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07/17/08 - NNHS Newsletter
-
"If you started to write, you did it because you had an urge to express
yourself.
- Erle
Stanley Gardner |
Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
Considering what a big mystery fan in general and Perry Mason fan in particular I am, today's birthday celebration should come as no surprise.
BONUS #1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zlG-i2J6qI - Perry Mason Opening Theme
BONUS #2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHqebO8aAc4 - Perry Mason Opening Theme / Intro #2
BONUS #3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViP2UGjdND0&NR=1 - Perry Mason Opening Theme (later color episode)
HOMEWORK:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erle_Stanley_Gardner
http://www.erlestanleygardner.com/
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/gardner.html
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/gardner.htm
http://www.grooviespad.com/esg/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0306916/bio
Happy Birthday t
his week to:http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/Happy-Birthday.html
Many Happy
Returns, One and All!
Webdoll,
Three unrelated items having perhaps some interest to the readership. First, I read in one of these dailies that you were having some vascular problems. Here’s praying it gets better. (I’m feeling alive again after six years of cardiac invasions -- my blood pressure is perfect, I’m getting my energy back and the chest pain is ALL GONE.)
SUPER-DE-DUPER!!! What great news!
I know that prayers are answered, not always on
our schedule. I make sure that my daily supplications include those listed on
the NNHS site, plus a couple like
Julius Benton ('58 - of VA), husband of
Renee Helterbran Benton ('59 - of VA). I also note the Heath girls,
Bitsy (’57) and Frances Heath Scott (’62), plus Frances’
Tommy. Frances was a classy young lady; not many would choose to play the
bassoon in the Marching Typhoon, head to head
with the sounding brass! God keep our ailing Typhoon in his hands!
Second. I congratulate your son
Brent
(Harty
Third. I’ve read the ubiquitous and admirable
Joe Madagan’s ('57 - of FL) comments about Fort Benning and
Columbus, GA, including the input from
Bill Black (’66 - of GA). My friend, the late
Charles Wiggins (’62)
After Saturday night in town, we wound up Sunday morning at Central Assembly of God Church. Afterward, a family insisted we come home with them for a wonderful Sunday dinner. We were embraced like family. That evening “Dad” drove us back to Harmony Church, across the highway from Sand Hill and the Officer Candidate School quad. That day I understood how the soldiers, Marines and airmen from Fort Eustis, the Naval Weapons Station and Langley felt when my parents brought them home on weekends -- sometimes to my chagrin. Charlie and I pondered the Columbus family’s name a year later, but could not remember. The hospitality in Columbus came without preconditions, though, and I’m sure we weren’t the only soldiers to be welcomed at the modest home. It is a lesson for all of us when we consider our service members, who are far from home, facing uncertainty. Those few hours meant so much to me and Charlie.
Norm Covert (’61) MD
WOWZERONI! Thank you so very much, Normie!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/memoriam-all.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/memoriam62.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/obit-charles-wiggins.html
And speaking of both Brent and Ft. Benning, what a perfect segue!
NEWS FLASH:
From My #2 Son,
Brent Harty
(Hillsboro HS,
IL - '90) of OH -
Howdy family and friends!
Well, here is my email to you all to let you know the details of my entering the
Army. We've been pursuing this pretty heavy since April 30 when I first visited
the recruiters. We've decided to go onto a new career - that of an officer in
the Army. I won't know yet what specific branch I'll be specializing in till
sometime in October, but I do know when I'm leaving (we just found out yesterday
afternoon when I signed the contract!)
Shipping out - 24th of July, 2008
Basic Training - 1st of August, Ft. Knox, KY (9 weeks)
Officer Candidate School - 6th of October, Ft. Benning, GA (13 weeks)
Then there will be a couple of additional officer training courses of about 7
weeks apiece. Then I'll go to the specific branch training. Depending on what
that is going to be, it could be upwards of another year.
My top 5 preferences (which is just a wish list...it is what the Army needs at
the time) are:
There was quite a lot of prep involved. The biggest hurdle keeping from me
entering for some time has been my weight. For perspective, by the end of the
1990 summer I was weighing 245 lbs. I've been as high as 265 lbs., and I've
been as low as 225 lbs. At the beginning of 2008, I weighed 255 lbs.
Upon the date of my physical of 7/11, I weighed a flat 200 lbs.! Today I'm
weighing 198 lbs. and figure I'll weigh 195 lbs. when I check in on the 24th.
