TLC logo TLC #28-2:  October 9, 2001


 
Dear Hearts and Gentle People:
 
I had a change of heart and decided not to pursue my legal actions against the interlopers Briggle & Gueguen. For those unused to my warped sense of humor, I am kidding. Truly. Please feel free to email at will, to the TLC list or even selected participants. And while we're on the subject, it's time to repeat that I plan to eliminate running the addresses when we stop getting new subscribers. And also I have learned how to not disclose recipients in case you'd rather not everyone had access to your address. All you have to do is ask. And explain the preceding sentence.
 
Joyce Gueguen Ramsey:
 
Dear Susan,  Thanks for not putting me in the slammer - mea culpa, mea culpa, my excuse is I just forgot.  I wanted to know how you are doing after your gallbladder thing - the nurse in me wants to know all the details, and hoping you got lots of the original "TLC" from everyone in the hospital.  Be sure to let us know something.
     Joe is back after 2 wks in K.C. with a diagnosis of Polymyositis - inflammation of many muscles, cause unknown, of course, but at least it can be treated and go into remission which is what we're all praying for.  Thanks to all for any and all prayers.  He was driving home thru Okla. with all the OU fans going to Dallas for the game, and who must now be ecstatic about their win over t.u.  
     Just wanted to share the good news.  Love to all, Joyce 
 
From the scribe:
 
Next item of business: my surgery went fine and I was able to have the laparoscopy. I am, however, extremely good at producing gallstones....282 of them! Right now I am on the mend, stitches are removed, and I'm even ready to try another trip soon. And thank you one and all who sent notes wishing me well. I saved every one.
 
And now my apology: it's all Gordon Wright's fault. He stopped by the house and wanted to see what Joe Parks had written about him. When I printed it out for poor computerless Gordon, things got moved around. I'm certain it was his fault. When I reported this to Barbara Tabb Jarman and Joe, they both said I was right. Everything is Gordon's fault. Always.
 
Here is what Joe really had to say:
 
Susan:  Thanks for including me on the TLC list.  Although I am not an official graduate,  all my growing up was in Lexington as I was a third generation born there.  I think I would have graduated if I had stayed. Ha.  Although Gordon Wright was doing his best to get me kicked out of school.  Ha...... I recognize many of these names and it brings back great memories.  I retired a couple of years ago and now live in Carbondale Co.  Gordon and his brother-in-law, Moose (Rodekohr) are coming out in a few days for hunting season.  If I don't write again in a few weeks, send out a search party as you know Gordon will have shot me by mistake.  Ha..........Again, thanks for the great work.  Joe
 
Stayed tuned for SPORTS NEWS:
 
LHS has a football team again. They are 3-2 in the conference and 3-3 overall. This Friday they defeated Oak Grove for the first time in many years. Now, for those of us who remember the glory days, that may not sound too great. But relative to last year....       
 
Shirley Baker Summerlin:
 
....the Lex. connection. It really brings back a lot of memories, of things that happen to slip our minds over the years, so again, get well quick and thanks for the news.
 
Jack Gueguen:
 
I just learned today of the death of Marjorie Collobert Mudd on Sept. 21 at home in Lex.  We must all remember her cheery smiling face and good words of encouragement during our years in school, whenever we dropped into the office.  I think she was Mr. Bell's secretary, the paper said for over 40 years.  She is Shirley Guevel's sister (Ed. - and Evelyn and Pierre Collobert too) and first cousin of Ray Mischon, my sisters and me. I'd love to read in TLC a personal reflection on Marge's life of service to the school from someone who was closest to her in that capacity.  Over the past 20 years, our visits in her home were sporadic and brief.  She was always so deep into her home and growing family.  Her Christmas cards always referred to children/grandchildren.
 
Scribe speaks:
 
Marjorie was a wonderful person. I remember her, of course, from school, but got to know her much better in recent years. We were in the same Circle at church, as well as Garden Club. She had a magnificent flower garden on Garfield St., some of you know. Always cheerful, she and Donald enjoyed travelling in the last years. We'll really miss her.
 
New members and old memories:
 
HI SUSAN. BEING NEWCOMERS TO TLC (THANKS TO BOB AND JERRY WARNER) WE CERTAINLY ENJOY THE STORIES FORWARDED. THE REUNION WAS A HIGHLIGHT FOR US ESPECIALLY SINCE IT MARKED THE FIRST ONE THAT WE MADE IN 50 YEARS. WHEN PAT TALKED TO MR. WHITNEY SHE INTRODUCED HERSELF AS PATSY KELLY. MR. WHITNEY SAID "NO YOUR NOT, YOU ARE PATSY MILLER AND YOUR HUSBAND RAY HAD A LONG NAVY CAREER." HE THEN PROCEEDED TO RECAP THAT CAREER. EVEN THOUGH I LIVED A FEW HOUSES FROM HIM, WE WERE QUITE SURPRISED AT HIS MEMORY. A REAL GENTLEMAN. THANKS AGAIN TO THE REUNION STAFF. THE OUTCOME WAS GREAT. PAT AND RAY
 
From Marian Johnson Buchanan:
Jack (Gueguen), I just read again the portion that you wrote about my dad, Captain Ben Johnson.  Thank you for those nice words about him.  You know, Dad thought a great deal of you, too.
 
What a multitude of memories!  Dad was indeed very different from Carroll Lewis.  Dad was definitely from the old school, but he did "know his stuff" AND  he loved his music.  When you played something well, his blue eyes would twinkle and a big smile would suddenly appear.  On the other hand,  he let you know when it wasn't so great.  He could get so frustrated.
 
