Thanks for such an informative and
absorbing letter. Do wish I could attend all these exciting events;
however, I've just made two trips to Wichita to visit my sister, Mary
Lou, who's just retired and loving every minute of it. ML's a
kid sister, having graduated in 1963, a fact which she kindly does not
throw in the face of her older sister.
The trips: I was fleeing the bites of some insects
(multiple large itchy bites) that didn't affect the rest of my family.
I could make this a very looong story but will just add that the
bites were NOT from bedbugs. Yes, we had two fumigators but it was the
tenting that seemed to have saved both body and mind. Now I know that
what I'd read is true: it literally drives one insane. Guess I
"told" an untruth when I stated that I wouldn't make this a long
story.
Signed
Bette, who's not in the looney bin.
Hmmm....there's no brick and mortar
address on an email.
Don Armbruster was in charge of the Social
Garden (nee Beer Garden) for the 150th. Such a shame
that rain prevented it from being all it could be, but I'm
sure the plan he describes will be implemented sometime in the
future.
Our Social Garden will have an internet
connection with a large screen live video projection and with 'special light & sound
production.' It is reported
to be the first such venue in the State of Missouri (EVER) and it is
also reported, for a
town the size of Lexington, the first such production in the 8 States that
border Missouri.
Do you suppose anyone in
September 1861 could begin to conceive what we hold here in our
hands? The
possibilities beyond this week end for your work coupled with this type of
live public large
screen projection boggles my pea-brain. Just imagine what could be
done.
John '58 Cross, who
apparently has taken up meteorology, predicted the
deluge:
Susan, weather.com predicts a wet weekend
for Lex, which would be bad for the festivities and anyone in period
costume. I hope that proves not to be the case.
Best of luck.
Gary '63 Miller wrote about the
coal mines:
In regards to the mention of abandoned coal mines in TLC #134, I remember that on 24 Hwy, about 2 miles of so east of Wellington, there was an area the smelled very bad, that was right next to the highway. My father told me that it was an abandoned coal mine that was burning. I do remember seeing some smoke at times when driving by. I don't know how accurate this is, but it was in a time frame of pre-1960 that my dad told me this. Someone will let us know. And now, a question from another Miller boy, Ray '51 Miller: I played baseball on the Lexington
Town Team for several years. I lost track of Louie Williams. Wonder if he
has passed away or is still around Lex.
And now, from a Miller
girl!!! Shirley Briggle '53 Miller. Shirley's husband Bob Miller,
Business News columnist for the Dallas Morning News, celebrated his 60th
(!) anniversary, the longest period of time any employee has worked for
the company.
Of course many memorable
events occurred in Dallas in those 60 years, but none so dramatic and
tragic as the Kennedy assassination and the following murder of the
assassin by local resident Jack Ruby.
One of the tributes paid to
Bob was from the retired DMS police reporter. He told
how Miller (with the help of Shirley, who also has a journalism degree)
marshaled the newspaper's coverage on that Sunday when Jack Ruby shot Lee
Harvey Oswald.
(Coincidentally, this is
being written on the 48th anniversary of the
assassination.)
Shirley
said: "I didn't exactly command the place
with Bob after the assassination. I sat at a typewriter, answered
the phone, and typed out the reporters' stories as they gave them to
me. Then I passed them to Bob. I guess because I didn't work
at The DMN, they all remember giving me their
stories.
This may be a good
time to welcome the 16 new subscribers to TLC, many of whom are from the
LHS Class of '71. I don't have names, however, just email monikers.
Please, you people from '71, tell me who you are.
And speaking of new
subscribers, Franz Buddenberg of Grandview has joined the crowd. He
writes:
It seems that I Googled the Peckerwood Club and low and
behold, I ended up in your newsletter. After reading a couple of
them, I got hooked but for the life of me I couldn't find out how to
subscribe. Now I have spent several hours of my life that I will
never get back (but don't want back) and I came across an email address
from 10 years ago that may or may not be current. If it reaches you,
please add me to your list.
I recently found out the Peckerwood Club was
for sale again and it stimulated my interest but at my age, I should
know better. Maybe I could partner with that guy from Burlington
that passes through and he could help me restore it to its original
"glory." While we are at it, we could restore the old filling
station.
I wish!
I am a Hamiltonian and my exposure to Lexington includes
(but not limited to) passing through twice a weekend while attending
college in Warrensburg; buying my first new car at Mischon Pontiac upon
graduation from college; boating the Missouri from the "marina"
and most recently, spending the weekend in the rain at the 150th
anniversary of the Battle.
Great to hear from you, Franz.
Welcome aboard. And, finally, I had some recent correspondence with
A. W. Sandring. Believe it or not, he requested some computer
assistance. From me! More unbelievable, I was actually able to help
him. Don't push it, A.W. It takes every smidgen of knowledge I have to
produce this newsletter every once in a
while.
That's it for this edition.
Meanwhile, I remain Your Devoted
Scribe,
Susan
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