So that has been amazing. I lost over 45 lbs in 2 months!!! Check out
www.1stpersonaldiet.net if
you're interested in how I did it.
Bethany (Winona Harty
- Siuslaw HS, OR - '94 - of OH) has also lost around 30 lbs (on same
nutrition plan) in that same time frame!! I lost over 7 inches off my waist,
and fat all over that I didn't realize I had. I am now wearing a size 34 pants
and size medium to large shirts. I was wearing a 38/40 size pants, and XL to 2X
shirts! Just to put it another light, I haven't weighed this low in at least 18
years...and I may have never been this thin in my entire life! I remember
wearing size 36 pants in 6th grade....
I've attached some pics of Bethany and me as a picture is worth 1,000 words.
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Brent | Brent | Swearing In | Brent After Swearing In | Brent & Copt. McDonald | Bethany and Brent |
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 |
Needless to say, we're really excited for the new career change. We enjoyed
our 9 years with the Boy Scouts of America, but are ready for new challenges.
It will be tough being away from family at first (training will be pretty much
me away from family for at least around 6 months for training!) and that is not
counting any deployments. But it is great in all other respects for our family,
particularly financially.
While I'm at training, Bethany and kids are going back to live at her parents'
house in Florence, OR. Then when the Army is ready to assign us to a home base,
they'll move there.
At any rate, I thought you'd be interested to see what I'm up to. I hope all is
well with you and yours. bh
Brent Harty
Thanks so much, Brent!
I've been just about to pop all these weeks,
both from sheer pride, and from trying to keep your career move secret until you
were ready to announce it! In hindsight, I can see how your entire life has
prepared you and brought you to this point. At thirty-six with a wife and
five children, the timing may seem strange to some unless they've watched your
progression from Eagle Scout to Seminary Graduate to LDS missionary to salesman
to Senior Executive Director with the BSA to Civil War Re-enactor. All of
those and more played important roles in bringing you to this pivotal moment.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I know your late grandfathers - both Army men - are both proud of you as well!
From My #5 Son,
Nathaniel
Harty (Hillsboro HS,
IL
- '97) of IL -
07/16/08 - "RE: B. Harty entering Army OCS program":
Congrats, guys, on both the Army news and the weight loss. I don't recall ever seeing your face that thin, Brent. Then again, perspective over the last several years blurs things to be sure. Anyway, great news.
Isn't that fabulous?!? Thanks, Fan!
This story seems almost incredible even to me. A few years ago, a darling newlywed couple, Joe and Megan Fulmer Mansfield, moved here to Fayetteville from San Antonio, TX. Joe was an enlisted man stationed here at Ft. Bragg. They bought a home just a couple of miles up the highway from us. We quickly "adopted" them as our own, and I must say it was great having more "children" to love right in the neighborhood. They would drop in to see us, let us baby sit their precious sons, and do all things a family does together, filling a large void in our lives as most of our "babies" and "grandbabies" live far away from us. When their baby boys arrived, even Megan's mother referred to us as "the other grandparents".
In a bittersweet turn of events (for me!), they moved away in August to begin a new life, as Joe entered OCS at Ft. Benning. One of the major highpoints of this past January was his graduation and commissioning:
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Wednesday, January 9, 2008 | Thursday, January 10, 2008 | Thursday, January 10, 2008 | |
Joe and Megan | Joe's Commissioning | Jonathan, Joe, Megan and Jacob |
While he was at Ft. Benning, one of Joe's best friends at OCS was Nathan Nearman of UT, who had a wife and five children and switched careers as Brent is now doing. Surprise - Nathan and his family moved here to Fayetteville the first of June.
As it turns out, as they were training for their work as LDS missionaries, Nathan and Brent were in the Mission Home in Provo together.
There are a few more intertwining twists and turns to this
story, but I personally find all that truly ironic.
From Norris Perry (Warwick HS - '59) of VA - 07/16/08 - "07/12/08 - Oscar-Hammerstein-IIs-113th-B-Day.html":
Carol
I was an usher at the Village Theater when
Oklahoma played, in Hilton Village. I
must have seen it 100 times. So, I could sing, say all the words to all the
songs back then, uh 1957?.
COOL BEANS! Actually, it might even have been earlier than that; Oklahoma was released in the USA on 10/11/55:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048445/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048445/releaseinfo
Thanks, Norris!
