planning to use "Bang Bang" on the first available day.  The fact that it landed on June 27th was a bit of an insider, another unplanned "non-coincidence".  I'm highly impressed that you caught it.

   In the same vein, twenty-five years or so ago when I planned all the music for my funeral (and as it's my funeral, I'm planning about double the music normally heard, and shall so stipulate), I thought it would be fun to have the organist as she finishes the prelude music conclude with the tune by Lez de Azevedo (who interestingly enough was the musical director for The Sonny and Cher Show) which accompanies these words from Carol Lynn Pearson's LDS Musical, "My Turn on Earth."

http://www.ldsaudio.com/shop/music.aspx?type=album&id=277

     I'm Not Ready

          Is it over?  Have I finished the game?
          Have I found what I came here to find? 
          Just a few moments more
          'Til the moment I leave it all behind me.

          I'm not ready.  I don't want to go. 
          'Til I know that I know I have won. 
          I cannot bear to leave
          If I leave what I came for
          Undone.

          I'm not ready.  I don't want to go now. 
          Won't somebody tell me how I can stay?
          I do not want to leave
          If I leave all I came for
          Undone.

   And those who were familiar with it would smile.

   Thanks, Bill!

Hope you are over the Hives.

You are much too young to (have seen and remember) Bishop Fulton Sheen on TV back in 1951 until 1957. There is a reason why I am sending you his story..... I know you are very busy with your reunion coming up soon and I don't like to annoy you too much but, Please take time to smell the ROSES..... 

   Herbie, you Sweetie-Pie!  You never annoy me!
 

1900–His family moved to Peoria in order that young Fulton could enroll in St. Mary’s Cathedral [Parochial] School. He often served Mass at the Cathedral.

1909–He attended High School at the Spalding Institute in Peoria staffed by the Brothers of Mary.

1917–He attended St. Viator’s College, Bourbonnais, Illinois, and later St. Paul’s Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1919–On September 20th, Fulton Sheen was ordained a “Priest forever” for the Diocese of Peoria. At the time of his Priestly Ordination, he made his famous promise to make a “Eucharistic Holy Hour” which he kept faithfully for the rest of his life.

 1920–After ordination he began two years of postgraduate studies in Theology at Catholic University in Washington D.C., and another year at the University of Louvain in Belgium.

1923–He attended further theological classes at the Sorbonne in Paris and the Angelicum in Rome.

1923–He returned to the University of Louvain where he became the first American to receive the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy as well as attain-ing the “Aggrage” degree with outstanding distinction.

1925–He spent 9 months working in St. Patrick’s, an inner city parish in Peoria.

1926–He began teaching Theology, then Philosophy and Religion at Catholic University in Washington DC. He was to remain there till 1950. He also began local radio broadcasting in the New York area.

1930–He began his national radio broadcast, “The Catholic Hour” which continued for some 22 years, reaching an estimated four million listeners.

1934–He became a Very Rev. Monsignor.

1935–He is made Right Rev. Monsignor.

1950–He become the National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith supervising 129 diocesan directors throughout the country. He held this position till 1966.

1951–He was consecrated a Bishop in Rome by Cardinal Piazza in the Church of Sts. John & Paul on June 11, 1951.
In the Fall of 1951 he began his famous television series entitled, “Life is Worth Living”. It eventually reached an estimated 30 million viewers each week. He won an Emmy Award for “Most Outstanding Television Personality” in 1952. His series ran with great success till 1957.

1962–He attended all of the Vatican Council sessions in Rome, ending in 1965.

1966–He was named Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester, New York on October 26th.

1969–He resigned as Bishop of Rochester. As he said, “I am not retiring, only retreading”. Pope Paul VI named him Archbishop of the Titular See of Newport (Wales). The Archbishop remained relatively active, spending last years of his life chiefly in writing and preaching.

1979–On October 3rd, the Archbishop experienced one of the greatest moments of his life when Pope John Paul II embraced him in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The Holy Father said to him, “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church!”. On December 9th God called the Archbishop from this life to his eternal reward.

2000–On September 14th, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints officially opened the Cause of Archbishop Sheen, and conferred on him the title “Servant of God”.

My family and I watched (Bishop Sheen) every week and he was a very personable speaker. He always had this Blackboard on a stand beside him and as he spoke to the audience he would write and draw illustrations on the blackboard. This one time he was speaking on some subject (I don't recall what that subject was), but as he spoke he was drawing what he thought looked like a tree and the audience was snickering very loudly. He turned to the audience and said "Only GOD can make a Tree". The audience cracked up with applause and laughter. He loved every bit of that adulation. I have never forgotten Bishop Sheen, After all those years I think of his off the cuff remark "only GOD can make a Tree", every time I think of the Poem "TREES" by Joyce Kilmer. I am pleased to know that is also one of your favorite poems. I hope you enjoyed hearing about Bishop Fulton Sheen.

Your Friend, Herbie
 

   One of my clearest television memories is of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II during that year we lived in Clintwood, a small town in Appalachia.  The date was June 2, 1953.  Loving pomp and ceremony as much as I do, I was absolutely enthralled.  I was almost six years old.  And if I remember that - and I do - I can certainly remember 1957 when I was ten!

