12/16/04 - NNHS Newsletter - Have Yourself
a Merry Little Christmas
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12/16/04 - NNHS Newsletter - Have Yourself |
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Dear Friends and Schoolmates,
The Battle of the Bulge was fought sixty years ago today. If your memory of the facts is a bit muddled, you could check here:
http://www.mm.com/user/jpk/battle.htm
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/7-8/7-8_CONT.HTM
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bulge/
http://www.battleofthebulge.org/
http://users.skynet.be/bulgecriba/
Take some time to remember.
NOTES:
THE FAST FOOD CHAINS:
From Dave Arnold ('65) of VA - 12/14/04:
I seem to remember the place at the corner of
Harpersville and Jefferson as a Burger Chef,
a chain that was based
in Indiana. There was also one on Kecoughtan Road in Hampton one block past
LaSalle Avenue.
Dave
Hmmm, stay tuned, Dave - and thanks!
From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 12/14/04:
Perhaps so, Dave, but this place was not your typical chain
burger shop architecture, as was Burger Chef.
You may recall
that there was Burger Chef just across Jefferson from
Shoney's. (See Carol's web page for an image)
Also, there was a Gibson's just north of Big Bethel
on Mercury. It had a rather steep red roof. When it closed, the building
was moved not far to a side street and is still visible from Mercury; it is a
day care now.
I think it was a one-of-a-kind place. I seem to recall lots of glass. The drive
was round because the structure was round.
You would park at the inner and outer curbs such that the cars were arrayed
radially. I think they had curb service, but
can't recall. Their primary purpose in life was to give you someplace to drive
to while the customer crowd changed out
at Shoney's so that there would be new folks there when you returned for the
next few laps around the lot. We would make
the circuit between the two establishments several times per night. Kinda
pathetic, when you look back on it. George Lucas
captured it perfectly in American Graffiti.
When I get curious enough, I will pop over to the Hilton Library and check the
City Directories for 1964 and solve this mystery.
Dave
Ahhh, the excitement builds.... Thanks, Dave!
From Me ('65) to Dave and Dave - 12/14/04:
Tom Norris (HHS - '73) of VA
broke out his 1966 City Directory and said you were right, David -
Rich's
was at 4809 West
Mercury, current home of Cap City.
Carrol's, on the other hand, Home of the Club Burger, was at
102 West Mercury, and the Wendy's that replaced it is no longer
listed in the phone book. SHEESH!
Tarey Drive-In
was at 11127 Jefferson, at the corner of Harpersville Road, across the street
from Mac’s
Restaurant, at 11200 Jefferson.
I keep trying to remember some place that was the original home of
the charcoal-grilled burger. It seems to me it was rather
garish-looking, possibly with neon pink and magenta tones. I've no clue where it
might have been located, not even which city.
Thanks, Tom - and Dave and Dave!
From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 12/14/04:
AHA .... Tarey's, it is.
There was a Charco-Burger located at Jefferson and
74th Street. I would accompany Al Hines ('65) around on his paper
route collection on Friday nights, and we would eat away the profits at that
place. It, too, was razed long ago, but they had
some "mahtee" good burgers there. When the wind was from the west, we could
smell those burgers all during the our trip
up and down 72nd, 73rd, and 74th Streets on that paper route. There was no way
we could not have gone there with a pocket
full of money on a cold Friday night.
I think that Charco-Burger was a chain, but I cannot recall another one in NN.
Nor can I find a hit on Google for the chain.
Ah, yes, Charco-Burger! Thanks, Dave!
From Tom Oxner ('65) of AR - 12/14/04:
To Dave Spriggs:
I think the drive-in at the corner of Jefferson and Harpersville Rd. was called
"Tarrey's" or "Tarey's". I do not
remember if it had one or two "r"'s. That is my memory, but I could be mistaken.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Tom Oxner
Thanks, Tom, you're not mistaken at all - and one "r" it is!
From Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 12/14/04:
Oh,
cool! We'll have to send out our photographers! Thanks, Joe!
From Tom Norris (HHS - '73) of VA - 12/14/04:
Of course, y'all .... my ex-fiance swore that the
place with the truck caps was Carrol's .... but who ya gonna believe,
Dave Spriggs or a ditzy blonde Krabba head cheerleader ... lol.
I'll write this ll up tonight after I get back from yet another Christmas party!