It's one of my favorite shows, and I
memorized those great songs (well, MOST of them!) long ago myself!
From
Harry Covert
('57) of Northern VA - 07/16/08 - "The Covert Letter":
Harry Covert - The Covert Letter |
Posted: 16 Jul 2008 09:03 AM CDT
The Remarkable Skeeter Swift,
Alexandria’s Basketball Legend
By HARRY COVERT They call him the "Sultan of Swish" in Tennessee. Growing up they called him "Skeeter." Today, he’s the "Legend" of Alexandria. He’s earned the titles. Actually, Harley "Skeeter" Swift grew up on the streets of Alexandria. At about 10, before he had a two-wheel bicycle, he pulled a little red wagon up and down Washington, King and especially Lee Streets, a little tyke going from "pillar to post." He always had a basketball. Skeeter Swift’s remarkable career is being recalled in a biography I’m writing. It’s called, "Skeeter: The Legend of Alexandria." I’ve researched his life extensively, interviewed many of his high school friends and companions, who today are leaders of the community. We’ve prepared a 15-chapter book. I’ve known Skeeter for many years. He is a living legend of his hometown, in Tennessee, his adopted state, and throughout high school, collegiate and professional sports circles. His story is a remarkable one. Swift fell in love with basketball as a mere boy. He literally dribbled the ball everywhere he walked in Old Town. The remarkable thing is his basketball prowess began on a cobblestone alley. Every day for three and four hours "I’d dribble, dribble and dribble on cobblestone." The alley still stands today next to the Burke and Herbert Bank building on Fairfax Street. It’s called Swift Alley. It’s not named for Skeeter, even though it should be. In fact it’s named after his parents, who at the time operated a popular bar, which Skeeter describes as a saloon. Today, at 62, Skeeter Swift has had a stellar athletic career as a player and as an outstanding high school and collegiate coach. He lives in Kingsport, Tenn. He still has family residing in Alexandria. "Rain or shine, I’d just practice and practice," Swift recalls. "I learned what to expect from the ball when I tried to dribble on a cobblestone. Then I’d dribble as I pulled my wagon. I loved basketball." A few years later, Skeeter received a bicycle as a Christmas present. He was a familiar sight around Old Town, this growing hulking boy with the ball in the basket. He wiled away his days, all year around and in all kinds of weather, at the Lee Street playground, shooting and dribbling. "I developed a dead-eye, jump-shooting all over the court. Nobody could beat me. I could shoot the ball." He honed his skills so well he turned it to an advantage by "earning extra money" from young basketball players from all over northern Virginia, Greater Washington and in Prince George’s County. "They all wanted to test me. I always won." As someone said, "it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it." As a teenager he grew to 6-feet-3. He could play basketball better than most. He was not the big center on the team but a guard – a 200-plus pound guard and he could shoot. Without question, Skeeter put George Washington High School, now a Middle School, on the sports map of Virginia and Greater Washington. He was highly recruited by Virginia colleges. He chose East Tennessee State University because of a full scholarship. "I wasn’t a very good student then, but I learned," he says. And learn he did. Skeeter could dribble and shoot and "showoff. I had to be a showman." He was not only a great player but an outstanding entertainer. "I had to be at East Tennessee. For the first time in the school’s history, we filled the gym with fans." Skeeter didn’t let the fans down. He became a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference player at East Tennessee State and the Player of the Year in 1968. He was elected to the ETSU Hall of Fame in 1982. When he was first recruited by ETSU, the coach thought he was a football player because of his size. He’s in many Halls of Fame and has been honored by numerous groups in Virginia, including the Alexandria Sports Club. Many old-time Alexandrians still remember the 1965 high school football game when he drop kicked a field goal and George Washington High School defeated Annandale. Few people had ever seen a "drop kicked" field goal, which is still legal today. Most recall his legendary performances on the basketball court at Tulloch Memorial Gym of George Washington High School in the early 1960s. Skeeter Swift put East Tennessee State University on the national map with his basketball playing days. He went on to become a star in professional basketball where he scored over 3,000 points in his career and today ranks as one of the top 10 free-throw shooters in the American Basketball Association, now the National Basketball Association. He has been an outstanding coach, teacher and speaker. As a coach at Oak Hill Academy, he won a national championship. © Copyright 2008 Harry Covert. |
Posted: 16 Jul 2008 08:15 AM CDT
Virginia’s Third Senator