Had to laugh, Jack, at your painful musical beginnings.  Isn't that some way to learn!!  Happy that you had a much better experience with Dad.   Your musical instrument "choice" was similar to mine... Dad needed oboes and French horns, so he gave me that choice.  Lucky for me I have loved the French horn all of my life.  Guess that "immersion method" works.  (;>)
 
Do you remember that Dad made me the band mascot while I was still in grade school?  No nepotism there.  HA!  I still remember how special I thought I was when I twirled to the band's melodic strains of "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles".  What a BRAT I must have been!!!!  I don't think I was ever very good at that.
 
Thank you for mentioning mother, too.  What a wonderful character she was... She did love her cello and her singing.  Do you remember her dressed in a gunny sack costume singing "Mississippi Mud" in one of the old Minstrel shows?  She loved doing that.  I think Dad once served as the "interlocutor"... Not sure if that's the right spelling or the right word for a minstrel show emcee.  Anybody know? (Ed. - Yes.)
 
Anyway, I had no idea mother was known as a hazardous driver.  I am  shocked!! My husband says he is really happy to know there's a good reason behind my bad driving habits.
 
"What?  Rolling stops don't count?"
 
By the way.... Jan and Duncan... You will just have to move over and make room for me in that Band Room... I have too many great memories there.  Good thing it's roomy.
 
My brother, Howard, has really enjoyed TLC by the "snail-mail" I have sent him.  I am quite certain he will choose "the stage" as his apartment.  Now that he has retired as a high school orchestra director, (Big surprise there!) he has more time to enjoy his real passion... ACTING!!!  He has appeared and starred in numerous plays and musicals in the Davenport, Iowa area as well as in Summer Stock.  He still finds time to give piano recitals and teaches piano to the older, more serious students.  I will, of course, send on the latest copy of TLC.  He will enjoy that so much!  Don't you think he should get with it and get on-line?  Talk about old-fashioned!!!!!  One of his daughters did give him a computer recently so maybe there's still hope for him.
 
Anyway, many thanks again Jack for bringing back some great memories for me.
'55 Jarman: 
 
At this count, I believe we have three people living in the Band Room, two in Mrs. Seiter's room, one in the Study Hall and one in the Gym/Stage. No one wants the Home Ec Room..or the Manual Arts (what do they call it now?) Room?
 
 Barbara Tabb:

    Glad your surgery is over with, and you're on your way to getting
back up to par. I figured it would be worse than you had been warned,
but why say it until after you already found that out?!  :-) Yes, go
ahead and blame Gordon for all of that - I blame him for a lot of stuff.
LOL.
    We're doing good here - just got back tonight from a couple of days
in Austin - business for G., and I was along for the ride. I read Liz's
note, and it looks like she just missed being in N.Y. when all that
terrible day went down.  At least, I hope she had come home by then. I
know that, as bad as it looked on TV, it would have been intensified 100
times over by being there in person. Seeing it in two dimensions doesn't
put you into the reality of it - a living nightmare for the ones who did
witness it first hand.
 
And now - ta da! - the letter from Norman Thorson:
 
Dear Susan:
 
Inasmuch as I am still living in the dark ages, and do not own a computer, I must resort to the ancient act of letter writing.
 
Thanks to my good friend A. W. Sandring, who mails me copies of his TLCs, I find myself looking forward to each issue. The TLCs bring back so many memories. Like several who have written, I too worked at the Odessa, across the street from the Episcopal Church. Several years after I worked there, someone opened a miniature golf course on the vacant lot just west of the Odessa. That was as near as I ever became to being a golfer.
 
Other names that interested me were Entines, where I also worked, as well as the Mainstreet Theatre, and for Bill Marrs. Bill installed furnaces, made and installed guttering, and did roof work. All this for twenty-five cents an hour.
 
I haven't seen the name mentioned yet, but I also worked for Gillen Hardware. This was during the summer months, which meant working eight hours during the week, and ten hours on Saturday. As someone noted, the sidewalks were full of shoppers on Saturday nights. The good old days? Perhaps, in some ways.
 
I remember a neighbor lady calling my mother and asking if I would mow her lawn for her. It was the old reel type mower then. No power mower. It took me much of the day to mow that yard, and when I finished I told the lady she owed me 75 cents. I thought she was going to have a heart attack or stroke before my very eyes. When she recovered from this trauma, she told me she had never paid more than fifty cents. There was really no financial reason for this family to be so conservative. Nevertheless, I took my hard earned 50 cents and blew it the next day on the matinee at the Mainstreet.
 
I relate to the comments on the famous, or perhaps infamous, block 42. I had my hair cut by both the Boldridge shop and Lucien's. The own thing I remember about Lucien'sis low spittoons were placed at strategic positions around the shop. It amazed me how men could hit those things, and some from a fair distance. And, as someone mentioned, there was the Eagle Theatre on the block. My Dad would take me there to watch the Laurel and Hardy movies. I never knew my dad to laugh, as he did at the antics of Laurel and Hardy.
 
I can't imagine how I managed to survive my youth in Lexington without having been to Tabo one time. I'll never know what I missed!
 
Since there was no television, my Dad would oftentimes drive us to Henrietta, and we would watch the trains pass. At that time, one didn't have to wait long between trains. And what a thrill it was to see the "streamliner" pass, and so fast.
 
Thanks, Susan and A. W. You have brightened my day many times.
 
YE OLDE HOME TOWN:
 
We have several wonderful new shops. George (Butch) and Charolette Stier have opened an elegant gifts and antiques shop, mostly Italian imports. It's on the south side of Main, between 11th & 12th. We have two new restaurants opening soon as well. The downtown looks great and continues to improve as facades are restored. Many of our old homes are being restored as well. Things are on the upswing. You'll feel so welcome each time that you return that your happy heart will keep laughing like a clown. Oh, never mind. Write soon.
 
Your slaphappy scribe,
 
Susan


Links to other pages