Tom the "elder" babe :-)
(Poor Tommy turned 50 this week. He's breaking my heart here......) WILD GIGGLES!!! Thanks, Babe!
From Dave Arnold ('65) of VA - 12/14/04:
I talked to an old Newport News cop today, and he said the drive-in at Jefferson and Harpersville was the Tarey.
See? Isn't it good to see it all come together at last? Thanks, Dave!
THE TRAGEDY OF 12/11/54:
From Eric Huffstutler (BHS - '75) of VA - 12/14/04:
Ah, thank you, Eric, for checking again. I was hoping your magic powers would produce the documentation. Sigh.
From Kathy Pilgrim Clark ('63) of VA - 12/14/04:
Thanks, Kathy! Every now and then I
manage to find a really nice one. I was rather partial to the rendition
of "Come,
Ye Thankful People, Come" on the Thanksgiving Newsletter. There were
four verses, and each one was arranged differently,
and the orchestration was rich and full.
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/11-24-04-NNHS-Happy-Thanksgiving.html
Sometimes I wish I had had my # 6 son,
Dale, teach me how to write midi and create clip art before he left home.
Then I'd
be able to find exactly what I want. Then I remember exactly how much
time it took him to compose midis and draw and paint
clip art! HA-HA-HA!!! "Nevermind!"
Generally speaking, the music is far better
when I leave it in the capable hands of Dave Spriggs ('64). The
man has an
incredible gift for choosing just the right song, and then magically locating
just the right midi. I just didn't feel right in annoying
him three or four extra times a week for something I usually pick in the
eleventh hour.
I just don't know, Kathy. We'll have
to wait to see the newspaper accounts. At this point I personally
wouldn't be surprised
to learn that those segments had been excised from the archives, but then I
will admit that I tend to lean toward paranoia and
conspiracy theories...... GIGGLES!!!
So true! What a cool story! Thanks!
Thanks, Kathy!
THE NACHMAN'S SAGA CONTINUES:
From Terry Haney ('66) of VA - 12/14/04:
Ahhh, yes - I'm sure you do! Thanks, Terry!!
From Tim Parsons ('73) of VA - 12/14/04:
Dear Carol,
Yes, that is Bob Calvert on the Nachman's commercial
I sent you. What a cool guy. Once when I worked on the stage
crew for a Community Theater production at the old NNHS
auditorium in 1969, Bob was the narrator for three one-act
plays. He was late and the director was concerned because Bob was not there yet
and the show was about to begin.
I was out on the old ramp behind the stage where the alley was in between the
stadium and the auditorium. All of a
sudden there was the squealing of car tires and the engine noise of an
approaching trans am. It came to an abrupt halt
and out came Bob with a loud, "#@% *#!& it !! I made it! " He was quickly
escorted to the podium by an ecstatic director
and the show went on. Many people must remember Bob riding on his motorcycle on
Mercury Boulevard and around
Newmarket. Once he stayed down in a bomb
shelter at the old CMJ bank in Warwick Center. I went to Bob's funeral
in 1992 and and in front of his casket was his picture in the old
WGH redcoat and his old Baron Be Bop theme song
played during the memorial. To all of us in the broadcast profession Bob was
considered to be one of the best voice
over artists that ever graced a microphone. And he was a friend to many.
Tim
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Larry Bonko's Column in The Virginian-Pilot, Monday, April 20, 1992 |
WOW. Thanks so much for sharing this, Tim.
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/wgh.html
From Joanne Kates Roos of VA - 12/14/04:
Oh, what a lovely idea! That would be delightful! Thank you, Joanne!
From Mike Ozmer ('63) of VA - 12/15/04:
I was just reading all that 'bout
Nachman's, .....I am catering that (luncheon for
the former employees) .....and have
for the past 3 years...
Mike
NO WAY!! WOWZERS!!! I just LOVE these Small World stories! Thanks, Mike!
THE ESSO EXPLOSION OF 1958:
From Jean Poole Burton ('64) of RI - 12/14/04:
Hi Carol, I was at
Woodrow Wilson School when the fires were going on, either in the 6th or
7th grade, because we were
on the third floor and could look out the windows and see the smoke going up!
(Wilson was between Hickory and Pine Avenues;
25th Street was the northern boundary and Hampton Avenue the southern boundary
of the school grounds. That would mean
that the fire was in 1957 or l958.) I am thinking that it was in l958 because
we were "brave enough" to run out into the hall
and peek every time we heard another explosion...which means we were probably
big bad seventh graders!