By HARRY COVERT I'm sure sorry Senator Jesse Helms died. That was inevitable, but I'm glad it was on July 4. To me his Heavenly ascent elevates him to the near godly stature of the great Thomas Jefferson, who died on this date in 1826. I always called him Virginia's Third Senator. He lived in Arlington, Virginia, all of his political years. Senator Helms was a gentleman, a man of his word. When he believed something, he never wavered, never was wishy-washy and everyone, including his colleagues knew he wouldn’t change. Some wags enjoyed naming him “Senator No.” He sort of liked that. He was 86. He’s probably the last of the true blue conservatives, top to bottom. He started in his native North Carolina as a newspaperman, reporter and city editor in Raleigh and later as a TV commentator. That gave him a good start on the issues. He parlayed that journalism experience into a political career that made a difference in America and five-terms, 30 years, in the Senate. After two terms, Helms called a meeting in a senate room on the pretext of asking advice of several of his longtime political operatives. He wanted advice on whether he ought to run again. He was a few minutes late but Tom Ellis and Carter Wrenn, his political allies, his Lynchburg friend Ron Godwin and me sat around gabbing. Ellis, Wrenn and Godwin agreed that Jesse’s “really trying." Moments later in walked Jesse, smoking his favorite non-filter Lucky Strike cigarette (remember, North Carolina is a tobacco state). He “acted” as though he really wanted our opinions. He confided he had to ask his wife Dot because he wasn’t sure she had the stamina for another campaign. We all laughed at that. They knew she’d go for it. She did. And he won his third term. Constituent work was one thing Senator Helms was best known. North Carolinians could always count on immediate assistance and prompt responses to letters and phone calls. I was a Virginian and received first-class treatment, too. Whenever I needed assistance for international relief projects* Helms and his office were always quick to help. I always carried a letter of introduction to U. S. Embassies. Once as part of a 25-container project going to Croatia, there was some official assistance difficulty in Zagreb. A rather rude embassy official was making life a little unpleasant. At last resort I whipped out my Helms letter. Still, the red-tape was sticky. However, a phone call back to the Senate brought about a personal call from The Man himself. The project went smoothly after that, including an even better meeting, including dinner, with the then Vice President of Croatia. Helms did quit smoking. He never stopped wearing a dual lapel pin of Old Glory and the North Carolina state flag. He’s evidence that some newspapermen will make it to the celestial climes. # *From 1988 to 1995, Covert coordinated and developed international humanitarian relief projects throughout African, Central American and emerging eastern European countries. He is currently chairman of World Emergency Relief-United Kingdom. |
Posted: 16 Jul 2008 08:07 AM CDT
Went to see Lyle Lovett, the marvelous musician,
July 2 at Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts. My wife and I had
perfect seats, Section H, numbers 40 and 41, Orchestra Section. Had it
been a football game, we would have been on the 50-yard line. Let me
report, the show was exceptional. The uptown crowd – 8,000-plus -- packed
the Filene Center. We didn't take a picnic like most of the crowd. We ate
our tuna salad with tomatoes and lettuce on wheat rolls at home. We felt
at home as we carried our bottled water. I thought it was fun people
watching, seeing music lovers enjoying food from their coolers . . .
some dainty little sandwiches, some sub sandwiches, some salads, some
smoke salmon and one enjoying spaghetti sitting on blankets sipping wines,
diet sodas and water.
The weather was perfect too. Mosquitoes, probably with a little help from the Park Service, weren’t anywhere to be found. I must say, "Lyle Lovett and his Large Band" in concert were awesome -- absolutely great musicians. The 25-member ensemble included God’s Generation, a trained young black gospel group from Connecticut; three stylish black singers from LA; a classically-trained cellist from Wyoming, a bass player from the left coast; two percussionists – drummers; two guitarists, one doubling on mandolin; a violinist from Texas; a steel guitarist from Nashville; and a pianist (not a piano player) from Los Angeles. Joining the show toward the end of the concert was Mike Eldridge of Northern Virginia, a longtime member of the famed Seldom Scene blue grass band. They performed non-stop for 2 1/2 hours. Superb musicians all. Lyle’s a Texas boy. I discovered he majored in journalism and earned a graduate degree at Texas A&M. He's a combination of alternative country, gospel and the blues. In college working on the school paper, Lovett began interviewing and hanging around with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and others in informal, front-porch jams where he hone his skills. None of the audience left early and offered standing ovations and received two encores. Variety is the spice of life of course and Wolf Trap certainly has variety. # |
Thanks so much,
Harry! I certainly enjoy reading your essays!