   I remember Bishop Sheen quite well!  Like Kilmer's poem, he was a great favorite of my mama's.  That may seem strange coming from a woman who taught Sunday School in the Methodist Church for as many years as she did, but she was a great judge of character and recognized Bishop Sheen for the great man he was.  Not only did we watch his show together, but she even owned some of his books.

   Thanks for this great memory, Herbie!

 

When I was in the ninth grade I thought you could get preggers if a boy leaned up against you, clothes and all. So while in science class one day a very tall fellow did that to see over me while the teacher demonstrated a lesson.

   NINTH GRADE?!?  YOWZERONI!!!

I made it home only to throw-up. That blows my mind when I think about it, being the youngest of four girls, you'd think I'd know something.

Looking back, I wish our kids had just as much innocence .I don't think I really got over it (being afraid of boys/men) until I became a body builder at the age of 44! 300 sit-ups a day, dead lifting 350 lb.,leg pressing 500 lb. and doing lay-down flies with 50 lb. bells, made me comfortable  with 'me' for the first time in my life. If you're strong, no one can hurt you. COOL BEANS !!

Linda May '66
   WOWZERONI!!!  That's mighty impressive!  Way to go!

   Thanks, Linda May!

THE SPECIAL
(Adventure and Romance Enroute)

by
Fred W. Field
Class of June 1945

        Way, way back when we were in high school, the Newport News Board of Education did not furnish transportation for students.  Most of us had to get to and from school on Citizen Rapid Transit (CRT) public buses and streetcars.  As WW-II approached, the shipyard's work force  suddenly swelled and public transportation began to overload.  The congestion would be fierce by 4 PM and was known as the "Shipyard Rush."

        To help ease matters, the CRT arranged for a special bus to transport those high school kids living in the East End or Boulevard.  This bus was called the SPECIAL because the driver would always roll the destination banner to that word.   The fare was one nickel.

        The Special loaded at 3:30 right across the street from NNHS.  The bus was one of the really old-style - the kind with the engine protruding out front.  There was no rear exit, and the front door was manually opened by the driver via a mechanical arm.  The regular driver was a dour old guy named Mr. Tatum.  He must have suffered greatly at our taunts and escapades.

        The bus would only wait about 10 minutes and then always start up precisely on schedule.  This was probably not because of Mr. Tatum's devotion to punctuality - but more likely he realized that the fewer kids on board, the better his trip would be.  Our route took us over the 28th Street Bridge, turning left at Jefferson Avenue, right on 30th Street, right on Wickham, left on 25th Street, right on Buxton, then winding around the Boulevard.  All the while, the torturing load would be singing, "Hail, hail, Tatum's in jail."  Had we not been so loud and persistent I'm sure we would have heard Tatum's teeth grinding.

        Our classmate Russell Brooks was one of the regular passengers.  So was a very attractive young lady freshman named Miss G.  She was about 2 grades down from us and had been well known as an active tom-boy in her pre-teens.  But now, about to become a sophisticated high school sophomore, she was beginning to burst into bountiful ripeness.  This was certainly noticed by us healthy young male passengers - and particularly by Russell Brooks.

        On one trip homeward bound, Russell noticed Miss G. checking her hair in the large mirror positioned near the back of the bus.  This mirror was mounted there so the driver could see if there was any room left in the back (on a crowded bus it was always difficult to move the standees back).  Russell managed to unfasten the huge chrome plated mirror and he proudly presented it to the receptive young damsel.  At Poplar Avenue she departed the bus with the mirror not too well concealed.

        About two hours later a detective and a bus company representative appeared at Miss G.'s home and demanded the mirror.  She quickly complied but insisted that she hadn't stolen the mirror - it was actually a present from one Russell Brooks, an older boy.

        Shortly thereafter the investigating duo went over to the Brooks residence on Buxton Avenue where they confronted the home-alone culprit.  There they were delivered a nervous but full confession.  However Russell managed to squeak out some extenuating background, including a graphic description of the powerful motivation - in other words, the sweet young reason.  Having just seen the reason, the investigators were not totally without understanding.  They left after giving Russell only a stern lecture.  His parents never knew.

Remembering Russell Brooks

        Russell had contracted typhoid fever at age 6 and missed so much school he had to repeat the first grade.  This made him a year older than most of his classmates and which by late in World War II placed him in the gunsights of the draft board.  Rather than risk being drafted into the army, Russell joined the Navy just when he was about to start his senior year.. 

        Russell came to our 2000 class reunion which he enjoyed very much.  He was suffering greatly with problems in his lower legs, and after the meeting I helped him out to his car.  On the way we discussed high school memories including those good times on the Special.  I offered to write up some recollections to present to him the next time we would meet.  He refreshed my memory of the bus mirror incident - and of the voluptuous Miss G.  Indeed my memory of the incident did need sharpening up a bit - but my recollection of Miss G. was still pretty vivid.

        Russell planned to attend the Classes of 1945 Dinner in September 2003, but his health worsened and he was unable to travel.  He passed away on Sept. 23, 2004.  I reviewed this story with his sister Dorothy Brooks McSherry, NNHS Class of Feb. 47, now living in Henrico, NC.  We agreed that Russell would want it shared with his friends and classmates. However, the identity of  "Miss G." shall remain a mystery.

Fred W. Field
 

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

   Thank you, David!  Y'all have fun!

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:
 

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 - 06/23/06:

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