Hey girl, have a wonderful Christmas!
Ah - and another mystery begins in earnest! Thanks, Jean! You have a great Christmas, too!
From Jo Ann Stewart ('64) of TX - 12/14/04:
And that jives with Jean's memory, too! Thanks, Jo Ann!
From Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 12/15/04:
WOWZERONI!!!
Joe, I've been trying to learn
the details of that fire - particularly the exact date - for most
of my life now, and you have not only a date, but even have a photo of it?!?
Thank you so much! You are my hero, Adonis!
BACK TO THE TRAGEDY OF 12/11/54:
From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA to Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 12/16/04:
I am currently having a 1954
"Flashback" .... and some remote synapse is firing and reminding me that my dad
said that
the aircraft which exploded was a Chance-Vought F7U Cutlass. If that is
correct, then it would not have been part of the
Blue Angels, but may have been operating out of NAS Norfolk.
This will only be solved when I review the newspaper coverage of the
christening.
Dave
WOWZERONI!!! This is the biggest break we've had in this mystery in years! David, you never cease to amaze me! Thanks!
From Joe Madagan ('57) of FL to Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 12/16/04:
Isn't that just incredible?!? Thanks,
Adonis!
From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 12/16/04:
OHHHH,
David! You do know how to make me drool, don't you?!? Thank
you so much! This will make a great addition
to this page - when I actually MAKE the page - which is still nameless!
JUST IN From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 12/16/04:
A quick trip by the Library ... and we
have the answers. Here are the highlights; I will scan the articles soon and
send to you.
My synapses were correct; it was a F7U Cutlass from
VF81 out Oceana NAS. In addition to the Blue Angels,
there were many other aircraft flying around that day. The pilot, LTJG John W.
Hood, USNR, was killed.
It will likely be tomorrow before I can scan it; a number of us are
dining with John and Bev Todd ('64 of AK) this evening
at Topeka Steak House, which is managed by Tom Flax's ('64 of VA)
son. I will try to snap some digitals for you.
TRIPLE WOWZERONI!!! David, you did it!!! That's absolutely incredible!!! Thanks so much!
And y'all have fun tonight with John and Bev, and tell everyone Hi!
IN OTHER NEWS:
From Cheryl Mays Howard ('66) of VA - 12/14/04:
Oh, nooooo. Oh, Cheryl, I'm so sorry
to learn this. Please extend to Eleanor our sincerest sympathies.
One of my sharpest
high school memories is of you and Eleanor singing that lovely duet in the
Mouse Assembly. All the heartaches were so far
away back then. Sigh.
From Christopher Freeman (Phoebus High School) - 12/14/04:
Many of you who live
or grew up in Black communities in the United States have probably heard of
"Watch Night
Services," the gathering of the faithful in church on New Year's Eve. The
service usually begins anywhere from
7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some
folks come to church first,
before going out to celebrate. For others, church is the only New Year's Eve
event. Like many others, I always
assumed that Watch Night was a fairly standard Christian religious service --
made a bit more Afro centric
because that's what happens when elements of Christianity become linked with
the Black Church.
Still, it seemed
that predominately White Christian churches did not include Watch Night
services on their
calendars, but focused instead on Christmas Eve programs. In fact, there were
instances where clergy in mainline denominations wondered aloud about the
propriety of linking religious services with a secular holiday like New
Year's Eve.
However, there is a
reason for the importance of New Year's Eve services in African American
congregations. The
Watch Night Services in Black communities that we celebrate today can be
traced back to gatherings on December 31,
1862, also known as "Freedom's Eve." On that night, Blacks came together in
churches and private homes all across
the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation
actually had become law. Then, at the stroke
of midnight, it was January 1, 1863, and all slaves in the Confederate States
were declared legally free. When the
news was received, there were prayers, shouts and songs of joy as people fell
to their knees and thanked God. Black
folks have gathered in churches annually on New Year's Eve ever since,
praising God for bringing us safely through
another year.
It's been 141 years
since that first Freedom's Eve and many of us were never taught the African
American history
of Watch Night, but tradition still brings us together at this time every year
to celebrate "how we got over".
P.S.- Pass this
information on so we can educate more of our Family and Friends about our
History! Peace and
Blessings as we go into the year of our Lord, 2005!