Finding joy
http://www.findingjoymovie.com/
Thanks, Jerry and
Judy and Buster! This is so beautiful - and so true!
PRAYER ROLL (arranged alphabetically, but not necessarily complete):
1.
Connie Bloxom Thompson ('66) of MD - multiple heath and financial
issues; needing cataract surgery to prevent inevitable blindness ASAP;
Connie
Bloxom Thompson
2237 Hunter Chase
Bel Air, MD
21015
2.
Betty Brockwell McClure ('58) of VA - broken hip - early this year; still
recovering and in pain;
3.
Clyde Bryant ('58) of PA - heart replacement surgery - 12/13/074.
5
. Emily (daughter of6.
7. My second granddaughter,
8. Bitsy Heath ('57) of VA - 07/02/08 - abdominal aneurysm requiring surgery; also having other issues with breathing and pulmonary output; SEE: 07/03/08
10
.11.
Pam Pennington Cherry ('58) of VA - congestive heart failure; cardiac ablation procedure - 02/06/08; second surgery on 02/20/08 for aneurysm; update of 03/17/08 - still experiencing difficulty with heart racing, breathing and pressure in her chest; pray that cardiac ablation procedure will not have to be repeated, and that Pam can learn to REST!; update of 05/04/08 - "in about eight months she will indeed have to have the ablation process repeated. "12. Tommy Scott ('61) of VA - update of 04/14/08 - "at home recuperating"; update of 05/22/08 - "still at home recuperating"; update of 06/09/08 - "still at home recovering. I am sure they would love receiving cards/notes from NNHS friends."
14. Jim Wilson ('58) of VA recovering from prostate surgery on 06/02/08
15. All of Us
DATES TO REMEMBER:
1
. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 26 - 28, 2008 - NNHS CLASS OF 1968:http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion-class-of-1968.html - 03/31/08
2. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 17 - 19, 2008
- NNHS CLASS OF 1963:http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion-class-of-1963.html - 03/26/08
Y'all take care of each other! TYPHOONS FOREVER! We'll Always Have Buckroe!
Love to all, Carol
==============================================
NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com
PERSONAL WEB SITE:
http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/cluckmeat
Carol Buckley
Harty 219 Four Ply Lane Fayetteville, NC 29311-9305 910-488-9408 |
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To donate, click on the gold seal on the left, or just mail it to my home. Thanks! |
Perry Mason Theme Song
Music by
Fred_Steiner,
1957
(b. 24 Feb 1923)
"Perry Mason"
theme song midi (sequenced by Ben Bateson) courtesy of http://www.tv-timewarp.co.uk/midi_files/ - 07/17/08First Image of Erle Stanley Gardner courtesy of http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/225911/10941/Erle-Stanley-Gardner - 07/17/08
Second (1966) Image of Erle Stanley Gardner courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erle_Stanley_Gardner - 07/17/08
Grey Bar Divider Line clip art courtesy of http://www.wtv-zone.com/nevr2l82/bars36.html - 07/17/08
Animated Tiny Birthday Cake clip art courtesy of Sarah Puckett Kressaty ('65) of
VA - 08/31/05
Thanks, Sarah Sugah!
Brighton High School (UT) Logo courtesy of http://www.jordandistrict.org/schools/high/brighton/index.htm - 08/02/07
Army Seal clip art courtesy of Al Farber ('64) of GA - 05/24/06
Thanks, Al!
Hillsboro High School (IL) Topper (Band Version) clip art courtesy of
http://www.hillsboroschools.net/schools/hhs/activities/music2/Band/bio.html
- 06/07/08
Thanks, Mark!
Marine Corps Seal clip art courtesy of the late
Herbert Hice of MI - one of my
Famous Marines who served in the South Pacific during WWII.
Thanks again, Herbie!
Animated Army Flag clip art courtesy of http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/KevsGifsGalore/Patriotic.html - 06/18/03
Siuslaw High School (OR) Viking Logo clip art courtesy of http://www.answers.com/topic/minnesotavikings-1000-png - 12/27/07
Animated Yehaa Typhoon clip art courtesy of Al Farber ('64) of GA - 08/18/05
Thanks, Al!