Thank
you, Christopher. Most of us are of an age that when we attended school,
little or no black history was mentioned, and
segregation was still in effect, so we appreciate your relating this account
to us. I think I was somehow aware of this, but I also
think I learned it from a TV mini-series...
I found
it interesting that you mentioned the fact that January 1, 1863 brought only
freedom for those slaves in the Confederate
States. It's a little known fact that those slaves in the so-called free
states - and there were many - were not given their freedom
at that time, which is, of course, appalling.
Thanks again, Christopher! I do love to hear of holiday traditions and celebrations!
From Linda McKenna Sivilich ('66) of PA:
Oooops.
As you're new to our fold, Linda, I'll explain something of which everyone
else is painfully aware. Due to a bit a brain
damage I sustained between the years of 1989 and 2001, I sometimes have
difficulty with recent memory. Quite often I operate
on automatic pilot until somebody reels me back into reality. When I
received your note, I thought, "Well, she's all posted on the
Alumni page and her web site is linked there and everything is fine."
That's because I forgot about the newer contact pages - DUH!!!
Sorry about that!
Okay, we'll try again:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/alumni-list.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/contact-ALL.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/contact-1966.html
Well, that would be fine,
except I cannot access your second web site. I tried changing the
extension to several different options,
but was never successful...... I did enjoy the first one, however - you do
nice work!
From Albert Dorner ('66) of VA - 12/15/04:
Carol,
The trophies page is awesome. Of
no particular note: the track trophy from from May 1971 is the last trophy
earned
by NNHS as the school closed for good that June.
So even though we don't have all the trophies, we do have the very last
one. Great job! You are amazing!
Albert
I think that is of very particular note, Albert, so I attached it to that track trophy page:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/TRACK-Trophies.html
Ummm, wait a minute,
Sweetie. You find and rescue the trophies from their hiding places,
you lovingly clean, restore, repair,
photograph, catalogue, and house the trophies - and I'm the amazing
one?!? I don't think so!!! All I did did was put them online
where everyone could see and know and understand beyond all knowing what a hero
you are.
I still think we should
commission those life-size statues. Did I mention that my # 2 son, Brent,
who is now a Senior District
Executive with the Boy Scouts of America in Joliet, IL, but who has a degree in
Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University
in Edwardsville is a sculptor of no small talent? I'm sure he'd love to do
this!
Thank you, Albert - for everything!
OTHER UPDATES:
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/old-stomping.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/dr-pepper.html - brand new page
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/nachmans.html
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/kitt.html - brand new page
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/richs.html - brand new page, already supplemented!
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/THOMAS.html - brand new page
http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/warwick-laundry.html - brand new page
Needless to say, there are many, many more coming - including at least four teachers....
There are
about 15 more letters I've not included on a variety of new topics, but as this
Newsletter is already approaching a
record length, I suppose I'll be throwing in an extra Newsletter tomorrow or
Saturday. Stay tuned.
I'm sure
you're not all as obtuse as I am, and this thought is no doubt superfluous, but
I'll just include it as a reminder to myself.
This time of year is not always a joyous one for everyone. There are those
who struggle bravely just to maintain an outward smile,
and those who may have formerly delighted in this season but who now find it
filled with pain and heartache. There are many whose
moods swing sharply and suddenly from gaiety and merriment to gloom and
desperation. As we hurry through our ever busy days,
let's try to remember to be aware of those around us. Let us even seek out
those we may not see, those whose spirits may be lifted
by a smile, a hug, a phone call, a note, a card, an email, a loaf of homemade
bread, or even something as simple as diamonds and
pearls - oh, no, I mean a plate of cookies. Your own burdens will be made
lighter as you pause to share a bit of yourself.
Y'all take care of each other!
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
"I only have two kinds of days: happy and hysterically happy."
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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
- Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane,
1943
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.
Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star
upon the highest bough.
And have yourself
A merry little Christmas now.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” midi courtesy of http://www.freemidi.org/download/4612.html - 12/14/04
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” lyrics courtesy of http://www.christmas-carols.net/carols/have-yourself-merry-little.html - 12/14/04
Animated Tree with Shining Star clip art courtesy of http://www.christmasgifts.com/clipart.html - 12/16/04
"Holiday Heading" Pine Divider Line clip art, posted by ChrisMac, courtesy of http://groups.msn.com/TheClipArtPalace/christmas.msnw - 12/16/04